#i found you via scrolling the tag

[coulsonlives]

PSA: CAT MEDICAL BILL SCAM

Please signal boost this if possible to inform your followers about these scams.

Earlier today, I got a message from the account nicole-loves-king, where they asked me to signal boost a post because their cat needed medical help. Here's the ask:

(And you can see the post in question here)

I looked at this post and was immediately put off because they were asking for people to send things through 'friends and family', which if you aren't aware, is a very insecure way to send someone funds using paypal, because you don't have the protections you would get if you used 'goods and services'. So scammers can make off w your money really easily.

I looked at their blog and scrolled down to the end, and I realized their blog was made today! And, all their posts (there weren't many posts to begin with lol) were of trending topics. I noted puss in boots, and welcome to nightvale among others. This is probably how they found me, because I reblogged some of that stuff recently.

Here's the time stamp from their oldest post (notice it says the time, not the date, which means the post was from today):

In their ask, they also tell you to answer privately. Hm, that seems sus. Why would someone not want you to publish a request for help?

So I have a policy where I don't signal boost posts from brand new blogs because, yknow, they could be scams. I posted this, and the scam account blocked me. They also blocked my friend when they replied to their ask and said their blog looked suspicious. I did some more digging, and I found a comment from someone that confirmed my suspicions:

This is in fact a scam!

@nicstonka is almost identical to the above account (nicole-loves-king). Look at the avatar, the pictures, and the paypal address, both accounts even have 'nic' (as in 'nicole') in the name. The only thing that is extremely different is the name of the cat! Yet both blogs also have the name of the cat in their url ('king' and 'tonka'). That should also be a red flag, because usually someone isn't gonna have the name of their pet in their url, only a few posts, and a signal boost for that exact (fake) pet.

Here's a side by side:

Looks at those paypal accounts: nbrunelle519, and nbrunelle391. Nope definitely not a scam /s

And the cat pictures side by side:

Tumblr's "scam" tag is actually full of these reports now, which you can see here. Or if there's nothing there anymore, click here and here for images.

And links to some older PSAs about other cat scams: 1 2 3

So if you see any blogs like this, where all they have is trending posts, it seems like they've copied and pasted an ask to you, or if they're asking you to send things via friends and family, vet them so so so carefully, because chances are you're walking into a scam. Don't just repost things without carefully checking! If you aren't in a position to check carefully, better safe than sorry: don't repost it! Don't let these scams spread.

Pro tip: If a blog is dash only, so you can't view their archive to see when their first post was made, and you're on desktop, you can just open the blog in its dashboard view, then click 'end' on your keyboard over and over until all their posts are loaded. Usually if it's a spam blog, you'll only need to click 'end' 5-6 times, sometimes a bit more, since they only post just enough times to give the appearance they're active, then there's absolutely nothing after that.

If you want more proof someone is a scammer, you can look at the currency they use their post (or the currency shown in the vet bill), then hover over the paypal link and inspect the part of the url that says 'country.x=AA'. The 'AA' is the abbreviation for the country your money is going to! If that country doesn't match the country of the currency shown in the post, it's a scam! Example: someone's post says '$' for USD/CAD dollars, but the country in their paypal link is 'PH', which stands for Philippines, where they use Philippine pesos, not dollars!

Also keep in mind that these are not bots! There is a real person behind these accounts. They have replied to people who wanted to confirm they were real, but their intentions are still to scam you, they just know it looks better if they reply.

Stay safe!!

Edit:

Updating this post to announce the scammer's made more blogs, and they're probably gonna keep doing it! Here's the list so far. This isn't up to date btw, go to @scamarchive and check their pinned post for the most recent detected blogs

turncoatrune, starlightdisc, xxmy, wxnt, eeyore-pg, coatedpeanbean, starrypanelstars, panelstars, scyllostyle, the-nonbinary-witch, aash-aash, leechness, ash-aahs, commandobutch, lovely-pages, pagefive-to-six, reconnecteed, five-and-fourty, stepsapphic, farmer-butch0, health-pages, turnersapphic, lxve, march-pls-be-good, emberful, imse7en, kassidymaygemz, kassidymaydream, dreamingkassidy, kasdream, live-march, confusedskulll, march-lives, criticaltuesday, quicksilvah, wrldy, quicksilveey, the-stucked-pan, flurrbum, o345, nxce, thls, hokkairi, sykdykee, furrtasticbu, bumfurry, supsense, wickdart, the90sbest

Keep in mind you may not receive an ask like the above ones. You may get something simpler like this, instead:

Most of these are cats, but there's been dogs and even people too.

If you wanna get even more info on all these accounts, there's an archive of this scammer's pinned posts and asks here, so you can see at a glance how similar they all are. You can also see a comprehensive list of scammer red flags specifically for tumblr here!

And lastly, you can report the scams using 'report something else' > 'unlawful uses or content' > 'phishing'

[didyoulookforme]

need you tonight

part of give me a moment (aka stylist au as briefly described in this tag)

warning: 18+, smut. probably grammatical errors, typos.

au masterlist here

-----

“sorry—‘m sorry”

you’re pretty sure those are some of the only words that stumble past his lips as you go down on him. perhaps an apology for his ring getting tangled in your hair, trying to keep you close. but to be honest, the more cynical part of you hopes it's pure regret for fucking someone else just hours before.

it was not strange for you to crave a nicotine hit at this time, more often than not stepping out the bus to smoke a cigarette or two prior to calling it a night, that first inhale always making your head buzz a little as the all-too-familiar warmth runs through your limbs, a much welcome sensation to try leave the tiredness behind.

every day was like clockwork. bus arrives at the venue. stage and lighting are assembled. band soundchecks. you have a quick dinner. then it's time for him. after all, it's what you're here to do, work as matty's own personal stylist during the tour.

you had no clue luck had finally struck when you opened those dms earlier this year.

(13:43) trumanblack: hey (13:43) trumanblack: i found your profile via my friend (13:44) trumanblack: i really like your style n you look pretty cool

(13:58) trumanblack: sorry if this sounds creepy. promise i'm a real human tho (13:58) trumanblack: x

you didn’t recognize him. however from a swift scroll through the feed, you gathered that his name was matty. apparently the front man of a seemingly popular band with a fanbase head-over-heels lusting for them.

mostly him, though.

you couldn't help but gaze at his lanky frame and pale skin adorned with ink, zooming in on certain posts to try decipher what they were. he definitely had a point of view when it came to dressing himself—sometimes a bit messy and chaotic, but for the most part pleasing to the eye, a quality you appreciated given your line of work. his seemingly playful demeanour across photos made it seem like he was perhaps younger than you, this time a google search confirming that, in fact, he was born three years later. april 1989.

countless press photos appeared under his name and you spent the next half hour swiping back and forth between articles, finding him intriguing enough and giving you the surge of confidence to respond.

and that's basically why you're leaning against this tour bus now. the friendly banter with a stranger led you to travel the world and do what you enjoy most. the fancy clothes. the colourful glitz. the wild after parties. this stuff that you always dreamed about was somehow now your own reality that you often had to pinch yourself to ensure you weren't just passed out cold on the sofa back home.

however, this almost too good to be true gig also led you to fall for a guy, the same one whose collar you straighten almost every night.

the most fucking cliché story. some assistant falling for her boss just months after being hired. it actually makes you feel sickeningly stupid, embarrassed. still you can't seem to stop digging yourself deeper into a hole with every hour you spend caring for him, not being made any better by matty being nothing but affectionate towards you behind closed doors.

you know he’s the reason your nicotine addiction has increased tenfold, always finding yourself alone at this hour enveloped in smoke, part of you still wanting to pretend you do so to numb out the sleepless nights. took you a while to finally admit you did it as an attempt to cloud out any thought of him.

tonight’s really no different.

you’re not sure how much time has passed, but it’s enough for the cold to start settling on your skin. perhaps it’s your queue to stop and go back in. you snub out your cigarette, watching the red embers fade just as a car rounds the corner. it halts to a stop only a few meters away, and you catch the faint sound of a door creaking open, followed by the murmur of voices filling the night air.

then you hear it. that unmistakable high pitched laugh that can pull you awake in a single second. him.

and, of course. you immediately know why.

you’d learned pretty early on this was a common end to the routine: matty picks up a girl at the gig, goes fucks her somewhere, and has her drop him off right after.

reminds you of the number of red and purple bruises you often cover up before his show. it wasn't rocket science figuring out the cause, yet he never really addresses it, choosing silence and averting his gaze as your fingertips dab foundation on tender skin, temporarily hiding any remains of nights prior.

you didn't even notice your eyes had closed. not until the car door slams shut, jerking them open just in time to see him blow a kiss in her direction. your heart fractures at the sweet gesture, but only hurts for a second before he's walking towards you, his stupid wide grin mending it better.

"didn't expect to see you out here.”

open button-up untucked. blazer over his shoulder. dark curls frizzy and disheveled. everything making it crystal clear he's just slept with someone else and still not you.

"only making sure you make it back alright so i can tuck you in." of course, you wish that were the case.

it's only a few seconds until he settles next to you, leaning over to kiss your cheek. soft lips gently brushing against your skin. the way he always greets you—but only when no one's watching.

"aren't you sweet, then?"

"trying my best." given the circumstances, it's pretty much all you can do.

he pulls out his beat-up cigarette box, flicking it open and offering you one. you decline, showing him the smothered tip of your own before finally tossing it aside.

"guess it must've been a pretty good time today," you lick the pad of your thumb before rubbing a lipstick mark off his jaw. it’s always ruby red or deep maroon. those same tones which he'll compliment you on. a similar shade you left on his lips the only time your mouth had been on his.

you finish cleaning the stains off his skin, matty murmuring a soft ‘thank you’ for having done so. it’s your turn to kiss his temple. “‘tis my job, you know? making sure you look good.” you should be mad, upset, have some sort of negative emotion. instead, you can’t help but have your heart intermittently flutter when he returns a sheepish smile, his arm wrapping around your shoulders to pull you close.

neither of you say much, but that’s alright. you rest your head on the crook of his neck, noticing how nice it feels. how nice he feels. you see the chipped nail polish on his fingers. the wrinkled fabric of his flowered shirt. the dark hair down his torso. the unbuckled belt at his waist. it’s only then that jealousy creeps itself back in and suddenly your shoes seem all that more interesting than the man standing by your side.

"why do you do it, matty?" the sweetness of your voice never fails to mask the envy you actually feel. or at least you hope it does.

"hmm?"

"the sleeping around.” you finally lift your head to look at him, surprised that his pretty eyes were already on you. the toothy smirk is gone, though, replaced by a thin, expressionless line at his lips. he doesn’t owe you an explanation. you know that. thus why you’re surprised when he actually starts to talk.

"dunno, really.” he lights up another cigarette and you notice as he gets lost in his mind. “i mean, it’s kinda difficult to say no to sex or a blowjob when they’re literally throwing themselves at you.” he seemingly tries to joke, but you don’t have time for funny right at this moment.

instead you wonder if it’s actually that easy.

“let me do it, then.”

“so—sorry?” he chokes mid-drag.

“let me give you a blowjob just like those other girls do. just like she did,” you point at the ghost of that green car from before, “ just tonight.”

it’s like his face cannot figure out which expression to land on, flipping between confusion, surprise, and something else that reads between need and desire.

“what the fuck?” his voice is shaky and it stings when he pushes you aside, yet, he doesn’t try hard to put much distance between you two so it’s not difficult to invade his space, standing right in front of him until your face is a breath away from his. large, calloused hands grasp your shoulders tight, halting you from inching closer.

“don’t.”

“what’s the difference between them and myself, then?” seems like a simple enough question to you. “why can they have you and not me?”

but he has no answer, at least not one that he can properly voice. his hold on you starts to lessen, perhaps giving you some permission to let you do whatever you want.

you bring your hands up to his and pull them away, kissing his knuckles before placing them on your waist. an almost incoherent ‘fuck’ leaves his lips, and, as if on cue, his head falls back willingly, giving you the space to kiss his neck. the faint smell of her still on him.

“please let me,” you whisper against his skin.

it’s not even a question at this point.

his fingers dig into your hips as you look at him once more, now noticing a mixture of lust and care in those almond coloured eyes. for a minute there, you get lost in them, admiring how his pupils dilate when your hands find the button of his pants, and how they shrink back as you finally undo the zipper. you don’t want to waste any more time—you’ve already waited too long—so you slide your palm down his pants to grab his half-hard cock, his eyes instantly rolling to the back of his head when you wrap your fingers around him.

“is this okay?”

you take the buck of his hips as a confirmation, giving you the courage to spread the precum along his length. he feels nice. having him in your hand seems just right and you only hope that he won’t regret this when he wakes up next morning in bed.

tonight is your turn to suck on the skin alongside his jaw, the thought of having to cover your own marks making you smile.

“fuck, baby.”

you’re not sure if he even noticed that sweet name leave his mouth, but you like the sound of it, and it’s all it takes for you to drop to your knees, dragging his pants and boxers down just enough to pull out his dick.

you look up at him once more, his left hand coming to tangle on your head, his other loosely holding his cigarette, almost done and fully forgotten. you kiss his tip, your gaze still not leaving his, thoroughly enjoying yourself as he bites his bottom lip each time your thumb hits that spot under the head of his cock. his scent is almost too much to bear so you take him in one go, feeling his cock twitch inside your mouth. it doesn’t take long before he’s fully hard and hitting the back of your throat.

the plastic taste of latex is still on his skin. a sad reminder that you weren’t his first tonight. that maybe you are an afterthought. just another girl who he uses to make himself come. but at least it means you get to have him even if it’s just this one time.

matty. that’s all that’s on your mind. once again. somewhat difficult to not think about him when you’re sucking him off, those heavenly sounds coming from his mouth making your own slick drip down your leg.

you pull away to catch your breath, using your hand to keep stroking him, pleasantly surprised when he pulls on your hair each time your red fingernails graze the underside of his cock. you do it again and again until he breaks and fucks your hand, apologizing for not being able to help himsel. it’s a sight you’ll commit to memory as long as you’re alive.

now that you’ve had a taste, it’s only so long you can go without having your lips around him. and that’s what you do, take him again, hands urging his hips to fuck your mouth. to fuck himself senseless in the hopes that you’ll be the one he turns to when he needs somebody else. he doesn’t deny your request, throwing away the wasted cigarette to guide you, setting a pace that allows him to stay steady on his feet.

purely drunk on him, you're barely aware when his phone vibrates in his pocket, matty muttering 'sorry' before grabbing and letting it drop onto the grass at your side. nosiness always gets the best of you, so you can't help but glance down, catching sight of a text from an unsaved number asking if he could fuck her again tomorrow.

you feel his hips falter. he knows you've seen it.

“’m sorry.”

this time it's a mix between a cry and a whimper. perhaps he did feel bad. perhaps some part of him did care about you in the way that you needed him to.

you reach back to place your hand on top of his, making him push your head further into him, to thrust into you until tears pool at your lashes just as he spills hard and fast down your throat. his taste overtakes every cell of your being as you swallow, feeling him soften against your tongue before you reluctantly pull away.

you didn’t even realize your knees were so sore until you stand up, not wasting a second to ask him is he's going to see her again the following night.

"do you want me to?" his thumb wipes away some of his cum off the corner of your lip. you reach out to suck it, slowly shaking your head in response.

he laughs nervously as his mouth clashes against yours, stealing both the air from your lungs. this wasn't the first time you’d kissed, but this wasn’t like before. the way he quietly moans against your lips. the softness of his fingers resting on your face. the crinkle at the corner of his eyes when he pulls back.

"can i see you tomorrow, then?"

you could’ve sworn you heart stopped. can you truly believe those words after watching him leave you behind all those nights? the soft circles his thumbs draw on your skin do feel sincere, the reassurance you need to perhaps let him in, give him a chance even though you know it’s a slippery one.

it’s your turn to brush your thumb against his mouth, slowly pulling at the bottom lip and watching it bounce back up into place. you kiss him one last time before confirming 'okay', immediately turning to finally head back in. not wanting to linger for too long in case he changes his mind.

you catch his reflection on the mirror, noticing as he tucks himself in, and it’s that slight smile on his face which keeps you awake for hours on end.

-----

for this lovely anon here. thank you for the inspo :) <3

[lumosatnight]

23 Fic Recs 2023!

This year has definitely been a year. I've devoured so many wonderful fics by so many amazing authors. Thank you @hprecfest for the super fun rec categories and for some fic inspiration! Here are 23 fics that I read and loved in 2023 (although some are quite a few years older) ordered by ship.

🌼 - fluff | 💔 - angst | 🔥 - smut

—

💫 DRARRY 💫

1. A post-canon fic

The Discreet Gentleman's Connection by pluto (gayrights420) [Drarry, E, 80.4k] 🌼🔥 I had the absolute pleasure of beta-ing for this fic, so when I say it is amazing, it truly is just that. Fast burn on the smut via Floo sex, slow burn on the in-person falling in love. Satisfying in all the best possible ways.

2. A fic that made me laugh

AITA for being "obsessed" with my childhood nemesis? by @rainstormradish [Drarry, M, 4.3k] 🌼📲 Draco on a reddit forum is hilarious just on its own, but the banter and formatting really bring this fic to life. Amazingly creative, had me in stitches!

3. A comfort fic

The Eighth Tale by @letteredlettered [Drarry, E, 12.0k] 💔⏳ An oldie but a goodie. I constantly find myself coming back to this fic and having my mind blown every single time. Time travel timey-wimey angst.

4. A fic with art

Dating Draco - A Visual Game by @itsphantasmagoria [Drarry, M, Video Game] 🌼🎮 This is a fic in video game form!! Amazing art and lovely story where YOU get to make the choices for Drarry's happily ever after.

5. A favorite series

The Journal of Dreadful Things by @lilbeanz [Drarry, G, 112k, WIP] 🌼📖 Hilarious, witty, AND COMES WITH ART!! Lilbeanz draws and writes a wonderfully delightful series starting from Draco's First Year. His characterization had me in hysterics. Book 4 is starting soon!

—

💫 COMMON SHIPS 💫

6. Fic with the hottest smut

Moonstruck by @prettyremus [Wolfstar, E, 3.8k] 🔥🐺 Found this gem while scrolling through the werewolf smut tag (don't judge me). I love the switch in dynamic with Sirius taming Remus's wolf through, ahem, rough sex.

7. An unreliable narrator fic

Sea of White by @dividawrites [Harrymort, E, 8.6k] 🔥🤍 Deliciously hot, creepy, and strangely sweet. Love their dynamic here, the unrestrained lust. Harrymort "die" and lose their memories, so, of course, then they bang.

8. A fic that made me cry

Far Apart, Far Away by @unmistakablyoatmeal [Hinny, minor Drarry, T, 1.6k] 💔💍 Infidelity angst has never been this good. I love the layers of emotion in this fic. Quick punchy sections that really pulled me in.

9. A Muggle(?) AU fic

Pleasant Hope by @ac1d6urn, @sinick [Snarry, E, 41.6k] 💔⛪️ Pastor Severus!! The angst, pining, and self-discovery in this fic is superb! I love the interwoven magic and detailed world-building of this little town.

—

💫 RARE PAIRS 💫

10. A fav amongst faves

The Last Trial of Peter Pettigrew by @sleepstxtic [Prongstail, M, 20.8k] 💔 🐀 Holy moly, this fic!!!! Is this my new favorite fic?? Possibly. The concept is brilliant, so creative and nuanced. The Peter character study using outsider perspectives is genius. Seamlessly balances canon and new scenes.

11. A pre-canon fic

Careless by @tax-onomic [Luther, E, 1.5k] 🔥🪞 Lucius/Arthur my beloved rare pair!! I am captain of the Luther ship, and Tax's fic hits all the right spots. The pining, the sniping, the prickly personalities with emotional vulnerability underneath! And all in the middle of a hot smut scene. Perfect.

12. A canon-compliant fic

Scottish by thepadfoots [Chedric, G, 749] 💔🌟 Lovely Cho character study focused around her Asian identity and the boy she loved.

13. A fic rated G (more like T though)

Lion-Hearted Girl by MinnieQuill (odainath) [Minmione, G, 4.5k] 💔🦁 I know the large age gap might scare some, but their relationship feels very organic in this fic. The setting is grim, but there is always hope in the darkness!

14. A fic rated T

You're So Vane by @patriceavril [Romelina, T, 6.8k] 🌼💄Romilda is so delightfully characterized, I was smiling through the entire fic. Angelina is the perfect foil (and love interest) to Romilda's attentions.

15. A rare pair fic (less than 2000 fics on AO3)

Snakeskin by @cntrl15 [Bellastoria, E, 3.7k] 🔥👠 Talk about a rare pair! Astoria/Bellatrix only has 2 tagged fics on AO3: this fic and the drabble I wrote based on it. But read this fic, and you'll see why I felt the need to write more in this universe.

16. A fest fic

Master of None by @nanneramma [Snormac, G, 5.5k] 🌼🧘 Severus is so wonderfully cranky, and Cormac is fine AF. The surprise pairing of 2023 that I never knew I needed and now I'm obsessed with!

17. An under-rated fic

Sun, Shadow, Shade by @naomijameston [Snuna, G, 700] 🌼☀️ Post-war fluff. Sunshine Luna is the perfect match for sullen Snape. A short and sweet fic for this underrated ship.

18. A canon-divergent fic

but somebody's gotta do it by nocturn [Pangulus, T, 920] 😄🧟‍♂️ This fic will make you say WTF but also huh, okay that totally works. The concept is WILD but Lyra executes it wonderfully. Pansy drags Regulus out of the inferi lake and they flirt a little while he gets de-corpsified lol.

—

💫 POLY SHIPS 💫

19. A dark fic

In his embrace by @loneamaryllis [Snarrymort, het!Snarry, E, 48k] ⚡️👀 Dark and dirty but so so good. A Voldemort Wins AU where fem!Harry is taken as prisoner. Snape's mindset as he tries to save her (and is forced to rape her) is so twisted and mesmerizing. Mind the tags!

20. A thought-provoking fic

Icarus by @thistlecatfics [Millvansy, M, 20.0k] 💔🍾 War trauma, addiction, codependency! This fic is messy with emotions but has a strong, beating heart underneath. I am in love with Parvati as she deals with Pansy's addiction and Millicent's denial — three beautiful, imperfect girls.

21. A holiday fic

A Time, Dark and Divine by @moonflower-rose [Dronarry, E, 17.0k] 🔥⛱ HOLY FREAKING FUCK!! The sexual tension in this fic is off the freaking charts. Drarry seducing Ron while on vacation in Portugal. Sign me the fuck up!

—

💫 GEN 💫

22. A favorite fic under 5k

The Scrunchie by @saintsenara [Lightning Era Girls, G, 4.5k] 💖👭 Such a lovely look into some of the female background characters, all following the path of a single scrunchie. Lisa, Padma, Parvati, Hannah, Sally-Anne.

23. A fic with an ending I can't stop thinking about

Through the Middlegame by @sandervansunshine [Astoria & Peter, T, 6.6k] 💔♜ Devastating, heart-wrenching, tragic. 10000% would recommend. Kylee has already heard me screaming in the servers about this fic. If I could get a fic tattooed straight onto my brain, this would be it.

—

💫 BONUS RECS! 💫

A podfic

Plenitude by @wilfriede, written by eldritcher [Amelmione, M, 14 min] 💔🥀 Amazing voices, amazing music, amazing ambience. Wilfriede really brings one of my fav Hermione/Amelia Bones fics to life in this podfic!

A comic

War Prize by @mrviran [Snegulus, Reggiemort, M, Comic, WIP] ☠️🐍 The panels are awe-inspiring. I am HOOKED on this comic. The murder and the TENSION. Ughhhhh so good. I am so invested in Severus's arc!!

A self-rec (completely self-indulgent)

For I Have Found Salvation by @lumosatnight [Snarry, E, 7.1k] 🔥✝ My first time writing Snarry! Priest Kink, church sex, and blasphemous religious imagery. Priest Severus is oh-so-tempted by Teen Harry. So fun to write and even more fun to go back and read as a guilty pleasure.

—

⚡️ Want more fics to read? ⚡️

Try my rec tag: #lumosinthelibrary

Year in Reading, b-day oneshots, WLW Library

[comfy-whumpee]

Being in the #whump community bingo! How many do you get?

Full list of squares:

first whumperflies stories

“they have all of my issues lmao”

favourite trope version #3547

everyone knows I love whump vs. nobody can know

posted as screenshots on pinterest

posts that are one line but hit just right

tag games that take 5 hours to scroll past

beloved mutual going feral in the notes

found your new best friend via niche tropes

discussions on improving diversity

“dead. i’m dead. this killed me.”

extremely nuanced, developed characters called A and B

bad things happen bingo never completed

fighting the morality police

fanfic about the character with 0.3 seconds of screentime

ao3 links for the really saucy stuff

“bestie you forgot your readmore” “OH NO”

prioritising fun

one of your OCs is called Sam

sharing irl experiences to inspire each other

gifsets of shows you’ve never heard of

twelve reblogs deep in the au with the mutual

picking the trope to fall asleep thinking about

making a whumpee for your friend’s whumper and vice versa

blacklisting a tag your mutual loves but supporting them anyway

crack posts and shitposting about agony

anonymous asks for the most fucked up tropes <3

monthly challenges for almost every month

realism has no power here

an arcane but extremely detailed tagging system OR nothing

that one trope you will always reblog

misspelling it ‘whimper’

everyone from the discord server knows the plot twist

whumpee who gets every disease

intro post with 200 notes

watching the show from all those gifsets

[marigold-hills]

Dunes & Waters, part 29

PART 1 • PREVIOUS PART • NEXT PART

Things shift once they get back to Aswan.

Sirius stretches, and Remus remembers how he woke up in the night to their legs tangled together, knees touching knees, ankles crossed over each other.

Sirius scratches his fingers over his neck, absentmindedly, and Remus remembers how it looked when he transformed from Padfoot with the collar still on it.

Sirius speaks of the Museum and Remus thinks not of the progress they made but of the guard, and of the dog, and he’s scared of the next person he comes across because he wants to rip someone’s throat out.

Sirius does anything, anything, and Remus watches. Catalogues the way he would untranslated texts, each new movement a hieroglyph to be studied. Each word a rite or an incantation - something fleeting and spoken into the wind and Remus wants to be greedy and preserve it all.

Thinks of the morning they woke up together – Remus first, the light bright through the open window falling across Sirius’ features. How it felt watching it, sacred and sacrilegious, and how the sun touching Sirius was an opening and Remus thought Horus has opened your mouth for you, and your eyes.

But Sirius doesn’t notice any of this. He’s too excited with the new puzzle he’s found, a key to the Box he didn’t have before. Studies his notes late into the evenings, takes them to the hotel when Remus insists they finish for the day.

Sirius reads about Khonsu, says “I wouldn’t have figured it out if not for the statue, I don’t think, but it makes sense the moon would have been involved here.”

It’s two days to the full moon when they finally crack it.

It’s painstaking but Remus translates the scroll. Symbol by symbol, the story comes out.

I have made this for you to keep until you are ready, it reads, and to keep from others who would do you harm.

Speak to the deities who look upon your kind

Wolf-kind; of men with bodies of beasts

Beloved of my heart, speak to them and open what I have saved for you to keep

Speak to the four corners.

To the stars and to the moon, to your body and to your death and those who bring you to it.

To anyone encroaching here, heed this warning:

To lay in someone else’s grave is to die their death

To read words in someone else’s tongue is to take their fate

“Rites it is, then,” Sirius says, reaching for books on ceremonies.

Remus writes out notes he has on each of the lines of text. “I don’t know any rites to the UR.IDIM.”

“There must be something, there’s worship of it all the way back to the Kassite period.”

Sirius throws his legs onto the desk, balances on his chair the way he does when he’s deeply in thought, like battling gravity helps the process along.

“Make sure you don’t read any of them aloud.”

Sirius looks at him, confused.

“The warning. I never heard of lycanthropy being transmitted via spoken word, but let’s try not to test the theory today.”

“Why, Professor, don’t want to put a little wolf in me?” Sirius winks and grins and the whole display is just…

Remus chokes on his tongue.

NEXT PART

@tealeavesandtrash

@moon-girl88

@hoje--aqui

@cocoabutterandbooks

@onion-sliced-apples

@prancingpony42

@digital-kam

@remoonysiriusly

@sweetstarryskies

@a-sunset-outside-my-window

@procrastinatingstuff

@annaliza999

@arasael

(let me know if you do/don’t want to be tagged!)

[katewritesthings]

Love Me Like I Can // 1.5

Chapter 1.5 // Media Catch Up.

Previous Chapter.

@DianaMusic: Hello 27.

📸: @bizzyhayes

Liked by ConLew, joeyb_9, and others 

..view more comments….

taylorswift: It’s the queen’s birthday!🔥🔥

jvn: SOOO HOT!

DianaFiana: omg. CONNOR LIKED.

DiUpdates: @DianaFana how DARE he?!?

Wh0D3y: why did Joe like this?

—--

SONGSTRESS DIANA HAYES PARTIES AMONG STARS.

Singer Diana Hayes celebrated her 27th birthday in style this year. 

The redhead wore a cream-colored blazer covering her dress as she entered with her friend Taylor Swift and her entourage. Pictures posted to the star’s Instagram show off a matching dress she wore underneath.

Celebrating her birthday with friends, this is the first time Diana has been spotted stepping out since her public breakup with Connor Lewis. The star seemed to enjoy herself as she left the party just after midnight, surrounded by Biz and Taylor.

Eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out that the star seemed to have love bites covering her neck. Maybe love is in the air for the star?

Seen entering the party were: Taylor Swift, Wiz Khalifa, Dove Cameron, SZA, and more!

----

@ConLew: The most beautiful part is: I wasn’t even looking when I found you tagged @hmaloney 

..view more comments….

Bed.Scroll.Update: uh… read the room dude.

ScrollStans: Cute couple!!!

DianaFiana: does anyone else find this suspicious that he posted this after the pap pictures of Diana leaving her party came out?!??!

ReneeRapp: you werent looking bc you were in a relationship, skeeze.

—-

Sent via form submission from DeuxMoi

Pseudonyms, please: Tiger pack and their leader.

Subject: Welcome to the Jungle?

Message: Overheard the tiger pack at the bar discussing the reason they’re here. It was heavily hinted that the reason was redheaded. 

—--

Sent via form submission from DeuxMoi

Pseudonyms, please: no.

Subject: idk?

Message: I work at the Bowery Hotel and saw some of the Bengals at Diana Hayes’ birthday. They were drinking and having fun with the rest of the guests. Joe Burrow did disappear for part of the night, though

—--

Connor Lewis Posts Intimate Selfies with Hannah Maloney

Connor Lewis, bass player of Boston-based quartet Bedford Scrolls, created a stir online last night as he posted intimate selfies of himself with his girlfriend, Hannah Maloney. The couple made headlines back in October when it was reported that Lewis had cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Diana Hayes, with Maloney. 

Late last night Lewis posted two snapshots on Instagram picturing Maloney topless in a tropical location, which upset fans due to speculation that the photos were taken while Hayes and Lewis were still together. @WeStianaDiana: uhhh, so you can't tell me that’s not the room Diana did a live from last March! THE GALL OF THESE PEOPLE

@TheHighRoad: Can Connor not let her have her birthday? It’s one fucking day.

To add insult to injury, Connor made this post hours into his ex's birthday. To hear more about the drama, be sure to subscribe!

=========================================

Taglist: If you'd like to be added, let me know!

@therapycat21 @rd14 ====================================

Next Chapter.

[afterdarkprincess]

can you do 21 with Sami and Jey? ❤️

21. You look so good under me

Thank you so much for the prompt anon!! Prompt list can be found here 💕

Pairing: Sami/Jey Rating: Mature Word Count: 356

tag squad: @feelschicken @imabillyami @harmshake @elementaldoughnut12 @southerngirl41 @jeysbvck

-----

Sami Zayn has been very fortunate to be able to travel the world doing what he loves, what he’s always wanted to do with his life. He’s been to some of the most beautiful places in the world on those trips, explored all there was to offer when they were on tour.

He’s performed in his hometown, in Montreal, in front of thousands of people, looking out into the screaming crowd to take it all in.

But somehow despite all of that, Sami has never seen a more breathtaking view than the one before him now.

Jey Uso is sprawled out on the hotel room bed, taking up all the space in the middle, his limbs splayed except for the hand holding his phone as he scrolls absentmindedly. He’s completely naked, his beautiful skin and tattoos standing out against the sheets in the warm morning glow that streams in the windows.

Sami approaches the bed slowly, but Jey notices his return anyway. He drops the phone onto the side table and reaches his arms out for Sami.

He crosses the rest of the room in two strides before crawling up the bed, framing Jey with his hands and knees before letting his head drop to press a kiss to the lines of Jey’s forehead. Sami looks down into those deep brown eyes that stare back at him, captivated by the way Jey’s lashes gently brush his skin. He could stay right here, forever, just looking at him.

“You look so good under me, you know that?” Sami murmurs, just loud enough for Jey to hear over the hum of the air conditioning.

Jey scoffs, rolling his eyes, “You cheesy, you know that?”

His sassy retort does nothing to quell the swell of affection in Sami’s chest, and Sami can’t help but shut Jey up via a long deep kiss, pouring all of his emotions into it.

“I know,” Sami says, grinning like a kid in a candy store.

Jey swats at him playfully, and they roll around in the sheets. Nowhere to be, just the two of them, enjoying a lazy morning entwined in each other.

[high-pot-in-noose]

Hello!! I found you via your Chinese titles post (tysm btw!!!) and scrolled through your svsss tag. I've been thinking a lot about Shen Jiu lately and you seem pretty well-versed on his character so I thought maybe I should ask you something I've been wondering: I've finished svsss and read the extras. My takeaway is that Shen Jiu is only Peak Lord out of necessity. He doesn't seem to LIKE his position. So, if he could live as anything else, what do you think he'd be happiest with?

Ah, you've come asking about one of my poor little meow meows.

The way I see it, the reason Shen Jiu isn't happy with his position is because he is one of those who are determined to hold a grudge against their misery itself, not willing to let go of the unhappiness brought upon by anything, because he thinks not being in conflict (even against just an unpleasant concept) is like saying what made him unhappy wasn't significant in the first place. He can't be happy as a Peak Lord because doing what was needed to become one made him unhappy, and now that those obstacles have passed, the only thing left to resent is the position itself. (On top of the shitshow of a relationship with Yue Qingyuan, of course.)

Had he not developed that self-sabotaging habit (and also avoided Cang Qiong Mountain Sect), I think he could have been happy as a wandering cultivator, a bounty-hunter if he forewent cultivation, or even some sort of craftsman. Many others imagine him as a musician or painter if not a Peak Lord, but those skills came about because of his training on Qing Jing; there's a chance he actually likes being creative that way, but there's also a good chance that they're amongst the things he resents.

It's hard to speculate on what would make him happy when his defining character trait is his unique way of hating literally everything and everyone.

[harfblarf]

“Help my Cat” Scam Going Around

Have you received an ask in your inbox from an account that previously wasn’t following you, pleading for a signal boost on their vet-related post? I got one today, but something felt fishy. Or perhaps “phishy” is more accurate?

Here’s the ask:

Now a couple odd things right off the bat. This is a blog I’ve never seen or interacted with, who wasn’t following me prior to sending the ask, so I immediately wondered how they pulled my name to ask for help. And while the world in general is a shitshow, so I can sort of see why a person would default to saying it “isn’t the best time to ask for help”, they say it with such confidence without knowing me at all.

Odder still, from their posts-- which at least do look extremely normal and human-like, down to the mishapocalypse profile picture-- we don’t share any interests aside from... well. Cats.

The other odd thing is them specifically requesting I reply privately, through DM or a private answer. I wouldn’t think much of it except they’re already asking me to publicly share something on my blog; if I’m going to answer the ask, why can’t I do so publicly?

I scroll through their blog some more. Their pinned post is, indeed, asking for help with their cat:

Weirdly, though, an earlier version of this post uses a completely different name for the cat??

This is bizarre to me and my red flags are pinging louder. Maybe it’s innocuous, though, I mean, it could just be a nickname or something? Why would you change it though?

Also, the post’s ratio is weird-- 101 reblogs to 44 likes. I suppose not too shocking if they’re doing this use-an-ask-to-get-a-boost tactic widely, but the ratio is pretty extreme. I check the notes. Every single reblog with tags has some variation on ‘boost’ or ‘signal boost’; there are no comments. No one has mentioned knowing this person, no one has vouched for the legitimacy of the post... but two mention that they were asked to boost the post.

*EDIT: Per a polite anon, I will clarify that signal boost/boost tags themselves aren't a red flag; what bothered me was that the post's ONLY interaction history came from boosts from seeming strangers. An active fandom blog, active enough to think posting a plea for financial help might get traction, SHOULD have at least one or two mutuals or friends who are willing to push the post and vouch for its legitimacy. Because the only engagement was from people who had clearly been approached via ask, like me, I got the heebie jeebies.

Okay, I’m doubtful enough that I’m not comfortable boosting this post myself. But let me check one more thing.

I search google for the exact phrasing of the help-requested post.

Ah.

There’s well over a dozen blogs pulled up with this exact phrasing. Most of them use the name “Koppi” instead of either “Ashel” or “Biscuit”, but a few use “Ashel”. The oldest result, from 2016, uses “Ashel”; more commonly, these results are from 2022 or earlier this year and again, most say “Koppi”. Also interesting: basically none of these posts exist anymore. Google can identify the exact wording even beyond what I included in my search query using whatever demonic powers allow it to reference removed content, but they’ve clearly been deleted.

Additionally, which I clarify for those like me who attribute Google’s quirks to demonic powers rather than an actual understanding of how it works: if the dates didn’t make it clear, these aren’t the blogs in the notes of falesyorac’s post. I cross-referenced the names. It’s not pulling up those reblogs, so presumably the majority of these results at one time came from someone who drafted and posted the wording to their blog, not from reblogs.

Maybe it was once a real post, maybe it’s always been a scam, but evidently the content of the post has been stolen and recirculated at this point. Along the way I found this as well, an anon warning someone who must have reblogged a version of the scam post:

So this is at least partly confirmed as a scam from another source.

Please be wary, do your due diligence before you put your money anywhere, and block & report falseyorac. I’m not sure the nature of the falseyorac blog originally; it may have been a real account that got hijacked, it may be a very convincing fake, it may be a real person’s blog who is trying to to leverage their innocuous appearance to pull quick money with a beggar scheme. Regardless, it is evident there is not a genuine Ashel/Biscuit needing help today and that whoever holds the falseyorac account right now is trying to pull a scam.

One more thing-- one of those reblog’s tags I showed earlier.

I also have a tag for reblogs of cats. (It’s “cats”.) I suspect this is where this particular iteration of the scam is pulling its targets from-- after all, people who reblog cats enough to tag them must care about them, right?

Finally, I am tagging the people who reblogged falseyorac’s post with tags (there’s too many for me to do everyone who reblogged it at all) below the readmore-- if I messed up and tagged the wrong person and/or you want your name removed, please just contact me and ask. I want to make sure you can see this warning, but I’m happy to untag you if it bothers you for any reason.

@thislilfecker​ / @koreanbibliophilegirl / @kingminyard / @sss-shyshy / @shoutmonishere / @cleocatrablossy / @mothmansass / @aroanehring / @valkyrie-ellis / @jae-writes-fanfiction / @ninja-chibi / @iambecomeahamburger

(A few people’s names didn’t come up when I tried to tag them, so I wasn’t able to include them here, rip.)

[violettavonviolet]

Marvel Fic Rec's part 2

All of these fics are amazing and finished! The wordcount goes up as you scroll, I've marked the ratings but do check the tags yourself!

A star marks a fic that hasn't left my brain since I read it

Winter-iron

Out of the Shadows

CognizantCatastrophe

Summary:

“Can I at least have a crayon? Even kids get crayons,” Tony whined the next time he saw the soldier. “Seriously, I’m so bored I’m going to explode. I need something to do or I’m going to die.”

That time, it almost looked like the soldier was fighting back a laugh behind his mask. He left, however, without a sound.

The next time he returned, he tossed Tony a red crayon.

---------------

Tony is kidnapped, and the Winter Soldier is his guard. When a botched mind-wipe restores the man's mind, however, that's when things get interesting... especially because he is the only real potential soulmate Tony has ever found.

24k mature

The Guiding of Death *

RayShippouUchiha

Summary:

“Hades and Persephone reborn huh,” Fury states then more than asks, “no need to ask which is which.”

Toni’s brows furrow even as dread begins to squirm to life inside of her.

But before she can say anything, before she can open her mouth and set the record straight, she hears it.

A murmur as loud as a scream from somewhere in the tomb silent bridge.

“That whole Merchant of Death thing,” someone off to the side faux whispers, “makes a lot more sense now.”

It echoes across the bridge like a gunshot.

41k mature

Letters to Bucky

NotEvenCloseToStraight

Summary:

Stuck in rehab after a near-fatal accident, Tony reaches out via letters to a soldier overseas, and Bucky is more than happy to write back, drawn to Tony for a reason he can't quite name. One or two letters turn into a years worth, then come the phone calls, with Tony quickly realizing that Bucky's voice, with that rolling Brooklyn accent might be his new favorite sound.

When Bucky shows up unannounced at Tony's door, one thing leads to another and maybe a confession or two is made. But Bucky's tour overseas isn't over yet, not even close, and they have months more of distance between them.

Then Bucky disappears, missing in action, and Tony doesn't know if he will ever get his soldier back. And if Bucky DOES make it home, will he be the same boy from Brooklyn who sent Tony love poems, or has his time away and his injuries changed him for good?

BONUS CHRISTMAS CHAPTER ADDED 12/10/18

48k explicit

Other

myrtle and fennel blossoms

graveltotempo

Summary:

There is something odd about Tony Stark.

3.5k Thor/Tony teen

I'll be there

graveltotempo

Summary:

“Yo, are you fucking insane?” asked Erik, and, between the gun in his hands and the way Thor was staring at him in confused disbelief, a hand over his shoulder, it was clear that he had used it on him once already. Ineffectively, cause Thor was a god - and Tony had just nearly died again, holy shit - but enough to stun him.

“Erik-” started Tony, but it came out a little croaky, and he put a hand on his neck at the pain. That fucking hurt.

Erik seemed to grow further angry, while Thor frowned at Tony. “What fucking business does your ass have, grabbing an unarmed civilian by the neck? Look at how he sounds after less than a second in your fucking paws, were you fucking trying to kill him?”

4.8k Erik Killmonger/Tony teen

 Billionaire's cake

everythingispoetry

Summary:

The first time Phil gets to eat something baked by Tony, it's purely accidental. The other times - not so much.

Or: a story about a relationship that starts with donuts and doesn't end because of donuts.

16k phil/tony

Off Script *

bear_bell

Summary:

Agent Coulson sees Stark smile, and he's compromised.

18k phil/tony teen

theme of wonder

graveltotempo

Summary:

When Thanos, the Mad Titan, breached the walls of the Underworld, in a bid to kill Hades and make Persephone his own, the King and Queen of the Dead cast a spell.

A spell of time and souls, so that their love would be everlasting and so that they never would be without one another. So that their soul and immortal spirit would continue to reincarnate into different human bodies for cycles to come, and so that they could always find each other, not matter when or where. 

And for centuries, through the fall of Alexandria and the Salem Witch Trials, through the rise of the Ottoman reign and the fall of the Roman Empire, it works.

Until Persephone wakes alone in a cave, surrounded by ash, smoke and sand, and Hades wakes alone in Kamar Taj, drenched in water and with blood on his sheets.

Both alone.

And as the Infinity Stones start popping up around them again, and the oddness of this cycle continues, they know that the reckoning is approaching, that the end is near.

That the Mad Titan is once more at their door.

23k stephen strange/ tony stark gen

Peter Parker

Kind, Sober, and Fully Dressed

Traincat

Summary:

"Pete, my man, my completely platonic best bro," he muttered to himself in the voice he reserved solely for mocking Johnny Storm. "Come over and watch my maybe sex tape! Fun times! Just two guys hanging out -" he slammed the bathroom door maybe a little harder than necessary "- watching the one guy's celebrity sex tape! Good clean fun!"

Mrs. Moretti downstairs banged on her ceiling with a broom.

Everything was coming up Parker tonight.

--

Or, in which Peter proves himself tragically unable to take a hint. Post-Amazing Spider-Man Digital #17, aka the time Johnny asked Peter to watch his sex tape.

8k spideytorch mature

Always Glad You Came *

aloneintherain

Summary:

Spider-Man is a relatively new, controversial vigilante, and Johnny has a crush the size of the Empire Building. The Four - operating under the assumption that Spidey is an adult - do not approve.

“I just happen to think Spider-Man's cool,” Johnny says, matter-of-factly. “A hero can think another hero is cool without making it weird. I admire his aloofness. And his badass-ness.”

“His aloofness,” Ben repeats, chuckling into his mug of beer. It’s roughly the size of Johnny’s head. “Yeah, sure, I bet that’s all your admire, right?”

13k spideytorch teen

Hey Baby, Slip between my Beta-Pleats and get to know my Alpha-Helix? *

Anonymous

Summary:

Even though Tony can't tell the difference between Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo, Peter really has no other choice. 

His heat is around the corner, so even though he loathes the party-going, booze drinking, smug playboy know-it-all that is Tony Stark-

He'll just have to do.

37k starker explicit

Lying by Omission

deniigiq

Summary:

“I know I said I was up for anything--” he told Hogarth carefully, trying to surreptitiously slide the files back onto her desk.

She slapped a hand on them and pushed them back towards him.

“Mr. Nelson, you are one of the best lawyers on staff, and I am seriously considering the pros and cons of a potential partnership here,” she told him, staring up at him without moving her face or hand. Somehow, the files continued to dig into the meat of his palm.

“--but it turns out,” he valiantly carried on, “I am actually and suddenly extremely busy with the destruction Jessica will cause in approximately twenty minutes, which will have nothing to do with me or any favors or bribes or anything like that—” 

(Someone brings Team Red's (and the Punisher's) loved ones back from the dead to torture them for information on their vigilantes. Hogarth coerces Foggy to handle the resulting legal fallout and he is both the worst and best person for the job.)

40k not rated Peter & Matt &Wade

I'll Tell No Lies

doctorestranged

Summary:

When a series of murders take place, Peter Parker goes undercover in Sister Margaret’s to get intel on Tony Stark’s prime suspect: Deadpool. Peter goes in hoping to get enough information so that Spider-Man can save the day, but like everything in Peter’s life, it becomes a bit more complicated than that and it soon becomes apparent that he might not be the best fit for the job.

77k peter/wade

Other

 like the rain chooses the grass *

Tsume_Yuki

Summary:

Fuck. Not once had he ever considered his soulmate would be anything other than a black woman. His opinions on that are already far too solidified to allow for anything else.

Yet green eyes and a carbon copy soulmark are telling him otherwise.

Fuck this shit.

31k Erik Killmonger/Harry Potter

In Wade We Trust (We Are So Screwed)

dentalfloss

Summary:

“Wade Wilson dropped by last night,” Clint explained, like it was any other Friday. “Brought pizza and beer.” There was a thoughtful silence through the phone and then:

“You had a pizza party with Deadpool.” Phil said and Clint slid down the couch onto his back. Yeah, that pretty much summed up the situation.

Or: the one where Clint does something nice for Wade, and Wade decides to never let him go.

44k clint/coulson wade&clint teen

marvel fic recs part 1

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Rachel Connolly:

Earlier this year, I had a bout of what my friends and I term “mental health”. I was always tired. I couldn’t concentrate. I felt burnt out by the volume of communication that social media facilitates. I am 31 and, like many people my age, I’m in multiple group chats on WhatsApp and often find myself added to new ones. I use Instagram to post work and selfies, and to chat with people via the DM function. I use X similarly. (I’m too old for TikTok.) I enjoy some of this. I like talking nonsense with my friends. But I’d started to question how deliberate much of it was. I’d find myself posting a picture of a book I was reading and think, why do I need an audience to read? I began to wonder if, in the cycle of curating, recording and publicising our lives on social media, the things we do that are not seen and affirmed by people online feel somehow less “real”. My work as a writer means I probably get more online communication than the average person. Last year I published my first novel, and I have since noticed the slightly strange way that novels are discussed online. I get tagged in Instagram posts saying that my book is about a messy girl, a sad girl, a distant girl or a cold girl. There is an algorithmic basis to this. The easiest way to attract attention on social media is to talk about a trend everyone else is talking about, or to slot whatever you’re talking about into one of these trends.

So everywhere you look it is Brat summers or trad wives, cottage-core or bloke-core, high-functioning anxiety, parentified children or whatever happens to be the latest term for pathologising your life experience. Everything is flattened, simplified. I worried that being immersed in it was making me think this way too. A friend recently got a “dumb” phone, a Nokia 3210, to use when she’s out of the house. She leaves her smartphone at home like a landline. It has made her happier, she says. I needed a break too, but I was drawn to the idea of spending some time cut off from all communication. A reset, of sorts. I found a weekend-long silent retreat, no phones allowed, and booked myself in. My craving for a break is not uncommon. Social media is such a constant background presence in our lives that it’s easy to forget how recent it is. Facebook, which feels impossibly passé, is only 20. Instagram is not yet 15. Researchers first used the term “digital detox”, to refer to a period of abstention from phones and laptops, in 2012, around the same time that social media was really taking off (chat rooms had been around since the turn of the 1990s without the concept surfacing).

Digital detoxes remained unusual for a time. In 2015, Essena O’Neill, an Australian influencer with 612,000 Instagram followers, made news around the world when she released a statement about quitting the platform. Today, similar moves by celebrities are so common they barely make headlines. Billie Eilish deleted all social media apps from her phone. Actress Tavi Gevinson wrote about using an assistant to manage her Instagram. It has been hard to keep track of the number of times Stephen Fry has quit and rejoined Twitter over the years. These dramatic exits can seem amusing, especially when they’re followed by sheepish returns, but mostly they underscore how addictive and overwhelming social media can be. My silent retreat took place in a large house in rural Devon. I arrived on Friday, one of a group of about 50. We were allowed to speak during registration and, because I had gone there determined not to use reductive labels, I could already sense myself reaching for them. A young man told me he had done several silent retreats before. Ah, I thought, so you’re the type of person who does these often. Then I caught myself. What type would that be?

During the first meditation session, our instructors explained that we would sit and try to embody, rather than think about, the question “What is this?” This distinction struck me as confusing to the point of meaninglessness. But they explained that one way of attempting “not to think” about the question was to resist the urge to answer it. They encouraged us to focus instead on how we felt, on the physical sensations in our bodies. If you have never tried this, I will say that it is extremely difficult. We sat cross-legged for 30 minutes. I stared at a wall. Then we walked in a circle for 10 minutes. Then we sat down again, and so on, for about two hours. Then it was bedtime. I enjoyed the communality of me and the other girls silently working through our evening routines together. I realised that I had never decided to bring my phone everywhere, like an appendage to my body

The next two days were structured around meditation and chores. At 6.30am we were woken by a bell. We did two hours of meditation, after which we had breakfast. Then a break, followed by another two hours of meditation and lunch. My chore was washing up after we ate. Then more meditation, dinner, another break, meditation, bed. If sitting in an uncomfortable position and staring at a wall while trying not to think sounds impossibly boring, I would say it is not so different from the way my days would unfold when I worked in offices, traipsing from my desk to the tea station and back. More earnestly, I would say I could not have imagined how much I would enjoy the retreat, or how much I’d get out of it. Over the weekend, one of the instructors spoke about trying to be more conscious of the labels we put on our experiences and interactions. It struck me that a similar fatigue with the overload of digital communication is probably what draws a lot of people to try a silent retreat. We were all the type of person who is fed up with “types of people”.

On my first morning after breakfast, I went outside. The countryside seemed fantastically vivid. The blackbirds looked as beautiful as anything I had seen before. I watched one, like a dash of ink, flickering against the mottled grey sky, then two sailing as a pair, in tune with each other. I watched a cloud of them, pulsing. It reminded me of a jellyfish. Back inside, from my seat in the meditation room, I could see a tree that the birds would visit. When I was frustrated with the way my thoughts rattled around my head, reviewing unsaid rebuttals to months-old arguments, I watched the birds and imagined the paths they were taking in the world. One of my issues with the task “embody but try not to think” is that the semantic distinction between thinking and feeling is hard to grasp. If you notice that you feel happy or sad, is that a thought? Or a feeling? I found animals a useful framework to try to understand the distinction, as they negotiate the world using senses. A bird might fly north because of an environmental cue, but it does not say to itself in words, “I want to fly north.” I came to understand the task not as emptying your head of thoughts, but rather resisting the tendency to narrate things to yourself in words. I noticed that this interior monologuing would lead me along familiar, superficial trains of thought, to recent memories associated with certain feelings, say, and soon enough back to mundane anxieties.

At night, I would sit outside and look at the stars. The clouds, invisible in the darkness, shifted to expose one patch of stars, then another, making it look like the sky itself was swelling and shrinking. Memories and ideas still came to me, but deeper, more interesting ones than before. It was as if I had cleared the way for them. I remembered that I used to look at the stars when I was a teenager. I used to read about how they’re born, how they sustain themselves, why we see only some of them, how they die. On Monday morning at breakfast, we were allowed to speak again. Some participants had found the weekend hard, they said. One person had cried repeatedly. Others said that eating in silence had made them feel as though everyone was being cold towards them. As they talked, I remembered old corporate jobs where I was always the office loser. People could sense the aura of failure emanating from me, so I would eat lunch by myself, in silence. I got used to it. I didn’t feel I was learning anything valuable at the time, but life can surprise you. Sticking out is not so bad, I realised. This is the message of most children’s books, but one it’s easy to lose sight of as an adult. Other people’s perceptions of you, real or imagined, don’t have to influence how you see yourself. Social media is designed to erase this perspective. Much of the anxiety it fosters comes from forcing you to see yourself, constantly, as relative to others.

[eggtartz]

hellooo can you do haitanis and kakucho with artist s/o that makes sketches of them tysm 💗

a/n : funfact i sketch them a lot too soOoO this is very self inserted lmao thankyou for requesting anon and enjoy 🫶🏻

summary : fluff, tons of them

masterlist

ran

- first saw you sketching alone in a cafe

- now he lives with you, you still sketch everyday. and you LOVE sketching him

- everything he does, you'll snap a picture then you'll stay there on the table for hours to get the sketch done

- ran would sip his warm camomile while scrolling through his phone, glancing at you who won't budge for a few hours

- he has to remind you to take enough rest after sketching and never skip any meals

- he once went through your sketching book and saw plenty sketches of your adopted cats and sceneries

- there's plenty more sketching books that he hasn't found yet

- you two would go anywhere and ran would see you tagging along a bag with you sketching tools in them so he likes bringing you to open spaces so you'll end hours and hours sketching in peace there

- but ran doesn't realize that you're not sketching any of scenery (you just use them as backgrounds) but you draw his figure at the sheet

- him looking like he's posing when he's actually napping helps a lot with your sketches, your drawing flawlessly done in a few hours just before ran woke up

- "hm pretty, you draw me? that looks really good you did amazing as always"

- went back home that night and when ran was fast asleep, you kept the sketches in one of your collections, one of your piling collections

kakucho

- kakucho has just finished a mission when he saw you

- earphones in, fingers tapping on the empty canvas and looked deep in thought

- kakucho approached you, forgetting the fact that he's all bloody from the prior incidents (you threw your pencils at him because he scared you)

- eventually when you two started dating, you insisted to draw him despite his protest not to

- kakucho is camera-shy so he runs away before you even manage to whip out your phone so you had to sneakily snap a picture while he's asleep

- once the sketches are done you'll show him hesitantly but he looks at them endearingly (almost like he's gonna tear up)

- once you did a sketch of him but only his forehead and his eyes where he's very insecure at but he grew confident because your draw him so prettily

- "your drawings make me look good love.."

- "that's because you are beautiful kaku-chan!"

- kakucho became more open to pictures after that day, wants you to draw him as many as like too

- he would try to somehow sketch a picture of you and get STRESSED over it because he doesn't think it's pretty like yours :(

- but you kept the sketch, made the sketch your wallpaper even

- from then, kakucho would doodle a lot of your pictures and send them via messages while he's in meetings

- "look love! it's a mini you!"

[circular-bircular]

Mm. About that whole DNI thing by the way—

I went through and started making a spreadsheet. What I found (via asks, scrolling blogs, everything) was that, by and large, everyone sucks.

That’s an exaggeration of course but good lord.

On the anti-endo side, we had a lot more blatant DNIs; folks who have it directly posted onto their pinned. Remarkably, just looking in the tags, I believe only one or two anti-endos had any form of “pro-endo dni.” Many of the ones I sent asks to were receptive to supporters being on the blog, so long as syscourse wasn’t mentioned, and even cautioned me that they were anti-endo, just in case.

Aaaand I of course also had one person block me outright immediately for asking before laughing at me, and some… interesting troll-like behavior from some folks I asked. What’s to be expected?

Meanwhile, the pro-endo side did allow more engagement… barely. The DNIs were just nowhere to be seen. I had to send far more asks to pro-endo blogs asking if anti-endos could interact, and while many said yes, many of the DNIs I received were confusing, to say the least. “You can interact, but don’t follow or send asks” was seen repeatedly — not the most common, but notable that it happened more than once, you know?

Some folks were lovely about my asks and it does seem the pro-endos I sought out were more willing to have anti-endos interact.

And some blocked me immediately, one got upset with me for asking because they’d “made it clear they didn’t want me following” (no DNI in tags, bio, pinned, or anywhere else I could find), and…

Good lord the triggers.

Good fucking lord the triggers of going through the pro-endo tags.

I do not need to see someone asking for someone to groom them. 🫠

I’m not going to be able to finish the spreadsheet sadly — it’s just way too much to handle for me, and I’m trying to take care of myself more recently — but I wanted to share just some of that. From what I saw, anti-endos were ever so slightly more isolated than pro-endos, and make it more blatant with their DNIs in their pinned posts versus pro-endos not having DNIs posted but expecting you not to interact anyways.

[tblsomedoodles]

Scrolled through your Mikeys imaginary friends tag and I Love it a lot

I’d like some more thoughts and stuff about.

When and how does April get in the picture?

April probably doesn't meet them in person until Mystic Mayhem, but has heard of them from both Raph and Mikey. She caught on pretty quick that they're probably the same set of twins, but no matter what she says to the sunset duo, neither of them believe her. (mostly because neither Mikey nor Raph want to admit that their friends are also their brother's friends. Those are their friends. They found them on their own. They don't really want to share them with their brother. if that makes sense. Words are hard today.)

but yeah, she's heard about them a lot while those two were still meeting with them. So when they all reunite during Mystic Mayhem, and realize it's them, she's more than willing to dish out as many "i told you so"'s as she can physically get away with lol : )

as for a few random little tidbits, I decided Raph's definitely going to be meeting with them as well. the three of them hang out in a nearby library that's closed (but one of the windows is easily opened from the outside.) He introduces Leo to comic books and Donnie makes short work of the non-fiction section (though he does join the comic reading group on occasion).

(yes, the library has security cameras. Yes the library's security staff notice three young figures going around the llibrary at night. After the first few visits, they realize these three make less of a mess than normal patrons do. They put all their books back properly and everything (sometimes Donnie even reorganizes an entire shelf of books b/c they're not in order.) The staff decide that they're not causing any trouble and just let it be. They're a library after all. If a few little green city cryptids want to learn, they're not going to stop them.)

And, a stupidly silly thought that Donnie would end up infodumping via mind meld. WHich probably means it's a literal info dump. Like he gets so excited about whatever he just learned he just mentally throws the entire thing at whichever sibling is there to hear it. And then theyre just sit there for like five minutes trying to process the entire platypus wikipedia page lol.

Thank you!

[sea-of-dust]

I've made an event! Run away while ya still can!!/j

Closed!

Quick n: I apologize for my absence, I'd admit I've lost quite the will to write after midterms, I think I'll be able to write a bit but I will be quite slow. im already late for my annual double post and dip.

Whats this about?

I will be accepting 5 requests in relation to valintines day promts! As for what the promts are? Go wild! I totally have ideas. Please make sure these ideas follow my rules however! Send these in via ask!

For characters I write for please refer here

Slots!

Please note one character per ask!!

Jing yuan-soul mates can hear you sing

LYNEY THX NIAN YAYAYYAYYAAYAYAY

Lyney-found out about you making choclate for him

Yukari giving you chocolates

Skye-meeting up for valintines

Final notes:

Thank you if you even scrolled aggressively. I appreciate even being a pixel on your screens, don't mean that in a sappy way. Also I have tags now!! They can be found in the same post as the "where to find me" post. If you'd like to be in my tag list please dm or comment on one of my posts. Fr ready to wake up and its either blasting or empty (bets on dust clouds)

[paleblueramune]

Hello friend. Where did you get your information regarding Tenshi Kaiwai not being a fashion trend and Tenshi Zyoshi being a magazine?

Hello! I'm so sorry for taking so long. This was actually a lot more complicated to answer than I thought, so I had to take a couple of days to research. So I apologize, this is really long, but I do appreciate it if everyone could read this.

So, the first question, information regarding Tenshi Kaiwai not being a fashion trend. I thought this would be as simple as finding the oldest post using #天使界隈, because the romanji was not used at all until Febuary of this year. Turns out things were a bit more complicated.

After my phone crashing, my computer not loading, and borrowing my friends PC, we were finally able to scroll all the way to the bottom of the Instagram tag, we found that it possibly did not originate with Tenshi Zyoshi.

Tenshi Zyoshi started posting in April of last year, when they started using the tag as well. However according to Instagram, ililil was the first to use the tag

It shows here that they posted under Tenshi Kaiwai in 2021. This lines up with Cybr.Grls video but also simultaneously does not. In her Tenshi Kaiwai video, Nuta, her guest star, says that her and ililil came up with the term with their first collaboration. But these posts are not part of that collab, nor follow any of the themes of Tenshi Kaiwai or Mizurio. Nutas collab doesn't happen until February of 2022, and at that, there's no sign of 天使界隈 anywhere except for the tags.

This combined with the fact collections being tagged earlier than what infomation was presented, it's possible ililil went and edited the tags later, which you can do.

Also, We aren't actually sure how old Tenshi Zyoshis account is. Even though their earlist post is from April 2022, it's shown to have been made in March, but there's evidence that it existed as far back as 2020.

I was told that if you change your account to a business account, it will change your account creation date, which might have happened. And it's mostly likely they have deleted photos earlier than April.

So in conclusion... I have no conclusive evidence. Which I am very sorry for. If it originated with Tenshi Zyoshi, and they do have deleted posts older than ililils, then it's most likely a community tag used for purposes of finding people who also like Mizurio and potentially get featured in thier blog.

If it does originate with ililil, and they didn't change their tags and were just experimenting with the term, then it seems to be more of a fashion trend. It still feels more like and aesthetic rather than a trend, with how broad the fashion could potentially be.

So I genuinely do apologize. I assumed too much when I didn't have the evidence to back it up, especially with how muddy it seems right now. With the nature of the internet and things getting deleted or edited, I can't really say with confidence either or based on evidence, just what I've heard people talk about.

I still lean more towards Tenshi Kaiwai being simply a hashtag and not a just fashion, and Mizurio being an aesthetic that encompasses these fashions. But that would be several more paragraphs to talk about. And you're free to disagree, I understand the skepticism.

The magazine question is a lot more simple, however I might have unintentionally misled people. Tenshi Zyoshi is not an actual magazine you could subscribe to or purchase, it's an online blog dedicated to a aesthetic/subculture/fashion, and acts like a magazine. There are many others, including Girly.Zyoshi, where they take submissions via a hashtag or @ing the account. Another word would be instazine. They are similar to a magazine because they promote products and others' content.

That's what I have for now, and thank you to everyone that has read this far! I hope that I can continue to research and provide more infomation, and continue to grow along with this account♡

(Also big shout out to everyone who has helped me look into this, I would be crying at my computer if I hadn't had help ♡♡♡)