The real life embodiment of the Ben Afflick meme. I've been here a while now. November 5th 2020 changed everything. Ex SPN fan who has begrudgingly been dragged back into the dumpster fire thanks to the unhinged choices of a certain Mr Jackles. I just wanna have a fun time and chat really nerdy things with other fun people. Call me Saz. She/Her. Bisexual disaster. 30something unapologetic fangirl.
You've probably noticed how, come August, so many people seem to turn their gaze towards Autumn/Fall and Halloween. You may be one of said people, I know I am.
It's not just because you're done with the summer sun and heat. It's because it's August, not September, that marks the beginning of the turn towards the next season.
My partner and I call August the time of Summer Gothic. For though the days are hot, bright and beautiful, there's a haunting melancholy to them, for this isn't the peak of summer, that has passed, this is its dying flame.
The sun has scorched the vibrancy out of land, leaving dry and brittle remnants in its wake. The verdant greens of nature take on darker hues. Fruit hangs heavy on the branch, ready to be picked. There's a promise of decay in the air. Now is the time of the first harvest, the time to reap.
Day by day, second by second, the nights creep in, subtly stealing away the lights dominion. There's a cool touch to the evening air and with it, comes a macabre fascination for the darker days ahead.
We stand in the cusp of summer and autumn. The fall is coming.
idk what traumatized or mentally ill person needs to hear this but dreams (especially the really disturbing ones you dont want to talk about to anybody) arent some deep peek into your psyche or a sign of your True Desires or whatever theyre quite literally your brain making fruit salad with whatever it can find on the shelf. just putting all that shit in a blender and hitting obliterate. its fine, youre fine, youre not a weirdo for it
Tried to watch Wednesday. Forced myself to watch the first season when it came out but it never really grabbed me. Watched half of the first episode of season 2 and then turned it off. I just can't get invested in it. I always get like that with the most popular shows.
Instead I'm watching Plebs. I knew about the show years ago but couldn't find it on streaming. It's now on Netflix. It's a dumb British comedy about 3 idiot boys living in ancient Rome. It's very much like the inbetweeners but maybe a tiny bit less vulgar. The setting adds to the fun of it.
My main reason for watching is Joel Fry (Frenchie in Our Flag Means Death) who is impossible not to love.
When I say this show is dumb and absolutely should not be taken seriously at all that's exactly what I mean. But that's what I needed right now. I already rewatched all 5 seasons of Ghosts (the original BBC version which is by FAR the best version and probably my number 1 comfort show) after crashing out bad after watching Sandman and I'm glad I've now found Plebs.
Does anyone have any other recommendations for comedies, light hearted shows, shows with compelling characters that don't end tragically, fun or creative concepts, and shows where the writers have even the tiniest fragment of respect for the story and characters?
I'll try anything so long as you promise me that I'm not gonna fall in love with a character who will be cruelly killed off in the end. Thanks.
You have to understand. I watched the movies maybe once as a kid when they came out twenty years ago. I've somehow avoided learning like anything about these books my entire life. Literally everything about these books was a complete unknown and surprise to me. Totally blank slate going on. I barely even knew how it ended.
Frodo didn't complete his task. Sam literally carried him up Mount Doom. And when he got to the end, he couldn't throw the Ring away.
But for Gollum biting it off with his finger, it wouldn't have been destroyed.
So Frodo's journey saved the world nonetheless.
And it broke him.
It was too much for him to bear. He could no longer live in the Shire or live in Middle-Earth. He wasn't of the world anymore. He had to go to the Undying Lands.
He took on the task that no one else would. He saved the world. Everyone got a happy ending. Aragorn became King, Sam rebuilt the Shire, Merry and Pippin became heroes. They all lived in renown.
But Frodo had the hardest task of all. No one else would do it. A simple hobbit who came by the Ring by chance. Not a King, not an immortal. Not a wizard. No power save his will and his friends. And he did it and saved everyone.
And he never got to rest. He never got to remain in peace. The task destroyed him. It was too much.
But there was no other way. Nobody but a simple hobbit could bear the ring all the way to Mount Doom and resist its power so long. Not a man, not an elf, not a wizard; they would have succumbed. Gandalf knew this, which was why he chose the hobbits in all his designs.
It's amazing that one of the precedent setting works in the fantasy genre holds up so well because it subverts what ultimately became the genre's core tropes. The hero was not the King, or a chosen one. In fact, the hero not being the King was a key point that allowed Aragorn to distract Sauron and allow the task in the first place. The hero was someone unassuming but courageous, who did the thing because no one else would, even though it was just by chance he came upon it.
But Frodo couldn't resist the Ring completely. He wasn't superior to anyone else in that way. And in the end it left him broken. The burden crushed him. No one else could do it, and in the end, he couldn't either. He wasn't so special that he was invulnerable.
It's been a week and I'm still not over this, I'll never get over this.
Something that I've been thinking about, as I struggle with depression and anxiety and *another vague gesture at everything* is that LOTR does not criticize Frodo for being broken. It does not shame him or deny him what he needs.
The task was too much and it broke him and that's okay. His friends nonetheless take care of him and let him go with understanding. The book doesn't treat it as a bad thing.
This seems to be a theme throughout the books. The characters rest and heal. They spend time recovering in Rivendell, Fangorn, Lorien, Ithilien. It's treated as good and necessary. They don't heroically endure endless torment from the second they set out until they're done.
And in Gondor's march from Minas Tirith to Mordor, Aragorn recognizes that some of the very few men he's taking with him don't have the heart to go to battle against the Enemy. And he says that's okay. He gives them other tasks the they can do. They hold other strategic points. They aren't shamed for not going all the way, or kicked out, or told that they aren't manly or whatever. Their limitations are recognized and respected. The task was too big and it was okay that they couldn't do it.
I don't know man. I've held on through some absolutely crazy shit. White knuckled through mental health crises when my doctors were begging me to take a break, to go to the hospital before I hurt myself. My therapist has tried to slow me down and tell me that I've been going through it and it's understandable that I am feeling some kind of way. Even one of my colleagues remarked that I've had an absolutely fucking wild career and that I've seen more as a lawyer of seven years than she has as a lawyer of forty. But I've gotten it into my head that I have to be strong, I have to be independent.
Fuck me, man, I'm currently white knuckling through life and hanging on by a fucking thread. A few weeks ago I was about an hour away from checking myself in to a mental health facility until my best friends swooped in to help me. And then I went right back to work.
And then I read this book. This fucking brilliant and beautiful book written by a man who had seen the horrors of war and spilled it all over the page. And I read it for the first time as an adult with full understanding and experience of what it all means. And it hits me like a fucking truck.
And it says that you can't endure everything. That at some point you need to rest and heal. That if you take on too much you will break. And that all of that is okay.
How am I supposed to move on with my life after reading this?
We hope that you join us for this week of celebration, from 1st Sept to the 7th, for the second and final season of The Sandman!
Our stance on plagiarism and AI
We do not accept nor condone the use of plagiarism, including the use of AI, whether in writing or art. If you are caught using either, you will be disqualified from the current event and barred entry for the other events the Mr. Sadman team puts forward.
General Rules and Information
Being a server member, while strongly advised, is not mandatory for this event. Our AO3 collection will be entirely open and unmoderated for everyone to post. We will be accepting late submissions, so fear not if you don’t have time to post everything you wanted to post! Additional events, such as watch-parties, fic read-alongs and game nights, will be held on the server.
The official tags for this year’s edition are : #SadmanWeek and #SadmanWeek 2025
For reblogging purposes, make sure your tumblr blog is visible in searches and don’t be shy to tag our account (@mr-sadman)! Unfortunately, despite our vigilance, some posts can evade our attention, if that’s the case, please DM us and we will rectify the situation.
Official AO3 Collection : SadmanWeek2025 [link]
If you are under the age of 18, you will not be able to create explicit content for the event. Just to reiterate, Mr. Sadman is a 16+ server.
The Mr. Sadman Modteam is a firm believer of “ship and let ship” as well as the kinktomato (https://fanlore.org/wiki/Kinktomato). In accordance with the Server’s existing rules, we will not tolerate any discrimination and harassment in any forms whatsoever. This includes: queerphobia, homophobia, racism, content policing, hate speech, doxxing, shaming, etc, as well as hostility towards organisers and fellow participants.
Since the event is a few weeks away, what can I do now?
Spread the word and the joy! We have decided to post the prompts early to give more time for people to get creative!
Without further ado here is this year’s prompt list:
1/9 Monday: Hair Ribbon| Teeth | "If only we had more time"
2/9 Tuesday: Solace | Et tu, Brutus? | "I can't do this anymore."
3/9 Wednesday: Velvet | "May I have this dance?" | Flights of fancy
6/9 Saturday: “Only one of you.” | "If you can dream it..." | Familial
7/9 Sunday: A final toast | Secret identities | Treasure
FAQs/TLDR
FAQs :
When is the event? From September 1st to 7th! While you should post the prompt for each day it is associated with, we will also be accepting late submissions.
Can I combine prompts? YES!! Be sure to indicate which days and prompts you are using in your description, otherwise, go free! You can post on either days associated with your prompts, or, if it’s a multipart work, on each corresponding day!
Is there any content restriction? We accept all works of all mediums - writing, art, collages, playlists, podfics, translations, video edits, etc., whether they are SFW, NSFW and/or triggering. Writers and artists- tag appropriately; Readers and viewers - be mindful of tags!
Where should I post my work ? Anywhere on Tumblr or AO3!! We have accounts on both platforms and we also have an AO3 collection : SadmanWeek 2025 [link]!
What tag should I use for visibility ? We recommend using both #SadmanWeek and #SadmanWeek2025 as well as tagging our account (@mr-sadman)! We will try our best to reblog every entry but if you see that we haven’t reblogged/retweeted your post yet, don’t be afraid to DM us! Make sure your blog settings allow your posts appear in searches - otherwise we might not see them!
Are polyamorous ships accepted ? Yes! As long as you manage to keep track of all the limbs.
Are xReader / xOC works accepted? Yes!!!
Do I need to be a part of the server to participate? We would love for you to join us in the server, but SadmanWeek is open to all! Some additional events (such as a watch party, game nights and fic read-alongs) will be held on the server, submissions do not need to come from server members only!!
I need help, how do I reach a mod?
If there is something that is not covered by our rules masterpost and/or FAQ, you are very free to reach out to us in the Discord server’s dedicated channel or in Tumblr DMs!
On the small soggy wet archipelago that makes up the modern day united kingdom, sunny days are a rare phenomenon. As such, the peoples of england cherish each and every one, even going so far as to write songs about them in their local music. With sunlight in such high demand, to block it deliberately is nigh unthinkable, hence their cultural confusion at the invention of the parasol.
So if you read the article, (1) you'll see the reporter is Japanese, and (2) the article isn't even about the sun.
Across much of the world, umbrellas are simply used to shield people from the rain or to shade them from the sun. And while visitors to Japan may see many locals using them for these purposes, parasols also serve a far more powerful role in Japanese culture: they're spiritual vessels.
According to Tatsuo Danjyo, Professor Emeritus of humanities at Beppu University in Japan's Ōita prefecture, Japanese tradition holds that certain objects – including umbrellas – can serve as yorishiro (an object that attracts gods or spirits).
This belief is deeply rooted in history. Umbrellas first appeared in Japan between the 9th and 11th Centuries, but instead of shielding people from the weather, they served as symbols of spiritual or political power. Early umbrellas, such as the long-handled sashikake-gasa, were reserved for religious and political figures and were held by attendants over the elite.
I vividly remember this happening a few years back, when a Tumblr user posted a screenshot of a published journal article about why Indian food tastes particularly good. "White people spend all this time and money trying to work out why someone else has better food than them to discover the answer is 'spices'," they sneered
And I remember someone tracked down the actual article and discovered that (a) the authors were Indian, and (b) the answer was actually a super cool exploration of how Indian cookery uses spices to create contrasting flavours, unlike almost every other cuisine, which tries to pair similar/harmonising flavours.
Something something when your desire to dunk on white/British people makes you erase the work and cultural discussions of POC
as a pink lover. The ""universal""" hatred of the color pink by young girls is due to the heavy expectation of femininity forced on them. It is an expression of frustration at gender roles. It is not internalized misogyny. No you will not inevitably start liking pink as an adult and if you do that is not healing your inner divine feminine or whatever we're saying now. Its a color. 😁👍
A gift for my beautiful friend @softest-punk inspired by their wonderful fic The Tower, Death, the Hanged Man, and the Fool featuring Dream with the same pointy ears his creations have <3
I wanted that exact screenshot to capture the vibe of the fic where Dream smiles a lot, and blushes a couple of times - so I gave him a blush on his cheeks (his ear being in darkness made ear blush beyond my skills, it wouldn't look right no matter what I did) and made his lips a bit redder just because I love when gifmakers and fan editors colour him that way.
oh - and I had nothing to do with the eyeliner, that one's on the makeup artist.
long answer / fun facts for the curious:
This is the original screenshot:
I had to recolour it completely since it's EXTREMELY dark, with low contrast and desaturated. On top of adjusting a bunch of light and colour values, I had to lighten his ear separately because it was so dark the shape was unnoticeable even after all the colour-adjusting.
After that, the image as a whole was still very colourless with almost nothing standing out, so I literally painted over his eyes, mouth and teeth. If I hadn't, you couldn't see his pupil except for a couple pixels, his lips would be barely distinguishiable and his teeth very grey, and the whites of his eyes had gotten very pink from the colour-correction.
in the second edit, I was focusing completely on the details of his ear shape and the angle of the tip, rather than replicating the fic vibes, so nothing else is edited in that one.
A gift for my beautiful friend @softest-punk inspired by their wonderful fic The Tower, Death, the Hanged Man, and the Fool featuring Dream with the same pointy ears his creations have <3
