tortledimlr - Tumblr blog

[tortledimlr]

Dear Supporter,

I hope this message finds you and your family in good health. My name is Eman Zaqout from Gaza. I am reaching you out to seek your urgent help in spreading the word about our fundraiser. I lost both my home and my job due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and we are facing catastrophic living conditions. 💔

I kindly ask you to visit my campaign. Your support, whether through donating or sharing, will help us reach more people who can make a difference. Thank you for your continued support for the Palestinian cause. Your dedication brings us closer to freedom. 🙏🕊

Note: Verified by several people as 90-ghost and aces-and-angels. ☑

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[tortledimlr]

Hello 👋, I hope you're doing well..

My name is Mahmoud, and I'm a 17-year-old from Gaza. The ongoing war has devastated my city, destroyed my school, and made daily life incredibly challenging.

Despite these hardships, I'm determined to continue my education and build a better future. I've been given a chance to study abroad, but I need help to cover the costs of leaving Gaza, as well as living expenses and other essentials abroad once the crossing opens.. 🙏

If you can, please consider donating or sharing, your kindness can truly make a difference, and thanks for your time. ❤🍉

https://gofund.me/bd3ccf0b 🔗

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[tortledimlr]

For those who needed to hear it today

[tortledimlr]

[tortledimlr]

"haha go easy it's just a first draft!" except it's the single most important thing i've ever created in my entire life. if you make even one slightly neutral comment about it i will withdraw into a cave and never return to society. any feedback that does not amount to "omg yes this is incredible, it’s unlike anything else ever made, where is the sequel, this idea is sure to make you at least fifteen billion dollars" will reduce me to tears. but be honest tho

[tortledimlr]

Just looked at a blog where the header description said 'sometimes I reblog posts I like so I don't forget them'.

And I feel like that, right there, explains so much about how the site has changed in the last few months.

People now think reblogging is an unusual behaviour, rather than a default.

Tumblr newbies, please, for the love of baby Jesus, reblog the posts you like. That is the whole reason the site exists - for you to collect all your shiny fandom objects in a single space. Which you can organize to your heart's content. Or not organize at all, if that's your jam.

Our blogs are intended to be collections of posts, not collections of likes.

[tortledimlr]

Truck driver refuses to stop for Israeli settlers attempting to attack his vehicle and destroy the aid on its way to Gaza

[tortledimlr]

[tortledimlr]

i can’t find words for my anger right now so here’s a collection of thoughts that share the sentiment

[tortledimlr]

[tortledimlr]

Just a reminder for people who may not know, in light of protestors at UCLA being shot in the face with rubber bullets— rubber bullets are not bullets made of rubber. They are metal bullets encased in rubber.

Despite being called “non-lethal” or sometimes “less lethal”, they are well known to cause death and permanent disability.

Here’s a photo showing their size— these are actual rubber bullets used during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Do not let them downplay the severity of what they are subjecting this students to for standing against genocide. Stay safe and stay educated.

EDIT: Twitter banned @/nosferatusexgod, the student shot, whose tweet I linked to (as a primary source) at the top of the post. Screenshots of the tweet I originally linked to can be found here.

[tortledimlr]

I made a legacy challenge

So I know this is a writing account, but I actually play a lot of sims 4 and made a legacy challenge about a year ago! Its called the Tortleberry Legacy challenge and takes inspiration from the Not So Berry. I might play it on my instagram at tortledimlr if anyone wants to see it, and I'm gonna be trying to make cards for each gen so I can upload it here for others to try it. Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you the google doc and please let me know if you're posting it! I'd love to see what you think!

[tortledimlr]

Honey's Adventure

This is a simple story I wrote on stream (twitch is tortledimlr21). The prompt was given to me by a viewer and we decided to write about my dog, Honey. It is currently unfinished because my brains stopped working about 2 hours into writing. Please enjoy! “Please stop chewing on my blanket,” Honey’s human said, causing her to roll over and look at the human. Honey’s human sat at their desk, wrapped up in a blanket to keep the cold out. Honey wagged her tail, and scooted to the edge of the mattress. The human sighed, and rolled their desk chair over to the bed, cupping Honey’s face in their hands. Honey lapped at her humans wrists as the human scratched behind her ears. This was an ordinary morning for them, with the human working at their desk and Honey playing or napping on the bed. However, this morning, something was different.

Honey didn’t notice it, being a dog, but there was an eerie feel to the air. An unease came across the human as they said their morning goodbyes. Honey jumped from the bed, following the human to the front door. She sat down, like a good puppy, as the human reached into the bag of treats next to the door. They always gave Honey a treat before they went to work.

Honey barely tasted the treat as she scarfed it down. The human gave them one last pat, before closing and locking the door behind them. Honey rushed to the window at the front of the house to watch as the human’s car left the driveway. She let out a sad sigh before going to the couch and taking her first nap of the day.

As any normal dog would do, Honey took her usual nap in her human’s favorite seat. However, sniffing around to find the most comfortable spot revealed a strange scent, as if this seat would no longer be her human’s seat. Honey shook her head a couple times before sniffing again. Same strange scent. It was odd, but Honey was a dog. What was she to do about it? She got comfortable and rested her head on her human’s favorite pillow. Maybe if she laid there long enough, the strange scent would go away. 

The day seemed to stretch on longer than most days. At Honey’s normal lunch time, she heard the pitter patter of rain on the roof. She hopped from the couch and did a big stretch. She went back over to the window, sensing something was wrong. Out on the sidewalk, she saw a car she didn’t recognize as her humans. In the car, she saw the shadowy outline of someone. 

Like a normal dog, Honey barked at what was obviously an intruder. At least, in her mind it was. She barely noticed the shadowy figure move, and the car left the sidewalk. Pleased with herself, convinced she’d scared off a threat, Honey went to the kitchen, where her automatic feeder was. She began to eat her lunch, only to feel the fur on the back of her neck raise. 

Honey jerked her head up from the foodbowl just in time to see a shadowy figure pass the kitchen windows. She followed the shadowy figure, and listened as whoever it was, tried the back doorknob. With a startlingly loud bark, Honey took the defensive. The doorknob was only tried once, and she heard, rather than saw, the sound of the shadowy figures footsteps walking away. Feeling accomplished, Honey returned to her lunch.

After lunch, Honey returned to her spot on the couch. This time, with her belly full, she didn’t notice that the strange smell was still there, and she fell into a comfortable slumber.

Only to be startled awake by a loud clap of thunder. With another big stretch, Honey jumped from the couch and returned to the window at the front of the house. It was nearly pitch black outside, not that she could tell the difference, because she was a dog. But it wasn’t too dark to note that her human wasn’t back yet, and it was getting late. 

With a whine, Honey left the window, and began to pace around the living room. Something was wrong, she could feel it. It wasn’t like her human to be late from work, especially on a rainy night like this. Her human didn’t like driving in the rain, that much Honey knew. Were they waiting for it to stop? Or had something bad happened to them?

A flash of light filled the dark living room, followed swiftly by another clap of thunder. Honey whined again. She didn’t like thunderstorms. They were loud, and scary. Normally her human would tuck Honey in under some covers while she watched tv during storms like this. But her human wasn’t here. Why?

As the worry for her human, and the fear from the thunderstorm, set in, Honey walked to the humans bedroom. Their door was still open, which was strange. Normally, the human left the door closed when they left for work. Honey didn’t smell any strangers in the house, so she hopped into the human's bed. Once again, that strange smell that told her her human wouldn’t be using this bed again was there. If dogs could frown, Honey would.

She pawed uselessly at the covers, as if trying to bring the human’s scent back. But it was futile. With a final whine, Honey sunk into the covers, burying her face under the human’s pillows. Why weren’t they coming home? Didn’t they love Honey? Were they staying away for a reason?

Outside, another noise joined the rain and thunder. Honey recognized that sound. It was the sound of tires on pavement. She practically lept from the bed to the bedroom door, and barreled down the hallway. Surely, it was her human, back from a long day at work. Surely, right? She jumped into the window with such force, it nearly cracked. Outside, she saw the car from earlier. Disappointment filled her poor puppy mind, but as she watched the car pull into her human’s driveway, that disappointment fled to make room for fear. Who was this stranger, who had been watching their house earlier? Did they know where her human was? Were they there to hurt Honey, to take her human’s things? 

She watched as the stranger, the shadowy figure from earlier, emerged from the car, and made their way to the front door. Something about this confrontation told Honey not to bark. It told her to hide. And Honey was not one to ignore her instincts. She ran into the human's bedroom, and hid under the bed. As soon as she thought she was safe, she heard a bang from the living room. The stranger, the shadowy figure, was inside the house. 

She heard heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor. Those weren’t her human’s footsteps. That much, Honey knew. She heard the stranger picking things up, and setting them back down. They were looking for something, it seemed. Looking for what? Honey didn’t know the answer.

She backed further under the bed as the figure walked down the hallway. She saw the sharp edge of some sort of weapon, hanging off of the figure’s belt. They walked into the room, their heavy footsteps near deafening. Honey watched the strangers' feet walk around the room. She heard them checking her human’s dresser, side table, and then they moved to her human’s closet. This was her chance. 

The closet door opened outwards, and being the smart dog that she was, Honey knew that closing the door would buy her more time. So she did just that. She used her nose to nudge the door closed, and once she heard the click, she bolted. The stranger had left the front door open, and before she knew it, Honey was outside in the rain. It was cold, and wet, but it was better than being inside with the stranger. 

She heard the stranger shouting from inside. She didn’t recognize the voice, but it called her name. 

“Honey! Come back here!” It wasn’t her human’s voice, or any of her human’s friends, so Honey bolted once more. She made for the trees that lined the back of the neighborhood. At the back of the house, there was a short chain link fence, and beneath that fence was a hole just big enough for Honey to slip through. And slip through she did.

She heard the sound of the stranger’s footsteps on the wet grass and wasted no time getting to the trees. The stranger called out for her once more, but when she looked back through the underbrush, it looked like they wouldn’t be climbing the fence to come after her. Honey continued into the dark woods. She could hear the sounds of nightlife, an owl hoot here, the skittering of a rodent returning home there. Even in the rain, at night, the forest was alive with sounds.

Honey kept close to the treeline. She knew that one of their neighbors, an elderly human with a lot of cats, lived only three houses down from her human’s house. If she could somehow let the elderly human know about the stranger, maybe they could help her. But how could she do that? She was just a dog. 

Sure enough, she found the elderly human’s house. One of her cats, an outdoor one, lounged on the porch, just out of reach for the rain. The cat glanced up when Honey approached, and with a big stretch, made his way over to her. 

“You’re out late,” The cat, Tish, said, sitting down on the other side of the fence. Honey whined, and sat down as well.

“My human hasn’t returned home from work yet, and someone broke into our house. I didn’t know where else to go,” Honey explained, and Tish’s eyes widened.

“A stranger? In your house? Why didn’t you do something about it?” Tish asked, flicking their tail. Honey huffed, and pawed at the ground in frustration.

“I don’t know, I was scared! They had a weapon, I didn’t want to get hurt. Can you get your human to come out here?” She asked, and Tish sighed. He turned around and made his way back to the back porch of the house.

He yowled loudly, making Honey cringe from the noise. Inside of the house, a chorus of other cats yowling joined Tish. It only took a moment before the elderly neighbor opened the back door. The elderly human turned the porch light on, and after letting their eyes adjust, they noticed Honey at the edge of the yard.

Honey barked, almost happily. Finally, someone who could help. The elderly neighbor disappeared from the doorway for just a moment, and returned wearing a jacket and some rain boots. They shuffled across the yard, holding a flashlight in one of their hands.

“Hello, sweet girl. What are you doing all the way down here this late?” Honey barked in response, and jumped, landing her front paws on the fence. The neighbor scratched her behind the ears a bit. “Let me call your owner, I’ll get them down here to pick you up.”

Honey whined as the neighbor went back into the house. They left the door open, so they could watch Honey, and she watched as they dialed her human’s number. It looked to Honey as though they tried calling a few more times, before they returned to the back fence, frowning. 

“Now, Honey, where’d your owner get to now? Can’t get a hold of them for nothin,” The neighbor said. They opened the back gate, and let Honey into the backyard before making their way back into the house. Honey shook herself off before entering. Tish was sitting on the counter, licking away the rain water from his fur. Honey thanked him while she followed the elderly neighbor to their front door. She heard the jingle of keys in their pocket.

The neighbor led Honey down to their truck. Honey jumped in without a second thought. The cab was nice and warm, and it lacked the strange smell from earlier. The neighbor backed out of their driveway and drove down to Honey’s human’s house. The front door was still wide open, but the stranger’s car was gone. Honey felt better, knowing that the stranger was no longer in her house. The neighbor reached past Honey and opened the glove box, pulling out one of those loud metal weapons that her human also kept in their purse.

“Stay here,” The neighbor said, as if Honey could open the truck doors herself. They closed the drivers side, and walked up to the house, flashlight and weapon in hand. Honey watched as they disappeared into the house. She saw the flashlight pass by the front window, and she whined as she waited for the neighbor to return. After what felt like forever, but was probably only 20 minutes, the neighbor did return. Honey noticed the worry this time, and when the neighbor got into the car, they grabbed their phone off the dashboard.

Honey barely heard what the neighbor was talking about, they were talking so fast. She caught the words ‘missing’ and ‘broken into’. She also thought she heard her human’s name. She laid down in the front seat, laying her rain soaked head, in the neighbors lap. They didn’t seem to mind. 

They returned to the neighbors house, where the neighbor set Honey up a bed in the corner of the living room. One of the neighbors' other cats, a pretty, fluffy, white cat named Princess, groomed Honey while the neighbor waited anxiously on the couch. After a while, Honey noticed red and blue lights coming from outside. The neighbor headed outside, and Honey and Princess sat in the doorway while he talked to some police officers. 

Princess tried to comfort Honey, by telling her that the police officers would find her human quickly, but something about the situation told Honey otherwise. She was nervous, and she missed her human. She was certain that the stranger from earlier had done something to her human, and that was why they weren’t coming home. The thought made Honey let out a loud whine, interrupting whatever the officers were telling the neighbor.

One of the officers approached the door, crouching down to Honey’s level, and giving her some pets. 

“It's okay,” The officer said. “We’re gonna find your human, don’t worry.” Honey wagged her tail, but she wasn’t convinced. She thought that the officer knew that too, because she saw a certain sadness in the officer's face. 

It didn’t take long before the officers drove down to Honey’s house to ‘survey the scene’, as Tish put it. The neighbor gave Honey some food and Honey tried to go to sleep. She didn’t sleep much that night, too worried about where her human might be. In her dreams, she was in her human’s spot on the couch, with her human sitting next to her, watching their favorite show. But unfortunately, it wasn’t real. 

The next morning was sad for Honey. She had no appetite, and according to Princess, there was no news of her human. She barely left the bed that the neighbor had made for her. At around lunch time, while the neighbor was watching some show with fish in it, there was a knock on the door. Honey jumped up, hoping it was her human.

Unfortunately, it was not. It was one of the officers from the night before. They were carrying a blanket. Honey’s blanket, from home. They wrapped it around Honey, and she felt a little more at home. She heard the officer tell the neighbor that Honey’s human was yet to be found, but that they had found the human’s car at their workplace. 

“Surely,” The officer said, “This means they can’t be far behind.” But the officer seemed unsure themselves. 

Later that day, the neighbor was getting back into their truck. They put Honey on a leash on the front porch, with a bowl of cool water and food. Honey watched as they left, and while she was getting a drink, she felt her leash go slack.

She turned her head sharply, and saw Tish standing at the end of the leash. It seemed that, using their claws, they had unleashed Honey from the porch. Honey cocked her head to the side in question.

“We’re going to go find your owner,” Tish said, his tail flicking. Honey’s tail began to wag, and she walked over to where Tish was sitting on the porch fence.

“Why? Princess said we should let the officers take care of it,” Honey said, but she wasn’t too keen on staying on the porch. Tish hopped off of the porch.

“Because your dog smell is stinking up my house, and I’m tired of you moping around without them. Are you in, or what?” Tish fixed their eyes on Honey and she nodded. “Good. Let's get going then.”

And so the two set off. Even though they didn’t know where to go first. Tish suggested going to Honey’s human’s workplace, but Honey didn’t know where that was. This fact made Tish a bit more irritated, given that that was their only lead. 

They walked along the forest treeline for a few hours more, keeping just out of sight of any cars on the road. They didn’t want to be picked up by the pound, or worse, hit by a car. One of the neighbors cats, Mittens, had been hit by a car once, and lost one of their legs. On the brightside they got away with a lot of stuff, but they really sucked at walking now.

After an amount of time unknown to Honey, because she’s a dog and can’t tell time, they reached the end of the forest and beginning of civilization. Tish told Honey that this was where the neighbor went whenever they needed to buy food. Honey recognized the sign in front of what Tish called ‘the grocery store’. The logo on the sign was the same logo that was on all of Honey’s human’s work shirts. This was their workplace!

And…after a bit of sniffing around, Honey recognized her human’s car. It was lined in bright yellow tape, and she also recognized one of the officers standing next to the tape. It was the same officer who had brought Honey her blanket. 

“We need to be stealthy here,” Tish said, and Honey sunk down into the underbrush so that no one would see her. Tish spoke once more. “I’ll go see what I can sniff out, you stay here. If that officer sees you, they’ll bring you back home.” 

Honey watched as Tish snuck across the parking lot, darting under cars when he had to to avoid the other humans. Eventually Tish disappeared underneath Honey’s human’s car. Honey’s eyes shifted over, as if on instinct, and she recognized another car. 

The car from yesterday. The car with the stranger. She resisted the urge to start barking, as she didn’t want to blow her cover, or Tish’s. The car slowed as it passed the officers, but didn’t stop. Honey was certain that whoever was driving that car, had something to do with her human disappearing. 

As soon as the car was gone, Tish darted back towards Honey’s hiding spot, holding something in his mouth. It looked to be a piece of torn cloth. Honey needed only to sniff it once to know it belonged to the stranger- the intruder. She told Tish about the car she had seen in the parking lot, and Tish suggested they follow the car when it left the store. 

Honey thought that was a great idea. However, Honey was a big dog, and in order to follow the car, they would have to leave their hiding place in the forest, and Honey would surely be noticed by the officers. Tish thought for a moment, before he seemed to have an idea. Once again, he told Honey to wait there, while he went back to the parking lot. The wait this time was much shorter, and this time Tish returned with a friend.

“Honey, meet Edward,” Tish said as they approached. Edward was a handsome crow, by crow standards. He bowed graciously to Honey, and she gave a cursory sniff in greeting. Tish explained their situation to Edward. By the end of his explanation, Honey seemed to catch on to Tish’s idea. 

“And what would I get in return for tracking this car for you?” Edward asked, preening his feathers as he did.

[tortledimlr]

The Dead of Winter

The Dead of Winter is a commission I did for a good friend of mine last year. It is a sampler writing for future commissions I'll hopefully be doing. TW: Body horror

I should’ve listened when my friends told me to wait until summertime. I should’ve listened when the elderly Native American told me to ignore any sounds I heard from the woods, to stay inside during the night.

But I didn’t listen. And now here I am, hiding in a cabin in the middle of the freezing Alaskan wilderness, thousands of miles from anyone who cares.

My idiot decisions began in September, when I got what I thought was the offer of a lifetime. 6 months of solitude and silence in beautiful Alaska to write my book. I was ecstatic of course, and immediately called to get it set up. 

At the time, I’d only written short stories for newspapers and websites, not nearly enough to make a liveable wage. I’d tried a million times to write a full book, but I either never had the time or was facing writer's block. This opportunity seemed to be the perfect chance to get my book done, and in the scenic mountains…well, it was perfect.

“Are you sure about this, Beth?” My roommate, Sarah, said, watching me pack my bags with a somewhat worried look on her face. Her honey blonde hair was still wet from her shower, and my heart skipped a beat as I looked at her. I shook it off and looked back down into my bag.

“Yeah,” I answered, gently tucking my new, unripped jeans into the duffel bag. I’d bought an entire new wardrobe for this trip, as none of my southern California clothes would keep me warm. “It's just a couple months, I’ll be fine. Plus the house is supposed to be fully supplied for the stay.”

Sarah huffed a bit as I zipped up the bag. “I’m just…I mean, you’re not really built for that kind of weather. Have you even done any research on winters in Alaska?” I looked up to see her cross her arms, and shrugged.

“A little bit,” I said. It was a lie. I actually hadn’t done any research, I just didn’t want her to spend the next six months worrying about me. She pursed her lips as she watched me swing the duffel bag onto my back. “Chill, Sarah. I’ll be fine.”

I could tell that my words didn’t reassure her, but I couldn’t stay any longer. I had a flight in 30 minutes. I let her drive me to the airport, and she didn’t bring up the trip anymore, except to ask me to call her once I landed. I told her I would. 

Before I got out of her car, part of me wanted to admit my hidden feelings for her, but I kept it to myself. Even if she did reciprocate my feelings, I was about to be gone for 6 months. There was no way she’d be up for that.

The flight was roughly five hours of pure boredom that I spent trying to outline my book. I had the characters and the plot down, but I was struggling to get the timeline down. After a few hours, I just closed my laptop and shoved it back into its bag. By the time I did this, it had been three hours, so I decided to take a nap for the rest of the flight.

The drive out to the port was quiet, the taxi driver being mostly quiet as we drove. Like I’d thought, the landscape was beautiful once we got out of the city. The trees were huge, and just as we reached the port it started to snow. It was…breathtaking. I could feel the inspiration gears turning in my head.

At the port, I met with an elderly Alaskan Native who would be boating me to my destination. We made small talk on the boat, though it was much too loud to talk about much other than the normal pleasantries. When we finally arrived at the dock of the island I’d be staying on, the elder helped me take my bags up to the cabin. I could see it from the docks. It wasn’t huge, but it had a sort of rustic elegance about it. And for the next 6 months, it was mine.

I talked with the old man more as we walked up the small hill to the cabin. It left me a little winded, but we arrived there with little issue. As I was unlocking the door, the old man pointed out a shed on the edge of the property that held firewood in case the power went out. He told me if I thought it needed refilling, to call a week ahead so I didn’t run out beforehand.

The inside of the cabin was cozy. The kitchen and living room were one whole room, and there was a short hallway that led to the bedroom and bathroom. I set my duffel bag on the couch as I looked around at the room. One big stone fireplace, a comfy looking couch, and a wood burner stove in the kitchen.

“What was it you said you were out here for, again?” The old man asked, making me look back at the doorway. He wasn’t looking at me, though. He was staring out into the woods.

“Oh, uh, just trying to get some writing done. I figured the scenery around here would help inspire me,” I answered, sitting on the arm of the couch, facing him. After a long, quiet, awkward moment, he looked back at me.

“I see. The land around here is quite inspiring,” He said. His voice was very deep, in a way that kind of commanded attention. “Tell me, what do you know about the myths and legends of this area?”

I blushed in embarrassment then, knowing I’d have to admit to not doing my research now. “Not much, honestly. I was just eager to get out here.” I smiled sheepishly, and he nodded, looking back out at the forest.

“Do an old man a favor?” He asked after another quiet moment. I nodded even though he wasn’t looking my way. “Try to avoid going out at night. No matter what you hear, or see. There are…animals that come out at night and, no offense, but you don’t seem equipped to handle them.” His lips twitched almost into a smile, and I nodded once more.

“No offense, taken. I’ll stay inside overnight,” I promised, and he let out a sigh. I wasn’t sure if it was relief, or something else. 

“I should be going, now. I’ll be back to check on you before mid October,” He said, and I bid him goodbye. I watched him walk down to the docks, climb into his boat, and ride back off to the mainland.

I quickly grabbed a few logs from the shed before hurrying back to the cabin. For some reason, what the man had said rang through my skull. Over the next couple of days, I found myself triple checking the cabin locks before going to sleep. It was strange, to say the least.

Over the next two months, I found myself diving into my writing with a newfound passion. This island affected me in a strange way, and I was more than happy with how the writing was going. I hadn’t heard anything, or seen anything, outside at night, but every time the old man stopped by, he asked whether I had gone out at night since his last visit. For some reason, I felt like I would be disappointing him if I had decided not to heed his warning.

On this particular visit, he seemed extra worried. He was bringing me my last bits of perishable foods before I’d be stuck here alone until March. Half of me wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I didn’t want to pry in case it was something personal. As we carried the last box of frozen meats into the cabin, he finally spoke to me.

“Listen, kid,” He started, wringing his fingers nervously. I looked at him with my head slightly cocked to one side, waiting for him to continue. He hesitated a bit before clearing his throat, and starting to talk again.

“I don’t want to tell you what to do, or how to live your life, but it's going to be a hard four months out here on your own. If at any point you decide you want to leave, you won’t be able to until the water unfreezes, and even then it could take weeks. I want you to think about your decision,” He said, looking at me with deep set, nearly black eyes. I turned away from him to start putting the meat away. 

“Thank you, for your concern,” I said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. I really was thankful. “But I already flew out here, it would be a waste to leave before my time here was up, y’know.” I tried to sound nonchalant, but the way he talked was almost like he was trying to keep me safe. From what, I had no idea. 

I heard him sigh again, and this one was quite obviously in disappointment. “If you insist…just remember what I told you when you arrived. Don’t go out at night, no matter what.”

He left a few minutes later, and while he was walking down to the docks, I noticed he kept looking back at the cabin with a worried expression. I was having second thoughts about my decision, but by the time I reached the cabin door, his boat was already too far away. I went back inside and locked the cabin door.

Despite my general unease, the next couple weeks passed by without issue. I had a lonely Thanksgiving eating homemade burgers and found myself missing Sarah more by the day, but otherwise it was quiet. I continued my writing, and on December 1st, I’d finished five chapters.

It was on this night that it started. I’d gone to bed early, having had a quiet celebration with a glass of honey mead the old man had gifted me back in October. I was a lightweight so the one glass was enough to send me to bed. I guess it also was enough to keep me from doing my normal nighttime routine.

I don’t know what it was that woke me up, but I suddenly found myself staring at the moon through the bedroom window. It took me a few moments, but I suddenly realized how very cold it was. I jerked up from my bed just in time to see a shadow rush past the bedroom door. I jumped up to chase whoever it was, though I had no idea what I would do when I reached them, and when I got to the end of the hallway I saw the front door of the cabin was wide open. 

My heart dropped to my stomach, and I found myself stone cold sober. I slammed the door shut without checking outside, and locked it tightly. I stepped back and stared at the door for a long time. When the adrenaline finally subsided, I felt the chill of the air. I shivered all over and walked over to the fireplace, setting a fire up as quickly as I could with my shaking fingers. 

Once the fire was up and burning, and the warmth spread through my body, I felt myself relaxed enough to pick up my phone and check the time. It was nearly four in the morning. I wondered how long the door had been open, and how long that shadow had been staring at me. Had they touched me? Had they taken anything?

I shivered again, but not from the cold this time. 

I waited until the time had shifted to 8, but the sun hadn’t come up yet. I silently cursed as I remembered that I’d be stuck without sunlight until March. I hoped that whatever that shadow was kept out of sight during the day so I could collect more firewood. 

I tried not to think about the event for the rest of the day, trying to get back into my writing, but every bump or hoot from outside had me running to the door to make sure it was locked. It was always locked, but that didn’t stop me from worrying. I didn’t get much writing done that day.

In the weeks that followed, I spent most of my time making sure the doors and windows were locked, before going to bed uneasily. I avoided going out at all during that week. I didn’t even like passing in front of or looking out of the windows. I always felt like someone or…something was watching me. I was afraid of what I’d see if I looked.

On Thursday - at least, I thought it was Thursday - I ran out of firewood. As I tossed the last of the logs into the fireplace, I felt my stomach turn. Did I wait until the fire burned out? Did I try to go out now?

I checked my phone to see the time. Presumably, it was nine in the morning, and yet it was barely dawn. I steeled myself, and looked out of the window to see if there was anything close to the house, anything I should worry about. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness outside, and when they did, I saw nothing. Just the snow, the trees, and the shed. 

I looked back at the fireplace, at the last bit of firewood burning away, and sighed. I would have to go out. If I was quick, maybe whatever was out there wouldn’t catch me. I told myself that while I pulled my heavier clothes on, though I wasn’t sure I completely believed it. 

Before long, I was at the door, staring at the locks. My mind was struggling to convince me that it would be okay, that I could move fast enough to evade any attacker. I was frozen in place for a while before I finally unlocked the door and opened.

The cold outside was almost painful as I trekked across the yard towards the shed. It was only 10 feet away, but it felt like I walked a mile. The wind tore at my jacket. When I finally reached the shed, it nearly took the door off the hinges. I didn’t remember the wind being this rough when I opened the door…how long had I waited to open it?

I didn’t have time to stand there and think it through. I grabbed an armful of wood, forced the door to the shed closed, and started back towards the cabin. But something stopped me in my tracks. It was quiet, so quiet I almost didn’t hear it. But I did hear it.

A low whistle. I felt my hair stand up on the back of my neck, and despite all the warning signs in my head screaming, I turned to look in the direction of the whistle. There, at the edge of the property, I saw its glowing eyes for the first time. I was too far away to see what was attached to those eyes at the time, but I didn’t need to see it to know I was in danger. 

The logs nearly fell from my arms as I ran back to the cabin. I swore I heard the sound of heavy footsteps following me, but when I got through the cabin door and looked out, there was nothing. Just those same, glowing eyes, watching me from the woodline. I slammed the cabin door and locked it. I even went as far as to push the recliner in front of it.

I didn’t sleep well that night.

Christmas Day was less than exciting. Other than my constant paranoia, I was lonely, and I was starting to wish I had left when that old man told me too. On the brightside, I’d managed to find a good spot to connect my laptop to the wifi, and watched a few cheesy Christmas movies while eating my rather sad Christmas dinner. 

I’d written more of my book since the incident. For some reason, the fear lit up inspiration inside of me like fireworks. I was halfway done with the book by now, and if I made it to March, I was certain I’d be finished with it. I just needed to survive until this horrible vacation was over.

As the weeks went by, I found a somewhat normal schedule to getting firewood without getting caught. I learned to pay attention to the weather outside. If the wind started to pick up, or a storm rolled in, it meant the creature was there. Don’t ask me how I knew but…somehow, I knew that whatever it was had some control over the weather. I learned to ignore the weather, the whistles, the howls, and even the power outages that the storms sometimes caused. As long as I didn’t go outside, I knew I was safe. 

It wasn’t until mid January that I broke my rule for real. I was busy writing, having gotten to the final chapters of my book. As I finished one of the chapters, I heard a blood-curdling scream from outside. It was one, short burst of a scream, and I tried to ignore it, at first. I hoped it would go away.

But it didn’t. There was another, longer scream, and for some reason, I got up from the kitchen table and moved to look out of the window. 

Nothing. Just blank, snowy, white emptiness. I searched the treeline with my eyes, looking for something, someone, but there was nothing. 

I hadn’t yet noticed that it had gone completely silent, at least, not until there was a loud thump on the roof. The sound was so sudden it made me jump, and I instinctively backed away from the window. There was a series of stomps as whatever was on the roof walked across it. Its steps stopped directly above the kitchen window, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

It was so silent in the cabin, bar the soft crackling of the fire, that I could hear it growling. It was so soft of growling that I didn’t register it at first, but it was definitely there. I was just considering my options, when I heard a familiar voice speak.

“Don’t go out at night,” It said in the old man's voice. But it wasn’t the old man's voice, not really. There was something more sinister about it that gave me goosebumps. I found myself sinking to the floor and crawling under the table. I wasn’t sure if it was a smart place to hide, but it was the best I could do. 

“Don’t go outsiiiiiiide,” It sang, and I saw it for the first time. Its spindly, bony fingers traced along the glass of the window, its skin drawn so tight against the bones it looked like its muscle had been drained out. Like a corpse.

Its face came into view, and I so badly wanted to run. To take off to my bedroom, and to hide under the bed like a child. But I was frozen in place, staring at the not so human face that was now making eye contact with me. Its skin was ashen gray, and its eyes were wide and black. They were full of animalistic hunger, but human enough to be more terrifying. As its face continued to come into view, I could see its nose and mouth, or, lack thereof. Its nose was gone, leaving only two holes where it used to be, and its lips were gone, like it had been chewed off. Thinking about it now, the word ‘wendigo’ comes to mind.

It smiled at me, showing off a row of sharp, yellow teeth, and when it opened its mouth, the old man's voice had morphed into something far worse.

“Come…out…siiiiiiide,” It said without moving its lips, and I finally unfroze. My body moved on instinct, without thought, and I took off to the bedroom. I slammed the door behind me and pushed the bed in front of it before I was finally in control again. My breathing was ragged and heavy, and the sound of glass breaking in the other room made me gasp.

I’m writing this on my phone now. I can hear it in the living room and kitchen, breaking things and talking in that…voice. I’m so scared. I don’t want to die. I want to go home, I want to finish my book. I want to tell Sarah I’m in love with her. 

I hope someone finds this. I hope someone can get in touch with her…

[tortledimlr]

Writing Commissions are Open

Hey everyone, I'm planning on starting writing commissions. Below I will have all information relevant to my literature commissions. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please dm me here. Thank you.

My commissions currently come in a few styles because, I'm new to this and don't want to overwork myself and burnout.

Short Stories (1500 - 2000 words) :: 10 USD

D&D Character Sheets :: 10 USD

World building/lore building (for D&D, roleplaying, etc) :: 10 USD

Research: If you wish for me to write a fanfic including specific characters, I will need you to send me details about their personalities and backstories in case I don't know the series. I will do some of my own research, but when I write fanfics I want to give the characters their proper personalities and its better to hear it from someone who knows the series.

NSFW: If you want me to write in NSFW stuff, I will be charging an extra 5 USD per 1000 words. We will discuss what kinks/fetishes you have in mind before I write the piece. In the 'will and wont dos' section of this journal, you will find what kinks/fetishes I'm okay with writing.

Editing: As I write, I will send pieces of the story to you via a google document so you can see the progress. Changes to the story will be free of charge, however once I submit the final draft to you, I will not make any changes to it. Please let me know before I submit the final draft whether you want certain things changed.

Now lets get into my will's and won't do's:

o Will Do's

x Won't Do's

o NSFW and SFW o Original fiction and fan fiction o Canon x canon, OC x canon, OC x OC o LGBTQ+ relationships as well as straight ones o Polyamory o Age gaps (18 minimum age and no more than 15 years apart) o Food play

x Pedophilia x Bestiality x Incest (this can be discussed, assuming the universe is ASOIAF) x Scat, watersports, and farts (any gross stuff really) Anything not listed? Feel free to inquire!

I take payments via PayPal. My PayPal will be given once the commission is agreed upon for quick and easy payment.

If you have commissioned a NSFW writing, do not mention nsfw in the payment note. This will result in the payment being held and possibly my account being frozen. If you must add a note, 'From Username' will be sufficient.

Short stories must be paid in full. If at any point I feel I cannot finish writing the commission, you will be refunded at least half of the money you've paid me.

That's about all I have to say for now! If you want to read some of my work, I'll have a few of my WIP's in my literature gallery. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to write for you soon.

[tortledimlr]

Writing Commissions are Open

Hey everyone, I'm planning on starting writing commissions. Below I will have all information relevant to my literature commissions. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please dm me here. Thank you.

My commissions currently come in a few styles because, I'm new to this and don't want to overwork myself and burnout.

Short Stories (1500 - 2000 words) :: 10 USD

D&D Character Sheets :: 10 USD

World building/lore building (for D&D, roleplaying, etc) :: 10 USD

Research: If you wish for me to write a fanfic including specific characters, I will need you to send me details about their personalities and backstories in case I don't know the series. I will do some of my own research, but when I write fanfics I want to give the characters their proper personalities and its better to hear it from someone who knows the series.

NSFW: If you want me to write in NSFW stuff, I will be charging an extra 5 USD per 1000 words. We will discuss what kinks/fetishes you have in mind before I write the piece. In the 'will and wont dos' section of this journal, you will find what kinks/fetishes I'm okay with writing.

Editing: As I write, I will send pieces of the story to you via a google document so you can see the progress. Changes to the story will be free of charge, however once I submit the final draft to you, I will not make any changes to it. Please let me know before I submit the final draft whether you want certain things changed.

Now lets get into my will's and won't do's:

o Will Do's

x Won't Do's

o NSFW and SFW o Original fiction and fan fiction o Canon x canon, OC x canon, OC x OC o LGBTQ+ relationships as well as straight ones o Polyamory o Age gaps (18 minimum age and no more than 15 years apart) o Food play

x Pedophilia x Bestiality x Incest (this can be discussed, assuming the universe is ASOIAF) x Scat, watersports, and farts (any gross stuff really) Anything not listed? Feel free to inquire!

I take payments via PayPal. My PayPal will be given once the commission is agreed upon for quick and easy payment.

If you have commissioned a NSFW writing, do not mention nsfw in the payment note. This will result in the payment being held and possibly my account being frozen. If you must add a note, 'From Username' will be sufficient.

Short stories must be paid in full. If at any point I feel I cannot finish writing the commission, you will be refunded at least half of the money you've paid me.

That's about all I have to say for now! If you want to read some of my work, I'll have a few of my WIP's in my literature gallery. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope to write for you soon.

[tortledimlr]

Practice Writing

This one is based off of a short writing my bf did, but never finished. I decided to take it a 'fix' it up a little. Please enjoy!

A large farmhouse sat at the back of a winding dirt road. A mile of dense forest hid it from view of the main road. It was one of those houses that you couldn’t find unless you were really looking for it, and with the rain pouring down, it was even more hidden.

A small silver car made its way down the winding dirt path, rain pitter pattering down on the roof. In the front seat, a father sat forward against the steering wheel, squinting through the windshield at the dirt path. His wife in the passenger seat was looking down at a magazine in her lap, humming slightly to the rhythm of the song playing through the radio. In the back seat a child sat, eagerly looking out of the window. Impatiently waiting for the farmhouse to come into view.

“Daddy, are we there yet?” The girl asked, leaning around to look at him in the driver's seat. He waved her off. She frowned at his dismissal and looked back out of the window. A moment later, her father shouted as he hit a bump in the road.

Without looking up, her mother chastised him. “Be careful, love. This is a rental.”

Jill, the child, ignored them, for the house was finally coming into view. Through the heavy rain, she could just barely see the elderly couple sitting on their porch swing. She bounced excitedly in her seat, opening the door of the rental car before it was fully stopped. She heard her parents shouting after her, but she ignored them in favor of her grandfather, who stepped off of the porch and lifted her off the ground, swinging her around a few times before setting her back down.

“There she is, my favorite granddaughter,” Granddad said, smiling down at her. Jill rolled her eyes. 

“I’m your only granddaughter,” She responded, and he laughed before moving to help her parents grab her bags. Jill hopped up the wet stairs two at a time, and ran over to sit next to Grandmother on the porch swing.

“Are you sure it won’t be a problem, Dad?” Father asked, glancing at Jill out of the corner of his eye. Worried. He was still holding onto the handle of Jill’s suitcase, not quite ready to let it go yet. 

“Don’t worry,” Granddad said, patting his son on the shoulder. The young man let go of the suitcase, but his worried look didn’t subside. “She’s a delight to have around, and it’ll do her good to spend some time outside. I don’t imagine she gets much sun living up in that apartment.”