#Every once in a while I remember this blog and exists and I post to it

[badgalsasuke]

Hi,I have one question, many fans say that Sasuke liked Sakura since childhood, and give examples that he blushed in childhood,he blushed in front of her only twice, during the acquaintance and the bell exam when she bugged him, but he literally called her annoying on the same day,it turns out she annoyed him and did you like it at the same time? I realized these moments that he was still an innocent boy and all this confused him,because he blushed later in front of Kakashi and Naruto , but after the land of Waves he became more collected and rarely blushed

Hey anon!

Your ask is a bit over the place but I'll try to answer the best of what I could understand lol

The first instance you mention of Sasuke blushing is while Sakura introduces herself to the team.

Another SNS blog has already pointed this out but I don't remember which one exactly otherwise I'd just link their post so I'll explain it again. What Kishimoto did here is very interesting; when Sakura is talking about her big crush on Sasuke we don't see Sasuke at all, it's only after Sakura says she doesn't like Naruto and Naruto makes one of his stupid faces we get to see Sasuke blushing.

You gotta remember every manga panel exists in context and you have to take into account what comes before and after. So let's jump to ch. 27 on Naruto & Sasuke's battle against Haku.

These are Sasuke's most precious memories that make his body move on its own to protect Naruto, pretty romantic stuff. I've circled three specific moments here.

The one in the middle is from ch. 3, if you recall Naruto had transformed into Sasuke so he could ask Sakura what she thought of him whereas the real Sasuke was tied in a room. But then Naruto got diarrhea, ran to the bathroom and in the meantime Sasuke managed to liberate himself, tell Sakura she's annoying after she made fun of Naruto and then went on to look for Naruto.

When Sasuke eventually found him, Naruto once again made one of his stupid faces. Sasuke is fond of this moment.

The circle on the right is from ch. 10 after Sasuke saves Naruto from those evil ninja twins and decides to tease Naruto calling him scaredy cat (this translation says big chicken but same thing). How does Naruto respond? by making yet again another of his stupid faces.

The final circle is from ch. 19 when Naruto and Sasuke are trying to learn how to manage their chakras. Naruto is trying to focus but Sasuke calls his name, distracting him and making him fall resoundingly lmao

How does Naruto react? you guessed, with another one of his stupid faces. This moment is another precious memory for Sasuke.

So, the first time we see Sasuke blushing is not because of Sakura talking about her feelings for him, it's because of Naruto's stupid faces that he's very fond of. Sasuke is consistently endeared by Naruto's clumsy behaviour throughout the manga, ofc he blushed when Naruto reacted so exaggeratedly after Sakura said she did not like him. Awww.

The second time you mention is Sasuke blushing after Sakura hugs him when he wakes her up after she fainted. SS shippers tend to omit manga panels that come before or after a "SS moment" to make their point, but here's how the whole interaction went

Sasuke tried to steal the bells from Kakashi but Kakashi instead buries him underground and then Sakura finds him. I've seen some people say that when Sakura finds sasuke, he's blushing out of embarrasment for being found in such humilliating position or that those are just scratches on his face. But anyway, once Sakura wakes up, she tackles Sasuke and hugs him tight, Sasuke tells her to back off, notice he never returns the hug or touches her. So it could be that those are the same scratches that Sasuke had when he was underground (they appear and dissappear across panels, Kishimoto isn't consistent) or it could be he was indeed blushing.

However, if Sasuke is indeed blushing, I do not consider this to be an indication that Sasuke has a hidden crush on Sakura. As we see right away, Sasuke goes back to being hostile towards Sakura when she's giving him the chance to do the mission of retrieving the bells together. If he was secretly in love with her, don't you think he would try to spend time with her to get close to her??? and she gives him the chance multiple times and every time he rejects her...

Let's take for example when they're training their chakras to climb some trees. Sakura is the first to achieve the goal, but Sasuke ignores her and she acknowledges this herself

Instead, Sasuke asks Naruto for tips on how to channel his chakra properly after he saw Naruto ask Sakura. Mind you, Sasuke could've asked Sakura himself, he's aware how much she loves him and how she's always dying to train with him, but instead he went straight to Naruto

SS shippers think this is another proof of Sasuke being secretly in love with Sakura because "he's blushing while asking about Sakura" LMFAO

Baby, Sasuke wants to train with Naruto and he's dumbfounded when Naruto *rejects him*. Also Naruto stupid faces after Sasuke asked him for tips on how to climb trees lmao (mind you, Naruto could not yet climb trees).

But the point here is that Sasuke wants to spend time with Naruto and we're constantly shown that.

Like when Naruto spent all night training by himself that Sasuke asks about him and then goes looking for him to check up on him.

That same day he spent the entire night training with Naruto and even let Naruto put his arms around him in the way he didn't let Sakura.

This moment from ch. 22 is also part of Sasuke's precious memories. AND THIS is how you behave when you have a crush on someone but want to act nonchalant about it. Ask in the most casual innocent way possible if you can hang out with them. Go check on them without telling people where you're going. Spend all night training together. Let them put their arms around you and act casually about it. Tease them to make them act clumsily because you're endeared by that.

Sasuke doesn’t act like this with Sakura because he doesn’t have a secret crush on her, he’s just being mean and rude to her.

What's even funnier is that in ch. 11 we see Sasuke blush for no reason other than he's walking right next to Naruto, this moment would too, become a precious memory for Sasuke. Right after this Naruto would go on to almost kill a rabbit and make even more stupid faces when he realizes his mistake.

Remember how in ch. 698 Sasuke says he's been looking at Naruto since they were little kids and the more he looked at him, the more Naruto would weigh on his mind and how Sasuke would feel warm and fuzzy? Connect that to ch. 1 and Sasuke's first appearance in the manga: him looking at Naruto during class.

Sasuke has always had a crush on Naruto and Kishimoto wrote it that way from the very beginning because that's what he always intended. This is also for the sns shippers that wonder "when did Kishimoto decided to make Sasuke and Naruto's bond romantic/gay?"

So, yeah, Sasuke blushes kinda often when he's a genin but for different reasons. Make no mistake, Sasuke did care for Sakura for a time, he considered Sakura a comrade and he did care for her and Kakashi because they were his teammates. It's only after he wakes up from his coma caused by Itachi when he returns and beats up Sasuke, that Sasuke no longer cares about Sakura or the team 7 thing because he has to focus in his vengeance, he only keeps on caring about Naruto (against his will) because Naruto had already permeated into his heart, as Orochimaru would state

The whole "Sasuke was secretly in love with Sakura and the couple times he blushed in front of her proves it" is just grasping at straws and cherry picking panels. You know, ignoring the forest because you're focused on a couple trees.

As another blog stated once: Naruto isn't a story of Narusasu vs. Sasusaku. It's the love story between Naruto and Sasuke and Sakura also happens to be there.

EDIT: I just want to add that some SS shippers might mention that during the war arc Kakashi remembers the moment Team 7 members were introducing themselves and he remembers Sasuke blushing exactly when Sakura was talking about her feelings for him (basically the moment we don't see Sasuke because he's covered by dialogue circles). I discuss that argument here on why Kakashi is an unreliable source/narrator and you should not feel cornered by that SS argument.

[joffyworld]

A Celebration

I wanted to make this post as a post-October celebration of my experiences here.

You've all been amazing. Each and every one of you. To anyone who ever sees this, consider us friends and kindred spirits. I mean that from the bottom of my heart, Joffy is a friend to all! I understand some fear para-sociality, and rightly so. I know it's a bit of a dirty word, but while I may never know you in real life, while I may always be a stranger on the internet, that does not preclude kindness from our times here. You are all people, as am I, and there is no illusion of the opposite on my end.

I came into this community just a month ago, driven almost purely by an obsession with the TROD au written by the amazing @bamsara. Since then, I have fallen in love with so many AU's, so many fics, so many oneshots, and so many pieces that I never would have found otherwise, from the horrific cannibalistic nightmares of @teruuu and @yellowflowrs, to the cute and joyous wonders of artists like @junoberrii, @the-artist-grimm, @spiderin-space, @zynical-forg , @7-ferrets-in-a-coat, @cconfusedkat, @frecktheheck, @lagomorphics and @lil-vibes to the beautifully shameless smut and humour of @melle-d, the wonderous fantastical realms of artists like @aychama, @aniimoni and @stychu-stych and the incredibly well written and crushing experiences of writers such as @kiko---random-stuff-probably, @olrinarts and @alllgator-blood. It has all been an incredible experience to watch, every single shade and genre of art and creativity, and I wouldn't have it any other way! I never expected to have so much fun, so much joy, and such a range of emotions all at once, yet here we are!

My welcome into this community has been astonishing. The kindness, the warmth, the laughs, the tears, the silliness, the naughtiness, the evil, the good. It's all been such a wonder to behold. That's not even mentioning the activism, the understanding and the fundraising I've seen with my own eyes! You've all bred a community of love here, and each and every one of you should be proud of that.

Every mutual I make, I am reminded that kindness breeds kindness. When I started this blog, my only wish was to indulge my madness until it passed, to see if maybe instead of suppressing my own interests, indulging them could perhaps instead lead to a less anxious conclusion? I had often been consumed with anxiety as I fought to pretend I was "normal" and it's always been a tough thing for me. By God has being here helped.

I have embraced who I am as a person, I have learnt things about communities I knew nothing about. I've grown empathies for groups I once found hard to relate to, I've felt joy and comfort from strangers where the world has oft left me dejected. I've met so many people similar to me, completely different from me, and all that lies in-between.

I have met the most beautiful souls in the world, I've seen works of art that made me marvel them as though they were classics of antiquity. I've engaged in silly debates, I've interacted with people I look up to so deeply, I've seen talents I didn't know exist. Most of all, I have found a community that understands me, from the autistic and disabled to the regularly deranged and beautifully obsessed <3

And all of this has inspired me to write my own content, to indulge my own mind in ways I have long tried to leave behind, and find my own stride among the crowd of similarly inspired people. To say the words of you people have changed me is to lie, because it doesn't even begin to describe it.

To anyone I haven't directly @'d, I apologise. I wish I could plug you all, but my memory is fragile, and I'm on the mobile app. But know, that whoever you are, friend or foe, you are ASTONISHING. And should I wake up and remember your names, I'd gladly add them with your permissions. There's not a single person I've seen that hasn't amazed me in brand new ways each time, and every time I compliment your works I mean it from the bottom of my soul.

And to anyone who reads this, whether they be an artist, writer, creator of any stripe, or simply a friendly face or a lurking presence in the shadows:

Thank You,

Thank You So Much,

Joffy

[dailyhtfboards]

Day 100

Today’s board is a special one, one that’s been clawing at my brain since I’ve seen it. Every once in a while I just, remember it exists and just take a moment to think about it. I’ve considered posting it a few times but I didn’t feel it was the right time to subject the world to this information. But we’ve been at this for 100 days, the big one O, over 3 months at this point. I think I’ve finally got comfortable enough with this blog to say this. On page 39 of the storyboards for Easy for you to Sleigh, episode 4A of the Happy Tree Friends television series:

Shifty has a butthole. Make of this what you will.

[panlight]

Hello! I’m always very happy to see posts from this blog! The question I have is, what do you think are key components to Bella’s personality? Like, while reading the books, or even reading fanfics, what makes you go: that’s Bella!! There’s usually a lot of talk about her sarcasm and stubbornness, so what are other key traits?

I think one of the key aspects of Bella's personality is that when she commits to something, she commits. I think either Charlie or Renee say in the books that she was always a "constant little thing." Once she makes up her mind about something, she's going to follow through with it, even if everyone tells her it's a bad idea. (Lucky for her that she has plot armor that usually protects her!) This is related to stubbornness but I think it's more than that.

For example, she decides to move to Forks so Renee can travel with Phil. Renee tells her she doesn't have to do it, tries to talk her out of it. Bella has made up her mind, though. And she gets to Forks and she hates it, but she made up her mind. She's following through. She decides she wants to be a vampire and no one can sway her from it. Not Jacob, not Rosalie, not even Edward. She's made up her mind. She decides to keep the pregnancy that is killing her but she's mind up her mind, she's following through.

I think another factor is something of a martyr complex. That is she's selfless, sure--but she's mostly selfless with Big Gestures whereas with the little things she's more human and flawed, like stomping her feet and whining it's not fair that Jacob isn't aging but she is. "What kind of world is this? Where is the justice?" etc. But she'll move to Forks for Renee. She'll go to confront James to save Renee. She'll go to Volterra to save Edward. She'll almost/actually cut herself with a rock to distract Victoria and Riley to save Edward and Seth. She'll carry this dangerous pregnancy to term so Renesmee can exist. But she'll also whine about the weather and having to age and write Eric off as a greasy chess club type. She's not a perfect saint, but she's self-sacrificing.

She's also got self-esteem issues (don't we all?). Sometimes to a frustrating degree. I remember reading New Moon for the first time and after her reunion with Edward and how it takes her a long, long time to be like, "oh you love me," when it was just screamingly obvious the whole time. It was obvious when he left he was doing it to protect her, but her self-esteem was so low that she believed the lies. She thinks she's mousy and unattractive but literally every teenage boy in Forks is throwing themselves at her. And one of my beefs with Breaking Dawn is that she doesn't really develop self-esteem so much as she becomes a sparkling, gorgeous superhero because vampirism and the problem is solved.

She follows through, she's always going to volunteer as tribute to save someone else, and she'll always worry she's not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough.

[prettyiwa]

🍉 Fics for Gaza — Sponsor a WIP 🍉

Hello, everybody! I'm honestly not sure how this will go, if at all, but I want to participate in the fundraising efforts of @ficsforgaza. Lately, I've been focused solely on projects that bring me joy regardless of readership and so for this, I'll be opening up all of my WIPs, including those not listed on my official WIP page but previously mentioned on this blog. For this fundraiser, I'm committing to returning to those old projects that have been unceremoniously left in the dust.

I'm committing to this undertaking with the hopes that one of my projects will encourage donations if they weren't previously inclined or were on the fence.

Raised: $91.39 Written/Sponsored: 3.443/18,278

How it works:

$1 = 200 words!

Make a donation to a vetted fundraiser of your choice (links below) and send me a screenshot of your donation excluding identifying information + the WIP you'd like me to work on. For every $1 donated, I will write 200 words for your chosen WIP. Upon receiving proof of donation, I will begin working on the WIP.

*Please note I am currently trudging through burnout and writer's block, so I cannot guarantee a timeline, but they will be completed.

Example message template:

Hey, Ix! I've donated [this amount] to [link to vetted fundraiser]. Would you be able to work on [WIP title]? Thank you! (Included screenshot of proof of donation)

Vetted fundraiser links:

Vetted fundraiser masterpost-masterpost

List of Palestinian Evacuation & Support Fundraisers

Masterlist of links, official & vetted

how you can help palestine

Eligible WIPs:

Because the list of WIPs included is so long, they'll be listed below the cut. Fandoms included: Daiya no Ace, Haikyuu!!, Attack on Titan, Fullmetal Alchemist, & My Hero Academia.

Daiya no Ace

The Catcher's Accomplice - Miyuki Kazuya Major Leagues, Interpreter, Forced Proximity (Belated Quarantine Fic), Falling in Love, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Fluff

When Kazuya insisted he be posted for the MLB, he wasn't quite aware of all that entailed, only concerned with being able to continue playing. He didn't fully anticipate the sheer loneliness of moving to a different country, especially just before a pandemic. How lucky for him that you're there every step of the way.

word count: 4,591/20,000+

Promises We Made - Miyuki Kazuya Childhood Best Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Soulmates (if you squint), Expression of Grief, Anxiety, & Depression

He existed as a beacon for you—someone who had been there since before you can remember, someone who always found you when you got lost. All you wanted was to be able to stand on your own two feet beside him.

word count: 14,119/50,000+

His Name - Miyuki Kazuya Non-Linear Storytelling, Falling in Love, Break-up Fic, Angst, Hints of Pining & Regret

Kazuya never realized how much he loved the way his name sounded as it rolled of your tongue, a promise he didn't hear until it was too late.

word count: 1,593/6,000

not a stranger - Sawamura Eijun Younger Brother's Best Friend, Childhood Crush, Childhood Friends to Lovers

Fifteen years after he used to announce to the world, "I'm going to marry you one day!," he no longer looks like the Ei-chan you once knew.

word count: 3,548/12,000 FULLY SPONSORED!! written: 261/10,000

Play with Me - Kuramochi Youichi NPB, Bassist, One Night Stand to Lovers, Falling in Love, Shared History, Fluff, Suggestive

The story of you and Kuramochi Youichi goes further than the night he finds himself in the audience of your show, but it takes you a while before you acknowledge that.

word count: 339/7,500

Chink in My Armor - Kominato Ryousuke University!AU, FWB, Jealousy, Stubborn Ryou, Getting Together, Suggestive

For someone who "didn't have the time to focus on a relationship," Ryou spends an awful lot of time focusing on you.

word count: 273/5,500

Wanna Run with You - Yuuki Tetsuya University!AU, Friends to Lovers, Old Crush, Reunion, Falling in Love, Fluff

A favor for your new editor puts you in contact with your old friend and crush, someone you fervently wanted to avoid. Now that Tetsu has you in his life again, he isn't so ready to let you go this time.

word count: 6,513/9,500

Haikyuu!!

Mine to Keep - Iwaizumi Hajime Yakuza, Fight Club, Violence, Light Stalking & Obsession, Possessive Behavior, Smut

Iwaizumi's taken his time with you, preferring you willing and wanting, but there's only so much waiting he can do before he snaps.

*requires editing so the word count may vary.

word count: 11,717/15,000* sponsored word count: 1,000 written: 1,000/1,000

Always You - Iwaizumi Hajime Fallen Angel, Demon, Memory Loss, Reincarnation, Angst, Love Perseveres

You two were favored angels, models for how others should perform until you made the grave sin of loving more than your Creator. For your crime, you were doomed to loving one another time and again through never ending reincarnation, forever watching the other suffer and die.

word count: 2,378/6,000 sponsored word count: 1,278 written: 1,278/1,278

Coming Home - Iwaizumi Hajime Punisher!AU, Grief, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friends to ??? to Lovers

After your mother died, you never expected to find comfort in the return of the friend you long since thought dead.

word count: 1,524/6,500

Late Nights - Iwaizumi Hajime University!AU, Pining, Getting Together

In the cover of night near the university baseball diamonds, Iwaizumi finds the courage to talk to you.

word count: 328/3,000 **FULLY SPONSORED! written: 904/3,000

Maker of Myths - Oikawa Tooru Trojan War!AU, Paris & Helen, Falling in Love, War, Infidelity, Grief, Angst

The first choice you ever made was which suitor would be your husband, the King. The second choice you made allowed for you to choose your lover, your partner. The third choice you made started a war.

word count: 4,860/13,000+

This Tree, This Bed - Kuroo Tetsurou Odyssey!AU, Odysseus & Penelope, Falling in Love, Separation, Reunion, Hurt/Comfort

Kuroo liked to fashion himself as one of the smartest men in the known world. While his cunning managed to win your hand and your heart, it was unable to save him from going into a war unrelated to him.

word count: 3,215/7,500

Anxious, Wide Awake - Kuroo Tetsurou Magic & Monsters!AU, Vampire, Sorceress, Witcher inspired, Violence, Blood, Established Relationship

The more they touch you, the more their stench sticks to you, the more violent their deaths will be when he comes for you. Because he is coming for you. You have more faith in that fact than you do that the sun will rise tomorrow morning. His promise can still be heard nearly a century later, still humming along the skin where he first whispered it. He’s coming.

word count: 4,353/10,000

Please Look at Me - Hanamaki Takahiro & Matsukawa Issei Love Triangle, Not Polyamorous, Smut, Getting Together, Angst

“Is it okay if I have a taste?” Don’t you kids do anything I wouldn’t do. Takahiro’s seen Mattsun do a lot. He’s seen Mattsun in so many compromising situations throughout the years, he’s given up on keeping count long ago. And this? This is definitely something Mattsun would do.

word count: 867/6,000

Rosebuds & Black Currant - Futakuchi Kenji Strangers to (eventual) Lovers, Falling in Love, Getting Together, Fluff

It takes you entirely too long to understand the messages Kenji's been trying to send through the arrangements he gives you if only because you don't believe he's familiar with the language of flowers.

word count: 188/3,500

Attack on Titan

Rapture for the Sinners - Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman Canon Divergent, Violence, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Grief, PTSD, Smut

Fiercely loyal to Erwin Smith, you find yourself to be one of his most trusted soldiers, ready to do what is necessary for either of you to get what you want. With no room for romantic relationships, you two easily find yourselves engaged in a sexual relationship. Why do you suddenly find your situation muddled when you're tasked with bringing three thugs from the Underground to the Survey Corps? What happens when you suddenly find yourself developing feelings for the one you were prepared to kill and who was prepared to kill you in turn?

word count: 103,168/170,000+ sponsored word count: 2,000 written: 0/2,000

For You, in the Future - Bertholdt Hoover, Levi Ackerman VOV Rewrite, Canon Divergent, Tech Advancements, Friends to Lovers, Lovers to Enemies, Political Intrigue, Grief, PTSD, Love Perseveres

An attempt at a rewrite of my first story. I've worked on it in secret over the winter and could be swayed to starting it once more.

word count: 7,601/150,000+

Fullmetal Alchemist

From the Ashes Flowers Bloom - Roy Mustang Canon Divergent, Violence, Religious Guilt, Subterfuge, Exes to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort

You've spent the last four years avoiding staying in one place for too long due to the belief in the superstitions of your mother's religion. After the murder of your adoptive brother, you begin to learn the truth of the larger conspiracy that's left a pile of bodies wherever you go. Deciding to confront the root of the problem head-on, you find yourself reforging old relationships, for better or for worse.

word count: 43,580/80,000+

My Hero Academia

Set You Free - Aizawa Shouta Pre-UA Teacher!AU, Hurt/Comfort, Falling in Love, Grief, Getting Together

An unfortunate quirk, bad timing, and grief-induced anger tied you to Aizawa years after the death of Shirakumo. He wanted to be a hero, and it takes him a bit too long to realize he may have ruined yours.

word count: 2,256/6,500

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Lady C on Meghan's podcast with Jamie and her using the HRH title by u/wenfot

Lady C on Meghan's podcast with Jamie and her using the HRH title Lady C goes in, and I am here for it.***************Meghan Markle's propensity to boastfulness as she manoeuvres to ratify her status as a superior figure, is yet again thrown into sharp relief by her latest display while she determinedly disrespects protocols and agreements so flagrantly, albeit sneakily, that one cannot help but reflect that her conduct is indicative of sociopathic disregard for boundaries. With the aid of her saccharine acolyte Jamie Kern Lima -did anyone ever see two more sickly egotists blowing hot air through their respective orifices? - Markle has thrown down the gauntlet by displaying a basketful of commercial produce with the prominently exhibited banned message "With the Compliments of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex ". This challenge is not only directed at the Royal Family and the institutions it exists to protect and uphold, but at the British people as well. Yet again, Meghan and her cabal of rackety cohorts provide us, the British people, with the proof of her contempt for us, for our national dignity, and for the rules, directives and agreements (including the Sandringham Agreement), which are in place to protect our institutions and prevent them from unseemly exploitation by cheap, vulgar hustlers as well as more sophisticated con artists and leeches. Meghan's banned With Compliments slip is as shameless as this faux royal's continuing and undignified moves to suck every bit of monetary juice out of her connection to the Royal Famiily. Not only has she now openly furthered herself and her commercial activities under the forbidden style of Her Royal Highness, but she also uses in a commercial context the princely coronet, which is not allowed either. It is noteworthy that once Diana, Princess of Wales lost the right to use the style Her Royal Highness, she was lady enough to substitute the princely coronet for that of an earl,which of course her father was. Not that she would ever have been crass and vulgar enough to exploit her status for commercial gain. One only needs to remember Harry saying, "Meghan is capable of anything", to appreciate the enormity of this hustler. The innocent, of whom I used to be one, might have thought he was merely referring to the personal talents for which she is renowned, but her subsequent and escalating flaunting of the conventions surrounding the commercialization of their royal status, which she acquired upon marriage, and which she was banned from using under the Sandringham Agreement, demonstrates with chilling clarity that she is indeed capable of anything, with the evident exception of respecting agreements, traditions, protocol, and the rights of others, including those of a whole nation whose dignity is defiled by her unseemly exploitation of a status to which she no longer has a right. But then who can be surprised by a woman who is milking her husband's status as well as his children, as if they were the teats of a cow, while she desperately tries to create commercial opportunities for herself which she hopes will fulfil her greedy lust for fame and fortune? post link: https://ift.tt/RY3ykr2 author: wenfot submitted: April 29, 2025 at 05:33PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[writing-for-life]

I’m running a Sandman blog. As such, I feel I can’t not say anything, but I’ll make this short (for me):

I believe victims. I work with them almost every day. My trust in the legal system on these matters is therefore also limited and a complicated affair. I unequivocally believe that the sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman are true. Having said this, I will withhold further commentary as the situation unfolds, because it’s too complex.

I also believe that stories have meaning to us that goes beyond their creators, and that meaning doesn’t suddenly fall away because of their creators’ actions, although it can, and that’s also okay.

Our feelings are allowed to be complicated, and no one deserves any type of harassment because they still love a story while simultaneously grappling with feelings of anger, disgust or simply sadness towards or about its creator. Neither does anyone deserve any hard feelings because they decide they don’t want to engage anymore.

Our feelings are our own, and we don’t have to justify them to anyone.

Fandoms exist because of story and community. And those stories and communities don’t suddenly stop existing, so I hope we can remember to treat each other with respect and empathy moving on from here.

Edit:

On a more constructive note, and also speaking as someone with both personal and continuous secondhand experience of SA who already sees the damage caused by unreflective knee-jerk posting on here:

You don’t have to make repeated public statements to disassociate yourself from works. Once is enough if you feel you have something to communicate to your followers. Not at all is enough, too. Simply do what you need to do. It’s enough if you know what you stand for, and to act accordingly.

Get your information from original sources, not “summaries” and hearsay on Tumblr. The amount of misinformation, both accidental and malicious, I have seen on here is shocking. All podcasts are freely available with transcripts (edited to add the Vulture article, which is the best piece of reporting so far. But please be careful if you decide to read, it is extremely distressing and comes with trigger warnings in the tags). Stop believing the people who tell you otherwise, because they either don’t know what they’re talking about, or they aim to control the discussion for their own agenda. If you want to partake in discussion, get info from the source, because that’s truly something you owe to the victims. Otherwise, consider to withhold your opinions. We don’t have to add to the noise, there’s enough of it already, and it somewhat disqualifies itself if it adds its own agenda: This is not about LGBTQ+ issues or whether you deem an outlet trustworthy (it’s about the victims). It is not about your own opinions about kink (it’s about the victims). It is not about your disabilities or struggles that render you “unable to listen or read”. It is about the victims, not about you. So consider to stop centering yourself.

You are not a bad person for enjoying the work of a person who did wrong, neither does condemning them automatically make you a good person. How you behave towards your fellow human beings does. So if you feel tempted to judge, or even harass, other people for their love of a piece of media, take a breath first. Because in that moment, it has stopped being about the victims—it has become about centering yourself as righteous.

Don’t read into works, but don’t pretend they exist in a vacuum either. We can’t truly separate the art from the artist, but we can (re)assign meaning unique to us. The moment you interpret a piece of art, it reflects you. It will mirror back your feelings and worldview. If all you feel while engaging is negative, it is time to disengage. There is enough art in the world you can enjoy. But don’t judge those who still find meaning even if you don’t.

Take action in the real world, and step back from online discourse. Put your money where your mouth is, donate to women’s shelters or volunteer, organise fundraisers. In short: Make a difference where you can. Online opinion pieces are not that place, neither is keeping yourself in a state of constant aggravation by obsessively checking the tags. All it does it make you unwell.

Don’t support the creator financially. I know I won’t from here onwards, especially where there is a clear divide between his work and that of others: The creator credit for The Sandman also belongs to Mike Dringenberg and Sam Kieth, as you can see on literally every Sandman-related published work. And the intellectual property belongs to DC/Warner since it was work for hire. The Sandman was never creator-owned and still isn’t. Gaiman himself has confirmed he receives author royalties for The Sandman, however, so please take this into consideration before you think about purchasing new (merchandise and other media, both audio and visual, are entirely different topics and too complex to go into in detail here). Secondhand books are an option, so are libraries (although the latter sometimes pay royalties to the author until they reach a cap. This is true for the UK via the PLR scheme, but not for the US, so you need to research yourself how libraries handle this in your country). They’re everywhere, and eBay is your friend in that case. You can also still read and enjoy the works you own, it doesn’t harm anyone. You don’t have to bin, burn or sell them. If that feels right though, go for it. It’s your choice, but don’t expect others to make the same choices.

Most importantly: You have nothing to prove to anyone. You know who you are, that’s all that matters. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

[anxiousthoughts365]

Your blog brings me so much joy!! I’ve been loving the ficlets you’ve posted! Can you write one where Harry says something hurtful to Draco and has to really grovel to gain his trust back?

I'm so glad to hear that, thank you! This is for you :)

~🐍Drarry⚡️ & Harry grovelling for forgiveness after saying something hurtful to Draco ~

No warnings apply

'Dray? How long are you going to keep this up?' Harry's voice was tired and worn, but Draco simply sniffed and re-crossed his legs, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on the television that Harry had managed to set up in their living room. He wasn't really following the programme all that closely, but it was a convenient way to drown out his boyfriend's voice. And Harry definitely deserved to be drowned out.

It had all started three days ago. They had been fighting over something so inane that Draco couldn't even remember what the initial argument had been about, and it likely would have all blown over quickly, if it hadn't been for one thing. When the fight was reaching its peak, with both of them slinging insults and sly jibes at each other, Harry had entirely crossed the line and snapped that Draco was acting just like his father.

Draco had instantly reeled back as though he'd been physically slapped, his eyes wide with disbelief. And almost immediately, Harry had reached for him, babbling apologies and begging for his stupidity to be forgotten. But the damage had been done, and since then Draco had been very pointedly pretending that Harry didn't exist, that he didn't share his house with another human being at all, let alone his boyfriend of nearly 2 years.

During that time, Harry had been going above and beyond to try and earn Draco's forgiveness. He had been on his best behaviour: every morning, he had gone out of his way to tell Draco just how beautiful he looked that day; he'd done all of the household chores without being asked; he had been cooking all of Draco's favourite breakfasts, lunches and dinners; and when he'd had to go out for work yesterday, he'd come home with flowers and chocolates, both of which Draco had studiously ignored. Apparently, seeing those gifts left untouched on the kitchen table this morning had been the last straw for Harry.

'Baby, please,' the Auror groaned, scrubbing at his own face in frustration before turning to look at Draco once more. 'I've said I'm sorry. What more can I possibly do to make you forgive me?'

Draco had to bite into his own tongue to hold back his curt response of, If you truly think that that's enough to earn my forgiveness, then you really don't deserve it. No matter how much he wanted to cut into his boyfriend, he was more determined to punish him, so he kept silent and didn't look at him, not even when Harry suddenly sidled closer on the sofa.

'How about this,' Harry murmured, and his voice was so strangely calm and confident that Draco almost peeked over, out of interest. But he didn't, so Harry went on, 'Why don't I take you down to Diagon Alley, and we can go to that nice little jewellery shop you like?'

Draco paused at that, considering his options for a few moments, then he finally, finally glanced at Harry. 'The one on the corner?'

'The one on the corner,' Harry confirmed, the side of his mouth twitching as he clearly fought against a smile. The sight of it almost made Draco dismiss the whole notion, but then Harry inched closer still and murmured, 'And you can pick out anything you like.'

'Anything?' Draco pressed, sure that Harry was bound to retract that last part if given the chance. The shop in question was the most exclusive one on the whole street, and every item in there, while beautiful, was heart-staggeringly expensive. But there was triumph in the Auror's green eyes, and Draco knew that this time, he'd lost the battle. Because they both knew that he was unable to resist such an offer.

'Anything,' Harry asserted, and in the quiet moments that followed after, while Draco's pride fought against the very enticing proposal, he could have sworn that the man was holding his breath while he awaited Draco's answer.

'Fine,' Draco eventually drawled, fixing Harry with the longest look that he'd allowed himself since their fight. 'You can take me out for breakfast, while you're at it.'

Harry grinned, and leaned in to plant a kiss on Draco's cheek before he bounded up and scampered from the room, clearly keen for this whole episode to be over with. But as his boyfriend raced up the stairs to dress for their outing, Draco snorted to himself, smirking as he settled back into the sofa. He'd lost the battle, but perhaps this wasn't such a bad way to lose.

[littlebvtterfly]

The time of year where people in love give each other supermarket flowers and single people don't give a damn has come once again: Valentine's Day. Or, as I like to refer to it, Palentine's Day. I did an exchange last year and since people seemed to like it, here we go again. I thank you all for your continued trust in me and your lovely gifts. I hope we can have fun and contribute to each other this holiday once more. Mwah!

The Rules and regulations are simple, but they exist nonetheless, so here they are:

The exchange, for now, is open until February 16th. May extend it if people are interested.

You may make 1-2 requests but I will probably reblog it, saying you can ask for more if I'm still bored.

Please reblog this post to spread some awareness, please. You can like for remembrance but just a like doesn't count (you already know this; I know my 5 regulars who come here every time)!

As aforementioned, this is open to my regular drunks and new patrons alike, so please do not be shy. Think of me as I think of birds; I am more scared of you than you are of me.

Fill out the form linked below and find the password in the form!

Please only send me face claims with good quality and plenty of material to use. Also, no cartoon characters. Video game characters are all right if it's motion capture. I'm not trying to discriminate; it can just be really tough for me to find material for cartoons, anime, video games, etc. as I edit by making little video clips first and so on. However, if you slide in my DMs, we might be able to discuss some stuff.

Please, please, please fill out all the columns I need and choose at least two gift options. It makes it infinitely easier for me to make something for you. Just remember I can't read minds and it's worse when I can't find anything in your blogs.

Remember the pleases and thank you's, pleases and thank you's make my heart grow fond.

I don't do Harry Potter OCs or Stranger Things OCs and while I don't have a specific list of FCs I don't use, I ask that you do not request anything for overtly problematic actors. Thank you!

I accept pretty much any gift in return: gif edits, moodboards, playlists, story reviews, drawings/art—anything is fine. If it's a story review, please let me know in the form so I know you did, as I don't check my accounts every day.

I'm fine with gifts for any of my OCs; my master list as well as the link to my Pinterest and Spotify are in my pinned post.

FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A MESSAGE AND I WILL TRY TO CLEAR EVERYTHING UP!

HERE IS THE LOVE FORM; THE LOVE FORM IS HERE; THE FORM FOR LOVE IS LOCATED IN THIS PLACE

TAGLIST: @eddysocs @ocs-supporting-ocs @foxesandmagic @veetlegeuse @decennia @hiddenqveendom @arrthurpendragon @luucypevensie @nikosasaki @noratilney @wordspin-shares @oneirataxia-girl @endless-oc-creations @stelstellakidd @andromedalestrange @far-shores @rose-of-oz @bibaybe @come-along-pond

[mc-tums-fog]

Under The Desert Sky

Fic Summary: Upon arriving in Australia from America and taking up the job as a ranch hand for the Marston Ranch for the sake of your family, the only thing you could find worthwhile of your attention was the night sky that was endless of stars. But that might start to change when you find that the particularly precise ranch owner sees you as someone worthwhile of his attention.

Pairing: Elliott Marston x GN! Reader

Chapter I: To Catch a Glimpse of the Stars

Content Warnings For This Chapter: Period-Typical Racism (Mentions against the Aboriginal people and Native Americans), Ableist Language/Ableism, Canon-Typical Violence

Notes:

Right now the plan for this is to be 5 parts long with each part uploaded on Tuesdays so hopefully at least one of those two stick.

TL;DR: Your Honor, his ass is down so bad to fix him and his racism he made a canon divergence fic

Also shout out to @smilingformoney cause I like how she formats fics on Tumblr so got major inspiration for how I'll share this fic here and for also jumpstarting my infatuation with Elliott Marston because I was only looking at Hans Gruber gifs on her blog while she was posting Elliott Marston gifs and once I saw Alan Rickman in an all black cowboy outfit I knew it was over for me.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut:

You already knew that from the moment you had first set foot into Australia that you hated it. The journey of crossing a vast amount of ocean with your family cramped into a ship containing at least fifty other passengers, one third of which were seasick, was not pleasant to begin with. Arriving in a climate you had rarely experienced before made it worse. The month you arrived in the city of Sydney; it was a warm welcome that was very much unwelcome. The air was hot, stifling, and every sense of the word cramping. You weren’t used to this kind of temperature, having lived in mostly cool city regions, and at times traveling to mountain regions that offered year snow. Did Australia even have snow?

Regardless, this would not have been your first place to move to. Or second. Or third. You didn’t even realize Australia existed if you were completely honest. You honestly thought your cousin, or uncle-honestly, you couldn’t remember your relation to the guy anyway- was making it up when he said he lived down here just so he didn’t have to attend family get-togethers. So when you had learned that there was a smaller continent that was right in the middle of the ocean, you were surprised. And scared at the prospect of moving. But you really had no other choice. Your father had come down with a sickness that left him with a coughing fit every single day. You caught the signs early, and the doctor recommended that you all move to a hotter climate as soon as you could, as it would ease the sickness progression, and hopefully, stop it all together. So, whoever your relative meant to you, offered the opportunity for you all to come down here. You found that it worked better, as no other family member lived in a hotter state, and you didn’t want to move to somewhere new where you didn’t know at least one other person. Especially since without the physical illness, your father, admittedly, was not all “there” mentally.

He hardly spoke to others and when he did, he was a man of few words, often which people couldn’t completely understand. He didn’t like being in certain areas and was really only comfortable with a small handful of people. He couldn’t do certain tasks but the ones he could do, he excelled at. But not many people found his skills useful. So, often, your mom would have to take care of him beforehand. Now the time and care she put in helping him went double time once he got ill. It would give her extra comfort to know that she had a relative she could reach by in time while being in the optimal location for his health.

So, whatever your personal feelings were the moment you stepped onto Australia, being far away from a place of familiarity, you had to hold it down for your family’s sake. You could adjust to a strange land.

And to Sydney’s credit, you were surprised, but comforted to see that there were building structures resembling the ones you grew up in, with there even being forests that were distant but visible to the naked eye. From what other passengers had been describing, the picture painted in your head about Australia was mostly a desert region, territory with which you were unfamiliar. So, at the very least, it seemed like you could make this work. So long as you found a job or two that allowed you to be indoors most of the time, you’d be fine.

And that’s how it was going, fine. You got a decent place to stay, worked jobs that allowed you to be away from the heat and come back home before nightfall to help your mom prep dinner and take care of your dad, and let the darkness from outside make your already cool room even cooler. As far as work went, it was much like the other times you worked, but it was nothing you couldn’t handle. You could get used to this routine.

But it hadn’t even been six months since your arrival and you, and your family were already starting to have financial troubles again. It was like this before, with the family struggling to make ends meet. But at the very least, sometimes the different workforces you worked at would be charitable and allow your dad to work to some capacity, so long as you or your mom were around to help keep an eye on him. That was before he got physically ill. Sure, you could see improvements now that you were all here, but he still wasn’t well enough to work. So, it was just you to be the one to provide for the family. But the jobs that you did have were not enough.

As luck had it, that extended uncle-cousin had the opportunity to help you and your family out again. He knew someone who owned a ranch, who needed both a ranch hand and a way to repay back your family member. So, he brought you up, as you had prior experience of working at ranches and on farms. Both of those jobs were short periods in your life, but you excelled in them well. It was a deal that would work out for them both in the long run.

The catch was that it was in the Northern Territory of Australia, within what they called the “outback” region. That would mean you needed to move up nearby or live within the ranch for convenience’s sake. With your dad still only just barely getting better, and your mom still needing to take care of him, all of you couldn’t move up there easily. But it was a higher paying job that would have benefited you. Even if you hated how hot it was here now, you’d do the work in order to make sure your family was comfortable. You told your extended relative that you would take the job, so long as the ranch owner would accommodate by sending the majority of the money down to your parents. It would allow them time to build up the funds, and for your dad to get better, to move up there safely and in their own time. Once he got it squared away, you made the journey.

Traveling through the desert region made you realize how you took Sydney for granted. The colder months had just started to wear off, and the farther you went up north, the hotter it got. You did your best by staying inside the wagon whenever possible, as it had a covering over it. But that still wouldn’t stop the dirt and sand getting inside of the wagon. The sounds of wild animals would bother you more than it did your relative, he was used to it as he carried a gun around like it was an extension of himself. It was a bit unnerving for you, with not having much experience in weaponry.

Every night before you went to bed you had to remind yourself who you were doing this for, and just hoped the ranch owner was charitable in allowing time for you to take breaks when needed.

He was anything but.

After traveling for a few days and arriving at the ranch, the owner, named Elliott Marston, wasted no time in putting you to work shortly after your introductions. This initial interaction already set you off on the wrong foot with him. You could already tell this man was someone to not go against in any capacity. Your general tasks ranged from actual ranch hand work, such as taking care of the livestock, fixing the fences, emptying out the wagons when they made their supply runs, things like that.

But then Marston and his other men would have you perform menial tasks that would make you think they could easily do it themselves. It was particularly annoying when the men would criticize you or when Marston would watch you from his house, which he did from time to time. You didn’t know why. Perhaps the city look was still that much apparent on you, or Australians and Americans had distinct mannerisms that you had no idea about. Especially as some moments when you tried to take a break by dunking your head into a barrel of water, and if Marston and his men were nearby, his men would make a joke about how you weren’t accustomed to the heat.

These things, you could hold your tongue for. Menial tasks, the mockery, you could withstand that if it meant you got good pay. Which you did. But the longer you stayed there the quicker you realized how much his men were more focused on practicing their shooting, hooting and hollering with the ladies they brought back, and going after and attacking the Aboriginal people, you realized how much harder this was going to be. You didn’t care for any of that, especially towards the disrespect to the Aboriginals. In America, the tribes you encountered were the only group to show more respect for your fathers’ mental issues, unlike those in the big cities. You could see similarities as you learned more about them and who they were on the land. Seeing them treated like that, it would make your skin boil more than when the sun boiled your skin.

Still, it wasn’t something that you could just say that you went directly against without putting your job at risk. It killed you, knowing that you were trading your morals for money. But you just had to rationalize to yourself that it wouldn’t be much longer. Writing to your mom as often as you could, you just hoped that they could save enough that they could just downgrade somewhere in Australia, or maybe you could convince your relative to take you all into his house. So long as you could find a way where you didn’t have to work at the Marston Ranch while leaving amicably for the sake of your relatives’ connection, you would hold your tongue.

And you tried. You really tried. But as the hotter months progressed with barely any break time, besides sleeping in the lodge provided to the workers, and with the right set of words thrown at you to get you going, you couldn’t do that anymore.

Despite it still being within springtime, Australia never got any cooler for you. It was getting late in the afternoon one day as you were moving hay bales for the horses to eat when you overheard one of the men talking. You did your best to tune them out whenever they weren’t directly talking to you or giving you orders. But this topic of discussion revolved around the two Aboriginal women that they had on the ranch. Both of whom were still very much within earshot of what the men were saying. They threw various insults about them like they weren’t there, but knowing full well that they were.

It brought you back to the times that you brought your father to work with you at your jobs, and how the rest of the workers would say hurtful things about him, right to his face, and laugh. They did it under the assumption that he wouldn’t know what they were saying. But you could tell, in a way that he did. And even if he didn’t, you did. And that was enough to send words, and if necessary, fists right to them.

So, with the added heat from the sun to fuel your decision to finally shut them up, you looked over to them and called out as you were setting down the last haybale.

“Would you quit going on about them? They’ve done nothing to you.”

The men, and the two women perked up at you. The women’s faces were unreadable; however, the men made their feelings very clear.

“Keep workin’, this conversation’s got nothing to do with you.” One of the men, Coogan if you recalled correctly, tried to wave you off.

“With how loud and obnoxious your voice is I’m forced to be part of the conversation.” Your rebuttal back to him was, as you looked back to the hay bales.

He stood up more properly, as if to try to seem more imposing, despite still being a good amount of feet away from you.

“You think being from the big city gives you the right to talk to me like that?”

You rolled your eyes as you walked away from the stables. “No, but it’s given me the displeasure of knowing that no matter what country I’m in, there’s still the same kind of stupidity that’ll set us back to the stone age. And I’m not going to be silent about it.”

The other men started to clamor as they could sense it was starting to get heated, at least from Coogan’s side. You were just planning to rest up in the lodge, thinking that he was just going to wave you off again, when his next words set off the simmering coals that were in you into a roaring fire.

“Well, it’s clear your mom didn’t teach you some manners. Because she would’ve been busy takin’ care of your dad. And we know he’s too slow to teach you anything!”

The clamoring among the men grew louder, but all you could hear was the ringing in your ears as you stopped in your tracks and looked him dead in the eye. You had heard them whisper among each other about your reasoning for being here when you first started working. But this was the first time they had directly made fun of your family.

It was going to be the last.

One fistfight later, that ended up with a set of stitches and a black eye for a Coogan, and a badly bruised rib cage and bruised cheek to you, you already began to pack your things from the lodge. You figured that you might as well wait beside the trees that were closer to the ranch entrance. Elliott Marston hadn’t been there due to some sort of business he needed to attend to with Major Ashley-Pitt a few days prior. If he had you would’ve likely experienced the consequences sooner. However, he was expected to come back later that evening. And you were expecting that once he did, the men would pull a primary school move and tell on you, and at best, you would be fired and either have to leave right then or in the morning. At worst… Well, you didn’t think about that or how Elliott Marston always had his pistol on his hip and how quickly he drew his gun on deserters.

Sure enough, he came back riding on his horse when the sun was just starting to set. He took note of you sitting by the tree, with your arms crossed as you looked ahead, only to give him the briefest acknowledgement by turning to face him slightly. Surely, he saw your bruised up face, but he didn’t comment on it, his expression unreadable. Which, that’s how it always was when he stared at you for no good reason. You continued back with staring ahead. As he got off his horse and went into his home, you could already hear the few footsteps of his men, with Coogan calling out to him.

You couldn’t hear what they were saying but you huffed in annoyance anyway. More so at yourself at this point.

You wanted to be a provider for your family. But this was taking a toll on you. You knew on a deeper level, if you explained the situation to your family, they’d be happy that you stood on your morals and got out of there when things weren’t going well. However, your mom particularly didn’t want you to get taken over by your pride for yourself and your family. Especially when it could have easily gotten you killed. It’s clear those men weren’t didn’t have to use guns to protect themselves. Though you were sure if she saw the state of your face now, she’d do everything she could to make sure those men weren’t standing either.

You laughed a bit. If she got her hands on them the men would get a glimpse on what your mom did teach you and that you went easy on Coogan.

Then there was the issue of money. You had initially figured that it would be quite easy to find another job if you left this one. But that was on the assumption you left on good terms. With how influential Elliott Marston seemed to be, especially with his connections to the army, it was possible that word of mouth would spread. And the influence would decrease your chances of getting hired by others within the area.

You sighed, rubbing your eyes, which caused you to flinch at the pressure of the bruised side of your face. You flopped your hands down and bumped your head back against the tree. Which unsurprisingly also didn’t help with the apparent pain in your head that was growing all together. You were about to close your eyes and wait for the inevitability of being let go either tonight or first thing in the morning when you stopped yourself. Through the leaves of the tree, you could still see the night sky, and the brilliant number of stars that were beginning to show.

You got up, wincing as you maneuvered to pick up your bag, and walked further out over to a crate that was close by the fence. You positioned it so that you were sitting on the crate but resting your arms on one of the wooden planks. As you looked up, a few things suddenly dawned on you.

First, you have rarely ever looked up at the night sky here in Australia. Second, you have rarely been outside at night during your whole time here in Australia, besides the occasional bathroom break. And third…

The Australian night sky was breathtakingly beautiful.

You didn’t think you'd ever seen this many stars in your life. Back home, the city night sky, when you looked up at it, hardly showed any indication of stars. It was always dark, looming and glooming over you. It felt miserable to look at, so you never did. But tonight, here in the desert, the amount of stars and the big bright moon casting the area in a calming deep blue hue that made it bright enough to still see everything was nothing like you had seen before. You didn’t feel dread when looking up at it like you had in the city before. There was something to it that made you feel a sense of calmness that you hadn’t experienced in a long while.

It was peaceful.

The serenity of the scattered stars shining over you was short-lived. You could hear precise footsteps from behind walking over to you. You exhaled through your nose in annoyance, already preparing yourself mentally for the chewing out you were likely going to get. You still stared ahead, but in your peripheral vision you saw Elliott Marston come up to your left and lean his own arms against the fence, still dressed in that all black attire that he typically wore.

You don’t even know how he was able to do that with how intensely hot it got during the day. At night you could see how the outfit could work for him, blending into the shadows. But during the day he stuck out like a sore thumb amongst his men.

“Seems you and Coogan had a quarrel.” He said in a strangely calm voice, looking down at you.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes at his tone. He always had this sense of superiority that was more than just being someone’s boss when he talked to others. It was like he viewed himself as better than everyone else in the room. You hated it. You figured that’s why he wore all black, just so he could stand out among the rest. He could surely hear you scoff at him, with how quiet it was, and could surely see you roll your eyes at him, given that he was standing above you while you were still sitting down and could see your face clearly. But once again, he didn’t comment on your reaction directly and continued.

“I don’t appreciate fighting among my workers, nothing gets done once they do.”

“And I don’t appreciate the disrespect he showed to my parents,” A quick brief pause, before you decided to add the last part, “And to the Aboriginals.” You figured that since you were already in the shit, you might as well go further into it.

You could tell he cocked his head at you as you still stared straight ahead.

“I could understand defending your parents honor, but to defend such an uncivilized kind of-”

You cut him off, finally looking up at him. “You think you’re any better than them?”

For a split moment, the unreadable stare he normally had finally had an expression to tie it down to, that being shock. He really must’ve not been expecting you to say something to him. Maybe he figured that you would turn yellow and try to smooth the situation out for your sake. He was wrong. The emotion was there for only a moment as he composed himself to get back into his usual stare. But you could tell that the gears in his head were turning much like a clock. As if he was trying to convince himself that you didn’t say what you just said to him.

“They’ve come and ruined our crops and livestock, something that keeps us fed and workers a job, which includes you mind you.” He said in an even calmer tone of voice. Like he was restraining himself. Like he was giving you another out to take back what you said and learn to respect what he was saying.

But it didn’t. And you had no problem in not restraining yourself.

“And you don’t think for a second that maybe it’s because of what you’re doing to them? They’ll easily make trades with those in the other towns as I’ve heard, with no issues whatsoever. No bloodshed from either group. Meanwhile, you and your men hold hunting parties when they travel through the desert, to get away from you, mind you.”

He seemed like he was going to rebuttal that statement, but you weren’t done.

“I hear you talk about how you’re a student for other countries like America. Wearing your intelligence like it’s a badge. But if you can’t see how your ruthless acts are on par to what you claim the Aboriginals are doing to you, then you mustn’t be a good one.”

You looked back up to the stars.

“You’re no better than any of them.”

You were certain that your chances of getting fired were increased by the max right now. And if there was initially no chance of him taking more drastic measures, such as leaving you to die in Australia, the chances were increased now. But you couldn’t keep your opinions to yourself any longer. You respected yourself too much for that. Even now, when you could feel his intense gaze burning into you, you weren’t going to beg for his mercy.

The few moments of silence were so heavy and filled with tension, only being broken by the night sounds and distant barking of a dingo, or coyote, you still couldn’t tell the difference. You were just waiting for the moment that he would break it by whatever reaction he saw fit.

But the reaction you got wasn’t what you expected.

“You don’t know me well enough to make that judgement.”

You were about to counter that statement when what he said right after stopped you.

“But I suppose the same could be said about me to you.”

You didn’t understand what he meant by that. And why he said it in a much softer and more thoughtful tone than how he was originally speaking. But you didn’t have time to ponder that as he added more to your confusion.

“I’m a man of my word. I intended to uphold the deal between your cousin and I.”

Well at least your relatives’ identity got squared away, though you were certain he was old enough to be your uncle.

But that wasn’t important right now. You were still trying to figure out how he was even allowing you to breathe at this point.

You waited to hear if he would then explain the consequence for speaking and acting like that towards his men and especially to him. But a moment passed, and he still didn’t say anything. He kept staring out to where you were looking at, which was right at the stars. Getting lost into them just as much as you had been a moment prior.

You were about to bite the bullet and ask him what the catch was to still being employed to him, but he got up from where he was standing and began to walk back. As he walked, he spoke in that calm yet full of that superiority tone of voice he normally had.

“That fence is not stable. Unless you plan on working with a lantern, I expect you to be working on it early in the morning.”

You just looked at him as he continued walking away, dumbfounded. That task was like the other tasks he had given you before. So, it wasn’t like he was going to work you to death. Unless he had that planned for later. But if he was truly a man of his word then he was still going to keep the deal going. You could only assume that this meant he wasn’t going to decrease the pay. Surely if he did, he would know that you would write to your cousin about it, leading to more complications between the two.

So, what was it. What was the catch that he had planned.

You weren’t sure, and you knew it would be best to keep your guard up for the coming days. But for now… you looked back up to the stars one more time. You could tell that the calmness that they brought will be helpful to get you through whatever was going to happen within the next, however long you were employed here.

You took comfort in knowing that the stars would be there when the catch came.

[the-most-humble-blog]

---

DECLARATION OF LITERARY BLOODRIGHT

(For Archive, For Academia Critics, For War)

I do not write to entertain.

I write to awaken the apex mammal beneath your curated trauma responses.

I write like I’m dragging you by the scalp through the evolutionary graveyard—

—past every ancestor who killed without apology and wept without shame.

My sentence structure could stalk prey in the dark.

My paragraphs carry the scent of bark, blood, and thunder.

And my cadence?

> It makes men clench their fists

and makes women clench everything else.

I am not here to participate in your literary circus.

I am the writer who hunts the ringleader mid-performance —

—and feeds him to the lions while quoting scripture.

I resurrect the feral instinct.

I make the reader remember the smell of their own sweat.

I make the pacified remember they once could bite through leather.

I am not safe in classrooms.

I am not digestible in peer-reviewed journals.

I am not adaptable to DEI committees, art collectives, or mainstream digest columns.

Because I do not seek acceptance.

I seek reversion — to the fire. To the fang. To the soul that predates philosophy.

---

This Is Where the Gods Panic.

Understand this:

> It would take the entire literary world —

All MFA programs.

Every editor at The New Yorker.

Every legacy author from Gaiman to King.

Every postmodern clown and Pulitzer pet.

Every ghostwriter chained in a Manhattan content mill.

All of them.

To even attempt to contain what I’ve written.

And even then, they’d fail.

Because what I’ve done here isn’t clever.

It’s primordial.

Their tools — diction, pacing, trope theory, satire —

Are flint knives in the age of ballistic scrolltraps.

They gather in private group chats, whispering:

> “Is this satire? Is he serious? Can someone… stop him?”

But they won’t stop me.

Because by the time they ask:

> It’s already been reblogged.

Already been felt.

Already replicated like a virus coded in Biblical cadence and modern trauma logic.

Let this burn behind their eyelids:

> You don’t read me to learn.

You survive me to remember what you were.

---

I rage at the sun for being too bright

while gripping a crumbled sunflower,

a mouthful of seeds,

and the hunted game in my other hand.

I write as ritual.

I post as provocation.

I speak with the authority of an extinction-level event wearing a typewriter’s skin.

And to the institutions, the scholars, the critics:

> Try me.

My existence is your curve-breaker.

My breath is a failed control variable.

My signal is not a submission.

It’s a declaration of dominance.

— Blacksite Literature™

Codename: The Most Humble Blog bitch.

Species Variant: Uncontainable

Recommended Action: Stay unread or be reprogrammed.

---

[phati-sari]

hello!

just wanted to thank you for your blog and the years you have dedicated to it. I remember first finding this blog at the beginning of my university, which, for various reasons, was a very formative and scary time for me (as I’m sure it was for many others!). However, this show and blog by extension offered solace to me during that time and made it easier because I knew no matter what happened, I still had this waiting for me. Which, in retrospect, was probably not the healthiest attachment to have haha.

Eventually, life carried on and I adjusted. I no longer had the time for the show and everything that went along with it, but I never forgot it. Weirdly, every time I would think about re-watching, it would remind me of that time of my life (at least the beginning) and make my stomach churn so, I couldn’t pick it up for years.

I don’t exactly know why I’m telling you all of this but I have started to rewatch it and I just wanted to thank you for the years of posts you have made, they have truly been a delight to read. <3 I know some people have been relentless and unappreciative, so I wanted to share this with you and thank you sincerely. The internet is a cesspool sometimes but I’m glad people like you exist in its crevices. :-) I hope all is well with you!

Hello!

Thank you for reaching out!!

You know what? You've perfectly described something I have been feeling ... but didn't know I was feeling.

The blog is my safe space, I began it when I was depressed and it sort of maps out my recovery. The years where I was less active were actually good years for me -- I didn't need it anymore.

Returning post my divorce has been difficult, and I am just now realising it's because the blog reminds me of this other time. I read past posts and there are all things about how much I love my husband and how happy I am in my marriage. And while those feelings were absolutely true at the time, it makes my stomach churn when I come across those posts.

Also, perfectly innocent questions sometimes upset me because they remind me of my ex-husband helping me write the original responses. I avoid my stories because he always read everything before it was published and helped me edit. It's a whole thing.

I didn't even realise until I read your message. So thank you! As odd as this may sound, it's helped me understand why I resent the blog sometimes, why I don't want to log in and why it no longer functions as my happy place as it once did.

I am so glad the blog was there for you when you needed it. I am grateful for the community that's been here for me when I've needed it. Thank you so much for reaching out. It is not the easiest thing to do.

[chimken-nugget]

not trying to turn this into a warrior cats blog but i have to say, one of my favourite pieces of warrior cats media has to be the Cats of the Clans Field Guide.

Genuinely, this field guide acknowledges some of the biggest gripes I've had with the warrior cat series (and through the perspective of Rock !!).

Also, it's just super well written (imo, at least) and the art is gorgeous ????? The idea of the reader being in the perspective of 3 starclan kits talking to Rock is actually so peak.

Of course, we have the usual continuity errors that appears in almost every book post-TPB, and some stuff did not age well lorewise, but i don't think the writing team ever really thinks that far ahead for the lore to be properly coherent anyways.

I'm just going to share a few of my favourite things about this book, though i do recommend reading it yourselves.

Warning: Massive wall of text below

- Rock being unbiased towards any clan. One of the few books where I didn't feel like it was leaning towards one clan more than the other. Having each clan be represented by the 3 straclan kits (mosskit for river/thunder, blossomkit for shadow, adderkit for wind) is such a smart move. Any biases are portrayed through the kits themselves.

- Rock has these moments where he openly criticises the clans for the way they tend to consider themselves better than non-clan cats. He says that there have been better cats to exist who were never involved with clan life. It was honestly so refreshing to see this weird supremacy stuff get acknowledged.

- Rock also acknowledges that starclan is flawed. Throughout the book he wonders whether they have biases and mentions how strange it is that shadowclan keeps getting messed up by starclan (e.g. the nightstar situation). He also mentions how faith in starclan isn't everything.

ALSO ALSO, quote from the book: 'For once I believe Starclan has acted in every Cat's best interest'

"FOR ONCE",, I love Rock.

My only wish is that leafpool getting doomed by starclan (and the narrative) could've been acknowledged. However, this book was pre-OOTS perspective, so leafpool had not yet reached fully doomed status.

- Rock wonders whether tigerstar ever looks at hawkfrost and remember his persecution of halfclan cats (this drove me insane while reading TNP i am so glad it has been pointed out here)

- Something that stood out to me so, so much as well is the way Rock points out, and criticises how overlooked Sandstorm is and how she tends to be reduced to simply being the mother of Firestar's kits. Rock is a no. 1 sandstorm fan, and i agree with him.

- Rock's disdain of spottedleaf being in Firestar's business is so true. Thank you Rock for speaking on what the authors would later forget.

- Rock calls Tallstar's last-minute deputy change foolish. Tallstar is one of my favourite characters, but even I have to agree with this.

- PRINCESS SITS ON THE FENCE AND STILL WONDERS TO THIS DAY WHETHER HER KIN ARE SAFE

Genuinely, what ?? Did the Erin Hunter team actually just decide to sit down that day and properly (kinda) consider all the flaws of the characters they created.

idc what anyone says, i consider majority of what this field guide says to be canon LOL

[jayceeartz]

Since I've been in the tnmn fandom for a year already, I really want to talk about some problems I have with the fandom.

Now, I love this fandom and the people in it! I've made really good friends and met the sweetest people ever! Buut I've noticed some toxic traits about some parts about the fandom. I've even made other blogs talking about some. Just know this post is NOT targeting any accounts in particular. But if you see any accounts that have done anything I've talked about, PLEASE DON'T HARASS OR SEND HATE TOWARDS THEM!! Just kindly inform them that what their doing is wrong and maybe they'll understand.

With that out of the way, here's my yap session. It's pretty long so... yeah

1. People forcing headcanons and ships upon other people in the fandom.

I kinda noticed how some people are salty about headcanons and ships. So they'll spread a lot of misinformation (fake screenshots, hacking the wiki page, etc) about characters. I've mainly seen this here on Tumbler and on the TNMN wiki. And... ugh... people in nachosamas Instagram comments begging him to make a ship canon. Even though he's said before that no ships are canon.

Moral of the story, please don't force people to like your headcanons or ships. Remember, people are going to have different opinions on different headcanons and ships. I was salty about my HCs too, but I learned quickly to learn that people will have different opinions on things.

Also please don't beg nachosama to make a ship/HC canon. He's making a whole reboot to the game. I'm positive the last thing he cares about is ships. (I'm not saying you can't ship anything. We can ship whatever we want as long as it's not problematic!)

2. Not censoring or poorly censoring nsfw art

I made an entire rant post a while back about this topic, and thankfully, for the most part, some people have heard me loud and clear. Of course, there's still uncensored stuff on here and on every platform ever, but that's just the harsh reality of fandoms. Nsfw art has and will always exist. I just think it's important for the artists to be mindful that minors are also using the app, and they shouldn't need to be exposed to that stuff. Maybe they can make a private nsfw account if that's better.

3. Anonymous asks hate

This is a tale as old as time. Some basement dwelling, unhappy, tumbler user really hates an artist. And they have nothing else better to do than harass the artist and send death threats and other threats. And the artist can't see who sent it because they're anonymous. This is a big problem in the tnmn fandom for some reason. And it's can really damage someone's mental health. I really want to find out who's doing this and expose them once and for all. But for now all I can do is dream and be suspicious of some people.

4. A lot of hate towards the self shippers/oc x canon shippers :(

This is mainly on Twitter (no surprises there), but I feel like it needs to be talked about as a tnmn self shipper and oc x canon shipper. I understand if someone ships themselves with a married character (example, afton) and it makes you upset. But you should never harass them over that. If it makes you uncomfortable, just scroll away from it.

Also while we're on the topic of selfshippers, I feel as someone who's nonsharing with some of my f/os (fictional others), if you're nonsharing and you see another selfshipper ship themselves with one of your f/os, please please do NOT harass them. Just block them and continue on with your life. I've already explained my "pinterest incident" and I'd hate for anyone to end up like that person. If you're a nonsharing selfshipper, that's completely valid! But please be mindful about other people and their feelings.

That's pretty much all I wanted to talk about!

If you have problems with this fandom, please let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear if you have similar problems or any other problems with the fandom!💖💖💖💖

[wayward-stardust]

truth scrapper trailer theories/speculation/thoughts:

so i was not planning to be as interested in this game as i am now.

of course i was going to check out the game when it came out, considering how normal i've been about isat for the past (checks steam) eleven months, but none of the descriptions really grabbed me pre-trailer. mostly because i'm not a romance person.

i'm still not particularly interested in the romance, although betz in particular is very pretty. but all the other stuff? the memory mechanics? the visual style? the lore? i'm so invested now.

and i have thoughts. am i going way too far into the speculation trenches for a game that only has a single trailer out? probably. am i having fun theorizing and analyzing every detail i can find? absolutely.

part 1: sosette's condition

so i've already seen some people speculate on sosette being a system, given her tendency to describe herself using "we" and "us" and the detached way she tends to treat the former versions of herself.

while the evidence is definitely there (and the post linked earlier makes some really good points), i actually don't read it that way.

there's definitely some parallels there even if sosotte's got her own thing going on, and there's not any evidence that she's not necessarily a system, but to me this feels more like a consequence of her memory condition where she considers herself separate from her past and previous selves because they don't share memories (besides what's written in her scrap book). as in, every day a new sosotte, but there's exactly one sosotte existing at any given time, if that makes sense.

it's a fascinating question: are you still the same person if you don't remember your past? sosotte doesn't seem to think so. each day is a new beginning — quite literally — for her in a world she's never seen before. each sosotte is different, for the single day that she gets to live.

on a meta level, there's also the comparison to all the different sosottes we can create by choosing what she gets to remember. the sosotte that chooses to focus on amour and learn more about her may end up understanding the world differently than the one who falls for betz. one may focus on the mystery of the dwell and finding clues. one may try to remember as much as she can about the people she's met.

but there's also the question of how her condition fits into the larger world.

part 1.5: the truth scrappers guild

so i don't think sosotte's condition is unique. or, at least, not as unique as i initially assumed it was.

(photo from the game's steam page)

(from this interview with insertdisc5)

to me, this makes it sound like memory issues and forgetting might be a relatively common thing among members of sosotte's guild, and while she may have it particularly bad she's not the only one with problems. of course, we haven't (as far as i know) seen any other truth scrappers yet to confirm this. (besides the intern who runs the @/truthscrapper blog. if you happen to see this and have anything to add, i'd love to hear it!)

side note: there's an interesting dichotomy between the truth scrappers being both researchers (a role typically tasked with learning more about the world) and wanting to forget (aka abandoning knowledge). which actually ties back to the title! it could mean truth scrappers as in scrapping (casting away) the truth, or piecing together scraps (like sosette's scrap book!) of truth, or also to scrap (fight) the truth, or probably some other definition that'll become more clear once the game is out.

i also am currently running with the theory that sosotte's memory condition is — at least partially — self-inflicted.

we know that saturated items seem to have at least some special abilities (like sosotte's scrap book, which helps her remember things). and, especially if the truth scrappers guild is composed of multiple people with both the desire to forget things and holes in their memory, then that feels like too much of a coincidence to not be intentional. perhaps the severity of sosotte's condition is due to a mistake in whatever saturation ritual she followed. perhaps she's simply affected differently than the others.

there's also the scene with the forget-me-not flower that shows up multiple times in the trailer. (might be real. might be a flashback. might be a dream sequence. who knows at this point.)

i want to forget, the label says. i do wonder what sosotte is running from. what the others who were lost in the dwell were running from, if all the truth scrappers have pasts they'd rather leave behind.

(the dwell, the setting is called. to dwell on unpleasant memories, to be forced to remember what you tried to forget. i could see that breaking someone.)

part 2: saturated items and color theory

truth scrapper’s “magic system” seems to be based around the concept of Saturated Items, like sosotte’s scrap book. how these work, i don’t know yet, besides the fact that there’s apparently rituals involved in making them? saturating them? one of those terms.

but what i do know is that they’re also saturated. as in color. as in the world appears to be literally grayscale (hey, that sounds familiar) except for these items. and maybe some other stuff.

which means that when things are in color, they're probably important. especially when this isn't the first time insertdisc5 has made splashes of color in a grayscale world plot relevant.

unlike isat, there's a lot of color around, though, which means there's quite a bit to analyze.

a) saturated items seem to be fairly common in-universe. we can see (presumably) sosotte making several saturated items in the trailer, and nearly every character we meet seems to have at least some element of color to them, whether that's their clothes or their hat or their other accessories. in addition, there are larger colored items like a couple of the houses behind the betz brigade or the lampposts in the screenshot with betz. whether these are actually saturated items or just a way to mark important things, i'm not entirely sure, but i'm leaning towards the in-universe explanation. (they're also shaded differently but i think *that's* just because they're background objects and not hand-drawn)

b) most characters don't have any color themselves, and only their accessories are saturated. with three notable exceptions: amour has red hair, the betz brigade member on the left has a purple streak in their hair, and marcel has purple eyes. so can you saturate parts of yourself? is saturated dye a thing? is this something anyone can do or are these three special? i'm particularly interested in marcel, because

c) there's a lot of eye imagery here. two members of the betz brigade have eyes on their hats: so does caro, and even sosette has two eyes on her hat. there's also the symbol on both sosette's scrapbook and one of the sticky notes in the image with betz, which looks similar to an eye. (or it's a change symbol, with circles in circles in circles.)

even sosotte's saturated items have eyes on them.

eyes representing truth. knowledge. to see things that might otherwise be kept hidden. not everything colored has eyes, but a lot of it does, which makes me wonder if this is more of a symbolic thing or has tangible impact on a saturated item's properties.

so. back to marcel, who's the only one with colored eyes. can you see things that others can't? what do you know? what are you hiding? i'm very suspicious.

part 3: this one screenshot from the steam page (didn't fit anywhere else but i needed to say something)

why is there second person dialogue in the first person game. it’s in parentheses so i doubt it’s spoken dialogue, and it could be sosotte talking to her future selves but also. the text is orange. when it’s usually black for external dialogue and green when it’s sosotte thinking. who are you. are you amour? the book itself? another loop situation? is this where we find out system sosette is real? i have so many questions.

final thoughts

if you read all the way through this, thanks! not sure how readable my ramblings were but hopefully you at least got something out of it!

i'm sure i'll have more to say as we get more information about the game (and definitely a lot more to say once truth scrapper is actually released). but if it's not clear already i'm very excited to see where this goes! (and if you have any thoughts/theories feel free to share, i'd love to bounce ideas off other people!)

[didalexiabreakupwitholgaisback]

what do you think needs to change on woso tumblr to keep people sticking around longer? i feel like the past months we’ve seen an exodus from the platform

well, i can only speak for myself, but i've noticed a few things happening:

there's a lot more negativity on tumblr now than when i first started my old blog. it's like the hate from cesspools like twitter and l chat have spilled out onto here, when it was otherwise quite a chill and welcoming community. the reason i avoid those other places now is because of that, so to see that toxicity more often on tumblr is sad.😐

and not just me, but i've noticed a lot more trolling and downright hateful anon messages sent to my fellow content creators. like i used to get a handful of hateful messages on my old blog every once in a while, but it's a lot more common now. and not everyone wants to put up with that kind of nonsense. 😵‍💫

there's a lot of entitlement in the fandom. this is something that exists in real life as well as online life. remember that everyone is creating content in their spare time and this is not their full time job. 🙏

and finally, my evil archnemesis liga f has taken down quite a few blogs. so people either don't have the energy to re-start their blog or are a lot more cautious about posting because they don't want their blog to get terminated. 😤

hi anons - i appreciate both your comments. i do think this person was a troll and being hateful on purpose, and i've found most native english speakers to my blog to be quite respectful and nice.

and for everyone on a language journey, don't let others discourage you. keep speaking and practising. and it will make your travels all the more engaging! 🙂‍↕️

and if nothing else, my language skills helped me land my job, which I love and affords me the freedom to live the life i want, so you never know what the future may hold! 🙏