#yay we are online at the same time

[fear-is-truth]

girlll i get to see my work husband today 🤭 i work from 4 to 10:30!!! im so excited omg i’ll keep you updated!!

- 🍒

WOO HOO you get to see nicholas chavez + josh hutcherson lookalike AND get paid ?!! gurl you are truly living the life !! 🤍

[oysterie]

taking british literature 1 this semester because american lit 1 was full

[quarterlifekitty]

Something, something, König picking up gaming in his free time, not uncommon for an older guy especially with a cute little thing who has a nice set up for gaming and he absolutely takes to it with flying colours. Kinda pissing you off how he’s gotten leagues better than you at one of your favourites in such a short amount of time. So when that skin you absolutely NEED drops you’re going insane grinding for it. It’s frustrating too because all the sweats have come out of the woodwork to grind for it too, leading to a lot of swearing and groaning on your end, coincidentally, König’s free time aligns and he’s more than happy to help you grind the tougher parts if you sit pretty on his lap and drain his pent cock.

What’s better than two stress relievers when he comes home from a high tension workplace environment?

(Bonus points if he’s your weird online long distance boyfriend who definitely told you an age younger than what’s on his ID and the place he comes home to is just your apartment that he decided was his too.)

Brother. The way this ask is in my mind. I would like to preface this by saying if you or a loved one is playing a video game with microtransactions and limited edition skin drops it’s not too late to get help. We can beat this together.

cw: he’s kind of a creep in this. Red flags abound. Somno/dubcon type stuff

Gonna make a couple of amendments to this one if that’s ok. 1) König is never going to be a god gamer because his hands are too fucking big and also I WANNA BE THE DOMINANT GAMER IN THE RELATIONSHIP. My ass is carrying HIM in apex. I don’t care that he knows how to shoot real guns. Don’t take this away from me

2) while he didn’t outright lie about his age, he did not say shit that would lead you to believe this man was over 40. He shared very few details about his personal life. Just that he was in the military, Austrian, and now? A gamer. Those are all the hallmarks of being a man in his 20s! Except the Austrian thing— that can happen to anyone.

I like to imagine he treats you like his discord kitten tho. You ask how old he is and he’s like “I’m an adult, if that’s what you’re worried about” or “old enough” or “don’t worry about it” and you say “okay 💖 yay 💖”

And he’s 100% your sugar daddy. Constantly buying you games just so you can co-op with him, gifting you in-game currency to spend on battle passes, absolutely ravaging your wishlist— steam, amazon, or otherwise.

He finds himself in your area for work and you tell him your address so he can meet up with you.

And you’re kind of a stupid femcel so when this dude shows up at your door, almost seven feet tall and wearing a surgical mask, scarred face with a healthy grey streak in his hair, it’s not setting off any alarm bells. There’s like at least 5 red flags here but you’re colorblind and inviting him in.

You didn’t realize that he was planning on staying with you while he was in the area. You also didn’t realize that the moment he found out he’d be stationed near you, he decided it was time to take your relationship to the next level.

Which is how you end up stretched out on his cock on the same day that you met in person for the first time, with him grunting in your ear about how he dreamed of this— thought of it every time he jerked off when you fell asleep during a discord call. He could tell just from your voice that you’d be pretty and soft and tight and perfect for him— and he was ready to settle down.

Good thing you didn’t really have any plans for the rest of your life, or you might find how fast he moves a little scary.

So it makes sense that you’re still a little shy. Too nervous to initiate things usually. So he just has to motivate you a little.

This skin’s an exclusive, can’t be earned with currency, and available as a drop for just 7 days. You can’t put in the hours to get it on your own, not to mention how tedious it is, and it can’t be bought. But it’s so cute.

So he makes the offer. He’ll spend his precious leave time helping you earn it if you keep his cock warm while he does it. He’d initially planned on using that time to rearrange your guts, so you’re gonna have to make it worth his while.

And maybe you exaggerate a little. You’re used to saying these things over calls— where nothing has any repercussions in the real world. Where you can promise anything from the safety of being on a screen a world away.

You tell him you’ll let him do whatever he wants to you if he can get that skin for you. After a moment you realize the implications of saying that to someone who can and will hold you down and make out with your cervix using the tip of his cock.

He borrows one of your elastics to tie back his hair.

He’s gonna get you that skin. And then he’s gonna get you pregnant.

You did say anything.

[jussstlovely]

Money Pull Up

Learning the Money Pull-Up Dance with Bf! Enhypen

More info: how the members of Enhypen would react to you asking them if they wanted to do the “Money Pull Up” dance on TikTok. 

All fluff! Wc: About 200-350 words for each member 

AN: I’ve wanted to write this for a while now and finally finished, hope you enjoy!

NSFW acc DNI please

희승-

While scrolling through TikTok, a dance you wanted to learn kept showing up, so, you decided to ask your boyfriend, Heeseung.

You heard him tell you once that he has a background in dancing so hopefully, he would agree to dance with you.

Opening the door to his room you called him, 

“hey hee?” 

“yes?” 

“Would you like to learn a TikTok dance with me?” 

“Sure!” It took him a few moments to respond but he steps away from his computer and follows you to the living room. 

Once you’re done showing the dance, you start teaching him.

“Okay, so first it goes, money pull-up action we ah turn it up,” you said as you started demonstrating the twerk motion. 

He looks at you in disbelief. 

“Babe, when did you learn to move like that…?”

You look back at him with confusion but also hold back a smile as he genuinely looks shocked at the move that you just made. 

“Uhm I’ve always known how to do this?” “Anyways let’s get back to it”

“oh…okay”

He finally got the dance down 15 minutes after teaching him but it needs cleaning.

“Okay let’s run that again, you got it?”

“Yea” 

At this point, both of you are tired out even though you guys still need to record…

“Okay, we will run it one last time and then record,” you said sort of out of breath. 

“Okay,” he said, agreeing with you, he was also sort of out of breath.

“Okay, 5,6,7,8…”

Once you guys finally finished cleaning it up it was time to record, and you both ended up doing a great job.

“Oh my gosh look at us,” he said in awe

“Yea we look pretty good,” you said proudly. 

Once you uploaded the dance, the comments were flooded with compliments of the dance. 

Needless to say, you and Heeseung killed it and now you better believe that he’s going to go find more dances for you guys to learn together. 

제이-

The same scenario as Heeseung, you were the one who found the dance and wanted to learn it. But knowing Jay, he was pretty conservative on what he posts online so it took a little bit more convincing.

“Please!!! Just this once” you begged. 

“I'm not sure baby” 

“I’ll cook your favorite meal tonight~,” you said in a sing-song voice.

Jay contemplated for a second, “…Deal” 

“Ahh yay!”

Once you showed Jay a video of the dance and a short tutorial you began to teach him the steps more in depth.

“Okay so, do you know how to twerk?”

Your question baffled him.

“D-do I know how to do what?” he responded, still shocked by your question. 

You repeat yourself.

“I-Honey, I mean I never tried it but if you teach me maybe…” 

So, you taught him how to twerk, and surprisingly, he was good at it, almost better than you. 

Twenty minutes passed and you both were ready to record, so you set up your phone and got ready.

“Okay Jay, you ready?”

“Mhm let’s go”

“Alright we got this” 

In the end, you and Jay devoured that, the dynamic and chemistry between you both can easily be seen through the screen, and the people who liked and commented also agreed with that as they left comments filled with compliments for both of you. 

After that, Jay also found his new interest, which was learning dances with you. 

제이크-

Jake was the one who showed you the dance and asked you to teach him so that you could dance together.

Of course, you agreed, excited to learn and dance with each other.

After you studied the dance and what the dancers were doing in the video you began to teach him. 

To be honest, Jake was not listening to anything you were saying, too mesmerized by the way you danced and demonstrated the moves. 

Once you were done teaching him you asked if he understood what to do. 

“Hm? Oh yea I totally got that” 

Feeling a little skeptical about his response, you asked him to show the dance to you, by himself. To which he surprisingly did knowing that he wasn’t listening to a word you were saying. 

His demonstration was so bad that you had to stop him halfway.

“Jake, you asked me to teach you this, why aren’t you paying attention.”

“I’m sorry babe, but you just looked so mesmerizing…” 

Failing to hide your smile after his compliment you thanked him but also told him that he needed to start focusing or else you wouldn’t dance with him. 

He quickly complied and began to focus on what you were saying. 

By the end of your lesson, he understood what to do, and now you guys were ready to record!

“Okay, just remember to twerk to the beat” 

“Okay yes, got it, I’m ready” 

Forgot to mention, that Jake is doing the twerking since you wanted to do the fan kick. 

“Okay 5,6,7,8…”

After you guys finished the dance you both spent 5 minutes looking over it, still not satisfied with the way it came out so you both danced again, and again, and again until you guys were finally satisfied with the end product. 

Once you uploaded it, so many people liked and commented on it. To say that you guys did a good job was an understatement, you both did such a great job that even you couldn’t stop watching. 

The way that you both danced in sync while also doing different moves was so satisfying, you also uploaded another video of you teaching Jake and the comments were also very positive as many found your teaching helpful even using it as examples to learn the dance. 

Now, you and Jake have made a pact to learn a dance together at least once a month. 

성훈-

Jake was the one who showed Sunghoon the dance and convinced him to ask you. 

He knew that you took some dance classes when you were in high school but for some reason, he was nervous to ask you. 

So, it took a week of Jake’s bickering, teasing, and convincing until he finally asked you.

“Hey babe…” When he asked you, you were sitting on the couch looking at your phone. 

“Yes, hoon?” you answered.

“I was wondering if you would like to learn a TikTok dance with me,” he mumbled. 

“Huh?”

“I was wondering if…you would like to learn a TikTok dance with me,” he mumbled again. 

“Sunghoon, I can’t hear you-”

“Iwaswonderingifyouwouldliketolearnatiktokdancewithme!” he rambled with a louder voice. 

“Oh, yeah sure! Which dance?” you replied.

Surprised by your answer because he was expecting immediate rejection, caused him to stare at you with shock on his face.

“Sunghoon?” he snapped out of it.

“Yes?” he replied.

“Which dance do you want to learn?” 

He replied by showing you the Money Pull-Up Dance. Although you agreed to this, he still wasn’t convinced and kept on asking you if you wanted to learn this, which you always reassured him that you did.

After 20 minutes of teaching him the dance, you felt that it was time to record.

“Okay I think we got it, are you ready to record?” he agreed.

15 minutes pass by fairly quickly due to you both messing up multiple times and wanting to redo the dance whenever you watch it. Because of that, you guys did not end up posting the finalized version of the dance, and instead the video of where you both forgot the last part and ended up laughing near the end. You and Sunghoon did not expect to get so much love in that video so to show your gratitude you both decided to film and post the finalized dance for your new fans and friends, and they loved it even more. Also, Jake made various comments about how it was all his idea and how he deserved a shoutout. 

선우-

Sunoo was the one who showed you the dance, due to his fyp being filled with multiple dance covers of this song he saved the dance and made a note in his head to ask you when you came home. 

But when you got home, you looked so tired, and he didn’t have the chance to ask you. 

The next day, you got a day off from work, making it a perfect opportunity for him to ask you about the dance. 

“Hey, sweetie~”

“Hm? Oh hi baby”

“Heyyy” he replied.

“What’s up Sunoo?” you replied, a little suspicious of him.

“Oh!, I was wondering if you would like to learn a TikTok dance with me?” 

“Oh, yeah sure!”

“Ahh really-”

“But it depends on what it is…”

So, he shows you, though it takes a little bit more convincing for you since you have never tried this kind of dance before. But you finally agreed. 

He ended up teaching you how to twerk, how to fan kick, and how to do the body roll which you did a pretty good job on all of them.

“Okay now that you understand those parts let's watch a tutorial to start learning,” he said showing you a detailed tutorial on how to dance. 

About 20 minutes later you finished learning the dance with him and felt that you were ready to film. Sunoo was also surprised by your commitment and dance skills, he has never seen this side of you. 

“I’m ready to start filming!” you said, excited to dance now.

“Okay! We can do this.”

To both of your surprise, it only took one take to film the dance perfectly so Sunoo uploaded the dance, and very quickly, it ended up going viral, there were so many comments complimenting your dynamic with him and both of your skills that can easily be seen from the screen.

After that Sunoo booked a dance lesson for both of you, and you found a new passion for something outside of work.

정원-

Same scenario as Heeseung and Jay. You were the one who found the dance and wanted to learn it. But it took a lot of convincing due to Jungwon being shocked that you want to learn this dance style. Most of the dances that you show Jungwon are cuter and take less skill to execute. But, you are determined to make Jungwon do this dance with you. 

“Please Jungwon, I promise I will do the dishes for a month,” you said hoping that he would finally say yes. 

“Hmm, no”

After multiple attempts at trying to convince him you gave up and decided to not talk to him for the rest of the day, although it was your idea, it still hurt that your boyfriend didn’t want to dance with you. 

It was now nine at night and Jungwon couldn’t take the silence anymore. Throughout the day he tried talking to you but you would always walk away or find a way to leave him mid-sentence. 

This resulted in him apologizing, and when he apologized, he also told you that he wanted to learn the dance with you. Which brought a huge smile to your face.

"Wait really? You want to learn it with me?" you asked, trying hard to contain your excitement.

He nodded with a bright smile on his face. So, you guys moved to the living room and started learning.

25 minutes later you guys finally finished the dance and you understood most of it, now it was time to record. Jungwon set up his phone and about 5 minutes after he was getting ready to upload it, it took you both about 3 takes until you got the perfect one. 

After Jungwon posted it, the video was already getting so many likes, and the comments were filled with compliments. They talked about how great your dynamic was, how the execution was done well and some comments were also made by your friends.

Needless to say, you and Jungwon had so much fun, and he is always hoping that you will ask him to do another dance like that with you. 

니키-

You were the one who showed Ni-ki the dance and to your surprise, he said yes. 

But while you were getting ready to teach him the dance, he couldn’t stop laughing, and you couldn’t understand why. 

“Ni-ki! Stop laughing, why are you laughing?” you asked, failing to hide a smile on your face.

He laughed even harder in reply,

“Ah I’m sorry, I’ll focus,” he said trying to keep a straight face. 

With that you continued to teach him, the first two dance steps went well until he broke out in laughter again. 

So here you were, looking at him with a straight face while he was dying of laughter on the floor. 

“Ni-ki, I'm serious, what is so funny? I’m trying to teach you something…” slightly hurt by this.

He finally stopped laughing, “I’m sorry babe, I’ll focus, for real this time” 

“No Ni-ki I want to know what’s so funny? Do you not want to do this?” 

He quickly disagreed with you, the actual reason why he kept laughing was because he was nervous but he didn’t want to tell you that…

“No no, I do! it’s just…” 

“It’s just what?” 

“I’m nervous…” he replied.

“You’re nervous?”

He nodded his head,

“Why are you nervous, Riki?” 

“I don’t know. I mean it’s the first time I’m dancing with you, and I don’t want to let you down…”

You reassured him, “You’re not letting me down Riki, I’m just glad you agreed to this but if you don’t want to dance then that’s okay too”

“No I want to do this dance with you, I promise I will focus this time” 

After that, it only took 10 minutes to learn the whole thing because Ni-ki learned the dance instantly. 

Once you finished learning the dance you moved on to filming. That didn’t take long either, and on your second take you both felt satisfied with the result, so you posted it. 

Most of the first comments and likes were from your friends hyping you up but then an hour later your phone started blowing up with so many more comments and likes complimenting you both with how your energy is and dynamic and chemistry that was consistent throughout the whole dance. 

All in all you and Ni-ki had such a fun time together learning a dance. Even though you guys have been dating for only 3 months, he hopes that this will last forever. 

Hope you enjoyed it! If you did please like and comment, reblogs are appreciated. 💕

[paigeswiftsea]

Why Star Stable Online Has Lost it's Players (And How to Fix It) (An Analysis)

Introduction

I've been playing Star Stable Online (SSO) for a long time—around 8-9 years. My older sister introduced me to it during our shared horse phase, and for years, it was an exciting escape that we were both obsessed with. We eagerly awaited new main quests, wondering what the next big story update would bring.

But lately? The magic is gone.

Some might say it’s just nostalgia, that I’ve outgrown the game. While there may be some truth to that, I believe SSO itself has changed in ways that stripped it of its former charm. I used to fight my sister for our family computer just to get my one hour of gameplay each day. Now? I barely log in, only returning for big updates like Christmas, the Medieval Festival, and the Home Stable revamp. I still participate in the fandom and write fanfiction, meaning I engage with the lore—but the actual gameplay? It’s boring.

After reflecting on this, I realized that SSO has lost what made it special. The intrigue, mystery, and excitement have faded, leaving behind a game that feels repetitive, predictable, and uninspired.

And the worst part? It didn’t have to be this way.

The Main Questline

One of the biggest reasons why SSO has lost its mystique is the shift in the main questline.

Back in the earlier years of the game, the main story felt like a real adventure. It had danger, secrecy, and high stakes.

For example, the dark core quests, saving Justin, meeting Fripp for the first time, hell even the opening screen.

They got rid of the first opening screen for a mediocre riding island tutorial. It also contradicts the plot because Lisa and Anne are supposed to be missing at the beginning of the game, yet there they are, welcoming a random new rider to the island? It doesn't make any sense.

And again, The quests now all follow the same formula of:

“Oh no, something bad happens! Quick, MC, do all the work! We believe in you! Yay, friendship! The Dark Riders scowl and leave. Quest complete.”

There’s no real challenge, no real mystery, and barely any tension. The game has become too afraid to put the player in real danger, so everything feels safe and shallow.

Even the Dark Riders don’t feel like villains anymore. They show up, taunt you, and then leave. They don’t feel like an actual threat.

Dark Core? Completely incompetent. The same organization that once kidnapped and brainwashed Justin and had an eerie, powerful presence now feels like a joke.

The stakes are gone. The story is dragging. And at this rate, we’ll still be waiting for the final battle in 2040.

Nothing ever feels genuinely difficult or tense.

Where’s the mystery? Where’s the challenge? Why does it feel like nothing truly matters anymore?

Even the Fort Maria quests, which should have been an exciting addition, were a letdown. Instead of diving deep into the Keepers of Aideen’s past or discovering secrets and lore, we got... daily quests that never gave us any new lore, just MC doing all the work, again. The primaeval tree was interesting I admit, but it also felt like it came out of nowhere, and I still don't really remember the point of those quests. The only interesting parts of those quests to me were opening the portal, which then led to more daily quests while SSE came up with more filler.

Catering to a Younger Audience Backfired

SSO has always been a game for kids, but in the past, it never talked down to its audience. The earlier quests had a level of complexity and emotional weight that made them enjoyable for all players.

Now? It feels like SSE has sacrificed everything that made the story compelling in favor of appealing to a younger audience in the most uninspired way possible.

But here’s the thing: you can make a game appealing to kids without making it boring for older players.

Plenty of games manage to be engaging for both younger and older audiences—think of Minecraft, Pokémon, even certain Roblox games (Dress To impress?). These games balance fun and accessibility while still providing enough depth for older players to enjoy.

Meanwhile, SSO is stuck in an identity crisis. It doesn’t know if it wants to be a fun horse game, an epic fantasy adventure, or a horse shopping simulator. And instead of balancing all of these elements, it’s failing at all three.

The Economy Is Awful (And It’s Driving Players Away)

Let’s be honest: SSO’s in-game economy is a disaster.

Jorvik Shillings are practically useless because items are priced absurdly high, making it impossible for non-Star Riders to afford anything. Even Star Riders struggle because shillings are capped, meaning if you’re maxed out, you’re forced to waste shillings or spend Star Coins. This also doesn't help when you're a free player, and every single item is 9990 shillings.

Star Coins are ridiculously overpriced, and SSE knows it. Prices have gone up, but the value of what you get has gone down. New horses are more expensive than ever, tack and clothes are absurdly priced, and with weekly Star Coin allowances being so low, the game constantly pressures you into spending real money.

No one wants to feel broke in a game. We log in to escape reality, not to feel like a struggling stablehand who can’t even afford a pair of boots.

SSE seems to think they can make more money by increasing Star Coin dependency. But guess what? If the game was actually fun, people would be happy to spend money on it. Instead, more and more players are quitting because it’s just not worth investing in anymore.

SSO’s Most Successful Moments Were Events—So Why Did They Get Rid of Them?

Think about the most active times on SSO in 2024—probably Christmas, main quest updates, and the Equestrian Festival.

What do these all have in common? Limited-time events.

People log in for seasonal events because they’re fun. But instead of keeping beloved events like:

The Birthday Festival

The April Fools Car Prank (ICONIC)

The Pride/Cloud Kingdom Event

Midsummer Festival

Easter

…SSE removed them in favor of shopping/bazaar updates and the permanent Medieval Festival.

Why? Why take away the things that made the game feel alive? Seeing Jorvik change with the seasons, experiencing new limited-time adventures, and collecting fun event-exclusive items were some of the best parts of the game. Removing them just makes Jorvik feel static and lifeless.

New Owners

In 2021 I believe, The game was sold or bought out, something along those lines ( feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on that). And I found this quote from a website about an interview from Stacy Place and CEO Johan Sjöberg. (This is from 2021 so things may have changed but I doubt it.)

“Players want things to do, and the story has to be continued,” Stacy agrees. “There’s definitely a hunger for more endgame content, and we want to deliver that.” Stacy explains that there has not really been a dedicated “Quest Team” at SSO recently, and that as a result, the people who could have been working on that, would keep having other tasks assigned to them. “It’s always about juggling resources,” Stacy goes on, “between new horses, events and updating environments and character designs, it’s been difficult to get resources allocated for the creation of new quests.” But here too, the future is looking promising: “I actually have a meeting on that later today!” Stacy adds. “We need to move this forward in a healthy way.” That does not mean we should expect fewer new horse releases in the future though. “Horses are our main business. They are what keeps the game afloat – and we take them seriously!” Most recently, Star Stable has added the updated American Paint Horse and additional coat variations for six popular breeds.

This just confirms what a lot of players have already suspected—SSO has prioritized horse releases over actual gameplay content. It’s not even a secret anymore; they outright admit that they haven’t had a dedicated Quest Team for a while.

The problem isn’t just a lack of quests—it’s that the entire game feels stagnant because everything revolves around pumping out new horses. Yes, horses are the game’s main source of revenue, but without meaningful content, why should players stay?

They’re acknowledging the issue, which is something, but words don’t mean much if we don’t see real change. A meeting about quest development is great, but will it actually lead to consistent story updates? Or is it just another vague promise to keep players hopeful?

And the fact that they’re still saying, “Horses are our main business” just reinforces that new breeds will always take priority over everything else. That’s not inherently bad—but it shows that story progression, worldbuilding, and forgotten areas like Dino Valley will always come second.

At the end of the day, if the game keeps prioritizing short-term profits (horse releases) over long-term player engagement (quests, events, and actual reasons to keep playing), more players will leave.

They need to have dedicated teams for each sector of the game, not people who work on everything all at once. Quests, horses, other game updates like area updates, character updates need to be specific groups where a team focuses solely on one thing at a time.

Later in the article they rephrase this by saying,

"An addendum, because this part of the article appears to be misunderstood by many readers: That there hasn't been a dedicated quest team does not mean that nobody at SSO has been working on Quests in recent months and years. “When we say we don’t have a ‘dedicated quest team’, we mean that we haven’t always been structured to have a team that specifically works only on quests,” Stacy clarifies in a follow-up email to this article. “Instead, we have multiple teams that work on delivering the game. So the team working on quests doesn’t only work on quests, which are complex and touch many other areas of development.”

This just further highlights the core issue—SSO doesn’t have structured teams dedicated to specific aspects of the game. Instead of having a Quest Team, a Horse Team, an Environment Team, and so on, they have a general development team that has to juggle multiple responsibilities at once.

And this lack of structure shows in the game itself. Quest updates are slow and inconsistent, while new horses get released like clockwork. Environmental updates happen occasionally, but areas like Dino Valley and the old abandoned doors remain untouched. Character updates have been sporadic, with some NPCs looking modern and polished while others still look like they belong in 2015. (long necks anyone? :0)

Their explanation makes it clear: quests are not a priority. If they were, SSO would have a team dedicated solely to working on them, instead of splitting development resources across multiple tasks.

If they really want to fix the game, they need to stop treating everything like an afterthought and start forming specialized teams:

A Quest Team to work exclusively on new storylines, side quests, and meaningful updates.

A Horse Team to continue designing new breeds and variations.

An Environment Team to focus on updating neglected areas like Dino Valley and Epona that don't change the whole game, like Steve's farm, Silverglade village, and the vineyard.

An Events Team to bring back beloved seasonal content and add new, engaging activities.

Without this, we’re going to keep seeing slow, repetitive updates where new horses come first and everything else falls to the wayside. The game needs balance, not just new models.

Speaking of new models,

One of the biggest issues is that our character model doesn’t match the NPC models at all. Some NPCs still have the old, low-poly look, while our characters have a completely different art style and proportions. This makes us look like giants compared to some NPCs, and the contrast is jarring.

SSO shouldn’t have updated the player model without also updating the NPCs. It creates an unpolished experience where the game feels disjointed. If they’re going to revamp one part of the game, they need to follow through and make everything cohesive.

And while body diversity is great, the range of body types still feels limited. There’s no truly skinny option, and while it’s not the biggest issue, true inclusivity means representing everyone. If they want to keep improving, they should expand the customization options—not just body types, but also things like facial features, hairstyles, and animations to make the character feel more natural. And it doesn't help that they promised more to come with the first character update which was when? almost 2 full years ago? They are dropping the ball in multiple areas.

Marketing

SSE does not market as the actual game. It advertises fun and adventure, a silly game for kids when in reality it is nothing to that. It doesn't give that magic or mystery of the old ones. I went and found commercials from different years. There's this old one, and then this short one on youtube I found. Now, let's compare.

That short is so fuckass. like why are they making Darko into a redditor? Plus, it gives major spoilers as well so like if it reaches someone who was thinking about playing the game, it's like an automatic spoiler.

has a completely different tone. It presents the game as an immersive adventure with mystery, danger, and excitement. The stakes feel high, and it showcases the fantasy elements in a way that makes Jorvik feel like a living, magical world.

This shift in marketing reflects the identity crisis SSO is currently facing. It used to be a horse adventure game with strong storytelling, but now it’s marketed as a simple kids' game, which doesn’t align with its actual gameplay or longtime audience. This disconnect contributes to player dissatisfaction and dwindling engagement.

Let's also discuss the tik tok account. I think any tiktoker will remember the pocket Sabine series? The marketing team series they post on tiktok as well are super dumb and cringy as well. Maybe this is really nitpicky, but I think their marketing team should focus a lot more on listening to feedback. This shift misrepresents what SSO once was—an immersive adventure with high stakes and rich storytelling. And, by downplaying the fantasy elements, the marketing alienates the older audience and misleads potential new players about the actual content of the game. The lighthearted TikTok series and other marketing materials have missed the mark, making the game seem trivial when it should be portrayed as the vast, magical world it was originally intended to be.

Updates and Slow Bug fixes

Unresolved Issues Persist: Players have long expressed frustration with the slow pace at which critical bugs are fixed in Star Stable Online. Persistent issues like broken quests, NPCs not triggering dialogue correctly, or horses not responding to commands may go on for weeks—or even months—without resolution. This lack of timely fixes can disrupt the immersion and enjoyment of the game, especially for players who are heavily invested in completing quests or building their horses’ stats.

Performance Problems: Many players have reported performance issues, such as lag, crashing, or long loading times. These technical hiccups are especially detrimental to players who are trying to enjoy the game on a more serious level. Despite these long-standing issues, they are often left unresolved for too long, giving the impression that the development team is more focused on new features than maintaining the current ones.

Impact on Gameplay Experience: The slow patching of bugs and glitches not only frustrates players but can also affect gameplay. For example, if a quest-breaking bug isn’t fixed, it can prevent players from progressing in the game or earning rewards, which could dampen their motivation to keep playing. Players who have experienced the same issue repeatedly may even feel neglected, leading to a decline in player retention.

(psa this was written before the cheating ban update so idk if anything changes here i haven't been online)

Pacing of Updates:

Inconsistent Release Schedule: There is often a lack of consistency in how updates are rolled out in Star Stable Online. Some months may see frequent updates with new content, while others might see a long dry spell where the community feels stagnant. When there is no clear pacing or roadmap, players might lose interest as they wait for new features or events. This inconsistency also makes it difficult to keep players engaged, especially if they feel that updates are sporadic and lack depth.

How SSE Can Fix This

Realistically, will SSE ever see this? Probably not. And even if they did, would they listen? Unlikely. But here’s what they could do to actually make the game engaging again:

Bring back the sense of mystery. The game doesn’t need to be horror, but it does need stakes, suspense, and excitement. Let Dark Core be evil. Make the Dark Riders feel like a real threat. Give us a story where we feel like we’re actually fighting for something.

Stop dumbing down the quests. Kids aren’t stupid. Plenty of kid-friendly media has deep, engaging stories that people of all ages can enjoy. SSO can, too.

Fix the economy. The current system is frustrating, predatory, and making people quit. Lower item prices, increase Jorvik Shilling rewards, and stop making everything feel like a cash grab.

Bring back seasonal events. Festivals, pranks, special decorations—these things made Jorvik feel alive. Removing them was a mistake.

Actually update the main story regularly. One to three main quest updates per year is not enough. The story is dragging, and at this pace, we’ll still be looking for the light ceremony pages in our 90's.

Listen to player feedback. The community has been vocal about these issues for years. Maybe it’s time SSE actually pays attention.

At its core, Star Stable Online has lost its identity. What was once a game about mystery, adventure, and meaningful storytelling has been reduced to a predictable cycle of overpriced horse releases and low-effort updates. The magic of Jorvik, once thriving with high-stakes quests and immersive seasonal events, has been replaced by a shallow, directionless experience that lacks the structure and ambition it desperately needs.

Instead of expanding on the compelling lore they already built, SSE has dragged the main story to a crawl while simultaneously making the Dark Riders and Dark Core feel like minor inconveniences rather than formidable threats. The economic decisions have only worsened the situation, making player engagement feel transactional rather than rewarding. The game’s reliance on overpriced horses and recycled events, coupled with its failure to deliver meaningful gameplay improvements, alienates both new players and longtime fans.

It didn’t have to be this way. With proper development structure, dedicated teams for different aspects of the game, and a renewed focus on engaging storytelling and gameplay, SSO could reclaim its former glory. But as it stands, it feels like SSE is more interested in short-term profit than in nurturing the world they created. If they continue down this path, Star Stable Online will remain in a slow decline, remembered more for what it could have been rather than what it actually became.

I don’t hate SSO. I wouldn’t be writing this if I did. I love the world, the characters, and the potential that’s still there. But right now, the game is failing its players. It’s losing old fans, struggling to keep new ones, and if it doesn’t course-correct soon, it risks fading into irrelevance.

SSO can be an amazing game again. But only if SSE actually puts in the effort.

[tkingfisher]

I have had a WEEK.

First Hound got into some chocolate. Ok, this happens to dogs all the time, it’s not baking chocolate, and I know perfectly well that it is not INSTADEATH. Online calculators by weight are like “Yeah, that’s nothin’.” This dog has eaten rotten toads, hardback books, cigarettes…she is a canine garbage disposal. She has also never been sick a day in her life.

Then she starts eating grass. Except Hound does not know what grass is, so she is just in the garden tearing off Random Leaves. I end up chasing her around going “That’s an elm! That’s sticky germander! That’s a rare Himalayan salvia! What are you DOING?!”

Obviously this happens at one AM. Because of course it does.

Then finally she makes a noise like a murloc having an orgasm and all the plants come back up.

Fine, I think. That’s that. Nature takes its course.

Which just proves that I am, in fact, staggeringly naive. The next morning, Hound is breathing shallowly and lethargic. We drive her to the vet school ER an hour away. We explain about the plants and the chocolate and the murloc noises to a nice young vet with a manbun who looks about fifteen years old. They take Hound back, and discover Hound is having severe arrhythmia. Which is a chocolate toxicity symptom. Except we all agree that the quantity she got hold of absolute should not have done that, but hey, maybe she has developed an unexpected sensitivity. They keep her overnight. I leave a large deposit on my credit card. We drive an hour home.

The next day I come pick her up. A nice vet who actually looks old enough to drink gives me a list of symptoms to watch out for, including extreme lethargy. They give me back some of the deposit. Hound comes home.

The next morning, she is extremely lethargic and furthermore, Not Eating.

In a hound, loss of appetite generally happens several hours after all clinical signs of life are extinguished. I drive her an hour to the ER. A nice vet who appears twelve says her heart is working perfectly fine, and suggests pancreatitis. Let’s do an ultrasound. Err…in a few hours, they’re kind of slammed. I go to a coffee shop and attempt to work.

The ultrasound fails because they can’t see around Hound’s stomach, which is enormously swollen. They do an X-ray. There is something weird in there. Foreign body, it looks like. Not blocking anything, just sitting there. “Foamy mass” is the term being used. It has air bubbles. Chocolate wrapper? Weird mass of leaves? (Oh god, was she eating frog eggs out of the pond again?) The vet decides to induce vomiting to get the prize out of this particular canine Kinder Egg. I sit in the waiting room and attempt to work.

An hour and a half later, the vet comes out and says, in awestruck tones, that they have given Hound two doses of their strongest emetic and she will not vomit. “This dog has an iron stomach!” she says. I explain about the toad and the cigarettes. She asks if they were at the same time. (They were not.) Hound stays overnight. I leave a second, larger deposit on my credit card. I drive an hour home.

The next day, the vet calls me, says “So I wanted to give you an update—oh crap! STAT TRIAGE! I’ll call you back!” and hangs up. Some hours later, she calls me back. No, the foamy thing is still there. Stomach is less swollen, though. They’re still hoping she passes it. By the way, did I know Hound has erhlichiosis? I did not, but at this point, nothing surprises me. Hound stays overnight again.

The next day, Hound is transferred to Internal Medicine. Her protein levels are weird, but she is not retaining fluid. (Yay?) If the weird foamy mass is not gone, they will have to perform surgery tomorrow. I leave a third, even larger deposit over the phone. Hound stays overnight again.

The next day, a new vet, of indeterminate age, but with a strong desire to make sure that I understand every single aspect of every single test begins explaining to me about blood protein levels and that they need to do a targeted ultrasound to make sure she doesn’t have a GI bleed. I am so deep in the hole at this point that I’m just like “Yeah, whatever, do it.” Hound stays overnight again.

He calls the next day to say that she has no bleed and no pancreatitis. What about the foamy mass?

What foamy mass?

The…the one that was…I saw the X-rays…?

Well, there’s nothing there now. Maybe she passed whatever it was. No blockages anywhere. They went over her innards with a fine toothed comb. She’s eating like a horse, incidentally. Would I like to take her home tomorrow?

I drive an hour. I get Hound. The vet’s working theory is an erhlichiosis flare-up brought on by chocolate shock. She gets antibiotics, anti-nausea meds, and special bland food in case her appetite decreases. I receive a tiny amount back on my deposit. We drive an hour home.

Hound, cognizant of her delicate digestive state, immediately attempts to break into the litterbox and eat cat poop. I deliver a lengthy lecture on the evils of dumpster diving. Hound gazes at me with great earnestness, then belches gently in my face. Learning happens to other people, not Hound.

The face of a canine garbage disposal who cost me more than my first car

[elysianstars]

People I'd like to know better meme!

Tagged by @weisscreamcake, thank you!

last song: I've been really into witch house lately. Besides that, Linkin Park impressed me with From Zero (shame their new singer is part of a cult, but you can't deny her voice is fantastic). The Emptiness Machine is a good song for my Fell Dragon blorbos.

favorite color: Does it sound too wannabe edgelord if I say blood red? It's true though, my whole bedroom is painted/furnished with red. Tumblr colour theorists, tell me what this means.

last book/fic: I've just picked up This is How You Lose the Time War, loving it so far. Gorgeous prose and fun premise. I'm also halfway through The Priory of the Orange Tree. Ashamed to say that after getting so hyped over Heavenly Tyrant, I still haven't finished it. Some of the content was bothering me, so I needed to put it aside for uh, mental health/self care reasons I guess we could call it.

last movie: Mostly likely some grisly horror film on Netflix. Last thing I went to the cinema for was Alien: Romulus, though I'd wanted to see Nosferatu last month.

last tv show: Devil's Diner. It's about people who visit a cursed restaurant, and are served meals which they think will magically fix their problems, but really it's paving a way to ruin. I'm also working my way through Star Trek: The Next Generation.

sweet/spicy/savory: Sweets forever and ever.

last thing i searched for online: Boring answer, but I needed a thesaurus, because I was editing fic and realised I'd used the same word twice within three pargraphs. My brain just couldn't tolerate that.

current obsession: I mean...do I need to spell that out?

looking forward to: Just had my labret (lower lip) piercing done, and I'm looking forward to getting a shorter bar once it's healed, so I can bite things again.

Trying to guess who might like a tag is tougher than answering the questions, haha. Standard statements that anybody who wants to join in is welcome, and nobody I'm tagging should feel obligated to answer! With that said, @bluescreenli @unsuspecting-person (not sure if this is the right blog to tag for you though?) @tracing-in-gold (you've been tagged twice yay). There's more mutuals I'd like to tag but I don't think this is their type of thing?

[rekino2114]

Playing the pocky game with the protags girls

A/n:random fun fact, but pockys are called mikados in Italy, and that's really funny to me because every time I eat one, I can't not think about Mikado sannoji from sdra2

Kaede akamatsu (drv3)

"Do you want one?"

Kaede smiles kindly at you as you offer her a strawberry pocky

"Oh no it's fine, it's the last one so it should be yours"

"But you didn't have any, I feel bad now"

"Well, you brought the packet, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that"

"But I wanna do something nice for you, I know you like them, please have it"

"No I want you to have it"

After a bit more arguing you get an idea

"Oh I know how to solve this, we can both eat it"

"...what do you mean?"

"I saw it online look"

You put the stick in your mouth and pointed at the other end, kaede quickly understood what you had in mind and blushed a bit before complying

She started by biting her end of the pocky, and you did the same. When you reached the center, you felt kaede's soft lips, and you kissed her back. She tasted of strawberry even more than usual since she often put on strawberry lip gloss and the taste was amazing to you.

You pulled back and looked at her with a smile as she did the same

"Wow that was......amazing"

"Oh you think so? Me too"

"Yeah I mean your kisses are always amazing so I should have expected that, maybe we should buy pockys more often"

"Hehe, I'd love that"

Sora(sdra2)

"Hey y/n, can you help me with something?"

"Hm? Sure"

You turned back towards your girlfriend's voice and saw sora with a white chocolate pocky sticking out of her mouth

"..........seriously?"

She nods, signaling that she is indeed serious.

You sigh but giggle a bit and start biting the stick, sora smiles and does it too only that she's a bit too impatient and eats basically all the pocky wanting to get to your lips as soon as possible

You roll your eyes at her but give her what she wants,kissing her lips. There's still some white chocolate smudges there that you lick off. After you pull back sora takes a moment to breathe before looking at you while smirking

"If you wanted a kiss you could have just asked for one"

"Isn't it more fun this way?"

"I guess"

Sora smirks even wider and pulls out another pocky from the pack

"I have a lot of them so I can keep going for however long you want, wanna do it again?"

"........fine if you insist"

Teruko tawaki (drdt)

"You wanna use that to kiss?"

Teruko looks at you skeptically as you hold up a matcha flavored pocky

"Yeah,it's this super cute trend that couples do. Basically, you bite the stick, and I do the same until we kiss"

"Can't we just kiss normally, that sounds kinda weird"

"Come on it'll be fun"

She sighs but gives up quickly when she sees how you really want to do this

"Fine"

"Yay"

You take the pocky out of the box and put it on your mouth, closing your eyes in the meantime. Teruko blushes but eventually bites the other end.

The matcha taste hits her tongue first, but she closes her eyes, waiting for your lips, and when she finally finds them, she brushes her own against them losing herself in the kiss....until she makes a noise and pulls back putting her hand over her mouth

"Ah! Shit!"

"T-teru, what happened? Did I do something?"

"No,no its nothing I just bit my tongue"

"O-oh sorry"

"It's not your fault"

"Yeah, I know, but I was the one to propose this, wasn't I?"

"It's really not your fault ok?"

"......I guess"

The "lucky" student looks at you and sighs seeing you sad, so she takes another pocky from the box and holds it up

"You wanna try again?"

"Really? But won't you get hurt again?"

"Maybe, but I don't care, I'd go through all the pain in the world if it meant I'd get to kiss you"

Akira hayasaka (drhd)

(You might be wondering why she's here even if heartless deceit didn't win, and it's just because I really like her, and it feels wrong to leave her out of the protags girls posts. Is it favoritism? Yes. Do I care? Not really it's my blog my rules)

Akira had asked you to help her film a video for her tik-tok account. This was pretty common because since you started dating, she always wanted to show you off on every social media she has so everyone would know you're both taken

"Alright this looks good, are you ready?"

She says as she finishes putting the phone and the ring light in position

"Yeah, but what are we gonna do anyway?"

"You'll see"

She winks and makes her way to the couch and pulls a packet of berry flavored pockys from her pocket, offering it to you

"Really? The pocky game?"

"Yep, a lot of my fans would love to see us kiss you know? I'm just giving them what they want"

"Are you sure it's not just you?"

"Well, it is definitely also me, but not only, they make edits about us and ship us so much, don't you see all the videos I tag you in?"

".......fair"

"Good"

She takes a pocky out of the packet and taps the phone to start recording. She then holds the purple part in her mouth and points at the other side, waiting for you to bite.

You do just that, and after a while, you feel akira's lips connect with yours, and the instant they do, she grabs your cheek and pulls you closer to her, deepening the kiss even more.

She doesn't let go and wraps her arms around you, making you fall on the couch. You're now fully making out with her on top of you. You keep this position for a few more seconds before akira finally pulls back needing to breathe

"Fuck that was good"

".........y-yeah"

"I don't think we can show this.....not for free at least"

You laugh a bit at her joke, and she stops the recording before grabbing the packet and looking at you smirked again

"Wanna do more takes?"

Sara chidouin (yttd)

"Oh yeah, want a pocky?"

"Sure thing"

"Then take it!"

She suddenly sticks an orange pocky in her mouth while innocently closing her eyes

"..........what?"

She points at the other end of the stick but you don't move so she takes it out of her mouth a bit irritated

"Why didn't you do anything?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Bite the other end so we can kiss, you know? The pocky game, ever heard of it?"

"......I guess"

"I saw ryoko and Joe do it, and I thought it was adorable. Sorry for catching you off guard thought I guess"

"No it's fine, should we continue?"

"Definitely"

She puts the stick back in her mouth, and this time, you eagerly take a bite before continuing to eat it, sara finally arrives at your lips and presses them against yours, she moves a bit while continuing and deepening the kiss and hugs you closer to her before pulling back for air

"That felt extra good, not only did I get one of your amazing as always kisses but also a bit of vitamin c"

"I guess so, but your lips always taste sweeter than anything to me"

Sara smiles at you for a while before pulling out another stick and giving it to you

"Now it's your turn to have the orange part, I'll bite the other end ok?"

"Yep sounds good"

"Amazing, I should definitely thank ryoko for the idea"

[thegirlingold]

Hiii can u make a post on study tips and and just like having a healthy relationship with school/ studying?? Thanks !! X

Hii! sure, hope this helps <3

The Golden Guide to... having a better relationship with school!

Shift your mindset

Replace "I have to" with "I get to"

There are so many kids in the world who don't have the opportunity to go to school or even the resources to study in general; it is something that we are privileged to have access to. We are so lucky that we get to go to school, it isn't a burden, its a blessing.

Instead of "Ugh I have have to go to school", think "Yay, get to go to school!"

Instead of "I have to study" think "I get to study"

This uses a phycological concept called "intrinsic VS extrinsic motivation", which explains how people are more inclined to do things that they think is a privilege to do rather than an obligation.So if you start thinking going to school and getting to study is a privilege, you would have a better relationship with it and feel more motivated at the same time!

Set realistic goals

Aim for progress, not perfection

Lets say you got 70% on your math test and you want to bump up your grades. Instead of setting a goal of scoring 95%, aim to get anywhere between 75 and 80%

This is much more realistic and achievable If you aimed for a 95%, it would be highly unlikely for you to achieve in a short period of time + if you didn't reach it, you would have felt bad and your self confidence could lower. You may end up convincing yourself that you are simply bad at school, when in reality, the goal just wasn't achievable. On the other hand, if you aimed for 75-80%, the chance of you scoring that would be very high + seeing that grade on that paper would make you feel like you can do better and your confidence in that subject and your abilities would increase.

Stay organised, but not overwhelmed

Keep yourself on track, but don't overwhelm yourself with to many things

Prioritise tasks

If you have 3 tasks, one which you know you'll spend a lot of time doing + two which would take a short amount of time to complete, do the small tasks first.

This makes sure that you wont get too carried away doing the big task, leaving you with a short and stress inducing amount of time left to do the short ones.If you first do the small tasks, it wont take you too long, leaving you with a good amount of time & an easy time limit to complete the bigger project!

Use a calendar

Use a calendar to mark the start and due dates of your assignments & the dates of any exams or events

Study Techniques

Use past papers

Just search up "*subject* *topic* *grade/year level* *curriculum* past papers"

e.g. Biology human body IGCSE past papers

2. Pomodoro technique

Study for 25 mins, then take a 5 min break (you can change how long you want to study for and how long you want the breaks to be)

There are pomodoro timers online

3. Active recall

This is good for memorising

Instead of only reading your notes, actively test yourself by recalling information from memory

4. Blurting method

Write down everything you remember, then check your notes and see what you've missed.

5. Feynman technique

Teach the topic as if you were explaining it to a five year old.

6. Spaced repetition

Review your information at increasing intervals

E.g. Review your information on day 1, then day 3, then day 7, etc

my tips!

Make note taking fun by using different colours/types of pens

I like using a cute highlighter/marker, a coloured pen and a black pen (but I use a pencil too for math)

Play around with the formatting, until you find one that works best for you - you can do this in class when your taking notes on different topics & pick which one you like best! Don't stress on aesthetics, just go with the flow and do what feels right

This makes note taking much more fun & aesthetically pleasing so your also more inclined to read them

2. Use post its or a small note book to write down your homework

When your teacher is giving you your homework in class, write it down so that you don't forget and check on it when you come back home so you know what work you get to do!

3. Use save my exams to revise and study for your assessments

It's extremely helpful as it has videos, notes and exam questions

It's free (but if you don't have premium, you don't exam questions and you can only read up to 5 notes a week)

It is based on your grade/year level and curriculum

Premium is very affordable - like $5 a month

I hope this helps yall!

xoxo,

The Girl In Gold

[bloggingboutburgers]

I think everyone will benefit from properly tagging posts. xreader fics abd ship fics ONLY include the relevent _x_ tags but none of the character's name on its own, allowing all the usual fanart, theories and such to stay on the main name tag and not be crowded out by horny fanfiction (I say this as someone who very much enjoys very horny, very smutty xreader fanfictions. I want to be able to search the fics I want directly without having to trawl through headcanon posts, fanart, unrelated ship posts, etc.).

No one really has a tailored experience on the internet (I'm glad tumblr is at least a little more user dictated than advertiser algorithm based), but I do get the frustration and discomfort that comes from the abundant hornyposting feeling inescapable.

It's tempting to take offence to persistent cries against xreader stuff. I like special POV episodes of shows for the same reason I like xreader fics. My favourite characters WERE the company I kept, my only real form of companionship (albeit simulated) for many many years. Not because I am allo, basically. I sought something to meet my social needs growing up where I was unable to find community or companionship in real life.

Unfortunately, because they are usually sexual in nature I just came to associate a need for human connection with sex (so am I allo or just conditioned to blend sexual, platonic and romantic feelings and actions together?). I was just happy to feel like I had someone to hang out with. I knew they weren't real and that I needed to find real people to connect with (not for lack of trying, kids are just cruel. Finally made friends as an adult, yay).

Didn't intend for any of that to be so sad or pathetic, but hopefully it gives context for the prevalence of xreader fics. Alongside the varied reasons people write / read them (no just blind allo horniness), especially in light of the widespread loneliness epidemic over the past decade.

It's still more than ok to not want anything to do with them either (be it due to being aroace or not - I know plenty of allos who find xreader fics cringe).

Something I need to clarify here – we get it. Well, we don't fundamentally get it, but trust me, we've been told time and time again why people would write/draw/be into xreader content (it's all part of the package of "aroaces MUST put themselves in allo people's shoes at all times"), and we know they're perfectly legitimate reasons, and we don't find it sad or pathetic, or cringe. At the very least I don't at all. That's not what it's about. It's not something as surface-level at that.

The thing is... The same kind of understanding effort is VERY rarely put forward in return for us. And the fact that we're perceived as naysayers is symptomatic of this. We're not crying against xreader content. People are free to do whatever they want. We just want it to be tagged to keep ourselves safe, and so we can appreciate some variety and find fandom content we can properly connect with with the identity we have.

The issue isn't that there is xreader content, or heck, that there's lots of it. It's that, as @kaoruko-han put it, "everyone is assumed to be into this", and that you can't express something as simple as "I'd rather read something else" without being finger-pointed as a villain.

Yeah, no one has a tailored experience online, but there's still a very clear lack of balance on what is acceptable to tailor to or not (and for us, that includes tumblr). And trying to find fan-content while being sex-repulsed? Bruh, you'd better pray on your lucky stars and be ready to trudge through an ocean of stuff that's loaded with the very thing that makes you scared, uncomfortable or downright triggers a feeling of sickness in you, because a lot of it ain't tagged. An alarming amount of people don't bother, because why would people like you exist, right? There's only ever them, and puritan bigots. It's that black and white in a lot of people's heads.

Here's the difference though: we, too, want people to be able to vibe to whatever fan content they want. We just wish "people" included us properly in this case. As it stands now, trying to find fan content that won't give you an uncomfortable feeling as a sex-repulsed person feels kinda like this (I'll try to illustrate that to the best of my ability as a vague comparison, please no one take that as a clear parallel, I'm literally just trying to explain how it feels in a way people who have no idea how it feels might understand): you're not into gore at all, you don't wanna look at it, but your streaming platform keeps recommending you those series that are loaded with gore. You try to filter it out, but no matter where you go, you keep being recommended those series. And no one ever gets your discomfort and you're being branded as nothing but a wet blanket for not wanting to see gore. It's kinda like that.

At this point I admire sex-repulsed or romance-repulsed people who still TRY to find anything at all in fandom spaces. I've stopped reading fanfic altogether and I've largely stopped engaging with the large majority of fandom spaces for those reasons. And that wasn't an easy choice, or one that I find fun because it feels incredibly lonely, but it's the result of years of exhaustion and strain on my mental health trying to navigate something that's so hostile to me at its core, even if it's unintentional.

So... Yeah. We know the reasons, just like the content itself, they're kinda impossible to ignore. But we are largely being ignored in this, and it's not just something at an "ick" or "picky" level ; for a sex-repulsed person, being spammed with sex entails much more than that. It's not even frustration anymore at this point, it's downright despair a lot of the time. So... Yeah, like you said, everyone would benefit from stuff being more properly tagged. For us it'd be so huge to know our safety is taken into account – that we're taken into account at all. Thing is, we're not, and we're so invisible in this and most other things that at this point, I don't have much hope. Sex-related controversies allo people can understand would sooner create a change than anything done for our sake.

[aru-loves-krishnaxarjuna]

Mahabharata in Social Media

Part 5

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Masterlist

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

All the Pandavas are getting married...!?

Twitter

@Dharmaputra_Yudhisthira

@Dharmaputra_Yudhisthira: Yay, congratulations, my dear Phalgun 🤗❤️

@Devavrata_Bhishma.Kuru: I knew you would make me proud, Putra Arjuna 🙂‍↕️

@RajMata_Prithaki.noPritha: Arjuna dearest, what did you win and where? Whatever you won, you should share with your brothers 🙂

@ThemostHandsome_Nakula: MATA WHAT!?!

@theyoungertwin_Sahadeva: ONG BHAGWAAN 😭🤦‍♂️

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Family ✨️❤️🤗

Kunti: Putra Nakula and Sahadeva, why did you react like that 🙁😕

Nakula: Damn Mata really doesn't know 😭😭

Sahadeva: MATA, BHRATA ARJUNA WON THE SWAYAMVAR OF PANCHALA KUMARI DRAUPADI AND YOU JUST ORDERED US ALL TO SHARE HER! 😫😭

Kunti: 😱😱😱

Yudhisthira: WHAT DID YOU DO MATA!?

Bhima: Yes, WHAT DID YOU DO!?!?

Dushyala: Omgggg Jyesht Yudhisthira is SCREAMING 🙀🙀...📷💥

Bhishma: Dushyala this is serious!

Kripa: And knowing the Pandavas they always listen to their mother 😔

Vidura: They HAVE to 💀😭

Dushasana: Omg Oldie 2.0 is becoming GEN Z–

Yudhisthira: WTF IS GENZ!?

Dushyala: OMG JYESHT CUSSED 😱🙀✨️📷💥

Duryodhana: Dushyala... SHUT UP!! I JUST LOST MY WIFEY, AND NOW SHE IS GONNA MARRY ALL THE FIVE PANDAVAS 🤬🤬

Arjuna and Krishna have come online

Arjuna and Krishna have seen

Krishna: 🤦‍♂️ Dang it, I knew it...

Arjuna: ...

Arjuna: ...I have to share my wife...with my BROTHERS...?

Arjuna: 🥺💔...

Yudhisthira: I am sorry Priye Bhai 😔💔

Krishna: Knew it, but...

Krishna: Oh Parth 🥺❤️‍🩹 *sniffle sniffle*

Dushalana: AAHH Shut up with all this melodrama my brother just lost his wife!

Gandhari: Parantu Putra, Dury wasn't even engaged?–

The Kauravas: ...

Duryodhana: 😭😭

Duryodhana: Stillll she was meant to be mine Maaa!! 💔💔😭😭😭

Dhritarashtra: It's alright, my son-

Gandhari: You're being a spoilt brat, Duryodhana 🙂😡

Duryodhana: 😶😰

Dushyala: Dayummm..... 📷💥✨️✨️

Dushasana: OMG BHRATA DURYODHANA DID THE IMPOSSIBLE 😱

Dushalana: OMGGG HE MADE MATA ANGRY! 😭

Vikarna: DAMMMNNNN 💀

Durmarshana: He's cooked 💀💀

Bhishma: Leave that, we have to discuss about Rajkumari Draupadi first 😠

Krishna: 😐😑😐

Krishna added 'Sakhi 💅🌟🔥' to the Group Chat

Krishna changed their name to 'Draupadi'

Draupadi has seen

Draupadi: ...

Draupadi: Oh my god, I-

Arjuna: I am sorry that this had to happen to you because of me, Devi 🙏🙇‍♂️

Krishna: Don't blame yourself, Parth

Arjuna: But Madhav–

Krishna: Or I will be angry 😤

Arjuna has muted himself

Krishna: 😶

Literally everyone else: ...

Vidura: ...uhm… chile, anyways so–

Kripa: Yes about Rajkumari Draupadi's marriage–

Draupadi: Ekscoos meh ur honour ✋️😔✨️

Kunti: 😶

Bhishma: 😶😶

Vidura: 🫥

Kripa: 😶😶😶

Drona: 😶😶

The Kauravas: 😶‍🌫️

Nakula: ...

Nakula: aight, she's my type-

Sahadeva: Same– but Nakula sthu-

Bhima: ...no comments

Yudhisthira: ...

Arjuna has unmuted himself

Arjuna: Nakuuuula 😭😭

Arjuna: 🎶🎵What about me...WHAT ABOUT MEE...?!🎵🎶 😫😭

Arjuna: It was ME who won her hand 😭😭

Yuyutsu: I know brothah it's unfair to you, here have a hug 🫂

Arjuna: thanksss 🥺🫂

Draupadi: ...

Draupadi: Dil toota bhi aur rootha bhi

Arjuna: ...riyal-

Krishna: Parth, calm do-

Arjuna has muted himself...again

Krishna: 😶😶

Krishna: D- damn he really does take everything I say seriously... ❤️‍🩹😭

Draupadi: So what I was saying is...

Draupadi: I had a boon from my past life from Bhagwaan Mahadeva Shiva himself that I will get 5 husbands in my next life, i.e. my current one, because I had wished for a husband with all the five virtues and characteristics and I had wished for it 5 whole times hence t husbands so it was fated and I just asked Maharishi Vyasa about my fate and he told me–

The elders: 😶...

The Pandavas: 😳🤯

Duryodhana: Bleh! Ain't nobody got time to read allat! 🙄😒

Draupadi: 😐 long story short, I was fated to marry the Pandavas

Draupadi: So I was NEVER meant to be your wife nor will ever be 🖕🥰 frick you, bastard 😇😷

Draupadi: That's why you will always be wifeless because you are stuck up

Draupadi: You didn't bother reading a lady's message so how tf will you listen to your wife if you ever had one? ✨️💅

Arjuna has unmuted himself

Arjuna: That reminds me, did you still find your brain back there by rolling your eyes... if you ever even had one?

Duryodhana has gone offline

Krishna: Parth...I AM DAMN PROUD OF YOU!!! 😘😘😘😘😘🥰🥰🥰🥰😍😍😍😍😍🤩🤩

Arjuna: 🙏🥺🥹❤️‍🩹💝🤍🥰🥰🥰

Yudhisthira: What in the name of Love Story of Taylor Swift and of Indila is going onn!? 😭😫

Dushyala: OMG JYESHT IS FRUSTRATED FOR THE FIRST TIME- 📷💥

Yuyutsu: 💀🙏😭

Bhishma: ...

Kunti: Alr, Putra Krishna, tell me... ARE MY SONS GONNA MARRY DRAUPADI OR IS ARJUNA GONNA MARRY YOU!?!?

Krishna: The first one, Bua 😊

Krishna: We can do the latter one later

Krishna: 😏😏🤭🤭🤫

Arjuna: 😳😳 *struck by Kamadeva on Vasanta's request, again lol* 💘💘💘

Krishna: 🥰🥰

LITERALLY Everyone else: 💀💀

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Twitter

@DaddyIssuesforSis_Dhrish

@DaddyIssuesforSis_Dhrish: Meri Pyari, Sundar Behena ka Vivah 🥰

@Duryodhana_the_best: 😭😭😭 THIS MARRIAGE IS PREPOSTEROUS!!

@notsochill_Balarama: I trained you better than this, Duryodhana 😑

@Arjuna_ka_Madhav: My Sakhi and Parth are so beautiful and handsome aww 🤭🥰

@Devavrata_Bhishma.Kuru: Mere Kuruvansh mei kya ho rha hai, ye to kichdi se bhi zyada palna shuru ho gya 😭😖

@Vidura_ki_Vidurniti: Retweeting with Indila's 'Love Story' for Krishna and Arjuna though 😄

@Drupada_Panchala: But this is my Daughter’s marriage!!

@Vidura_ki_Vidurniti: Yes, and? 🤨 Because even between this, my nephew and his lover are at peak 😭🤣

Trending: #kyahorhahai?

#Bhishmakakuruvanshiskhandkhand

#DraupadixPandavas

#KrishnaxArjuna?

#Duryodhanakesapnokibalichadhgyi

[cherrybombfangirl]

I see Autistic/ADHD Lloyd headcanons all the time, but none for his parents which is weird because both ADHD and Autism are genetic. So lets fix that, and during Autism Awareness month no less, yay, #RedInstead bitches!

Autistic Garmadon and ADHD Misako Headcanons (for Autism Month!)

Misako hate is not welcome, we don't do that here, you will be blocked. Autistic Misako headcanons are welcome, I love you if you have that headcanon :). I'm autistic and adhd, so a lot of these will be based on my experience, and I'll try to keep it mostly fluff headcanons, featuring a little bit of Lloyd's autism and adhd <3

Autistic Garmadon

He and Lloyd share a lot of the same autistic traits

Like how if you distrupt the routine or there's a change in established plans both of them will start getting anxious and irritated

You don't distrupt the routine! Stick to the schedule damn it-

Or how both of them CANNOT stand bright lights, never turn on the overhead light, lamps and low lights only. and only predictable/controlled loud noises like music is ok, other loud noises bad

Also they both auditory stim ALL the time. Same song on repeat for days until the new favorite comes along, and they have the same taste in music (rock and punk), so while working on stuff or training one on one they'll blast the same song on repeat

Also both of them are hyperempathetic and get emotional very easily. Hence why they're a lot more emotional and open around each other

Also the Pathological Demand Avoidance is VERY STRONG with both of them. tell them to do something and they'll immediately dread and despite that thing and that thing is the last thing they want to do. (i.e. *is about to go do the dishes* "Hey can you do the dishes?" ... "I was about to. Even wanted to. Now I hate them and that's the last thing I want to do. Thanks for that. Fuck you.")

Both of them also have a very hard time unmasking (for different but similar reasons of how their childhood was), and get exhausted and burnt out fast. Luckily being around each other helps them unmask a bit easier

Garmadon loves Mac-n-Cheese, he'd eat just that for the rest of his life if he could. But only Misako's recipe, all other Mac-n-Cheese tastes WRONG (Lloyd also loves Mac-n-Cheese, but only his mom's recipe)

Sometimes he straight up forgets to talk. Like, he doesn't need to, he doesn't like talking to people, and he just... forgets that he has the ability to talk. So sometimes he might go a while without talking, thinking nothing of it. Then he'll vocal stim or use his voice and shock himself a little because oh shit i forgot i have a voice-

He hid it for a while because he thought it was embarrassing, but he has a huge special interest in sharks, and he is the number one shark defender, he could talk about them for hours (his favorite species is the Lemon Shark and Cookiecutter Shark <3).

^After he starts unmasking a bit he starting being a bit more open about it as well, and that year for his birthday Misako gets him a shark onsie. He just about melts, immediately puts it on, and wears it almost every night. (She thinks its adorable)

For a really long time, he thought the things he was experiencing were a side effect of being part dragon/oni, but then Wu told him "I don't experience any of that, sorry." and then he thought it was a side effect of the venom, but then after the Final Battle it was gone AND HE WAS STILL EXPERIENCING ALL THESE TRAITS, so he couldn't figure out wtf was wrong with him

^Misako was like "Idk sounds normal to me *shrug*" (She has ADHD, of course it sounds normal to her XD)

Lloyd knew he was autistic and adhd for a while because of the other ninja, who were also varying neurodivergencies. When he told his parents about it, they both didn't think anything of it because they didn't know it was genetic yet.

Then Garmadon found out it was genetic and was like "No... me? No way... I'm just an anxious introvert, there's no way."

Then he takes like ten different online assessment tests, and is like "Yeah, i knew it, i knew i wasn't autistic, those questions were worded dumb anyway. No I don't have a problem with socks, you see I have a system-"

And then Lloyd (who connected the dots once he found out autism was genetic) was like, "Dad... Dad... that- that is autistic... having a system for socks to avoid having problems with socks, avoiding places with loud noises and bright lights, and prefering to be by yourself or in silence is very autistic..."

Garmadon: "WHAT"

They figured out how to unmask and fuction as their authentic selves together and it's awesome

ADHD Misako

Similarly, she and Lloyd share a lot of ADHD traits

Like fidgeting, A LOT, always needing extra stimulation and needing to fidget. Usually with nail biting or lip chewing, until they learn less self destructive stims

They also hyperfixate in the same way. Both of them will get lost in the hyperfixation for hours, forgetting to eat, drink or sleep. until they try to stand up or someone reminds them. (Lloyd hyperfixates on comics the same way she hyperfixates on archeology)

Both of them have the worst sense of time and object perception. ("Oh yeah that project will only take fifteen minutes" *takes four hours*) (*losing track of important items and forgetting to eat ro drink water all the time*)

Rejection sensitive dysphoria is very strong for both of them, constantly worrying about annoying other people and being a burden, so they're people pleasers a lot and the slightest whiff of rejection sends them into a self hate spiral that can last for days or weeks (It took a very long time for her to get out of the self hate spiral after her and Lloyd meeting for the first time and him blowing up at her, which she thought she deserved for her huge mistake that she deeply regretted. Eventually they talked and Lloyd came to her and said she shouldn't hate herself forever, he wanted her to be his mom, and she could make up for it now. She still gets into that spiral sometimes.)

Also both of them zone out a lot. Sometimes many thoughts. Sometimes zero thoughts. Staring into space (they love car rides for this reason)

Both of them can be very all or nothing in a lot of things. No social interaction or all the social interaction. Doesn't talk at all or can't shut up. Constantly overshooting it.

Also due to the lack of object perception, both of them are kind of terrible at driving. They can't tell how far away the signs are until they're right in front of it, and are always taking turns that are way too big. Over or underestimating distance a lot. (Garmadon is a pretty terrible driver too, he gets overwhelmed easily). (Also Kai and Nya can confirm that teaching Lloyd to drive was a nightmare, Zane had to do it)

Always hyperfixating on something archeology/history related, she's a huge nerd and cycles through ten different topics (she was a weird kid that liked the morbid stuff in history). Usually dinosaurs, she's secretly obsessed with dinosaurs and hyperfixates on them all over again every other week. A lot of the time Garmadon has to remind her to eat or sleep because she'll be lost in hyperfixation for several hours.

Also has a lot of anxiety and has a hard time sitting still, always has to be moving or fidgeting with something in her hands

Similar to Garmadon, she didn't think anything of it when Lloyd told her he had ADHD, and when she found out it was genetic she thought, "No, it couldn't be me, I just have anxiety..."

She was in denial about it for a while, until Lloyd talked to her with Kai and Jay (Also ADHDers).

Kai asked, "Your teachers sent a lot of notes home about you being 'a pleasure to have in class' weren't you?"

Misako: "How the fuck did you know?"

Kai: "That was me before I had to drop out. I was the perfect little teacher's pet. So was Nya."

Misako sat there for a minute having a crisis because everything made sense now but also like no way, really?

She and Garmadon love talking about prehistoric sharks like the Megladon because that's where their interests intersect

^he also gets her dinosaur encyclopedias every year for her birthday and she loves it (they have diagrams of skeletons and fossils and stuff)

[transid--tips]

tips for transjapanese asian indv? we’re using subs but we’d love to do more than that!

got our many transjapanese headmates to help with this one ehehe.

this is our transjapanese advice

consume media from japan or ones popular in japan. anime and manga is the most widely known so you will have plenty of others to converse about it with. jdrama, jpop, japanese radio are also worth giving a try to. googling medias that are popular or have dedicated fanbases is also great.

watch things either in the japanese dub with english subs or even english dub with japanese subs.

eating/cooking japanese foods is probably one of the best ways to get into the culture. restaurants can be great if you can find any good ones locally, or traveling to find authentic japanese food places. but what we recommend is finding a local asian market. even if it isnt ran by a japanese person, most are very knowledgeable about japanese foods and can give recommendations and tips with making meals. plus its an amazing way to get involved with your local asian community.

speaking about community, connect with other japanese folks and asians. online is a good starting point for building your confidence around being perceived as cisjapanese. going out locally where you live is a big step to take but is worth is. local asian communities are generally kind and accepting of all asian people. side note that you could end up meeting other transjapanese people irl, since its one of more common transIDs.

participate in japanese holidays. you can do this in the privacy of your own home or go to any local events if you can find them.

take time to learn about japanese fashions and decide on some subcultures you might want to try out. also getting a kimono/yukata can be very helpful.

watch youtube videos about japan and its culture. like for example, the manors that they prioritize or things they like to do for fun.

learning to speak japanese can be hard but might be worth it if you have plans of moving to japan or just want a deeper connection to the culture. but dont feel bad if you cant! not all japanese people outside of japan know the language, and thats valid.

being out and proud about being japanese is great. some people may question it but just know that race is a spectrum and not all asians will look the same.

if you feel racial dysphoria relating to your body then you may consider cosmetic surgery. we dont have much to say about this one since its something we are still researching, but do look into it if its a goal that you have.

thank you for reading this and we hope yalls transition journey goes well! we did sprinkle some infodumping in here since we are also transjapanese and in the middle of our transition. but thats alright because this is an autism safe space so that means we get to info dump yay.

[fuck-customers]

I'm sorry this isn't exactly what this blog is for, but I was hoping it could slide. I have something at work that I'd like the opinions of mods and followers, if possible please.

I was wondering if I should ask for/pursue a promotion to store lead, as several people in my life, including friends, family, and a very persistent (annoying) coworker, have been pressuring me to do so. But I have several cons and pros about it. And since all the people in my life are blindly telling me to apply to be a lead, they won't listen to what my concerns are and say that I'm just being stubborn and difficult without listening to why I'm hesitating. So here's why

Pros:

•it would look good on my resume

•get paid $2 more per hour

•I'd get paid for training. Yay

•it may force me to get better at responsibility, as I'd be in charge of keys and codes

•I'd get slightly more hours per week (more on that below)

•I would get to freely move around the store as I'm doing my tasks vs. being trapped at the register area as I've currently been, which is great for me personally, because I hate being trapped at one station

•I may be able to fix some things around the store that have been driving me nuts as a result of being free to move around (such as changing the godawful music)

•it would probably be a needed confidence booster

•I have several ideas of things we could and should be doing that would greatly improve the store and maybe my manager would actually listen to a lead vs. a regular employee, as she currently refuses to listen to my suggestions (which, for the record, are things like "hey maybe we should put price tags on the products" not only does she refuse to listen, she actively goes out of her way to undo the work I do and tear down price tags/signs)

Cons:

•store leads ≠ full time and current leads get the same amount of hours that I do, give or take 3 hours or so (for example, this current week I have 9 hours, the lead who has been pressuring me to become a lead has 10 hours, and other leads have between 10-15 hours) I would already be a lead if it was a full-time position, but that will not happen. I'd even consider it if there was a significant increase in hours while still being part-time. 1-3 hours more is not an increase in my opinion

•the store is severely understaffed by design and leads have to do several tasks alone at once, such as: run the service department alone, unlock anything customers need throughout the store, fill online orders, backup the cashier when needed (the only other employee in the store) get yelled at by angry customers who demand a manager and do a daily checklist from the store manager that consists of 20 or so tasks to do in a 3 hour shift.

•store leads have nearly all of the responsibilities of the store manager, except they can't hire or fire anyone and they get paid less than half of what the store manager gets paid while having to do all of the same tasks, minus the fun ones (hiring/firing people)

•there are many signs that the company may shut down in the near future, but the company and my store manager are pretending like everything is fine and refuse to discuss it with employees

•leads are also expected to go to the bank for cash deposits for the store/to get change, etc. and I do not have my own car or license (which is not something I want to mention to my manager, as I'm required to have reliable transportation to work there, I just don't have to specify whose transportation it is) and that is a job requirement of a lead that I straight up cannot do. And the public transport in my city is lackluster and taking the bus to and from the bank would easily be an hour long trip or more, when it takes someone with their own car 15-20 minutes.

•I have a very bad memory and I am not confident that I could remember all of the procedures and passcodes that managers are required to remember. I could technically write it down, but I don't want to draw attention to my terrible memory, as I've been successfully hiding it for years. Nor am I confident that I could be responsible for keys and not lose them. And realistically, I'd lose the book/accidentally delete the notes app I made notes on.

•I've been able to hide it for now, since as a regular employee, I am not watched very closely, but I cut a LOT of corners and there are several store policies that I think are extremely stupid and I either straight up don't follow them or have workarounds for them. Obviously as a lead, I'd have to stop doing that, but some of these policies strongly go against my morals. This is just a whining bulletpoint lol

•I'm not great under pressure, and I'm even worse when someone is yelling/swearing at me or talking down to me. I've seen leads get talked to like they're trash by customers and they have been able to successfully stay calm and collected. In situations where I have been yelled at or talked down to, I call a manager to back me up, but that doesn't work if I am the manager. And I don't mean that I'll cry, because in some situations, that may help. No. I mean that my natural response to stress, especially someone yelling at me, is to fight back. I will cuss them out, yell back and I have been known to physically attack. Not at work, obviously, but that's because up until now, I've been able to push aggressive customers off onto my managers. I've also successfully hidden my anger issues from management and coworkers to the point where they think I am always happy and never get mad. It helps to have someone to back me up/deflect off of, but if I am the backup, no one can defend me.

•There are several things wrong with the store that are completely out of the control of any of us employees at the physical location and are the fault of corporate, but customers blame the employees personally and as a lead, I'd have to answer for the fuckups of corporate that I genuinely cannot answer for. (Such as return policies and inventory inaccuracies)

•My manager is very shitty at communicating with her team. I've personally witnessed several incidents that were caused by her not properly communicating with her leads and I don't want to wind up in a position where I'm responsible for resolving the conflict she caused by not communicating. Also

•I have nearly zero respect for my manager. I think she is an absolute moron, but I've been able to hide it as I don't have to work/interact with her very often. As a lead, I'd have to work with her more and it may slip.

•I don't wear a nametag. I very strongly believe that nametags are a great danger to the employees, especially employees like myself who have a very uncommon name with a very uncommon spelling. Yet as a manager, I'd have to "lead by example" and wear a nametag. I would ideally wear a fake name or have several fake nametags to rotate, but my coworkers obviously know my name and would call it out.

•I'd have to double-check on this one, but I think leads, as members of management, are required to watch potential shoplifters and confront/track them down. I'm not sure if this is a requirement of a lead or if the particular leads at my store are going way beyond their job requirements/have been coached incorrectly by the store manager. I know I, as a regular employee, am not required to chase after thieves and I actively refuse to confront/chase thieves for my own safety. But I am not sure if that would change with becoming a lead. My work does not have a security guard.

•I have several ideas of things we could and should do to improve the store, but my manager is very arrogant and refuses to listen to constructive criticism or constructive feedback in any form. It would drive me insane to have to keep doing things the wrong/difficult way just because she won't listen to suggestions. And this isn't just an assumption by me. I have personally suggested things that she blatantly ignored and so have other leads.

Posted by admin Rodney

[spirk-trek]

Hey so, it's me. The debbie-downer vaguing you in the spirk tag. I didn't mention you directly because my post wasn't directed at you, although it was made in response to checking some of your posts because I do have Unification in my filtered list (content and tag), so those fanworks? Behind a button, so my choice to look is all my own. (I didn't send the anon, though. That was someone else, sorry to say.) It sucks that that's how tumblr's system works but yay content filtering! Tumblr didn't always have that.

I didn't make that post to start drama, and I'm not the sort to get my kicks by being a contrarian for opposition's sake (like. I'm a Shatner fan. In a lot of online Star Trek spaces, I might as well say I hate K/S or Leonard Nimoy or kick puppies in my spare time, you know?), but I did make it in anger and for that I apologize. I should have waited longer on it to phrase things better or simply have deleted it from my drafts after typing it out. (But it's out there now and I'll live with it.)

I do understand where the joy of connecting the past to the present comes from (as a lot of your posts do with connecting old and new fanworks together), and that a lot of people are celebrating the Unification short as a culmination of 50+ years of K/S despite their initial separation according to the initial story, but for me (personally! I want to stress that. It's just me and my own opinion here), I keep seeing it as a valuing of what a company is finally offering fans rather than the celebration of fans who saw where K/S's story ended at the time, rejected that ending that was offered by the corporation, and made their own ending for K/S, without looking towards any official channels as a guide for their visions. That's what my post was about, where my anger was from, those questions--what becomes lost in fandom if we accept canon from the corporation that holds the copyright? What does it say if we look towards that same canon as being above what fandom has already envisioned? In a fandom as old as Star Trek's, one that laid so much groundwork that we take for granted, to overlook that worries me.

I suppose the biggest issue here is it's too similar, like a reflection in a mirror: on one side, Unification stands as the canonization of what the fandom has envisioned all along. It culminates. On the other, Unification appears as a bone tossed to finally appease fans who have seen K/S from the start and it feels too little, too late. Ironically enough, the short has seemingly managed to divide people, but it's too early to tell how lasting such a division could be.

Hopefully I've cleared the air by this. Unification clearly is not my cup of tea and I'm honestly not trying to ruin anyone's fun (most of my posts have gone untagged for a reason but I forget tumblr still parses for post content to index. Yikes. That post was tagged, though, because it was a snap decision made in anger and I wanted my thoughts to be seen). One could argue the short wasn't even made for me as I've long wondered if I will watch Generations because I've read the summary and didn't like it. But that's the joy of fandom and transformative works. We can look at the story and pick our favorite parts and rewrite the ones we don't like. If we didn't do that, fandom wouldn't exist, or it would but it wouldn't be as much fun.

Sorry for the essay in your inbox and for causing any confusion and hurt. I hope you've had a great day 💛

i'm not going to lie, it does hurt a little. i wasn't going to answer this publicly but i don't have the time today to have a private convo and i don't want you to think i deleted it or ignored it, so here we are.

i don't think unification made spirk any more canon than tmp did. i don't think the short was made with k/s in mind at all, even as a bone to toss starving shippers. star trek at large was never intended as a love story between them, but people have always seen it anyway. 

i'm conflicted about the use of nimoy's likeness too. despite that, i think that they did it as respectfully as they could have and involved the right people. it was a goodbye, not using him for a cheap cameo or advertising purposes (yes i know it was an "ad" like everything is, but it's not like spock holds up a coke at the end). you can disagree with me, and i understand your point of view. that's why i said i understood where that anon was coming from. 

what i see is william shatner and others taking a story that ended in a way that was disrespectful to both characters, one of which he himself has been playing for the majority of his life, and trying to fix that. it doesn't mean there's no corporate greed involved. both can be true. at least they posted it on youtube, they didn't premiere it or put it behind a paywall. it was just eight minutes, and less than a quarter of that had nimoy's face in it. my favorite part of the whole thing was seeing tos kirk meet his future selves. i love that even though they both die out of their times, they find each other in the end. 

i don't want to be an activist or defend or endorse anything, i just... 

those zines i tagged were 1) a poem by della van hise that was so accurate to the short that others were already reblogging it (i posted it weeks ago). i found it super interesting that she wrote a poem about them meeting again in death before tmp/wok even came out, let alone this short. 2) i was gushing about unification in the tags. 3) another poem about being side by side, which again, i found incredibly relevant. the other one i posted was because it went well with the others visually. it has nothing to do with unification other than the fact that spock is laying down. 

this has just made me sad tbh. i'm not angry and i love your analysis/fan work so much, so :( idk, i don't want anything i post to be divisive or disrespectful. i wasn't even worried about that before. i just really needed a win and maybe i clung to that a little too hard :/

[cheesewhip3]

alright, tmagp 33 time.

i read the thing before i listened to it and its Vast based? interesting. i cant wait for this.

ouhh starting :3

TMAGP EP 33 SPOILERS UNDER CUT

alice and gwen are arguing

norris speaking!! manchester again!! magnus institute!! interviewer comment redacted?? someone met someone online, someone called James ooh. a beach? the vast?? they're going to a pier, its starting off nice ooh ok theyre checking out an arcade, "we were having a good time" oh? james is telling the speaker about his childhood at the beach. town lights have disappeared oh fog now? they kissed and theyre gonna get a caricature? strange man oh no "well dont you two make a *darling* pair" james is doing something? did he fall? die? crashed into someone, a woman shes smiling and nodding its giving stranger? or the lonely confusion? shes gone now 😔 ok. they skipped the caricature. cab on the way home. mist and wind ooh, ferris wheel is dark and roped off, "and the fog was.. yeah if was huge.." hot chocolate in a café. the same weird man is back he said the darling pair thing, why are all the interview comments redacted. the arcade is "wrong" the woman is back and shes still fucking smiling. norris' statements always seem to have information missing. oh no no more land how scary, the fog shadow isnt fog and its moving. why do british people say "sawr". ohh james is being strange? he saw the thing got scared then nothing. james is gonna disappear, oh "theres nothing *wrong*, theres *nothing* wrong" whys he scared. person is running away and james is definately gonna get taken by the vast. oh no james is screaming and probably dead. the person was running and is still stuck in the dark. the lights are showing oh yay. james is gone now 😔 oh lonely type fear? "please dont go". statement over.

alice and celia. ooh a notebook of colins?? alice took it from his "bombsite of an office" she sounds upset 😢. ooh its full of computer code, german and cyphers?? alice is sounding like colin according to celia. gwen is doing *something*. 5399752 what does that mean. LENA MENTIONED OOOH. gwen wants her forwarding adress. she didnt get it hahaha. american guy??? oh? Lawrence? SHE LIED GWEN LIED!! I HEARD THE GLITCH SOUND!! what the fuck is starkwall "as the new manager it behooves me" OH SHUT UP!! PMC??? WHAT? WHY DO WE NEED A PMC IN THE OIAR? "unpredictable external agents" HAHAHA GWEN DISS!! OOH THE STARKWALL GUY LIED ABOUT PROTECTING THEM OOHHH OOOOH! "trial demonstation" ooh gwen was pissed off. this was a good episode, it feels like the Fears are finally seperating instead of being an "amorphous blob of colour if it hated you" and instead of the sky eating someones son we get the sea eating someones boyfriend!!! im actually so exited to find out about the newest avatars! like we have the archivist and ink5oul so whos next??