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centrally-unplanned · 1 year

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The Clarkesworld AI Spam issue is one of those stories that to me really highlights the limits of the tools that hype is obscuring. Clarkesworld is a well-established Sci-Fi publishing magazine that today had to suspend all of its submissions due to being overwhelmed by ChatGPT generated entries:

This inspired a lot of discourse around the idea of a ‘crisis of credibility’ on the internet, AI sweeping away the boundries of authenticity in a flood of forgeries. How can magazines even operate in this new environment, one might ask?

Which is weird because this environment isn’t new at all, as the editor, Neil Clarke, comments on in his blog post around the problem:

Since the early days of the pandemic, I’ve observed an increase in the number of spammy submissions to Clarkesworld. What I mean by that is that there’s an honest interest in being published, but not in having to do the actual work. Up until recently, these were almost entirely cases of plagiarism, first by replacing the author’s name and then later by use of programs designed to “make it your own.”

The issue isn’t that spam exists, its the quantity:

This is undoubtably a gigantic spike, and 100% it is induced by ChatGPT.

But hold on - is ChatGPT actually *better* at this that previous spam tools? Niel doesn’t think so, even if he is worried about the future:

I’m not going to detail how I know these stories are “AI” spam or outline any of the data I have collected from these submissions. There are some very obvious patterns and I have no intention of helping those people become less likely to be caught...

... What I can say is that the number of spam submissions resulting in bans has hit 38% this month. While rejecting and banning these submissions has been simple, it’s growing at a rate that will necessitate changes. To make matters worse, the technology is only going to get better, so detection will become more challenging.

And how expensive was the plagarism before to do anyway? It was copy-pasting text, automated word replacement programs, and done, that is trivial. Its a little harder than ChatGPT, sure, but you could make a thousand in a day no sweat, automated scripts randomizing names and jumbling nouns from a list.

The success rate also seems to be zero! Neither plagarism nor ChatGPT generates any story worth a damn, these aren’t being accepted. Neil is quite confident he is catching 100% of them and I believe him on that, these tools cannot write good fiction of any length beyond a paragraph.

So what is the ChatGPT’s advantage over previous, ‘dumber’ spam that justifies a 100-fold increase in spam usage? I am not seeing one, and I don’t think there is one besides marginally lower per-spam costs. Phrased another way, what was stopping someone from submitted 500 spam entries in one month in 2021? Nothing but interest in doing so.

Which is the rub of why this is happening - it isn’t because ChatGPT is good at this task, its because its the hype thing to do. Everyone is talking about it, everyone is trying it out, everyone is trying to find “delta” so they can ride the hype train. A bunch of people, some who may have even had axes to grind against Clarkesworld, have heard of this brand new fun tool and are flooding into the market to take advantage of it. But there might not be much to take advantage of; hype is fleeting, particularly in the face of no results as this effort is getting. As it fails, unless that axe really needs grinding above all else, spammers will move.

All of this to say that this story is, again, not a story about AI at all. AI is just the reason these already-bad parts of the system are being tested in the public eye.

#ai discourse

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venelona-turtle-den · 4 months

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Ghost Future Leonardo FAQ

(...I'll get a better header picture later. Maybe.)

(Get your own Desktop Old Turtle Man here)

Since I keep getting repeated questions, I've decided to make a FAQ where I can put all explanations to and link to it 👉👉

❓How do I keep Leo on top of my screen applications?

If you want him to stay on top of your windows, right click him, then go to Options - Preferences, then the Ghost(2) tab in the big menu that pops up. Check "Always Show Foreground" and that should do it.

❓Is there any screenshots on how I can install Leo?

Check out this post, it describes how to install Leo, screenshots included

❓Does Leo work on Chromebook, IOS, newer Android, etc? Will he ever?

No. I can't personally make him work on other platforms - unless the developers of the software (called SSP) will make SSP work on those platforms, Leo won't be able to work there.

❓How do I talk to Leo? How do I ask him a question? How do I pet him?

After installing Leo, if you want to interact with him just double click him - anywhere but his face. Right click on him calls more generic options menu.

To pet him, stroke the top of his head with your mouse, no clicking. If you want to know more general area, look at this gif here.

❓Download link for Leonardo doesn't seem to be working, what should I do?

Since the download link in my post leads to the website I made on neocities, sometimes website doesn't work, but you should be able to install Leo straight from the Google Drive here. You can see instructions linked in the second question of this post.

❓My data doesn't save - every time I open Leo, the introduction plays again, what should I do?

Most of the time it means that the files have been installed incorrectly, and folders are not where they should be.

Here's the files you should have in your 'ghost' folder (the location of which will most probably be your 'downloads' folder), and files you should have there

For the first 'ghost' folder, unless you installed desktop ghosts before you will only have 'Future Leonardo' and 'emily4' folders

Inside the 'shell' folder you should have 3 folders - 'Taileo', 'Neon Leon' and 'Chin Stripes', and they all contain lots of pngs and a couple of txt files

Don't worry about 'profile' folder, I believe it just saves the data of ghosts's coordinates on your screen in case you move them around

It might be a problem with a save file - just make sure you don't move 'aya5_variable.cfg' from the 'master' folder, because that's an actual file that contains all the save data.

❓Will you ever make more TMNT ghosts? Other brothers?

No. I have enough stuff I still wish to implement to Leo, and even if I made any other turtle, the overall experience wouldn't be much different. But don't let your dreams be dreams, you can always try and make your beloved turtle live on your desktop yourself! English Desktop Ghost devs community is so lovely, they're always happy to help both new and seasoned devs 💖✨

❓I still have a question!

You're always welcome to send me a question. I might take time responding (perhaps a lot of time...), but if you send it straight to DMs I usually reply within a day. So, DM this blog or @venelona for urgent questions 💌

#rottmnt #ghost future leonardo #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #leo #rise leo #ghost future leonardo dev #ghost future leonardo update #faq #help #ask v #future leonardo

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robbie-roo · 6 months

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somebody in a very long message asked me about skunks and mentioned a few other animals too so I'll do a quick post on skunks and see what I know about those other guys in later posts

also as a side note if you ever just want to chit chat about animals you can always message me or just tag me in your own posts I'm happy to have discussions as well as do these long lecture style posts :)

Skunks

cute little guys <3 I wanted a pet skunk and a pet raccoon as a kid (honestly I wanted a pet everything...) and the good news is you can technically have one! some states (17/50) will allow you to own a pet raccoon or a pet skunk but unless you are very knowledgeable in wildlife care or "exotic" pets I do not reccomend them they are not domesticated like dogs and cats are but can be tame (there's a difference)

anyways some skunk facts;

so their stinky spray is a pretty obvious skunk trait and like the messager mentioned many animals use scent as a way to communicate. pretty much all mammals have a scent gland located somewhere on their body- for many its the top of the head so they can rub pheromones off on trees or other critters to let animals know "hey this is mine" or "hey there handsome.... there's hot singles in your area"

they also mentioned possum and raccoons using scent- opossums are known for playing dead and will secrete stinky stuff to make their act more believable and raccoons? it's their urine and feces that make them stinky

some animals however use scent as a deterrent like skunks do

they are not the only animal that does this all mustelids do (that's the skink, ferret, stoat, etc. fam) and these critters are particularly stinky but don't have the spray adaptation that only skunks really have (as far as I've learned anyway)

both pet skunks and ferrets will often be surgically "de-scented" but usually still have a smell after (I mean... don't we all?)

skunks used to roll with this genus but recently made their own gang called Mephitis (literally means "stink") which has 12 species and includes skunks and "stink badgers" I've also seen some reports of 13 species but I'm not really sure off the top of my head which is true only 4 of them are "true skunks" though

skunks take their scent very seriously guys. some of them will directly aim for the eyes and others will do a little warning dance before spraying they can also adjust their sprays potency and angle and can also choose to spray from both or only one scent gland at a time

(spotted skunk- the dancers)

some can accurately spray 10 feet away but can reach up to 20 or more if they really wanted to soak you but then they have to reload for about 10 days before they can spray anything again

that odor can be smelled from 1.5 miles away! but don't worry 1/1000 humans can't smell it at all and their main predator owls also can't pick up the scent unfortunately for these birds they do still have eyes and a well aimed spray will still take them down

(also the chemical compound in their spray is flammable I have no idea who found that out and why but fun fact!)

if you ever get sprayed don't bother with tomato juice use hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to neutralize the compounds

anyways enough about stink

Skunks are omnivores and some will eat bees aiming for the actual bees over the honey like bears do (yes winny the pooh lied to you he wants that larva not necessarily the honey)

some skunks can be really social living in groups of around 10 and sometimes invite their neighbors to stay with them (there's a few cases of possums staying the night in their den) most of them ate relatively solitary but they aren't very territorial and will overlap sometimes

they are immune to snake venom! another trait that is somewhat similar to their cousins the badgers as they often eat snakes they can handle a lot of poison

alright that's what I know about skunks they're cute little guys but once again

DO. NOT. TOUCH. yes theyre stinky but they are also known to carry rabies if you see one out during the day do not approach it and call wildlife services if you are seriously worried

#skunk #skunk facts #animal science #animal facts #zoology #animals #biology #mammalogy

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katy-l-wood · 1 year

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Sigh.

Don't really want advice, I just need to vent a little. Gonna stick it under a readmore too, because it got a little long.

I'm burning out so bad at work. I love the idea of this business, it's super fun in theory, as is what I do there. But the way the business is run is a nightmare, and the job does not pay anywhere near what it should. And I thought that was going to get better this January, because the owner finally admitted that we need a full marketing department and asked me if I wanted to run it if I were to be given an appropriate raise, and I told him yes. Then we had our January meeting where we were supposed to discuss everything and he said he's actually decided to interview outside candidates and only consider me as one of them.

Which is fucking bullshit. I built this marketing department from the ground up. They didn't even have fucking business cards when I started. Every initiative I've done has gone massively well for being nothing but hit-the-bricks marketing with zero budget.

I get that, legally, they are required to post the job within the company, but they aren't legally required to post it outside the company as far as I can tell. (Nor have they ever done that before anyways...)

And before this was revealed to me, I sat in on an interview and all the owner talked about during the interview is how much he loves people coming into the business and finding their own way and building new skills. He went on and on about the two main people who have done that, and how much he values them. Neither of them had to reinterview against outside candidates to run the departments they now run. Just me.

I know why it's happening too, which makes it even more annoying. The owner has ZERO idea what I do. None. I do not report to him. Every time I'm in a meeting with him and start trying to explain stuff I get some version of "oh, I just don't understand all of that." I think there might also be a touch of not liking me because I stand up to him. There was a big issue with Twitter over the holiday marketing season because I explained how, despite being our best platform, Twitter was too unstable to be as useful as normal due to the Musk takeover and the owner went OFF about it, about how I shouldn't be "bringing politics into it." Nevermind that ANY corporate takeover is going to be destabilizing for a time and the man has never used Twitter in his life so how the hell would he know what's going on. (Also, not even 5 minutes later he told me he didn't want us using TikTok "because of the Chinese." What was that about not getting political, sir?)

It's really clear that I'm just never gonna get the respect and support I need at this job, despite how great my direct boss is. I'm also really fucking tired of working somewhere with an HR lady that can't do her job and refuses to give us direct deposit because it's "too hard" and doesn't put our accumulated sick time on our checks like she's supposed to because she can't figure out how to make the system do it, so we just have to email her if we want to know.

And I've been applying to jobs! I've had interviews! Some of them have seemingly gone well, it's just that none of them have gone all the way to hiring me.

Even if I get a new job it isn't going to fix the fact that I'm burnt out, because I can't afford to take time off between the jobs to actually rest. I've got, like, $100 in savings right now and nothing in checking until my paycheck shows up this week. (And because we don't have direct deposit, the check could show up anytime between Wednesday and Saturday, unless HR had some random shit come up and didn't get the checks out on time, which has happened before.)

And I should (should) have two weeks paid vacation now that I've hit my third year at this job, but I don't want to just use it all up in fucking January in case I am stuck here for the rest of the year, but I could really use those two weeks right now.

Then, in the background of all of this, is my art and writing stuff. Especially The Pits/its Kickstarter in a couple months. If that Kickstarter goes as well as I'm hoping I probably COULD afford to take some time off. But I won't know about that until the end of March when it finishes. And also, I really don't want to be putting all my baggage from my day job on this one project. That's not good for me OR the project.

I'm fucking tired. I was so close to finally getting ahead of all this before inflation hit last year. So fucking close. And then it all went away. I just want a job that pays me what I'm worth and respects what I can do. That shouldn't be so fucking hard.

#Venting

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realcatalina · 6 months

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Catherine Parr's depictions Part 3: Jersey portraits's new dating is wrong

How on earth did they come with 1547/8 date? I found myself asking. Just looking at it, I don't get it. The hair is down. In late 1540s, it should be way up! And the shape of headwear is simply too round for squished shape in late 1540s!

But I thought, ok, maybe the dendrology came back with with 1546 or some such late date, which would justify the late estimate.

No, it came back with 1542!...Read further if you wish to know more:

(1542...According to Sotheby's webpage

Dendrology says when tree was cut, it'd be likely used few years later to create the painting. At least with baltic oaks that is the case, they don't require much seasoning...Typically dendrology gives you a range of dating, not specific year, but rarely it does...

Do you know how they came up with 1547/8?

-Because she wears black dress! Therefore it MUST BE a widow!!!

For those of you unaware...Black in Tudor times was not used exclusively for mourning! It was popular colour among rich and powerful-nobility and royalty. In fact big portion(if not majority) of portraits from 1540-1560, show either black clothes or black cloak!

Furthermore the artist, master John provenly worked for royalty in 1544-Mary's portrait:

and what is the difference here? ...Almost none:

Ok, the angle of the head and different bilements? (which can be different even on very same day! Not year, day...)

And yes... the transitional vs new stays-but that's all!

And We'd expect there to be transitional period in between the two styles, when they coexiste!...Around 1543/4 that was the case!

Hence regarding the dating, I'd say the prudent dating, based upon dendrology would be c.1545-1548.

(1544 seems as bit too early for us to get 1542 dendrology. Sotheby's webpage says 1542, not c.1542, but I cannot exclude this is how it is meant... and if it's c.1542..., then I'd say as early as 1544 would be possible...)

But based upon my research into portraits in 1540-1560, I'd be inclined to say c.1544/1545.

...

Also, even if you went with assumption it is Parr as King's widow...how about you read up upon how long she mourn the King?!

If it was her as widow...then you'd have to date it as 1547, namely between January 1547(Henry VIII's death) and her remarrying in April or May 1547. After that she had no reason to mourn(as far as I know).

1548 is not supposed to be there at all!

...Unless of course you go with theory the painting is posthumous, and black symbolizes she is dead... But then, you'd have to go with possibility her posthumous painting is based upon an earlier portrait...not necessary the latest one. And you should tell that to the public! ...As to not confuse them, regarding the fashion visible within the painting.

Hence no, I don't agree with new dating of Jersey portrait.

PS: I sincerely hope this will be my last post about Parr for while, because tbh I've been focusing on her really a lot lately...

#historical portraits #catherine parr #misdated portrait #jersey portrait #tudor history

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astronomicalfluffweek · 6 months

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Fluff Week FAQ

General

Which characters/dynamics are you particularly interested in?

JJK – literally all common ones unless they’re illegal, particularly the first years & gojo (including all the variations - itafushi, platonic!itafushikugi, the gojo-megumi thing, the gojo-itadori thing, and of course, the much less explored megumi-nobara thing). No very-rare-pairs please, unless 100% platonic! I usually don’t like them. Also, bear in mind I may have to google characters if they come from Kyoto school because I literally forgot all their names.

HQ – I like most characters, but am especially fond of iwaoi and bokuaka (sakuatsu at a push). I love all team dynamics, with a special soft spot for the JNT and Seijoh. Again, no rare pairs please (even platonic, in this case) but I will know who most characters are!

TGCF: fengqing. I’m obsessed with fengqing. And hualian, of course. Basically Xianle trio + Hua Cheng and all their dynamics.

My favourite character is Hua Cheng, followed by Feng Xin, and then – you’ll hate me for this – Pei Ming. Please bear in mind that if you write about any niche characters from tgcf, or those that only appear later in the books, I will not know who they are :( He Xuan is about my limit for late-appearing characters, and he does not appear very late.

Do you mind which ships I use?

Not at all, as long as they aren't a major rarepair, or use characters I've never heard of. If you're not sure, don't be worried - you can always just ask! Either DM me or drop an ask in my inbox.

Are there any examples of found family you could suggest?

Yep! JJK is 100% found family, so there's no issue there - the school dynamic, gojo's dynamic with the students (particularly megumi), the first years' dynamic, the second years' dynamic, the teachers/adults dynamic...

HQ also has plenty of examples. Each team dynamic, duo dynamic, and mentor/mentee dynamic offers something new!

TGCF is a little harder. Nearly all the ships have an element of found family, but there's the Xianle trio and, if you want to get a bit ridiculous, the calamities can also be pretty funny if you wrangle them properly...

Fanfiction

Is reader insert ok?

I'd rather your not, but if you're only really comfortable with that, then go for it!

Is there a word count?

I'd like it to be over 1000 words, but I've yet to meet a writer who struggled with writing too little....

How would I post my work when the time comes?

Assuming you're posting on A03, please submit it to the Astronomical Fluff Week Collection (astronomical_fluff_week), and you can gift it to me if you like. More on this closer to the time!

Art

What kind of art are you looking for?

Any and all! You can do a comic, a drawing or painting, some silly doodles, a meme, anything!

How would I post my work when the time comes?

If you're posting on tumblr, please post with the tag #astronomical fluff week, and tag me in it! More on this closer to the time...

If you have further questions, my DMs or inbox are only a click away! Please only submit asks to @astronomicalfluffweek, but you can DM @astrowaffles or any sideblogs I have!

@grungeeuvu

@jdjdddnn

@vintageskeletons

@love-nakamura

@erros429

@fridakahloblvd

@drpepper-spokesman

@eternally-tired-muffin

@mmmcheetos

@average-hua-cheng-fan

#astronomical fluff week #haikyuu #jujutsu kaisen #tgcf

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mariaofdoranelle · 2 years

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Empty Nested

Rowaelin Month day 9: Single Parent AU

Long story short, life happened and I won’t be able to keep up with my original plan of posting for every prompt. However, I managed to finish this WIP and here it is! It’s 11:48 pm where I live so I guess it still counts as day 9 lol I hope you like it!!

Warnings: language, NSFW

Word count: 3,1k

Edit: This fic ended up becoming a whole thing so here’s a masterlist

~~~~~占~~~ _/||\°/||\。.:*・

To-do list

Read gardening book

Improve garden

Master’s degree pros and cons list

Find out which liquor bottles Maisie drank in secret and watered down

Enroll in Old Language classes

Rowan sighed. He was sat on his porch, trying to figure out what to do on the third weekend without Maisie driving him insane. His life’s purpose revolved around his only daughter for the last eighteen years, and now that he just dropped her off at college, he felt lonely. Mostly bored.

Coming home to an empty house felt hollow enough, the real tears about her moving only came when he arrived and saw her bike sitting on the porch. Three weeks later, he hadn’t moved it. Instead, he was gazing at it as he scrambled his mind for something to do.

Some movement on the street caught his attention, and Rowan noticed two men in an uniform carrying a massive piano inside Aelin Galathynius’s house. As tamed as he was, it was impossible not to notice how beautifully her golden hair shined below the midday sun, or how little that pale blue dress did to hide the curves underneath. Something like that would drive Rowan insane when she first moved into their street, but now he was a lot more used to his drop dead gorgeous neighbor. When Rowan realized what he was doing, he focused his gaze on her garden’s Kingsflower and swallowed. That woman raised Maisie’s best friend. She deserved more than a creepy old neighbor.

“Need any help?” Rowan asked as he got closer to the home.

Aelin turned around and smiled brightly at him. “Not really, but come on in!” And gestured for him to come inside. Good. If she gave Rowan a task to do, it meant he had one less thing to add to his to-do list.

He and Aelin were in that weird parent limbo where they’re not exactly friends, but they’ve been chatting here and there for years because their kids are close.

“How’s Finn?” he asked after the piano matter was settled, while she made coffee for them.

She sighed affectionately. “He’s in love with college and everything is amazing, you know how the freshman year goes. It’s so cute. And he’s there with his girlfriend, so he’s loving it.”

“Yeah, same for Maisie.” He chuckled. “Except for the relationship part. She’s merciless with her girls.”

“And you have no idea where she got that from?” Aelin teased.

His eyes went wide. “I really don’t. I spent years telling her to avoid the ladies’ man type, but apparently she misunderstood the lessons and ended up becoming one.”

Aelin cackled, but sighed again after. “God, I really miss those troublemakers.”

He sent her a watery smile. “Me too. I’ve been trying to get busy, but apparently that’s not a problem for you?”

“I used to play it everyday before Finn was born.”

Rowan looked between Aelin and her new piano, astounded. “You knew how to play that beast at sixteen?”

Grinning, she nodded. “I even used to teach it for extra money before having a full-time job.”

He just blinked, amazed. “Sometimes I forget not every teenager is a dipshit. I have absolutely no useful hobbies to revive.” In fact, Maisie was who made him learn real responsibility. Caring for a newborn in college without the mother was no joke.

“I’m sure this isn’t the case.”

With a raised eyebrow, he challenged, “Unless you call partying a hobby.”

Aelin went still, her eyes wide. “I have a boat party later today, you should come!”

“What?” he screeched.

“Come on!”

Rowan blinked, thinking hard on it. “I’m not sure.” He never left the house on the weekends because, as independent as Maisie tried to be, she always got in trouble at parties, so Rowan liked to be available for her.

“It’s my friend’s birthday, it’ll be fun.”

Well, as alarming as the thought was, Rowan couldn’t be physically there for his little girl. And he didn’t need to think about the to-do list if he wasn’t at home. Reluctantly, he finally answered, “Okay. You sure your friend won’t mind?”

Aelin grinned wickedly. “When you meet Fenrys, you’ll be sure of it.”

Rowan endured two chapters of his new gardening book before readying himself early for the party. When it was finally time, to reach Aelin, he crossed the street to find his neighbor wearing gentle waves on her hair and a pleased grin.

She was wearing a golden, metallic dress that was... flattering. Maybe way too flattering. It had a V-neckline that made Rowan’s eyes go too south before he snapped it back up, flushing, to meet Aelin’s smirking face.

Rowan’s mouth opened and closed while he scrambled his mind for something respectful to say that would do her justice, but his flustered face seemed to be response enough by her ever-growing grin.

“We should catch an uber. I’m making us drink tonight,” she said, putting him out of his misery.

Rowan cleared his throat and nodded. “Let me.” He gave his phone to Aelin so she could type which part of the Florine River they were supposed to be at, and the ride ended up being pretty uneventful.

When Aelin invited him, Rowan was expecting a small get together at the marina. However, he found himself inside a tri-deck yatch with a DJ and a infinity pool.

Fenrys, just like Aelin predicted, didn’t mind his unadvised presence in the slightest. There was absolutely no way a singular, regular person knew all this people, but Aelin didn’t seem surprised by how packed the place was. She just greeted everyone she knew and introduced Rowan as they beelined to the nearest bar. In the meanwhile, he tried not to notice the amused glances Aelin’s friends darted between the two of them.

The bar was a little crowded, but Rowan managed to get some whiskey while she intently watched the preparation of her dessert cocktail.

“We should hit the dancefloor.”

Rowan’s body froze. “I can’t dance.”

Grinning, she answered, “Good. I can’t either.”

For the first time in years, Rowan was led to a small crowd under strobe lights. Aelin looked like a living flame with that dress, but she didn’t seem to realize it, carelessly dancing whichever pop music was playing. He tried not to embarrass himself by doing some sort of manly dance, but she wouldn’t have it.

His heartbeat picked up when Aelin put two hands on his chest and leaned closer to his face, but she just neared his ear and said, “Come on! You can do better than a straight guy dance.”

Rowan laughed brightly at this, little did she know he was just trying to not embarrass himself. He took Aelin’s arm and twirled her just before allowing his limbs to do their own thing, accompanying his dance partner’s uncoordinated moves, just letting loose on the dancefloor. And it felt good. Freeing. Their dancing must’ve looked borderline quirky from anyone looking from the outside, but he felt lighter than ever.

Feeling a little bold, he placed both hands on her hips, still swaying together. After a few minutes, she led him to the bar again, holding hands.

After sipping on the same drinks again, he mentioned to ask Aelin what she wanted to do, but her eyes were already on him. She led him out of the crowded part, and then trapped Rowan against the glass wall with her two hands. The only signs of her desire were her quick breaths and hypnotizing parted lips, so Rowan put his years-long self-control aside and placed a unsteady hand on Aelin’s nape, his thumb running her neck up and down.

He didn’t know who initiated it, but what started tentative soon became an open-mouthed, fervent kiss. Every inch of Aelin’s front was pressed against his, and she didn’t seem to mind Rowan’s greedy hands on her sides by the way she yanked his hair, leading his mouth to her neck.

Swapping places, he pressed Aelin against the wall. “Tell me you didn’t put that golden dress on purpose,” Rowan hissed on her ear, in charge of her body.

“I can’t,” she smirked.

Rowan kissed her again. Picking Aelin up, he sneaked his hands a bit under her dress, hoping his eager grip wouldn’t bruise her. In response, she pressed herself against him, her ridden-up dress allowing the friction between his bulge and her underwear’s the flimsy fabric. She was going to be the death of him.

“You’re such a cocktease.” Rowan didn’t mean to say this out loud, but he was too immersed in her to chastise himself. However, Aelin’s whole body shivered, and she arched her hips against this. Just as greedy, he decided to continue, “And you love it, don’t you? I bet you’re loving to make my blood boil right now.” She moaned, and Rowan moved one hand that was already under her dress to run his thumb against her wet underwear. He could feel Aelin’s knees buckling on his side, but he stilled. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman, and at least a decade since doing it at a part. And it wasn’t just a woman, it was Aelin. Perhaps he was going too fast and—

“Please,” Aelin’s soft whimper snapped him out of his thoughts.

Well, it was hard to deny her anything with those bewitching little whimpers and flushed cheeks. Their position made it hard for anyone to notice Rowan’s hand under her dress, so he sneaked his thumb under the lacy fabric and started massaging Aelin’s clit. She cried out when he first applied pressure, but Rowan started kissing her to swallow her moans, and they soon settled into a rhythm.

For all the restrained movements he had by using one arm to carry Aelin and the other hand pleasure her, she made up by touching him everywhere. Rowan felt sly hands running across his chest, back, redirecting his face from Aelin’s mouth to her neck, making his desire grow each touch.

She gripped his shirt with impressive strength when her body went still around him, then she relaxed completely on his arms. Rowan pressed their foreheads together, both of them panting when he felt a bit smug by noticing her trademark lavender smell was now mixed with sweat.

“You alright?” he asked.

His answer was a lazy, blissful smile. “Perfect. We might need a napkin to your face, though.” Rowan leaned a little to the side to see his reflection on the glass wall and, yes, his face was smudged with Aelin’s lipstick. A lot.

After getting down from his embrace and making sure her legs were firm enough to walk in high heels again, they decided to look for anything able to clean his face—napkin, tissue, toilet paper—they couldn’t afford to be picky.

The birthday boy, was Henrys his name? was filming the whole party, and soon the blinding flashlight from his phone landed on them.

“Say cheese!” he screamed, way too cheerful to be sober.

A dark-haired version of Henrys yanked him away. “I’m cutting off your booze.” Then he turned his head towards everyone in the room and quickly yelled, “Sorry!”

Aelin chuckled, and they soon found an empty bathroom with tissues. She mentioned for him to seat on top of the toilet’s closed lid while grabbing what she needed, but then stopped.

“You know?” she started with a sultry voice, “I kinda like that look on you. And I like that I was the one to kiss you all over.”

“You like your men looking like the Joker?” Rowan teased.

She giggled, losing the seductress act for a minute. Aelin sat on his lap, rubbing a wet tissue against his neck. He instantly held her hips and pulled her closer, baring her thighs on the way. Aelin took it as a cue and started rubbing herself against his bulge, and in this position Rowan was free to cup her breasts. One hand was gripping her hair, helping him lead the kiss, and the other holding Aelin’s breast as his thumb flicked a nipple through the dress. They were in a frenzy, giving and taking pleasure however they could, when Rowan heard a hissing sound. Aelin unzipping her dress.

Deciding to gently stop her, he managed to cup her hand somewhere between her hand and her hips.

Breaking the kiss, Aelin leaned away from him a little. “Did I do something wrong?”

Why in hell would she think that? Putting a strand of golden hair behind her ear, he whispered, “Of course not.”

She arched an eyebrow. “So...”

Even if he was turned on like he haven’t been in years, it didn’t feel right. 18-year-old Rowan wouldn’t think twice before fucking a long-time crush in a party bathroom. 38-year-old Rowan? Not so much. Not only because he wanted to do right by Aelin, but also because adulthood back pains were no joke. Even with daily exercises, the only counter he allowed himself to bend over was his own, to cook dinner.

“I have better plans,” he said in a playful voice, trying to not upset her.

Aelin crossed her arms. “I highly doubt that.”

“We go back to the party and finish the night with our clothes on—“

“How is that better?”

He chuckled and kissed her adorable pout. “Then I’ll show up in your porch tomorrow and ask you on a date, and I’m pretty sure you’ll say yes because I’ll bribe you with chocolate. After I buy you dinner, if you feel like it, I’ll take you somewhere and ravish you whole until the morning because we have no kids to gross out with our love lives”

Aelin wrapped both arms around Rowan’s neck, sending him a sly smile. “I really like your plans…” He raised an eyebrow, knowing she wasn’t finished. “But the ravishing me whole part only appears once, and at the end.”

Grinning at her, he teased, “So you want the old man, but not the old-fashioned manners?”

That was enough to make her crack up. “You’re four years older! There’s barely an age gap.”

“Aelin, you have a TikTok account.”

“And?” she cried out.

“You’re young.”

She cackled and got herself up, pulling him too. “Come on, old man, I’m hungry.”

There wasn’t a proper table, but they managed to find a seat near the catering and snatch some food. Aelin was sat on his lap, eagerly eating some pan-fried trout he convinced her to try after a lot of pouting and grimacing. Before she could force him to eat chocolate, Rowan’s phone pinged once. And again. When he saw it was Maisie, he unlocked the phone and briefly apologized to Aelin—who didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, too focused on her fish.

Mais: DAD

His daughter sent him a picture of him walking side by side with Aelin, one hand on her waist. It was a little blurred, probably a screenshot from a video, but it was clear Rowan’s face and neck had some smudged lipstick on, his eyes were sparkling, and he just now noticed that he hadn’t felt lighthearted like this in a long while. Still, his kid’s reaction made him a bit uneasy. He had always put Maisie before any romantic interest without a second thought, and he didn’t want to change it just because she wasn’t at home.

Rowan: How in hell did you get this

Mais: Finn saw on Instagram and sent to me

Mais: We made sibling vows by text and everything

He zoomed in on the top of the picture, and it seemed like some fmoonbeam person has posted it.

Rowan: Do you think it’s weird?

Mais: NO!!

Mais: I mean I’m completely horrified

Mais: But in a good way

Mais: I’m happily retreating from the competition

Rowan: ??

Mais: Dad she’s a MILF

That was more than enough to make him flush. Aelin looked confused, and when he showed her the text thread, she cackled.

“Sounds like we have our kid’s permission,” she pointed out.

He beamed at that. For eighteen years, Rowan struggled with finding someone who he liked and Maisie might like, besides living the anxiety of trying to not catch feelings before he had it figured out. And long after Rowan gave up on dating, his neighbor swept him off his feet and checked all boxes in one night. And he was so relaxed tonight he didn’t even overanalyze every sentence she said to figure out if she’d be a good stepmom.

Rowan texted a quick Night, Mais. Behave. and turned his attention back to Aelin. Her smile was intoxicating, he noted as he grinned back, and it made him want to get closer and live immersed in it for days on end.

But then she straightened her posture and looked him in the face. “So...”

“So?”

“I just want you to clarify something for me, so I can know what to expect.” Aelin started fiddling with her fingers. “We’ve known each other for years, and this happened just now...” Rowan tilted his head, not getting where she was going, and she ran a frustrated hand through her head. “I just want to know if this is a thing thing or if we’re just getting together because we’re empty nested and bored.

Giving her a loose hug around the waist, he smiled and said, “No, definitely a thing thing to me.”

Sighing in relief, all of her features relaxed as she explained herself. “Good. I was just asking because,” Aelin bit her lip. “Finn’s a shy kid, so going for his best friend’s dad was a risky move, but I definitely… noticed you.”

Grinning like Hellas, Rowan scooted her closer and whispered on her ear, “Oh, I’ve noticed you too.”

“Yeah?” she breathed.

“Sure. You think I’ve never noticed your tiny little weekend sundresses, Aelin?” he said while brushing his thumb against her bottom lip. “You don’t think I notice the tight pencil skirts you go to work with?”

“So you’ve noticed me too?” she asked.

“Very much.”

“Wanna notice me in the bathroom again?”

Rowan cackled, breaking the spell. “I told you I’d notice you after asking you out and buying dinner, I never said we can’t do it all in one day.”

Humming, she bit her lip to stifle a smile. “Tomorrow?”

“If you accept my official wooing then, Milady.”

Aelin rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, but the grin she wore was fooling no one. She got up and pulled Rowan by the arm, and he didn’t fight it when she led him to the dancefloor again.

TAG LIST

@autumnbabylon

@courtofjurdan

@elentiyawhitethorn

@leiawritesstories

@rowanaelinn

@thegreyj

@rowaelinscourt

#rowaelin #rowaelinmonth #rowaelin month #throne of glass #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #single parents #empty nested

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tmmyhug · 9 months

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bestie (nicest way possible) as someone who was new to the fandom last September I wouldn’t recommend making a sideblog and like talking about comics/batfam/etc if you haven’t read the comics? people get really touchy about that, because fanfic interpretation tend to be really far from how characters are in canon (and character relationships get butchered and softened and straight up invented for plot, which once again, creative liberty + that can be fun but often tends to be incredibly ooc & excludes women (cass, helena, steph, etc) or poc (duke (though his case is different considering when he was introduced), cass, damian’s poc but isn’t really ignored) in favor of white boys (jason especially, who shows up far later than said women & isn’t really close to the fam yet fandom tends to give him their relationships with the family) so like...you’ll probably be mostly wrong and people are rather unforgiving about that because they’re tired of people that haven’t read comics talking about the characters (incorrectly) while refusing to interact w/ source material, and it’s a huge problem & very prevalent so I can’t really blame them? idk I just don’t think it’s a good idea unless you want to reblog just art and stuff, which is fine! but like...everything's really confusing w/out proper research if you want to get into the fandom (everything post-reboot/post-2011 is largely ignored unless said otherwise because the reboot was so awful), so i just want to point that out! but I don’t want to be mean, just some advice :) (if you ever change your mind about comics, just give the say so! we’re (and i) am very glad to help you out with what to read and in what order, and take it from someone who was in your position six months ago, they are truly really fun!) /gen /nm

not to worry my friend this sounds pretty much exactly like the dsmp experience where new people never properly interacted with the canon content and the fanon got more and more bastardized over time as a result and everyone got touchy abt it. including me . you could say im familiar . im just on the other side now (oblivious newbie) which should be interesting. i have no intention of treading on anyone’s toes or making assumptions or even talking abt the characters with any sort of authority. if i do make a sideblog it’ll be just to reblog art n stuff.

plus i am ah. very aware that the fanon im consuming is an extremely warped perspective of the actual comics. and with how many different “canons” there are i’m sure it’s a mess. at least in dsmp we could always point back to just the og streams. here i’m gathering there’s 174958637 comics + 284871 writers + movies + live action AND animated tv shows + multiple video games and they ALL have intersecting characters and possible canons it’s giving me a headache just thinking abt it dear lord

so yeah. i’m perfectly happy sequestering myself in an oblivious fanon corner and not claiming to know anything. normally for a new fandom i would seek out the full source material and examine it thoroughly but theres just. too much. and i also just don’t enjoy reading comics. at least not the superhero ones. (i think the art doesn’t appeal to me? and something about the combination of written word and still visual art like. rankles at my sense of pacing and story <- just guessing though) i did watch the under the red hood movie tjough and it was cool so i may do more of those!

i’m glad you said you like talking abt this cause i just wrote you a whole essay lol. if i may ask do you know of any good fanon/fanfic content i could check out that stays mostly true to the comics canon? i’m curious ! but regardless thank you for the very nice message and warning it’s appreciated mwah

#ask #anonymous #batstuff

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mary-is-writing · 1 month

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Patreon, moving and trying stuff for the heck of it

The tl;dr is that my writing and tag games are moving to Patreon, for free. I'm still using this blog as my main and a writeblr. You'll likely won't see more writing here but you'll probably see lots of links to patreon posts. Since I'm new to Patreon, I'm open to advice about how to use it, if I should use it at all, and anything else. More details under the cut owo)/

You probably know that they've started approaching AI in here, which is a big turn off for creators. It's me, I'm creators.

While my main blog here works both as a personal and a writeblr, I've been thinking if, how and where will I migrate my writing to, specifically excerpts and small stuff like writing related tag games. After thinking for a while and getting reassurance from some writer friends, I've decided to migrate it to Patreon.

What does that mean? I hear you ask. It means that all the excerpts, character designs and art related stuff of my wips that would've been shared directly to Tumblr will now be shared directly there. Other stuff like updates on the state of the writing progress I'm making, that's not my writing itself, will most likely continue to be posted on Tumblr since that's kinda the only social platform I use.

So it'll be behind a paywall? You may wonder. No, it will not: all of those things I mentioned earlier (excerpts, lines, character designs and more) will be free to read and see for everyone. After all, they'd be free if they were in Tumblr, so I want to keep it like that.

You won't post them in Tumblr anymore, then? Like I said, no; not directly at least. I plan to try and see how it goes with me linking the patreon post to my Tumblr every time I upload there. It may be redundant to do all this just to post it here anyway, but it's a way to avoid the Tumblr AI that makes me feel more at peace than just an opt-out button.

What about writeblr tag games? A valid question, in a lot of those you have to share your writing. For now my plan is to do them in bulk so I can have one big post with all of them there, every other month or so, instead of a lot of tiny ones, and then link it over here. I think that'll work better, and it'll also give me time to stock on them. In other words, wether we're mutuals or not here, please tag me in things!! It'll take a while, but I promise I'll get to it. Eventually.

Why Patreon though? Well, I don't need to tell you that we live in capitalist times, and as a recent college graduate without a job that wants to be an indie writer, Patreon is a good option for me to make some sort of revenue. However, I don't work fast enough to show stuff on Patreon as rewards on a regular basis, that is, if you don't count stuff like small excerpts and tag games (which are sometimes one and the same), nor do I have a massive following that'd be willling to wait more between rewards. This is the second reason why I decided to migrate things there; first, to avoid the AI; second, to have something to show for my writing and do a little nudge to say Hey, if you like what you read, there's a way right here to support me so I can continue it. I could use other platforms like Ko-Fi, but if I'm gonna put time into something that allows me to earn some spare cash, I prefer it to be the one that'd let me have those earnings on a more regular basis.

Unless Ko-Fi has changed how it works, in which case I'll be checking it out later.

I don't have a set goal nor does my income currently depend on this, so I think it's a good time to start posting things to a Patreon without stressing myself that "it has to work". In the end, this is all just me trying things around to figure out what works and what not. If it doesn't work and people don't want to do an extra click to read my stuff, like I said, it's not like there's a lot of pressure on me right now. I've had a few years living with a Just Do It mentality and this is a extension of that, so for now I'll try this out, see where it goes, and how it develops.

I have a few things to tweak and prepare for the Patreon page to be ready for launching, so if you have any suggestions about how to use Patreon or if my approach is wrong and you know a better platform for this, please do tell me! Like I said, this is all just trial and error, so I'll learn as I do.

Thanks for reading!!

#writeblr #writing #writers #writing stuff #writers stuff #patreon #can you see how new I am with all of this? maybe you can #but it's all about trying and learning

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jess-moloney · 3 months

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It’s been so disappointing watching his online presence go from selfies, funny videos, days at the beach, art he’s into, loving his truck, surfing, sharing music he’s into, quotes he loves…so much. To see all that turn into business profiles for all intents and purposes to promote his music or acting is what I think’s sad. He should always promote his stuff and be proud of himself. But, he stopped being Jamie, the person and turned into Jamie, the business online.

I think the steady decline in that straight up ended around Heaven In Your Eyes. The video, the merch. So weird. The song itself strays the most from where his solo stuff began, but it’s still a good song. A song you can tell he loves. I think the promotion got seriously screwed up when he broke his bones. That seemed to sidetrack the rollout of the song and video.

The broken bones are a whole other thing. Those stories never added up. On August 23rd he said “last Friday” meaning the 15th was his fall on “tarmac”. His X-ray said the 23rd. He later said he broke other bones, he said he didn’t immediately feel what would hurt the most or get it checked out until days later. All super weird. Last we saw was Jess post a story on the sidewalk of New Orleans the 13th. His last story there was the 11th. Could falling off steps coming off a plane happen? Yeah. If it was that kind of pavement, why not specify? Why change the story? Why add details? Never made sense to me. Could’ve been that simple, could’ve been his motorcycle. Anything. At this point, unless someone asks him at a convention straight up how exactly he did it, I doubt we’re gonna get an answer. Which we don’t need, but some of us are genuinely concerned as to how that happened. I know you are too.

Sorry, this wasn’t about the fall. I just think it coincides with Heaven In Your Eyes.

As far as the pregnancy thing- unfortunately having a child isn’t the same as wanting it. I was a case of having a child to give a sibling to the accident child, so yeah. For anyone reading this- do not do that. Don’t have any kids you don’t want. Please. All Jess would have to do was get through pregnancy and not even have to do anything more than keep the child alive or immediately pawn it off on help. If she gets that desperate, I wouldn’t put anything past her.

I'm still concerned about the injuries as well. I don't like to think about it because it makes no sense. The way the story changed. The fact that Jess was at the very least "around" isn't helping. His phrasing on the post about how he "felt compelled" to share it but then not explain how it happened? If it was a simple accident like a trip and fall or he got in a minor bike accident or something of that nature then why not just say that? Why leave a bunch of speculation around for people to question what happened and why it happened. I have broken ribs before and I'm not even ashamed to say why (I fell off a horse). It's not a nefarious reason it was an accident. I understand that Jamie wants to keep some level of privacy but sharing medical images from a medical document negates what level of privacy he wants to keep, so showing those X-rays whilst also not wanting to explain how he was injured is weird if it was just an accident.

Of course, this was followed a few months later with that promotional video for Comic Con which was heavily filtered and appeared to show bruising under his eyes. Amidst all of this, Jess gets some kind of "certification" to be a domestic violence prevention specialist as if it's some kind of alibi to cover her ass because we know she's doing fuck all with it. Everything about what's going on between Jamie and Jess seems like it's a high level of abuse and I'd say it's coming from her end since she's the one who has a long history of being a horrible manipulative snake in the grass.

If she were to get pregnant (and I don't put it past her, regardless of what she claims about not wanting kids) you are right, all she'd have to do is have the kid. She'd pawn it off on a nanny or something after, or she'd be a horrible stage mom and push the kid into modeling/acting and try to live vicariously through it. Especially if it ended up actually being Jamie's kid or she could claim that enough to get people to believe her. This woman has to know she's on her way out and how bad she looks and I would never put it past her to do something extreme to keep the only "fame" she's probably ever going to get.

#jess moloney #jamie campbell bower #jamie bower #mail

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onboardsorasora · 6 months

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Hi! 😊

I tried to choose only a few questions from the obligatory otp asks post but... I like a lot of them and I'm curious about your answers. 😃 (If these are too many for you, feel free to pick your favorites and only answer those.)

Maxiel: 10, 38, 39, 41, 44, 51, 54 & 60.

Hi V! lets goooo

10. Describe their first date.

I'll use a headcanon from the 2wrecked2furious verse lol. They met at a party and hooked up in the bathroom lol their first date was weeks later and they had an activity date! Max fell head over heels immediately, Daniel tried and failed to be more reserved.

38. Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?

ooooh this one was a little more difficult because I think Max is more experimental in that he wants to try new things- but thats because he's younger. Daniel is always up for anything because he trusts that Max will make it good for the both of them. Plus he had his experimental phase before he met Max so he's more aware of what he likes and dislikes. He doesn't want to kill Max's thunder.

Plus, he's up for trying something he may not have liked previously, simply because its Max and maybe that'll be the difference.

39. Who would rescue an injured animal and nurse it back to health? What would the other think?

Max! No question. (unless we're talking enchated au then Daniel) Max would go full overprotective momma and Daniel would help mostly, because Max would be yelling commands at him and Daniel is nothing if not a good boy.

41. Which one would take their jacket it off and drape over the other one because they were visibly shivering? Max wears a jacket just in case. He's not as sensitive to the cold as Daniel is. Also he thinks Daniel is being a big baby about it. its literally shorts weather.

44. Who would dance in the kitchen making dinner? Would the other join in or watch from the doorway?

Daniel! And he'd sing too (badly). Max would watch him happily, with a fond smile.

51. What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?

Max makes tea for Daniel just the way he likes. They have a whole cupboard of tea flavours because he'll buy a new blend if he's travelling and thinks Daniel would like it. Daniel drinks tea out of one specifically mug that Max bought him their first year together. It was from a little grocery store in the town they were visiting at the time. it's all scratched up and has a small chip but Daniel loves it because Max gave it to him

54. Who’s more likely to carry the other to bed?

Max is carrying Daniel to bed because he falls asleep on the couch waiting for Max to finish gaming.

60. Who pulls the other closer when they’re sleeping?

Daniel pulls Max closer, Max complains that he gets hot but then he snuggles into Daniel's hold. then he complains that Daniel drools on him.

#aahh these were fun!#ask game #OTP Maxiel

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heathersproship · 2 years

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I’m saying this in anon bc I’m scared irl friends or followers will see this but I like the pro-ship community.

I’m new to it, and while I don’t have any kind of ships that anti’s usually hate (minor/adult, family/family, etc.) I do have a lot of age gap ships and one ships that’s especially problematic.

My super problematic one I use for coping, and I want to talk about and share and stuff, but I’m worried people will send threats or call me things like an abuser bc I like this certain ship.

It sucks that I can’t just talk about my problematic ship, but the pro-ship community makes it better. I just wish there was a way to make sure only pro-shippers see my toxic/coping ship posts, and not anyone else like anti’s or irl friends lol.

I’m not really sure what the point of this was, so I’m sorry if this was annoying, I just like your blog and wanted to just say that I appreciate pro-shippers :)

Everything is /g

You’re not being annoying, no worries! I’m glad you’re having a nice time in the community! (Also thank you, I appreciate you taking time to tell me you like my blog! That’s really sweet! Sorry I took so long to respond, I had a very early night lol.)

Someone put Howl’s Moving Castle on a list of “problematic media” because for the majority of it Sophie is cursed to be a 90yo woman and Howl is in his late 20s. Both the novel and the Ghibli movie had the romance as the subplot, but antis are still against it cuz age gap (also spoilers, she turns back to her original age of 18 at the end, so while the gap is still there it’s not even half as severe). But nooo, a gap is a gap so in it goes! Also, Tangled is problematic. Frozen. Zootopia. Disney as a whole is problematic “just” because “racist.” (While I won’t deny there are some very racist things in Disney media like SotS, the depiction of Native Americans in Peter Pan, the Siamese cats in both Lady and the Tramp AND Aristocats, and the company itself is capitalist asf, to condemn Disney based on “just” racism alone is a bit of a stretch.)

Haters gonna hate for the sake of hating. There’s a high chance it's not going to make a lick of sense to you because of the long leaps in logic to get to those conclusions. And that’s entirely a them problem. I’m actually really surprised When Marnie Was There didn’t make it on the list (iykyk!).

Anyway, back to you. There is a way for you to post freely about your ships here! Two ways, actually!

The first is to make a sideblog.

Pros:

great option if you’re lazy and don't want to log out

anonymity. no connection to your primary blog unless you link it (literally or if there’s enough info to reasonably ID you)

much like a vent blog, a writing blog, or an art blog, can be dedicated solely to one thing so you don’t have to clutter your primary/stuff won’t get buried if you want/need to find them later

can be as private or as public as you want

can get asks (anon or not) and submissions

can block people*

can send Tumblr DMs

*Blocking someone on mobile only applies to your primary blog. I don’t know if there’s a way to do so for sideblogs but if you’re on browser you’ll have go to to Settings > select the sideblog URL > scroll down and manually type in/copy-paste the URL of the person you want to block into the Blocked Tumblrs section. Which leads me to

Cons:

the blocking thing, as mentioned above. if you block from your primary account, you can’t see them, but they can still see your sideblog unless you block them there.

can’t send asks, reply, or follow from sideblog; all interactions will come from your primary

always the risk of posting content to the wrong blog so whether you’re on the web or on mobile, double-check and save as drafts just in case!

if you’re going by a different name/persona, you may need to be careful what headcanons/aus/ideas you put out there. this goes doubly so for artists

The second is to make a new account.

Pros:

brand new shiny clean fresh start! anonymity!

sending asks, following people, replying to posts, all the perks!

no worries about posting to the wrong blog

block to your heart’s content without jumping through hoops

again, can be as private or as public as you want

Cons:

a bit more work (emails and passwords and all that)

might feel trapped to just be about One Thing

same con as the sideblog if you’re going by another name/persona, in that very specific or niche hcs/ideas/aus/art could be used to ID you. or just go for it and pretend this really is another person who just happens to share your exact opinions on things. who’s going to know but you, ya know?

Whichever route you take, do what you need to keep yourself safe. You can’t stop idiots from seeking things out they don’t like (you’d think they just wouldn’t but antis aren't known for being logical, ironic they insist they are), which is why proper tagging is so important. Note the tags proshippers use and tag your posts with those. Pop into inboxes to say hello, a majority of us are friendly and chill! And regardless of what the antis say, you do belong in the main tags. People just need to learn to filter and block shit they don’t like, but that’s far more work than screaming at other people to a) block them first and b) not post things they worked hard on making.

If people call you an abuser for liking something in fiction, they need a serious reality check. Tell them to grab the fictional character’s hand with their real one and drag them away from the person harming them if they’re so concerned. Please. Don’t grab a plushie because that’s a doll and that's not alive. Don’t grab a body pillow because that’s a pillow and not alive. Don’t grab a drawing, that’s paper and not alive. Grab the real, living, breathing character who’s being abused and make it all better. Guaranteed they can’t.

How you cope is your business. You’re not self-harming unless you’re intentionally triggering yourself, and you’re not harming another living person if they happen to see something they don’t want to see. You are not responsible for their reactions. If it matters to them so much how you cope, if it offends them so much, they’re not worried about you, they want to control you. There's no one-size-fits-all approach for dealing with shit. Some people go to therapy, take medication, or both. Some people talk to friends, some people run, some project onto characters and draw vent art, write stories, or read those stories about characters suffering through their same problems to feel less alone in them. All are valid. It’s about what works for you. Not them. You. And if they can’t understand that, they also need help.

Happy shipping, friend! Take care of yourself!

#proship #proshipper safe #proshippers please interact #anti anti #antis dni #antis don’t interact #anti harassment #not Heathers

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lemonhemlock · 5 months

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i have to say, you guys are relentless, i only need to post one helaemond-related ask and it inevitably brings all the boys to the yard :))

don't get me wrong, i enjoyed reading your takes & i'm posting them under the cut for anyone who wants to read such rants, but, at this point, with so little content, i feel like there's not really a lot more i can personally add to fandom critique that i haven't already said (discourse and metas anyone can find if they go through my designated tag).

so i hope you won't feel offended & this is 100% a helaemond blog but i am going to pause the shipping wars topic for the time being unless something fresh hits our port or we get some kind of news / additional content (maybe like scripts? would love to see those!)

it's been more than a year since the season ended and we've made all the arguments we could possibly make, but we can't control if there are users who still rehash the same three talking points over and over

Anonymous asked: The kids theory was always a long shot and to be fair, their paternity doesn't really matter for the ship to happen. Helaemond can still have romantic feelings to each other without the kids being his, but like you said, if the ship doesn't get confirmed as canon antis and Aemondwives will all be like "We told you so!!! You were all delusional and you should've stopped shipping it!!!!"...okay? It still doesn't change the fact the writers most likely played with the possibility. Setting up potential storylines and not picking them up in a later season is something that has always been happening in TV especially when the team behind the show changes in between seasons like it happened with hotd this time (maybe those who speculated that Sapochnik came up with the idea of Helaemond were right?). Idk how many chances the ships still has if the leaks about B&C being at the end of episode 1 or in episode 2 are real (I doubt there can be a romance after the event), but whatever happens people won't stop shipping it. Non-canon pairings have always been a thing in fandoms and sometimes they may even be more popular than canon ones. It's still baffling to me how hated this ship has become in the fandom though.

Anonymous asked: it feels very obvious because a lot of these fans won’t bring the same “it’s non-canon/made up/etc” vibe to something like Aegond or Daemond, but they will to Helaemond bc they fear it might actually happen in canon. Which, if it does, has nothing to do with the shippers and comes from the writers 😭

Anonymous asked: Some antis are now making up crap about Helaemond shippers hating on Ewan. One of them even made a list and they were listed as his top haters (they also included TB stans and L*cemond shippers but...Alicent and Aegon stans for some reasons as well lmao) while another one claimed Helaemonds are currently bashing Ewan by generally making fun of him and of his looks because of the ship not happening???? I don't know whose comments made them angry but I've yet to see one Helaemond bullying and actually hating on him. Not saying nasty H shippers don't exist but why claim all of them are doing something like this when it clearly isn't the case? At most I've seen people making fun of some of the things he says in interviews but this is not hate. People are allowed to joke.

lmao, people lightheartedly joshing around and pointing out some cringe statements is not hate, dictionaries exist!

Anonymous asked: The funniest thing about the crowing reaction all of the Ewan-obsessed twitter fans had to this supposed leak is when it comes to what canonical "confirmation" Helaemond shippers as a whole most often discussed it was a type of courtly love; probably unconsummated feelings between the two. The kids theory was a niche fun fanon theory mainly used for fics and headcanons, and most people who are still participating in this fandom had little to no "expectation" that we would see that on the show. Funny to point out that expectation isn't even the correct word to use here, as Helaemonds by and large were completely fine with no type of canonical confirmation, and were mainly excited for any Aemond and Helaena interactions we may get in the new season. It's a non-canon ship, people are drawn to all of the potentials they personally see in this dynamic, and how it can be explored in fan content. Shippers like this very rarely care about canonicity - not to say they wouldn't welcome it of course on the off chance it happened, but that is not a priority of their engagement in fandom.

#also i agree with all of them basically #helaemond #ask #anon #shipping wars

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missnight0wl · 2 years

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I don’t know how it’s possible, but he’s even uglier in his school robes... And of course they put “Brother Theme” in the background 😭 Stop ruining it!

He’s... so... incredibly... ugly...

Alright, but let’s focus on the memories, shall we?

Disclaimer: this post uses logical thinking and the assumptions of some continuity of the story. I just can’t do it any other way. I know it all can be explained by Jam City’s sloppiness, but I don’t want to address it every single time.

So, this is actually something new. And I’m gonna go back to it a little later.

First of all, I love how done with everything Patty looks in the second screenshots. Secondly, it’s interesting that she’s using a mirror for this conversation. We know that two-way mirrors exist in the HP universe, but I believe they’re rather rare. Also, it makes me think of the mirror from the Red Cap’s Hole:

I doubt it’s related, but I thought it’s worth pointing out here.

And who Rakepick was talking to? I assume it was Peregrine, but maybe it was Verucca?

And then we learn about the rest from Olivia in her office:

So, to sum it up: Olivia learnt that R wants to use mind control against the Ministry. Then, Rakepick took those memories, and she wanted to use it against R in case they’d try to “double-cross” her. Okay, but... it doesn’t really make sense. I mean, even in this chapter, we can see that Peregrine is not particularly concerned about this part of the plan being revealed:

Admittedly, Rakepick couldn’t have predicted R’s reaction, but I still find it hard to believe that she thought she has strong insurance in her hands. But you know what I think? I think that there was something in those memories we didn’t see. And I feel like Olivia also heard that R wanted to use Jacob for mind control. Moreover, I suspect she might’ve heard that Jacob might not survive the whole process.

Alright, you know how I talked in the past that telling Peregrine about the vials in Olivia’s office was incredibly stupid? And that we can’t trust this evidence anymore? Yeah... I don’t know how, but I feel that Perry somehow influence what we saw. And this is what brings me back to the problem of Olivia blaming Jacob for Duncan’s death, because it got a little too much attention, if you ask me.

And while it might be partially explained by Jacob’s memories being modified as well or whatever... do you really want to tell me that Duncan himself really wouldn’t talk about it at any point? I mean, he’s seriously pissed off at Jacob. Yet he was quite clear that it was R who made him brew the potion. He never even mentioned that Jacob supported this idea. So, what if this part of Olivia’s memory was modified?

On top of that, if Olivia heard that R wants to use Jacob, it’d explain why she blamed him for his death. Sure, it technically is explained in the memory either way, but as I said above: Jacob encouraging Duncan is actually something that contradicts the story.

And the most important part: don’t you think that it’d be much better insurance for Rakepick? She could say: “Don’t fuck with me, Peregrine, because I can reveal that you’re willing to sacrifice your child’s life for your stupid mind control”.

That being said, I think it still doesn’t make a lot of sense for Rakepick’s story. I mean, I don’t understand why she cares about retrieving the box so much, for example (not to mention: why she brought it to Hogwarts, to begin with...). In the sane route, she might want to get revenge on Peregrine, but... she’d still be considered a criminal herself. Unless there was something in those memories which could prove that Peregrine controlled her to kill Rowan or something... But then, in the insane route. it makes even less sense! Insane!Rakepick is totally terrified of Peregrine, and it seems that she wants to be loyal to him. Why would she care so much to retrieve something that might be used against him? To destroy it, maybe?

*sigh* It’s quite a mess overall...

#long post #hogwarts mystery #hphm #hphm spoilers #hphm jacob #olivia green #duncan ashe #patricia rakepick #hphm peregrine #hphm r #year 7 #Y7Ch46 #playing hphm #analysis post

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literaticat · 9 months

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With the decreasing popularity of Twitter, I'm curious what your take is on naming social media apps in books. Instagram seems pretty perennial, but I think many people thought that about Twitter... so in the case of, for example, a manuscript that relies on social media as part of its storytelling/plot (in the vein of Tweet Cute), do you have any advice on not "dating" your writing? Is referencing Twitter basically obsolete at this point, for books published from here on out?

This question is sort of similar to another I get asked a fair amount, which is, are authors allowed to "name drop" specific brands / media companies / social media, etc. The answer to which is basically, sure, but SHOULD you?

Naming specific current companies is, IMO, a bad idea if you want your book to be timeless, because you have no idea if, in three or five or ten years time, that company will be forgotten, or a joke.

For example: "Friendster" and "MySpace" and "NeoPets" were insanely popular -- but pretty much the only way they'd get said in a current context is as a punchline or a nostalgic throwback.

So unless you WANT your book to be tethered to a specific time and place, I'd avoid that. And maybe you do! Like, a book about tech-savvy teenagers that is set in 2006 would likely include MySpace, your MC might have a hot pink Motorola Razr flip phone, and drive a new mint-green VW beetle. If your book is NOT specifically set in 2006, but is rather supposed to be "now" (whenever now is to the reader -- but basically, 2023 or later) -- it would be rather weird to include any of those items, because like -- they aren't popular or a thing anymore?

So you might say, OK, I'll make it be Twitter or Insta, and an Apple 13 Pro iPhone, and a red Tesla 3. And sure, if your character is the type of person who WOULD namedrop those specific things, and you don't mind the story sort of being tied to "2022/23-ish" -- no problem. But I guarantee you that in ten years time, those specific brands/models will mean something different to people, for better or for worse.

ETA later bc I'm still thinking about this lol: I'm currently listening to YELLOWFACE, which is set in the world of contemporary publishing, and there's a lot of talk about Twitter specifically -- and yes, that means that future-people will know it was set sometime in the late 20teens/early 2020s -- but THAT'S FINE, because it IS speaking to a specific contemporary moment, "cancel culture", cultural appropriation, toxic/scary online activity, "who-is-allowed-to-write-what", etc etc -- while I don't THINK she says the year (though she might???), I do think that it is supposed to be now or now-ish -- and ten years from now when Twitter is long gone and likely our conversations around all that stuff will have shifted in some way as well, it will still totally make sense to the audience. And in 100 years, it will seem like a relic of a day gone by, but also resonate with those audiences in different ways perhaps, like how we read satire from the Olden Days.

ANYway -- if you want to sidestep all this, there's an elegant solution that will give you more longevity -- be a little more generic and don't say the name brand, or just make something up? While Twitter itself is kinda obsolete already, social media generally isn't -- there will probably always be SOME kind of social media sites as long as we have internet to connect with people. While the Razr flip phone or an Apple IIc are relics, people will likely always have SOME kind of computer or phone, at least for the foreseeable future (and if they don't, and instead we are in a post-apocolyptic water world or something, I highly doubt reading books will top of mind)!

So just say phone, or smartphone, or tablet, or laptop, rather than iPhone or iPad or whatever. Say "convertible" or "SUV" or "minivan" or whatever instead of a specific model. Like "When I was 16, my grandma got a new car and gifted me a 20 year old grey beater that sort of smells like cigarettes and makes me feel like an undercover cop." Say "my notifications were blowing up" or "I told myself I wouldn't check social media..." instead of "my twitter" specifically -- or make up a site that everyone goes to. "We're not allowed to check Kloutt at school, but as soon as the school bus comes, everyone whips out their phones.."

Say "mint green convertible" instead of VW beetle -- OR, specify that it is a "vintage mint-green VW beetle" so that it's not supposed to be new -- and that also evokes a specific type of character.

(Ah, how well I remember the fact that Lila Fowler in Sweet Valley High drove a "lime green Triumph" -- that company already was basically done by the time the books came out, and rare in the US, so by naming that brand specifically the author was saying Lila is a 16-17 year old who owns a rare and flashy vintage sportscar, labels and exclusivity mean a lot to her (and her dad who bought it for her), she's horrifically spoiled, they aren't just rich, they are RICH-rich, etc. You could even, based on the context around it, surmise that not only is she a snob/"mean girl", but that her parents buy her fancy presents instead of giving her quality time, and that is probably why she is such a beeyotch and has daddy issues! That's a fair amount of characterization that comes just from name-dropping a car!)

OK I'm just naming things now lol - you get the pic, right?

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