Just A Nerd

The defeat of the wizard who made people choose how they’d be to be executed

The woman who raised the changeling alongside her biological child

Cinderella finding Araura (and falling in love)

The God of Arepo (graphic novel 1 / 2 / 3) (ebook)

The Monster of Sentan

The Witch’s Cat

Raise Both Children

Stabby the Roomba (honorable mention)

Cinderella Marries the Prince (comic)

My Arch Nemesis Cynthia

Pirates and Mermaid

Eindred and the Witch

The Demon King

The Cornerwitch

Grandmother Beetroot

Apocalypse Daycare Worker

Grandmother Accidentally Summons a Demon

New Year Saga

A Story About Changelings

Ranger in the King’s Forest

The Difference Between a Hare and a Rabbit

Also, this post will be procedurally updated with new stories when I find them, so if you liked it, then maybe check up on it every month or so and I might have new stories to share

1. Standing beneath both Sola and Luna by @comicaurora and @izzbeingchaotic

2. The Future-giver by @shady-tavern

3. Hungry Babushka Ghosts by @thestuffedalligator

4. Nothing I didn’t already know also by @thestuffedalligator

5. The Night-Mother by @melgillman

6. Sherlock Pendragon also by @thestuffedalligator . They really are good at this, aren’t they.

7. The Deathless Sisters by @bixbythemartian

8. There’s a monster at the end of town… by @zakeno

9. A collection of glimpes into a child’s world by a lot of people

10. Underworld Duet by @officialleehadan

11. A benign existence compiled by @willinghands

12. Musings on a hand axe by @gallusrostromegalus

13. Agnodice. More people should know about this

14. Perhaps they shouldn’t have eaten the dragon… by @laurasimonsdaughter

15. Imitation Seawater by @derinthescarletpescatarian

16. What is the difference between a cathedral and a lab? By @letallthetrashraindown

17. The Must'Ain’t by @gallusrostromegalus

18. The Golden Record by @fennecshandgf

19. I turn to Ares by @kochei0

20. Sons of the Labyrinth by @golyadkin

21. The Sphinx’s love by @animentality & @fox-moblin

22. Under the Tracks written by Sio on Twitter, brought tumblr by @apelcini and illustrated by @texeoghea

23. Lots of good recipes started by @girlmuppet and @batmanisagatewaydrug

24. True love brought to tumblr by @kaijuno , @transgenidoqueen and @harbingermotel

25. The Need to Stay by @maddiesharafian

26. The Whale, The Tuna, and The Salmon by @bees-with-swords and illustrated twice over by @eldritchjackalope

27. The Moon asks a Question written by dirgewithoutmusic on Ao3 and illustrated by @purutsukid

28. What we can learn from a child by @notreewaits-deactivated20200806 , @yelnatszeroni, @Ilywela13 , @ladyofatraditionalkind , @banrions , @greedy-guts , @thegodsofkhaosinkarnate

29. Compiles of Japanese and European folklore/myths brought to tumblr by @walmart-the-official and @bleu-guacamole , sourced from yokai.com and the translation works of Prof. D. L. Ashliman of the University of Pittsburgh

30. Time by @welldrawnfish

31. Just so you curious types know where you totally shouldn’t go for your research by @draculasdaughter , @three-blogs-in-a-trenchcoat , and @whateverthebeeswant .

32. The Midnight Cafe by @wizard-email

33. The Rules of the Hunt. A collaboration between @rysttle and @polistini

34. The Hand You Cannot See by @blackbearmagic, @nikniknikin, @the-tabularium, @draconym

35. Not what is expected by @dxactivatxdusxr , @its-just-a-phage , @flowernstt, @anotherdayforchaosfay , @anaalihelmisimpukka , and @stealthclaw1

36. A collection of mishaps and mindslips by @cafffine , @rumplefuckingstiltzkin , @fried-berries those whose comments they compiled, @heywriters , @ariconditioner , @modmad , and @lagomorpheme

37. The faceless angels by @cannibalcaprine-deactivated2024, @ancient-debris, @omnybus (the artist), @captain-acab

38. We will remember your shoes by @cooking-with-hailstones, @netherworldpost, and @vaspider. Found through @the-haiku-bot

39. The room where you can play scrabble forever by @exhaustedwerewolf

i HATE self-censorship for a lot of reasons, but being in crisis work makes it even more frustrating. who are you censoring for? like i am being so fr, WHO are you censoring for? have you even thought it through? people who have been raped know that they have been raped. if someone attempts suicide or is grieving someone who did, saying "sewer slide" isn't going to protect them from any of the feelings. a murder victim's family isn't going to feel better bc you said "unalived" instead of murdered. if anything, it's just extremely invalidating and othering. it's saying "what happened to you is so bad that i won't even say the word," which is NOT trauma-informed care. you are not protecting survivors/victims when you self-censor. the ONLY things you protect when you self-censor are the puritanical ideologies that are being encouraged by rich fascists who want your money and obedience

- She is carrying her two giant coffees here and BALANCES THEM BOTH IN ONE HAND to touch his chair

I explained very clearly to the manager my issue with the meat section not having the price tags listed, and they claimed it was only going to be for the meat, since meat is by weight, and the price of each item is printed on the packs of each item.

Sure. That’s how they get their foot in the door. Fast forward not even two weeks, and here we are:

Bar codes. No prices, no item descriptions. No price stickers on the individual items. Heck, not even the name of the item that is SUPPOSED to be there.

No. The only way to see the price is to scan it on your phone app, which is also recording what you looked at recently, as a way of gauging what you might be looking for in the future.

So here’s what we’re gonna do gang:

Every time you go into a store that has implemented these price-less tags:

Take 1-3 items up to the cash register. Ask the cashier for the price, or hit the price check item on the self checkout, which will likely call over the attendant.

Express that you didn’t actually want it, you just couldn’t see on the shelf how much it was.

POLITELY, AND WITH A THANK YOU FOR THE PRICE CONFIRMATION, Give the items to the cashier or attendant to put back.

When they inevitably try to push the app, politely decline. If pressed for why not, say you don’t want to have to carry your phone in-hand the whole time you are shopping in order to see how much things cost. (Not having cell service or data to use the app is NOT a valid excuse, as stores already often have complimentary WiFi AND more stores will provide WiFi rather than give up on this push for surveillance pricing)

If it’s a shelf-stable item, the cashier will have to set it aside, taking up room in their limited operating space, and eventually pass it off to someone to put in a holding area to put back later. If it’s a fridge/freezer item, it might have to get tossed due to food product sale regulations.

In either case, you are making it a pain in the ass for them to have these digital bar codes. Tie up the checkouts. Give the employees more busywork that the company has to pay them to do. Hurt their bottom line having to toss the pint of ice cream you carried around in your cart for 20 minutes before giving it back to the cashier.

The reason you feel like shit after a long sleep is dehydration.

If you want a super long Victory Nap that doesn't make you feel like shit, here's your game plan:

1) eat. If you're prone to stomach problems or heartburn, make sure you're eating something you can sleep on.

2) drink. NO ALCOHOL (it makes sleep worse and also dehydrates you). Steer clear of soda pop, tea, and coffee; a non-caffeinated electrolyte drink is best. You want 12-16oz of liquid--about a big coffee cup's worth. I like to do a glass of water and a cup of herbal tea.

3) take a dose of melatonin. If you live in a country where it's prescription only, get a prescription. Please do not ask me to solve this problem for you. I'm American and get my melatonin at the grocery store. I CANNOT HELP YOU.

(3a. If you're one of those people where melatonin does nothing, try Benadryl.)

4) make your bed. Doesn't have to be fancy. Just make everything nice and not-tangled.

5) by now you should have to pee. Do that.

6) set an alarm for nine hours. Go to bed.

7) when you wake up, go to the bathroom. Do not use your phone.

8) go have a snack and a glass of water. Do Not Use Your Phone.

9) take another melatonin. DO NOT USE YOUR PHONE!

(It's because phone screens give off blue light and it cues your brain to go "oh, not sleepy time anymore.")

10) go back to bed. Set an alarm for nine hours.

11) while you wait for the melatonin to kick in, take a nice big luxurious stretch and just kind of notice where everything is. Settle all your bits and pieces into the mattress. Snuggle your pillow. Give your body lots of "time to sleep" cues. It may take a little bit to fall back asleep. That's fine. Don't stress over it--it'll keep you awake. Just let your brain go empty and sleep will come.

12) when you wake up, use the bathroom. Have another drink and snack.

13) go back to bed. Do not take a melatonin. Set your alarm for an hour.

14) you probably won't go back to sleep. That's fine. Relax your eyes, enjoy letting yourself get dozy and then wake up more slowly and naturally.

Do not skip steps. This is a method I've arrived at for post-trip relaxation through lots of trial and error. It's all here for a reason.

I’m Australian. Sure, we do have those doors, but the vast majority of places in Sydney are automatic sliding doors or old-fashioned manual push/pulls because we don’t need to block out the cold and wind the same way here.

So every day I experienced a culture clash with something as basic as what doors were normal for me.

anti's: YEEEEEY!

Government: ok now that you gave us the power to censor, we are going to push it a littleeee bit further and censor anything taboo, and media that discusses or even mentions dark topics with nuance, Lolita, 120 days of sodom, all gone! Everything has to be squeaky clean and sanitized!

anti's: yey!

Government: nice! now, we are going to erase from libraries all nazi books, like Mein Kampf, and any uncomfortable historical documentation about racism, homophobia, sexism etc, because that's problematic, right? we don't want our youth to read those and inform themsel- I MEAN, get influenced, right?

anti's: yes...?

Government: cool! now that we got rid of the "bad nasty stuff", you certainly won't mind if we also erase, you know... the other stuff we don't like and that we find uncomfortable, no matter the fact it doesn't hurt anybody, right? that also influences our young impressionable, sensitive kids, right?

anti's: what do you mean?

Government: oh you know, just, all the gay stuff. everything LGBTQ+, everything queer, everything not 100% vanilla that doesn't promote the traditional values, and the sole existence of blood on screen and kissing and the representation of marginalized groups-

anti's: WHAT? no!

Government: uh?? i thought YOU were the ones who wanted to "bring back Hays Code" and not see any sex or "problematic" stuff on screen!

(Source)

Graham was a homophobe and was seen as one of Trump's closest allies in the Senate. His death will not meaningfully impact the partisan balance of the Senate, as South Carolina's Republican governor can immediately appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of his term.

***Not sewing in a smooth, intentional line*** For some projects this is not a big deal. For projects where it is a big deal, with most fabrics you can always remove the stitches with a seam ripper and try again as many times as it takes until you're happy. (The fabrics that don't tolerate this are ones with a coating, like pleather or leather, where if you poke a hole then it stays forever. Some really delicate fabrics like satins and fine silks (and sometimes knit fabrics as well) also don't like to be sewn multiple times, but you can usually rub the surface gently or dip it in water and flatten it to dry to get the holes to ALMOST close up. Beginner Reassurance: Woven cotton loves you and forgives you and wants you to succeed. Cotton is friend. Friend cotton. Smooch it. Beginner advice: Trust me, you don't want to sew on that tricky shit anyway. Satin is for masochists who don't take their own advice. Love yourself, stick to woven cottons until you feel confident. Also! Pins will help you sew in a straight line because they'll hold the fabric neatly together. Also, you can use a washable fabric marker to draw the seam lines on with a ruler. If you're VERY VERY VERY new to sewing, I would suggest getting a piece of trash fabric (if you can find a ratty old bedsheet at a thrift store, that's a GREAT thing to practice on), cutting a piece about a foot square, drawing a loooong wobbly meandering line on it with marker or pencil, lots of curves and sharp corners. Then sew along that line with your machine, aiming to get the needle perfectly through the line. This will help you practice manipulating the fabric around curves and corners. Further Advice: Keep your hands flat on top of your fabric on the "table" part of the sewing machine, rather than picking up your fabric with your fingers and moving it around. Just shift it gently with your palms. ***Fabric shifted while sewing and left a gap where the needle didn't go through both layers of fabric*** Hey! What did I tell you about using satin! Put it down and walk away! It is too treacherous for you, traveller! Friend cotton generally doesn't do this to you. Beginner advice: Use pins or fabric clips and this won't happen Beginner reassurance: You can always seam-rip the fucked up bit and try again. <3

***Thread keeps fucking up and getting tangled and snarled on the back of the piece (machine-sewing edition)*** Don't panic, this is not a you problem. You haven't done anything wrong. This happens because every sewing machine has the devil in it. Super normal and happens to everyone. Beginner advice: Remove the thread from your machine and re-thread it, both the top thread and the bobbin. Test it on a bit of scrap fabric to see if that fixed it. If it didn't fix it, try re-threading again and pay close attention to make sure you're doing it right (don't put the bobbin into the bobbin holder backwards, for example). Test again. If that didn't fix it, twiddle the tension knob a bit. If that didn't fix it, open up the part of the machine where the bobbin goes and try blowing the dust and lint out. If THAT still didn't fix it, turn the machine off and go have a cup of tea or a nap. If that STIIIIIIIIILL didn't fix it, replace your needle, it is old and blunt. Beginner Reassurance: I'm holding your hands while I tell you that this is the exact process of troubleshooting you will be using for the rest of your sewing hobby no matter how good you get. Professionals also do this. ***Thread keeps fucking up and getting tangled and snarled (handsewing)*** Also not a you problem. The thread just has too much twist in it. Beginner advice: Just hold up your project and drop your needle so it hangs free on the thread. Run your fingers down the length of it to loosen the twist, the same thing you'd do with the cord of your hair dryer or the vacuum cleaner when it gets twisty. Some people use a little beeswax to coat the thread to help it behave. I've never used that, because just letting it hang and untwist in the air works fine for me. Beginner reassurance: This is normal, just one of those things. You're not bad at sewing.

***Sewed things together with wrong-sides together instead of right-sides together*** Happens to the best of us, especially if you are sewing while tired and bleary. Just undo the seam with a seam ripper and try again. Beginner advice: If you immediately make exactly the same mistake a second time, this is not your fault. This is just a sign from the gods that it's time for a break (all sewists know about this sign, it's a very normal omen). Go to bed, or go eat something. Further advice: If you're making this mistake while well-rested and well fed, maybe your pattern or your fabric is just weird. Try sewing it with a very wide basting stitch, check your work, then sew again with a proper seam. It will at least save you time on ripping it out if it didn't work right again. Beginner reassurance: You're working with friend cotton, right? Then you're fine, you have basically as many chances as you want. :)

***Seam looks bad when I'm looking at the piece inside-out*** Does it look okay from the outside when you turn it right-side-out? Then you have succeeded. Beginner advice: You don't even have to fix this unless you want to. If it's a functional seam, who cares what it looks like inside out? (If you really care, your next step will be to watch some youtube videos about SEAM FINISHING, which is one additional step to make the seams look nice and tidy even inside-out.) ALSO, ironing helps. Iron your seams flat with the right sides of the piece still together just the same way you sewed it, and then fold the two sides apart and iron the seam open, gently pulling the fabric apart as you go so it gets REALLY nice and flat. On curves this is going to take some practice. Just don't do things with curves for your first couple of projects. Make a pillowcase.) Beginner reassurance: It's ok to have an ugly seam, especially as a beginner. No one's going to check the inside unless they're a sewing nerd, whereupon you should bashfully tell them, "This is the first thing I ever made," and they will explode in adoration and praise. Sewing people are like this because we are all a little bit crazy. Every sewist i've ever met remembers VIVIDLY the mistakes they've made while they were learning and the radical self-forgiveness it took to continue learning. A very good sewist is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, because they have made Ten Thousand Mistakes, processed their upset, and kept persevering. They WILL praise your ugliest nastiest most fucked up cotton pillowcase, and they will tell you that you should be really proud of yourself. They will tell you some of the mistakes they've made. They will probably say, "No this is so good, this is way better than the first thing I made when I started!"

***I made a thing but it doesn't fit right.*** Too big? pinch it closed and sew another line. Too small? Rip the seam and add a panel. Beginner advice: Measure twice, cut once. Further advice: Oh, and before you do any cutting or sewing, be sure to pre-wash your fabric on HOT (if you're using cotton; you're using cotton, right? Other fabrics might need something else) so that it can do all the shrinking it's going to do. Beginner reassurance: There's ways to fix every problem, you're not bad at sewing because it doesn't fit right. If you only knew the number of times I made a thing and it didn't fit right.... Ho hum, try again! There are of course other ways to fuck up, but you have to be AMBITIOUS to hit those, and really those are more like... subcategories or more specific flavors of these general ones?