#i'm writing a user-submitted one

[haveyoureadthispoem-poll]

"So, play and sing, friends of my years! / ...And, at your heedless joy and singing, / I will be smiling through my tears."

Read it here | Reblog for a larger sample size!

[getvalentined]

An open letter to @staff

I already submitted this to Support under "Feedback," but I'm sharing it here too as I don't expect it to get a response, and I feel like putting in out in public may be more effective than sending it off into the void.

The recent post on the Staff blog about changing tumblr to an algorithmic feed features a large amount of misinformation that I feel staff needs to address, openly and honestly, with information on where this data was sourced at the very least.

Claim 1: Algorithms help small creators.

This is false, as algorithms are designed to push content that gets engagement in order to get it more engagement, thereby assuring that the popular remain popular and the small remain small except in instances of extreme luck.

This can already be seen on the tumblr radar, which is a combination of staff picks (usually the same half-dozen fandoms or niche special interests like Lego photography) which already have a ton of engagement, or posts that are getting enough engagement to hit the radar organically. Tumblr has an algorithm that runs like every other socmed algorithm on the planet, and it will decimate the reach of small creators just like every other platform before it.

Claim 2: Only a small portion of users utilize the chronological feed.

You can find a poll by user @darkwood-sleddog here that at the time of writing this, sits at over 40 THOUSAND responses showing that over 96 percent of them use the chronological feed*. Claiming otherwise isn't just a misstatement, it's a lie. You are lying to your core userbase and expecting them to accept it as fact. It's not just unethical, it's insulting to people who have been supporting your platform for over a decade.

Claim 3: Tumblr is not easy to use.

This is also 100% false and you ABSOLUTELY know it. Tumblr is EXTREMELY easy to use, the issue is that the documentation, the explanations of features, and often even the stability of the service is subpar. All of this would be very easy for staff to fix, if they would invest in the creation of walkthroughs and clear explanations of how various site features work, as well as finally fixing the search function. Your inability to explain how your service works should not result in completely ignoring the needs and wants of your core long-term userbase. The fact that you're more willing to invest in the very systems that have made every other form of social media so horrifically toxic than in trying to make it easier for people to use the service AS IT WORKS NOW and fixing the parts that don't work as well speaks volumes toward what tumblr staff actually cares about.

You will not get a paycheck if your platform becomes defunct, and the thing that makes it special right now is that it is the ONLY large-scale socmed platform on THE ENTIRE INTERNET with a true chronological feed and no aggressive algorithmic content serving. The recent post from staff indicates that you are going to kill that, and are insisting that it's what we want. It is not. I'd hazard to guess that most of the dev team knows it isn't what we want, but I assume the money people don't care. The user base isn't relevant, just how much money they can bring in.

The CEO stated he wanted this to remain as sort of the last bastion of the Old Internet, and yet here we are, watching you declare you intend to burn it to the ground.

You can do so much better than this.

Response to the Update

Under the cut for readability, because everything said above still applies.

I already said this in a reblog on the post itself, but I'm adding it to this one for easy access: people read it that way because that's what you said.

Staff considers the main feed as it exists to be "outdated," to the point that you literally used that word to describe it, and the main goals expressed in this announcement is to figure out what makes "high-quality content" and serve that to users moving forward.

People read it that way because that is what you said.

*The final results of the poll, after 24 hours:

136,635 votes breaks down thusly:

An algorithm based feed where I get "the best of tumblr." @ 1.3% (roughly 1,776 votes)

Chronological feed that only features blogs I follow. @ 95.2% (roughly 130,077 votes)

This doesn't affect me personally. @ 3.5% (roughly 4,782 votes)

[sugaredrhubarb]

A QUICK GUIDE TO AO3 CUSTOMIZATION FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT CODING

ft adding pink to everything and my secret to writing long comments

note: I originally posted this to twt but if that place burns in a fiery pit I spent too long on this for it to disappear, so I'm putting it here too :)

so many people know way more about this than I do, but this is a step-by-step walkthrough of the changes *I've* made, and hopefully it works as an introduction people can build from for whatever they'd like to do

There are a lot of images in this post! (click to enlarge)

to start, AO3 skins

site skins change how the AO3 website appears when logged in (even on mobile), mine is pink and blue!

I'll have my skin turned off throughout the post so the guides appear as they will for you

to create, edit, and view skins, go to the "skins" tab from the left-hand menu. you can also view public site skins from there or from the button in the preferences.

public site skins are made by other users. i would really encourage previewing and exploring them to become familiar with the possibilities (maybe you just want to use one of them and now you're done!)

to create your own skin

on the skins page, click "create site skin"

if you don't know CSS (same), use the wizard! clicking on the "?" will give more information about each option

I only use the colours section you'll see a link right there for hex codes I use pink as a header colour and bue for accent but lots of people change the background colour and that looks really cool!

submit

The next step (optional!!!) is to add CSS from a public skin to your own. I use "ByLine" by Branch. this separates the tag categories and adds spacing to make them easier to read.

here is a before and after using the fic "Landslide" by @roosterbruiser as an example

to see the CSS of a skin, click the title

copy all the text below the CSS heading

in the skin creator/editor press the custom CSS option and paste all the text into the CSS box

you can have both wizard and custom CSS settings, in mine you can see the header and accent colours as well as the CSS

level up: USERSCRIPTS

userscripts are small pieces of code that modify a website. for AO3, this may involve adding shortcuts and buttons or even advanced tagging functions (computer people, I'm so sorry if this is wrong, I'm trying). I use Greasy Fork and Tampermonkey.

This is how I write long and formatted comments!

Greasy Fork is an archive of userscripts and Tampermonkey is a browser extension and userscript manager. You don't need to use these two in particular. please use your common sense when downloading anything or adding permissions to your browser.

Greasy Fork guide on installing scripts

Install Tampermonkey on Chrome

there are TONS of user scripts for AO3. This is another good opportunity to explore all the possibilities. there are lots of more complicated options I haven't explored.

scripts for AO3

i use this floaty review box

and this comment formatting

EDIT: if you use chrome you might need to turn on developer mode in your chrome extension manager - you can google "tampermonkey developer mode" and it should explain that :)

to install (once you have Tampermonkey installed):

open the script you want in Greasy Fork and press install

Tampermonkey will open, press install again

clicking the Tampermonkey extension will let you toggle scripts on and off, and opening the dashboard will let you view, edit, and delete scripts

i find i can only have a few turned on at a time before they cancel each other out, but that depends on which ones you're using and someone more savvy might be able to fix that

how to use the floaty review box - write more comments!

there will now be a "floaty review box" button at the top of the work, it will open a floating text box you can move anywhere on the page. highlighting any text and pressing the insert button will paste the text with italics into the box

anything you type in the review box will appear in your comment at the bottom of the page!

if you have also installed the comment formatting script, you'll be able to highlight any text in your comment and use the new buttons above the comment box to format it

thats all ive got! Hopefully this is a good starting point to get familiar with some of the terms and basics for skins and scripts <3

if you want some inspo for how to comment on fics i made a whole fic rec list on twitter based on comments I've left, it's here. i have a masterlist of recs there mostly for darklina/reylo and similar ships.

the tag #reading with ru has cod recs and me talking about books

:)

[gimmick-blog-reviewer]

WARNING: GIMMICK BLOG REVIEW AHEAD

Gimmick Blog: @hazard-symbols-that-fuck-hard

Gimmick: Posting pictures of hazard symbols, accepts submissions.

Gimmick Rating: 9/10, while it does definitely appeal to myself and many tumblr users, I'm sure there are many who would be largely unimpressed. However, within its niche I think this gimmick is excellent. With how fragile our lives are, I imagine there's no end to the hazard symbols one could find. Many of them, in an attempt to shock meaning into the viewer, come across as "hard as fuck" or "fucking hard". A gimmick to capture these symbols is a unique and interesting idea. As of time of writing, it is tied for the highest rating given to a gimmick.

Blog Rating: 8/10, largely dedicated to the gimmick but occasionally features non gimmick posts. Even among the non gimmick posts, many are related to the gimmick, though there's enough that aren't for me to care. For instance, HSTFH's tarot and poker decks. If someone were posting about their tarot and poker decks on a gimmick blog you might assume they're just shilling a personal project but HSTFH is much more reputable than that. Hazard Tarot and Hazard Poker are not only impressive art, but also topical to the blog. Even the... porn (which I will not link directly to for obvious reasons), featured on the blog is tangentially related to hazard symbols. However, HSTFH posted some stuff about the election and telling people to vote. While I imagine we have similar politics, and I would normally support such things, I don't believe politics should feature on gimmick blogs.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10, the highest score ever awarded as of time of writing. Hazard Symbols That Fuck Hard is in my opinion an account someone could only run on tumblr. It's unique, it's cool, I've been a fan for a while and I have been considering buying its hazard tarot and poker deck designs as those are things that fascinate me. I always keep an eye out for interesting hazard symbols so I have something to submit someday. Until then, I will wait with anticipation for the account's next post.

[creatingblackcharacters]

I'm fascinated by the OC submissions compared to the media character submissions. It's likely a bias for the submitters (people submitting Black OCs to the 'write your Black characters better' blog) but they are primarily earnest attempts to portray Black features (including notably darker skin tones), researched hairstyles, whereas the most consistent failings in media characters have been neglected hair textures/facial features/anything but darker skin (GREY?!).

I expect it's because usually the media characters are beholden to teams of likely majority white people compared to one person learning for themselves in earnest, but it's kind of infuriating - professional artists need to do better! There's a team of you! One person can miss something, but a dozen? Aaahh!!

🤣🤣 I agree! I actually think that happened to the main characters too; I think most people were pushing it safe with characters they liked. But I'm also a tad messy. And it's okay bc the writing portion.

Also, that's another reason I do this! I can't reach those professional creators who were allowed to go that far without drawing a proper Black character in their lives. But I can reach YOU, humble Tumblr user! Like surely if we start at the root, emphasizing why it's important, we can prevent some folks from getting that far.

Because I believe it's a combination of professional artists not having it prioritized in their careers and education to learn Black character design, and majority white audiences not really knowing or caring. If you know the demographic you plan on profiting most from doesn't care, what would encourage you to change and grow (other than, you know, integrity)? Like yeah, we have to be willing to admit, a lot of this isn't a flaw, it's working precisely as designed (ha!)

[bogleech]

Also going to finally make a pinned post for all my stuff:

BOGLEECH - my tumblr blog is named after this website I created around 2002 and still update. Thousands of pages worth of content focusing on creature design as well as real biology. My review of the original Legend of Zelda monsters might be the most straightforward example of my articles.

Links to some of the most popular content:

POKEMON REVIEW ARCHIVE: - I rate and review each and every single Pokemon, in Pokedex order, on its merits as a creature design. I also do so as someone whose favorite animals are all parasites.

DIGIMON REVIEW ARCHIVE - same, but more chaotic.

CREEPYPASTA COOKOFF ARCHIVE - for several years I hosted a yearly writing contest before it grew too big for me to keep up with. There are over a thousand user submitted horror, fantasy, sci fi and surrealist stories here emphasizing unconventional, original ideas you seldom see from the "creepypasta" community!

The original "MORTASHEEN" Monster Archive - since the early 2000's I've created and illustrated more than 800 creatures and counting for my own monster-catching world, now set for release as a tabletop RPG setting.

AWFUL HOSPITAL: SERIOUSLY THE WORST EVER (page one): an interactive comedy-horror-sci-fi webcomic I started in 2014 about a medical facility that could maybe be better.

Some of my other internet stuff:

PATREON - constant work makes my patreon updates inconsistent, but the content backlog goes back years with a huge amount of exclusive art and writing. I try to put up new exclusive stuff whenever I can.

ETSY - I design all sorts of original enamel pins like these, plus I sell zero-maintenance terrarium plants (just leave them in a jar!), original books and other things!

COLOR THE ABYSS (available on the above etsy!) - a 30 page educational deep sea coloring book! Includes a few famous favorites like giant isopods and hagfish, but mostly focuses on less popular, often much weirder animals.

UNBELIEVABLE BUGS - also regularly restocked in the etsy store, 30 of the strangest and most surprising arthropods most people have likely never heard of, illustrated by myself and @revretch, written for even the youngest kids to understand (but will likely teach you something new at any age)

My Itch.io and Ko-fi - both sell digital versions of my books, including some creepypasta collections and my first novel, "Return of the Living," about a world of entirely ghosts suddenly dealing with the appearance of ghost-hunting monsters.

TWITCH CHANNEL - I now try to stream something at least monthly, sometimes weekly when possible, from horror games to books and art.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL - archives my twitch streams and other little things.

INSTAGRAM - look at pictures of my huge weird collection of toys and Halloween collectibles

BLUESKY - I'm going to put mainly just updates to my stuff on here.

SEE ALSO:

HUMANS-B-GONE - a science fiction animated series by my partner @revretch, about a world of kaiju-size, technologically advanced insects and arachnids to whom vertebrates like us are just pesky little "gubs." Also has a tumblr account @humansbgone

FINALLY, HERE'S MY GUIDE AND RESOURCE TO MAKING YOUR OWN INTERNET WEBSITE IN A FEW MINUTES WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF CODING

[unexaltedonewhoisnotking]

Seeing as we have a bit over a month until the fight begins this year I think it’s time to release this from the drafts so I don’t have to copy paste the full thing lol…

So you want to know how ArtFight works

Well, here you go. This is more or less a copy of a post I was using a lot last year as well, just slightly updated. It's a little long so I'm keeping most of it under the read more

What even is it:

ArtFight is basically an annual art trading event in July, focused around players' original characters (fandom-based or otherwise) - although it might be more accurate to say art gifting, as you aren't necessarily organising individual trades where you make arts for User X and User X has already agreed to make art for you.

ArtFight includes most forms of visual art (no music or writing), both digital and traditional, but of course most people like to draw so you might see me refer to drawing in the rest of this post out of habit, even though it isn't limited to that. There are two teams, and when you submit art you earn points for your team! There isn't really a prize, just bragging rights I guess.

Where and when it’s hosted:

ArtFight is hosted on its own website: https://artfight.net

You’ll have to upload your characters there in order for them to be attacked - if you don’t have a character on the site, you can’t be attacked, but you can still attack others. A few people choose to remove or hide all of their characters specifically so they only give attacks instead of getting.

Technically you can upload a ‘character’ that is just a link to something like Toyhouse where you’ve got other characters hosted, instead of putting that information specifically on ArtFight, although there are some people who are less inclined to attack characters that require them to go off-site for information.

You can upload characters and edit their profiles, and bookmark other people's characters that you might want to attack later, at any point during the year, but the event itself is only open in July (specifically, noon on July 1st MST until noon on August 1st MST) - so that month is the only time you can submit attacks.

How to join:

First of all, make an account on the site!

Second, even in July, you can’t play (ie, submit/receive attacks) until you get on a team. That means that if you decide not to participate one year, nobody can attack your OCs against your will either, since by not choosing a team you simply won’t have made yourself available as a target.

How do you get a team, then:

Well, you can’t yet.

You’ll notice that if you make an account right now your username is greyish-brown, indicating that you aren’t on a team. A lot of users currently have purple or teal names, which represent the teams from last year (Stardust and Seafoam, respectively). Don’t worry, you aren’t being held back from anything - those team colours don’t mean anything for this year! The themes for the year should be announced in June and then team picking will become available.

What if you’re late to join the fight:

No worries! On my first year I only heard about it a couple days into the fight and thought I was too late to start… and then I realised halfway through the month that I was not, in fact, too late. You can make an account and join a team right up to the last day of the fight, so don’t feel scared of a late start! You won’t be prohibited from joining and you can still probably get a lot done. There’s no minimum number of attacks required, unless it’s just a goal you set for yourself.

The only thing about joining late is you’ll have missed out on the ‘early bird’ team picking - you’ll just be randomly assigned to a team instead of getting to choose. That said you’ve got two chances each year to ‘reroll’ if you prefer the other team. Personally, so far I’ve been excited to get randomly assigned (well, except last year. I saw purple and I wanted purple lol).

What the team themes do:

…nothing  really, they’re just for fun. Each year the theme changes and like I said above, we’re still a while away from hearing what they’ll be for this year.

You aren’t required to make your OCs or profile or anything match the theme, although some people do like to just for fun. One type of OC you might see is the ‘ArtFight sona’, which is, y’know, a sona inspired by your team for that year, uploaded as a character to be attacked.

Submitting a character:

At the top of the site there’s a button that says ‘Submit’, and then gives the option of ‘Submit a Character’. That button’s available year-round, during and outside of the fight.

ArtFight’s a bit finicky about image sizes, which can be annoying when uploading characters. When you’re uploading a character initially you can only add one image, but if you then go to edit the character you can add more images, up to 6 total. There is a description space for each character you upload where you can write information about their lore, design notes, etc, so you don’t need to squish all of that into images.

Like I said up above you can technically link off site instead of writing a profile for a character on the site. You can also put multiple characters in one slot on ArtFight, if you consider them a package deal.

Personal opinions/advice for uploading characters

You don’t necessarily need a full reference sheet, but at least having a fullbody artwork makes it a lot easier for people attacking. There are some people who won’t attack without a reference sheet, and others who won’t attack unless you have some non-ref sheet artwork to show your ‘investment’ in your own character, but honestly most people are just there to have fun and won’t mind as long as they have an idea of how to represent your OC - honestly, just put what you want to and what you think is worthwhile, the people with 'rules' about this stuff all have different rules and you don't have to abide by them.

Make sure to use the tagging system! A character can have up to 10 tags which make it easier for people to find them - it's not required, but it helps a lot. Some good things to include would be like genre/aesthetic - ‘fantasy’, ‘steampunk’, ‘superhero’ ‘modern’ - and, in the case of fan OCs, the original media. Tag if they’re a human or another species, and tag if they’re anthro or feral for furry characters. And if they have some distinct feature or motif tag that too! Maybe tag a distinct theme colour if they have one. You might not be able to fit everything in that tag limit, but those are ideas.

I’ve seen someone ask how many characters is a good number to have. Honestly, the answer will vary. You can have up to 100 at a time on the site but some people use that ‘link to Toyhouse or somewhere else’ idea to functionally add more. Personally, I’d say it’s just nice to give people some options when they want to attack you, so at least two or three… past that put as many as you like. But also, if you just have one blorbo you really want art of, there's nothing wrong with only uploading that one guy - and there are even a few users who only want to attack others for nothing in return, so they don't upload any characters

You can re-order your characters in the ‘manage characters’ page. A lot of people make sure that the characters they’d prefer to get art of are at the start of their list, and of course it’s handy to group characters from the same setting together.

You can also set your character ‘permissions’, which are your rules or preferences about attacks you receive - you have global permissions that apply to all of your characters by default, and character-specific permissions that note unique rules or exceptions you’d like other users to keep in mind when creating art for you. Common things to mention in permissions might be if you’re okay with being included in “mass attacks” (I’ll get to those later), if you’re okay with artistic nudity for your characters, if you like their outfits to be changed, etc

Submitting an attack

An ‘attack’ is an art piece of another user’s character or characters - making attacks is how you earn points for your team. Again, use that ‘Submit’ button at the top of the page, and then choose ‘Submit an Attack’… Bear in mind that this option is only there during the Fight and only if you’re on a team!

Each character on the site has an ID code, which you’ll paste in when submitting an attack, to indicate what character it depicts. Then you’ll have to rate your attack in a few categories: Basically, you’ll give yourself points. When submitting an attack you’ll have to rate it in a few categories: how much of the character is visible? Did you use clean linework? Is it fully coloured and shaded? Is there a background? All of this works into the score that the site will display. The site has guidelines for attack rating with examples, but they change a little from year to year so you’d be better off looking for those than me trying to explain it here.

Friendly fire:

You usually attack the opposite team… but you can also attack people on your own team. It’s just worth fewer points - 20% of an equivalent attack on the other team, specifically.

Revenge:

When submitting an attack, if the recipient is somebody who already attacked you this year, you’ll see an option to mark the attack as revenge. It doesn’t impact the points, but it means that the two attacks will have a link to each other at the bottom of their pages.

Users can create revenge chains by repeatedly revenging each other. Some people make it a goal to create a long chain, others would rather leave it at one and done so they can focus on other people as well. There’s no obligation to take revenge, so don’t feel pressured.

Revenging is fun, but I’d recommend against saying that you will always do it. If you wind up getting burnt out or just get more attacks than you can deal with you might wind up breaking that promise.

Mass attacks:

Mass attacks are attacks that feature multiple characters - of course, more characters means more points! You can include your own characters in these, too.

Unlike revenge, mass attack isn’t an ‘official’ term and there isn’t anything to select when submitting an attack that will label it as a mass attack. You’d just keep adding more characters to the attack by the same method as normal - put in their ID and mark fullbody, halfbody or simple shaped for each one.

For a mass attack you designate one person as the main recipient; they’ll be the only person who can officially revenge it, although the others might still decide to attack you back as thanks.

If the main recipient is on the opposite team, you’ll get full points for the attack, regardless of the teams of the other characters in it. And likewise if the main recipient is on your team you’ll still only earn 20% regardless of the other characters.

There’s an upper limit of 100 characters per attack.

Finding characters to attack:

The first place to look is that ‘Browse’ button up at the top of the site. That can take you to a random character’s profile, or a random user’s profile. You can see all the most recently uploaded characters. And best of all, you can search for characters by their tags, like I mentioned.

Last year, Artfight changed the tag search slightly. It used to be that it would display a 48 randomly-selected characters from the tag, but nowadays the selection will be a group that were uploaded around a similar time to each other (what time will still be random with each time you search), which means that it might not display as many characters as it otherwise could. Keep retrying the search to see if anything new comes up!

And honestly, just trawling through the site, from the profile of someone who was included in a mass attack with you to an attack they made on someone else to a user that person was attacked by... something is bound to catch your eye

[misctf]

My Stories & Asks

Hey everyone! Just wanted to make a post that linked to all my stories in case you ever wanted to find one in particular.

NEWEST STORY:

The Summer Break Curse

Please dm with any story requests!

Asks

Please feel free to message me with any requests or prompts you want to see written. Full disclosure, I cannot guarantee that I will use it, but if its a subject I enjoy, there may be a higher chance. If you have a picture, feel free to share!

Update: I will likely focus on requests from non-anonymous users, although if the prompt is good, I'll write it.

Subjects I really like writing include jock tfs, inanimate tfs, twink tfs, and straight to gay. I'm open to trying to writing race tfs too. One subject I'd like to try is a "Where are They Now?" where if there is a story or character you'd want to see living their post-tf life, let me know.

Things I will absolutely not write include gay to straight, anything involving minors, incest, or scat.

Please message me if you want to run a prompt by me too or provide additional details.

Even if it does not fall into one of those categories, if the prompt is detailed, I may be able to write a story based on it. Below, please find a list of stories based on submitted prompts. Thanks everyone!

Ask Archive

Football Jock (jock tf, age regression)

Wish Went Wrong (inanimate tf, jock tf)

Talent Stolen (jock tf, dumber tf)

Mu Alpha Nu Camp (jock tf, age progression)

Twin Bonding (jock tf, merge tf)

Soccer Star (age regression, body swap)

More Than Friends (stg, personality tf)

The Bracelet (stg, personality tf, bear tf)

Too Much of a Good Thing (jock tf, dumber tf, de-evolution)

Mu Alpha Nu: Responsibility (soldier tf)

The Best Dad (age progression, jock tf, personality tf)

Career Counseling (age regression, jock tf)

Careful with VR (hypnosis, muscle growth)

Back from the Dead (jock tf, dummber tf, race tf)

Permanent Vacation (race tf, jock tf)

The Gingerbread Man (jock tf)

New Year New Me

Potential (jock tf, ap, ar)

Welcome to the Crew III (age progression, ex-jock tf)

Losing Control (cock tf, udtf)

Slap (twink tf, straight to gay)

For Coach (age regression, hypnosis, jock tf)

Careful with VR Part II (twink tf, hypnosis)

Frat Exchange Program (body swap, jock tf)

Flex Fitness (hypnosis)

Story Archive:

Redneck/Southern TFs:

Change Your Tune: Rick

Country Living

Hunting for City Boys

Twisted Immortality

The Haunted House

End of Summer

Jock/Himbo TFs:

Wrong Side of Town

All Eyes on You

Welcome to the Crew: Home for the Holidays

Make it Make Sense

Welcome to the Crew

The New Doctor

What You Wanted

Selection Day

Twink TFs:

New Year New Me

The Christmas Curse

The Wrong Number

Singing a New Tune

Trouble at the Bachelor Party

Movie Night

Christmas Revenge

A Surprise Gift

Otter TFs:

Getting Over Him

Exploring the Tribes

The New Product

Age Progression/Bear/Daddy TFs:

The Summer Break Curse

For the Team: A Real Man

A New Daddy

Spring Break Mishap

The Personal Trainer

Coach's Curse

Age Burner

Employee Swim Day

The Reversal Agents

Inanimate TFs:

A Team Player

Renovations Needed

Reversal Agents II: Going Back

No Nut November

Being Supportive

Racial Change TFs:

The Disappearance of Private Rogers

Unintended Consequences

Someone Like Him

Drone/Rubber TFs

Finding a New Role

Valentine's Day Gift Part I

Halloween Stories:

The Demon's Curse

The Haunted House II

The Problem with Sexy Costumes

Halloween Treats

Already in Costume

Collaborations

Washing Away the Guilt @boysmentfs

New Favorite Brew @johnbrand

[biblioaddict]

The Many Mysteries of Kim Soleum

(Well actually I'm only writing down the three main ones that stick out to me the most but shh)

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTERS 192+

1. His family

Let's take a moment to put ourselves in Soleum's shoes: imagine being transported to a world where eldritch, ungodly horrors are real, where everyone dies faster than your phone battery does when you actually need it, where contact of your friends somehow still remain, but your family, who - according to the fact that you mentioned somewhere in the novel that they've warned you against entering finance - you should still have contact with in your world, is apparently wiped out, wouldn't you at least take a moment to find out what's happened to them? Or at least mention that fact beyond a single, quickly brushed-off sentence in the beginning, even if you're (maybe) trying not to think about it?

There's no way a guy like Soleum wouldn't pay attention to these things just because this isn't the 'real' world and they're not his 'real' parents. He still tries to save everyone he can even though they're just 'characters' after all. Nor would he be the type to disregard them even if they have a bad relationship with him (see: all the times he's (sometimes however unwillingly) saved Baek Saheon).

Yet, for some reason, he does. He has no reaction to their disappearance at all. He was more concerned about not having a house - and this is the guy who's sentimental as hell.

2. His strength

Bro, you are not telling me that some random office worker, who probably hasn't lifted anything but the weight of his own body to get up for another miserable day at work, can lift a grown ass man like Baek Saheon, push away a manhole cover, and subdue an incredibly trained close combat agent with the agent unable to overpower him through physical force.

Even if Soleum worked out Choi should be able to beat him easily. But it's not just that. He never, ever mentions any form of physical activity to be a hobby of his. Nor does he does he mention doing anything to maintain his physique. Sure, you could argue that running around in ghost stories is a form of exercise in and of itself (Soleum would very much agree) but then that brings us back to point one: where would a supposedly normal guy get this kind of strength?

3. His status in the Dark Exploration Records wiki and his ghost story

Here's what we know so far:

• Based on how kse's contributed to the technical school's exploration record and how he casually mentions wanting to add the way he solved the Red Dress at Exit 4 disaster to the wiki but deciding otherwise because it didn't really fit his style (ch.168), aside from lurking and reading, it seems to imply that he's a frequent contributor to the wiki.

• He also mentions having made a ghost story, but never elaborates on what story it is.

• It seems like the way you submit or edit a darkness operates in nearly the same vein as submitting an SCP in the SCP wiki does, so he'd have to be greenlit by two experienced authors before he could've gotten his ghost story published.

From this, I think it's safe to infer that Soleum might be a known, if not prominent figure as a wiki user.

What's the ghost story that he wrote, exactly? Like his parents, it's something he quickly brushes off and never really mentions, if I remember correctly, beyond chapter 1. This one can be easily answered though: maybe kse's trying not to think about it because this ghost story he made is suddenly very much real and he now has blood on his hands because of it. But, as with everything in this novel, there's that itching feeling that there must be a special reason why.

[shadow-redferne]

Proship vs Anti Discourse is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

(PT: Proship vs Anti Discourse is Why We Can't Have Nice Things) (Trigger warning: This post discusses multiple sensitive topics, including abuse, bullying, bigotry and suicide. Reader discretion *heavily* advised)

I've finally gotten around to this post and I'll admit I can already smell the hostility. Just some disclaimers: This post isn't me commenting on the morality of certain media or ships, nor is it me commenting on whether or not fiction affects reality. This is only to talk about the damage this kind of discourse has done to fandom. I am going to warn you: This is *not* a post full of kindness. I am not going to be nice. This post is going to be a bit mean. No. Very mean. Sorry about that. So, TL;DR: Both sides have a harassment problem, and neither side wants to address the issues their communities have, leading to fandom becoming an unsafe environment. So uh, I don't think I need to write a witty introduction here. The current state of fandom is rancid. Harassment has become a giant fucking problem lately. So what's the problem? The problem lies in one thing: 'Proship' vs 'Antiship' discourse.

"Shadow, what the fuck do those words mean?" Proship used to mean that you supported all ships, all forms of fiction, and that you were against harassing anyone who was involved in fandom, as well as against censorship. 'Anti', or 'antiship', meant that you were against some forms of fiction and shipping, mainly ones involving minors or incest. Now you might've noticed that I used the phrase "used to" and the word "meant". That's because both terms kinda got new definitions and became buzzwords, with proship turning into a synonym for 'problematic shipper' (the term 'darkship' eventually came around to distinguish the two apart from my understanding, but uh...as you can see it hasn't helped much!). On top of that, people use the word 'proship' as a verb or type of content rather than an actual stance (ie. 'proshipping', 'proship content', 'proship artstyle', you get the idea). However that's not the main point here. Let's cut to the chase now; both sides fucking hate each other; we'll make that clear, with both sides throwing vile accusations towards one another. However, the more I looked into the swamp, the more distrust I gained for both sides. Something was bothering me, but what? I tried to do a survey; two of them in fact, to see which side was more hostile. Unfortunately, neither survey gave me a lot of useful results, considering I got very little responses from the anti side (So uh, thanks for nothing on that end guys. /nm). The written responses did give one common theme: Fandom has a problem. A problem with harassment, bullying, creeps and bigotry. The antis are particularly horrible when it comes to this. I'm going to start this off by saying that I actually used to consider myself an 'anti' due to my discomfort with noncon and incest. And unfortunately, I was pretty fucking hostile to others (although I never sent death threats, fuck anyone who does that shit). I eventually stopped associating with the 'anti' side when I saw how rampant the ableism was- more on that later. 'Antis' have caused severe harm to fandom, and I don't really understand how anyone can deny that. However, I am pretty fucking tired of everyone pretending that the 'proship' side is the good side. I know the 'proship' side isn't going to like hearing this, but it needs to be said: You guys are *just* as guilty as 'antis' when it comes to being toxic. And I'm not saying that because of the pro-incest stuff or the minor/adult pairings. I'm saying that many 'proshippers' are way too comfortable with being creepy towards others, and the community that claims to be 'anti-harassment'... isn't all that anti-harassment! Here are just some of the written responses I got from the survey:

Here's one alibi from an anonymous user who submitted to the @selfship-confession-box account (pls let me know if you dont want to be tagged)

Another anon that was submitted to the @proship-anti-discussion account

Lastly, here's some of the replies and reblogs to a post talking about an 'ex-proshipper' that left the community due to negative experiences (the OP of said post and the 'ex proshipper' in question did eventually apologize to each other, so I'll cut both of them some slack. I'm only showing the responses because holy fuck are they rancid).

So yeah. So much for the 'proship' community being "anti-harassment" and inclusive to SA and grooming survivors. Now, to the 'anti' side. I will say, the 'proshippers' got one thing right, and that's the fact that 'antis' very much fucking suck. And remember when I said that 'proshippers' were hypocrites? Well, 'antis' are also that. They talk so much about protecting "sa survivors" and how "proshippers are bigoted". But what do the written responses say about this?

and let's not forget *this*

I also want to bring up this comment about the term 'proship artstyle' that I thought was worth mentioning:

In other words... 'antis' aren't as great to hang around either! Now, there's one particular issue I really want to zero in on, and that's the rampant ableism from both sides. As one of the above written responses say, there is a huge problem of 'antis' and 'proshippers' misusing words like 'psychotic' and 'delusional'. The r-slur is also pretty rampant, I've noticed.

Still don't believe me? Okay. Here's a more recent example from an anonymous 'anti' I came across (ironically enough this came up when I searched "proship ableism". Also. fatphobia too? pick a struggle anon)

And that's not even getting into the amount of 'antis' who weaponize the saying "seek help" or "go to therapy". Now, let's go back to the terms supposed original meanings, particuarly the meaning for 'proshipper'. That term was supposed to mean that you were against censorship and harassing people for fiction and ships, and that you didn't judge people for liking certain ships. Meanwhile, 'antis' were supposedly about wanting to get rid of problematic media that could be harmful to minors and SA survivors. But it's time to be honest: Both sides have lost the plot. How am I supposed to believe either side is "anti-harassment" when neither side knows how to respect boundaries? How am I supposed to believe either side cares about SA survivors when you have both sides constantly speaking over said survivors and also harassing them? How am I supposed to believe either side cares about minors when there's been individuals on both sides, yes, including the so called "antis" that "care so much about protecting children uwu", that were outed as groomers? How am I supposed to believe either side is the good side when you have things like this happening:

The last thing I take issue with? The terms "proship" and "anti" as a whole, as well as every single similar term that's come out of this mess. While I do genuinely believe these terms were probably helpful in the past, it's clear that they're not doing any good whatsoever. Both terms have had their original meanings muddied and twisted to the point where they basically have no meaning at all, and the terms existing have created a massive "us vs them" mentality within fandom. There's also the issue of both sides forcing labels on others. I've seen posts that are all "if you believe x, congrats you're a proshipper!" or "if you believe y, you're an anti!". As well as anyone identifying as 'neutralship' (a label I also used to identify with before I stopped associating with these labels entirely) being called a "closet proshipper" or an "anti in disguise". Personally? If you have to force people to pick a side in order for you to trust them, I don't see why I should trust you. If you have to rely on labels like "proship", "anti", "anti-anti", "anti-harassment", "anti-censorship" to come across as a safe person or a good person, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to see you as a good person. You might be wondering why I included the "anti-harassment" and "anti-censorship" labels in that. Well, I'm going to be honest, and you are welcome to disagree with me on this, but I feel like these terms are so fucking unnecessary. Being "anti-harassment" and "anti-censorship" is the BARE FUCKING MINIMUM, a bare minimum that neither side can truly follow. Also, calling yourself "anti-harassment" doesn't automatically make me believe that. Especially when it's been proven time and time again that 'proshippers', the side believed to be 'anti-harassment', isn't all that 'anti-harassment' at all! Now I know what you're thinking at this point; you're thinking that I condone harassment because I'm going after both sides. You're thinking that I don't give a damn about the death threats that 'antis' have sent. No. No. No. That is not what I'm saying. And honestly, if *that's* the message you're getting, I don't know what to tell you.

So no, I'm not saying harassment is good or okay (and if that's the message you got from reading the above... I genuinely do not know what to tell you). I'm saying that you don't deserve a medal or a cookie for not sending death threats or being against people who send death threats, when it's literally the BARE MINIMUM. The bar is in fucking hell at this point. And as it's been shown, neither "proshippers" nor "antis" are truly anti-harassment. Me not liking 'proshippers' doesn't automatically mean I'm okay with sending them death threats, and me not liking 'antis' doesn't make me okay with abuse. And it sure as fucking hell doesn't mean that I don't care either. Because guess what? I do fucking care. It's why I'm fucking making this post in the first place. I shouldn't have to identify as "proship" or "anti" or any other labels to tell you that I care. Me refusing to use a label doesn't mean I'm apathetic to all the harm that's happened. And I sure as hell am not condoning harassment by refusing to hold hands with individuals who can't even bother to respect each other's boundaries. And honestly? If you interpret "I don't support proshippers *or* antis because they both made fandom toxic and unsafe" as "I condone sending death threats and rape threats", that's kind of on you. Here's a simple message I have for anyone who calls themselves "proship" or "antiship", and I am going to be especially mean here: Stop pretending to brand yourselves as the good guys when all you've done is break boundaries, talk over abuse survivors and marginalized groups. Stop being hypocrites, and actually address the issues within your goddamn communities. And stop downplaying said issues by saying "BUT THIS SIDE IS WORSE!" or "BUT THEY DO IT TOO!". Also, stop forcing people to use your dumb labels. Literally all of this could be fucking solved with using the block buttons or report buttons. There is no reason for this stupid fucking infighting. You don't have to like each other, fuck no, but quit dragging those who aren't involved into your messes and ruining fandom for everyone.

To "antis": Quit pretending to care about SA survivors and minors when you're the ones sending them death threats (And maybe address the fucking groomers within your community too, by the fucking way). To "proshippers": Stop being a dick to people who have had negative experiences with your community, stop ignoring the bigotry and stop letting in predators within your community. Now lastly, I know I said I wasn't going to comment on stances, but I do want to say this because it's also very much fucking bothering me. I hate how this discourse just boils down to either "Fiction DOESN'T affect reality at all, it's 100% okay to support ANY kind of media/ship/pairing no matter how problematic it is, and if you disagree with that you're a fascist!" or "Actually supporting ANY kind of media that's problematic and/or depicts so and so is BAD and if you support that you're a horrible human being! And if you disagree with me you're just as bad!" Have you guys perhaps, I don't know: Considered a fucking middle ground? Have you maybe considered nuanced discussions? How about that? Okay, I'm done being mean. In fact, I actually don't have much else to say so here's a video that talks about it a little more nicer than I do

*Sigh* I'm going to regret posting this, aren't I?

[sexhaver]

definitely one of the most difficult moments of my professional career was when i was doing tech support for [REDACTED]'s automated biomed research lab and like. hang on lemme greentext this

>tell them i can fix this issue in half an hour with a remote support session (aka Teamviewer)

>"you want to... control our computers???? over the internet????? like some kind of HACKER???????"

>their IT submits my request to upper management and after two weeks they reluctantly allow me to get remote access to their systems

>by logging into a virtual machine using a 20-digit password and then using a specific program inside of that virtual machine

>while sharing my screen with someone from their IT team the entire time

>finally get remote access to the PC with the issue

>go to open log files to start troubleshooting

>ERROR: User does not have read permissions.

>what the fuck

>ask their IT guy why it's saying that

>"...because we don't want you looking at our stuff, duh?"

>take deep breath before calmly explaining that i need to open files in order to fix their problem

>IT guy submits my request to upper management

>after another week i go through the whole process again but can actually open the log file this time

>cool, it's exactly the issue i thought it was and i know exactly how to solve it

>open the relevant settings file, change a single number, hit Save

>ERROR: User does not have write permissions.

>what the FUCK

>ask IT guy how i'm supposed to fix their system if i can't change literally anything on it

>takes 20 minutes of arguing to get him to admit that maybe i need write access

>he submits the request to upper management

>a week goes by

>upper management denies it

>says i can just verbally tell the IT guy on the call what to type and he'll do it for me

>deep breaths. deep breaths.

>start third remote session

>go to open the relevant .log file in notepad, which isn't the default program it opens with for some reason

>they fucking disabled right clicking

>[REDACTED] has a $118 billion market cap btw

>manage to walk the IT guy through using the command line (which he had never seen before and was scared of) to edit the relevant file

>three weeks go by

>new support ticket in my inbox

>"why didn't your fix fix this completely unrelated issue?"

>they still won't give me write access

>VP of [REDACTED] yells at me in our weekly meeting for taking so long to fix a third unrelated issue they never submitted a ticket for and is also not actually an "issue" but an intended feature of our software that they don't like

>i went to college for this

[nats-bottom]

NR - I Never Get Jealous

Summary: Natasha gets jealous over Reader dancing with other women.

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warnings: Alcohol, jealousy

Notes: Sorry this took so long for me to write! I had some writer's block, but I'm back now!

I saw Fly Me to the Moon last night, and it is such a good movie! I highly recommend!

I also have accounts on Wattpad and AO3! The users there are @ paige_vers

Please give me requests! You can submit them here or on my insta, @ scarlettsoutset

ᨖᨖೱᨖ⧗ᨖⴵᨖ🕷️ᨖⴵᨖ⧗ᨖೱᨖᨖ

Natasha POV

I took another sip of my drink. Me and my girlfriend, y/n were at another one of Tony's parties. He threw parties all the time, most of the time for no reason. This party was no different. Just a party for no specific reason, with random people that none of us knew. 'Us' being the Avengers. We were all there because one, Tony made us all come, and two, there was no way we could sleep in the tower with all the loud music. 

I'm taken out of my thoughts when I feel a hand on my thigh and hear y/n say she's going to go dance. I give her a quick kiss and watch her as she walks off towards the dance floor. I move to the couch area, where a bunch of other Avengers are sitting. I sit down next to Steve, who's sitting next to Bucky. They each have a beer in hand, and are casually flirting with each other, but won't admit it. I start up a conversation with them, internally laughing every time one of them blushes at the other's comment. 

After a while, I get a glimpse of y/n on the dance floor, dancing with two other women, neither of whom I know. I feel the anger inside of me rising as I see y/n grinding on one of them. I watch her for a few minutes, when Steve waves his hand in front of my face. 

"Nat? Are you there Nat? Earth to Natasha!" he says trying to get my attention.

"What? Oh sorry. What's going on?" I ask.

"I just asked you how many pop tarts you think Thor will eat tonight. But clearly your mind is somewhere else. What's up?" 

"Oh, um, y/n is just dancing a little too much with some other women." I say as I feel the heat rising to my cheeks. 

"Ohhhh, I see. Someone's jealous." Bucky says with a smirk.

"No, I'm not jealous. I'm just, um, observing." I reply, not wanting to admit to my jealousy.

"Yes you definitely are. You should see your face." Steve says with a chuckle.

"Fine. I guess I am. And I'm going to go do something about it." I say as I get up and set down my drink on the table. I hear Bucky and Steve try to stop me, but I just ignore them and keep walking towards y/n. I squeeze through other people in the crowd and finally get to y/n. 

"Nat! Wanna da-" but before she can finish I pull her into me and give her a big kiss on the lips. She acts a little shocked at first, but then melts into the kiss. As I let go for air, she tries to hang on to the kiss a little longer. I keep my arms around her waist, hers around my neck. "What was that about?" She said with a smirk.

"I just didn't like how you were dancing with those other ladies." The other women had walked away by this point, leaving once they saw me glare at them. 

"Oh, is someone a little jealous?" y/n asks smugly, and drunkenly. 

"Jealous? Me? I never get jealous." I replied.

"Yeah. Sure. Uh-huh. I saw the look on your face as you came over here."

"I was not jealous. You can dance with whoever and I won't care." I say, trying to get her to believe me when I say that I'm not jealous.

"Then why'd you scare those other ladies off?"

"Because I want them to know that you're mine and mine only." I say in a deep voice. I pull her off the dance floor and to a couch in an area with the other Avengers. I sit down first and put her on my lap, putting my arms around her stomach. She rests her hands on mine and she leans back into my embrace. 

We talk with the other Avengers about random things, from Tony's newest project to how fast everyone thinks Pietro can run. I'm not really paying attention to the conversation though, all I can think of is y/n. How pretty she looks tonight, how she was dancing, and how I wished she danced with me like that. I move her hair aside, and start kissing her neck. She tilts her head to the other side a little after letting out a small, barely audible gasp. I start nibbling on her neck, making sure to leave a mark. I suck on the bite, then run my tongue over it. I move over to another spot, doing the same. I look over the marks I made, satisfied with it.

I move my hands to y/n's arms, rubbing them up and down. I whisper in her ear "you look so pretty, all marked up. Showing everyone else that you're all mine." I feel her squirm a little in my lap. "You like that don't you, pretty girl." I say, now playing with her hair. I nibble on her ear a little and I feel her shiver. "You just want everyone here to know that, don't you. You want everyone here to hear you scream my name." I hear her gasp, and see her nod ever so slightly. "Meet me in our room in 10 minutes." I whisper in her ear. She nods and excuses herself from the party, saying that she's tired and wants to go to bed. About five minutes later I excuse myself, explaining that I have an early day tomorrow. 

I leave the party and head to my room. I open the door to our shared room and see y/n there on the bed, clad in a matching lingerie set. I close the door behind me and walk up to her, smashing our lips together.

[hermitw]

Ainu appearance in JJK - Sukuna, tattoos, and the Inumaki clan (and Yaga Masamichi & bears)

A bit of background before we get more into it:

The Ainu (“human” or “people”) are an indigenous people in Japan native to the regions of Hokkaidō, Northern Tōhoku, and Karafuto, among others. As part of their ancestral tradition, Ainu women had the custom of getting tattoos on their bodies, including their lips. For the Ainu, the tattoo was perceived as a symbol of beauty, a talisman and an indispensable tool to prepare their body for after death. However, the traditional tattoo was legally prohibited by the Japanese government in 1871, in an attempt to force Ainu to follow a “Japanese lifestyle”. As the result, Ainu women reduced the use of tattoos on their bodies, progressively changing their concept of beauty and losing an important part of their ancestral tradition. 

https://dajf.org.uk/event/the-meaning-of-tattoos-for-ainu-women

…the Ainu people were stripped of their land, customs, and language in hopes that they would assimilate to Japanese culture. It wasn't until 1997 that this law was lifted and the Ainu people were allowed to practice their own customs again, but by that time, much of the damage was done. 

https://www.tofugu.com/japan/ainu-japan/

I am building off of this analysis about Sukuna's tattoos which I'd read before but just recently watched the linked yt vid and I'm 

Going insane bc the Ainu tattoo process involves slicing and burning (Sukuna's CT…) 

And the style looks a lot like sukuna's... in color, thickness, geometry... The focus of bands and circles, on the face and arms...

There is also resemblance to inumaki's marks. I wonder if that clan is related... Along with Sukuna, Wasuke (grandpa) and Yuuji Itadori, (and Heian Uraume) their hair is thick, wavy, above the shoulder, and lighter in color. I don't think we ever see Toge write - his preference for speaking could be another hint, with the Ainu language being spoken.

For the sake of staying focused and not spreading misinformation (iirc cursed speech users are supposed to be killed as soon as they're noticed), for now I'm thinking that the inumaki clan assimilated into Japanese culture, possibly hiding, denying, or forgetting their background - but most likely forced into submitting to jujutsu headquarters, who fear the inumaki clan, instead of considering them as one of the major 3. (the Ainu were not legally recognized as a people until 2018, so their rejection from jujutsu politics just seems to fit).

I've only found this photo of Sukuna's outfit irl (innate domain), but pretty much every Ainu character has the same piece in Golden Kamuy - and the colors are the same.

The Ainu language being polysynthetic makes it even more convincing that Sukuna intentionally addressed Gojo as husband.  

I wonder if sukuna preferred to use their CT for more peaceful, creative purposes (there were all those comments about slicing fish, the malevolent kitchen, not to mention their interest in flowers and poetry etc etc). 

The tattoos could have significance in preparing the body for death - which feels relevant, considering how they always show in any form Sukuna takes, and at times when Yuuji is still fronting (after eating a finger). 

They could be symbols of beauty, or coming of age. 

To go along with the trans Sukuna evidence - Ainu men grew beards, and the women got tattoos. 

The use of tattoos as a talisman is interesting - the way that Geto saw Gojo as his talisman, that Sukuna said “love is worthless”, the way that some of them look like eyes - which would give sukuna six eyes (and convinced me that jjk would end with Gojokuna). I wonder if it was partially out of hypervigilance, or to enhance observation - Sukuna's edge was the ability to analyze and adapt faster than anyone else.

They might have been a method of protection from trafficking. There is some historical evidence of enslavement. Forced assimilation and relocation certainly happened during Sukuna's lifetime.

The Ainu people were from the northeast island.

Iirc, Heian events of jjk were around Kyoto (I'll have to read again so pls correct me here) - or at least, Sukuna's appearances are not in Hokkaido, but further west.

As a side note, it was the northeast part of the sea where Momotaro was going to fight demons, which kenjaku (who I blame for history remembering sukuna as a demon) and Gojo (who always wanted to fight sukuna) mentioned… Idk if this has any connection, but I think about it (the theme of momotaro vs momotetsu, mainly).  

This mentions a means of preventing evil spirits from entering the body through the mouth. The same source has a historical timeline, up until today (which is interesting and worth reading):

I'll add this screenshot if you want a bit more Heian context:

Since their tattoos were criminalized in the Meiji era, we know less about the practice and significance now. There could have been a lot of style evolution over the hundreds of years since the Heian era. 

Some part of me wonder if Sukuna's tattoos were originally the bands with space in between (one more reason to prefer megkuna over true form), but were filled in later as a mark of ownership. Uro isn't a perfect reference with her CT, but she is always wearing that choker, which feels similar. Idk, the solid ones around true form Sukuna's wrists and ankles read like shackles to me. 

We know from that brief moment in JJK0 that Ainu sorcerers exist in-universe, and it sounds like they work separately from jujutsu headquarters - only contacted as a last resort. We don't get to know what their CTs are like, but I reread JJK0 looking for anyone with a burning or slicing CT during the parade. It doesn't look like the Ainu Jujutsu Society showed up, but there wasn't much in the manga compared to the movie.

This instrument (tonkuri) looks So Familiar (it sounds rly cool, the artist has more chill & acoustic music out also on bandcamp, soundcloud etc), I swear it was shown in the manga. (one more thing to look for on read 4… if anyone finds this, or has anything to correct or elaborate on, please go ahead). 

https://youtu.be/TI6nMOi0IoQ

Additional thoughts are the way that Sukuna's talk about the fish, slicing, mincing, plant identification etc etc it just. Idk if I'm reading too much into this but looking up Ainu foods are like??? Ok I see what you did gege.

Also, from the yt vid that drove me to look into this - Mayunkiki's introduction.

My name is Mayun Kiki. Mayun refers to the clanking sound of metal in Ainu, which is thought to be a noble sound in our culture.

Kiki means "scratching everywhere" and I was given this name as I have a habit of scratching myself.

The clanking sound of metal being noble...

And thank you to @thepersonperson for giving me so much to think about in all those meta analysis posts

Eta; Masamichi Yaga and bears (Panda)

The Ainu people worshipped bears, and at times sacrificed them to release the spirit. But first, the young bear is raised almost like a human child.

While Yaga has made a wide range of creatures, it is interesting that Panda is always sacrificing himself without hesitation, and that Yuuji spent the most time with the bear (i thought the green one, Kathy, is based on the Kappa).

So I can't say anything with certainty, but Yaga also has thick hair and deep-set eyes, and facial hair so... The way he worked with the bear spirit and raised Panda as his own child,, it's there right?

And in jjk0, Yaga made the call to contact the Ainu sorcerers - this is the only time we hear that name in the series (at least in the manga, I haven't finished the light novels yet).

One way that the Ainu were similar to the Japanese is in the way of religion. The Ainu, just like the Japanese people, were animists and believed that all things are inhabited by spirits known as kamuy. While there are many gods in Ainu belief, one of the most important is known as Kim-un Kamuy, or the god of bears and the mountains. All animals are thought to be the manifestations of gods on Earth in Ainu culture, however, the bear is believed to be the head of gods and is therefore known as kamuy, or "God."

Yaga being, by far, the leading expert on cursed corpse sorcery...

Traditionally, the Ainu sacrificed bears in order to release the kamuy within them to the spirit world. One tradition, called lotame, involves the raising of a young bear cub as if it were an Ainu child and then sacrificing once it has come of age.

Tell me this is not about Panda.

[rendiamberspirit]

Thanks @sanska for tagging me!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fics, and then tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don't be shy and share anyway.

I went with my most recent WIP's because I don't have any new chapters started on my longer fics or I'm working on them with someone else.

@oneplotthickens @doveywovy @domoz-writes @iznlover @sinaprime @littlemiss44 @justsomeoneunordinary @gatodongem @flor-of-desert

Title pending (Tobirama and Hashirama)

Tobirama wasn’t home. He should be home by now. Hashirama was panicking. Tou-sama had ordered Hashirama not to go after Tobirama but it’s been two days since Tobirama should have been back. He feels so hopeless. It’s then he feels a pull from the tree’s. Like they are speaking to him.Hashirama really wasn’t sure about listening to the tree’s, there were legends about other Mokuton users that had been turned into a tree because they connected too deeply with them.

Soulmate Body Swap (MadaTobi)

Madara wakes up slowly in agony, he feels drugged. But that can't be right, he had a boring night in last night. The most interesting thing he did last night was playing Go with Izuna. He tries to run his forehead and find his arm shackled. That woke him right up. With a groan he forces himself to sit up and address his surroundings.His first realization is that this is a cell. A dark one, he had assumed the darkness was from his black out curtains but no. Great.

The note (TobiIzu)

Tobirama walks up to his door and sees a note taped to it. It's a message from Izuna, he pulls down the note and reads it aloud. “Grabbing dinner with Madara, eat without me. Love you <3” Tobirama glares down at the note in his hand. What the fuck? Less than what 3? Madara is no surprise, but who are the other two?Maybe Hikaku? They are cousins after all and pretty close. He's okay with being less than Hikaku. They are family after all. But who is the third?

Arranged Marriage FemMadara (MadaTobi)

“Listen I know any man will have trouble submitting to his wife, but I have no intention of being a submissive housewife at home. I will rule my household the same way I rule my clan. So I think with that in mind it might be best to see if you have any women in your clan who would be willing to marry another woman. I don't care about status, higher will obviously appease the elders more, but I know that will likely be difficult.” “Do you even like women Madara?” "I could find them attractive."

Shifter AU (MadaTobi)

Obviously Madara was aware that Tobirama was a shifter, all the Shinobi in the village were so no one ever mistook Tobirama for a giant wolf and tried to attack him. But until now Madara never had the chance to see him shifted, he just knew a general proscription of what his shifted form looked like. His imagination was woefully lacking. The wolf in front of him is massive, it's coloring somewhat similar to Tobirama though it has darker fur in some places. Most interesting though is the fact that the wolf had the same red markings on his face.

FemTobirama (TobiIzu)

Tobirama always had wild hair, sticking up at odd angles, looking like she just rolled out of bed. Not the most attractive look. Also to be honest Izuna wasn't into the haircut she had. Sure her face was pretty, but her haircut made her look like a teenage boy with her soft face and wild short hair. At least that's what Izuna has always thought. Apparently he had her pegged all wrong. Usually when visiting the Daimyo it was both clan heads and the heirs stayed home to protect the clan.

Soulmate AU (TobiHika)

He stares down at his hand in shock. The hand connected to his pulls away and clenches, leaving a red hand print in its place. Tobirama's eyes follow that hand as it's pulled up to its owner and slowly opened. There too is a red hand print. Tobirama looks back at his hand. Still red. He finally regains some composure and looks up to meet the eyes of his soulmate. They've never spoken directly to each other. The only reason they shook hands today was because he sat in Izuna's place while he stayed back at the compound for some clan matters.

A/B/O AU (TobiHika)

The mission was straight forward enough, honestly Hikaku probably could have done it by himself, but missions were always done with a minimum of two shinobi. That and Tobirama just wanted to get out of the village and stretch his legs, get into an actual fight where he can go all out without risking anyone getting hurt. Well anyone that mattered.It was always an upside to these missions when he got to go with someone whose company he enjoyed. Hikaku definitely fell under that category.

Nystagmus (MadaTobi)

Eye contact has always been important to Tobirama. It's a sign of respect, and a reliable way to build trust. So once peace is made Tobirama decides he will give up a decades worth of training telling him not to look an Uchiha in the eyes. Except they won't look him in the eye. At first he thinks maybe they just make a point of not making eye contact as a clan, perhaps it's disrespectful, or perhaps something to do with the Sharingan? Except he quickly realized they do it with everyone else.

Time Travel AU (Hashirama and Tobirama)

Hashirama sits in a silent room filled with all of his brother's worldly possessions. It was supposed to be Tobirama's room. Only he died before they even moved into the village.In fact his death marked the first death in the village. Tobirama had gone with a group of Uchiha and Senju builders to frame the layout of the village, but unfortunately they were attacked. Tobirama always put others before himself so it wasn't a surprise when the combined group had shown up on Senju lands.

[blorbo-gerrymandering]

Round 2

Baseball has sponsorships, right? If not maybe Blaseball does.

Propaganda Under The Cut

Jaylen Hotdogfingers:

The greatest came-back-wrong character ever. She's the mayor of Seattle. She's was the best pitcher in the league. She was murdered by an umpire in an act of divine retribution for the fanbase's transgression. The fanbase exploited game mechanics to bring her back to life. Immediately she murdered 12 people. She died again and got revived a second time as part of a team of undead players that killed god. She's a really awful batter. She has, like, 16 songs written about her and they're all really good. I thought about her every single day for a period of six consecutive months. I love her.

I'll be real. I'm an outsider to the Blaseball fandom. I don't understand it. I think they've crowdfunded characters from fictionalized fucked-up Baseball stats and a dream. I love seeing what the fuck they're doing in their eldritch sandbox just so much.

Simon Laurent:

I love him so much! Yay! Yippie! he got what he deserved tho

have i submitted him yet? if yes here he is again. what did you do to my French man, now he has anxiety, and maybe 50 other things. i can fix him, but it would require a lot of time travel and a complete lack of trains. as i can't do that, he instead gets his very own tumblr poll submission. one vote for train man is one dollar towards the invention of the simon-specific time machine. (your other guys cant come unless they have the same name sorry) its for a good cause

imagine: youre in the trolley situation. well an oh-so-kind tumblr user decided to give everyone who submits this character a get-out-of-a-train-free ticket! use that ticket, and you're no longer responsible for the death of someone (or you are no longer fated to die)!

[querytheauthor]

An Introduction (with a Moderator's Message/OOC Message under the cut)

Greetings, and hello, users of the Internet (specifically, users of the website "Tumblr", which I'm sure you're aware of, seeing as you're currently using it)! This is Unusualogist Stanford Pines, writing to you from the depths of my complex mind.

Ever since my return, I've been made aware of the rising use of the Internet and its compatible devices as a communication form. Now, I wouldn't call myself an "expert" on anything involving modern-day technology as of yet—but, I will tell you, I have been getting used to its functions and features.

I'm aware there may be many questions floating around, both about Gravity Falls, Oregon, and the state of the world on its own. The strategy of ignoring... certain events is highly recommended, but if you find yourself with a curious mind like my own, I don't doubt you can't simply "forget" anything that you may have experienced. And, although you can confront many people for answers, I believe it to be my honor and my duty to address any concerns you may have, seeing as I'm undoubtedly one of the more experienced in the field of unusualogy.

Therefore, with help from my niece and nephew, I have opened this account with the primary goal of answering any questions you may have! I am happy to respond to the best of my ability—however, I do have three criteria to keep in mind when submitting your questions:

1. I do ask that you keep any questions as appropriate as you can. I will not be answering anything I find invasive or strange (not in the good way!). Don't be a creep, as my brother would put it.

2. Do not be afraid to interact, no matter who you may be and where you may come from! The goal of using the Internet as a base for "Q&A" (Questioning and Answering) is to achieve the broadest possible outreach we can manage.

3. I ask that you refrain from seeking out formulas or scientific theories that may disrupt the peace we have worked towards keeping. I will not allow this innocent, online expenditure to be used as a weapon for harm!

3A. I also ask that you refrain from using me as a "homework checker". Although I am glad to give you hints, I'm sure you can manage it yourself.

That would be all the rules I can think of for now. I will notify you all if there are any changes. With that, I only have one thing to say: ask away!

This blog is run by @ilovetapeworm who is a MINOR so, for the love of everything, there is heavy emphasis on not being a creep. Additionally, anyone can feel free to interact, whether a Gravity Falls blog or not! This is all for fun. :)

Asks will be tagged "The Author's Eager Or Not So Eager Replies". In-Character posts will be tagged as "Ford's Journal Drabbles". Out-Of-Character posts will be tagged "Damien Takes The Wheel".

Feel free to use sign-offs if you find that easier! And most of all, have fun with it! I hope my characterization is up to your satisfaction.