#please do not pirate their books

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I'm so sorry this is so random but you mentioned being a pirate historian once and I'm curious: what even IS the golden age of piracy? When did it end? Feel free to ignore, sorry again!

Okay you have to know that this question literally made my day! Yes, I'm a historian (PhD student right now 🤘🏾) and the golden age of piracy has always been a huge special interest of mine!

So, what the fuck even is the golden age of piracy? That's simply the name for the period during which the most pirates were active in European-controlled waters in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Thousands of pirates were active during the golden age and the sheer amount of valuable items being shipped to and from Europe made it a very lucrative profession for a hot minute. Piracy was still not an easy job; pirates typically lived for only a year or two in the business (the real Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard were not exceptions to this rule).

The golden age, depending on who you ask, is generally dated from 1650-1730, about 80 years. Again, though, that depends on who you ask; some historians only consider the "real" golden age to start around 1690. There's debate because it can be split into distinct sections based on pirate behaviors, but generally its agreed the last section, from around 1715-1726, was the most active because of many sailors being left unemployed as various naval wars began and ended and falling into piracy as a result.

The end of the golden age corresponds to the end of piracy itself as a major Thing in European-controlled waters. The golden age ended in little steps and stages between 1710-1730, and yes there's overlap with some of the most prominant pirate activity there, but that's because this was a very slow death. The golden age ended because imperial powers started to crack down very hard on piracy as colonial empires established stronger local governments which just made it harder to slip under the radar, privateering (legal piracy, essentially) was made illegal pretty much everywhere, piracy was slowly becoming less and less profitable as it was harder to capture ships thanks to a bigger naval presence, and offers such as the Act of Grace (which was a real thing!) were pretty common and allowed pirates to leave piracy and immediately get a job.

[jade-jupiter]

to the guy who stole a copy of the book of bill from my job yesterday, i hope you know this is not what alex hirsch meant when he said “get your copy today”

[t-annuki]

The navy blue trinity 🇬🇧

Groves and Gillette fanarts? Where are you? Why!? They deserve more love,what do you think?

Tumbrl I hate your shitty quality

[elephantbitterhead]

I fear pattern drafting may be the thing that finally forces me to use tiktok. I hope the resulting clothes are worth the remainder of my sanity.

[howtodrawyourdragon]

This is another difference between Hiccup and Horrendous, I believe.

Here in the book, Horrendous (aged 10 still) believes the warning at the front and that's why he doesn't want the coffin to be opened. He believes in the curse to the point of panicking when his father opens a supposedly cursed coffin.

In the movies and shows, Hiccup is a firm sceptic. He's familiar with their rituals and their deities, but doesn't seem to believe in them. Certainly not as much as, say, Fishlegs who was ready to blame disappearing islands on the wrath of Odinn or Thor. Astrid, too, seems to believe when she recalls the tale of her aunt who had to sail off the edge of the world to satisfy Odinn or something.

The only moment we've seen Hiccup believe in any way is when he and his friends made that tribute for Thorr, hoping it would stop the thunderstorms above Berk, thereby keeping scrutiny off Toothless' back.

Even when bones rain down from the sky, he calls it "weird" and still doesn't believe in this Fog Monster that supposedly took Johann's boat in the Breakneck Bog episode in Riders of Berk. He needs hard proof before he believes in anything supernatural or paranormal. (That or Toothless needs to be at risk)

Even so, I still don't think he would've just opened a coffin. Not because he actually believes in curses, but rather out of respect for the person inside.

Maybe it's the difference in age- one is 10, the other 15- maybe it's because the books do hint at magic and the mystic being real. (Apparently, Httyd and TWOO take place in the same universe?) Either way, an interesting difference between the two, for sure.

[beans-in-your-socks]

TW: SA

so about the Neil Gaiman SA allegations

this is really really gross. i honestly cant believe this.

guys, please.

ALWAYS BELIEVE SA SURVIVORS.

like I mean come on, seriously? how are there people defending him? do you really think they would even come out and talk about this and report it if it wasn't true? this man has a MASSIVE following, and imagine all the repercussions it would have on them if they were lying. you wouldn't report this, when its regarding someone so famous, if it wasn't true.

my heart goes out to both of the survivors ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[arsenicflame]

shout out to this is how you lose the time war for being the only piece of media to never let me down <3

[snowstories]

It irks me so much when otherwise pro-piracy people draw the line at book piracy. Yes artists deserve to be paid for their work, and the money you pay for a book goes to the artist in a more direct way than in much of the video game/TV/movie industry. Having a book do badly absolutely can and does affect the author negatively, so if piracy seriously cuts into a book's sales then that's bad for the author. But also: it's not a lost sale if you couldn't afford to pay for it. That does not suddenly stop being true for book piracy. If the publishing industry makes books prohibitively expensive, you do not get to blame poor people for pirating them anymore than you get to blame poor people for pirating video games, movies, and TV shows.

"Just borrow it from your local library!" not always possible. Not everyone has a local library, can afford a membership to a local library, or can physically access a local library. Get okay with book piracy right now. Poor people have a right to experience art too. The publishing industry and capitalism is your enemy, not poor people pirating books because that's the only way they can afford to read. If you're an author who hates book piracy because you're worried about your bottom line may I direct your rage away from poor people and towards capitalism.

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

It's really funny writing a fantasy series because everyone else has maps that I will go absolutely batshit insane over because they're so gorgeous and detailed-

And this is my baby. Courtesy of Paint. Feast your eyes on my VERY DETAILED WIP map for my Seven Sanctuaries series:

[archgabrielangel]

unfriendly reminder that Dior Goodjohn is in fact a zionist! do not stream her music. also this is yet another reason not to stream PJO on Disney +!

[quicktimeeventfull]

also look you didn’t hear this for me but barely any libraries require you to present any sort of proof of residency for electronic library cards anymore so if yours sucks you can just spoof the address of one that doesn’t

[deplcythebattery]

re-reading a queer book called 'lost boi' and now that i'm more versed in kink i actually get it. but i'm also laughing at the way i can see myself in the lost bois while also looking at the mermaids like yeah i see you i feel a connection. my gender so weird

[bauliya]

the locked tomb does have shite prose tho c'mon

"we need less sanitized queer stories" yall keep saying fucking she-ra romanticizes abuse. you couldnt possibly handle less sanitized queer stories

[tearlessrain]

please help me- i used to be pretty smart but i’m having so much trouble grasping the concept of diegetic vs non-diegetic bdsm!

gfkjldghfd okay first of all I'm sorry for the confusion, if you're not finding anything on the phrase it's because I made it up and absolutely nobody but me ever uses it, but I haven't found a better way to express what I'm trying to say so I keep using it. but now you've given me an excuse to ramble on about some shit that is only relevant to me and my deeply inefficient way of talking and by god I'm going to take it.

SO. the way diegetic and non-diegetic are normally used is to talk about music and sound design in movies/tv shows. in case you aren't familiar with that concept, here's a rundown:

diegetic sound is sound that happens within the world of the movie/show and can be acknowledged by the characters, like a song playing on the stereo during a driving scene, or sung on stage in Phantom of the Opera. it's also most other sounds that happen in a movie, like the sounds of traffic in a city scene, or a thunderclap, or a marching band passing by. or one of the three stock horse sounds they use in every movie with a horse in it even though horses don't really vocalize much in real life, but that's beside the point, the horse is supposed to be actually making that noise within the movie's world and the characters can hear it whinnying.

non-diegetic sound is any sound that doesn't exist in the world of the movie/show and can't be perceived by the characters. this includes things like laugh tracks and most soundtrack music. when Duel of Fates plays in Star Wars during the lightsaber fight for dramatic effect, that's non-diegetic. it exists to the audience, but the characters don't know their fight is being backed by sick ass music and, sadly, can't hear it.

the lines can get blurry between the two, you've probably seen the film trope where the clearly non-diegetic music in the title sequence fades out to the same music, now diegetic and playing from the character's car stereo. and then there are things like Phantom of the Opera as mentioned above, where the soundtrack is also part of the plot, but Phantom of the Opera does also have segments of non-diegetic music: the Phantom probably does not have an entire orchestra and some guy with an electric guitar hiding down in his sewer just waiting for someone to break into song, but both of those show up in the songs they sing down there.

now, on to how I apply this to bdsm in fiction.

if I'm referring to diegetic bdsm what I mean is that the bdsm is acknowledged for what it is in-world. the characters themselves are roleplaying whatever scenarios their scenes involve and are operating with knowledge of real life rules/safety practices. if there's cnc depicted, it will be apparent at some point, usually right away, that both characters actually are fully consenting and it's all just a planned scene, and you'll often see on-screen negotiation and aftercare, and elements of the story may involve the kink community wherever the characters are. Love and Leashes is a great example of this, 50 Shades and Bonding are terrible examples of this, but they all feature characters that know they're doing bdsm and are intentional about it.

if I'm talking about non-diegetic bdsm, I'm referring to a story that portrays certain kinks without the direct acknowledgement that the characters are doing bdsm. this would be something like Captive Prince, or Phantom of the Opera again, or the vast majority of bodice ripper type stories where an innocent woman is kidnapped by a pirate king or something and totally doesn't want to be ravished but then it turns out he's so cool and sexy and good at ravishing that she decides she's into it and becomes his pirate consort or whatever it is that happens at the end of those books. the characters don't know they're playing out a cnc or D/s fantasy, and in-universe it's often straight up noncon or dubcon rather than cnc at all. the thing about entirely non-diegetic bdsm is that it's almost always Problematic™ in some way if you're not willing to meet the story where it's at, but as long as you're not judging it by the standards of diegetic bdsm, it's just providing the reader the same thing that a partner in a scene would: the illusion of whatever risk or taboo floats your boat, sometimes to extremes that can't be replicated in real life due to safety, practicality, physics, the law, vampires not being real, etc. it's consensual by default because it's already pretend; the characters are vehicles for the story and not actually people who can be hurt, and the reader chose to pick up the book and is aware that nothing in it is real, so it's all good.

this difference is where people tend to get hung up in the discourse, from what I've observed. which is why I started using this phrasing, because I think it's very crucial to be able to differentiate which one you're talking about if you try to have a conversation with someone about the portrayal of bdsm in media. it would also, frankly, be useful for tagging, because sometimes when you're in the mood for non-diegetic bodice ripper shit you'd call the police over in real life, it can get really annoying to read paragraphs of negotiation and check-ins that break the illusion of the scene and so on, and the opposite can be jarring too.

it's very possible to blur these together the same way Phantom of the Opera blurs its diegetic and non-diegetic music as well. this leaves you even more open to being misunderstood by people reading in bad faith, but it can also be really fun to play with. @not-poignant writes fantastic fanfic, novels, and original serials on ao3 that pull this off really well, if you're okay with some dark shit in your fiction I would highly recommend their work. some of it does get really fucking dark in places though, just like. be advised. read the tags and all that.

but yeah, spontaneous writer plug aside, that's what I mean.

[yanderedrabbles]

THE SINNERS WELCOME YOU TW: noncon and yanderes ahead

Hi! I'm val and this is where you can find everything I've written. Maybe bring protection? These boys are not nice.

Requests: closed for now

Current Anons: 🍪, 🐰, ♥️, 🐧, 🧷, 📌, 📮, ⚙ 🤖, 🍯, 🦚, 💵, ⭐, 💗, 🌙

What I won't write about: pregnancy

Art & Doodles

Yandere Witch: She adores anything cute and turns you into a plushy just to cuddle.

You on a shelf You getting cuddles

Yandere Fairytales

Dark and sinful, these stories are from a time long ago. When the gods still walked the earth and when monsters wore the skin of men and when a bride could still be built out of wishes and blood.

In a time and place far, far away...

The North Wind fell in love

A sorcerer turned a witch wicked

Drabbles, Imagines & Oneshots

Not so honourable after all: Drabble about princes and heroes with rotten hearts.

Yandere Actor: The Golden Age of Hollywood. Stars are born every day and you're desperate to become one.

Yandere Yakuza: When your brother gets himself deep into debt, one yakuza is surprisingly willing to help you get him out.

Yandere Bisexual Best Friend: He just wants what's best for you. If he has to tell a few white lies now and again, then so be it.

Come for me: Drabble about yanderes who force pleasure on you for their own sick enjoyment.

Yandere Pirate Captain [dubcon] A naive aristocrat's daughter, you're crossing the Atlantic in a heavily guarded ship. Pirates assume guns and guards mean treasure but when all they find is you, they decide to make the best of their luck.

Yandere Werewolf: There's something terrorising your town every full moon. And a stroke of bad luck has you running into it more than once.

Yandere Sugar Daddy: Money can't buy love, but maybe it doesn't have to.

Yandere Cyberpunk Mercenary: A ruthless mercenary and you, his spoilt little prize.

Letters from a Yandere Vampire: A handsome stranger seems intent on courting you but his letters hide a darker secret.

The worst sort: Drabble about the most sleazy and perverted type of yandere.

Cheat on me please: Your boyfriend just won't let you break up.

Lovesick Dogs: Drabble about poor fools who love like wretched dogs.

Yandere Mobster: Chicago - 1931 The Height of Prohibition The mafia is earning top dollar smuggling alcohol into the country. And one mobster has his eye on you.

You wouldn't reject him, would you?

Yandere Gladiator: A man can become a god in the arena. But all he fights for is you.

Yandere Cyberpunk Riot Control Officer [noncon] There's nothing he hates more than degenerates and rioters. When he gets his hands on, he's going to pound some law and order into you.

Cyberpunk Yanderes: A little drabble about neon soaked streets and criminals with their eye on you.

Cyberpunk Yanderes with an oblivious country Darling

Yandere Greek Champion x Priestess Reader [noncon] He was chosen by the Gods to slaughter, to strike down all who stand against him. Your city has fallen at last and he has come to claim his prize.

Exploring his villa Finding you asleep

Yandere Stalker/Cop: A vicious stalker has been terrorising you for months. Luckily, your friendly neighbourhood cop is around to comfort you.

Yandere Apocalypse Survivor: The world you know is dead and gone. And he's the only reason you're still alive.

Yandere Soldier [noncon] He knows what he's doing is wrong, but if he closes his eyes, he can convince himself that your muffled cries are moans for him to keep going.

Yandere Soldier - Stockholm Syndrome: It was bound to happen eventually, right?

Softcore Yandere Boyfriend: A guy who has every yandere urge in the book and is trying very hard to be normal about it.

Yandere Boyfriend Surprise Party: How does your Yandere! Boyfriend react when you start acting distant and keeping secrets from him? Yandere Boyfriend as a husband: He might be jealous of the kids but shhh. Way of the yandere house husband: More things your hubby does for you. Yandere Boyfriend as a gym buddy: You're his favourite kind of cardio. Yandere Boyfriend x Coquette Reader: You can put bows on him if you ask nicely.

Yandere Cowboy [noncon] He just wants a roll in the hay. It doesn't matter if he has to hold you down to get it.

Yandere Cowboy - Proposal: Does he ever learn to be sweet with you? Yandere Cowboy - Jealousy: You're his girl and he ain't gonna stand around and let some other bastard steal you away. Picking wild flowers with him If you try running away before your wedding

Yandere Cop [noncon] All you want is to get home after a midnight shift and relax. But a State Trooper pulling you over on an isolated stretch of road is more than you bargained for.

Yandere Cop - Baby Trapped: You're stuck in a position where you just can't say no anymore.

Yandere Ganster x Mafia Boss Reader: He's your loyal dog. Now and always.

Yandere Ganster - Jealousy: For the first time, he sees you be physical with another man. And he's trying his hardest not to punch the bastard right in the mouth. Yandere Ganster - Rainy Days: After a difficult job, he comes back soaked and shivering. Naturally, you think of a few ways to warm him up.

Yandere Desert Bandit [dubcon] When planning to cross the desert, all travellers are warned about the bandits. Heartless, they're called. Brutal. Inhuman. So why has one of them fallen in love with you?

Yandere Desert Bandit - Aftermath: Son of the sand, his touch isn't gentle. But perhaps he can learn. Will he ever be a father? Would he honour his word?

Yandere Incubus x Nun Reader [noncon] A new priest had joined your convent and you can't help the sinful thoughts you have about him.

Yandere Academic Rival: He'll do whatever it takes to be the best.

The Yandere Boys

Who's your yandere soulmate? [Quiz - coming soon] Their favourite positions Their kinks What are their homes like? What do they look like? When you're sick/hurt yourself Which Yandere boy is the most manipulative? If you cheat on them Their body preferences If you refuse to eat If you try and leave them If you're bisexual Yandere Christmas Special What sort of cars do they drive? Who is the cruelest? Who is the kindest? What kind of clothing do they find provocative? Would they ever share you with someone else?

Misery - a short story [in progress]

Based on Misery by Stephen King

Stuck in the mountains, you foolishly decide to drive through a blizzard. The man that drags you from your wrecked car brings you to his cabin and patches you up. But as the snow piles up outside, you start to suspect that your rescuer's intentions may be far from pure.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Upcoming Works

Yandere Roommates [dubcon] With your boss mysteriously firing you and your job applications getting lost in the mail, it's no surprise that you can't afford rent this month. Lucky for you, your roommates have a very generous offer.

Yandere Wild West Sheriff: Ain't you just the sweetest lil thing?

Yandere Dictator:  He's a high ranking member of the ruling party, with all the wealth and power denied to the working class. And when he says he wants you, that's exactly what he gets.

Dairy of a Vampire:  You've found a strange book in your husband's library, and on closer inspection, realise every entry is all about you. [Sequel to Letters from a Yandere Vampire]

Yandere Aztec Warrior x Āhuiyani Reader:  His body is sworn to war and yours to pleasure. How strange, that you find comfort in each other.

Yandere Sugar Baby:  It's not uncommon for a wealthy, older woman to take a younger lover. But the way he looks at you isn't normal at all.

Yandere Witch Hunter x Witch Reader: In a last ditch effort to save yourself from execution, you cast a love spell on the town's witch hunter.

Yandere Aliens [noncon] Human women are the most prized slaves in the galaxy, and when your ship crashes on an unknown planet, it's inhabitants are keen to find out why.

Yandere Southern Gothic Cowboy: He doesn't come to church and you never see him out in the sun. Who exactly is this stranger?

Yandere Rockstar: He's a rockstar punk who wants to fight the whole damn world. But all his songs seem to be about one special person.

Yandere Dragon x Princess Reader: This fairytale isn't what you expect.

Yandere Slasher [noncon] With all your friends dead and no way to escape, you offer the killer something else in exchange for your life.

Yandere Ex-boyfriend [noncon] You wake up to a ship over five hundred million kilometres away from your home planet and an ex desperate to prove his love.

Yandere Pirate x Mermaid Reader: You've seen her time and time again, leaning against the stern and staring out at the horizon. She always seems so melancholic. Maybe a song will help?

Yandere Soulmate: So what if you don't always get along? So what if he leaves bruises on bad days? You're meant to be his and he's not letting you go.

Yandere Firefighter: You owe him your life. Aren't you going to repay that debt?

Yandere Stripper: Beautiful, confident, deadly. When she says she wants you, she won't take no for an answer.

Devil Dogs always bite: A green card marriage to a US Marine ends badly. [omegaverse]

[nopoodles]

As an indie author I also want to point out that Ingram Spark (the most common distribution service for indie authors who want to sell their books everywhere and allow their books to show up in libraries) states that library fees for eBooks can be anywhere from as much as a standard eBook to 4x the price (the standard being double).

It would not, however, accept my putting my eBooks up for libraries at the same prices I sell them for. Is it fair? No. Did I have to up the prices? Yup.

As a former librarian, the whole "don't pirate books, you are taking money authors need to feed their starving children, just borrow from the library instead :) " makes me angry.

Because e-book prices for libraries are insanely high. Like I've heard the jokey meme about how "if libraries were proposed today, they would be condemned as some socialist infringing on intellectual property rights."

Well, the rights for libraries to lend out paper books were negotiated almost a century ago in most western countries, while the rights for libraries to lend out e-books and digital audiobooks were negotiated during the present neoliberal era where corporations are very powerful. And It fucking shows.

The prices for libraries to buy e-books are insane, and that's not even counting the circulation fees. And the books are frequently restricted by licensing to a certain small number of loans per book, after which the e-book is destroyed and the library has to buy a new one to the exorbitant prices the publishers give.

Like the advice about how piracy is some great evil cutting into author's profits and how you should just borrow from libraries instead is so infuriating in that context. Like listen to actual librarians talk about e-book pricing for libraries. It's a major drain on library funds, and in the era of neoliberalism and austerity those budgets are strained as it is. And libraries inability in the face of these costs to provide digital content is used as justification for further cuts.

Librarians have boycotted major publishers over their ridiculous e-book policies and have talked about how ridiculous prices are for years, and for good reason.

This is fucking corporate robbery of library funding, of tax payers money to further their own private profits. Any moralistic bullshit about the evils of book piracy should be put in that context. If the ordinary person is stealing the publishers precious book sales profits, those publishers are already robbing that person's tax dollars.

It's a fucking hypocrisy to justify the present system of copyright and intellectual property with "well, if you are poor it's still wrong to pirate because you can get books for free legally from libraries". Because book publishers are already using their strong intellectual property rights to bleed libraries dry of funds, killing them in the process like the fucking vampires they are.