#i can understand if you literally cannot donate

[borrelia]

if you donate one single us dollar to the unrwa, you will have donated more money than you would have by clicking that stupid arab.orb link every day for four and a half years. yes, they do actually donate money to the unrwa, but even with tens of thousands of clicks, most of that money is the baseline $90 they send every quarter. from 2023 quarter 4, half a million clicks turned into $380.57. maths out to six hundreths of one cent per click. just donate to unrwa.

[vaxxildamn]

very happy Matt decided to clarify his stance on the genocide of the Palestinian people rn. Pretty unhappy with the way he worded it, who he centered in his video, and disappointed to see the responses to it on Twitter.

kinda scared to even post about it bc CR fans can get so defensive about their favorite white people that they can often leave little room for criticism or nuance. but man I have thoughts.

[berrymeter]

going to poor ppl to scam them has to be one of the most disgusting behaviours of all... but REPEATEDLY?

[carpathxanridge]

what this has taught me though is a lot of yall’s pro-choice arguments are not that ideologically sound, or at least don’t get to the heart of the argument. i know there are a lot of common abortion arguments that we like to default to, and none of these are wholly original arguments on either side, but i can’t emphasize enough the process of thinking deeply about these common arguments and understanding what the actual warrant for the claim is.

for example, if you say “a fetus is not a person.” and then the person you’re arguing with says, “it’s a literal human being,” and instead of refuting why the fetus does not have “personhood” in the legal sense and then making a broader philosophical claim that we shouldn’t view a fetus as a person, switching to the argument “okay even if it is a person it doesn’t matter because no person can be forced to be an organ donor even if the other person will die otherwise etc.”…. kind of makes you look like you don’t know what you’re talking about and are conceding that a fetus is a person.

similarly, if someone says “okay but there’s a difference between a nonaction (organ donation) and an action (abortion), there is no moral justification to abort because if the pregnancy progresses naturally the fetus will become a baby”… the crux of that argument isn’t answered by making a convoluted scenario (i haven’t seen it used in this particular argument but i’ve seen it in other context) where “ok someone connected all your vitals to a dude on life support against your will, do you have the moral justification to pull the plug?” no, the crux of that argument is that the pro life person is making an appeal to nature, usually paired with the argument that a pregnancy and its outcome is god’s will, and is suggesting that women’s role in the pregnancy is passive, just letting nature take its course. you might better be able to engage that particular argument by interrogating “why isn’t abortion natural when there are natural methods to abortion, when medical abortion has only made safer what women have done all throughout history? when miscarriage too is natural, happens in nature all the time, and isn’t always experienced as a loss by the mother—often it’s mundane, a woman’s body making the decision to terminate an unviable pregnancy, often before she’s even aware of it. so why is it natural for a woman’s body to terminate a pregnancy for her own survival and wellbeing, but as soon as she wills it and takes steps to do so it’s unnatural and immoral? yes, abortion is an action, but why do you see it as a perverse and immoral choice for a woman to make equivalent to murder, rather than her natural domain?”

and following these kinds of lines of questioning (rather than just switching to another stock pro-choice argument) will always get you closer to the heart of the disagreement, that which cannot be resolved over the course of a single conversation. which is that feminists simply believe that in a humane, moral society, women should get to choose whether or not to bring life into the world, whereas forced birthers believe a fetus is a life from conception, willed by god, and that women must surrender to god’s will.

[colourstreakgryffin]

Could I request separate yandere headcanons for Tengen and Giyuu in which reader is like Carmen Sandiego?

Hmm! So like the spy chick with the gorgeous red coat? Okay! She seems pretty cool! I’ll do her!

Yandere! Uzui Tengen

You’re selfless and a passionate humanitarian, those amazing traits won over Tengen’s heart quickly. He simply loves women like you and he doesn’t want to lose you to his competition, no matter how confident he is

Tengen knows about your thieving sidecareer and he could care less. Do you think he is any better than you? No, he is truly rotten, a horribly sick man that is ready to pull twisted means to get what he wants. To get the wives he wants, and that includes you

Tengen follows you around, everywhere you go so he make sure no thievery task your profession gives you will end up with your death. He loves you too much to let you get hurt in any form so he has you his eyes on you 24/7

Proposes daily to you, it’s horrifying as he never can take the hint from you. Tengen refuses to accept your rejection since his delusional mind cannot process it. Rather he does it himself or forces his kidnapped wives to give you the ring, it just gets worse since he won’t stop

Yandere! Tomioka Giyuu

Giyuu is very attracted to your intelligence and knowledge, he loves a woman who can take care of herself and understand everything around her in both a brilliant and strong way. His obsession with you and your character grows and grows until it takes over him, it turns him into a mindless zombie thinking only of you

Overprotective, because of your occasional missslips in your side-career of thieving could easily take your life away… that scares him to an earlier death. Giyuu can’t stand that idea at all so he will take charge and defend you from the people before you, rather you like it or not

Giyuu may adore your empathetic nature but he doesn’t believe anything you do shouldn’t be wasted on literally any of those useless beings. He would rather remove them from the equation all to together since they are still a threat to him, everybody in Japan can take you away from him

Seriously, he will do whatever you want so when you want to go donate to needed buildings like orphanages and mental health institutions. Giyuu may not like the fact you give those people and/or children your care and attention but your happiness is very important to him

[snowjanuscentral]

Omg there so much potential Even sejanus reading into things that aren’t there and like thinking Coriolanus likes him more than he actually does and making a romantic move on avox corio lol

Literally I have so many thoughts about Avox!Coriolanus, I have a fic outline but i'm gonna treat you to some headcanons, i'm Not Okay about this

Setting:

(In this au, Gaul is even more psychopathic than she is in the book - she cares so deeply about the perpetual state of war, and a twisted fairness in the games, that she perceives Coriolanus' actions as unforgiveable, and effectively discards him. She can always find another star pupil to take under her wing)

Coriolanus is accused of being a traitor to the Capitol due to his aiding of Lucy Gray in the games. To preserve the sanctity of the games, Lucy Gray is pardoned, as she has been 'manipulated' by Snow's evil rebel tendencies. In reality, she takes a deal to return to District Twelve by throwing Coriolanus under the bus.

The footage of Coriolanus attempting to rescue Sejanus from the arena is heavily edited to make it appear as though Coriolanus snuck into the arena and killed Bobbin to give Lucy Gray an unfair advantage.

Sejanus' role in the arena break-in is forgiven due to Strabo making a sizeable donation to the games.

The Snow family reputation is irrevocably destroyed - thankfully, the Capitol public holds great pity for Tigris and the Grandma'am, as they appear to be such fragile and pathetic creatures.

Plot Points In My Brain That Will Not Leave Me Alone

Coriolanus is utterly broken by the whole situation. Even when he was almost destitute, he could rely on his wit, charisma, manipulations and lies to get him out of trouble. That has all been stripped away. His own selfishness and hunger has ruined everything

Mr and Mrs Plinth are offered Coriolanus by Dr Gaul, and they agree to take him, albeit for different reasons; Strabo, to teach Sejanus the lesson he still hasn't learned about the Capitol, and Mrs Plinth, to try and give Coriolanus an easier life than he would experience elsewhere. They keep this acquisition to themselves.

Coriolanus stays in a room at the end of the servants quarters. In the first week, he doesn't come out of his tiny box room. Sejanus visits him on that first night, but Coriolanus doesn't even acknowledge his presence.

There are other Avoxes in the Plinth household, of course, but they hardly interact with Coryo. He isn't obedient, he isn't anything bar borderline catatonic, and they've learned the hard way what that leads to.

Eventually Coriolanus is coaxed out into the greater Plinth residence, and Sejanus treats him nicely enough, but Coryo cannot bring himself to eat. It's too painful on his throat, the food given to him far too rich, Sejanus far too sweet. He cries.

They settle into a new normal, but Coriolanus struggles to pick up the sign language the avoxes use. Not that Sejanus would understand it. Sejanus procures a notepad and pen for Coriolanus to write out his thoughts. It is confiscated by Strabo.

Sejanus misinterprets Coriolanus' eventual acquiescence to his circumstances as comfort. He thinks Coriolanus is becoming content in his company; instead, he has allowed the overwhelm to consume him. Coriolanus feels safer in Sejanus' presence, but not safe.

Coriolanus has nightmares often, and sleeps poorly. It is late one night in Sejanus' room, and he is reading a book, Sejanus reading out the words. They are sitting next to each other, and Coriolanus tires, eventually nodding off with his head on Sejanus' shoulder.

Sejanus begins to enjoy having Coriolanus at his beck and call, just as Coriolanus becomes accustomed to following orders.

It is another late night when Sejanus' hands begin to wander. It is not something Coriolanus has anticipated. He lets it happen anyway.

(I literally have so many thoughts and feelings, I WILL WRITE THIS FIC I PROMISE!!)

[sobashahzadi]

today marks the 27th day of Ramadan (depending on where you live and what calendar you follow it might be different) and I’m finally going to say it, it physically pains me how privileged I am right now, I’m fasting yet I can expect food at my table every night to break my fast, I have electricity to check prayer times, I have so many local mosques I can visit to pray and I have all my family here to celebrate with but millions of people in Palestine don’t, they’re struggling every night to scrap together a meal, they can’t afford to buy dates, dates! They’re the staple to any household in Ramadan if your not Muslim then it might be hard to understand just how significant they are to this time of the year. They can’t listen to the adhan (the call to prayer) because their mosques are destroyed, they can’t message family members to check on them because they have no electricity or to even cook, they’ve lost so many family members, some with only orphans remaining. guys I literally cannot stress enough how bad the situation there is, theyr facing a man-made famine as we speak, watch any recent video from Bisan if you have any doubt. keep donating and talking about this in the days leading up to Eid, and keep praying for them, keep donating in these last nights of Laylatul qadr and to those who still deny this gruesome genocide then please form a line as I shove my finger up yours

[evilwickedme]

Ugh so. I last got new glasses somewhere around November/December 2021. Very shortly after, a little over a year ago, I literally fell straight on my face and the glasses bent severely - a technician or whatever they're called was able to get it more or less fine, but not exactly perfect, and it's always bothered me since (specifically above my left ear, where the frame presses against my skull, causing persistent pain). However, since glasses are super fucking expensive, I didn't buy new ones. Recently this prescription has also started giving me headaches, clearly indicating it is time for a new one. But I straight up cannot afford new glasses rn. I've discovered my insurance will subsidize a decent amount of the cost of a new pair at one specific store that is convenient for me anyway, but not enough to genuinely make a new pair affordable. So I'm just. Using my glasses less and less. Taking them off almost the moment I get home and using my phone super close to my face, which is terrible for my eyes but at least doesn't make my head hurt. I've also had a persistent migraine problem after a several month break from migraines - it's probably caused by recent high amounts of stress, such as the money troubles I've had over the last couple of months, but I don't think the glasses are helping.

Basically what I'm asking for here is... Money. There's a ko-fi linked in my linktree in my bio. Here's the thing - while I'd appreciate money for free, literally anything will help, I'm also absolutely willing to do commissions. I can write you poetry, a short fic for any fandom I'm familiar with (to be discussed on a case by case basis), hell I'll edit your school paper as long as it's in an area I have any knowledge on (or at least check it for typos). My DMs are open and you can feel free to send me a message once you've donated and we'll discuss. Commissions will get priority over my current wips, with the exception of the spider gwen fic which is supposed to be a reward for the blorbo bracket.

There is a target goal up on my ko-fi page of 350, but even if I get nowhere near that, I will take anything with me to get a new pair, probably in late June. It's just become unbearable.

I would, of course, appreciate a signal boost, although I don't want anybody to feel obligated. Please understand that you will see this post several times over the next few weeks, tho. Love y'all.

[happilyfeatherafter]

Happilyfeatherafter’s ficrec Fridays

Back back back again, and I don't know guys, I think we should all just totally stab Caesar! Welcome back to a new fortnight of fics that I’ve read and loved recently.

If you want to find more you can see my previous rec lists here!

15 March 2024

Are You Writing From the Heart? by  @luckshiptoshore is now complete!! Congrats Luck! Full disclosure, Luck is one of my very best friends, but that just means I know not only how much of a talented fic writer she is, but also how much of her heart and soul she poured into writing this love letter to queer storytelling, season 4 Destiel as a romcom, meta text (and subtext), and finding out who you really are when society and your upbringing is fighting against you. Castiel is a ghostwriter for L.S. Shore's Supernatural novels about Neal and his brother. Caught in a storytelling rut, Cas finds himself adding the fallen angel character of Bel...what could possible go wrong? Meanwhile at his local writing coffee shop spot, he meets the handsome stranger Dean who is an up and coming standup comedian and Supernatural fanboy. They because firm friends, but that's definitely it because Cas is straight....right?! Following these two dummies as they FAIL TO USE THEIR WORDS is a total joy, as Luck's humorous and emotional writing paired with her eye for detail is so very on point, and I'm so excited more people will finally get to read this story in full.

Baker Six by komodobits because !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot tell you how goddamn excited I was to get this email notification and finally be back in 91w world, and to witness these early stages of Dean and Cas' relationship through Dean's eyes at last. This barely needs a rec because it's THEE 91w Dean, but komodobits hasn't missed a beat in getting back inside their heads and I was once again swept away by this iconic love story against the odds. Head the trigger warnings as always, this is truly on the front lines as a medic in a war zone. Baker Six was written for the very good cause of the fandom Palestine fundraiser, in support of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Please donate if you can!

Truth & despair by @shallowseeker was a recent discovery and such a fascinating read! It's set in a post-15x18 verse, but importantly it features a fun Sam narrative perspective that delights in his lens by...being a bit of an unsympathetic oblivious dummy (affectionate). I really appreciate a crunchy Sam characterisation and oooboy does this pay off. Dean is steeped in his grief for Cas, and Sam is oh so concerned. He reaches out to Mia Vallens to understand his own grieving, and that leads to him making a discovery...Dean's memories of Cas' death aren't what he claims happened. With the unwelcome reappearance of Chuck (he lost...didn't he?) and LITERAL sinkholes appearing in the fabric of the universe, can they figure out what's happening to save Cas and save the world? This wip plays with physics, theology and narrative fuckery in such intriguing ways. I can't wait to see how it wraps up in the next two chapters.

The Leap by @friendofcarlotta started reading this one when Tina reshared it on Leap Day...because of course. I'd actually read it before but it more than lived up to the reread. 'Castiel Krushnic is a police officer in Soviet-occupied East Berlin. He is also gay, in a city where that’s a dangerous thing to be. One night, he meets Dean Winchester, a mechanic from the American sector. Their mutual attraction is instant, and a convenient hookup quickly turns into a passionate love affair that defies all rules and expectations.' Meticulously researched, emotional, heartrending and thought provoking. I highly recommend taking the leap on this fic!

See you in two weeks and OMG it's @deancaspinefest time!!!! I'm so excited *clears calendar*

Tag list under the cut - let me know if you'd like to be added to be notified of future recs!

@dean-you-assbutt-cas-loves-you

[orchid-151]

Sorry to be putting this on this account but it's better for a lot of people to see right off the bat than to post it on my mun account because this is very important...

Be on the lookout for scammers on Tumblr, I just had somebody put an ask and this is what they sent;

They were hoping that I would answer and be "oh gosh golly gee, you poor poor thing I'll spread the word!"

(lots more under-cut plus ranting 👇)

🤓 yeah I'm going to spread the word, please do not fall for something like this. I went on to their page and happened to find this;

And in turn I clicked on the link to see this;

Do understand that most people would have a donation pool opened up for something like this with photos and evidence of their illness as if they tried to do something like that for profit they will end up getting in trouble. No person who is sick is going to just open up a PayPal and ask "please donate as I am sick"...

Just for a quick word of advice unless I know you personally; my asks are only open for questioning my characters, not for you to come in and put a pity party in my lap. I would rather you DM me about possibly helping to boost your illness and problems...

And before you all go "well maybe the PayPal is the only way in which they can get money... Yha jerk!" Keep in mind I'm not the only one they asked...

These are all basically the same ask to multiple people, not asking a question or other statement... Just stating that they have cancer they've been sick a few weeks and that they need money ASAP... And before you jump to conclusions this was the first thing I found when I put the whole ask in the search bar...

Yeah, my point. I don't want to spread this by answering their ass so I'm just deleting and blocking them. If you get an ask like this please delete and block the asker because they are nothing but scammers especially if you see that they have a PayPal open instead of a donation pool... If I cannot read the basic story for the information and judge myself whether you deserve my money or not, then I'm not even going to bother answering the ask.

I asked a friend of mine and they mentioned that there is a Tumblr user on here that can teach you to look out for scammers like this; @kyra45

My friend stated that they were very helpful in helping to find scammers and I hope that they can help you and to prevent from being scammed. There's only a few people in which I will donate to here on Tumblr and if you are a complete stranger I will not donate to you, I WILL BLOCK YOU!

I advise all of you to do the same as I don't want you donating to a scammer who's just going to turn around and not use your money for what they claim they're using it for. To be perfectly honest I don't know a rich person on Tumblr to begin with 😂 don't know about y'all but I'm poor as dirt 🤣

I do apologize for it being so long, but this had to be spread. If you wish to reblog so let other people know that is perfectly fine with me, I just wanted to let y'all know that I would just got this ask and I didn't want anybody to donate to this person... Like I said there's only a few people I already know here on Tumblr who need my money more than this bitch...

Cancer or not, they literally have health plans and coverages for people who have cancer and or other diseases to which you are able to get help and assistance...

ain't no need to plead to everybody on some random platform to get money from them...

[quinloki]

Gaza Strike 18-25th

Hey all,

I keep hearing about a strike to support Gaza during 2.18-2.25 and I'm going to do what I can.

I can't give up socials entirely, this is really literally my only human interaction, but I won't be doing chapter updates during this time.

I will be reblogging information about ways you can help as I find them, and other related posts. For a week this space will become far more political than it usually is.

I'll be tagging everything with "Free Gaza" so if you need to limit or block posts related to that for your own health I understand.

And I mean it, I get it. Getting flooded with bad news messes with my own health really heavily, it always has, and it can feel so hopeless. So I truly understand. You're not evil for needing to take a step back or creating a barrier.

If we cannot keep ourselves solid, we cannot help others.

Do what you can - pass on information, donate to verified groups, watch yourself for propaganda and knee-jerk emotional responses, and do your best.

Stay safe out there, take a breath, and let compassion guide your actions more than rage.

[themadlu]

What Is It In You I Cannot See?

Astarion fails to sneak on Zelie, but somehow he still ends up with a full belly. Nothing asked of him. He is scared of her and angry at her at the same time. He is also happy. He is in uncharted territory. He doesn't understand if she'll be his salvation or his doom.

He also hates dogs.

TW: references to past SA (nothing graphic), mentions of animal cruelty (if him wanting to eat Scratch counts).

This is a oneshot from a longer fic idea. Zelie is my named Tav OC, but here there is no physical description, aside from eye colour.

Tagging @spacebarbarianweird because she's so talented and kind!

��Remind me again, darling, what are we doing in these godsforsaken woods?” 

Astarion had woken up…happy—with a full stomach (He had forgotten what that felt like) and a clear head (He can hear the stern cadence of her sweet, precious blood being pumped through her heart). 

His restless reverie made bearable by the life essence he took last night. 

No, not took. He was too pathetically weak even for the basic functions of a vampire. It was a gift.

This is a gift—I won’t forget it.

He said as much, head tilted towards her, looking, but not seeing; he couldn’t bear to actually stare at the person he was indebted to now. 

She doesn’t call it debt. There are enough ill-guided, wretched ideas floating in that head of hers, all about justice and fairness and respect, that she hasn’t asked anything in return for her donation.

Yet. 

She will. If he thinks too long about it, it terrifies him.

No one hands their life blood over to anyone (to a monster) without a sizeable payback in mind. Either that, or he’ll have to start believing all her ideals (Her actions) are not an elaborate set of masks to trick him into trust (She’d be more idiotic than he thought, in that case).

Still, her confounding attitude worked in his favour. Not only he wasn’t left to starve the night before (a novelty in and of itself), but he’ll get future access to his dinner for the foreseeable future. 

She said so (“You can feed on me again, IF you swear you won’t hurt others and stick to animals when I’m not around”). Her face carved in stone, unmovable as she always is when establishing her rules. Her boundaries.

(No one ever cared for his boundaries. An object of pleasure doesn't need any.)

But she looked at him like he would actually understand, as if the concept couldn’t be so foreign to him. Something in the world shifted.

Truth be told, you were my first. 

Something changes in her eyes too and her expression softens, but doesn’t relent. 

“Let’s keep me as the only for now. If you wish to tell the others and any of them are willing to donate their blood too, then you can expand your culinary options.”

What?

He knows she didn’t spill his secret to their companions (Gods forbid, someone as noble as their leader did that), but he assumed she would push him to reveal himself. Why wouldn’t she? She made such a fuss about how wrong lying is, and honesty this and fuck him that, and now she is willfully withholding information from the rest of the group. 

Why?

You nearly got us killed at the Grove. Couldn’t keep your little mouth shut with that useless healer about the tadpoles. Foolish idiot, you’ll be our doom. 

Was it a test? See what the hungry spawn does and punish him if he makes a mistake? 

Astarion has an inkling of what she would like him to do, because it tends to be the total opposite of what he would do. He would continue their little arrangement in private, for as long as possible. He may have been a slave for centuries, but he’s not so daft. Why would a vampire willingly oust himself to a group that includes a literal monster hunter in their midst. 

It would be suicidal and he has wished for death more times he can recount—often masked as sensual whimpers and pleas in brothels and alleys—but he doesn’t wish it now. 

He won’t let a presumptuous, sheltered human kill him with her righteousness when decades of torture didn’t. 

Not now he’s finally out of his grasp. 

Not now he can exist in the sun. 

Not now that he’s stuck in the mud chatting to a mutt. 

Wait, what?

The scene in front of him is dreamlike: their stoic leader is knee deep in the dirt, shiny eyes coaxing a clearly aggressive dog closer, Karlach talking to it as if it were worthy of conversation.

Zélie stares at the mutt as if in a trance. Astarion asks her why they were in the woods in the first place to see if the dog isn’t actually a hypnotising hag.

The mutt snarls at him and he snarls back. Filthy beast.

“Hush, Astarion!” Zélie whispers, “he’s scared. You’ll only scare him more”

He takes notice of the corpse near the dog. Clearly dead. Filthy and stupid beast. 

“Sweet thing you are, worrying about it,” he coos.

Hells below, you idiot. 

“But may I remind you we are trying to get to a den of vicious goblins to find the blasted druid who can fix our wiggly issue?” 

He points at his temple and she gives him the look. They’ve been travelling together for no more than a tenday and he already earned a signature look from her. 

All piercing, hardened eyes and the disapproving tilt of the head a mother would give to her child before a good dressing down. 

He wonders what his punishment will be, and his scars burn, his hands shake. 

He quickly fists them behind his back to hide the tremors (A broken toy is worthless), strikes a casual figure, and something in her gaze mellows. Before it could have stricken down a dragon from the skies, now it would only manage a bear. 

It certainly won’t manage a vampire. 

He scowls at her, but her attention is already back on the mutt now within arm’s reach. 

“You know, Astarion,” she murmurs, petting its fur with a care that had to be an act (Tenderness has no place in any realm), “dogs are beautiful creatures. They feel as much as us.” 

Another stroke behind its ears, soft and barely there. Astarion’s own ears twitch.  

“They accept our love, our mistakes, our pain, and still stay by our side. Sometimes they even see past our cruelty, so strong is their loyalty. I think you won’t find a more worthy companion.”

Another caress on its muzzle. The hint at complete loyalty to another would normally tear through him ('Remember thou art mine, useless boy'), but Astarion is transfixed by her hands on white fur (Would they touch his own white hair like that?) and his fangs are dangerously close to peeking through his lips. 

(Two centuries of utter shit, but the mutt runs across her bare moments after his owner’s died.)

If I was alone, I’d bleed you dry. Animals only, so she said.

Fucking dog befriended, Astarion is ripped from his thoughts as Zélie stops her ministrations and stands up. She bows her head at—

“Scratch. Meet Astarion. Astarion, meet Scratch.”

The dog eyes him for a moment, then barks. Astarion almost hisses back. It’s his dear leader standing in front of him that stops him. 

“I know he may look slightly ruffled, Scratch, but I like to think that you can trust him.” 

Excuse me?!

She cannot speak with animals, so why the hells is she making polite conversation with it?!

“And you,” eyes on his, he hates how he has to prove that he can hold her look without squirming. She has the gaze of someone used to having a certain level of authority, and it disgusts him. His hands tremble more, nails now digging in his palms.

('You're nothing but a scared, little boy'). 

The others have moved further along the path, but she whispers it nonetheless, “When I say you should feed on animals, this is clearly not what I mean. Dogs are out of your food chain. Please, Astarion”

He doesn’t remember when it was the last time anyone ever said please to him, when someone kept a secret for him, and it’s enough to shock him into compliance. 

“Thank you,” she says, a little smile on her thin lips (it looks foreign on her stone-like face).

She heads along the path without realising what she’s done. As if people handed thank yous around like nothing. He’s seen her thanking others, occasionally: Gale for his food, Shadowheart for the healing, even Lae’zel for not disembowelling a tiefling  (How disappointing). But to him? 

(He hasn’t done anything, besides taking her blood and her temporary alliance)

He kills and maims what enemies they encounter because he revels in the violence. In the control over another’s life—in not him being the pitiful wretch for once. If she thinks he’s doing it out of some sense of morality, then she’s even more idiotic than he thought. 

She could simply be a pathetic moron with a noble soul. One who follows her way even when she doesn’t want to. Even when they do her more harm than good (Shouting a speech on interracial cooperation from a high rock to stop a vicious group of goblins and humans from killing each other was a terrible idea. Surprisingly, she only got scraps from all the arrows flying at her). 

No. She isn’t. No one is like that.

Phantom touches on his body remind him of this shit world every second of every day and they will do so for as long as he lives. They all have their motives. She just hides hers beside a very put-together mask. An impressive one, if he can say so. 

He falls into step with her as usual (Because he needs to make sure she doesn’t drag them to an unwilling death, because he needs to keep himself in her good graces now she knows his secret) and she acknowledges him with a nod. 

The smile is still there—odd. She looks a moment away from giggling, a sound that he didn't think her mouth could form. 

Now he needs to know. 

“Copper for your thoughts, darling?” he drawls. 

What’s going on in that confusing head of yours?

“I just thought—when Scratch said he’d join us at camp. I pictured Withers and him,” a corner of her mouth lifts, “playing catch. ‘Cometh here, oh chosen canine, and followeth thy ball along its rightful path.’”

  

Her eyes tear up from contained laughter (Have they always been so blue? He just realises one is more of a grey colour), then she coughs a little and her entire face resettles on its usual assessing expression. 

"You're a bad influence, Astarion. I don't usually tease my elders, especially not millennia-old ones."

Astarion blinks (So she does have a sense of humour, even if it’s terrible).

He finds himself leaning into her, testing the boundaries. His sultry voice in her ear. "Darling, as your elder, you can tease me all you like. You have my permission." He is rewarded not with a whimper of excitement, but with the look again.

He finds himself suppressing a stray giggle and his hands stop shaking.  

[bonny-kookoo]

I know most of you do not like this, so I'm gonna keep it short. If you do not like the topic of patreon, do not read further.

Over the past few months since starting my patreon, I've faced a very large issue, in that the main reason people are now canceling their memberships these days is, that I'm not as active as expected. I can understand that- however, I want to make it clear that without any requests on that platform, I will only post occasional content that I feel like will do better there than on my Tumblr, such as the last two major posts/fics.

My patreon works the same as my Tumblr: interaction is key. TELL ME what you want. What drabbles do you want to read? What fics would you want me to do? Reach out to me, I'm almost always online, if you do not want your request to be public, you can always just tell me, and I will only mention you as 'Anon' on my page. I'm still new to this whole thing, so I'm bound to make mistakes. I'm sorry it's been so rocky.

That said, I still appreciate who decided to stay over time, and I hope that moving forward, the content I post on there will hopefully be worth enough the monthly donation. I'm not saying this to pity-farm or whatever, I'm literally just unsure what else to really do or say. My audience on Patreon is very small, but I still appreciate it nonetheless.

Every month, there will be an exclusive fic on my patreon to read there. I will also post my drafts there for early access. But like mentioned, if you want anything else, you gotta tell me.

I also have the issue that I cannot really 'advertise' my fics that I posted on my patreon here, because people tend to get mad/annoyed at it if I just mention that I have monetized content. I wish I could at least post a single teaser or something, but the backlash is just simply not worth it. I'll probably have tons of anons in my inbox after this one already.

Thank you for your support otherwise, that includes everyone who cancelled their memberships as well. I really appreciate it, and I hope you'll at least stay here on my tumblr to spend time with me, and create some content :)

-Bonny

[orcinus-veterinarius]

hi, i learned about Tokitae/Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut thought my engagement in Indigenous environmental justice projects and subsequently the Lummi's efforts to have her repatriated. i initially felt very strongly about this but since learning more from you about marine mammals in captivity and how awful the whole Keiko situation was, I'm no longer sure. what are feasible options for an orca as old as her assuming the priority is continued good health? is releasing a long-captive wild-caught orca something that necessarily ends badly?

Hello, thank you for asking! I've let this one sit for a while because it's a very sensitive subject. I'm not Indigenous, so obviously I cannot speak for the pain and injustice suffered by the Lummi people. Taking orcas from the Puget Sound was horribly cruel not only to the animals, but also to the people who have cherished them for millennia, and I don't want to diminish that in the slightest. I can only speak on the feasibility of actually returning Tokitae/Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut/"Lolita" (who I'll refer to by her nickname "Toki") to her native waters.

Toki was estimated to be 4 years old when she captured in 1970. While calves only nurse for 1-2 years, she was very likely still socially dependent on her mom (who has never been confirmed to be Ocean Sun as is often claimed) at this time. She was sold to Miami Seaquarium in Septemer of the same year and placed in an undersized tank called the "Whale Bowl." She has not left that same pool in the 52 and a half years that have passed since. Furthermore, her mate, Hugo, died in March 1980, meaning she has not seen or communicated with another orca in 43 years. All of this is to say: she is quite literally the worst possible candidate for transfer to a sea pen.

But that doesn't seem to matter. Today, the Dolphin Company gave in to pressure from animal rights groups and the public and announced that Toki is going to be "released" to a sea pen.

It seems we learned nothing from Keiko's heartbreaking fate. At the very least, it seems that they plan to allow her to live out what little remains of her life in managed care, rather than attempting to completely release her as was done with Keiko.

I do not wish harm on Toki. More than anything, I hope this goes well, for her sake. But I, and every other animal care professional I've talked to, do not beleive it will. Toki is a geriatric animal in delicate health. She has spent half a century with extrememly minimal change in her environment, and she is going to be removed from her habitat in a sling, placed in a very large crate, driven to the airport, and flown clear across the country. Cetaceans are transported between facilities routinely, but they have to be in excellent health and are properly trained and desensitized to the process. Toki has never been transported, not once in her long life. I will be genuinely surprised if the shock of transport doesn't kill her. And if she survives the move, she is going to face a barage of pathogens she hasn't encountered in 50+ years the second she hits the water. While in an immunocompromised state due to her age and stress. Folks expect her ails to be magically cured once she's in her natural environment. Let me tell you that the opposite is true.

And if she dies, it will inevitably be blamed on her "years of captivity." No one will admit that this misguided experiment was the cause of her demise. They'll just say, "at least she died free!" Just like they say about Keiko.

And that doesn't even touch on how they plan to fund her ongoing care. Keiko was a beloved movie star, and the donations dried up shortly after he arrived in his sea pen. The general public just doesn't understand how nigh-impossible it is to "free" an animal that has spent decades upon decades in human care.

I'm terrified for Toki, and I'm terrified of the precedent this will set for other animals. I can only hope that AZA facilities with cetaceans buckle down to protect their animals from activists.

[coral-island-player]

Characters I don't like - Coral Island

I thought I would write two posts, one with characters I like and characters I don't like from Coral Island. Might do with other games too. Long post + rant under the cut. Spoilers! Going in dateables then non dateables+ alphabetical order, just bc someone is higher doesn't mean I dislike them more.

Mark. Controversial, I know. I understand, we all like "bad boys" and all, but he doesn't get much nicer to you when your hearts go up, he's a huge jerk for no reason and he used to be a bully. He bullied a guy so much that it provoked him to fight an enemy much stronger than him and the guy didn't survive the fight. Good job, Mark! Now he "regrets it" and "changed". What a shame he's just as much of a jerk to you when you join b.o.s. as well... And don't even get me started on him not actually going to the caverns. He claims that he doesn't go there because he doesn't look for ores. So... Mark... What DO you do all day, then? Because fighting monsters isn't it. We fight so much more and still are actually nice people.

Pablo. Soo, if you know you know, and if you don't, I won't spoil it for you. Though I don't know if he fully knew who that was? But it is a small town. And he pushes his brother to socialise WAY too hard.

Scott. The guy has the damn audacity to say he contributes to the museum sometimes. Yeah, right. What does he contribute? Us players are the ones donating everything. The museum is literally just a building that stores our private collection if you think about it. So to take credit for that... Some audacity. Plus, he acts like some experienced explorer but only goes to level 2. Come on, Scott, do better!

Antonio. Dude, she divorced you. Of course she isn't gonna be with you again. Move on, please. Also, he's supposed to take care of his daughter on the weekend but I've never actually seen him take care of her...

Paul. I've said it in another post, but I'll repeat it. He's a bad husband. He forgot his wife's birthday and when she confronts him weeks after, he claims he was too busy and asks the player to buy her a green tea. Buddy, you can go to Raja's and buy a tea yourself. It's not that hard. But it's so like him to be lazy enough to do that. After all, whenever his wife asks him to buy groceries, he forages random plants around the house instead, because of this Anne has to shop herself. Ever wondered why one of her favourite gifts is a carrot? She mentions that she can never ask Paul to go buy carrots because he'll come back with kale or figs. It's giving weaponized incompetence. Oh and he plays pranks on Anne along with Zoe quite often. According to Anne, she's happy that Zoe and Paul are close enough to do that, but I can't help but think of the quote "Often father and daughter look down on mother (woman) together. They exchange meaningful glances when she misses a point. They agree that she is not bright as they are, cannot reason as they do. This collusion does not save the daughter from the mother’s fate." I just think he's a bad husband and I don't like him.

Walter. Speaking of bad husbands. When Bree asked him to clean up a room, he threw her very private pictures in the recycling bin that anyone can go through. And he's just a douche to everyone around him, even his friends. And his son. I really dislike him.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

You haven't answered my other V ask so you might be wanting to move on from this topic but I just have to ask. Don't you find 10 million USD on album sales excessive?? I'm talking about V's fanbase by the way. Isn't that money amount obscene to believe? Not to sound too conspiracy minded Peachy, but how can a kpop fanbase raise that amount of money? Can they do that through legal means or should sane people be worried? Also don't you think armys are acting irresponsible wasting that money on albums that they don't use when they could be using it for charity instead? I really respect your thoughts so I'm hoping to read your reply. Thank you in advance Peachy.

***

So... you're asking me how a fandom that raised $1 million USD in 24 hours for a Black Lives Matter charity with zero notice btw, how the fandom that raised $100,000 USD in hours for charity in Megan Thee Stallion's name, can raise $10 million USD over a three-year period for albums?

It's basic arithmetic, is it not?

I guess it seems like a lot of money for someone uninformed on just how big the k-pop market is and on how much k-pop fans typically spend on comebacks (note: solo fanbase funds for Seventeen and Stray Kids easily exceeded $15 million USD this year, and it's reflected in their album sales). Also, I'm not sure how long you've been following me Anon, but when I talk about the size of ARMY fandom in absolute numbers, when we discuss things like fandom dynamics that replicate those seen in political systems, or insane ticketing rituals that are more complicated than those used by the Bey-hive, and merch prices etc, what scale exactly, are you picturing when I mention these things?

ARMYs are a lot of people. Lol I'm not sure you understand. And many ARMYs in my circle are working professionals and audiophiles who didn't blink when it came up in conversation that I've spent > $45,000 on speakers. Not trying to be a bitch, but I do think it's important context to know the demographics of the fandom, and to know most ARMYs just buy one or a few albums for themselves. Those with the means carry the bulk of the donations, however ARMYs huge absolute numbers also mean even micro-transactions or donations from people who perhaps cannot afford more, are several magnitudes more than in other k-pop fandoms. The ARMY fandom is literally constantly growing, and that's why BigHit can realistically stagger seven solo debuts in a one-year period and all seven artists will still outperform active k-pop groups.

"Also don't you think armys are acting irresponsible wasting that money on albums that they don't use when they could be using it for charity instead?"

I'm not sure I like your tone here. (1) Because it's pretty clear ARMYs can damn well do what they want with their money. It's incredibly patronizing to presume to know what other fans individually value or to dictate how you think other people should spend their own money, to presume nobody here can think for themselves to know what and how best to spend their earned income. We're in a hobby space, anyone who's already opened a fan account/blog is already in too deep no point sugarcoating it. We're here because we want to be and are getting something we still deem worthwhile for our own pleasure. So what if we spend whatever the fuck we want on our hobbies as within what we deem as appropriate? And (2) ARMYs already and comfortably do both. There's no k-pop fandom that's as heavily involved in charitable causes as ARMY. Take it from someone who's been around. Do you think mobilizing a fandom of hundreds of thousands of people to raise $1 million in 24 hours would be possible if that culture and the fundraising channels didn't already exist?

And this was before Dynamite. Before 60% of the fandom that's already here, joined.

The only place I agree with you, is in that a solo fanbase was so involved and could raise that amount of money in the first place. Because giving influence to solos is just a recipe for disaster. In my experience, akgaes are just fundamentally less intelligent people. Akgaes and solo stans or people who lean towards solo stanning (not including casual fans), are also more reactionary and impulsive, verbally/emotionally abusive, paranoid and prone to conspiratorial thinking. These are people with nearly zero ordered thinking skills and unwavering tunnel vision. They won't think twice about applying blatantly illegal methods or acting rashly if it means getting the result they want. If there's ever a massive scandal on the fandom or BTS, I can almost guarantee you it will be because an akgae fucked up or went too far. Also, I'm actually not certain all the funds raised by Taehyung's fanbase did so through legal means. That's what I mean about solo stans. Too many of them are literally just that stupid. And I mean, just by virtue of being a C-bar, it's fairly common for some bars to be linked to members of wealthy/political families in China and SEA. There's only ever been rumours, but it wouldn't surprise if it were true that some money involved was made by illegal means.

Which is one reason I hold on to my hope that people will refrain from partnering with solos, regardless of how things evolve for BTS, but given the way things are going, by 2026 the fandom will likely be a 65 : 35 ARMY : solo ratio, from what I assume to be 90 : 10 now. It's kinda bleak actually. But it is what it is.

Jikook will still be jikooking anyway and the music will still be dope. So BTS and HYBE will keep getting my money.