#nothing like. Bad yet but i have not received communication i should've received

[altschmerzes]

EVERYTHING HAPPENS SO MUCH ALL THE TIME

[fandom-hoarder]

Ok, so I got an ask for mutual aid. Of course, it's human to want to help someone in need, even if all you can do is reblog their post. But you also don't want to be scammed, or help spread a scam. So you look for clues, or you only reblog your mutuals' aid posts because you at least know they're *real*, or you don't reblog aid posts at all.

So, what are the tells? (I'm not an expert, this is just what I've learned through osmosis.)

Do they follow/interact with you, outside of the mutual aid request?

Is their username weirdly generic?

Does the blog look like a real tumblr user, and not just someone who made a tumblr to ask for aid? How old is it? Is it involved in any fandoms? Does it seem staged?

Does their aid ask and needs description make sense? Is it overly vague, or bogged down with unneeded details?

If you quote-search the body of their aid ask, do you get any similar hits for scams on other sites or under other names?

Does the account for donations look legit?

What do you find when you reverse image search?

So, having received an ask that sounded very much like someone whose mutual aid I would want to support if they're real, but already having two red flags from the jump (not following me and not in my notifications, weird wording and grammar on ask), I endeavored to suss them out.

Screencaps of my adventure under the cut.

Like someone else has said, please don't go harrass this blog. Even if it's a scam, at some point there's a person behind that screen.

So here's the ask.

Red flags: they don't follow me, I don't know them, the ask is long, the grammar and punctuation are bad, word choices are odd or misspelled. These don't mean it's automatically fake, but it looks more like a weird AI than someone using google translate to communicate in English.

So I check their blog.

Their pinned post is this (click to read, it's a longass pic):

I don't take any links yet.

I take a block of their post and check it in google; all I get are snapshots of tumblr reblogs for their aid post. I click the "buy me a coffee" link, and it looks...idk, fine I guess. There's a tumblr logo, but clicking it seems to do nothing. (I'm on mobile)

A quick search of their name on tumblr gives me 2 posts mentioning them spamming this same message to people.

I read the one with the readmore linked here

After reading wannursyafiqah74's post about it, I got on my laptop and went back to casualdonutfire.

Mostly random reblogs; cats and other random reblogs of mostly pics, many with comments that could've/should've been tags, and no actual tags whatsoever. Like set dressing that says, "See? I'm a real person! I'm leaving comments about my reblogs that show I'm not a bot! I interact! I know what I'm I'm reblogging!"

It gives me a creepy vibe. I try google again to see if I can find their presence elsewhere on tumblr. The returns are still all snapshots of their mutual aid post. I open their archive. Ok, their tumblr has archive on...?

There are no fandom-esque posts until the very first reblog, a comment on One Piece fanart on October 18, 2023.

Their first post about needing aid was on November 7, 2023. Nearly the same wording as their pinned post, except they don't mention having a child. Zero specifics on what amount is needed for what or a timeline or anything. Not even anything about Christmas coming up. Tagged generously for trans surgery and other visibility words.

Oh. AND. The buymeacoffee is different. Adela, not Adella.

Then their next post for aid is fresh on January 11, 2024; nearly the same wording, except now there's a daughter and a birthday -- no date for the birthday, though, is there?!

[reblog linked here] If you go to their January 12th reblog and click on the "video proof," it's an audio-only black screen upload to imgur, with no identifying info for what's going on other than what they describe (and it doesn't really sound like what they describe; it sounds like a kid ready for christmas but not disappointed, like idk what more you're supposed to get out of it)

Then I clicked on their buymeacoffee link and noticed something. When I hovered my mouse over the tumblr symbol under their blurb, the link embedded there showed up at the bottom of my screen. And it was NOT casualdonutfire.

It was deepeagletimetravel. And, of course, it's a nuked tumblr. Hence doing NOTHING for me on mobile.

So I went to google again!

And lo, what do I find in those lurking reblogs?

ANOTHER MUTUAL AID POST IN EVERYONE'S REBLOGS. WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSONA AND STORY. BUT THE SAME WALL OF TEXT + BAD PUNCTUATION STYLE

Using a stock photo for their initial "bio" that seems awfully misleading when you don't say it's a stock photo.

And with stolen/uncredited art by thetransformistress as a thank you.

And, of course, the buymeacoffee page it linked for Ameera (buymeacoffee.com/AmeeradelzC) is blank. 👀 Totallynormal, nothing to see here.

But this makes me think. I go back to that Nov 7 casualdonutfire post, with their first buymeacoffee link to "Adela" (buymeacoffee.com/adelladomil)--

and what do ya know, the tumblr that opens is casualdonutfire!

So did they forget they made an adela account, and change their ameera buymeacoffee account to adella for their new post, forgetting to change the deepeagletimetravel tumblr name?! 🤷‍♀️

[mazeinthemiroh]

Hey, I wanted to ask if I could request a stray kids x trans Reader (ftm) (reactions or scenarios) where the reader is a member of stray kids but gets hate for being trans, due to all that hate he starts to overbind, can be pretty angsty if you'd like. Thank you in advance!

stray kids when their trans s/o receives hate

genre: ftm reader, angst, hurt / comfort, fluff in hyunne's

word count: 1.2k

warnings: cursing, angst, gender dysphoria, mentions of weight loss, sensitive topics

author's notes: thanks so much for the request. i hope this is to your liking. all the scenarios are different to each other, so i hope that's okay for you. let me know what you think and sending much love <3

bangchan

chan had to remain cool when he read a comment in one of his lives. he received hate regularly, so much so that it didn't phase him. but there was nothing that boiled his blood more than people coming for the people he loves the most.

he bit his tongue and sighed, frustrated.

"what i will say is that i won't stand for any hate being made about my members. and you know what i'm talking about." he called the nasty comments then and there. "i know most stays stand by a certain community and i know our true fans won't have anything bad to say about these sorts of things. you know who you are."

his voice was stern and soon after this, he ended the live. he had to beat around the bush but he wishes he didn't. he wanted to swear. he wanted to be clear and blunt but he knew he couldn't. not yet.

but the time would come when he could defend you confidently and openly whenever he pleased.

lee know

"you and i both know very well that you should've taken that off by now."

lee know was stern when it came to your health. his protectiveness was always seen and always shown without fail. he knew that wearing your binding for as long as you did came with so many risks. and he wasn't going to stand for it.

"did you see what they said about me on the news?" you asked, not daring to look at his broken gaze.

"fuck them," minho clasped your hand in his, firmly. "fuck them all. you're the man that i love and i need you to be ok. because then i won't be ok."

he raised his voice but then stopped himself from going further. he couldn't ignore the lump in his throat and the heaviness of his heart, trying desperately not to break down.

he was going to protect you. no matter what it cost.

changbin

changbin pouted at your refusal to work out with him yet again.

"you haven't gone to the gym with me in ages," he poked your cheek in a playful tone, "i thought you were my gym partner, hmm?"

you did latch onto his playfulness as you usually would, not really responding to his effort. he knew something was wrong.

"hey, what's up," he grabbed your face and stroked his thumb over your cheek, gazing into your eyes.

"i don't belong there," you whisper in a voice changbin could scarcely make out, "in the men's section. men look at me and talk about me like i can't hear them."

the tears welled up in your eyes as you broke down into tears.

"if they even dare do that, i will beat their asses," changbin said determinedly, "and you know it."

hyunjin

hyunjin danced with you alone in the practice room. it wasn't a full-on, heavy hip-hop choreography or anything. no. it was a slow dance. a gentle sway to the music.

"you look like a prince tonight," hyunjin whispered sweetly, his confession making his own cheeks warm with delight. he really had never felt happier.

"really?" you gazed into his eyes longing before glancing over his shoulder, "other people say i look more and more like a princess nowadays," you said in a grim voice, a sparkle of disappointment in your eyes.

hyunjin hummed, spinning you around before gathering you back in his arms once again, "i'd say you're more handsome than anything else." and with that, he swayed you calmly again, making you forget about the people who made you doubt yourself. and soon, you were the only two people in the world. just you and him, dancing. two princes in love.

han

"you wrote a song for me?"

you couldn't believe it. your member, your boyfriend, your best friend, your soulmate. he exceeded all expectations.

"of course i did," han shrugged, "you were sad."

"you don't just write a song for someone because they are sad," you say as you curled up on his lap, looking at him with an overwhelming amount of love and disbelief written on your face. you knew what the song was really about.

the song was beautiful. the first stray kids song to have he/him pronouns in it, and it was all for you. han called it his confession; it was a love letter for sure. but it was also a song about defending your honour and being true to yourself. and the other members adored it. but you. you cried to it every time you listened to it.

"i love you," you held him close in your arms, "so fucking much."

felix

felix watched as your face dropped as you scrolled through your phone.

"what?" he asked softly, his voice had a twinge of concern to it as you seemed to have been frozen on the spot.

he leaned over your shoulder to investigate. and what he saw you looking at made his heart drop. it made his eyes well up with tears.

"no," he said helplessly, "don't look at that, please. please, please don't." he pleaded before grabbing the phone out of your hands and turning the phone off.

"nothing they say means anything," he gripped your shoulders and saw tears well up in your own eyes as well. "i love you. the other members love you. that's all that matters. you are who you are, and that's why we love you."

his beautiful words made the tears in your eyes spill. all you could do was sink in his arms gently as he held them out for you. and you'd stay there for a while, both of you just holding each other and never letting go.

seungmin

seungmin never understood why you got hate. it made him angry. no, enraged. but most of all, it made him feel powerless. it was something he could not control, and he felt there was no reason for it.

but what was worse was seeing the hate get to you.

"whatever," he said, one night, when you were talking about such things, "they're just jealous that you're hotter than them."

"seungmin, you know it's not because of that," you gave him a side eye before sighing in defeat. you didn't want him to have to worry. but he was so good at getting this stuff out of you. it was such a difficult circumstance to be in, for the whole group. "maybe if i lost more weight, my chest would go down..."

"don't you dare," seungmin ordered, looking at you dead in the eye and making you see what effect this was having on him. "i will not let them do that to you. not now. not ever."

jeongin

"hey, you haven't bought that new top i gave you yet." jeongin whined at you, not looking up from constantly scrolling on his phone.

you had just got ready to go out with him, and wore what you always wore. a hoodie. and some baggy trousers, along with a pair of jeongin's sneakers, of course. but you'd always wear baggy clothes, which didn't use to be your style before. jeongin was suspicious.

"i don't feel like it right now," you muttered in response.

"you used to like tighter clothes," jeongin mumbled, finally looking up from his phone.

"not anymore," you sighed, looking at him and gesturing to your body. and suddenly things started to be clear for him.

"oh," he said quietly, understanding where you were coming from. he put his phone down and slung an arm around your shoulder. "well whatever you're comfortable with, you can wear anything with me, baby."

[askhenry1987]

I was a bad girl, I did some bad things

I swear I did it all for fun and it meant nothing

It never happened, it was a secret

Like when a tree falls in the forest, no one hears it

Another late night, another crazy mood

And I didn't think twice what it would do to you

I was a wild child, you always knew it

It was a matter of time before I blew it

Thou shall not lie, thou shall not cheat

Thou shall not get caught or you'll end up just like me, oh

Karma's a bitch, I should've known better

If I had a wish, I would've never effed around

When I saw the pics of you and her, I felt the knife twist

Karma's a bitch

And she's with you right now

She is a good girl, I think she's boring (boring)

Believe me, twenty minutes later, you'll be snoring

But it still kills me that you hooked up with her (up with her)

And now the universe is giving me what I deserve (I deserve)

Thou shall not lie, thou shall not cheat (oh, whoa)

I'll write it down a thousand times and hope it sets me free, oh

Karma's a bitch, I should've known better

If I had a wish, I would've never effed around

When I saw the pics of you and her, I felt the knife twist (karma)

Karma's a bitch (oh, whoa)

And she's with you right now

karma's a bitch

(Whoa, oh, oh, oh-oh) karma's a bitch

Better be good 'cause what goes around, comes around

Karma's a bitch

And she's with you right now

And when I lay me down to sleep, it's not your body next to me

This lonely room feels so empty, just me and my regrets

And cold blue eyes look back at me, the mirror has no sympathy

My guilts become a symphony that won't let me forget, oh

Karma's a bitch, I should've known better

If I had a wish, I would've never effed around (oh, whoa)

When I saw the pics of you and her, I felt the knife twist (karma)

Karma's a bitch (karma)

And she's with you right now

Karma's a bitch

Karma's a bitch

Better be good 'cause what goes around, comes around

Karma's a bitch (karma)

And she's with you right now

Connection terminated. I'm sorry to interrupt you, Elizabeth, if you still even remember that name, But I'm afraid you've been misinformed.

You are not here to receive a gift, nor have you been called here by the individual you assume, although, you have indeed been called.

You have all been called here, into a labyrinth of sounds and smells, misdirection and misfortune.

A labyrinth with no exit, a maze with no prize. You don't even realize that you are trapped. Your lust for blood has driven you in endless circles, chasing the cries of children in some unseen chamber, always seeming so near, yet somehow out of reach, but you will never find them. None of you will.

This is where your story ends. And to you, my brave volunteer, who somehow found this job listing not intended for you, although there was a way out planned for you, I have a feeling that's not what you want. I have a feeling that you are right where you want to be. I am remaining as well. I am nearby.

This place will not be remembered, and the memory of everything that started this can finally begin to fade away. As the agony of every tragedy should.

And to you monsters trapped in the corridors, be still and give up your spirits. They don't belong to you. For most of you, I believe there is peace and perhaps more waiting for you after the smoke clears.

Although, for one of you, the darkest pit of Hell has opened to swallow you whole, so don't keep the devil waiting, old friend.

My daughter, if you can hear me, I knew you would return as well. It's in your nature to protect the innocent. I'm sorry that on that day, the day you were shut out and left to die, no one was there to lift you up into their arms the way you lifted others into yours, and then, what became of you? I should have known you wouldn't be content to disappear, not my daughter.

I couldn't save you then, so let me save you now. It's time to rest - for you, and for those you have carried in your arms.

This ends for all of us.

End communication.

[found--family]

All good and true.

Except we see/hear no conversations between Dean and Cas after that first one with Casmodeus. And it's implied that Sam is fielding most of the "Cas" calls thereafter - or so we're led to believe from an aching lack of evidence. It seems deliberately done that Dean is in less personal contact with Cas (however slight) than Sam is.

So why would the writers specifically choose to not have any reference to/proof of any DeanCas phonecalls unless they were making a point? Such as: *now, see here, Dean is receiving only second-hand accounts of his wayward Angel, yet he's not jealous or worried, and why-? Because he trusts Sam, and trusts the friendship Sam shares with Cas.*

But why isn't Dean annoyed or impatient about not talking to Cas himself-? It's like you said: Cas made it clear to Dean that he needed to go this one alone - which has proven disastrous in the past (every freakin time), but these daily check-ins alleviate any *worst case scenario* thoughts that would likely distract and consume Dean. So, Dean manages to respect Cas choices/abilities, perhaps only because he is glad (unburdened from worry) of the updates - even when there is nothing new to report.

But then why isn't Dean logging some casual phone convo with Cas (about literally anything) seeing as how Cas just came back to life and (unknowingly) saved Dean's by doing so..? Isn't it strange that Dean is somehow "ok" with this distance, and with Cas' apparent avoidance of talking with him between leads, at all, or alone..?

There is some cause for suspicion here, on the part of Dean being out of character, i.e. Despite the frequent check-ins and him trusting Sammy, and even if Dean understood and respected Cas' choices, it's still in his nature to be wanting/overprotective/needy - which, when it comes to Cas, has never been a "bad thing". With Sammy, yes. But with Cas it's always been the thing that would've prevented a lot of pain and chaos. Their history has proven that nothing good comes from Cas pulling away from Dean to go at whatever-threat-is-current all on his own.

*This seems to be a disregard of Dean's character and any thoughts on WHY the writers did this PLEASE SHARE otherwise I'm left to think they just got lazy.*

(sidenote: for Asmodeus' part, I can understand him recognising the bond between Dean and Cas - by observation or from gossip - and thus steering clear of conversing with Dean as much as possible out of fear that the hunter *would just know* and so the jig would be up before it even began.)

But if they had chosen to script more DeanCas(modeus) phonecalls, the big question is obvious: Would Dean know?? Would he have figured it out too soon, thus rendering the whole ruse moot? Of course he would have.

It seems they tweaked Dean's character simply to suit the side plot - they made him not be in sole communication (or much at all, really) with Cas, yet gave no believeable reason as to why, and had Dean seemingly unperturbed about the whole thing - WHICH JUST ISN'T CANON I MEAN COME ON GUYS!

If Dean had been fielding the Cas(modeus) calls, he would NOT have been "simply fine and clueless" about the yay!constant!communication - 1) Because that's OOC for Cas even if he has just returned from the dead, and 2) Whatever relief Dean mightve felt over hearing Cas' voice and frequent assurances that he was still breathing, it wouldn't be enough to blind him from the suspicious vibe of the whole thing and all the little details that up to the whole thing.

In short, Dean would absolutely have known/felt/sussed out (even by accident) that Cas *wasn't Cas*. Moreover, he should've figured out earlier than now (13.12) that Cas wasn't Cas but the only/main reason he didn't isn't *blissful ignorance* (Dean got his win) or lack of skills/knowledge/proof. Dean didn't figure it out or even notice anything was "off" because that's the way the writers wanted it.

This whole plot comes off mangled and forced but we're meant to "love it" because it resembles a beloved trope..? What's beloved are our characters, and it would be best for everyone if the writers did us all a solid and let THEM lead the way, instead of trying to bend 'em to the will of a story that feels like fiction to the truth of these fictional friends of ours.

😤

I’m kind of over people saying that Dean should know something was wrong with Cas and that he was trapped. I just… 

Cas got locked up after he was captured on a mission which he explicitly told Dean he didn’t want anyone to join him. Even after Asmodeous took over as “Cas,” he kept in constant contact with the Winchesters. How is Dean supposed to know that something is amiss? This isn’t like when Cas disappeared and wasn’t keeping in contact, which caused Dean to be freaked out last season.

For all Dean knows, Cas was looking into things and was doing okay. I don’t know about you but if a friend told me that they were going out on their own for a bit, then followed up daily with calls, I wouldn’t be worried at all. Why should we expect Dean to be??? 

Dean isn’t a mind reader, and there’s some other big stuff going down that’s probably on his mind too. From his perspective, Cas was safe and alive. Because of that, he could focus on other problems.