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anistarrose · 1 year

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Hello, TOH fandom, I am here once again to talk about accessibility!

[Image description: a screenshot of Lilith Clawthorne excitedly holding up a sign, which has been edited to read: "Image Descriptions for The Owl House (and why they matter)" in all caps. End description.]

Image descriptions, like the one I just used above, are exactly what it says on the tin: descriptions of the content of an image included to make the image maximally accessible.

Blind and low-vision people who use screen readers, people who rely on increased font size in-app or in-browser to read text, and neurodivergent people who have trouble interpreting elements of an image (for example, expression) all benefit from image descriptions.

And all images on the internet should be accessible regardless of topic, of course, but I've recently been trying to spread awareness in the context of The Owl House specifically because it's a show with multiple disabled and/or neurodivergent characters! In fact, Principal Bump is canonically low-vision with a service animal to help him in that regard — and I'd argue that making content about disabled characters accessible is extra, extra important!

[Image description: a screenshot of Principal Bump with his palisman Frewin removed from his head, revealing the scars over Bump's eyes. Frewin is in staff form, smiling, and Eda looks on from the side. End description.]

I know it's within this fandom's ability to make our posts about the finale as accessible as possible — and I know that because I've already seen a decent increase in described posts over the course of Season 3! I've seen more artist-described posts especially, which means a lot to me, and even more to a lot of other people, too <3

So, on that note, how to write an image description? It may seem intimidating, especially if describing someone else's post or fanart, but honestly, there's no definitive "rubric" to follow, just a list of general guidelines:

Indicate where the description starts and ends, with "end description" or "end ID".

Place the description immediately under the image, not under a read-more (this allows people who rely on IDs to experience the post the same way anyone else would, whereas read-mores are inconvenient, especially if OP changes their URL)

Minimize caps lock, italics, bold, and strikethrough, which can be hard to read and/or troublesome for screen readers. Generally, it's just best to transcribe in lowercase without particular effects, then indicate in the transcription if something is emphasized.

Likewise, don't put descriptions in Tumblr's special small text. It's difficult to read and inaccessible to many.

Don't make jokes or add commentary in IDs. If an image is meant to be humorous, obviously it's fine to phrase things in a way that tries to capture that, but it's not the place to add your own jokes, nor is it the place to declare subjective qualities like "this art is beautiful".

Descriptions can vary in length, but if one is getting long (if you're describing a comic, for example), then be sure to break it up with paragraph breaks.

Specifically, while I've heard that too many breaks (ie, every sentence) are annoying for some screen readers, long walls of text are conversely difficult for people with visual processing problems to parse. So, it's good to strike a balance.

With regards to length and amount of detail, it varies by personal preference! Most images don't need a whole small essay, but there's also value in describing certain small and symbolic details, subjective as it is.

Speaking of which, if you're the original artist, then you are automatically the expert on what you wanted the image to convey — the nuances of expression and body language, which details are important and which details are not — and for that reason, I love seeing artist-described works!

Below the cut: more on describing Owl House images specifically, on IDs versus alt text, and other possible questions!

When I transcribe TOH related posts, there's a few other guidelines I use, though these rules aren't as immediately important as the ones above. I generally start by indicating the type of image we're dealing with (a screenshot? fanart? a photo of a cosplay?), then mention what characters are depicted.

Unless I'm describing something long, like a comic, and relying on summarization, I usually mention which character designs we're dealing with (is Lilith in her dramatic black dress from Season 1? or is she in her low-battery shirt?). If it's fanart and the artist has come up with original outfits to put the characters in, I'll summarize those too.

(This is the other reason I love seeing artist-described works: because I, personally, am just kinda bad at describing fashion lol.)

Now, I'd like to go over some other questions that I've either encountered before, or anticipate:

What about alt text? Doesn't that accomplish the same purpose as image descriptions?

In a lot of senses, yes, so alt text is certainly much, much better than no description! However, remember that not every person relying on descriptions is necessarily someone who uses a screen reader every day, or uses a screen reader period. Some people do in fact read the descriptions themselves.

[Image description, identical to alt text: a screenshot of Luz Noceda from Season 2, smiling and blushing. End description.]

As you can see above, alt text takes an extra click (or tap) to access. In general, it's also prone to displaying walls of text, and — as far as I know — sometimes just doesn't show up if the Tumblr app isn't updated enough. (Not to mention that, in my opinion, making image descriptions visible to people who don't use them is an important part of spreading accessibility awareness in the first place!)

On the other hand, I've heard some people who benefit from descriptions say they actually prefer alt text, so I'm not going to come out and take a hard "absolutely no alt text ever under any circumstances" stance by any means. But, long story short, this is the reason that in my own posts, I almost always defer to in-post descriptions — the only exception might be if I'm writing a meta post, and functionally describing the images in the text anyway.

I've seen that sometimes you use [ ] brackets and sometimes you don't. Is there a reason?

Basically personal preference. I use brackets in posts like this when I have a lot of non-description writing, and want to make it extra clear where the description ends and the non-description begins. If I'm just captioning some fanart in a reblog and not adding any commentary, on the other hand, I leave off brackets because they're pretty redundant.

I'm nervous about describing images, but I still want to help make the fandom more accessible. Is there anything I can do?

Well, my first piece of advice would be to start small! Hell, start with just making sure you include a description whenever you post an image with just text, like a screenshot of a reply or someone's prev tags. You can build up little-by-little from there!

(My personal accessibility journey went from describing only tweet screenshots whose text I could just copy, to describing simple memes like cat pics, to deciding it was important to at least describe fanart of disabled characters like Eda, to finally describing almost every post I reblog. Trying to make that jump without any of the intermediate steps would've been overwhelming, but at this point, it all feels natural to me.)

But secondly, I would encourage showing some love to artists who describe their pieces! Queue up some described fanart, especially artist-described stuff, and help normalize it!

Get into the habit of checking the notes for descriptions (go to reblogs and filter by comments only) before you share! If someone describes your art, copy it into the original post, so the version of the thread reblogged directly from you will be accessible too! (And if you want to make some little tweaks, no one will be offended.)

You can also look into making your blog theme accessible, such as making sure the font size is large enough (and ideally sans serif, for readability). And if you feel more confident with describing audio, then writing transcripts of audio is always incredible as well, to help out those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have auditory processing disorders!

I've heard that AI is able to describe images for screen readers pretty well these days. Are descriptions still important/going to remain important as the technology advances?

Well, let me say first that I'm very glad this technology exists, for sure! But I'm of the opinion that human described (and especially artist described) captions are, at least generally speaking, still going to be the gold standard for the foreseeable future — AI doesn't have the context we do for our art and our fandoms; it's much less likely than a fan of the show to pick up on what's an important or symbolic detail.

Are there actually people who need image descriptions in cartoon fandoms? I mean, the source material has such a visual component!

First off, blind and low vision people do in fact watch things like TV, movies, and plays — ever notice the "audio description" option to add narration to a given show in a streaming service? That's there to provide basically the real-time equivalent of image descriptions.

And, second, I'll leave you with this — don't you think a lot more disabled people would participate in fandom if fandom were more accessible and accommodating to disabled people in the first place?

#the owl house #toh #the owl house season 3 #watching and dreaming #accessibility #long post

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therk900 · 8 months

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🌼September TC Challenge (Day 1-30)🌼

1 - Are you generally nervous around your tc, or are you more relaxed and comfortable around them? I find I’m more relaxed around them. I am a nervous wreck sometimes but those moments are rare!

2 - Is your tc an introvert or an extrovert? How about you? They are both extroverts while I’m an introvert

3 - Does your tc use emojis or emoticons when communicating with you? If so, what have they used? if not, what do you think they’d use? S used emojis when he sent personal emails to me! Especially the “😊” emoji. B doesn’t really send emojis. If he did, it would most likely be the thumbs up one or the “😀” emoji

4 - What’s the biggest or most important thing your tc has taught you, ether in terms of life lessons or the subject matter of their class? B: Build my way up so I can do public speaking S: Don’t let shit get to my head!!

5 - Does your tc have a classroom / office, or are they “floating” (using a cart or something and moving from place to place)? What does their teaching space look like? B has an office and it's quite neat, with a couple books here and there. S has 2 offices since he teaches 2 subjects. I have seen one but I’m guessing the other one is neat since he is a neat person in general!

6 - What was your favourite assignment in your tc’s class and why? Are they a harsh grader? For B, I have 2 favourite projects! For one, we got make a homemade magazine about a topic. I got 80% on it! And for the 2nd one, we got to make a creative story which had to follow a simulator timeline of a movie we had watched as a class. I got a 70% on it! With S, we got to do a role play type thing! I got a 73% on it which was good

7 - Do you and your tc have any inside jokes? are they shared by other people (classmates, other teachers, etc) or is it just between you two? Not really

8 - If your tc was an animal, what animal would they be? I feel like S would be a deer and B would be a friendly bear

9 - How do you feel about being in the tcc? Are you afraid of getting caught, etc? Sometimes I am afraid of getting caught since a couple of friends uses Tumblr, so I try and be careful about what I post. But I like being in the tcc.

10 - How long have you been having teacher crushes? How many tc’s have you had in total, and how long have you been in the tcc? I've been liking teachers for 1 and a half years now. I’ve had 4 tc’s in total which is something. I’ve been in the tcc for nearly 2 years now

11 - Is your tc’s room close to the front of your school / campus, or is it more towards the back? Their offices are both at the front of the school which is convenient!

12- Are you shorter or taller than your tc? Both taller than me! S completely towers over me

13 - does your tc have any pets at home? how many and what animals? B used to have a ginger cat

14 - Does your tc have a blackboard or a whiteboard in their room? What color chalk/marker do they use the most? They both use whiteboards and they mainly used black and red markers

15 - Besides your blog, do you vent about your feelings towards your tc in any other way? I have a mini diary that I use on my computer for things that I don’t put on here. I go more into depth about things there and read back on them every once in a while

16 - Are there any students you’re jealous of in terms of their relationship to your tc? Not really

17 - Imagine that you and your tc were born in the same year. How many days apart would your birthdays be? I would have no clue. Maybe a couple months apart

18 - Have you ever gotten in trouble with your tc? If so, what happened? Never have! Hopefully never will!

19 - Is your tc’s hair curly or straight, and is it short, medium, or long? Both of their hair is straight and short. B’s hair is slightly longer and a tiny bit wavier than S’ hair.

20- what web browser does your tc use? what kind of phone/computer do they have? I think they both use a HP laptop, so the Microsoft windows web browser. As for phones, they both have apple phones, so safari or google

21- Are there any calendar dates that are special to you because of your tc? Not yet!

22 - Do any celebrities or fictional characters look like or remind you of your tc? Kind of. There was this one guy on instagram who reminded me of S a tiny bit. There is someone that looks like B as well, but I don’t know who it was. Hopefully I remember soon!

23 - Is your tc’s room/office number even or odd? I have no idea

24 - What do you think sets your tc apart from other teachers at your school? Their personality and looks

25 - Do you like the teachers who are “neighbors” with your tc (that is teachers who have rooms next to your tc)? Yes but no. There are teachers in the same room as each other.

26 - Have you ever suspected someone you know irl of having a teacher crush (either on your tc or on a different teacher)? If so, have you ever confronted them about it? Not really

27 - Do you pass by your tc’s room or office on your way to class frequently? Do you see them around campus a lot? I see them around a lot, but I don’t pass their office tons. I pass B's office sometimes when i have classes in the same building as his office.

28 - Is teaching your tc’s first job, or did they have another job before being a teacher? Have they ever taught at another school before? I know that S has had other jobs before teaching at my school. I think it’s the same for B, but i'm not sure

29 - What things keep you happy and occupied over break when you miss your tc? If you’ve graduated or will no longer be seeing your tc in school, how are you handling the situation? I keep myself busy over the breaks by drawing or doing things on my laptop

30 - What is the sweetest thing they told you or did for you? B liking my drawings and S giving me life advise

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marveltrumpshate · 7 months

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★ AUCTION WEEK INFO ★

We’re 18 hours into the auction, and we’re absolutely thrilled by our progress so far. Thank you! Let’s keep the momentum going.

We have a few important updates to share:

As a reminder, creators who listed Discord as a preferred contact method on their sign-up form must allow everyone to send them friend requests during Auction Week so that interested bidders can reach them (go to User Settings -> Friend Requests -> Everyone).

If you have trouble accessing Tumblr creator posts from our creator list on your phone, please view them on your mobile browser or a computer. Alternatively, you can search for that creator’s name on mthofferings while on the Tumblr mobile app and find their post that way, but the app isn't always reliable.

We have a fantastic feature you should check out if you haven't already: the auction watchlist. You can add auctions to your watchlist once you make an account, and auctions you bid on will automatically be added to it. That way, you can see and keep an eye on all of them on one handy page instead of needing to bookmark separate links.

Bidders will receive outbid emails. Please choose a non-Yahoo email address that you check often to make your bids. Make sure to whitelist [email protected] and [email protected] as well. This is how we'll contact you if you win an auction, and you'll need to be reachable throughout the next year. You can also add an alternate contact method when you make an account if you check another email or social media account more often. If you add a Discord handle, please refer to the first bullet point.

We’re over the moon about all of the wonderful creators who signed up for Marvel Trumps Hate! One thing to keep in mind when perusing auctions is that while we have some exciting established names on our list, we have a lot of creators who are new to the Marvel fandom (or new to creating works for the fandom) who are also amazing and deserving of bids.

We encourage you to take a chance on creators you discover while looking through our auctions because no matter what you bid on, you’ll be supporting worthy causes. This is your chance to get something for a rarepair you adore or a niche universe in the Marvel fandom, so browse through our extensive tag list and check out the creators offering them. You can also narrow down your search on our auction site by using specific keyword combinations; our search guide can help you there.

Thank you again for your support and patience so far. Let’s keep bidding and spreading the word about everyone’s auctions!

#marvel trumps hate #mth 2023 #announcement #auction week

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rpschtuff · 1 year

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Hi Jeanette! There may be an workaround with the switchover from legacy to the new editor for Trim Reblogs that should still work (I haven't tested it as I've been using the new editor for months now) that you could test.

So what matters to Trim Reblogs is the root post of the thread, i.e. the initial post of that thread. So let's say a thread is 20 replies--you want to go back to the starter for that thread. Let's assume, for ease, that Partner A was the one who started it, Partner B replied to it. This would then be Partner A's first post that we are looking for.

Previously, Trim Reblogs just didn't work on legacy posts at all until a recent update to it. A way that I found to go around this was by finding the first post of the thread and editing it using the MOBILE APP EDITOR. Not the browser, the Tumblr mobile app for Android/iOs (in my case, it was iOS). By editing it and changing something small--bolding or italicizing a word was my go-to, you could even just bold or italicize a period or something--it sort of "forced" it back to the NPF style post, and then it would be recognized by Trim Reblogs as the new post format (NPF).

It's something I would test & see if it works to possibly get around some of the issues that happen when you're trying to convert old legacy threads to the new editor & Trim Reblogs just continually glitches out (it happens sometimes).

Also, something to note: unlike with the old xKit, you do not have to have your draft written before you save the post in drafts. You can save it as a draft with nothing in it, cut it, and then work on your post with no issues. It won't randomly post your drafts like the old Editable Reblogs did. (Posting drafts is why I got rid of Editable Reblogs myself, because it was just a no-go for me given how often I switch between drafts).

Thank you so much for your guide! I'm glad to see people switching over to the new editor finally, as it's been... a struggle to deal with not being able to cut posts for months now when I got annoyed with Editable Reblogs.

Thanks for the info! That trick of editing the starter post to switch it to NPF is really helpful for people who don't want to go through all the trouble of moving a thread to a brand new post -- I'll edit my couple of posts to include that. I did edit last night to add that you don't need to have your reply written before using Trim Reblogs anymore. I know that was the case before, but now it seems you can trim at any point, like you said.

About the randomly posting drafts issue -- if that is the same problem I've experienced, you can get around that by switching the save to drafts button to anything else, then back. I wasn't aware of this being an issue with legacy/editable reblogs, though it wouldn't surprise me, and I'm not sure if you'll still have the problem on beta. But I've just made it a habit to switch the button before saving to drafts if I know something isn't ready to post yet.

#xserawrites #answers

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singaporevewor · 2 years

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The sims 4 furniture cc folder

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder how to#

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder install#

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder mod#

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder update#

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder rar#

For most people, it should be in Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods.

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder rar#

Rar files need an extraction program to be extracted. Zip files can be extracted by right-clicking and selecting Extract Here in Windows. zip at the end of it, you need to extract it. ts4script at the end of it, then you’re all good. Everything you need to know will be in the description, so never skim over it.ĭownload and unzip.

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder how to#

How it works, what it does, how to use it, how to download it, where to find it in the game, whether it requires a mesh or a certain pack, whether it conflicts with another mod, etc. The creator will highlight any important info you need to know.

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder mod#

Read the entire description of the mod or CC you want to download carefully. Some popular places are The Sims Resource, Mod the Sims, Lana CC Finds, Maxis Match CC World, and the #s4cc tag on Tumblr. Search online for mods and CC you want to download. Thankfully, it’s super easy! So easy that we’re going to cover it in 5 simple steps.

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder install#

Now that you’re familiar with some basic terms and myths have been laid to rest, let’s go over how to install mods and CC. It is virtually impossible for any mod, no matter how big, to break your game to the point where you can’t ever play it again even after removing it and repairing your game. While out of date mods can cause lots of trouble in your game, fixing it is as easy as taking the troublesome mod out of your Mods folder. The AdBlocker extension will stop those ads from popping up in the first place, making browsing for your favourite mods and CC safe. This can be easily avoided by installing AdBlocker for your browser. These ads are often malicious in nature and trick you into thinking that you’re downloading mods and CC, when in fact, you’re downloading a virus. Creators create content for the game out of a genuine passion for The Sims however, many creators host their downloads on sites that have pop-up ads. Creators will not stick malware or viruses into their downloads.

It is perfectly safe to download mods and CC. Common Myths About Mods and CC Mods and CC Give You VirusesįALSE. The aim of Maxis Mix is to give the game a more realistic touch without looking too out of place in the clay-like environment in-game. If a player says their game is Maxis Mix, it means they use both alpha CC and Maxis Match CC in their games. Maxis Mix: A mix between Maxis Match and alpha CC. Maxis Match CC is not as taxing on computers to run, but keep in mind, too much of any kind of CC can slow down a low-to-mid-range computer. It strives to keep the game’s original art style intact and untouched. Maxis Match CC aims for the exact opposite effect of alpha CC. Maxis Match: CC that matches the clay-like art style of the game. Most lower-end computers cannot handle a lot of alpha CC.

Alpha CC aims to make the game look as true to real life as possible however, because of its high detail, it is also more taxing on your computer to render. Creators will let you know if the mesh is included or where to go to get the mesh.Īlpha: CC that is hyper realistic.

If a creator says their CC is a recolour, make sure you also have the mesh for it. Creators can recolour existing Maxis content in the game, or custom meshes made by other creators. Recolour: A recolour is exactly what it sounds like. Creators will link to any separate mesh downloads you need, so follow the link to download the mesh. If a creator says that their CC requires a mesh, it means you need to download the shape of that object from somewhere else. Everything in The Sims needs both a shape (mesh) and at least one colour (texture) to show up properly in your game. Mesh: Without getting too techy, think of a mesh as the shape or skeleton of an object.

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder update#

Since CC doesn’t touch the game code, it rarely needs to be updated, but in some cases, you might need to update or remove broken CC as well. It simply adds more Create-A-Sim items and Build/Buy objects to the game. Unlike mods, CC does not change the way your game behaves. CC can be anything clothes, hair, skins, eyes, makeup, new build/buy objects, etc. CC is content created by fans of the game.

#The sims 4 furniture cc folder

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bigfrozenfan-fanfics · 2 years

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Chapter 50 - Honeymaren's Resolution

Links: Chapter overview, Character list, Map, Glossar Rating: M over all Publishing cycle: each Friday at 6:00 pm CEST dst/UTC +2:00 on (link)

Remarks: all my chapters contain carefully selected music tracks (try to use headphones). It’s your own decision if you want to use them or not while reading. The purpose is to musically support the respective mood of the plot. If you can please use a browser for reading (not the Tumblr app) due to the text formatting and music.

youtube

The great hall slowly filled up as the citizens streamed in and talked to each other. The mood was still good, although some wondered why more guards were present this time.

Anna and Elsa stood somewhat nervously in the hallway at the end of the throne room, waiting for Kai to tell them that all the citizens who wanted an audience were now present. He stood on the dais next to the queen's high-backed chair, calmly waiting and watching, with his gloved hands crossed in front of him.

The hall was more crowded than usual, but Kai showed his serene, stoic mien as usual, and one could not see his emotions. He knew, of course, from his experience, what was to come today and that the queen and her sister would have to report on the latest events. The only question was how the citizens would take it.

At some point, no more people arrived and the two guards at the entrance of the great hall closed the two high doors. That was the signal for Kai and he now went out to let the highnesses know. He didn't need to say anything, he just gave them a quick nod. Anna and Elsa looked at each other meaningfully and took a deep breath before entering the hall and stepping onto the platform. Anna sat down while Elsa and Kai took up positions on either side of her. Kai pulled out his notepad and a stylus to jot down anything important.

Silence fell in the room, then Anna stood up and greeted everyone present.

“Welcome everyone to our weekly citizens' day here at the castle. I see there are quite a few more citizens present today than I expected, so I probably won't have time to listen to everyone here. But please don't let that stop you from presenting your concerns to Kai at the end. He will, as always, pass on anything important to me. Very well, then, let us begin.”

Anna sat down again and asked the first citizen to join her, who first bowed deeply to her and recited the usual greeting before presenting his problem. Anna and Elsa listened attentively and Kai diligently took notes. Sometimes the case was solved quickly and Anna could make a decision or settle an argument immediately, still a few things had to be postponed because the solution required more effort or involved costs.

This continued for the next hour until Anna finally stood up and made the now inevitable announcement of important news to share. She glanced quickly at Elsa and received back an imperceptible nod and an encouraging little smile.

Anna took a big breath and addressed her subjects. “I’m aware some of you still have inquiries that require my attention. However, I must end our daily audience at this point to attend to an urgent matter that demands the attention of all of us.” Anna let a few moments pass before she had everyone's full attention, then nodded and went on, “I suspect many of you are not only here at the great hall to express your daily troubles to your Queen but to see results. This includes that you want to know about the new findings regarding the article in last Sunday's Castle Newspaper and saw our speech in the castle courtyard.” Elsa then took a step forward, at her side. “On that day, we promised a clarification within two days. I would now like to keep our promise and report on the latest events.”

After these words, an evident tension could already be sensed among the public and quiet murmurs started here and there.

Then Anna started to tell from the beginning, alternating from time to time with her sister, who mainly took part concerning the Northuldra and announced the presence of some of them here in Arendelle. She simply knew them better than Anna, due to her extended stay there. But the calm lasted shortly, when was mentioned the casualty of the Royal Guard, the audience immediately demanded the name of the responsible. From there, tension among the present rose up and almost made people be in terror when they heard that it was not only a single man but even about one hundred.

Loud questions echoed through the throne room, worries and fears were expressed, but unfortunately also voices directed against the Northuldra. The sisters had every effort to prevent an uproar and Elsa emphasized again and again explicitly that peace reigned between the peoples and that these foreign men had a completely different origin.

Anna and Elsa declared Kolgrimr as the main responsible for the violent incident several times and assured their subjects that he would face justice and his crimes would be punished. Furthermore, the Royal Council soon would make new essential decisions regarding this matter.

It took over an hour for all the questions to be answered as far as possible and for the agitated mood to settle down to some extent. In the end, Anna announced the end of the citizens' day and dismissed all those present. While the sisters withdrew, the hall slowly emptied and only Kai stayed behind to note down possible further concerns that had nothing to do with the current situation.

The sisters stood on the balcony a short time later and watched the people stream back into the town. Scraps of words drifted up, revolving around only one thing, this new threat. They looked at each other rather wearily and Anna put her hand on Elsa's shoulder.

“Thank you, sis! I probably couldn't have done this without you.”

“I'm here for you as much as you need me. We can do this together.”

Anna hugged her and they stood like that for a while, then she said, “Now I need a sip of red wine. Will you join me for a glass?”

Elsa nodded and they both went inside. Anna poured two glasses and then they sat down at the long table and pondered while sipping the wine.

~~~

Despite the discovery and capture of the spy, the Natturas and the three other Northuldra were in quite a good mood. It would be a little while before Yelana returned, so Honeymaren and Ryder showed the others the town. There were not many people around, because most of them were now in the castle and so they had a lot of space for their explorations, were undisturbed and did not attract so much attention.

They made a tour through the streets and alleys, looked at the stores and shop windows and wondered what was offered here so everything. Linnea noticed a strange metal structure in the middle of the street at one point and everyone wondered what it was all about. One of the few citizens nearby had watched them curiously and then laughed. He explained to them that it was a well used to bring water up from the depths. He showed them how to operate it and they were fascinated when suddenly clear water gushed from the tap.

It was great fun for all of them as they took turns trying it out and pumping it themselves. One after another, everyone held their hands in the water jet and refreshed themselves, drank or splashed water on each other's faces like little children. They laughed and showed their joy about it without any shame. A few passers-by grinned as they walked by or stopped to watch, especially a couple of parents with their young children who had just picked them up from school.

But Honeymaren, unfortunately, also caught one of the mothers raising her finger and saying to her son, “... but you don't copy something like that behaviour, you hear? These are Northuldra, they don't know wells.”

Honeymaren made sure to put an end to the fun and told everyone about the little incident. They were more or less dismayed and decided, each to his own, that it was probably better to stop acting so conspicuous in public. Ryder, however, still had a big grin on his face and his hair was still dripping with wetness. So it didn't take long for the good mood to return as they walked on.

Finally, they arrived at the marketplace in front of the harbor and decided to try some of the delicacies for sale at the stalls. Honeymaren paid, since she now had Yelana's purse with her. They were especially taken with the small chocolate pralines from a confectioner. He was delighted that they liked it so much and packed them a small bag full for the road.

As they walked on, a large white cloth blew across the square, directly toward Honeymaren. It wrapped itself around her face and upper body when she tried to catch it due to the fierce wind. She had to laugh and free herself from it with the help of the others. She looked around and noticed a tall, rather obese guy in strangely colorful clothing not far from them waving at her. She motioned the others to follow her to find out what he wanted.

“Thanks for picking up the tablecloth,” the shopkeeper said, “My name is Oaken and I sell coffee here, ja? Unfortunately, with the wind so close to the harbor, the blanket won't hold on the table and I'm tinkering with a new invention of mine.”

He took the blanket from her and put some metal balls on thin strings on it. Then he sat down again and knotted one ball at a time to the four corners of the blanket and spread them out. The weight now held the tablecloth securely in place and he clapped his hands, grinning with delight.

“May I offer you some coffee, perhaps?” he asked, and she frowned questioningly.

But after a moment, she agreed. So why not try something new; she thought to herself.

She sat down and invited the others to do the same. But since there were only six seats, Oaken's only two tables were now completely occupied. When he returned with a full cup for her and saw the others sitting there, he frowned in amazement.

“I didn't expect so many guests at once now. You all want coffee too, ja?” he asked as he set the drink down in front of Honeymaren.

They all looked at each other and sniffed the cup from which it was steaming. In the end, Linnea, Myrtha, and Ikka ordered and tasted the black drink as well and were quite fond of it along with Honeymaren. They asked what it was made from and Oaken enthusiastically showed them the coffee beans and readily gave information about the origin and preparation. Honeymaren, meanwhile, played with one of the balls of his invention and felt its weight. Then, suddenly, a crazy thought popped into her head.

“Oaken, do you happen to have one of these spheres and a longer piece of rope on it left for me? I'd like to try something.”

“Sure thing. Wait, I'll get it for you from inside.”

When she had it in her hands a moment later, she stood up with it and checked the connection between the rope and the ball. It seemed tight enough and she nodded with satisfaction. She made a loop and let the sphere spin around in a circle at her side while holding the end of the rope tightly in her other hand. She slowly gave the weight on it a little more slack and eventually let it fly away. It hit a lamppost a few meters away with a loud bang.

A few people turned around startled, but saw nothing noticeable. Oaken was clearly surprised by Honeymaren's aim and that his invention could be used for something completely different.

“What is this supposed to be? A new kind of toy perhaps, ja? You're quite good at it,” Oaken called out to her.

“It was just a test, I had this crazy idea. Can I keep it, Oaken?”

Oaken wondered how much money he could charge for it, but then waved it off with a smile. “Yeah, sure. You keep it.”

After she paid for everyone's coffee, they headed back toward the castle, just past the harbor. Honeymaren pondered, for her idea wouldn't let her go, and in principle it worked, just not for the purpose she had actually planned. She would need a good blacksmith for that.

“Guys, you go ahead. I have something to do and I'll join you later,” she called to the others, who were already a little ahead.

Her friends initially wondered a bit, but then waved her off with a 'see you later'.

Then she turned around and tried to find again the place where she had heard the typical sound of a hammer hitting an anvil during her long walk some time ago. She finally had to ask her way, but had indeed already been in the vicinity. Shortly after, she was standing in a narrow side alley in front of a low building with a smoking chimney.

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She slid open the wooden door and entered. Inside, it was a bit gloomy and the smell of coal and metal hit her nose. Someone was heating up the forge. It was a dark-haired woman, dressed in leather pants, a thick apron of the same material and muscular bare upper arms. Honeymaren admired the movement of her muscles as she operated the large bellows with the long lever on it.

The woman must have sensed the visitor at her back, for she turned to Honeymaren, blowing a lock of dark hair from her soot-smeared face. She was pretty; Honeymaren thought so and stared at her wordlessly.

“How can I help?” she asked, not stopping in her activity.

“I ... I want to have a special weapon forged, at least I hope my idea can be used as such.”

“Sure, come closer and explain,” the blacksmith said, focusing again on the forge, where the coals were already almost all glowing orange.

A sword blank lay on one of two anvils to her left, and other weapons and swords hung lined up in special holders on the wall a little farther back. Honeymaren realized abruptly that she could have found no one better for this task than this woman here.

At that moment, another woman came in from an adjoining room. She was dressed the same way and looked almost a little like the other woman with her even curlier dark hair. She greeted briefly and then looked for something in some old wooden boxes on the floor nearby.

Honeymaren stepped closer, took the metal ball with the rope on it from her belt and began to explain what exactly she wanted. The blacksmith raised her eyebrows in amazement.

“I've never heard of such a weapon. Where did you get this idea and how do you plan to use it?”

“I just came up with that a little while ago. I can demonstrate it and I hope that it works again like earlier.”

She picked a target in the near vicinity, a metal can on a table, and let the sphere spin next to her. Then she released the grip on the rope and not a second later the can bounced backwards with a small bang as it hit it. A few horseshoe nails that were in it rolled across the floor. Then she retrieved the sphere with the rope and reeled it in.

“That's the principle. Only the metal would have to be very pointed, and round in the back, and a little heavier overall, too,” she explained.

The woman looked at her impressed, “That was a pretty good performance, and now I see what you're getting at now. It's not a problem at all. Can I take a look?”

After a closer examination, she nodded slowly and now the other woman, curious, joined her and took it in hand as well.

“Very interesting idea, only the rope on it is of poor quality. It will snap sooner or later. But we happen to have a piece of good rope here, it is also a bit thicker and should fit better in the hand,” she finally said.

Honeymaren was pleased and asked how long it would take.

“Tuva is the better smith of the two of us. How long do you think it will take you, honey? An hour, perhaps?” asked the woman at the forge. “The color of the embers will be perfect soon, too.”

“I think that's a very good estimate, Ava, darling.” replied Tuva, as she weighed the weight of the sphere in her hand, examining it.

When Honeymaren realized that the two women were a couple, her mouth fell open in amazement and she looked back and forth between them.

“You two ... you ... you're a couple?” she asked curiously, receiving a bright laugh back from both of them.

“Indeed, and we're even married,” Ava said, showing off the ring on her hand and giving Tuva a smacking kiss on her soot-blackened cheek. Then they both looked a little closer at Honeymaren and smirked.

Honeymaren had to smile broadly, but was speechless at the moment to meet two women who thought and felt like her here in Arendelle.

“So you too ...,” Tuva guessed, correctly interpreting Honeymaren's looks.

The three women looked at each other knowingly and smiled towards them. Then Tuva gave herself a jolt and said, “Well, I'd better start turning your idea into a real weapon.” She clapped her hands, grabbed a suitable piece of metal from the box in front of her, and waved it at Honeymaren with a grin.

Then she grabbed it with a pair of pliers and shoved it deep into the embers of the forge. Ava now did the same with the waiting and already half-worked sword blank and operated the bellows.

“Why don't you grab a stool from over there, ... what's your name anyway?” she said.

“My name is Honeymaren.”

“That's a very nice name,” Tuva said smiling.

~~~

By Honeymaren's estimate, about an hour had now passed and her ears were ringing a bit from the loud hammering on two anvils at once. She could have waited outside, but decided to watch the two women at work. She was fascinated by the power and skill with which the two hurled the blacksmith's hammers at their workpiece, sending sparks flying.

While the metal in the forge came up to temperature again, they had some time to talk. Honeymaren learned how the Diaz couple met, fell in love and eventually married.

“And what drives a Northuldra like you to Arendelle?” asked Ava.

“I was on the run ...,” Honeymaren began, telling them of her imprisonment, liberation by her brave brother, and finally the violent death of her father, Halvard.

“You want revenge, don't you?” surmised Tuva.

“If it is possible for me, yes. But at least I can try to put a stop to Kolgrimr. I don't know how yet, but I need something better than a fighting staff, a weapon I can use at a distance and have at my immediate disposal again.”

“That sounds very dangerous, Honeymaren,” Tuva noted with concern, “You're all alone against how many men?”

“I know, but I just have to do something and try and I already have something of a plan,” Honeymaren sighed and the two women in front of her looked at her sadly.

“I guess we can't stop you, can we?” said Ava and Honeymaren shook her head slowly but firmly.

“Very well then, I will make a special effort to match your new weapon exactly to you,” Tuva said and continued with her work.

Eventually the time came, and after Tuva had balanced the weight of the workpiece with the help of a scale and Honeymaren's help with the counterweight, the new weapon landed hissing in a bucket of water to harden.

“If you want, I'll polish it to a high gloss for you,” Tuva asked at the end, but Honeymaren replied in the negative.

“I don't want to carry anything shiny that can be easily seen at a distance,” she said.

Once the rope was attached, it was time for a final test. She chose one of the two wooden support beams in the big room as her target. She let the heavy spike whirl around at her side and then let it fly. It hit the beam at the edge and stuck, bending a wide sliver of wood outward. She then pulled hard on the rope and caught the metal in mid-air just in front of her head, while half-twisting away in the process. It had worked, but was not entirely safe for herself.

“I guess I'll have to practice some more, but that's exactly how I imagined it,” Honeymaren said with satisfaction, while the two women clapped their hands in admiration. “Thank you so much, both of you! What do I owe you in return?”

“Nothing, Honeymaren! It was my pleasure to help you and an honor as well. But please promise us you'll take care of yourself, won't you? Be careful and return to us in Arendelle someday, or have someone let us know you're okay,” Tuva said.

Honeymaren nodded with a tear in her eye and then the three women embraced for a long, intimate moment.

“I have to go now, Tuva and Ava. It was really nice to have met you and I promise to be careful. Thank you so much!”

As Honeymaren finally stepped outside, she waved to them once more before sliding the large wooden door shut again and making her way to the castle.

~~~

Kristoff had listened to the five Northuldra experiences during their day in the city once they had returned to the castle, less than an hour ago. Only Yelana and Honeymaren were missing when he offered to give them a tour of and around the castle. This included the stables and, once approved by the captain, even the large watchtower in the northwest corner. Kristoff enjoyed being with Ryder as he explained everything to them.

While they were all very impressed, especially with the old paintings in the gallery, Kristoff didn't count on was their great interest in the large kitchen. As soon as they found out that it was Olina who had prepared the Renkok dish for them, they all thanked her profusely and talked for a long time about cooking and the different ways of preparing food among their peoples.

At the end they tried Olina's famous chocolate pralines and had to admit that they were even much better than the ones from the market.

When they were back upstairs, Yelana and Honeymaren approached them.

“We've been looking for you guys,” Honeymaren called out. “Yelana has found the other Northuldra. They are now warned as well.”

“They didn't take it very well and some of them wanted to go back to their family right away. It took me some time to convince them that they wouldn't get anywhere with it, probably quite the opposite,” Yelana added.

“By the way, have any of you seen Mattias?” asked Honeymaren, receiving astonished looks back.

“I think he's with Captain Einar right now, back in the main guardroom near the big tower. He had hinted at something when I spoke to him briefly,” Kristoff replied, “Why?”

“Oh nothing in particular, I just wanted to ask him something,” she said enigmatically and Kristoff shrugged it off.

The castle staff around them had become a bit busier and someone of them let them know that it was soon time for dinner. While everyone made their way up the stairs, chatting as they went, Honeymaren turned, unnoticed by the others, and went outside to look for Mattias.

She let a guardsman lead her to him and Captain Einar. When she entered the guardroom, they both stood up and the first thing they did was thank her for discovering the spy.

“We were just deciding which of us would inform the queen and which would interrogate the prisoner,” Mattias said. “We've only just found out, too.”

“I would like to be present at the interrogation, and I would also like to talk to you privately about what is involved, Mattias,” she replied.

“Well, then, it is settled,” he replied, “I agree to it, for we both seem to know Northuldra questions best.”

While Captain Einar went off to the castle they both made their way to the harbor.

“What do you want to ask me, Honeymaren?” he asked her on the castle bridge.

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Honeymaren was visibly nervous as she answered. “Kolgrimr is up to something, and it is here in Arendelle, as evidenced by the presence of this informer. I want to learn his plans by secretly observing his men and eavesdropping on them. But to do that I must go back, near the camp.”

“What? That is far too dangerous, Honeymaren. He's already captured you once, and this time he'll have no mercy on you.”

“He'll be too busy trying to control all those men. I suspect he has kept his abilities from them. If he realizes I'm around he probably can't do anything about me without giving himself away at the same time.”

“You have no way of knowing that, and you don't even know why they're helping him in the first place.”

“I will take care of myself and turn back immediately if I am wrong. Besides, I'll do my reconnaissance rounds after dusk, and they won't see me coming. Moreover, I know every little nook and cranny in the area. I know what I'm doing, Mattias. I'll be hiding most of the time and constantly changing my location.”

Mattias shook his head, but also admired her for her great courage.

“I trust you, Mattias, and I don't want you to tell anyone anything until I'm on my way. I also need a few more things for my plan.”

“All right, I will help you. But maybe the spy will tell us what we need to know, then you won't have to put yourself in danger in the first place.”

~~~

Captain Einar had learned from Kai where the majesties were staying and now knocked on Anna's study. Hearing a 'Come in' from inside, he entered and bowed.

“Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, I apologize for disturbing you so shortly before dinner, but there has been an incident that will not tolerate delay.”

“What has happened, Captain Einar? Not something to do with our guests, surely?” asked Anna anxiously, standing up.

“No, don't worry, Your Majesty, although the Northuldra were involved. To be precise, it was Honeymaren.”

Now Elsa also stood up and looked at him with her eyebrows drawn together. “What did she do?” she asked.

“She unmasked a spy who was in the process of scouting Arendelle.”

“What?” exclaimed Anna and Elsa simultaneously.

“Please sit down and tell us everything that happened and how it occurred.” said Anna, pointing to one of the two free chairs in front of her desk.

Einar thanked her and described all the events he was aware of as all three of them took their seats.

“Currently, the prisoner is in the brig on the ARN Sunflower. On the advice of Yelana, he wasn't led around the castle grounds tethered, for safety's sake, while so many townspeople were there because of the Citizens' Day. After all, he was wearing Northuldra clothing.”

“Very prescient of Yelana!” noted Elsa, nodding appreciatively.

“Has he been interrogated yet?” asked Anna.

“Not yet, but General Mattias and Honeymaren are on their way there right now,” Einar opened, “Based on the experience of both of them, I think this is probably the best choice as well.”

The two sisters just looked at each other ponderingly for a while, then Anna spoke again.

“Thank you very much, captain. Please keep us informed of any new developments and send them both to me as soon as they return.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he said, taking the last remark as permission to leave again. He rose, bowed briefly to the sisters, and left the study again.

He no longer noticed how a heated discussion developed between the two of them about what to do now and what possible consequences resulted from the incident.

~~~

Mattias and Honeymaren, accompanied by the boatswain, who carried a lantern, were led below deck by Captain Holmstein. The brig was a barred, dark crate deep in the belly of the ship. As they all stepped closer with the lantern, they recognized the spy sitting in a corner with his head hanging, not even looking up curiously as the light shone on him.

“Hey, wake up, prisoner! You've got a visitor,” the boatswain shouted, banging his fist against the metal grate a few times with a clang.

The spy leisurely raised his head and looked at them. When he noticed Honeymaren, a hint of anger appeared on his face. He crossed his arms demonstratively in front of him, but remained seated. His gaze was fixed darkly on the young Northuldra.

The captain ordered his boatswain to open the cell and wait in front of it warily as they entered.

“We know you are one of Kolgrimr's men. Where are you from and what are you doing here in Arendelle. What is Kolgrimr up to? Speak!” Mattias roared at him in his deep, powerful voice, building up threateningly in front of him.

The prisoner looked up and just grinned. This arrogance was too much for Honeymaren and she stepped past the general. She grabbed the spy by the collar, yanked him up and slammed him against the ship's hull behind him with all her strength. None of those present had expected her emotional outburst and Mattias had to separate them, while the prisoner looked first surprised and then all the more closed. He pressed his mouth together and stared at her.

“You are holding my people captive. Why? What are you and Kolgrimr planning here in the town? Speak up!” she shouted at him.

“So now you're even giving orders here? What these people offered you in return betray your own people? You won't get a word from me, traitor.”

Honeymaren's mouth fell open in astonishment. Traitor? What had Kolgrimr made them know, and what was he holding them in? There was more to it than that; she thought to herself. The captain and Mattias looked at each other and wondered as well.

Honeymaren reassured the general with a gesture and he let her go again. She considered and then looked the spy in the eye.

“You seem to believe everything Kolgrimr lies to you, don't you? Did you actually know that he has the ability to read minds and track down anyone no matter where they are, that he can manipulate anyone as he pleases with his powers?” she said quietly and forcefully.

Honeymaren hoped for a prisoner reaction, and she was correct in her guts. She recognized an apparent surprise on the man's face before her, it lasted only a brief moment but was very evident. A second later, he hid his feelings again and looked at her with arrogance and despise. That was quite enough for her, she now had confirmation of her suspicions and that made her plans that much easier.

Honeymaren nodded half-satisfied and left the cell again. She left the further interrogation to more experienced and patient men. The other two followed her and the boatswain locked the cell door. When they were on deck she murmured to Mattias, “You saw his surprise too, didn't you?” Mattias nodded. “I was right.”

“What do we do with him? Use a little old-fashioned interrogation tactics?” the captain asked.

“Leave that to me, Captain Holmstein. Take him by dinghy to the courier entrance of the castle tonight. I'll have him locked in the dungeon. No offense to your leadership authority over the ship's crew, Holmstein, but his staying here on the Sunflower is too risky for me if there is an attack on Arendelle. Who knows what might happen to him then out of a desire for revenge. We need him alive,” Mattias stated.

~~~

“So, what else do you need for your dangerous journey? You said you needed a few more things,” Mattias asked her when they were back and standing in front of the castle's crew quarters.

“First of all, a sturdy shoulder bag or something comparable. Sturdy but not too thick rope, a leather water hose and some rations, maybe dried meat,” she said, thinking.

“Have you thought about flint and tinder?” he asked, and she shook her head. “Maybe fishing stuff would be a good idea, too, if you get the chance.”

He took her into one of the storage rooms and they gathered everything together. The shoulder bag became a small canvas backpack with a rolled up blanket she tied to it. She stowed all the utensils in it and Mattias sent someone out to get the food they wanted. In the end, Honeymaren nodded with satisfaction.

“By the way, the spy's reindeer was brought here to the stables, you can take it.”

“I was planning to walk, Mattias. I need time on the road for a few things, and it's also more inconspicuous and flexible.”

“But then it will take you many days to get there.”

“I know, but I have a plan and I'm fast at running. Don't worry, Mattias, I know what I'm doing.”

She hesitated and pondered while looking up at the castle. Mattias guessed what was going on inside her.

“I can understand you well, Honeymaren, you want to leave Arendelle as soon as possible. But you already know that it will be dark soon. You won’t be able to reach a high distance in the short time you have left, then you have to find a shelter for the night since you won’t see clearly the path. Not to mention, you could end up meeting a pack of wolves.”

She looked at him and was about to say something in reply, but he beat her to it, “So then what's wrong with you not leaving until tomorrow morning and taking the opportunity to say goodbye to your family? You know that you would blame yourself forever if you didn't do that. Besides, you could strengthen yourself, sleep one last time in peace and quiet and let everything go through your mind once more. Please don't make any hasty decisions.”

She hung her head and Mattias already thought that she would go through with her plan, come what may. But then she nodded and sighed.

“You're right, Mattias. I actually wouldn't lose that much time if I followed your advice. All right, then. I'll leave my luggage here at the entrance, it would just attract attention otherwise, and I'll go upstairs to join the others now.”

At that moment, Captain Einar spotted them both and came up to them.

“There you two are. I was with the queen earlier, she wants to see you both.”

~~~

Wael had no chance against the two burly men who had not exactly gently dragged him out of the tavern. No one ran after them or was the least bit upset about this behavior. These men seemed to represent a certain kind of power in this village. He wondered about nothing more as they directed him into a waiting carriage and put a black hood over his head. Then they tied his hands behind his back.

He felt the two men sit down next to him and heard the coachman give the horses a tongue-lashing signal to trot off. But he could see absolutely nothing on the long ride. The men kept quiet, so he decided to just start a conversation.

“Is that really necessary, to cover my face? I don't know my way around here in the least, and I always lose my bearings quickly, too. Can't you take it off?”

He received no reply, so he just kept talking. “You will take me to the Kaskader Mountains and to Thord, won't you? It's important that I meet him. After all, you belong to him and ...”

“Shut up, stranger!” said the one on his left, and then went back to being silent as before.

With these guys one just couldn't talk and he had no great desire to receive a blow on the head if he kept trying; he thought and listened to the sounds from outside instead. There were not many sounds to be heard. At one point the carriage brushed against something, probably a low-hanging branch, but otherwise the ride was fairly monotonous.

At some point, he had the impression that it was going uphill, and this feeling lasted for probably two hours. These men must have already been near the village when someone undoubtedly got them for their questions at the tavern. They had been on the road for a very long time now. He recalled his map and estimated the time required for the distance from the village to the mountains. If his assumption was correct, they had to be very close to their destination by now.

About half an hour later they finally stopped and they took off his shackles and hood.

“Get out!” one of them said, pushing his shoulder bag into his hand.

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Wael got out and looked around. They were high up in the mountains and only a few trees still grew at this altitude. The view was beautiful, but meaningless to him. He had no idea where he was and there were no clues to discover. As the carriage started up again behind him, he turned and realized he was in front of a large, old estate.

“Lead the way. I'm sure the master of the house will be surprised at you, after all, we don't get very many visitors from strangers up here.”

Wael wondered to hear more than five words as before from this guy. On the other hand, it was no use for him to try to escape now. Where was he supposed to go here? So he went straight to the front door, which a servant already opened for him from the inside before he even touched the handle. He hesitated briefly in surprise, but then stepped into the entrance hall. Behind him, the door slammed shut and the servant held out his hand. Only when he unmistakably winked at the bag, Wael understood and gave it to him.

He was led into a richly decorated salon and to a comfortable-looking white sofa. But before Wael sat down, he examined everything closely. The furniture was old and handpicked, in a style he was unfamiliar with. Everything here looked dignified and valuable, even the sconces had gold ornaments, not to mention the large crystal chandelier above him.

On the wall hung some old oil paintings, mainly portraits of noble families. Where had he ended up here; he asked himself. However, his train of thought was interrupted when someone behind him cleared his throat.

Wael turned around and found himself facing a young gentleman who was dressed in a very distinguished manner and looking him straight in the eye. It was not an unfriendly look, and yet there was something about him that Wael could not quite grasp. He bowed to his host and introduced himself.

“My name is Wael and I am from Arendelle. I am ... was a reporter for the Village Crown and I am searching for someone named Thord.”

“Then your search is now over, Mr. Wael, you' re standing in front of him. But please do sit down. You've had a tiring journey, I imagine. May I offer you something to drink? A glass of brandy, perhaps?”

Wael was taken aback and in no way prepared for this unexpected situation.

“Um ... yes, thank you, Mr. Thord, Sir. A ... um, brandy would be fine with me,” he stammered, causing Thord to grin, who now stepped up to a low piece of furniture and grabbed two crystal glasses and a bulbous decanter containing a light brown liquid.

Wael sat down while not taking his eyes off Thord. His movements were measured and exuded the dignity of a nobleman. Thord sat down next to him and poured both glasses a quarter full. Then he raised his to toast and Wael carefully clinked his.

The brandy tasted exceptionally good and was unlike anything he had ever tasted in Arendelle. It went down the throat smoothly and spread a pleasant warmth in his belly.

“Well, to what do I owe the honor of a visit from Arendelle's most famous reporter? So far from home ...”

Wael was speechless for a moment. Thord had heard of him? He wondered what to start with, thought about what else he had put together at home about this mysterious ... nobleman, he now realized.

“To be honest, it's a longer story. One I'm sure you'd be very interested in, from what I've heard about you.”

“Is that so, yes? Well, we have plenty of time for that after dinner. I have also taken the liberty of having one of the guest rooms prepared for you, as a precaution. I take it you won't mind and will keep me company for another day or two?” Thord looked at him questioningly, and Wael thought he could read something like 'I won't tolerate any refusal' in his eyes at the same time.

Wael swallowed, “Um ... yes, of course. That's very thoughtful of you, Sir. I'm looking forward to it.”

“Excellent! I'm sure we have much to discuss. Cheers!” Thord raised his glass again and the bewildered reporter had no choice but to engage in what was likely to be an interesting game ... here in the middle of nowhere. He toasted with him and smiled a little wryly.

~~~

After Anna and Elsa first thanked Honeymaren for her heroic deed and then listened to the report on the interrogation, Anna agreed with Mattias' decision.

“This way we can continue to interrogate him in private, and I already know who could be very helpful in this matter,” she said.

“Yelana, right?” interjected Elsa, and her sister nodded.

“We can discuss it after dinner, though, sis. Will you join us for the meal, Mattias?” asked Anna.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I would like to go to Halima now. We have something to discuss as well.”

Anna nodded knowingly and rose, “Good, then I'll see you in the morning.”

Except for the general, they now all went to the dining hall, where their Northulda guests were already waiting for them.

Honeymaren was immediately asked where she had disappeared to earlier, but she did not elaborate. Before anyone else could ask, the dinner was served and the socializing began.

Later, many retired to their rooms and Anna asked those who remained if they would like to join her and Elsa for some hot chocolate in the cozy library. They could also take this opportunity to see how far Sorenson had come. Linnea and Yelana agreed, and Kristoff had planned to spend some more time with Anna anyway.

Honeymaren asked Ryder to accompany her and he wondered a bit about it, but followed her curiously. They finally ended up on the balcony in front of the council chamber. It was already dark and the stars were shining in the night sky.

“Ryder, I have something to tell you, but please promise me you won't overreact right away.”

“I don't know what it's about, but I'll try.”

Then she told him about the interrogation, what she was going to do, and that he shouldn't tell anyone anything until she was on her way. Of course, her brother couldn't help himself.

“Are you out of your mind? Even if what you suspect about Kolgrimr and his men is true, you don't stand a chance! I just saved you from him and now you want to go back there all alone? He will kill you as soon as he or his men catch you!”

She had somehow seen this reaction coming and rolled her eyes. “That's not going to happen, believe me. I ...,” she paused, dumbfounded, and narrowed her eyes. “What is this?”

Ryder didn't understand and at first set to using all his powers of persuasion, but then saw her surprised expression turned skyward. She was completely absent. “What ...?”

“Well, that one! Take a look,” she said, turning him around and lifting his head.

The next moment he recognized it, too. In the night sky was a bright apparition, far outshining all the other stars and trailing a white and blue tail behind it. His jaw dropped and he could only gape speechlessly.

“We need to inform the others. Come with me,” she commanded, pulling him along.

However, outside in the hallway, everyone else was already coming towards them discussing, with a small man in the lead gesticulating about things she didn't understand. That man had to be Sorenson; she thought to herself, the one Yelana had told them about last night.

Honeymaren and her brother were grabbed by the hands and pulled along by their mother as she passed them.

“What's wrong, mother?” she asked.

“Sorenson has discovered an evil omen in the sky and wants to show it to us with a .... uh ...,”

“... with a telescope,” Elsa added, walking right behind her. “We have one of those in the castle and sent for Kai to bring it down from the attic to the castle courtyard. Sorenson says the prophecy began tonight.”

~~~

---

Remark: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a comment if you liked the story, I would be pleased to read your opinions, even criticisms. If you want to be tagged as soon I publish the next chapter please let me know, except you are already tagged :-)

Tagging: @karma26 @true--north @annaofthenorthernlights @the-fifth-spirit-elsa

#frozen #frozen2 #frozen3 #fanfic #epic novel #the broken bridge #part four #chapter 50 #bigfrozenfan

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a-queer-seminarian · 3 years

Text

so ya wanna know about autism: masterpost

I give this google doc link out to individuals a lot, and realized it might be useful for a lot of people if i shared it more widely. It’s a masterpost of a whole bunch of Autistic Stuff -- here’s the link to the actual doc, but i’ll also post it all here on tumblr (under a readmore after the table of contents).

(edit: if the hyperlinks aren’t working for you, here’s the google doc url that you can copy and paste into an internet browser to access everything: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16BqhRv4IlZ6KcElGAEZOx8sFYwRs4W1jF-ddY_XKYnE/edit?usp=sharing )

Please spread it around (including sharing the google doc link outside of tumblr wherever you want). Feel free to comment with more resources, tumblr posts, articles, etc. that you find helpful! And if any links are broken, let me know.

It can be a major challenge for adult autistic folks to find content for us and by us, because so much “official” content is 1) ableist and harmful and 2) geared towards parents of autistic children. So I’ve compiled just about every resource I’ve got that discusses autism by and for #actuallyautistic folks.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

- ORGANIZATIONS AND SELF ADVOCATES

- DEFINING AND DESCRIBING AUTISM

misc.

Metaphors and images for autism

Disability models

Issues with Functioning Labels, ideas of “Mild” - “Severe” autism

- AUTISM AND INTERSECTIONALITY

misc.

Autism among women

Autism and race

Autism and LGBTQ

- STUFF ON SELF DIAGNOSIS

misc.

Is it ADHD or Autism??

Tests / checklists

- STUFF ON PROFESSIONAL DIAGNOSIS

- AUTISTIC PRIDE / CULTURE AND HISTORY!

misc.

Autism / disability history and culture

The Neurodiversity Movement

Person first vs. identity first language

Cureism

- AUSTITIC TRAITS (BEYOND THE ONES COMMONLY DISCUSSED!)

Misc. - samefoods, lists, needing to know what to expect, etc.

Stimming

Communication stuff - misc. - Verbal/nonverbal - Infodumping - echolalia - Prosopagnosia - Aphasia - Eye contact

Special interests / hyperfixations

Auditory Processing Disorder

Sensory issues / Sensory Processing Disorder

Meltdowns and Shutdowns and Burnout

Executive function

Emotion stuff

- MASKING / PASSING / SCRIPTING

- WHY AUTISM SPEAKS AND ABA ARE SO BAD

- MISCELLANEOUS

Suicide

Allyship / for allistics - For parents of autistic persons

More non-speaking autistic self-advocates

misc.

_________________

SOME ORGANIZATIONS AND SELF ADVOCATES

ASAN!!

The Autistic Woman and Nonbinary Network

Amethyst Schaber’s “Ask and Autistic” YouTube full of videos on various autistic stuff

Lydia X.Z. Brown / Autistic Hoya

Dr. Nick Walker

Mrs. Kerima Çevik

“Non-Speaking Autistic Speaking” - Amy Sequnzia’s blog

“The thinking person’s guide to autism”

The How-To Wiki for autism is actually really helpful!

Ollibean blog .

DEFINING AND DESCRIBING AUTISM

Video: “What is autism?”

“About autism”

“What being autistic means to me”

Myths about autism .

Metaphors and images for autism - “Autism is a sundae bar” - “Autism is purple” - “Understanding the spectrum” comic - Another visual on the idea of a spectrum - And another visual on the spectrum - not an on-off switch .

Disability models - Understanding disability models - Video: models of disability discourse .

Functioning Labels, “Mild” or “Severe” autism - Article on functioning labels - “What’s wrong with functioning labels? A masterpost” - Another article on problems with functioning labels - “I don’t experience my autism mildly; you experience my autism mildly” - A non-speaking autistic who is labeled non-functioning discusses labels - “Most people would consider me low-functioning, but I hate that word” - Tweets from actual autistics on functioning labels - How the same person may be labeled low or high functioning at different times - “Mental Age Theory hurts people with disabilities” .

AUTISM AND INTERSECTIONALITY

Article on autism in communities of color + in the LGBTQ community

Autism, intersectionality, and STEM college outcomes

Articles on intersectionality on The Art of Autism .

Autism among women - A reminder about talking about differences in autism in “females” - “I thought I was lazy: the invisible struggle for autistic women” - “The women who don’t know they’re autistic” - “The gas-lighting of women and girls on the autism spectrum” .

Autism and race - “Being Autistic, Black, and Femme” - “Black and Autistic: Is there room at the advocacy table?” - “Autistic, Gifted, and Black” - “I, too, am Racialized” - Autistic Hoya on being Chinese & a transracial adoptee - Video: “Growing up BLACK in a neurotypical legal system” - The Autism Wars: Mrs. Kerima Çevik’s blog .

Autism and LGBTQ - “Autism and gender variance - is there a cause for the correlation?” - “The intersection of autism and gender” - Issues being transmasc and autistic - “Gendervague: At the intersection of Autistic and trans experiences” - “I’m an autistic lesbian and no, I don’t wish I were ‘normal’” .

STUFF ON SELF DIAGNOSIS:

A self-diagnosis masterpost!

Autistic self-dx is valid

“Reasons why self-dx is good from the pov of a professional”

Some reasons why autism may go undiagnosed

“Five reasons I am self identified as autistic”

“Beware of gatekeeping”

A masterpost of “resources for women who believe they might be autistic”

A therapist who’s never met an incorrect self-dx-er .

Is it ADHD or Autism?? - Links to information on the intersections between autism and ADHD - A list of things that are more ADHD, things that are more autism, and things that are both - Science: decoding the overlap between ADHD and autism - The concept of neurodivergent “cousins” .

Various tests / checklists: - ASD Checklist - List of inclusive autistic traits - Book: I Think I Might Be Autistic: A Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis and Self-Discovery for Adults .

STUFF ON PROFESSIONAL DIAGNOSIS:

Privilege in being able to get a diagnosis

Pros and cons of getting one

Someone answers the question “Was it worth it for you to get diagnosed as an adult?”

Professional diagnosis can get some people deported :/

This person’s journey from self-dx to pro-dx .

AUTISTIC PRIDE / CULTURE AND HISTORY!

The wiki how-to on accepting your autism

The wiki how-to on autistic strengths

“7 Cool Aspects of Autistic Culture”

“I’m autistic and proud of it”

“You are not a burden”

“What is self advocacy?” .

Autism / disability history and culture - Video: “Is autism a disability?” - A google drive “disability library” full of amazing content - A tumblr tag full of posts with autistic history - Book - Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking includes essays that explore the history of autism and of autistic self-advocacy - Book - Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity .

The Neurodiversity movement - The neurodiversity paradigm - Video: basic terms and definitions - Video: what is neurodiversity? - Liberating ourselves from the pathology paradigm .

Person first vs. identity first language (“person with autism” vs. “autistic person”) - ASAN on identity first language - Why it matters - Video: Autism ACTUALLY Speaking - Science: a study on what labels actual autistic persons prefer - An image showing the difference between person first and identity first language .

Cureism & seeking causes of autism - Video: “Autism and the disability community: the politics of neurodiversity, causation, and cure” - Video: Self advocacy in a culture of cure - An analogy against cureism - It’s okay that some autistics do want a cure - Quotes on Truth Is by Julia Bascom about not needing a cure - Cureism is eugenics - “If a cure is found, no one will force you to take it” .

AUTISTIC TRAITS (BEYOND THE ONES COMMONLY DISCUSSED!)

“Thinking about patterns of opposite extremes among autistic people” (e.g. how we tend to be sensory avoidant or sensory seeking, extremely gender conforming or extremely gender nonconforming, hyper-empathetic or hypo-empathetic)

An essay on inclusive autistic traits

This tumblr is dedicated to answering people asking about whether various things are autistic traits!

This person lists the reasons they think (know) they’re autistic; the list includes a lot of traits that often aren’t talked about

“Some autism things” .

“What are samefoods?” - “Why do autistic people tend to samefood?”

It’s okay if you don’t like certain things / avoid certain things because of your autism

Wanting/needing to know how long something will last, what to expect .

Stimming! - Video: what is stimming? - Video on self-injurious stims - Video: autobiographical look at stimming and its role - More than a coping mechanism - A masterpost of examples of various types of stimming - Video on vocal / verbal stimming - Examples of vocal stimming as communication - A tumblr blog with a tag full of examples of body stims .

Communication stuff - Trouble with volume modulation; repetition; inconsistent talking habits - Autistic idiolects - Autistic dialect? - Autistics communicate differently amongst each other! . - Verbal/nonverbal - - Selective mutism - - Semiverbal communication - - Different amounts of access to speech - - A person on being non-verbal and using AAC - - People who are nonverbal still deserve to be listened to .

Infodumping - What is infodumping?

Echolalia - “Autism and Echolalia: what you need to know” - What is echolalia? - A tumblr blog’s tag featuring examples of echolalia

Aphasia and autism

Prosopagnosia (Face blindness) - Science: a study confirming that some 67% of autistic persons have some degree of facial recognition difficulties - Science: a study offering theories for why this is!

Video: Autistics and eye contact - Science: Researchers explore why autistic people avoid eye contact

Tendency to overexplain .

Special interests / hyperfixations - Some info on hyperfixations - Video on special interests - Emphasizing the intensity of these things - “What’s so special about a special interest?” - “Why we love what we love and why it should matter to you” - Not every autistic person knows everything there is to know about their special interest - “Interest hopping” - Dividing our life into “eras” of special interests .

Auditory Processing Disorder - Examples of APD - “You might struggle with auditory processing if…” .

Sensory Processing Disorder - Video: What is sensory processing disorder? - Video: a virtual experience of what it’s like to be at a party as someone with SPD - A post about some of the weird sensory stuff that many autistics experience (such as feeling nauseated when your real issue is a headache) - Many sensory issues aren’t just annoying, but physically painful - Difficulty in explaining autistic hypersensitivities - Auditory sensory musings - Trying to describe sensory overload - Not noticing when we’re hungry - Weird tolerance for big pain, intolerance for small pain - Science: “Unseen Agony: Dismantling Autism’s house of pain” - Tumblr blog with a tag of other posts about sensory issues .

Meltdowns and Shutdowns and burnout: - Meltdowns vs. shutdowns - Video: “What are autistic meltdowns?” - Video: “What are autistic shutdowns?” - A description of meltdowns - Signs of a shutdown in autistic people - How to support someone having a shutdown - Science: “Autistic shutdown alters brain function” - How to avoid meltdowns - “Dealing with meltdowns” - “The protective gift of meltdowns” - Video on autistic burnout - Article on burnout - Science: Autistic burnout described by a researcher - An article on autistic regression (burnout) - “Help! I seem to be getting more autistic” - talks about how things like burnout, aging, new environment, being around other autistics, and more can cause this .

Executive function - Video: “What is executive functioning?” - A chart describing the different aspects of executive function - “Executive functioning problems - a frustrating aspect of being autistic” - Autistic inertia .

Emotion stuff (including empathy) - Our emotional regulation is different - Article: (some) people with autism can read emotions, feel empathy - Video on misconceptions around autism and empathy - “Double standards: The irony of empathy and autism” - Science on the “double empathy problem” involving relationships between autistics and non-autistics - Not a bad person for not having empathy - More musings on autism and empathy - “Autistic grief is not like neurotypical grief” .

Alexithymia: - Science: Overlap between autism and alexithymia - Video: what is alexithymia? - “I don’t know how I feel”

MASKING / PASSING

Video on passing

An infographic on autistic masking

Another video on masking / “hiding” in a neurotypical world

We are not obligated to mask or “act less autistic”

When you mask less and get told “you’ve been acting more autistic”

Getting called high-functioning because you mask/pass well

Scripting: - Video: what is scripting?

WHY AUTISM SPEAKS AND ABA ARE SO BAD

A guide to identifying good autism organizations (and how they can improve!)

Autism Speaks:

Some facts and statistics

An AS masterpost

Another AS masterpost

Video: What’s wrong with AS?

Video: a non-speaking autistic’s response to discussions between Autism Speaks and GRASP

“Enough with the puzzle pieces”

“I resign my roles at Autism Speaks”

“Responding to Autism Speaks” .

ABA:

Video: what’s ABA?

“Studies find thin evidence for early autism therapies”

Masterpost of why ABA is harmful

More on how ABA is abusive even if a kid “seems to like it”

An autistic describes ABA’s “quiet hands” method

And another post on how ABA is harmful

Trauma and autism

Alternatives to ABA

MISCELLANEOUS

Suicide - Video: Speaking to suicidal autistics - Science linking autism and increased suicidality - Video: “diagnosis saved my life” .

Allyship / for allistics - Video: How to be an ally - Resources for supporting autistics during Autism Acceptance month and year-round! - Autistic accessibility needs - “How to be a friend to autistic people” - 15 things you never say to an autistic person - What to say / not to say to an autistic adult - Video: what shouldn’t I say to autistic people? - Video: Things not to say to an autistic person - Video: “Isn’t everyone a bit autistic?” - Don’t talk about “mental age” - “To those who tell autistic persons ‘everyone experiences that’” - Why it’s not helpful to say “well I don’t think of you as disabled / as autistic” - How to support a loved one who’s gone temporarily nonverbal - How to support someone having a shutdown - Help reduce meltdowns in a loved one - Don’t restrain an autistic person having a meltdown - Understanding why autistics seem “so picky” - Making communication easier for your autistic friend - Avoiding ableism against AAC users - How to protect your autistic employees from ‘no script found’ situations” .

For parents of autistic persons - “Don’t Mourn for Us” - “You don’t ‘lose a child to autism’” - Advice from autistic adults on treating your autistic children with respect - A masterpost of advice for “autism parents” - It’s okay if your kid doesn’t hug you or say “I love you” - “They keep publishing these violent articles” - “When you’re autistic, abuse is considered love” - You don’t have to tell everyone who comes across you and your kid in public that your kid is autistic / you don’t have to constantly apologize for your kid! - Your kid isn’t bad / uncooperative just because they have certain differences - Don’t tell autistic adults we are “nothing like your child” - A tag full of more tumblr posts about / for “autism parents”

More non-speaking autistic self-advocates - Video: “In My Language” by Mel Baggs - Mel Baggs: “Don’t ever assume autism researchers know what they’re doing” - Lysik’an: “You don’t speak for low-functioning autistics” - Film: Deej

Autistics and the idea of “getting out of your comfort zone”

Autistics accommodate allistics far more than the other way around

It is icky when autistic persons are only valued when we’re “productive”

Parents who are themselves autistic

Autism as genetic? - Science: “Autism Genetics, Explained”

Science: links to some studies on autism and gastro-intestinal issues, autism and caffeine, autism and sleep, autism and stimming, autism and queerness, autistic strengths, and more

#actually autistic #autism masterpost #actuallyautistic #autistic stuff #autistic resources #autism resources #log #summer 2021 #ref #long post #masterpost #links

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p-antomime · 2 years

Note

kiki, i'm sorry for bringing up this on your blog, but you're the blog i follow here for a longer time, so i know you probably will can explain it to me, but, anyways, what's happening with tokyo revengers' writers these times? first of all, i'm not a hate anon nor that bullshit of 'bad constructive criticism disguised as good', i am not talking about it, i'm talking about the decrease of works in the type tags:

tokyo revengers x reader

[insert a character] x reader

but, not in the sense of quality, you know? in the sense of posts being shown in the #.

I'm also not a silent reader that just likes, I reblog by 2 different accounts every post that passes my dash, but I felt that these months (since January) very little was published in these respective tags, you know?

i hope you don't see this message as aggressive or rude, because in fact i tried to explain myself with a calm and understanding tone because, since i am not a writer and creator and just a consumer, i believe that i must be missing some information and that you, who know what goes on in the 'backstage' of everything, must know something more.

kisses, kiki! love you! and have a nice day too <3

hmmmmmmmmmm ok, lets have this convo.

let's start by talking about: me, kiki p-antomime blog, as an isolated case, right?

In the past two weeks, I probably had the hardest time as a writer in my whole fucking life because tumblr RESOLVED on its own that it wouldn't want to show my posts in the # and I was like "ok, it must be some kind of problem with some kind of tumblr's internal configuration & settings, i should fix it probably just by sending a review or two to tumblr's support". (but it wasn't a problem like this because tumblr's support literally kicked me on the face and said that everything was normal with my blog, so, anyways, moving on...)

And that was fine. My main problem was not tumblr not showing the posts in the #, my main problem was: this motherfucker app showed the posts with the requests, but not the one-shot with the story itself. Like, fuck, what the fuck does this app want from me?

I was mad about it yesterday, I'm still mad about it today.

And I won't deny to you or to anyone else who will read this that, while I was posting the one-shot with dog hybrid!mitsuya on my phone (but through tumblr's browser, not app), i had the p-antomime blog open on my computer right on the 'deactive' button because, damn… honestly, this made me so tired that I thought I was going to have syncope in the middle of my room.

But anyway, why am I citing this case to myself yesterday? To make obvious a problem that I know other writers are having, but that they are probably just talking among themselves on discord servers or in DMs here on tumblr:

the #'s are so fucking broken. And it's not a new thing.

Since the fucking update with this shit about putting the # used in the previous post in whatever you're reblogging, the # has been extremely bad to be used and, lol, we know that without them the post doesn't have the desired reach, especially for smaller blogs and this is a cycle, you know? An interdependent cycle.

Writer spends HOURS writing something (doesn't matter if it's one-shot or headcannon, it takes hours anyway) → Tries to post it and gets excited to know how it will be received by those who follow him and also by those who don't, since that's what the # is for → Finds out that tumblr doesn't show their posts in the # → Gets sad and that's it.

Exhausting is not enough to explain this shit, you know?

And it's not about 'only caring about notes', before some idiot with lack of reading comprehension comes along, it's about knowing and hoping that tumblr will take the trouble to DO THE LEAST for you, which is precisely to show your works in the #.

Lastly, I don't think it's a problem involving only tokyo revengers writers, because some friends of mine who write for BNHA also talked about the same thing, but, in my case, this is only happening in posts with tokyo revengers #'s since I've moved away a little these months from the BNHA fandom.

Anyways, after reading all this, don't ask me if I will continue writing for tokyo revengers because today I'm reevaluating a lot of things on this blog and I haven't come to a good conclusion about this problem yet.

obs: I didn't get into how a good portion of the consumers here on tumblr are extremely mean and make a good portion of writers deactive with mean comments because this problem was not and still is not the topic of our conversation at the moment and also there have been several writers talking about this in the past few days, so I don't think it is necessary for me to get into that topic at the moment.

#(:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) — kiki's answer ᵎ #tumblr has been testing me too much these days

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sketch-wolf · 2 years

Text

it's really far past when i should have gone to sleep right now and I'm having thoughts about being aspec and the uncomfortable situation you can get in within both cishet spaces and allo queer spaces alike. but I'm having troubles writing it out cause it's really complicated to talk about and the longer i try to write this post the more i kinda wanna cry.

but like my main point was kind of just about how assuming things about people aren't good, no matter how well meaning you may be. it is better to know that you know nothing for certain until you ask them.

but if i try to explain this is any deeper way I'm having huge issues with writing it cause i don't wanna offend someone but also some allo queer people really do in fact need to know of how they should be careful of how they try to oppose heteromativity, because they're still being very amatonormativ and generally leaning into a sex-centric view that they share with the cishet people they condemn. and that's quite an unfortunate thing to have to bring up with people, but speaking up when people are doing something oppressive is also necessary you know?

like i said i am not able to go into more detail right now and I'm unsurr if my wording is correct or understandable, but like with this time I'm posting this at I'm not even sure how many people will see it anyways so. i should try to sleep.

(sidenote: tumblr mobile browser is really freaking annoying and it won't be letting me access the tags to tag this properly unless i edit it i guess...........)

(edit: it still won't let me access the tags.......................... well i guess this will have to go untagged then, sorry.......

webbed site)

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sillylittlesissies · 3 years

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Oh my God, Tumblr. This is my third time writing this intro because I keep accidentally/unthinkingly changing the size/position of my browser. This should not result in my entire post in progress disappearing, but for some reason it does.

I know I'm late getting this one up. I've had a busy/dramatic day and I hadn't queued it up earlier. Sorry for that, folks, but I hope you enjoy this one. This is the first in three back to back captions where my Domme picked out the image and suggested possible directions to go with it. I liked the idea of a sissy pet held in the thrall of a more gentle Mistress. There's something wonderfully degrading about the idea of being helpless to an over-the-top syrupy sweet Mistress, don't you think?

Transcript after the break.

[Transcript] Puppy's Day Out How are you doing, sweetie? How's my sweet little sissy puppy? Oh you just look so cute and comfy in your frilly little onesie! Yes you do! Aww what's the matter, princess? Can't talk, hmmm? Can't tell me what's wrong? I know, I know. Using people words was what landed you with a week in your kennel, and I only just let you out. You're such a smart doggy not to risk that happening again! Yes!

Do you want to know what we're doing today, puppy? Huh? Do you?

I'm going to treat you to a fabulous sissy spa day! You're going to get a facial, and a mani-pedi! And then you're going to get your hair done in platinum blonde little curls, so there'll be no denying what a little poodle you are.

And once you look like the prettiest, prissiest, sissiest little pet you can be, I'm going to put you in your pretty pink rhinestone collar, clip your leash on, and take you for walkies in the park!

Yes I am! The one in your old neighbourhood!

And puppy better not think of acting out while we're in public. Any 'scapey attempts or cries for help, and you'll regret it, understood? Don't forget, I still have all the photos and documents I need to get you in serious legal trouble. And if you think being in my care is bad, you do not want to go to prison. No you don't!

But I know I don't have to worry about that. I know you'll be a good girl, won't you? Come on, who's a good girl? Who's a good girl? Yes you are! Yes!

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thoughtremixer · 3 years

Text

Research: Passwords seem to be a huge headache for the average user

In my research into the matter, it seems that one of the biggest headaches is a basic security measure: creating and maintaining passwords.

Some people are aware of password managers, but they either forget the password manager's password (which is ironic considering that the password manager is supposed to be the ONLY password you actually remember) or think that it's too cumbersome to set it up.

Another pain point is resetting passwords, especially if a website asks you to reset the password, hence why people are locked out of websites, such as... well, Tumblr and ironically, their emails... which is also needed to reset said password.

So, basically, people need to be educated on passwords... which might be a topic worthy of exploring, but here's the kicker...

... the average user don't really care to do proper password maintenance at all.

Which is sad considering the possibilities of losing a lot of data.

So, I guess if I have to give five pieces of good information - it would be the following:

1) Learn to use ONE password manager.

Are passwords annoying? Yes. But it's part of the Internet and the more you use it, the more you are going to forget which sites you visit. Having 5 go-to passwords was great in... say, 2001, but you will easily have to maintain at least 30 websites, which includes email, bank, utility bills, rent, and more. So, stop whining and complaining and learn one.

My personal favorite is Bitwarden. It's free, open sourced, and you can use it with any operating system and browser. So, you can carry it over to your mobile device as well. And if you need advanced features, then it's only $10/year for one account. The core product is more than enough, tho.

2) If there's a breach, change your password ASAP. This isn't a system update.

Data breaches happen all the time. It's going to happen no matter if you like it or not, so if you heard of a breach or if you get prompted to change your password, just do it. Chances are, you took the first advice to heart and let your manager create a new password for you.

Don't let the notification hang! Don't tell yourself "I will do it tomorrow." Just spend a few seconds and do it right then and there.

3) If you have to choose between creating a password or using a Single Sign On (SSO), opt for the creating a password unless you use the site often enough.

You might be thinking "wait, shouldn't I use the SSO? It's one less password to create", and it might be. But what if your account you used gets suspended or worse, you get locked out of it? Then you have to go jump through hoops. Save yourself the trouble... learn the password manager and just do that. If you REALLY want to hook up the SSO, you can do so at a later time.

4) Only use two-factor authentication for anything that will put your identity or finances at risk.

Two-factor authentication is useful as it's like having two house keys. But it's also a headache to use if you are not prepare for it. Do you need to apply it at all websites that offer it? No. But you will need to prepare for it, especially if you have no choice in the manner.

There are a few ways to do it:

Cell phone

Software Key/authenticator

Hardware Key

Device/software

Which one to use? It's up to you to decide, but really the best advice is to know yourself. There is really no "best practice" I can suggest here other than make notes in your password manager.

5) Noticed how EVERYTHING links back to a password manager?

As you can see, every thing circles back to the bloody manager. It's simple: It's the one place where you can safely secure it all and make notes should you really need it.

And no, don't write it in a book. NEVER WRITE YOUR PASSWORDS IN A BOOK OR A FILE!

If you learn your password manager, and you lose your device, you can always recover your manager. But if you lose a book or a file (or you make a typo), then good luck recovering from that.

If you don't have a password manager, spend some time today getting one. Yes, even if you exclusively use a phone.

#password #passwords #password managers #new internet 101

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satosugu-week · 3 years

Text

faq&rules

We’re not sure why the tumblr app seems to still make it hard to access the pages (there are no issues on desktop/browser) but you’ll find everything under the cut! You can also find these in our ao3 collection.

We apologize for the trouble!

What exactly is this about? We will give you prompts for the whole week, two for each day, to get your creative juices flowing. You may choose between the two prompts (or maybe you want to do both?) – whatever appeals to you, go for it, and create a piece revolving around SatoSugu! On that note, since we received a question about this, participants are not required to do all days. Just do whatever and how many you want to.

Who can participate? Anyone! This is a SatoSugu-centric event, the only qualification you need is: love for SatoSugu. Whether you’re a writer or an artist, it doesn’t matter. Art, fics, meta, edits, amvs – anything goes!

How will we see your entries? If you post something on tumblr or twitter (same if you link your fics), tag it with #satosugu-week21 or #satosuguweek21! Additionally, you can also tag us directly (since tumblr sometimes eats tags). If your piece does not pop up on this or the twitter page within 24hrs, let us know via message!

Can we submit an entry late? Of course! Nothing stops you from posting whenever your muse kisses you. Although, we’ll be checking the tags for about one week after the week ends, so works posted after that won’t be seen by us. But you are free to work with the prompts on your own whenever! Rules

We require for you to tag your content correctly (e.g. nsfw content, blood, gore etc.). We won’t reblog/retweet content that isn’t tagged properly despite potentially containing triggers. Please, be considerate of everyone!

This is a SatoSugu-centric week supposed to show our love toward these hopeless fools. Therefore, make sure that your works revolve around SatoSugu! Of course, you can include other characters, as many as you like, and ships in the background. Just be sure that the core of the work centers around SatoSugu as a ship.

Keep in mind: the works you post here should be (preferably) new content created by you. Do not steal and repost someone else’s hard work!

#faq #rules #satosugu-week21 #there is nothing new here we believe #but just in case someone hasn't seen these yet

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marveltrumpshate · 2 years

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★ AUCTION WEEK INFO ★

We’re 18 hours into the auction, and we’re absolutely thrilled by our progress so far. Thank you! Let’s keep the momentum going.

We have a few important updates to share:

If you have trouble accessing Tumblr creator posts from our creator list on your phone, please view them on your mobile browser or on a computer. Alternatively, you can also search for that creator’s name on mthofferings while on the Tumblr mobile app and find their post that way, but the app isn't always reliable.

Thank you again for your support and patience so far. Let’s keep bidding and spreading the word about everyone’s auctions!

#marvel trumps hate #mth 2022 #announcement #auction week

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ineffablefool · 4 years

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How to center and nice-size an image in an AO3 fic using a work skin

Maybe someone can use this? In my fic for the DIWS Good Omens Mini Bang, I embedded some images from my wonderful illustrator. The centered images will never be wider than the text, no matter the screen size, but they also are never stretched larger than their native size (I resized ‘em to 800px wide in my trusty paint program for faster downloading). Here’s how one looks on my giant monitor and on my phone screen:

If you have never done AO3 skins before then I promise they are not actually scary! You have the option of doing relatively complicated things with them, but this thing is simple.

Anyway this is how I center my images.

Step one: make a skin.

In your AO3 dashboard, click “Skins” in the menu (left or top of page, depending on if you’re on a big or small screen). This takes you to the Site Skins page, which are for if you want to make all of AO3 look different to just you. You want a Work Skin, though, which makes your fic look different to everyone, so click My Work Skins.

Click Create Work Skin in the top right and you’ll get an editor that’s similar to when you’re posting a fic! You only need to set two things. One, give it a title that makes sense to you (the title won’t be visible to people reading your fic). Two, paste some stuff into the big “CSS” box.

This is the stuff to paste:

.centered { margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; }

.centered img { max-width: 100% !important; }

That was the stuff to paste! Just toss both of those two blobs in the big editor and click Submit. Now you have a skin!

Step two: use the skin in your work.

Open up the work you want to do this in. Find the Select Work Skin box (just under the Choose A Language box) and select the skin you just made. Yay! Sorry, the Homestuck and Undertale ones are just there for everyone and that’s how it is. (Nothing against Homestuck or Undertale. I just don’t like unneeded entries in lists.)

Step three: center your image.

This is the most complicated bit, only because I can’t give you an exact thing to copy-paste. But I can give you a basic template! Don’t try to paste this into Word or a similar word processing program. The quote marks could get turned into “smart quotes” (like the ones I typed there, just now -- see how the opening and closing quotes are different from each other?). If you need to save it off for later, Notepad or another very simple plain-text editor will be perfect, because it will keep the quotes as not smart quotes.

Find the spot in your AO3 work where you want the centered image to be. It would be between two blocks of text which are wrapped with tags, so something like this...

Into that space, you’re gonna hit Enter a couple of times (which I’ve already done in the screenshot) and then paste this block:

That was the block to paste. Before you’re done, you need to change two things!

BANANA goes away. Inside the quote marks where BANANA used to be, you need to put the URL of your image. This URL must start with http or https (preferably https), or else it won’t work. I can’t give specific instructions on how to get this, because it depends on where the image is hosted! If it’s only on your computer, or attached to an email, it can’t be embedded. It has to have been put somewhere on the web, like Flickr, Photobucket, or Google Drive. It will work to embed from Tumblr, but I don’t trust Tumblr not to change everything up and bork all the old image URLs, thus breaking your embedded images on an arbitrary date in the future. (Any image host could theoretically do this, but -- well. We’re all familiar with Tumblr, right?)

ORANGE also goes away. Inside the quote marks where ORANGE used to be, you optionally can (I recommend you do!) put a brief (200 characters or fewer) description of the image. This is text which is invisible when viewing your fic in a normal browser -- it’s there for screen reader technologies, used by people who are blind or otherwise have trouble seeing a screen. Their screen reader software will literally read out to them, so that they can hear it with their human ears, the description you put here. Don’t start it with “image of” or “picture of”, because the screen reader tells the human that it’s an image already. Here is a pretty user-friendly guide on how to write alt text! If you’re more technically-inclined, the W3C has more involved docs. Remember, the screen reader is going to say out loud whatever you put here, so don’t make it super long, or else you’ll force people who are using screen readers to wait through the long description for your story to continue.

A finished version of the banana/orange block might look like this:

Step four: do it again if needed.

If you have more images to center in the same work, just repeat step 3 for each! Step 2 has to be done once per work. Step 1 might be done once ever (and then you just keep pulling that same skin into many works), or you might do it multiple times (if you want other changes in the skin that are special to only this one work). I do a different skin every time I have a fic that needs a skin, but that’s because I do extra fancy things that are different for each fic.

You never have to do either step 1 or step 2 more than once per work, even if it’s multi-chapter. In future chapters of the same fic, just do step 3 again.

Step five: preview and/or temporary draft is your friend

I am an IT professional with a (technically expired but work with me here) Microsoft certification in HTML5/CSS and seven years of writing this stuff for pay under my belt. Even I don’t post without previewing. Preview and saving as a draft without publishing are both your friends.

Some fun(?) notes

What you are doing here is using cascading style sheets. The AO3 skin is a very simple stylesheet, which is a series of rules that your readers’ browsers will use to apply to text in your story. There are standards that all your normal sort of browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge, Opera...) are supposed to follow when they see these rules, so that no matter which browser someone uses, a webpage will look as similar as possible.

A skin created from the above steps defines a class named “centered” and tells the browser how “centered” should look. Then, in your fic, if you apply the class named “centered” to something in the big editor -- like, say, the aragraph tag that wraps around your image -- then the style from your skin will be applied.

The magic of cascading style sheets is that you can define your class exactly once and then use it many times. If you decide you want to change all the places you used it -- maybe you want every centered image in your 87-chapters-long heavily-illustrated fic to have a green border? -- you have to change exactly one place: your skin. The change will bubble down to every single place you used it.

Skins do not allow all the features of true CSS (no media queries; I am sad), and you can’t put comments in your skin (the editor strips them out). Browser-specific overrides also do not work (if you don’t know what this means, that’s okay, you have to go to extra work to try to use them in the first place). But they’re still pretty cool.

A lot of people will just put <center> tags around their thing, and use width=“100%” or some other number, but that is technically not standard HTML, hasn’t been for a very long time, and sooner or later Chrome is going to get clever and stop respecting it. (Google’s developers like to make Chrome very clever and change how it does things just because they feel like it. It makes my day job rather more difficult. Ask me about SameSite cookies!! Actually, don’t. Never ask me about that thing.)

For portrait-oriented illustrations -- taller than they are wide -- I like to float the image to the right of the text and have it take up no more than 50% of the width of the screen (as seen near the end of this chapter). But that is a more complicated thing than this one, and I am keeping it simple today. Maybe I’ll show how to do the nice floaty at some point.

For any-oriented illustrations, you could have a small resized version which links out to a larger version as a click-to-zoom thing. That is also a little more complicated, so it isn’t in this post.

Questions and clarifications welcome.

That is how to center and nice-size an image in an AO3 fic using a work skin! I hope you are having a good day.

#ineffablefool original post #man idk how i would even tag this thing #i'll worry about that later #not good omens #look you don't understand i love html and css this is fun for me #i don't get to do it very often at my job since they promoted me so i hafta get my kicks where i can

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