#ongoing series I will be getting to a lot more topics don't worry

[portraitoftheoddity]

Beginner Hiking Guide Part Two: Preparations - Knowledge is Power

1. Know what trail you’re taking

You may have decided “I’m going to climb Mount Moosilauke!” -- but there are several different trails up Mount Moosilauke, of varying length and steepness. Are you planning on doing the Beaver Brook Trail or the Gorge Brook Trail? Will you be doing an out-and-back up and down the same trail, or doing a loop where you descend down a different trail to the same trailhead departure point? 

Make a plan using the resources from Part One, know the names of the trails if there are interconnecting ones you plan to take, and keep track of blaze colors if you are in an area that uses colored trail blazes. (Blazes are rectangles of paint or other markers on trees and rocks put up by trail maintainers to indicate where the trail is, and which trail you are on)

2. Trailhead location and access

Once you know what trail you’re taking, you’ll want to figure out the location of the trailhead. Some trailheads can be very crowded, so you may want to show up early for parking, or be aware you may need to park a distance away. Also, some backcountry trailheads are on seasonal roads that may be closed during certain times or day or times of year, meaning you may wind up hiking an extra mile or two along a dirt road just to get to the trail. 

3. Trail length & elevation gain

How long is the route you’re taking? And what is the elevation gain? (Note: listed elevation for the hike typically refers to the highest point on the hike’s distance from sea level. Elevation gain specifically refers to the gain in elevation from the beginning of the hike to its highest point, since you often aren’t starting at sea level.) Keep in mind that the greater the elevation gain relative to the length of the hike, the steeper the trail will be and the more challenging the hike.

4. How difficult is the trail?

Trail difficulty is hard to gauge precisely, since what is difficult is always going to be relative. Something that might be an easy trail by one person’s judgment may be extremely challenging to another. But there are some factors we can look at for what’s likely to make a trail more or less difficult to hike:

Steepness - determined by elevation gain / length. TrailsNH has a useful “hiking difficulty calculator" to help you get an idea of the overall grade of the trail based on these criteria: https://trailsnh.com/tools/hiking-difficulty.php 

Terrain - is the ground flat gravel or full of rocks and tree roots? Does the trail description reference ‘scrambles’, ie, rocky areas where you will need to use your hands as well as your feet to climb up?

Trail Conditions - did it rain heavily yesterday, leaving the trail a slippery, muddy mess? Have there been landslides in the area? Did it snow at elevation?

Looking at the elevation gain and distance can help you determine steepness. Pictures of the trail and reviews may help you get an idea of the terrain. And there may be online hiking communities in your area that report on local trail conditions. (If you hike in the New England area, I recommend https://www.newenglandtrailconditions.com/ ). AllTrails also has a comment section where people sometimes leave useful trail reports with the date, so you can check to see if someone hiked it recently.

5. What is your expected hike duration?

Average human walking pace is about 3 miles an hour. But walking pace and hiking pace can be very different, depending on the trail difficulty -- you may find yourself hiking between 3mph and 1mph. A challenging trail will force you to move slower and more carefully, and you’ll probably want to take breaks -- both to catch your breath, and to enjoy the view! 

There are a few different formulae out there for predicting hiking time. “Naismith's Rule” is 19.5 minutes per mile, plus 30 minutes for every 1000 feet of elevation gain, but this really only makes sense if you’re on a trail that has very smooth terrain. “Book time”, which is a bit better suited to rocky terrain like you’ll get on more backcountry trails, states “30 minutes per mile + 30 minutes per 1000 feet of elevation gain.” (Personally, in the White Mountains, I make it 45 minutes per 1000 feet of elevation). TrailsNH has a slightly more involved calculator that factors in overall pace, terrain, and the weight of your pack: https://trailsnh.com/tools/hiking-time-calculator.php . (Note that none of these factor in "snacking time", which is an egregious oversight in my opinion.)

If you’re new to hiking, always err on the side of giving yourself more time than you expect to need, until you get to know your own pace! And be sure to give yourself extra time to enjoy the wilderness without stress.

6. What’s the forecast?

Always look up the weather before you hike! Hikers are far more likely to die of exposure than of bear attacks or whatever else you may think is a threat in backcountry. Pay attention to temperature (extreme heat and extreme cold are both dangerous), humidity (humid days will have you sweating more, so you will need more water), wind speed + wind chill (especially if you’re hiking in exposed areas -- wind is a killer above treeline), and precipitation (you’re at greater risk of hypothermia, even in mild temperatures, if you’re wet). The weather conditions will impact the trail conditions, impact your own physical tolerance, and dictate what you need to bring if you do go hiking, or whether you should even be hiking at all. 

There may be different weather concerns depending on where you’re hiking. If you’re hiking in the mountains, you’ll want to make sure you know what the weather is at summit, not just at the base of a trail. It may be 80ºF down in the valley, but below freezing at the top of the mountain. On the other hand, if you’re hiking at low elevation, especially if you’re hiking in a canyon, you’ll want to pay close attention to flash flood warnings. 

Useful forecasting tools:

https://forecast.weather.gov/  - NOAA weather forecast, offers detailed hourly weather forecasts

https://www.mountain-forecast.com/ - provides forecasts for mountain summits (including windchill, wind speed, and wind direction)

Knowledge + SAFETY

Before you leave for your hike:

Plan your departure time. Know when sunset is, how long you project your hike to take, and how long it will take to get to the trailhead. Give yourself an ample buffer in case you underestimated your hike duration, and working backwards, plan to leave early enough that you will be done with your hike and back to your car well before the sun goes down so you aren’t stuck blundering through treacherous terrain in the dark (more on this in the next part where we talk about gear!). 

Check the weather forecast once again the night before, AND the morning of! Weather can be volatile. If conditions change and become unfavorable, don’t be afraid to reschedule your hike. You cannot outrun mother nature. Numerous people -- including seasoned hikers -- have died in the White Mountains (where I hike) from failing to adequately check the forecasts and getting trapped in deadly weather. There’s no shame in bailing out at the last minute if conditions are just plain bad.

Notify someone reliable in your life of:

Where you are hiking

What trail(s)/route you are taking

How long you expect to take

When to worry and call for help if they haven’t heard from you or can’t get hold of you

Stick to the plan you’ve communicated once you start your hike! If you are injured or lost and don’t have the ability to call for help (dead phone battery, no service, etc.), you will want someone who will recognize that you’re overdue and can call for the authorities to tell them where to look. The sooner someone knows you’re missing, the sooner Search & Rescue teams can be deployed to help you.

<< Previous part: Find Where You Want to Hike Next part: What to Wear Hiking >>

[kustas]

I'd love to hear your hashtag wha critical thoughts about recent developments if you feel like sharing them :)

I'll preface this with saying that for this answer I will not be making a distinction between my personal tastes and what is "objectively worst". The TLDR is I have felt like WHA's been dipping in quality since book 8 approximately.

One of WHA's strong points is its ongoing theme of accessibility, via its premise of how magic is purposefully restricted from people, and via its characters, mostly the kids, who showcase various life issues and allow the story to talk about how to solve them. Disability is an important one and was at the center of book 8, which is one of my favorites. You get to see Tartah and Coco work together for a goal (=making their friend a better mobility aid), and by doing so they brainstorm the why and then how which allows for complex notions to be carried out and explained to the reader. Cute story with touching implications that flows well. This quote in particular sums up so well what WHA is "about"

After this we transition rather brutally to the latest ongoing arc of the Silver Eve. This arc has been ongoing for years now, and three volumes, making it the longest so far, I'll come back to that, putting a star on it [*]. It delves further into aspects of accessibility the series had talked about before - access to magic, access to healthcare, and poverty. This is where this blog's namesake gets relevant. Custas is a kid who was already poor, who got badly wounded ending up disabled, and who because of that was stuck in a situation with no good endings: he can't make money in his state and needs money to get out of his state. On top of this gets added magic, and comes back the question at the center of WHA: Is it wrong to restrict the use of magic, and how?

After the arc is kickstarted by Custas getting his share of spilled beans of magical secrets revealed, enter immediatly strong players via ch.48's introduction of the Wise Ones and the king himself. The political aspect of how the world works was not mentioned before. Great chapter, interesting stuff all around, personally answered much of my questions. Immediatly after this chapter the focus in 49 fully switches to the Knights and their job, and the rest of the chapter is dedicated to a story of a sexual assault survivor and how she made it. It's a surprising topic to see pop up and it's handled with the respect it deserves. Chapter 50 goes back to Coco and her troubles. This concludes book 9 and...it makes for a Lot of stuff to deal with. Put a Second star on that. [**]

Addressing those stars before we move on:

[*] This arc is taking forever. WHA's arcs in earlier volumes only took a few chapters. This arc has taken three books thus far and I doubt we have reach its climax yet. I personally don't like it and it raises an issue the series did not have before: Will the payoff be worth it? Where it is worrying for the future of the series is that manga serialized regularly tend to up the stakes progressively until the end and it might...not work out.

[**] Too many things at once unresolved. This has already had consequences with the progressive vanishing of something WHA was once excellent at: sneakily introducing elements that get used a few arcs later in important ways. The manga has been, for a while now, accumulating unfinished plot threads via not answering the questions it opens and instead adding more and more characters. Jumping from a group of characters to another was not an issue beforehand because unlike this arc's, chapters took place at different times and/or in totally different places. The Silver Eve is both set in time AND place, making it hard to follow because all sideplot happen at once.

Book 10 continues to accumulate ongoing unresolved plots with: the royal family being shady, Agott's struggles irt. her mother, Dagda running around confused and tracked by the Knights, Custas and Ininia jumping Tartah and Coco, and Galga's accident + relationship.

Book 11 does the same adding Agott's crush on Coco, the actual festival, Jujy's inner troubles...Funnily enough, this page is a good summary of the ongoing mess.

Instead of solving all of this stuff we instead get stakes ramped up to 100 with the introduction of what I can only describe as a kaiju attack. As much as I love the horror and drama element, given what was already going on, this does NOT strike me as a good decision.

Now, we go back to the three latest chapters. These follow the same subplot: Custas' faction change and Coco's attempts to save him. This subplot has, to me, a whole lot of issues. Way earlier on in the story, even before Dagda's ambush, I had issues with how Custas was portrayed in relation to his anger, being drawn weirdly spooky for...a frustrated poor kid? Others have also pointed out it wasn't great to have one of your only dark skinned characters be a slum kid. Obviously given my handle on here, I am still a huge fan of the character. After chapter 45 (included), I already found it a bit tasteless to have so much horrors piled on him. WHA is a rather unsubtle series at time which I really, really dislike. Sure, makes it hard to miss the point, but when you're dealing with sensitive topics it can fall into touchy territory fast...

In the latest chapters, Coco appears to save Custas, the "how" part of her plan still being a mystery. Meanwhile, a timelooped and very confused Dagda looks for him, accompanied by Lulucy, who knows them both and is unaware of their ties with forbidden magic. She ends up telling him to abandon the faction he sided with by literally ripping off the brim of his hat with her magic. Meanwhile, Lulucy starts attacking him on sight. I have so, so so many issues with all of this.

Coco's story is about knowing the system in place sucks. Custas' story is about being screwed over by the same system. The story explicitly points those two out as mirrors: Custas is what would have happened to Coco without the right support. Coco's unique POV on the pointed hat witches shows us many prior times they are not the good guys. Hell, Custas himself talks about how the pointed hat's magical gatekeeping prevented him from living a better life.

To me, the point was supposed to be: the system in place doesn't work, which results in people in need not getting help. We loop back to the accessibility I started off mentioning. Yes, before the current system, bad things happened - but the current system is still allowing other bad things to happen now. So...why is Coco pushing Custas to join the pointed hats and abandon the faction he sided with? If a character who was upholding the status quo was doing so it would make sense (like Beldaruit) but Coco as a main character exists partially to point out why the pointed hats are not good. She demonstrates it to the reader via what happens to her AND knows it as a character. It comes off as inconsistent and frankly makes little sense.

Speaking of inconsistencies...why does Lulucy not recognize Custas, a child she's known for a while? Why does the young prince, introduced as a suspicious character on behalf of his family's unknown goals, become a helpful selfless little guy? Why are the Knights, originally introduced as an antagonistic faction because they are a milita enforcing the status quo, suddenly portrayed as fighting for good as a bunch of remarkable individuals?

Ah yes, the cops. I'm going to address something really fast about them. It makes me frankly uncomfortable the author chose their faction to evoke the two very sensitive topics of sexual assault and homophobia. I think the way those topics themselves were handled without greater context was surprisingly good, and it's touching in the first place to see an author who not only cares, but uses her series, destined partially for younger readers, to explain why she cares. However, Witch Hat is a very black and white series: the bad guys are bad and ugly and you should dislike them, the good guys are good and you should like them. There are some exceptions but who have been losing steam as of late. While originally introduced as a group of individuals who act in problematic ways for their day job, the Knights have slowly lost that bad guy flavor to become a fun band of colleagues/friends. They are law enforcers who enforce unjust laws, but it seems that the author's not on board with people hating them because this is the second time she gave a Knight a tragic backstory that makes them more sympathetic to the reader. First of: I do not see what's to redeem about them if the story's about changing an unjust system, so I don't get the necessity to make them nicer. Secondly: at least in my country (which has legal gay marriage and notably less sexist than Japan) law enforcement is renowned to not help sexual assault victims or gay people. The Knights Moralis are fantasy cops and cops, in real life, tend to abandon people who need their help regarding those two issues - if not worsen them, and count a majority of sexists/homophobes among their ranks. Making your unsubtly cop stand-in faction have both characters with those issues comes off as at least a poor decision if not bad taste.

(big words from the guys introduced in the story by arresting a bunch of children who were on a rescue mission for a misunderstanding they would not have cared about. Die idgaf)

Some more surface level things:

The art. The first books of WHA are noticeably more complex in their style featuring more reaslistic proportions for the characters. Latest arc has seen art lose some of the decorative "classic" flair in the linework and characters looking simpler and stylized to look way...Younger? In a way I do not like. Yes, it's expected for manga series to see their style evolve. I also want to make this clear: I consider the pace imposed on manga artists to be inhumane and if Shirahama had decided to draw her manga as stick figures to work less I'd be down for it.

The dialog. While WHA is very in your face (you may call it preachy) the dialog in the latest chapters especially Coco's feels off. A 12yo wouldn't give off speeches about the world in the heat of battle. When it's a calm scene between two characters discussing a deep thing, sure. When it's an epic public adult figure (see: Dean), sure. I'd prefer having the kids talk like kids.

Goddamn the story has become less nuanced and subtle over the time. Scenes like Qifrey getting confronted by Tartah post mindwiping his grandpa owned. The story's current "morally grey" moments just don't do it for me anymore. No, I don't want the witch politicians of the faction you established as a mistake beforehand to continue. I don't care if the fantasy cops are offended by a grieving husband pointing out they suck. I kinda wish he'd thrown hands actually

So...yeah, that's about it. While WHA's plot beats has always been impossible for me to predict, I don't know if I can trust where the story is going anymore. The fans eating it up confuse me and I might even get hate for posting this. Truth is, while some aspects have always been more or less present in the series since the start, I've felt like the really good bits that balanced it out have been going extinct. I don't know why and it's none of my business to. Some friends have pointed out we might be reaching a point where the author ran out of pre-written story and is now improvising. What's a bit concerning to me is I've also noticed she's way less active on social media, where she used to post regular bonus material for the series, this has stopped and I hope it's not because she lost her interest for the series or way worst, is overworked. Given the conditions for mangaka it wouldn't be impossible and like previously stated, I am of the opinion that no comic book series is worth putting their author's life, health and free time down. It's more important than me disliking the comic.

And regarding Custas - him joining the atelier to study with Qifrey would not be a good ending, no matter what the fandom says. It won't be cute found family. Custas has a family who's unique member wouldn't be able to follow him as a witch. That ending would separate a very traumatized child from the only adult he has in his life that gives him unconditional love and support. Custas needs to not be seen as a criminal so the rest of his life won't be over, and also a whole bunch of cash.

I'm not excited for the anime.

[mermaidsirennikita]

I enjoy reading your reviews, because I share almost entirely the same taste in books as you, and have a very high threshold for Badly Behaved men and Unlikeable Women. Plus. Sierra Simone and Kresley Cole.

Now, I belong to a book group of women who, in most things, seem to have a high threshold for impolite topics of conversation. However, my appreciation of the genre of romance has been treated as an ongoing, wave-of-the-hand, humorous pasttime for a while by my friends.

So...one of the women in book group read "The Love Hypothesis" and (she was surprised) she liked it a lot and after talking, the whole of my book group wanted me to choose _any_ romance novel I want for Februrary. This is a first in ten years. They want a contemporary. And it is to be "spicy". Honestly. Though. Love Hypothesis spicy isn't, well, very spicy. Given the shit I read. There's one woman in the group - after we read Lessons in Chemistry - who remarked that it was all tied up too clean at the end. She "likes the European movie endings". I guess tragic. This woman jokes about my "bodice rippers" laughingly all the time. Honestly. I love her but she doesn't get the genre at all and I worry that the "happy ending" requirement will feel "too tidy" to her and secretly I want to throttle her for discounting a genre that (to me) has some incredibly progressive and boundary pushing work being done by women/BIPOC/LGBTQ+ authors for the same audience. Also secretly - I want to choose a book that makes her eat her words.

SO. I'm wondering if you have any go-to contemporary fiction romance recommendations for reticent/new/romance-curious women? I have been racking my brain and came up with The Soulmate Equation (which isn't my fave of CLos but I don't think my fave is "clean" enough for this crowd). Or. Georgie All Along. Then I thought that maybe KA Tuckers The Simple Wild might do it?

Sigh. I'm stumped.

Thank you for reaching out! I am happy to hear from someone who gets it, lol. And I can definitely sympathize; for me, there's always someone who dismisses the books I read as pornography~ or just not Serious. The thing is, I can absolutely enjoy and value tragedies (The Godfather Part I and II are in fact my favorite movies). And I won't write it all off as emotional torture porn. But romance enjoyers are always forced to defend the work we read and prove that it has merit, right?

Georgie, All Along is a really solid choice for beginners. I will say, if you haven't read Love, Theoretically, you might want to put that up on the block as the one person already read and enjoyed TLH--it's definitely hotter than TLH (but still not too hot--I think there's an oral/digital scene and two-ish p in v scenes), and there's some interesting lore for discussion about Ali Hazelwood admitting that her agent suggested her cutting the sex down for TLH (compared to the original fanfic it was based on). I also found its examination of the physics "debates" and the grayer issues in academia (especially re: mentorship and blacklisting) really good.

I would definitely recommend considering Kennedy Ryan! She writes a fucking beautiful contemporary, and it's always hot, and it's always very complex morally. My faaavorite books of hers are the Kingmaker duology, but those definitely veer into more romance-y OTT territory (hero is the son of a billionaire, there are presidential elections involved, kidnapping happens). It's fucking 10/10, but might be a lot for newbies. I believe Queen Move, which is a spinoff of that series, is a little more approachable--the heroine is a high level campaign manager, and the hero is her childhood friend she got separated from. They reconnect at her dad's funeral, but she believes he's still with his child's mother (he's not). Both of the leads are Black, and Kimba's identity as a Black woman is really crucial to the novel, as is how that interacts with the hero's identity as a biracial Black man. Definitely on the hotter side, as is Kennedy Ryan's way.

Another one from Kennedy that's gotten a lot of play recently is probably the closest to women's fiction I've read from her is Before I Let Go--it's another Black romance, and it's about a couple who are co-parenting after divorcing, which itself following the stillbirth of their third child. It's really, really emotional, and it touches on issues like communication, therapy (and masculinity), and it's very fair all around to supporting characters... like the woman the hero tries to move on with, for example. Also? Hot, but not quite as intense as QM.

If they're open to queer romance, I will plug Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. Y'all can talk about the recent hockey romance scandals~ lol while reading the best hockey romance ever, which is somehow NOT getting the play it deserves? It's m/m, rivals to lovers, the heroes begin a casual fuckbuddy thing that lasts on the low for YEARS. It's very much a "vibes" romance that is heavy heavy heavy on the character development, which makes it lovely. Ilya is maybe my favorite bi rep ever, he's like sexy but also very perceptive and a good examination of the "slutty hero", imo. Shane is also amazing; he's less comfortable with his sexuality, but it's not a typical case of "man is toxically masculine", which I found refreshing. There is a lot to his internalized homophobia than the standard. And... it's hot, I won't lie, lol. But I think the juxtaposition of sex v emotional development is a great way of communicating why explicit sex scenes are important in some books. You realize they're falling in love as the way they have sex shifts.

A possible recent release that harkens back to the classic romcom (still critically revered, so maybe they'll like comparing them on a srs level, and for the Ali Hazelwood reader, this is by a friend/former cohort of Ali's) is You, Again by Kate Goldbeck. It's a contemporary update on the WHMS formula, but this time the "Sally" is a quiet male chef who's obsessed with the idea of finding the one and settling down, and the "Harry" is a bisexual standup comedian who met him while they were fucking the same girl, lol. The relationship is a slow burn and builds up perfectly--you really buy them falling for each other, and there are some really clever subversions of the gender norms in m/f romance. It's a love letter to a golden era of romcoms, and it's very hot but doesn't have too many sex scenes (2, I think, nothing crazy).

The Art of Scandal by Regina Black may also be their speed. The heroine is the local mayor's wife whose husband is trying to run for something bigger when she finds out he's been cheating on her. The marriage was already meeeeh because she felt like her (white) husband was using her Blackness for political capital, which is a very real issue the book explores. She makes this connection with a young (26 to her 37) artist, and they have immediate chemistry--and though she agrees with her husband that she'll stay with him for the time being, there's this real temptation. It's written in a way that's way more literary than it may sound, and though there is sex on the page, it's a little softer and more dialed back--more on a Kate Clayborn level, versus a Sierra level, lol. It has enough drama to keep you interested, but I really loved the way it went into issues like respectability (for her) and machismo (for him--the hero is Latino, and his relationship with his father is written in a way that really doesn't pull any punches emotionally).

Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron is one I just read and loved--it's definitely on the softer side of steamy (one open door sex scene) but it's like, so fun and compelling. It's more of a romcom than a drama, but it does delve into some serious stuff, especially re: the heroine's relationship with her mother and her own need to trust and forgive, as well as slut-shaming. But again, it's very fun, and the heroine's relationships with her friends are big aspects that I appreciated. It's basically "what if Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill from Emma hooked up in the modern era and had to co-parent". She falls hard, finds out he's still married, gets pregnant, has to co-parent with him, then they end up in the same wedding party in Tazania, with their four year old in tow.

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne is one you can pitch as a contemporary Pride and Prejudice remix, in which Lizzie is a Black activist and Darcy is a Filipino billionaire who is very literally her opposition. It has great send-ups of P&P, and it's definitely hot without being OTT. The politics are super relevant to right here, right now, and it's really not easy to find an interracial romance that doesn't involve a white person. For sure a good discussion book, especially if they have familiarity with P&P. I think there are 2ish sex scenes, one that's oral and one that's p in v.

If you're feeling a little more daring, I love The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. The heroine is on the autism spectrum and feels the pressure from her mom to settle down, but she also has never had bad sex and due to... culture, and the way her autism has been treated by people in her life, she thinks it's a her issue. She hires a sex worker to teach her how to be good at it, but he is LOVELY and is like, um, let's work to making you feel comfortable. Great on the emphasis on sexual pleasure and imo, it handles sex work well. The author also is on the spectrum, and the hero connects to her in a representational sense as well as he, like the author, is of Vietnamese descent. Definitely on the hotter side, but still not insane, imo.

Good luck! I hope that whatever you choose, they approach it with open minds--and I hope they get that the genre is more than they realize.

[empyrean-decay-god-dca]

Hello!!! Your recent ID post has def helped me a lot and I'm slowly adding alt text to past work (and then eventually reblog with IDs in desc :D). However there are some things that I'm still uncertain about:

1) How should someone properly format ID's where you have multiple images that you don't want to/can't separate with IDs (i.e. comics). I'm sorry if I missed an example of that in one of the linked sources ^^;

2) Additionally, as someone with hand/wrist issues I'm really grateful for shortened posts/read mores as it's less strain for my hands to scroll past. That is to say, would it still be rude to place an ID in a read more if the IDs happen to be lengthy (in the event of describing multiple images)? Would it be better to add it as a reblog instead?

I would like to try to make my posts more accessible for others!!! I'm incredibly grateful for those who provide audio captions, so I am very interested in doing the same for visual descriptions :D thank you for bringing attention to this, and providing helpful resources on the topic as well ^w^♡

I'd like to mention there's a Tumblr feature that automatically shortens long posts. Go to Settings -> Dashboard -> Interface --> Shorten long posts.

Hi besties! Also don't worry. There are a lot of links I gave you guys, and even I get lost in the sauce. The most useful thing I found writing IDs for comics is this:

it's for all types of visual media, but it has a comic section. The general formatting is this:

Write comics in a single ID:

Have an introductory paragraph where you describe the context of your comic, or the context of its beginning. This includes your style, the main subjects and how they're positioned, the surroundings (the location), and the basic thing happening between the characters.

Then the later paragraphs will go into specifics of dialogue and action. If there's a visual change, such as a zoom-in or a change of perspective, you're going to describe that, and put that before the dialogue.

End ID

Panel by panel is not good. Comics are narratives and stories and they need a flow. This post talks about it here:

Also, often, describing a comic isn't that long. Unless you're posting multiple full-blown pages at a time, then your typical 4-panel or maybe, 1-2 page comic will span a few paragraphs for the ID. But I answered an anon over at @lab-labrava about comic lengths. If it genuinely is long then @antimonarchy addressed this problem

Put image descriptions first. Don’t hide them under readmores or any other text. If you have something with multiple images and you are the creator, place the description under each image in succession rather than all at the end. Readmores are ableist, as they require someone who has vision problems/one of the conditions described above to do more work to access the message of visual content. 

^^^ This goes more in depth. Check the section with Placement of ID

You guys see me writing IDs in reblogs like this:

ID:

Image 1: (description of image)

Image 2: (description of image)

End ID

This is because I'm reblogging from the OP. I don't own the original post, so I'm forced to format it like this when ideally, I'd place the ID straight after each image. if you have multiple images, then write an ID for each image and place it straight after that image, like the following:

(image 1)

ID: (description of image 1) end Id

(image 2)

ID: (description of image 2) end ID

and so on.

Full-Blown Comics with Multiple Images/Pages

See I'm so conflicted here. When it's a huge ongoing project, then the ID for each page can span multiple paragraphs, and each Tumblr post may have multiple comic pages in a single update. So my formula above, where I place an ID straight after each image can elongate the post severely. In that case, alt text is a good idea. Especially since people using screen-readers may listen to Image image image, and skip past the post, not waiting the lump-sum ID near the end. In this case, you can forgo ID and write alt text. That's what most people do anyways.

I hope that answers some questions

[monarchisms]

hi! sorry if this a dumb question 😭😭 but i havent watched ah in years and your blog made me want to again! any specific series/gameplay you recommend for getting back into them?

first off, welcome back!

secondly, i don't know what point you dropped off, so to keep it safe, most of what i'm gonna recommend here are videos and streams that aired after october 2020. combing through content before that time is an absolute pain in the ass.

for specific series, the cayo perico heist in gta v is a personal favorite of mine. more recently, the los santos tuners contracts are a chill series of videos, even though they never finished all of the contracts lol. oh, and gavin teaching fiona gta v [1, 2, 3] was a nice treat. series for gta v are harder to recommend because unlike minecraft and gmod, you can't easily modify multiplayer modes, so most of the recent videos are one-offs, since there isn't a whole lot to do in the game, unless you use real-world money. i blame rockstar. look around and see what video titles draw you in!

as for minecraft, oh my god, there are so many videos i loved. if you stopped watching AH before the series became a thing, ya dead, ya dead season 4, and its sequel, ya dead, we dead, are pretty great. the crew started an ongoing world called achievement island, and they occasionally play with other groups at rooster teeth such as rt animation and funhaus, like in this capture the tower stream. if you prefer longer mc content, give stoneblock a try!

outside of minecraft and gta v, challenge accepted and go-op are newer live action series hosted by matt and trevor, respectively. in the former, the crew takes video game challenges submitted by the community, and in the latter, they go against each other in two teams of two people. continuing the trend of live action content, between the games is back! the series was on a hiatus due to covid lockdown regulations, but now it’s safe enough where they can film in person again. this is the first video they recorded in their new office space. this one technically isn’t a between the games video, but i’m counting it here: this pokémon card pack opening stream they did. michael eats a few cards without anyone prompting him to. to this day, it still haunts me. there are lots of streams in the archive, but one i’d recommend is this 100ft robot golf stream because geoff is in it, and i love him 🥰

if podcasts are something you’re into, then there’s a shitton of them to choose from. my personal favorites are face jam (michael, jordan, eric, and nick; fast food podcast), red web (trevor and alfredo; mystery and theory podcast), annual pass (jack and geoff; amusement/theme park podcast), and f**kface (geoff, gavin, and andrew panton [and occasionally eric and nick]; a podcast i can’t describe in only a few words. it’s an experience, for sure). off topic is still going, and has recently hit its 300th episode! i don’t believe you need to watch every single episode you missed for this podcast. like gta v, just choose which ones seem interesting to you :)

phew! sorry if this response is longer than you expected. i just fucking love organizing shit into lists for fun. and don’t worry, your question is wonderful! i would say there are no dumb questions here, but if i did, i’d be lying. i’ve gotten some weird shit in the past, man, so getting this ask was like seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. thanks for sending it :D

[drimareuniverse]

Looking for a creative writer/storyteller

Hello! I'm Jay, I'm a non-binary artist and I'm looking for a creative writer that can help me write stories for my pet project Drimare Universe! Particularly my Webcomic and Visual Novel.

More details below, all help and sharing is appreciated!

The Drimare Universe is a world located within the dreams of humans, and the Drimare are its main inhabitants spread through various different regions.

It's composed of smaller stories focused on specific groups of characters (Like how Marvel has Spider-man stories, Iron-man stories, etc.) The general tone is a fun modern fantasy slice of life type.

I've been working on the project on my own for the past 10 years, and although I have a lot of lore and character info written down, when it comes to writing stories themselves, my skills are lacklustre. I finally accepted that I need someone that could help me with that, so here I am!

I keep most of the character info and lore archived on its wiki here if you're curious to learn more about it.

My current two projects that I'm looking for help on are a Webcomic and a Visual Novel, both of which are on hiatus because of my difficulty and general dissatisfaction with my own writing :(

I basically have loose plot points, certain scenarios, conversations and ideas, and I need someone that can tie those things together in a satisfying narrative way.

You don't have to work on the comic AND visual novel, but I am looking for help in at least one of those projects.

General requirements

Be over 18 years old. I'm 23 and not comfortable working with minors.

Be LGBTQ+ friendly! A LOT of the cast is LGBTQ in some way and certain characters focus a lot on topics of gender and sexuality so the more you know about the topic, the better :)

Have the patience to learn about my characters and world's quirks and lore lol! I'll try to explain things as best as I can! Bonus points if you have weird ideas yourself.

Basically, you write, I give my input, and then we use the finished script for the comic and/or visual novel.

You will be credited!

As for rates, my budget is small so let me know how much you charge! I'm somewhat of a writer myself and I don't feel comfortable having someone work for free, but I also have no idea what people usually charge for stuff like this. I can also offer my art in exchange if the person is interested/comfortable with that! Examples are on my DeviantArt as well as other links found on my profile.

I'm looking for someone I can work with for the long term so expect me to be a returning client if I enjoy your work! :) Ideally, I'd like to make a team eventually, but a writer is the priority atm.

I don't really have a set deadline so don't worry about having to finish things by specific dates.

It's my first time trying to commission someone for writing so I apologize if my etiquette is off, I'm only experienced in art commissions. I have no idea how I'm supposed to commission writing so I'll just describe what I'm looking to get below.

For the webcomic

Drimare Universe is the first official webcomic series based around the world of Drimare Universe, focusing on the origin story of the two siblings Zelly and Blade, as well as other characters they meet throughout their journey. It's set roughly around 10 years before the current timeline.

Available to read on Tapas here

It's an origin story for two siblings, followed by episodic stories of them meeting other characters from the cast and learning about the world around them. It's sort of built like a cartoon show, with more serious episodes, others more light-hearted, some important one, etc.

There are only 13 pages in the first episode so far, but I'm unhappy with the current script for the rest of the story and need help with it.

I'd like for someone who is actually good at writing and having better ideas to give it a look and either suggest things that could work better or straight-up rewrite it from scratch but better

The other episodes only have the general main plot points written down, with further episodes still being in a draft phase (I got so caught up with my writer's block with trying to figure the first two episodes, that I haven't been able to focus on the following ones)

***

For the visual novel

Drimare Universe Friendsim, is an ongoing Visual Novel project that will feature various characters from the Drimare Universe series, it is currently being developed on Ren'Py and free to download on the DU Friendsim itch.io page.

It is heavily inspired by games like Hiveswap Friendship Simulator as it follows a similar concept of a Human protagonist meeting various cast characters in order to form friendships with them.

The series will be released in various volumes, each one focusing on a specific character, with the events changing depending on the player's choices.

Available to download for free on Itch.io

It's about a human dreamer character who wakes up in the dream world and meets respective Drimare characters.

If you've played Hiveswap Friendsim or Pesterquest, it's the exact same concept. YCH protag meets characters in a very Isekai inspired scenario. It's like a dating sim, but friendship focused instead.

Unlike the webcomic, which takes place in the past, this visual novel takes place in the current timeline. Also unlike the comic, the visual novel is not canon.

Each volume is focused on MC (Who is referred to as "Dreamer") meeting a specific character, with other secondary characters making appearances as well.

There are two volumes available so far, each composed of one short story.

The tone is playful and comedic, I guess "quirky" could be a word to describe it. But still capable of having its serious moments,

Each volume has three endings. A short bad ending, a neutral ending, and a good/true ending. (The length and amount of endings can be flexible)

You don't have to know how to program visual novels or anything like that, I just need help with the stories. I'll be in charge of adding the writing to the game, animating the sprites accordingly, etc etc.

Apologies for the long text, I just want to be sure people understand exactly what I'm looking for! Ideally, I'd love to find someone that could share my passion for creating content for this project, but for now, I'll just settle for just finding someone at all lol

You can contact me through PMs here, though I also accept messages through Twitter DMs or Discord!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NE0Nbandit

Discord - Jay 🌸🌊#9625

Thank you for taking the time to read this! <3

[androgynousblackbox]

The anon tries to listen to POC, but often there's an extreme distance between how their Asian colleagues interpret a piece of media and how it's interpreted by American diasporas. For example, Asian friends interpreted the anarchist themes of Joker and praised the film, while the American fans focused on the fandom grown around the character and the "white characters get away with murder, Black characters don't get away with shouting" epidemic in American fandom and hated the idea of it. (1/2)

Anon observed similar situation with Shadow and Bone fans - Asian fans disliked how the racism subplot was executed, while American fans loved how the canonical couple is between two Asians (both actors are mixed & none of them is American, but fans neveral talk about the nuances). The anon's Russian self can't help but laugh at the Russianess being little more than poorly applied decorations in the setting. Of course, they're generalising, but those are the trends they observed happening. (2/3)

So, there's this. In Russia, Japanese teachers teach students how to wear a kimono properly and how to perform a tea ceremony while many Japanese Americans hate the idea of foreigners doing it. In several Asian countries, Joker became the face of rebellion while many Asian Americans see him as face of far right. Shadow and Bone has many Asian American fans, but the series is seen as clumsy at best by many Asian and Russian viewers. What do you think takes priority? (3/4)

The anon cannot write reasonably short, for which they are sorry! They remembered an earlier discussion about how Captive Prince is anti-Black and arguments like "it's not chattel slavery and the characters are not Black" are sealioning. But the story is written by an Australian and rooted in Australian understanding of race (the author is of the same raciallized ethnic group as the protagonist). The anon, who knows USA realities only from social media and fanfics, is really worried. (4/4)

Okay, this is a lot and before saying anything, I think is fair for me to say that I am nothing but a white latino on the internet trying to navigate english speaking fandom so there's only so much I can even say at all because my own knowledge is limited. I try to educate myself whenever possible but there's stuff I still have yet to learn. Having said that, yes, discourse such as any of these are always going to be vastly different from one culture to another because any form of racism is always intrinsically tied to the culture of the place where it happens. This is not to say that there aren't universal forms of racism, like how darker skin is generally considered less attractive or desirable on many places (including Latinamérica), but a lot of it is related back to the history of each country and whatever relationship they have to any particular race. The issue you mentioned of cultural appropiation is a very american one because america reunites so many people from so many different cultures that want to be seen and respected like everyone else. Again, not to say that it's not an issue on other places, but the way the discourse is handled and talked about is very much an american because of the way America is at the center of so many discourses and also the history of America dealing with different cultures, which is to say, not good. Anti-asian racism is a very well and alive thing right now that has resulted on hate crimes against asian just trying to live their lives, promoted and kept alive by even people in power who don't care about what happens to them. Imagine how terrible it is to hear a ex-president of America blame you, your family, your country, everyone who just looks like you, because of a disease that is killing other people. Your culture gets mocked, you get told cruel jokes about the food you eat, about your broken english, get questioned about stuff you had nothing to do with... and the same people who do that, then turn around and are using that same culture they treated less for to make themselves look cooler and trendy? And that doesn't translate at all in you being treated any less shitty, it just means that any meaning your culture had before is reduced to pretty things for other people to use and then forget about the moment other pretty thing caughts their attentions. Wouldn't that make you feel like shit? When asian american or black american or native americans talk about cultural appropiation, it's not about just saying that you can't do this or that because they are meanies who don't want to share their fun pretty things. It's about asking people to please reflect in why it's only cool when others do it but they don't, in how it feels insulting to see things that have a cultural significance to you reduced to a gimmick like any other, on asking why their fun pretty things can't be enjoyed by them and get mocked, insulted and ignored when they tried to do so. Sometimes it also means literally taking away business from communities that needs them without any recognition or payment. I have no clue about the history of Russia with Japan specifically, but if it's a Japanese person the one chosing to share that element of their culture with other people who, I assume, respect it and want to learn about, then that sounds like cultural appreciation for me and it's not at all what anyone in America is talking about when they talk about appreciation. Using a kimono and serving tea on a traditional way is a neutral act that only gains significance because of environment where it happens. About everything else... it's complicated and I am 100% with you when you say that it's very difficult to navigate as a non american don't wanting to come across as insensitive or uneducated or a full blown ass without meaning to. Unfortunately for us, the online discourse is not especially gentle for anyone who doesn't know everything American related and all the intrincated race relations on a first moment. I know this is especially hard for asian fans when americans ones want to insert their own

intepretations into their works just to make it look worse. I get it, because people say "listen to POC" but that really doesn't tell you shit of WHAT to listen for and how to understand when different cultural perspectives clashes with each other, which is almost entirely inevitable because we all come with our own cultural baggage. And even between two black americans or two asian people from the same asian country you could have vastly different opinions about the exact same topic because of them prefer to concentrate on different aspects of it. I guess the best thing to do is... do try to know what people are saying. If these group of people are saying this show is this or that, try to come to understand why they say it. And if other group is saying otherwise, listen to why. Sometimes you don't need to interject at all, sometimes your own opinion is not really needed, but at least try to see where everyone is coming from and realize that everything is an ongoing conversation where nothing is set in stone forever, especially when you account for reclamation, parody and other things that influence the way we percieve anything. Ask questions if you are confused, because you are going to be confused a lot and I am sorry, but that is part of the process. Read books if you need to. Google a lot, but also talk with people, watch videos of people talking about it and, if you want to engage, do it with a mentality of wanting to learn and understand. I hope any of this can be helpful at all. If not, I am sorry. I am still trying to figure out things myself.

[faery-snow]

MERRY CHRISTMAS! :) Thank you so much for answering my question

Thank you so much!

I would and HAVE considered adding oneshots to the “Overcome” storyline/universe. I’ve added an omake chapter and have several others in the pipeline. Sorry my update schedule is slow!

Traumatized/abused Gray fics:

Make the Yuletide Gayest - Gray’s traumas have caused him to stop speaking. A spell gone wrong forces him to face his past when he least expects it.

Your Arms - Gray is worried about Natsu’s flippant attitude toward Zeref and slips into old patterns of self-harm.

Easy - Gray deals with non-consensual touching regularly. He hates it, but thinks it’s normal. Natsu thinks otherwise.

Hiding - Gray and Natsu are both rape survivors. When Natsu gets triggered, Gray knows there’s nothing he can do.

Overcome-based fic with Freed as a rape survivor:

When He Wants To - Laxus discovers Freed fears touch, and forges new ways to love him, if only Freed can learn to believe it.

Overcome is set in a larger world of stories dealing with abusive pasts in general. While Gray’s abuse isn’t the focus in some, it’s always referenced, as well as the abusive pasts of others.

Chronologically:

The Love of Rivals - Gray loves Natsu and hates how vulnerable it makes him--until he nearly kills Natsu on accident. I wanted a lower rating, so Gray’s abuse is on side; if you’ve read Overcome, things he thinks and says will make a lot more sense.

Overcome * - the fic that started it all.

Last Place to Find Home, Part I - Laxus’s internalized homophobia gets between him and the man he secretly loves, nearly pushing Freed away from him forever. 

Last Place to Find Home, Part II - Ivan’s reappearance forces Laxus to deal with his PTSD at childhood abuse, while he and Freed have lots of love but bad communication. (Ongoing.)

Demons of the Earth - Natsu is guildmaster, and he and Gray have a daughter with PTSD. An older Fairy Tail faces new dangers, coping with their fears and traumas as best as time has taught them. (Ongoing.)

More will be added--this is my main series.

Since abuse is a big topic for me, I have fics dealing with rape, self-harm, verbally abusive partners, etc. with other FT characters:

Look Like Death - Despite Sting’s love, Rogue hits rock bottom and attempts suicide.

Click - Gray has a secretly fucked-up family and Natsu’s childhood involved getting in fights and being beaten up often. They don’t think they deserve each other, but they’ll go for it anyway. (Ongoing.)

Fifty Shades Freed - Freed is willing to be tortured for Laxus’s sake.

I Can’t - Lucy’s ex was an abusive genderqueer person, and so she’s afraid to be anything but female--even though she doesn’t feel like ‘she.’ Her girlfriend Levy and best friends Freed and Laxus try to help her feel free. (Ongoing.)

Memories - Erik doesn’t like remembering his childhood in the Tower. But when he overhears Jellal’s tortured memories, his perspective changes.

Shouts and Groans - Rogue was beaten almost to death because of his gender. A storm prompts a panic attack; Sting tries to comfort him.

I hope that helps! I’m glad you’re excited about additions to Overcome. It’s my baby, and I love writing new stories for that Gray and Natsu. ^_^

[castingdirect]

NATIONAL RAPE DAY: It Don't Exist And Women's Charities Slam Sickening TikTok Video Encouraging Attacks

NATIONAL RAPE DAY: It Don't Exist And Women's Charities Slam Sickening TikTok Video Encouraging Attacks 'On Women' On 'National Rape Day' Sexual violence victim charities have slammed reports of a TikTok video claiming to show men promoting 'National Rape Day' with the news coming not long after Falmouth University announced a Whatsapp group encouraging people to be out and attacking women on Saturday night. Women have been warned to stay indoors after the rumours of the stomach-churning threats for 24th April 2021 were released on the popular video sharing app. The alleged clip has been blasted by charities after the hashtag #April24 has been viewed more than 62 million times, with hundreds of thousands of videos. Whilst the original clip is believed to have been pulled down, and some reports that it didn't exist at al, it has still sparked panic and a plethora of online warnings. Most people are advising women to lock their doors and even stay at home all day whilst other accounts are offering self help and self-defence tips. One campaigner described the idea of a 'National Rape Day' - where laws are supposed to be suspended and rape is legal - as 'abhorrent'. Katie Russell from Rape Crisis England & Wales, said: 'Our understanding is that this disturbing so-called "trend" on TikTok began as a hoax, and no evidence has been found of the original video threatening a national day of sexual violence in the USA.' 'Regardless of its origins, or whether it was intended as a "joke" at any point, the very concept of such a day is abhorrent and has caused many people, particularly women and girls, a great deal of understandable fear.' 'The "trend" will no doubt have also been extremely distressing for many, and least of all victims and survivors of rape and all forms of sexual violence and abuse who might have vivid memories and flashbacks to past experiences triggered by this.' And she continued: 'Obviously, despite on particular piece of misinformation that has featured in this so-called "trend", there is no day or moment where laws are suspended and rape is legal in the USA or anywhere else in the world.' 'Rape and sexual assault are always serious crimes.' 'It should also go without saying that rape and all forms of sexual violence and abuse are traumatic experiences that can and do have a wide-ranging and long-lasting impact, and are never appropriate topics to "joke" about.' 'This episode reminds us of the ongoing need for us to collectively challenge, resist and dismantle the damaging, sexist "rape culture" that still exists in our society.' Andrea Simon, Director of End Violence Against Women Coalition said: 'Regardless of whether this is a hoax or not, we know of the use of threats of sexual violence and derogatory comments about women's appearance and bodies are very common forms of online abuse that women are subject to.' 'We wouldn't accept threats to rape offline and we can't ignore them online. They intend to intimidate and silence women in online spaces, causing real harm to individuals and to society and should never be tolerated.' 'Tech companies and social media platforms have a duty to remove such content, but currently this self-regulation isn't good enough, with too much onus on women to take steps to protect themselves online instead.' 'This needs to change, those using the internet to threaten and abuse women need to be identified and stopped.' UNACCEPTABLE Women's Aid have slammed the online reports calling it an 'affront'. Farah Nazeer Chief Executive at Women's Aid said; 'We know from our work with domestic abuse survivors that rape and sexual assault are used by the perpetrator to belittle, humiliate, coerce and control.' 'It takes a lot of strength and courage to report rape to the police and we know the justice system is failing rape survivors. We urgently need to reform the criminal justice system to deliver justice for survivors and to ensure accountability of the police and other services.' 'The go0vernment and all the institutions that shape our attitudes - as well as society as a whole - must work together to achieve long-term culture shifts. Whether this is a hoax or not is irrelevant - rape is an unacceptable violation and it is no joke.' 'That a "rape day" could be conceived as a joke brings home the level of change we need in our society. It is an affront to every woman. It also demonstrates the urgent need for improved education on issues such as consent and healthy relationships.' 'Every woman has the right to live a life free from abuse and violence.' Social media users have shared warnings about the unsettling videos. One user, under the name la.tania.ftn2 said: 'So I literally just saw a video on TikTok, and I had to make a video myself because most of my followers are women. And i need to make sure you guys are aware that there is a video gong around on TikTok of disgusting men - rapists, child molesters, predators, just disgusting human beings, and they literally came up with a date to go around and rape women and children. You literally heard me right, women and children.' Another, who goes by prettyboy365 said: 'April 24 has stupidly been made national rape day. Yeah, believe it, because it's real. Unfortunately whoever created it is very low minded and sickened in the brain. If you make any plans, stay inside or don't make any plans at all. For your safety. There are actually sick people who will go through with this rape thing and hurt people, so it's probably best to stay indoors. If you do go out, don't go alone and keep self-defence items on you.' Rumours of the video have also spread on WhatsApp groups with students in Cornwall saying they are afraid to go outside. A spokesperson for Falmouth University said any messages encouraging sexual violence were 'abhorrent' but there was 'no evidence' of a genuine threat. Devon and Cornwall Police are looking into claims around the encrypted chat which has reportedly been discussing 'Rape Day'. A force spokesperson said: 'Police have received report of the existence of the WhatsApp group and are currently making enquiries regarding the credibility of the group.' 'DISTURBING SO-CALLED TREND' TikTok have claimed it cannot locate the original video but has asked users to report any content related to the sick day. A spokesperson for the platform said: 'The supposed "National Rape Day" trend reported upon is abhorrent and would be a direct violation of our Community Guidelines, and while we haven't seen evidence of this trending on our platform, our safety team remains vigilant and would remove any such content.' Atilla Tomaschek, a digital privacy researcher at ProPrivacy, said: 'Although it seems unlikely that TikTok video actually exists, that the whole thing is just a horrible internet hoax, a type of sick joke, the concern it has caused is real.' 'It's apparent that most of the buzz is being created by users warning others about the purported plans for a national rape day and urging them to stay safe and remain vigilant, but the trend demonstrates how quickly something can spread on social media, and the real-life panic it can cause.' 'It's also a strong reminder for parents and educators of the sometimes harmful impact of social media, particularly where younger users are concerned.' 'Remember teens can join TikTok from their thirteenth birthday as per the platform's terms and conditions.' TikTok users are being urged to report any posts promoting the event or sexual assault of any kind. If you have been upset, worried, or triggered by this story, you can find help at www.rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help FALMOUTH, ENGLAND: Locals And Business Owners Rally To Protect Its Own After Sexual Assault Threats On TikTok The police in Falmouth have confirmed they are investigating an alleged 'TikTok hoax' while local business owners are preparing for the worst by planning on lighting the dark local streets. The town is rallying around to make the women feel safe as police confirmed they are investigating talks of a threatened sexual assault spree in the town. It follows a series of messages sent to many young people across the Falmouth University community which told of a large group of male students threatening to compete to sexually assault the most women. Falmouth University said the messages were a 'hoax' started on the social video sharing platform TikTok, but the phenomenon has left young women in the area - including the Penryn Campus shared with the University of Exeter - shaken and fearful. The messages revolved around the idea that on Saturday, 24th April, 2021, male students would engage in 'national rape day' to see how many women they could assault. Devon and Cornwall Police have confirmed that the force was told about a WhatsApp group where it was allegedly being organised. A spokesperson said the police are 'currently making enquiries regarding the credibility of the group'. Nonetheless, the students have said they feel uneasy about going outside because of it and are visibly shook up. Acting student Hannah Bunker, 21, said: 'Whether it's true or not, it's fear-inducing. We don't need even more stress bout walking alone. All it does is make my fear and anxiety worse, whether it's happening or not. Men need to understand that taking a "joke too far" has serious effects on people.' Jade Phipps, Manager of Good Vibes Café on Killigrew Street in Falmouth, said she - along with Partner and Café Owner Dan Rossiter - decided to leave the lights on across the evening in question. They are encouraging others to do the same to keep the town's streets safer and more welcoming after the rapid spread locally on social media. Ms Phipps said: 'We always think about what we can do for the community, so we want to offer a safe space for people in the town, and act as a port of call. A lot of the places are closed, so it is dark, so we can be there to help - or just be a light left on in solidarity.' Ms Phipps said the spread of 'a national rape day' hoax brought to the surface very real fears about sexual violence against women. Referring to the fact that Falmouth University have dubbed the rumours a 'hoax', she added: 'Let's be honest, it's spread beyond that. There always might be someone who will take it seriously. I hope it's a hoax. But one person assaulted is one person too many. They can call it a hoax but the student population is scared. And in a light of recent events, I think they have a right to be.' Ms Phipps was referring to the murder of Londoner Sarah Everard - allegedly by a Met Police Officer. Miss Everard's death sparked nationwide reflection, discussion, and protests about the violence, particularly sexual violence, against women, and campaigns to ensure it was safe to walk alone at night. The Met's violent breaking up of a vigil for the murdered woman was heavily criticised, and sparked further protests about police powers - particularly the power to stop protests. Emily Ross, 20, also a student, said: 'I think it's really disgusting and I'm quite shocked. I can't believe in this day and age, especially this year with the whole Sarah Everard case, men still think this is okay. Even if it is a hoax, it's terrifying that a joke can be made out of something so serious. I am actually a little bit scared to go out on the 24th. I'll try not to make any big plans or go anywhere alone.' Ms Ross added that she always considered Falmouth a safe place, and said: 'It's reassuring to know that places on the high street are leaving their lights on because of it. They're doing their best to help and also it will create more visibility on the streets so it will help alleviate the feeling of someone following you. It's good they're bringing awareness and trying to do something about it.' Falmouth's own vigil was cancelled, and Ms Phipps said her idea - called #LeaveTheLightsOn - could also serve to bring the issue as a whole to light. She said: 'When things like this raise awareness, naive to think it's a new problem. As well as keeping the lights on to help with street safety, we might light a candle in the window - as the vigil we weren't able to have.' Fine art student Morgan Acton, 20, said she was also encouraged by the reaction of the people in the town. But she added: 'We shouldn't just make this a week where people care about the threat of sexual violence and then swiftly move on. Nobody should be making a joke out of this. They should be doing everything they can to dismantle rape culture at all times and not just when it becomes highlighted in this way. This stuff continues to happen whether there's a TikTok trend on it or not.' Read the full article