#Using substack with Patreon

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Why Integrating Substack with Patreon Can Take Your Writing to Another Level

I turned the Chapter 15 of Substack Mastery book to a short podcast for anyone can understand in 4 minutes.  I had the privilege of being an editor for the early version of the best-selling Substack Mastery book authored by my mentor Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Main) who also introduced me to Substack when I totally lost hope on this platform and got disappointed with not being able to amplify important…

[strugglinguist]

New "Print" Edition on Substack and Patreon available for free! I talk about my response to the election and what the past 6 weeks of preparation has looked like.

[sumju]

Hey guys!

I saw the results of the poll, and most of you want me to post it 💖 so that’s what I’m going to do. Reminder! It will only be the first part of the chapter! It’s over 80 images now 😆 and like I mentioned before, I wrote this chapter way too long, so it will be a very lengthy chapter by the end. I really need to get better at that in the future 😆

I also thought I could show you the new cover⬆️💖

Before I continue, I want to say that I’m very grateful that you’ve been so understanding and patient. I felt guilty for a long time because this is taking me so long, but you’ve always been so supportive and I just wanted to say thank you for that 💖

Right now I’m struggling with how I’m going to post it, and I want to ask you for some advice.

The way I want you to read this is like reading a webtoon, where you scroll down instead of reading it page by page. The reason I’m making the comic like this is because I prefer the look this way, and also because of the plans I have for the comic in the future. If I want to accomplish what I imagine I can’t do it in the normal way, if that makes sense. It won’t have the same effect.

I could also consider making both webtoon format & comic format, but that will take a lot more editing.

Because I post so many pages at once, I worry that it won’t be as exciting for you and potentially new readers if you’re always able to see spoilers. That’s why I’m debating on posting on a new site or make my own.

I know Fanon does this, but I’ve never used it before. Do you have any experience with that site? There’s always Patreon or maybe substack, but I’ve never used those before either. Or again, I could make my own website where I post the comic (But I haven’t done that before .. either 🙈).. 🫠

If you have any advice, suggestions or preferences, please let me know in the comments 🙏🏻 I would really like to hear your thoughts🫶🏻

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

If you’re changing your name (for marriage reasons or gender reasons), that’s an exciting step! - and it can also come with the (potentially more boring or even unpleasant or nerve-wracking) task of having to update your contact information for a lot of places. 

Here’s a list with some places you should keep in mind: 

1. Government and legal documents

• Identity card / Passport

• Driver’s license

• Social security or tax office 

• Health insurance provider

• Any court documents or registrations (for example marriage certificate, birth certificate etc.)

2. Banking and finances

• Bank accounts (including savings and joint accounts)

• Credit cards

• PayPal or other payment platforms

• Loan or mortgage providers

• Insurance policies (life, car, household, etc.)

3. Employment and education

• Employer / HR department (for payroll, contracts, email, etc.)

• University or school records

• Certificates and diplomas (if you want them reissued with your new name)

• LinkedIn and other professional platforms

• Unions or professional associations

Unemployment office

4. Health and medical

• General practitioner and specialists

• Dentist

• Therapist / mental health providers

• Vaccination records and digital health apps 

• Prescription services or pharmacies

5. Daily life and memberships

• Phone and internet providers

• Utilities (electricity, water, gas)

• Rental agreements or homeowners’ documents

• Streaming services (Netflix, Spotify, etc.)

• Library cards

• Gym memberships

• Retail loyalty programs (Payback etc.)

6. Online presence and subscriptions

• Email accounts

• Social media profiles

• Blogs and personal websites

• Substack or Patreon

• Online shops you use often (Amazon, Etsy, etc.)

• Newsletter subscriptions

7. Travel and transportation

• Airline loyalty programs

• Train and public transport cards (monthly tickets etc.)

• Car registration and insurance

• Toll subscriptions or parking permits

Bonus Tips:

Consider making a spreadsheet to track where you’ve already updated your info and where you still need to.

Some places will require official documentation (like a court certificate or new ID), so keep digital copies handy if needed.

Laws on name changes can be wildly different in different countries. When in doubt on whether a certain point is applicable or necessary for you, make sure to look it up for your country specifically. 

Don’t forget the more personal stuff, like updating your name in group chats with your friends or in your private email signature!

If you’re changing your name for gender reasons, you can often update your information quietly or request discretion when dealing with customer service - but bureaucracy can still be frustrating. Feeling a bit anxious about potentially encountering transphobia etc. doesn’t mean you’re weak or that you’re not trans enough for this step or anything like that. It’s a normal feeling in a world where transphobia exists. 

Changing your name can feel overwhelming, especially when it’s tied to something deeply personal like gender or a new life chapter. But every form you fill out is also an act of affirmation - of who you are now and the life you’re building. That’s worth celebrating.

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad 

[colleendoran]

I apologize for not updating very often, but I don't have the energy to do anything but work. I've got most social media blocked, I'm not reading the news, and I'm just trying to focus and finish this tribute to the late, great Sir Terry Pratchett. I owe it to his estate, I owe it to the fans. I'm not even sure I'll keep most of my social media accounts up after this is over. Currently, I'm only using Twitter, Tumblr and BSKY for promotion. I don't even look at them anymore. My assistant posts for me. I can't risk getting distracted. I'm keeping my Instagram and my FB accounts up because things seem less intense there. You can also find me on my Patreon or on my Substack. I only have so many years left on this Earth, and a limited amount of time to do the projects I want to do. So much pressure is put on creators to constantly push and promote. There is only so much I can do. I need to create. I know I have a reputation for being very productive, but I'd probably be ten times more productive if I'd never been on social media. I don't know if my books would have sold as well without it, however. The great dilemma. Thank you to the Good Omens fandom. Thank you to the Terry Pratchett Estate. Less than 90 days to go. I won't let you down.

[jabbage]

You might be wondering why I haven't got any concrete plans for running Letters from Watson again right now - I'd like to, but I am interested in moving away from Substack if at all possible after they botched their handling of Nazis using their platform so spectacularly.

When that news first broke, it was a stressful time for me because instead of going after the CEO of this huge company, some people took their anger out on me as someone running a free book club, asking why I didn't just immediately switch to Ghost or MailChimp or Hiive or another email newsletter platform, suggesting I was complicit in being a nazi sympathiser for not doing so (...don't do that, by the way. It's not helpful to anyone.)

At the time I kept going because

A) shutting down a free book club because of Nazis felt like letting the bad guys win and

B) I could console myself with the fact that Substack didn't expect to be footing the bill for sending out tens of thousands of emails of public domain literature. Their business model expects to recoup the costs of sending all those emails for free by selling subscriptions - which a free book club doesn't have. I don't like that it might be drawing attention to the platform, but at least theyre losing money over my presence.

I think what people don't realise is that it costs somebody to send that many emails. Most platforms put that cost on the person sending the emails, particularly if you have a large mailing list.

Let's run some numbers.

A pretty common price I've seen on other platforms is $1 per 1,000 emails

Lets say numbers drop slightly for LfW for a second run, and the mailing list is at a nice round 10,000 people. I used to do 3ish letters a week,a bit less when shorter stories came up. Let's say about ten emails a month.

So I'm sending out 100,000 emails a month. That's $100 a month, or $1200 a year.

So what do I do? Stay on Substack with the thought that all these tech platforms have garbage people behind them, but have people think I'm ok with Substack's attitude? Adjust my whole budget and lifestyle to try to pay that money myself? Try to run a Patreon-style model where those who can pay a little bit and we divide the cost? Stop and decide that the golden age of literary substacks is over?

And LfW is tiny compared to Dracula Daily, I'm sure the numbers there get absolutely eye-watering.

I just don't know what the answer is.

If anyone knows of a platform which doesn't make the user pay to send large amounts of emails let me know, I guess!

EDIT: If anyone is going to make a suggestion, please look at the numbers I'm quoting here. Most mailing list services offer a free tier, but the number of subs and emails involved in running LfW generally far, far exceeds those free options.

[nateconnolly]

What Does the Lion Turtle Chant Mean?

A podcast episode about the spirituality of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Transcript Preview:

Many people have told me they struggle to take Sozin’s Comet seriously because they would have killed the Fire Lord without hesitation. And, look, as far as I’m concerned — if you’re willing to kill a genocidal colonizer, good for you! Many blessings upon your journey! And the show isn’t trying to dissuade you. 

Aang is not the only voice of wisdom in Avatar. He’s not a puppet through which the text articulates its meaning. Avatar is about cultural exchange. When one character says what they think is true, that isn’t necessarily the moral of a story. That’s one voice, and the story is a conversation. So, I don’t think that Sozin’s Comet is using Aang to say “Hey, you, you, looking at the TV, you personally should never support violent revolution!” Water Tribe culture doesn’t seem to have any problem with killing on the battlefield. 

When Sokka lops off the Melon Lord’s head, there’s some very clear indications that we’re supposed to be troubled. The musical cue, Momo eating the melon, he lingering focus on Aang’s reaction … But I don’t think this scene is meant to communicate that Sokka is a bad guy. Or that soldiers are inherently bad people. I assume that Hakoda, Bato, and Tyro killed people. These figures are portrayed as admirable, and even as mentors. 

The scene in which Sokka kills the Melon Lord is there to illustrate the difference between Southern Water Tribe culture and Air Nomad culture. Sokka’s journey is about embracing and reclaiming all the parts of his culture that the Fire Nation tried to destroy. He wasn’t able to go ice dodging or to train as a wolf warrior, but he has found a way to become a strong, protective man anyways. And that does mean that he’s willing to kill or die for a cause he believes in. This scene doesn’t communicate that Sokka is a bad person. It communicates that Sokka is walking his own path, and that Aang is walking a different path. But the show doesn’t try to tell you one of them is wrong and the other is right. 

At the same time, I think we need to remember that Aang is saying something he believes. It’s not just an emotional problem for him. 

Aang gives multiple related, but different reasons not to kill the Fire Lord.

“I didn’t feel like myself.” 

The Fire Lord “is still a human being.”

Killing goes against “everything the monks taught me.”

“All life is sacred.”

In Southern Raiders, he also makes a more general claim that “violence is never the answer,” but I think that the writers had to use the word “violence” as a euphemism. In our normal usage of the word, punching somebody would be a “violent” act. Aang clearly has no problem whacking people over the head or shooting wind at them. I think this is a way of making the show more kid friendly, and that what Aang actually means is 

“[Killing] is never the answer.”

Some of these claims are about Aang as an individual. He’s saying he doesn’t feel like he, specifically, can kill someone. That it goes against the values of his culture. And some of these are universal claims. He’s saying no one should kill, not ever. 

But he also believes in a separate ethical mandate. As the Avatar, he has to protect the world. In this lifetime, that means preventing the Fire Lord from burning the Earth Kingdom. 

This is a story about moral standards, and they seem impossible to live up to. There’s no easy answer. If you believe that murder is wrong, and you believe in the duties of the Avatar, then you have a conflict of values, not just emotions. In order to understand the Buddhist themes of Sozin’s Comet, we have to understand Buddhist ideas of morality. 

This podcast episode

Bluesky

⁠Substack

⁠Twitter

⁠Patreon

Nate's short story about Buddhism

Transcript with Citations

[ofmdrecaps]

05/01-04/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Kristian Nairn; Vico Ortiz; Ruibo Qian; Anapela Polata'ivao; Dominic Burgess; Adopt Our Crew; Fan Spotlight: Tiny Crew Big Raffle Updates; Harold's Haunt; Our Flag Means Fanfiction: Gay Pirate News Hour; Love Notes;

= Rhys Darby =

Rhys has been keeping us apprised of everything going on on his Australia Stand up tour! One paid and one free, check them out below! "The Car Boot Merch Incident"

Source: Rhys' Free Substack

Source: Rhys' Paid Substack

= Taika Waititi =

Taika has been playing the long game in The Masked Singer this season! Looks like he was the Lucky Duck!

Him and Ken Jeong really had a great time at the reveal!

Source: Ken Jeong's IG

= Con O'Neill =

Con has been sending a lot of love lately, this time with some much needed Cooper love!

Source: Con's IG/Threads

= Vico Ortiz =

As mentioned previously, Vico's moved from Patreon to Substack! They've posted some new OFMD BTS! This is a long one!

Source: Vico's Paid Substack

Also-- Vico went out to see James Tom's show!!!

Source: Vico's IG Stories

= Samba Schutte =

Samba sending out May the 4th wishes!

Source: Samba's IG Stories

Additionally, "Cookin up something delicious" what're you up to Samba?

Source: Samba's IG

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian's headed to the Belfast Books Festival June 5-12, 2025! You can get tickets here!

Source: Kristian's Twitter

Also too-- Kristian showing off some Jewelry by one of his faves. Check them out here.

Source: Kristian's IG

= Ruibo Qian =

Our Pirate Queen has been keeping us fed on cat content lately, and some shots of her as well! She's always sending love!

Source: Ruibo's IG

= Anapela Polata'ivao =

Just some more promo shots of Auntie for Tinā which is doing ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL in theatres!

Source: Tinā The Film's

And a promo song!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @tinathefilm

Source: Tinā The Film's IG

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic also wished everyone a very special May the 4th be with you with some bts of his character Beef from The Skeleton Crew!

Source: Dominic's IG

== Adopt Our Crew ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew send out a reminder and celebration of the AAPI cast, crew, and community. Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month friends!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Bsky

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Tiny Crew Big Raffle =

Some additional items are up in the Tiny Crew Big Raffle 2! Reminder the raffle was extended to May 17th! Get your donations in before then! More info here!

Also, it's a lot more recent than the 4th, but I wanted to make sure it got posted in time--

Source: Tiny Crew Big Raffle IG

= Harold's Haunt =

If you're in the Millvale, PA area, they're doing OFMD Flash Tattoos on 5/24 for Calypso's Birthday!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ringa Sunn (@ringasunn)

Source: Harold Haunt's IG

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

New month means new Gay Pirate News Hour!

Source: OFMFF Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. I hope you're all doing okay. Love Notes are short tonight because I'm not feeling very well. If you're struggling with something you've done, try to forgive yourself if you can.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @thelatestkate

Source: The Latest Kate's IG

[emrowene]

Webserials and Why You Should Read Them

Welcome to a short primer on webserials! The concept behind them is pretty simple: webserials, also called webnovels or webfiction, are serialized online novels. If you read long fanfics OR webcomics, you're probably already familiar with the concept. Authors release new chapters on a fixed basis, usually one chapter a week (but sometimes more, sometimes less).

You can find webserials in several places: on big platforms like tapas and royalroad, on individual authors' websites or patreons, or on newsletter platforms like substack.

So now we know what webserials are, but why should we support them?

Because webserials are fun. Because webserial authors are sharing amazing works online for free! Because the publishing industry is disproportionately hard to get into for queer and marginalized folks, and those are the people writing webserials.

To climb a little higher onto my soapbox, I believe webserials are the future of accessible and diverse publishing. There's been more and more discussion about the problems with traditional publishing: how publishers are turning it into a "fast fashion" industry, spitting out books while overall book quality decreases. Regardless of whether you believe that, it's true that the industry prioritizes "marketability" over anything else. Experimental books, passion projects, books that have a lot of heart but no pithy "tropes" -- they stand little chance in the world of traditional publishing, and self-publishing is incredibly inaccessible for most of us. It's expensive, but more than that, it takes an incredible amount of time and effort. It's a business, and at the end of the day, some of just want to share the stories we love with people we hope will love them too. And that's the beauty of webserials!

One complaint I've seen about webserials is that "you never know what the quality will be like" - and I've seen this from people who regularly read fanfiction! Like fanfiction writers, we have our beta readers, we have our editors, we pour our hearts into developing our stories. So give us a try!!

Some recs and places to get started under the cut:

My webserials:

Fractured Magic - A queer epic fantasy series about a broken hero’s hunt for redemption and an elven prince’s quest to rescue his kidnapped king. The two estranged friends are racing against time - and dead gods - to achieve their goals. Will they make up and work together before it’s too late? (This story is currently ongoing)

The Case Files of Sheridan Bell - An old-school detective mystery set in Tamarley, a fantastical city with magical murders and doors to other worlds. Basically (queer, autistic) Sherlock Holmes but with more faeries. The first mystery is complete; the second will be published soon!

Some other webserials I follow/followed from start to finish:

What Manner of Man by @stjohnstarling - a queer gothic romance novel about a priest and a vampire.

The Warthog Report by @warthogreporter- this substack contains a selection of nonfiction writing, misc. fiction writings, and Battles Beneath The Stars, a serialized story about a tournament in a fantasy world, styled like a fighting game script/walkthrough.

Kiss it Better by DogshitJay - A (definitely 18+) queer adult romance about the messy endings and messier beginnings of love.

Warrior of Hearts by Beau Van Dalen - a queer slice of life romance following an online friendship that blossoms into something more. (Beau has lots of other great webserials as well!)

More places to look:

Tapas (Community novels page)

Royalroad (mostly known for its litrpg scene, but you can find other novels and genres here as well!)

The ao3 "Original Works" tag!

[briechyne]

I Have to Write...

There’s something that starts to ache when I haven’t written in a while. Not pain—just pressure. A gentle but insistent reminder that I’ve left something unfinished. That somewhere in me, a sentence is trying to form, and it won’t leave me alone until I give it breath.

I used to think it was just a creative quirk. Now, I know—it’s a calling.

Writing is not always romantic. Sometimes it’s tea gone cold beside an open book, or an overworked brain staring at a blank screen at midnight. Sometimes it’s frustration at your own thoughts, how clumsy they feel when you try to shape them. But even then—especially then—I have to write.

These past few months, most of my words have gone into Footnotes for the Soul, my Substack. It’s become a quieter, steadier space where I can write at length about the things I hold closest: grief and wonder, literature, stories that leave you breathless. I’ve seen growth there—slow, genuine growth—and it’s been beautiful. The kind of growth that doesn’t go viral but lingers, like a candle flickering in a library window.

But I’ve missed Briechyne. This place. This strange, beloved corner of Tumblr. Where thoughts don’t have to be essays. Where I can speak without needing to conclude. Where a single photo, a passing line, or a quote from Tolkien can say everything that needs saying.

Tumblr isn’t the place for longform writing—at least not usually. But it is the place for resonance. For presence. For the kind of digital breath that reminds you you’re not thinking alone.

I started this blog as a place to breathe between chapters—between chapters of life, chapters of books, chapters of becoming. It’s the common room of my mind. The sketchbook. The corkboard. The place where thoughts gather before they turn into something more.

And now I’m here again, remembering that I don’t just want to write. I have to write.

To my fellow academists—the ones who think too deeply and love too much, the ones who annotate their books and underline with care, the ones who feel at home in dusty libraries and sunlit desks—I want to ask:

What would you like to read more of from me? What do you carry between the footnotes of your day?

Your voice matters to me. This blog is not just mine—it’s ours.

If you’ve found something here that makes you stay, or think, or feel seen… know that you’re invited to follow the longer journeys over on Substack. That’s where I write more fully. The long letters. The essays. The soulwork. And if you'd like to support what I do beyond the screen, there’s Patreon too—where I share the quiet pieces, the musings between drafts, and the unfiltered thoughts I rarely publish elsewhere.

But even if you’re just passing through, I hope you stay long enough to read a line or two. Because I have to write. And perhaps—you have to read.

[mehmetyildizmelbourne-blog]

Practical Tips to Create and Configure a Patreon Account and Start Creating

You can do this in less than an hour with my practical tips. Bonus: importance of building a community on Patreon. When I published my Substack Mastery book, I got in touch with some readers to obtain feedback on their first impressions.. One of the questions was which chapter was the most useful for them. It varied among readers, but one pattern emerged when I analyzed the data.  Readers from…

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

03/04-08/2025 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Vico Ortiz/OFMD Craft Fair Flash Sale!; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Con O'Neill; Samba Schutte; Vico Ortiz; Kristian Nairn; Anapela Polata'ivao; Rachel House; Tim Heidecker; Damien Gerard; Dominic Burgess; OFMD Craft Fair Follow Up; Save Our Queer Stories; Articles; You Only Frame Twice; Fan Spotlight; Love Notes;

= Vico Ortiz /OFMD Craft Fair =

Looks like there's ONE MORE Auction available from the OFMD Craft Fair. Check out these awesome items provided by Vico! They end March 9th, 5PM EDT! Check them out here!

Source: OFMD Craft Fair Final Auction

= David Jenkins =

Our Pirate/Chaos Dad has once again triggered some clowning by posting pictures of the Revenge with the text "How it started"

Source: David Jenkins IG

= Rhy Darby =

Rhys posted a short sketch from one of his recent shows!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rhys Darby (@rhysiedarby)

Source: Rhys Darby's IG

He also posted some tour BTS on his Paid Substack Video!

Source: Rhys Paid Substack

= Taika Waititi =

Taika recently posted a lot of his most recent directoral works on Instagram! Here's two I don't think I've shared before from other sources! You can check out the rest of the items he posted on his IG!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taika Waititi (@taikawaititi)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taika Waititi (@taikawaititi)

Source: Taika's IG

= Con O'Neill =

The anonymous winner of the Con O'Neill recording was absolutely amazing and shared the donation with the fandom! You can listen to the recording below. Thank you Anonymous Crewmate <3

Voice Source: veeagainsttheday's Bsky

Transcript Source: @blakbonnet's Tumblr / Roxirondell's Bsky

Speaking of Con, he posted a silly picture of him and Cooper <3

Source: Con's IG

= Samba Schutte =

Samba was out at the beach with his little one!

Source: Samba's IG

= Vico Ortiz =

Our darling Vico has been keeping us full of Madeleine Sami BTS lately! Two new ones are up on their Paid Patreon! OFMD BTS 1 OFMD BTS 2

Source: Vico's Paid Patreon

= Kristian Nairn =

Kristian posted a quick update! He's been out for conventions in London & Aberdeen recently and he's got some updates regarding Spektrum as well!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian Nairn (@kristiannairn)

Source: Kristian's IG

= Anapela Polata'ivao =

More interviews with Anapela for the Tinā film!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by @tinathefilm

Source: Tinā The Film IG

= Rachel House =

Rachel back in Aotearoa and out with Whanau!

Source: Rachel's IG

= Tim Heidecker =

Our Doug, Tim Heidecker has a new episode of Office Hours Live up on Youtube!

= Damien Gerard =

Father Teach, aka Damien Gerard, is blessing us with more kitty pics!

Source: Damien's Bsky

= Dominic Burgess =

You know who else loves to bless us with cat content? Our dear Jeffrey Fettering, Dominic Burgess!

Source: Dominic's Bsky

Dominic posted some pictures from his trip to Transformers Con this weekend!

Source: Dominics Bsky

== OFMD Craft Fair Follow Up ==

Hey crew! Looks like the folks who ran the Craft Fair could use some help with putting together the rest of the cost of shipping for all the winners. If you have a few dollars to spare, they'd love your help meeting that need! https://ko-fi.com/ghostalservice

Source: Momebie's Bsky

== Save Our Queer Stories ==

The folks over at @savequeerstories shared more information about @adoptourcrew and how to help support OFMD! Thanks for keeping us on your radar friends!

Source: SaveQueerStories Bsky

== Articles ==

Fabulous news! Pink News featured the fandoms Craft Fair! At the time it was posted only $85K had been raised, but it's already over $100K now!! So many trans kids are going to get the help they need because of you crew! Article Here

Source: Pink News IG

== You Only Frame Twice ==

There's a new Fan-Frames project going on! This time folks are looking for people to help with a fan-made animatic project to illustrate David's OFMD Christmas/Valentine's Special! Interested in joining them? Check out their bsky for more info! You can also sign up here!

Source: You Only Fram Twice Bluesky

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Mossgroves =

The first up on the Fan Spotlight for the OFMD Craft fair is the absolute legend @mossgroves! She was so incredibly kind to donate this amazing Painting of our boys! If you aren't familiar with Moss's work, please take a moment to check out her incredible art here on their linktr.ee! Her work is one of the first fanarts I'd seen in this fandom and it really blew me away and peaked my interest in OFMD!

= Jillian S =

Another one of our dear crewmates, @jilliansauers makes beautiful ornaments and necklaces (I have one of her Messages In A Bottle and it's awesome!!) She donated these two wonderful pieces to the Craft Fair! Also in case you didn't know-- Jillian also does such amazing things for this fandom day to day (she helps keep track of the donations we've made as a fandom, reaches out to everyone and sends love, is always keeping an eye out for new cast members on the various platforms, and so much more)-- she's a treasure! You can find Jillian over on Bluesky!

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. I know this week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster! The 3 year anniversary of OFMD was on 03/03 and then the 1 year anniversary of David telling us 'officially' there was no renewal was on 03/07. I remember that day really well. I remember crying at my desk for hours while I tried to work. I remember streaming OFMD with several crewmates trying to find some assemblance of calm. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year. The renewal campaign efforts were so intense those first few months, and then David's message hit us all like a ton of bricks. But you know what? You all still kept showing up. Whether it was for renewal efforts, menacing WB execs, supporting your fellow crew financially or emotionally, raising money for marginalized groups, for cast & crew in their continued endeavors--- you kept showing up. That's what community is. We show up for each other. I know the craft fair has been a big topic for several weeks now, and I'm loving every ounce of it because look at what it's done. Over $100,000 for trans youth, our sibs that are currently being targeted by so many people in the US and across the world. I know we can't afford to spend that much money all the time, but it's so incredibly inspiring what you all can do when you band together. Please never forget the power you have, individually, but especially as a crew, as a community. We rally together so well because this crew is kind and loving and even when we have our inter-fandom squabbles, we still come together when things are most important and make magic happen. I hope you know how proud we all are of you lovelies. I hope you all are proud of yourselves for the immense impact you made on so many lives, just by being kind.

Rest well, remember to hydrate, and take some time for you.

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A post shared by bailey (@anxiety.positive)

Source: Anxiety Positive Instagram

[theextendedbriechyne]

I Have to Write...

There’s something that starts to ache when I haven’t written in a while. Not pain—just pressure. A gentle but insistent reminder that I’ve left something unfinished. That somewhere in me, a sentence is trying to form, and it won’t leave me alone until I give it breath.

I used to think it was just a creative quirk. Now, I know—it’s a calling.

Writing is not always romantic. Sometimes it’s tea gone cold beside an open book, or an overworked brain staring at a blank screen at midnight. Sometimes it’s frustration at your own thoughts, how clumsy they feel when you try to shape them. But even then—especially then—I have to write.

These past few months, most of my words have gone into Footnotes for the Soul, my Substack. It’s become a quieter, steadier space where I can write at length about the things I hold closest: grief and wonder, literature, stories that leave you breathless. I’ve seen growth there—slow, genuine growth—and it’s been beautiful. The kind of growth that doesn’t go viral but lingers, like a candle flickering in a library window.

But I’ve missed Briechyne. This place. This strange, beloved corner of Tumblr. Where thoughts don’t have to be essays. Where I can speak without needing to conclude. Where a single photo, a passing line, or a quote from Tolkien can say everything that needs saying.

Tumblr isn’t the place for longform writing—at least not usually. But it is the place for resonance. For presence. For the kind of digital breath that reminds you you’re not thinking alone.

I started this blog as a place to breathe between chapters—between chapters of life, chapters of books, chapters of becoming. It’s the common room of my mind. The sketchbook. The corkboard. The place where thoughts gather before they turn into something more.

And now I’m here again, remembering that I don’t just want to write. I have to write.

To my fellow academists—the ones who think too deeply and love too much, the ones who annotate their books and underline with care, the ones who feel at home in dusty libraries and sunlit desks—I want to ask:

What would you like to read more of from me? What do you carry between the footnotes of your day?

Your voice matters to me. This blog is not just mine—it’s ours.

If you’ve found something here that makes you stay, or think, or feel seen… know that you’re invited to follow the longer journeys over on Substack. That’s where I write more fully. The long letters. The essays. The soulwork. And if you'd like to support what I do beyond the screen, there’s Patreon too—where I share the quiet pieces, the musings between drafts, and the unfiltered thoughts I rarely publish elsewhere.

But even if you’re just passing through, I hope you stay long enough to read a line or two. Because I have to write. And perhaps—you have to read.

[milf--adjacent]

Hey it's decolonize-the-left/2spirit-0spoons

....they got me again. At least they got my political sideblog. I still have my main backup acct tho, which is weird and honestly this account may not last either.

A shame this happened right after we were reunited too 😭💖

And so at the risk of being annoying and possibly even cringe. Can you post this and help me get my bluesky out just in case ppl wanna keep following me elsewhere? (Or here on my new tumblr main?)

https://bsky.app/profile/2spirit1spoon.bsky.social

Cuz i genuinely don't know if I'm gonna remake another politics blog on here. I might do substack or patreon or something but idk, anyway...

Its very clear to me rn censorship will get worse and while I know there's isn't really a Safe place on the internet, rn I'm trying em all out 😮‍💨

So if you or anyone else has suggestions on where to go, please send them my way 💕

o7 you're braver than any US marine. Redbook/Xiaohongshu is pretty interesting so far. Gotta have some Chinese tho, but folks aren't outright assholes for the most part which is a fucking culture shock lmao.

[scretladyspider]

Asexuality can be an overwhelming topic when you’re new to it. If I heard for the first time ever that there are people who experience little to no sexual attraction, I’d have questions too. I did when I first heard about it and I asked a lot of things. If I knew in 2015 what I know now, I would’ve gone about it very differently. And so in this post I’m going to try to pass along some things I’ve learned only with experience.

If you’re curious about asexuality and you want to learn about it, the way to do that isn’t to ask people, especially strangers, invasive questions about sexual histories, trauma, or other invasive questions such as if someone masturbates, has sex, or has some sort of disorder that could effect their libido. Even if you’re curious about those aspects of someone’s ace experience, it isn’t a good way to start the conversation.

For starters, asexuality is a spectrum. Libido, arousal, and sexual attraction aren’t the same thing. Aces have different feelings about things like masturbating, engaging in sex, watching porn, etc.

A good rule of thumb is if it would be an invasive question for someone to ask you, especially without warning or permission, it’s safe to say it’s not an appropriate question to pop on someone else without informed consent.

More importantly, you have to be willing to be uncomfortable and challenge yourself. If you come into the conversation thinking asexuality isn’t real, and immediately dismiss anything that challenges you… you’re not really going to learn anything. You can’t learn something new if you’ve already decided the new thing doesn’t exist.

Aces are used to being dismissed.

We’re used to people saying it’s a disorder, it’s a mental illness, we just need to try it, it’s just trauma, it’s antidepressants, and so on. Whatever you’re thinking, we’ve heard it. And never mind that aces, like anyone who isn’t ace, can also be disabled, have experienced trauma, have had and enjoyed partnered sex and/or masturbation, watch porn, and so on. Any nuance is used as an excuse to write off asexuality. Again, we’ve heard it.

Aces know the whole world is expected to experience sexual attraction, and that what is and isn’t acceptable is heavily influenced by culture, race, sexism, and heteronormativity. Aces aren’t supposed to exist, but we still do.

So it makes sense that people want to ask the personal questions, especially those who really do want to learn about asexuality.

But we shouldn’t have to compromise our boundaries for you to believe we exist.

But say you do sincerely want to learn about asexuality. And you do want answers to the weird, uncomfortable questions.

What do you do?

read the full post on my ko-fi or on my patreon

ko-fi and patreon supporters get early access to long form essays and it helps me stay housed

also follow/subscribe on substack for the longer essays

[formulatrash]

I'm gonna be controversial and say I have absolutely no problem paying for Watcher on a separate site. YouTube is a hole that frequently promotes right wing shit and despite my incredibly careful curation and premium subscription it constantly tries to make me watch the WORST people, it also makes even the best people have to run horrible promos for bad companies as part of their videos because even getting the kind of viewing numbers that would keep a major TV show going doesn't pay the bills for a production company operating with relatively low overheads.

I get that it sucks but I am FINE (and I am extremely poor, I work a minimum wage job and have average adult who's nearly 40 life costs) with them saying they want to get the money direct not via being ripped off by one of the world's biggest companies profiting by making things worse. $5.99 a month is not much, $41.99 for a YEAR (currently) is fuck all. when sport paywalls itself behind something that's like £35 per month that's one thing but I already willingly pay for loads of creators on Patreon and Substack because I know damn well, as someone who used to earn my whole income in media it doesn't fucking pay you anything.