#please add more!!

[vancruejovi]

The Forgotten Victims of Booktok

(AKA, How Booktok can actually discourage women from reading, and how we can encourage them)

The big thing on booktok is smut. People will even say ‘what’s the point if it doesn’t have smut?’ or ‘where’s the spice??’. This makes me really sad, as a writer and a reader. I know many books about love and relationships that have little to no shagging and are fantastic and moving, and I’m not even a romance reader! But of course, they don’t fit tiktok’s fast paced mindless scroll. Now some people on booktok only read for the aesthetic of reading, or only care about the sex and that’s it, and those aren’t the people I’m talking about. Many people don’t realise that there are forgotten victims of Booktok. Young women and girls who were taught that books have this imaginary intelligence quota, that books are boring, and find solace in these repackaged fanfics with different character names.

But here’s the thing…you can’t blame them.

We have to remember that these women are basically reading books for fun for the first time (or at least since they were young). And when you look up ‘books’ on the internet, what do you get? Booktok favourites, smutty romances, cheap-feeling crime fiction. These young girls who could fall in love with Sylvia Plath or Isaac Asimov, or Harlan Ellison or Ursula K. le Guin, or even people like Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, don’t have the chance because - how the hell are they going to know they exist?? We know they exist, because we love reading! We love the community of reading, talking about reading, sharing our favourite stories. But Booktok doesn’t talk about books the way we do. We talk about character arcs and relationships, parts we found good or bad. Booktok talks about the covers and the tropes, the way that fan fiction does. And when you make something into a trope, it loses all the parts that made it special. And I’m not sure what kind of tropes The Colour of Magic fits into.

Also, a lot of these girls never had experience with fandom before now, ergo why they don’t immediately see the ‘fanficy’ nature of these books, and why the communities surrounding them can become so toxic. They’ve never HAD a fan community before. So all the unspoken rules of fandom aren’t in place, leading to a toxic environment. They’ve built up this ‘booktok’ space to the point where they don’t realise other communities exist. So what do you do when women and girls feel like they’re excluded from a hobby or a larger community?

You make them feel welcome! And you show them that something that should be fun, shouldn’t feel intimidating, and that there’s more to books than what greedy publishers want to spoonfeed them. And how do we do that? Well I’ve made a tiny list of things below of books that can maybe get a booktok reader onto stuff that they’d enjoy, but don’t know how to put into words. Please add onto this yourself if you want! We want to break down the gates and make reading and literacy open for everyone! And remember, these recommendations aren’t just for booktok people, they’re for everyone who never really felt ‘allowed’ to read.

-First of all, if you’re a romantasy reader, I can’t stress enough how much you’d like Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It’s still got a bit of romance, and a tiny bit of sex, even if it’s more fantasy than romance, but I feel like the writing is accessible and incredibly engaging, especially for people who aren’t used to reading for fun. Another series to recommend is the Dragonlance series, this has more of the high fantasy thing going on, but I think the characters relationships and personalities would scratch a bit of that itch for people. And obviously Lord of the Rings, for very similar reasons. All these books are very accessible for people not used to reading for fun.

- You all know who I’m gonna say for paranormal romance. Anne Rice, the one and only!! Her character drama and relationships, her settings are so vivid you could chew on them, the battle of morality. I love her stuff to death, and if anyone’s going to get you into classic gothic literature, it’s her. Also, Dracula! It may be old and grey now, but Dracula is still very readable, with very modern feeling characters, and the settings and the action, agh they are amazing!

So yeah, love the players, hate the game, hate those who exploit the game, and hate those who convince the players that they can’t do any better.

[xgoldenlatiasx]

I’m really glad that Aaron’s self-immolation for Palestine is getting attention, but on November 8th there was also a Congolese man who did the same thing for the genocide happening in the DRC. From what I read in the article above, his fate and identity are unknown but I think his story should be getting equal amount of traction and I haven’t really seen anyone talking about it on Tumblr specifically yet.

[draculagerard]

Starting a compilation

[thefriendlyneighborhoodace]

sometimes i think about how funny it would be if bruce had a slight english accent as a result of alfred being the only adult in his life for most of his formative years. that or he just says british slang instead of english.

this either drives his children insane, or they think it’s the most hilarious thing ever.

__________________________

Bruce: Can you pass the chips?

Dick: Sure, B. *passes over the potato chips*

Bruce: No, the chips.

Dick: ???? … yeah? here?

Bruce: NO! THE CHIPS! *gesturing wildly for the french fries*

Damian: Father, are you having a stroke?

———

Batman: Alright, this mission is very important. It is imperative that everything goes to schedule. (shh-edule)

*red robin and red hood snicker*

Batman: *glare* As I was saying, it all must go to shh-edule…

RR & RH : *uproariously laughter *

Batman: *harsher glare* Is something funny?

RR: Oh nothing, B, don’t worry.

RH: Absolutely nothing wrong, “left-tenant”

RR & RH: *dying of laughter *

———

Bruce: *reaching the end of a long rant about responsibility and making sure you are keeping yourself and others safe* And what do you have to say for yourself??

Duke: … You sound like Alfred…

Bruce: *horrified look over coming him* … what

Cass: *furious nodding*

*Some time later, after B has been fished out of Gotham Harbor, which he jumped into after declaring that he “couldn’t turn into his father”*

Alfred: *reaching the end of a long rant about responsibility and making sure you are keeping yourself and others safe* And what do you have to say for yourself??

Bruce: *white as a sheet* … Sorry Alfie…

*Steph is heard furiously cackling in the background*

_______________________

anyways i just thought this was fun

[echeveriia]

i’m starting a collection

[callisteios]

Would you like to find out what you would be the god of? Take my new uqiz to find out

[octarineblues]

supporting communities & people impacted by the Southport attack and the far-right riots in the UK

here is a list of community fundraisers I found, starting with those aiming to support the Southport community after the appalling attack at a children dance party, to the fundraisers helping those affected by the subsequent racist and Islamophobic far-right/nazi riots

Edited on 5 August to include Middlesbrough fundraisers. Edited on 6 August to correct the link on the Books for Spellow Lane fundraiser, to adjust the name change for the Belfast fundraiser, and to adjust the wording in the second last paragraph.

Southport:

Southport Strong Together Appeal - organised by the community foundation for Merseyside, for those affected by the Southport knife attack

United for Southport families - the funds will be distributed among the nine families of the children who were at the party

Swifties for Southport - a fundraiser for the Alder Hey Children's charity, which supports the victims and the affected families, as well as first responders and clinicians. Extra funds will also support the wider Southport community

Fundraiser for the Southport Mosque - a fundraiser to aid rebuilding or possibly re-locating the Southport Mosque after the damages it suffered during the riots

Rebuilding Windsor Mini Mart - fundraiser to rebuild the locally-owned grocery store that was targeted during the attacks, broken into, and looted

Liverpool:

Fundraiser for the Spellow Hub - the Spellow Hub was broken into, looted and set on fire at night during the riots. The Spellow Hub is a newly created one-of-a-kind (in the UK) institution, which consists of a library as well as a community centre with a mission to help people get education and pathways to work

Books for Spellow Lane - another fundraiser for the library in the Spellow Hub, to replace the books and rebuild the library there edit: included the correct link

Hartlepool:

Fundraiser for the Nasir Mosque - the Nasir Mosque was attacked following Southport riots; this fundraiser is organised by Hartlepool citizens to help the mosque deal with the damages as well as to show appreciation for the role of the mosque in the community. edit: the funds will be also distributed to the local community!

Rebuilding the Farm Shop - the shop was targeted during the riots, and when the owner and his son tried to protect it, they were also violently attacked. The fundraiser is to help fix the damages to the store.

Sunderland:

help rebuild Citizens Advice Sunderland offices after arson - two of the Citizens Advice Sunderland offices were set on fire during the riots, and one of them is completely destroyed.

Hull:

Hull Help for Refugees - a local fundraiser to support the Hull Help for Refugees charity, the donated money will be re-distributed to community members affected by the riots

Fundraiser for Hull Help for Refugees and Welcome House in Hull - collected money will be donated to the two charities

Belfast:

help fix racially motivated damages - originally the fundraiser for the Sahara Shisha Cafe which was targeted by the far right in Belfast during the riots, now a fundraiser for all affected businesses in the area. edited to reflect the change of the name of the fundraiser to avoid any confusion

Middlesbrough:

Supporting residents after the riots - Middlesbrough has suffered so much during the riots, lots of businesses as well as just regular family homes were vandalised, had their windows smashed or even were broken into. This fundraiser wants to distribute the funds between affected people to help them fix the damages, and to generally support the local community. the newest fundraiser, imo potentially the most urgent one

Fundraiser for a Care worker's car which was set on fire - a car belonging to an employee of a care agency was set on fire during the riots while he was on shift at a care home.

If you want to donate locally but there is no fundraiser to support where you live, consider donating to your local charities oriented towards Muslim or PoC communities, or towards anti-racist and refugee organizations! And go support your local Muslim/Arab/Black/Asian/Refugee owned businesses!

If you have any information about other local fundraisers, feel free to add to the post or don't hesitate to let me know and I will add them here! We have seen so much hate in the past few days, we have to stay strong and keep supporting each other!

Stay safe everyone 💛

[versasfanficwastedump]

Dad Things that I am positive Bruce Wayne does:

watches random Facebook videos at top volume in the living room with no headphones

asks “Who?” after any of his kids mention a friend’s name. bonus points if that friend has been around for like ten years.

“I was talking to Wally and—“ “Who’s that.”

falls asleep watching tv but complains that he was “just resting his eyes” when someone changes the channel

“B, I’m hungry” “Hi, hungry” (classic)

asks “has your car always made that noise?” when riding in his child’s car. also frequently asks if they’ve gotten an oil change recently

calls kids by the wrong name

“Dami-Tim-Ace-JASON”

whines that he doesn’t want a cat in the house but is obsessed with Alfred the Cat and often found taking naps with her on his chest

can parallel park like a mf

tells the same stories over and over, each rendition slightly more exaggerated than the last

[500-moths-in-a-trenchcoat]

for the new year, i have decided to make a couple edits and additions to the almighty Calendar. happy 2024.

IT JUST HAPPENS

DAY 15 GIVE IT UP FOR DAY 15

Thursday the 20th

The Fifth of Wednesday

Second Week of May: Eurovision

Sometime in June: That One Halloween Post Starts Circulating

Sometime in July: Dancing Pumpkin Man Video/Gif

WEEKLY EVENTS (at least the ones i celebrate)

Every Monday: Garfield Hates Mondays

Every Tuesday: Tom Servo Tuesday

Every Wednesday: It Is Wednesday My Dudes

Every Thursday: Out of Touch Thursday

Every Friday: Flat Fuck Friday

Every Saturday: Sea Slug Saturday

Every Sunday: Energy Sword Sunday

YEARLY EVENTS

January 1: Copyright Expiration Day

January 8: Spiders Georg Day

January 16: Appreciate a Dragon Day

January 18: Bug Race

January 29: Threshold Day

All of February: Funguary

ALSO All of February: Femslash February

February 3: WOE, VANILLA EXTRACT BE UPON YE

February 13: Galentines Day

February 14: Aromantic/Asexual Day

March 9: Miku Day

March 10: Mario Day

March 14: Pi Day

March 15: Ides of March

March 23: Ever Given Got Stuck Today

April 1: Mishapocalypse

April 2: Dashcon Announcement Anniversary

April 3: Dannypocalypse

April 8: Rex Manning Day

ALSO April 8: MARGARET THATCHER IS DEAD

April 13: Neil Banging Out The Tunes

ALSO April 13: Homestuck Day

April 20: haha 420 blaze it

April 25: The Perfect Date

April 28: Ed Balls Day

April 30: It's Gonna Be May

All of May: Mermay

May 3: Beginning of Dracula Daily

May 4: May the 4th Be With You

May 5: Revenge of the Fifth

May 25: The Glorious 25th of May

All of June: Pride Month

ALSO All of June: IT'S HALLOWEEN TIME TO GET SPOOKY

June 5: Barricade Day

ALSO June 5: RONALD REAGAN IS DEAD

June 12: Another Homestuck Day

June 16: Let Papyrus Say Fuck

June 22: Summerween

All of July: Disability Pride Month

July 11-13: Dashcon Anniversary

July 20: Moon Landing

September 8: The Queen Is Dead and Sans Undertale Killed Her

September 11: Mole Interest Monday

September 19: Talk Like A Pirate Day

September 21: DO YOU REMEMBER-

All of October: SKELETON WAR

ALSO All of October: People Draw A Lot Month? (so many names)

October 3: Mean Girls Day

ALSO October 3: Fullmetal Alchemist Day

October 13: Treat Yo' Self

October 20: Unnecessary Feelings Day

October 31: HALLOWEEN

November 5: honestly what didn't happen that day

November 19: Goncharov

November 29: HENRY KISSINGER IS DEAD

All of December: Will the Gävle Goat Get Destroyed Again?

December 10: Please, It's Christmas

December 12: Hawaii Part 2

December 23: Christmas Adam

December 24: ALMOST CHRISTMAS MEANS IT WASN'T CHRISTMAS

ALSO December 24: Cabinet Man Day

December 27: Porn Ban Effective Today

[bethsvrse]

when I find a brilliant, jaw dropping, amazing x reader fic but suddenly I’ve been given a first name, last name, hair colour and eye colour

[lilacjunimo]

so I’ve done research and basically when it comes to drawing Harvey there’s only so many ways people go and so far I’ve concluded this

[familyabolisher]

btw most universities to my knowledge keep their reading lists behind access barriers (ie. only students enrolled at the institution on the course in question can see them) so i thought i’d just let you all know that durham university has all of its reading lists available online for free without needing student access. do with this information what you will.

[licensedproldier]

presenting: a Brennan Lee Mulligan hydrating at the most unfortunate times compilation ✌️✨ i spent the entire afternoon editing this instead of doing work

youtube link

[kiwisandpearls]

“I’m anti cringe culture!”

are you cool with people shipping things you don’t like? Are you cool with people making fanfiction you don’t like? Are you cool with people making fanart you don’t like? Are you cool with canon x oc stuff? Are you cool with self-shippers? Are you cool with furries? Are you—

[verflares]

i thought i felt your shape, but i was wrong. really all i felt was falsely strong, i held on tight and closed my eyes. it was dumb, i had no sense of your size. it was dumb to hold so tight.

also on inprnt :]

[apollos-boyfriend]

my favorite genre of gif is cubitos fucking beefing it

try and name something funnier than these. you literally can’t