Eevee and Me

A place where I come to observe, and sometimes to post fic ideas :) she/her, Bri'ish, (pfp credit goes to my friend, who shall remain anonymous)

[landmineblogging]

reblog to shovel some coal into prevs firebox so they can keep going

[landmineblogging]

CHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGACHUGGA

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

reblog if you would never let ai write fanfics for you

[batfambrainrotbeloved]

I would sooner take weeks onto months to write a single chapter than let a soulless immitation of human creation parrot a mirage of my vision back at me-

Oh and creative integrity aside- suppourting ANY AI includes the enviornmental impact, human rights exploitation, outright slavery??, economic bubble, and about 101 other neg impacts. You cant easily stop all the bad things in the world that you play no part in, but you CAN very easily stop using AI, especially in fandom where it is not welcome.

[depresseddisneyprincess]

reblog this if your blog is a safe space on april fools and won’t have any jumpers, screamers, or anything scary or anxiety inducing

[the-liars-art]

Fuck yeah this is important

[undlark]

Had some trouble trying to dig around for some of my ol' animated gifs I made from Hollow Knight, so I figured I'll compile most of them in one post (some are too big/have audio.)

[i-am-a-fish]

FREEZE! IT’S THE BEAUTIFUL POLICE!!👮‍♂️👮‍♀️🚨

We heard reports that you were being beautiful and/or handsome whichever your preference!!!!!

We’re taking you the fuck in!!!!!!!!!!!!

@iishiizu @whyarentjellybeanssquishy @gaysquaredwrites @dreamingoffairys @newghet @theicemakermage

@ice-bringer @unpopular-ship-queen @the-fairies-and-the-tigers @acnologias-ass @dreamingoffairys @lailatehderp

SPFFTHSB. Thank you for tagging me holy fecc. That made my day. You know who else is beautiful? @theicemakermage @lgbtqfairiesarereal @nali-is-love @peoniespoppiesandowlsohmy @artsy-alice

[artsy-alice]

!!!! omg thank you @lailatehderp ! THIS IS SO SWEET THANK YOOOUUU

So uh… ummmm… Passing this on to: @blessdunrest​ @sorceringing​ @summerbummin​ @celestialcontrail​ @tsuruun​ @jerza-fangirl​

Oh! And because I am so glad she’s back - @dollypopup ! <3

@tendous-satoris @dragonshost @strugglinggryffindorkid

[strugglinggryffindorkid]

Eep omg can I send it back to you @pandora-121 ? <3 also tagging @thejadeazalea and @the-doctors-nerdy-companion @blindfreddy325 @copper-ben @dratin-dragonadetinta96 and anyone who sees this!

[blindfreddy325]

Thank you so much @strugglinggryffindorkid 😊❤️ I’m tagging @ask-felix-rosier @ask-chester-davies @itsyaboytalbottwinger @barnabyleeofslytherin @cupidscrystals @sickeworth and of course anyone who sees this😄

Thank u!! More positivity! 💖

Shiny shiny people be @staroflightning , @nug-inquisitor , @veryshypenguin , @cursesonhogwarts , @sungoddessra , @justsaya , @bitter-sweet-cinnamon and many more !!

Also @the-mysterious-r because u need some positives i think!! 👑

[the-mysterious-r]

@sickeworth thinks i need positivity, but i just need MC to stop looking for the cursed vaults. I think people with beautiful art would be beautiful people so tagging @marmotish @aemdraws @wispila @gihu and i can’t remember more atm but there’s more.

[marmotish]

@the-mysterious-r nice to see you putting differences aside for a moment to spread some positivity. 👍🏼

I’m reporting @itscami-art @strictlydelicious @glowin-theshark @yantarnii @vaultoffear

[glowin-theshark]

Aww shucks! I report @sarcasticleaves @turbotwintastic @chuckabeth @quirky-middle-child and everyone else because you are all guilty!

[quirky-middle-child]

I AINT GOIN BACK TO PRISON!! and I tag @briam516 @jonsmith12thdoctor @turbotwintastic @yoshifan30 @bluelightenterprises

[yoshifan30]

What I didn’t do anything I’m been frame and thanks @quirky-middle-child lol @frithislord @crewefox @odd-the-motoring-fox @theunaccomplishedwriter @soranii314 @shaizerektman @diepjun @glory-18 @gokhan20 @timberwolfalpha @makemywishcometrue-grant-victor @pachecoxd @nekomimiranger @cloudyloudy @nexijay @shinobi-bacon @cdc1345711 @jill-fine @fuzzywuzzylittletail @studentsix @starfangssecrets @ziegelzeig @ragingwerewolfdude @randomwoohoo RUN!!!!

Awww thanks @yoshifan30 😊

@crewefox @odd-the-motoring-fox @theunaccomplishedwriter @soranii314 @shaizerektman @diepjun @glory-18 @gokhan20 @timberwolfalpha @makemywishcometrue-grant-victor @pachecoxd @nekomimiranger @cloudyloudy @nexijay @cdc1345711 @jill-fine @fuzzywuzzylittletail @master-lux @themasterluxfoxwife @ragingwerewolfdude @randomwoohoo @fieldofcosmiclions @fenrisulfr-okami @gibsonfreak49 @helthehatter @skeletonguys-and-ragdolls @chocolingthroughthenewpixelands @diepjun @spazziebunnie @elsafrostinthetardis @soranoiro @jsimesenmac @wolf-of-avalon @wolfyandsaberkitty @noahthefewkes @mikefailsatdrawing

Thank you so much, @frithislord 🤗

Passing this right along to my Hug Life pals! @yuafukuda @yellowpencilcrayon @super-mam-te-moc @glittering-snowfall @tolstoyevsky @greywithane @robinandsteve @celestialfrost @snowstorm-thirteen @michaelstopspeeding @thedragonmissionary @elsailluminatesanna @afterglow-prompts @arendellecitizens @iwantcustodyofme @allonsyjohnlockedtook @wintersummer–3232 @leffiesart @canitellusmthin @lelibotachay @bughead-sprousehartstan @httyd-howtotrainyourdragon and everyone in the Riverdale and Knight Rider fandoms!

Thank you, @ elsafrostinthetardis! You are awesome! 👍 

I only have a few hardy followers, but I’m passing on the love to them (and a few blogs I secretly admire): @academicgangster @no-thanks-dumblr @knight-2000 @secretimelady @merciresolution @ohmyfrog @daniellethehanyo @allycattiny @jimandfredrdads @bishi @mercury-hutton 

[academicgangster]

THANK :D

I'ma tag @actiaslunaris @blue-sappir @boasamishipper @mdwolf @jobey-wan-kenobi @geekery1987 @laexploradoraaa @stefanidoesstuff @vegetarianvampireduck @tsilvy @tatianaonegina @hearthburn @justastormie

[jobey-wan-kenobi]

NO YOU 😭✨

right back atcha @academicgangster. i am snitching on @lunalmfao @mothtrrash @yr-obedt-cicero @beatrice-otter @the-secondman @dreamofstarlight @engineer-gunzelpunk @naryrising @sparkarrestor @percy-supremacy @eldritchflower-wine @tigercarings @qqueenofhades @youcandalekmyballs @janetm74 @yoharoobies @damnea @shinygoku @thefedoragirl @cularube @lelamelila @savageandwise @shinygoku!

[shinygoku]

Ooh crumbs…!

@jobey-wan-kenobi @cularube @megaman2 @chadzia-dax @enbi-vegetto @gokustits @firecooking @kabutots @tigirl-and-co @yarol2075 @screampunk @arceusbeta @the-thought-emporium-imperial @gentlemanbones @sad-nooting-tuna @toast-com @togetherness23 @weirdowithaquill

[weirdowithaquill]

You’re too kind! Uhhhh… who to tag…

@mean-scarlet-deceiver @angryskarloey @anonymousboxcar @sudriantraveler @joezworld @scottishproductions @jobsoldbootlace @lswro2-222 @predawnrex04 @theflyingkipper @eeveeandme05 @thefedoragirl

[eeveeandme05]

Hell yes to all of this! Now I just need to find out who to tag lol...

@weirdowithaquill @cacartoon @joezworld @lets-try-some-writing @tis-i-a-queer @alittlehulahoop @one-three-six-four @fanficfish @anonymousboxcar @josephmcdingle @beumdi @togetherness23

(If you don't know who I am, hello hello! I'm just someone who enjoys shadowing blogs and appreciating posts and whatnot, thought y'all deserved a mention here ^^)

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

for anyone who wants a pdf copy of Awdry's The Island of Sodor: A History of Etc

it's out of print, can only be bought secondhand for an arm and a leg, i don't feel bad about this. free to reblog share far and wide.

[feigeroman]

Already have this file through mysterious circumstances, but I figured this was worth signal-boosting anyway.

[eeveeandme05]

👀👀👀👀👀

[pasha-hasid]

[hyenuh-deactivated20230717]

train

[terrapincentury-deactivated2018]

train

[calebwittebane]

train

[chromium-siren]

train

[express-coming-through]

train

[the-oddmister]

train

[cularube]

train

[togetherness23]

train

[basaribet-adres]

train

[sodor-spirit]

train

[just-an-emily-existing]

train

[star3xian]

Train

[cybernarrowgauge]

Train

[that-train-person]

Train

[eeveeandme05]

train

[amtrik-official]

hmmm,,, how to stay relevant to all the trainfolk out there...

um, woe

Good train art be upon ye

[josephmcdingle]

Murder Drones manga: The Absolute Solver (warning: contains some gore) Basically a tribute to Cyn and Murder Drones as a whole.

[scenef3ver]

I read this whole and (holy moly) it's amazing I love it. Shocked me too. It's epic.

[eeveeandme05]

Recently got into Murder Drones, found this gem.

My goodness, it's BEAUTIFUL! So perfectly tragic...absolutely love how it characterises Cyn. Fantastic job, OP!

[gentleman-velvet]

Okay so bad news for everyone on YouTube right now

Starting the 13th, we will have an AI determine if we are children or not and if you are a child, than you are forced to send your ID, send a selfie or a credit card

This has the obvious cons of having your privacy being revoked from you and and in case there is a security breach, major identity thefts.

So what do we do in this scenario?

Well right now I have real idea as this is relativity new to me, but I do have two plans

Plan 1. Bug the shit out of them, send letters and send emails about how much of bad idea this is.

Include why the AI will mess up and target adults who watch cartoons, include privacy issues, censorship issues, anything you can think of that relates to this. I want you guys to bug the hell out of YouTube until they reverse this idea

Plan 2. Blackout.

Since the thing is coming out on the 13th.

The plan will be to completely avoid YouTube at all cost for that day, no watching, no sharing, no uploading, no nothing.

Download videos before things go down, watch Netflix. Whatever you do, don’t touch YouTube.

That’s all I can say right now, I also want you guys to let YouTubers know of this situation cause if it’s important for everyone on the website to talk about this immediately

Spread this stuff around, let people know of YouTube’s upcoming policy and how it’ll hurt everyone

[awakentrashpanda]

re-logging to spread this information around because it’s important 

[gentleman-velvet]

We also have an updated plan

Post by @gentleman-velvet · 6 images

💬 119  🔁 1636  ❤️ 1679 · Okay, so here’s the updated plans for fighting against youtube's new ai age policy and privacy violating rule (I be

[pearlaqua-eevee]

just a few things to note: youtubers have been talking about this for a couple weeks and also this goes beyond youtube. theyre asking for govt ID. this goes up to the federal level. boycotting youtube may help but youtube historically does not care about its userbase, creators or watchers.

the best you can do: refuse to give your ID, protest this online, and protest this at a federal level.

This isnt an isolated incident. With the UK censorship bill, and this hitting UK and Aus too, as well as restrictions hitting Canada...all within the same few days. This isnt just youtube and this isnt about protecting children. This is a coordinated govt thing

this isnt and never has been about protecting kids. its about getting your govt id attached to your site history. youtube does not care. sure, protest to them but this is much bigger than this website. its NOT a coincidence multiple cites and COUNTRIES are having this hit right now

Release the list.

[gentleman-velvet]

Exactly

Best thing to do is spread the word, protest and fight it in any way we can and try to get law to bring down this and make sure it doesn’t bring up the stuff like Kosa into law

[calcium-supplement]

EASY SCRIPT AND LINKS TO CALL UR REPS ABOUT KOSA:

Oppose S. 1748 The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) ⭑ 5 Calls

Congress has again put forward legislation aimed at controlling what content children see online, known as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)

I just called my reps to Oppose S. 1748 The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) — you should too: http://5calls.org/issue/kids-online-safety-act-kosa

[greatwesternway]

This is going to be a startling question:

Are you aware of the youtube ai age verification situation? If yes, could you help me get more awareness for this issue? If no, I would highly suggest looking into it as well for your benefit.

The age verification will destroy online privacy and effectively censor the rest of the internet. We may lose the ability to watch videos that an ai determines to be of childish nature, whether it be a commentary of a tv show or a slime review video. The ai will deny you of your access to youtube, unless you present an id like a credit card or a drivers licence to regain access to watching any video. Even if you are an adult, it will not allow you access unless you surrender sensitive info about yourself. Should this spread, internet privacy and safety will be gone, and even a 1984 situation would take place (hoping not). The surrendered data can be exposed to the world, doxxing so many people and allowing scammed and hackers to steal personal info. I do not want to see this ruin anyone's love for anything that may seem childish to a faulty machine designed to somehow replace a parents' responsibility of looking after their own children. It is scheduled to take into effect on August 13th this month.

I am afraid that this is what will shatter many fandoms of beloved childhood shows, games, books, and franchises. I just hope that at least the TTTE fandom will help step up against the loss of internet security and privacy. United we stand, together we fall. Let us stand and stand firm against this ruin.

Cheers,

A worried American who is a thomas fan

So like, there seems to be a wave of bad, privacy-violating legislation going around lately. Gonna be real in that I don't really know how to fight that kinda thing effectively. Based on the UK one that just passed, kinda seems like the point is actually to stifle communication, since it targets anything with a comment section. Not good!

But that's government.

YouTube isn't the government. YouTube is a fuckin' business and you can take your business elsewhere.

The way to fight YouTube's intrusion on your privacy and data... is to not center the fandom experience there. In fact, YouTube should be treated as nothing more than a hosting service that can be swapped out or scaled down away from at a moment's notice. That we've given YouTube and every other platform (yes, including tumblr) so much hold over our communities is a problem that I think we're going to be forced to rectify very soon. And it ain't gonna happen by petitioning or pleading.

Don't Build Your Castle in Other People's Kingdoms

This blog post is for game dev marketing, but the points made and suggested tactics apply to fandom activities too. This is how we should have always treated these spaces and this is how we should treat them going forward.

When Ray and I started The Future is Still Silver and Black two years ago, we very intentionally did not just post our letters directly to tumblr, even though all our readers came from here and it would have been the easiest way to get eyes on them and have them put in front of more. Instead, I made a neocities website for it and we made a post linking people to it. There were a lot of reasons to do it this way - most of them detailed in zukalous' post - but I also had a broader philosophy behind it.

I did it that way to both get our readers used to the idea of leaving tumblr to seek out content and to encourage others to start making their own little neocities castles. I wanted to show them - remind them, if they're old like me - that it was nice to go somewhere with nothing but the content you came to see. I also wanted to show that it was accessible to absolutely anyone (and that it didn't necessarily need to look like 1995 GeoCities either).

You remember when tumblr Live was happening and everyone was bitchin' and moanin' and saying that they were so totally gonna leave the site forever for sure this time if tumblr didn't get those imported camwhores off their dash? Remember the point where everyone realized that tumblr was trying to draw in new users with this feature, the kind of users that tiktok had? And so they made that poll about how long you had been there and the results were that most users had been here since 2011?

The intent of the poll was to show who the real userbase of tumblr were and who Automattic should have been catering to. What it actually proved was that no matter what dumbass thing tumblr chose to do - and there had been a lot of dumbass choices since 2011! - the userbase might threaten to leave, but clearly they wouldn't actually do it. And you know why?

Because most of them don't have an audience or community outside of tumblr.

Literally the only time a significant amount of users actually followed through was when tumblr banned porn and only because the creators making legit NSFW content couldn't reach the audience (but the porn bots still could, lol) The creators left and so too did many of their fans.

But at the end of the day, what is tumblr without creators and without users to give that content engagement? What will YouTube be if you just... don't give them your info and consequently don't use their site anymore? If you're not there to watch TTTETube's videos, they will post them somewhere else. I mean, all the guys who are making legit money posting RWS content have Patreons. They shouldn't build their castle there either, but Patreon asks for your credit card already anyway so that's whatever.

Incidentally, we should also start getting used to the idea of paying creators for content so that they can afford to support their own castles but that's another post.

Keep an eye on your favorite TTTETubers and engage with them wherever else they are so they know their audience will follow them offsite. Maybe even encourage them to make a proper website instead of just moving to another billionaire's fortress and hoping their largesse doesn't run out in a couple years. And then bookmark it and subscribe to its RSS if they do. And then buy some merch.

And if you're a creator, please make your own website. Make a neocities! It's free, it's easy, and if they also turn into a villain, you can just move your website somewhere else. Then come on here and tell us about it. Blaze that shit even! I literally reblogged a post I had Blazed to me the other day about some user's new plush toy merch even though I don't know them or their project because that's that kinda shit I wanna see being Blazed.

Incidentally, this next update (which we hope to have out Friday) Ray and I are moving The Future is Still Silver and Black to its own domain, pioneerandpilot.com. Neocities is still great and you should start building a site there if you're ready to stake your claim on your own patch of internet. But it is limited if you've been building websites since 2007 like I have and want to offer more features that require PHP and SQL databases.

But mostly because pioneerandpilot.com is easier for our readers to share with others. Maybe shoot for three words or less in your domain names.

Anyway, tl;dr, YouTube doesn't have the power here. If their AI decides you're a child because you watch cartoons on there and demands your credit card and ID to prove you're not, just stop watching cartoons there. We'll have to start coaxing actual creators off YouTube, but regular-ass cartoons? You can watch them a million other places and you don't have to fight with those places about ad block every three months either.

YouTube ain't shit without your eyeballs. They don't have the leverage they're trying to scare you into thinking they do.

[biggsodorcitystories]

This is probably the best response I have read so far to this.

I am starting to believe that if Google launches this feature, it will hurt them long term. As said in the post above, if people can't get what they want on YouTube, they'll just go elsewhere. Creators will eventually follow them... and take their money too. Google might shrug at first until they notice the YouTube premium subscriptions bringing in less money, and their users who rely on channel memberships start screaming when they lose their money!

A similar thing happened with Deviantart a few years ago, when they announced their in-house AI, which they were going to train with their entire userbase. For this, they had auto-enrolled every single user into allowing their galleries to be scraped. Anyone who didn't want to participate would have to opt out manually - on every individual piece in their galleries! Some users have THOUSANDS to work through, so the hope was that users would consider it too much hassle to opt out.

The response was immediate - users started deleting their galleries and accounts - many being over decades old. At first, the Deviantart staff just rolled their eyes and laughed... until they realised that many of these users were paying for premium (core) membership, which they wouldn't be paying anymore! Suddenly, users were opted out by default, and could opt in with a simple button on their profile settings (funny that was an option all along, huh).

Deviantart lost a lot of good faith in the eyes their userbase, which has not recovered. A lot of people stayed away or, like me, moved to Tumblr and spent more time there.

Google is a lot bigger than Deviantart - an ocean vs a village pond - but they've got that way because of us. They have to be reminded that we don't have to accept their rules. We can leave YouTube any time, and we need to do more than threaten - we need to do it!

If you pay for channel memberships, contact the owners of those channels via YouTube and other social media to tell them you will be cancelling your membership due to YouTube new changes - and FOLLOW THROUGH. Support them on other networks if you wish, but cut off the YouTube revenue immediately.

Corporations are not government, but if corporations start losing money due to trying to appease governments, corporations will turn on governments. Corporations can influence governments much better than us.

[greatwesternway]

Also, who's to say the "AI" won't just mark every user as a child to ask for identifying information by default? Simply do not play their game.

[the-time-lord-oracle]

5764/L95 on display inside the Engine House, 19/04/2025.

[eeveeandme05]

I'VE BEEN HERE!!! This is on the Severn Valley Railway :D

[3liza]

matt just fired half the remaining tumblr support staff lmao

[3liza]

WordPress maker Automattic lays off 16% of staff | TechCrunch

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce, and a range of other online services, is reducing its workforce. The layo

[3liza]

from my sources adjacent to tumblr--from which i can spread rumors and insider information freely because i dont give a fuck about ever working in the tech sector--im hearing this round of firings was focused on purging the senior staff, and not just from support but from the entire remaining tumblr workforce. i'm hearing there are about 25 people left.

[valoisfulcanellideux]

This is important, people. Please don't scroll past this one.

While I don't think that Tumblr is about to shut down anytime soon, as a fandom old who lost my community and my people when the fandom diaspora happened from LiveJournal, I want to urge that you do something NOW:

Get your backup account(s) elsewhere NOW

Let your moots know your username(s) at those places NOW

Follow your moots at their places NOW

I mean this with all my heart. Get this done now. Get set up and find your people now. Tumblr is the home of fandom now, just as LiveJournal was the home of fandom way back. And you could end up losing your fandom home just as easily and quickly as us old LJ people did way back then.

It's a horrible feeling, and most old LJ users still mourn the loss of it to this day.

The rest of this gets a bit long, so it needs to go behind a cut, but please take a moment out of your scrolling to read it.

TUMBLR IS FANDOM. It's where we all are. Yes, many of us probably have random accounts here or there - a Pillowfort, a BlueSky, a website set up at some free, ad-supported place, etc - but if you are active on Tumblr, then this is where your people are. This is where your community is.

Just like my people and community were on LiveJournal. We lived through a lot of shit together (seriously, look up LiveJournal on Fanlore or Wikipedia sometime) but in the end we all ended up scrambling to try and find both a new place and each other too late.

And, when you find your 'backup places' don't just stick a link to your Carrd or Linktree in your Tumblr profile. Actively tell your moots in a post (reblog it occasionally, too) where they can find you, and encourage them to find and follow you there, too. They're not going to have that link in your profile if Tumblr suddenly shuts off the lights, so make sure you actively let people know where to find you elsewhere.

Some suggestions:

Pillowfort and/or BlueSky

If you're the kind of Tumblr user who is a 'thought-vomiter' (i.e., you post a LOT, and it's often random observations and brain farts, short quickfire stuff throughout your day) try either Pillowfort (which is still in open beta and currently has a rolling waitlist to join) or BlueSky. Both are Twitter/X type sites in their layout. (And avoid Twitter/X like the fucking plague. Just, seriously, don't go there.)

Dreamwidth

If you're the kind of Tumblr user who needs more than a couple of hundred characters for some (or many) of your posts, and you really relish community and interaction, head to Dreamwidth. While I have accounts on all three of the platforms I've just linked you to, it'll be Dreamwidth where I make my home if Tumblr goes down the tubes. Yes, its backend user interface looks a bit late-2000s, but that's because it was built out of the LiveJournal diaspora, off the back of (and improved upon) the old open source LJ code, and it has all the incredible features that LJ had (and still has, if you don't mind accepting that hateful ToS and never mentioning anything to do with LGBTQ+ at all over there). Crucially, Dreamwidth is committed to remaining ad-free, and it is incredibly easy to find your fandom/people over there (as long as they are over there) using the interests search. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but it's well worth it for the incredibly customisable reading list, which acts like the Tumblr dashboard, and the granularity with which you can set your posts. It's had communities since the very start, and you can even set up custom filters for different groups of people you want to post to, so your Marvel-loving moots can see your Marvel stuff, your Minecraft-loving moots can see your Minecraft stuff, and your closest friends who you trust with anything are the only people who can see the deeply personal stuff you've posted to the group you've set up just for them. Want to post with different icons? You've got 15 of them completely free. There is so much to Dreamwidth, and I wish more people knew about it and used it.

But what about Discord?

By all means find and join Discord servers for your fandom, but please do not let fandom disappear into thousands of completely separate, unsearchable, unfindable Discord servers. Find a place where people can find you easily, and where you can find other people easily if/when you leave your current fandom for whatever reason at some point in the future and get into a new fandom. Imagine if there was no Tumblr right now. It's just gone. Poufs overnight. And you've just got into an incredibly good new TV show/movie/book/etc., and you need to find your people for it. How would you do that, if they're all sitting in their own private Discord servers, possibly invite-only and not listed anywhere like Disboard? You can't. So - while Discord is great if you already have that all-important URL to join the server - it's a lot harder to find your people if you've no idea where to get that URL.

Image hosting

It's important to note that none of the sites I've linked to have native image-hosting (as yet - that's why Tumblr is ad-supported, because image hosting costs a shit ton of money), so you'll need to find some kind of image-hosting site out there if you're someone who posts a lot of visuals. Fandom artists will likely already have their spaces for that, but there are plenty of free image hosts out there.

Closing thoughts

Did this post (and the linked article - if you even read it rather than just glancing at the headline) alarm you? Make you feel anxious? Well, I'm sorry for that, but honestly? It should. Anxious is how I felt, as well as completely lost and cast adrift, when I lost my online home and my fandom peeps all those years ago. And this long-arsed post is my way of trying to help you prevent those feelings for yourself if this latest round of layoffs at Tumblr and other places owned by Automattic eventually leads to our current fandom home shutting down.

Do I think that Tumblr will close anytime soon? No, I don't. I think it would continue limping along until it came to the point where it's making too much of a loss to make any kind of business sense for it to be kept on life support any longer. After all, fanfction.net is still struggling along - riddled with bot and scam comments and with absolutely no support for any of its users who are enduring them - to this day. But is it a home? Hell no.

Don't let apathy take the wheel for you over this. Don't think, "I'll get around to doing that later. Tumblr's not going anywhere soon," and then forget about it until that point where you wish you had done it all that time ago. It takes a handful of minutes to secure an account (or, in the case of Pillowfort, to get on the waitlist) so get your accounts set up now, even if you never use them afterwards.

If you do, then you may be very grateful to your current self sometime in your future.

Better to have them now, with all your friends and moots already following you and knowing where to find you, than to be left standing there like Confused Travolta with your coat over your arm and wondering where the fuck you find your fandom home again as it once again enters a new diaspora.

To my own moots who may be reading this, look out for a post from me shortly, where I'll let you know my other online locations.

Love to all, no matter who or where you are. <3

[eeveeandme05]

https://bsky.app/profile/eeveeandme.bsky.social

Link to my BlueSky profile, just in case!

Thanks very much for the heads up! Here's hoping Tumblr will stay alive 🤞

[blackheartbiohazards]

People used to comment on web comics.

People used to comment on fanfiction.

People used to comment on fanart.

People used to comment on OCs.

I hate "content" culture.

I hate "consuming content" and scrolling immediately to the next thing.

People used to be excited about the art that other people created.

People used to want to share that excitement with creators.

I hate this future.

[depodraws]

Once someone tagged art that I made with "woah" and I think about it at least once a week. Someone else said "oh neat" once. Someone else WROTE A WHOLE DAMN POEM IN THE COMMENTS. Anyways even just one word can change how someone sees their art. You don't even have to think about it too hard. You could put a keyboard smash and I'd probably cry from joy.

I'm also trying hard to interact more, I understand that it's hard to break away from opening your phone and being in Content Consumption Mode.

[sakichi56]

I honestly hadn't stopped to think about this until I saw this post... I used to think people would get annoyed if they were notified everytime someone posted a comment on their art. I never thought about it being like fanfiction and that they might appreciate comments. Frick, that means I'm part of the problem on here. Thats gotta change.

[gatoma]

Every tag, every comment, every reblog with some kind of reaction/opinion or even just one word. All of these things are precious to creators!

I spent countless hours reading and rereading tags full of love people left under my art. All the people i could gift a laugh to or even inspire with something I made mean more to me then you could ever know.

It's what makes me proud of my art!

And to think that you could have enjoyed my art in silence and I would have never known.

[stinkbrat]

A very special shout out to the person who tagged "these mcgriddles make me want to shit so bad" on fanart in 2013 I think about you once a day

[traintrainingmontage]

Prompt:

Donald and Douglas before they came to Sodor.

Also, congratulations on gaining 150 followers! 🎉

Thank you so much!! 💖 I appreciate it~ And I am more than happy to do more backstory with the Scottish engines!! Let's see what Donald and Douglas got up to, back before they ever came to Sodor's shores...

(Some crew OCs and story ideas borrowed [w/ permission] from @edwards-exploit!!)

(The month, and the prompts deadline, is coming to a close! Get your prompt idea in by the 31st, and I'll write it! Details are here!)

Kirk Darrow couldn't have been more pleased as he left the stationmaster's office, having been told that management was seriously considering him for a position as a driver. The winter cold bit at him like mad, but his entire body felt warm and light, like he'd just enjoyed a hot toddy. He'd served as a fireman for a number of years, and had the honor of crewing BR No. 57646 alongside his brother, Dirk. The two of them had, just as they'd arrived in the world together, signed up to join the railway together many moons ago when there weren't any better prospects to speak of back home.

While Dirk had been certified as a driver for a few years now, Kirk had always known that he could have taken the exams, but truthfully, he hadn't felt terribly motivated to do so. After all, he got to work alongside his twin and their engine all day, so why would he ever want to drive some other engine? It was only through the urging of his brother and No. 57646 that Kirk even bothered to consider it, though, mostly because, in Dirk's words, "if som'thin' 'appens n' I get laid up in th' hospital, ye'd better be able t' take care o' 'im!"

Unfortunately for Kirk, Dirk was known to make snap judgements and rash decisions, some of which had landed him in the hospital before, so it was that rather sound argument that had led to him studying for (and thankfully scoring high on) his exams.

As Kirk rounded the bend and approached the yard, trying to figure out how best to share the good news—should he play the fool? Offer to buy beers? Make it out to be a Christmas miracle?—what he saw instead made his good cheer evaporate in a flash.

No. 57647, an engine that their own held close to his heart, snarled throatily at one of the new diesel railbuses that had so recently entered service, this one having transferred here only a few short days ago. This particular diesel was 79959, and from the very start, he had made a rather strong impression on the rest of the yard. Kirk didn't much care for him himself, but at least he knew how to keep his damn distance. Unfortunately, from the way the two engines were facing off against each other, anger bleeding off of them both, one of them—or perhaps both of them—had decided to pick a fight.

"Ye'd best take that back, ye oil-huffin' ninny!"

The diesel only sniffed imperiously at 57647's words, clearly unimpressed. "Oh, look. Th' hothead's barbaric brother is here t' play noo! Ohhhh, Ah'm so scared!"

Condescension dripped from every word, and the diesel's eyes slowly turned back to 57646, a cocksure grin stretching across his face. "Ye 'eard what ah said, but ah'll say it again! All ye steamies are jus' washed up, no-good, hunks o' rust, an' you, ye dumb engine, are th' worst of all. Always givin' me orders, always thinkin' ah'm not as strong or as important as ye. WELL! Ah can do whatever you can, an' so much more! Ah can't wait 'til yer in the scrapyard, beggin' fer yer life, only ta—"

BAM! There was a clash, metal scraping against metal, and 57647 was suddenly right in front of the diesel, the two buffer to buffer as, with a great heave of effort, the steam engine pushed the railbus right off the rails, causing him to tip over and land with a great clatter against the cold, hard ground.

"HAAH! HAAH!" the railbus hyperventilated, panic setting in as his eyes looked every which way, focusing on nothing. A great hush fell over the yard, everyone watching in collective bewilderment as they tried to comprehend what had happened, before realization finally set in and a cacophany of noise erupted. Some of the men immediately set to righting the toppled bus, who was now screaming obscenities at the twin engines, while others hurried to ascertain the state of the line. 57647, for his part, was soundly being told off by his crew, two more folks that Kirk couldn't confidently say that he liked until he'd gotten enough beers in him.

"What were ye thinkin', ye ridiculous engine?!" the steam engine's driver shouted, looking like he was a hair's breadth away from popping a vein. "Ye coulda hurt someone! Yer lucky that damn railbus' crew was on break! Yer so... GAH! No wonder th' top brass wants t'—"

At that moment, however, the driver suddenly clammed up, the fireman also shuffling his feet and looking anywhere else. 57646's brows furrowed, suspicion all over his face, and it was clear that he was about to press on the matter, when a particular sound gave them all pause.

The depot manager's heavy steps were unmistakable, and Mr. MacCullough, the dark-eyed manager, approached the two steam engines with ire in his eyes and his jaw firm.

"Unbelievable. Once again, ye've caused me some REAL trouble, 57647! That railbus was t' take passengers this afternoon, an' noo, I've gotta organize a replacement! AGAIN!"

"But sir, I—"

"Can it, ye lousy engine! Ye couldn't keep yer temper in check, n' ye started a fight. Don't even pretend; I've already heard enough testimony from everyone here!"

The depot manager took a deep breath, eyes moving back and forth between the twins. "You listen t' me," he growled, his volume low but the intensity of his voice palpable. "Ah've had it wit' ye. Yer a bleedin' idiot who can't keep 'is temper, an' ah don't need that on ma railway. Yer done. Ah'm arrangin' for ye t' be sent t' th' scrapyard at th' end o' th' week."

A sudden hush fell over the twin engines and 57646's crew as Kirk came over to join his brother and their engine, his good news seeming so monumentally insignificant in the face of this terrible announcement. "Wha... what d'ya mean, sir?" 57647 trembled, and beside him, Dirk also trembled, but certainly not with trepidation.

"Ah mean what ah said," the manager sneered. "Yer no longer useful, an' yer gettin' scrapped. As fer 57646 here, congratulations. Ye've been sold; yer goin' t' Sodor."

"SODOR?!" exploded 57646, horror, anger, and rebelliousness all coming to the forefront as the manager's words sunk in.

"Tha's right," the steely eyed Mr. MacCullough continued, seeming quite unpreturbed even though a giant steam locomotive easily more than thrice his size looked like he was currently contemplating murder. "Yer goin' t' Sodor, an' ah'll be seein' ye off in a few days so yer crew can decide whether they wanna go wit' ya. That's all."

With that, like he hadn't just delivered the equivalent of executioner's orders, Mr. MacCullough turned on his heel and headed straight back for his office, his stride not slowing in the least despite the agony he'd left behind.

"No... NO!" 57647 cried, shaking like mad as tears threatened to fall. Beside him, Dirk and Kirk slowly reached up to pat at his frames; even though 57647 wasn't their engine, 57646 loved him enough to call him brother, and thus, he was just as special to the crew.

The reactions from 57647's own crew, however, left something to be desired, especially as Dirk turned to face them with a fire in his eyes.

"What was that, Rory?!" he demanded, practically getting into the driver's face. "Ye didn't stand up for yer engine at all! Yer jus' gonna... jus' gonna let him DIE?!"

With that, Dirk grabbed at his fellow driver's shirt and practically lifted him to his tiptoes, with Kirk making no move to stop him. However, instead of remorse, Rory simply let out a harsh sigh, his expression a mess of anxiety, reluctance, and resignation.

"Th' Controller let me know this mornin'. Mick n' I... we're bein' transferred t'a new engine. There's nothin' we can do. We can't work wit' him anymore, and ah'd rather be drivin' one o' them nice new diesels, anyway."

"Them nice new diesels..." Dirk scoffed, before spitting off to the side and releasing his grip, causing Rory to scramble backwards, breathing heavily, eyes wide with fright. "Get outta me sight. I dun wanna see ye again fer th' rest o' th' time ah'm here. GO!"

Rory and Mick didn't need persuading. The two scrambled off in a flurry of limbs, their movements so comical that were the situation anything but what it was, it might have been funny.

"Ah... ah cannae believe it," 57647 whimpered, eyes wide and staring at nothing. "Ma crew... they dun care 'bout me. Ah'm... ah'm gonna be scrapped..."

"Nae," 57646 whispered fiercely, trying to keep his voice low even though all assembled could hear the emotions raging just beneath the surface. "Yer not dyin' anytime soon, y'hear me? Ah... Ah'll figure sometin' out."

"Ye mean we," Dirk corrected, causing Kirk to look over at him in surprise. "We aren't about to let ye go at this alone." The conviction in his voice brought warm smiles to the faces of the two Caledonians, and it would have been a perfect moment if not for Kirk grabbing at his brother's arm.

"Ah, 'scuse us, you two."

Kirk managed to wrangle Dirk off to the side for a moment, before staring at his twin with disbelief. "Dirk! Ye cannae make promises ye can't keep!"

Dirk folded his arms, scowling at his brother as though he'd said something ridiculous. "What're ye on about, Kirk? Our engines need our help!"

"Our engines?!" Kirk hissed, struck absolutely incredulous by his brother's audacity. "Dirk, we have one engine, an' tha's moore than enough! 'Sides, his brother's bound fer th' scrapyard! How d'ye propose we—"

"Kirk," his brother interrupted softly, his tone solemn, "if I were starin' down th' executioner's axe, wuld ye do whatcha had t' do ta save me?"

"O' course!" Kirk blurted, not even needing a second to think. "Yer me bràthair, an'—"

"Tha's how our engine feels 'bout his own," his twin interjected, his tone now pleading, almost begging Kirk to understand. "Kirk, we've gotta do sometin'. Ah already know we're goin' wit' him t' Sodor; we've got no more family here, an' he may be metal, but he may as well be kin. And kin comes through fer kin."

There was a long, long silence. Kirk stared steadily at Dirk, then at the two engines, who were quietly conversing with each other, then upon noticing that he was looking at them, gave tiny, hopeful smiles that would have melted any good man's heart.

At that, a long sigh escaped the fireman's lips as he turned to regard his brother, who was already smiling at the sound of his twin's surrender. "Alright. We'll save his bràthair. N' he's real lucky, 'cause ah know our cousins, Bryce n' Blair, were also thinkin' a leavin' th' railway an' skippin' town. They'll be happy t' come wit' us, 'specially if there's steamies that need savin'."

"YES!" Dirk started to cheer, but then quickly stopped himself as the noise drew the attention of the other railwaymen around the yard. "Alright. Last thing we need's another driver, then..."

At this, Kirk couldn't help but roll his eyes. Looked like his earlier conundrum had solved itself. "Guess yer in luck once again. Ah passed th' exams; ah'm a certified driver noo."

"Really?!" Dirk's eyes widened to an almost comical degree, and a huge smile split his face. "Ah shoulda known that's why ye were lookin' so proud earlier! Between you an' me drivin' an' the Mitchells' shovelin', we'll have no problems gettin' t' Sodor! Let's tell them the good news, then!"

With that, the good news was shared and plans were laid, and despite the worries and the fear of what the future might hold, one engine and his driver, along with another engine and his soon-to-be-driver, found themselves smiling brightly. After all, nobody knew better than they did how far they'd go for family.

[loop-da-loop]

This is how the Duck V. Diesel arc went, right?

[traintrainingmontage]

Train Family

The folks on Discord really liked this one. :)

The year after the Great War started, Robert Sam came up to the two narrow-gauge engines, looking absolutely thrilled. In his arms was a little boy, looking up at Skarloey and Rheneas with wide, curious eyes. "Skarloey, Rheneas," Robert Sam began, "this is my son, Peter. Peter, say hi to them."

The baby gurgled, a smile on his little face. The two engines couldn't help but coo, and off to the side, Mrs. Sam looked on, finding the entire situation absolutely adorable. "He's going to be a railway man one day," Robert Sam said proudly. "I can tell! And then he'll be your driver, Rheneas."

Rheneas managed to tear his eyes away from the baby long enough to frown at his driver. "Robert, I know how enthusiastic you are about this, but you'd best not pressure this boy into doing anything he doesn't want to do. His future is his own, and even if he doesn't come to work the railway, you WILL support him!"

Robert simply laughed in response. "Of course, of course. But I can feel it in my bones; my boy's going to be just like me."

Rheneas rolled his eyes. "Oh lovely," he replied, his tone deadpan. "I can't wait to have to put up with two Sams' worth of antics."

At this, Skarloey and Robert broke into laughter, with even little Peter joining in, and Rheneas couldn't keep but grin—the joy was absolutely infectious.

-----

"Hi, Pop!" called a youthful voice, and Robert Sam alighted from Rheneas' cab to see 8-year-old Peter running towards him, waving wildly. A beaming smile so wide it seemed like it might hurt stretched across his face. "Hi, Rheneas!"

"Good afternoon, Peter," the crimson engine smiled. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Of course I did!" Peter grinned. "I even saw Skarloey go by today, and I waved at him!"

"Oh?" his father chuckled. "I'm quite sure that was us, though. Wasn't it, Rheneas?"

The engine gave his driver a sidelong look, but his smile didn't waver. "Don't involve me in your nonsense, Robert Sam."

In that mercurial way that only children can manage, Peter's earlier grin vanished, replaced by a pout that caused his face to scrunch up like he'd sucked on a lemon. "Yeah! Leave Rheneas alone, Pop! Besides, it wasn't you; I know how to tell the difference between Skarloey and Rheneas! I have to know these things if I'm going to be a driver one day."

This proclaimation caused the easygoing smiles on Robert and Rheneas's faces to subtley shift into twin expressions of wonder, both sets of eyes wide in surprise. "Peter... you seriously want to be a driver one day?" his father asked.

"Yeah!" the boy replied, his grin bubbling back up at the thought. "Rheneas and Skarloey are my friends! I want to go up and down the line with them, just like you!"

Engine and driver felt their hearts swell. But before either could respond, there came a call of "Peter!" Mrs. Sam had arrived, ready to take Peter home, and the boy waved at his father and his friend one last time before running off.

"Robert... you didn't—" Rheneas began.

"Not at all," Robert marveled. "He decided all on his own. See, Rheneas? I told you he was like me. You'll have a friend for life!"

Once again, Rheneas rolled his eyes, but the sparks in his firebox felt bright. Maybe these things did run in the family after all.

-----

"You have everything you need, right?" Robert asked, a rarely-heard trace of worry in his tone.

"Yes, Pop," a 16-year-old Peter Sam smiled, seemingly unaffected by his father's aura of anxiety. "I'm all packed!"

The young Sam had quite a bit of luggage, and Rheneas idly wondered how well he would be able to manage it all. Peter was going to be away for quite some time, off on an apprenticeship and volunteer opportunity with another railway. Both father and engine were excited for him, but Rheneas couldn't deny that he also felt somewhat sad.

"Do your best, Peter," Robert counseled. "Ask for help if you need it, accept advice as it makes sense to do so, and while not everyone is your friend, not everyone is your enemy either. Make friends, learn a lot, and please do write to us." With that, the driver embraced his son in a hug, and Rheneas couldn't help but smile.

"Your father's right, Peter," he seconded. "If you are truly committed, then you must give it your all. No being half-hearted about it!"

Peter laughed as his father finally let go, his familiar cheer bringing Robert and Rheneas no small amount of comfort. "Ok, ok! Geez, it's like I have two dads! I'll be alright, and I'll write you when I get there."

Suddenly, a loud whistle sounded as Gordon pulled up with the Express.

"There's my train!" Peter exclaimed, eyes bright as he began corralling his luggage. "Off I go. Bye, Pop! Bye, Rheneas!"

"Good luck!" Rheneas called.

"Have fun!" his father shouted.

And with a bevy of bags and bustle, Peter Sam got himself on the train, waving good-bye to his father and (self-proclaimed) second dad. In a few short minutes, the train pulled out of the station, leaving Robert and Rheneas to watch it go with complicated emotions on their faces and in their hearts.

"...Do you think he'll come back?" Rheneas asked quietly, his words almost imperceptible over the sound of Gordon's grand exit. "He's a good lad, but there's so much more out there than here on Sodor, especially our little railway. Maybe he'll find work on some large railway somewhere."

"Truthfully, I don't know," his driver replied, his anxiety now replaced with a resigned somberness. "But just as you said, whatever he does, we'll support him. And hey... you'll have me for as long as I can manage, old friend."

Rheneas smiled as Robert Sam gave his boiler a companionable pat, the familiar gesture appreciated amidst all of the change.

"And as always, I am grateful for it."

-----

Robert Sam walked out of the Crovan's Gate stationmaster's office with tired eyes, but a wide smile on his face. "Well, Rheneas, it's official! Sir Handel Brown wants me to take over as the next railway controller!"

Rheneas beamed in response, all of his earlier anxiety vanishing like steam in the wind. "That's wonderful, Robert! You'll do an excellent job."

After a moment, however, the engine's good cheer waned as a quiet hesitance took its place, his next words coming out a little slower than he would have liked. "I suppose that means that I'll have to have a new driver, though."

Robert Sam gave his engine an understanding pat. "I know you're not thrilled by the prospect, old boy, but it has to be done. I can't manage the railway effectively if I'm running trains."

"I know," Rheneas replied, his pensive expression once again being replaced by a small smile. "And you've been so good to me for all of these years. I've been quite spoiled."

At this, Robert gave a funny little grin that reminded Rheneas very much of Skarloey. "Well, as it happens, I'm leaving you in very capable hands. We received several applications for who would be your new driver, and it'll ultimately be your choice, but we have a candidate that I think you'll like very much."

This unexpected news caused Rheneas to blink, a look of surprise finding its way onto his face. "Oh? Who did you have in mind?"

Robert Sam chuckled knowingly, a twinkle in his eye. "He'll be out in a moment."

The newly-crowned controller had barely finished his sentence before the office door opened once again, this time to reveal a fresh-faced 21-year-old dressed in a good suit, with a rather dashing demeanor to match. However, Rheneas saw past the costume immediately, looking into the eyes of a boy whom he'd known since the time he was born.

"...Peter Sam? Is that you?"

"Hi Rheneas," the young man answered with an achingly familiar grin. "I'm home."

"So you are," the old engine breathed, willing the water in his tank to stay where it was. "But... what are you..."

"Well, I did say I wanted to become your driver one day," Peter replied sunnily, closing the distance between himself and the crimson engine. Once he was close enough for only Robert and Rheneas to hear, he continued. "And... between you and me, Pop said that if I was going to do it, I'd have to learn some secrets of yours, things that have been rather hard on you."

For the first time, Peter Sam's joy now had a hint of worry to it, a gentle kindness that he hadn't fully realized before he'd left but was so very him. "Pop said he wouldn't tell me what they were until you agreed that I could be your driver, but... whatever it is, I can handle it, Rheneas. I promise. You and Skarloey mean so much to me, and I'd be really happy if we could go up and down the line together. My apprenticeship and volunteer work was to learn how to operate engines, so that I'd be ready to drive one of you one day." Peter Sam bit at his lip, staring at the old engine with cautiously hopeful eyes. "So... what do you say?"

Rheneas was silent for a long moment, simply allowing himself to think back to Robert Sam's statement way back when. A friend for life. He couldn't deny that he'd been skeptical of Robert's bold claim, but looking at Peter Sam, it was clear that the lad loved railways, and that he loved this railway in particular. He'd really meant it when he said he was home. And Rheneas also couldn't deny the warm, fluttering feeling in his firebox at an outlandish declaration come to pass, through neither force nor coercion, all because the Sam family truly was, as Robert had said, a train family. A train family that had decided Rheneas would be their friend forever, just as he had decided to entrust himself to Robert all those years ago.

"Well," Rheneas said at last, a reassuring smile spreading across his face, "I suppose that I could be convinced to let you trial me. I've put up with your father for this long; I somehow doubt you could be any worse."

"YAHOO!" Peter Sam yelled gleefully, pumping his fist in the air before suddenly realizing that he was making a scene. "I mean, thank you, Rheneas! You won't regret this! We'll be great! Hahaha!"

Once again, Rheneas couldn't stop himself from laughing along as Robert also joined in. If there was one thing that he could say about the Sams, it was that Peter Sam's joy truly was as infectious as his father's.