this is the reblog place

pari. she/her. just a little place for everything i want to reblog without cluttering up my main. ask to tag. icon by easygoingblend. header by thecalicoroses.

[ao3commentoftheday]

How would you recommend advertising or presenting fanfiction from other sites (LJ, FFN, and especially AO3) on Tumblr? I'm afraid I have no idea how to approach it, especially when it comes to describing, summarizing, or tagging it in a way that is more appealing to this platform.

Here it is, my definitive list of how to promo. This is what I’ve always done on Tumblr and it’s worked out pretty well for me.

1) Head it up with a graphic banner of some kind. 

If you’re not arty, ask a friend to make you one and then keep it consistent for that fic. It’s like a logo. You want to be recognized for it. It doesn’t have to be super fancy, just something with a bit of the flavor of your fic. It can even be a small mood board. 

This isn’t strictly required, but I see way more reblogs with bannered promos than non-bannered. 

2) Add a well-written summary of your fic. 

If you need help writing the summary, ask a writing friend for help. They’re likely to be more objective than you are and can probably boil it down more easily. However, I highly advise learning the skill of writing interesting summaries. It will get you far more readers on whatever platform you use. It’s what convinces people to invest their time in your work.

I suggest boiling it down to one para of three to five sentences. If it’s longer than that, it’s probably too long. Readers don’t need to know everything, just the relevant plot and/or trope info.

3) Next, a snippet of your fic. 

Just enough to get people interested, maybe two or three hundred words. You can do it from the very start of the fic for each promo if the beginning is super exciting, or you can give them a little bit from each chapter as you post updates. Choose carefully. Leave it with a hook to make readers want to click over to AO3 to read the rest.

4) Advertise your updates. 

Post new promos for each update you do. Start out with saying you’ve updated and maybe the number of chapters if it’s quite a few, then put your summary and the snippet after that. People like reading a fic with more/regular updates—a lot. 

5) Ask people to reblog the promo. 

Put it right on there so there’s no confusion about it.

6) Tag your Tumblr promos with fandom-appropriate tags.

That’s right. Don’t just tag it as fanfic, tag it with your fandom and the major character names in your fic. Tag it with big ships and/or major brotps in your fic. Get it in front of the eyes of people looking for fic in your specific fandom. Get it in those ship tags or general fandom tags. Also tag it with your URL or a writing-only tag so people can find more of your work on your blog.

Here’s an example of how I would tag a Stony smut fic by me: #stony #stony smut #steve rogers #tony stark #avengers fic #newly updated #mod m writes #hurt/comfort #angst with a happy ending

Get those higher ranking tags at the beginning and any sort of commentary or general descriptions of the fic at the end since that’s not going to get ranked by Tumblr and is only to help decide whoever’s looking at your post if they’d like to read the fic. 

If you’re in a smaller fandom, just tag the fandom name also. #marvel isn’t going to get you much, but if you’re part of a smaller fandom, tagging that fandom will get you in front of more eyes.

7) Don’t forget to link back to AO3 so they can continue reading.

Or whatever platform you’re using, LJ, FF, etc.

8) Other little things that can make a big difference:

Do writer’s asks and/or fic prompts if you can to generate interest in your writing/fandom blog. If you do prompts, always link back to your work on AO3 or other platforms you’re using so people can read more and kudos/comment on your work. 

Post even Tumblr prompts on your AO3 account as well and link back so people can kudos or comment. Always link to everything. Put your Tumblr URL in your author’s notes so people can follow you here from AO3.

Network with other writers in your fandom.

Network with BNF in your fandom. Ask them to reblog your fic promos or prompts if you’re on friendly terms with them.

See if your fandom has a fic-rec blog. Ask to be on it.

Participate in challenges and exchanges in your fandom. It’s a great way to network with other writers.

Followers, any other suggestions for how to promo your writing?

–Mod M

[theassociates]

I genuinely hate defending Tumblr because they suck so much, but accounts of trans women aren't being taken down because there's a staff hit-list or something. Transmisogynists (likely gender critical hate groups based out of other websites) are mass-reporting any posts that could count as questionable under any category. Because Tumblr has had a buggy auto-moderation system since like 2018, when those reports hit a certain number, the account is automatically terminated because it's assumed that the number of people reporting means this is a serious thing.

Appeals are very likely not looked at by people anymore. Tumblr is operating with a skeleton crew. I know there are some conditions under which you can get an account back, and these usually include ones under some number of reports where there's a "forgiveness" or more so, a benefit of the doubt. You can remake with the promise not to post whatever got you banned in the first place.

Tumblr explicitly states that all their moderation is user-report based. They don't flag any content using automatic tools (as in, they removed the automatic NSFW scan filter a bit ago, but you can still have posts flagged as mature by other users) and they don't send out any moderators to look for content to ban. They don't want to be caught up in legal issues for people perceiving that they're doing something such as... Well, sending staff out to terminate the accounts of trans women.

More should be done to prevent these mass-reporting campaigns, though. Asking the Tumblr @staff to implement time limits on reporting or making it so that a post can only receive a certain amount of reports... Maybe disallowing more than a certain amount of reports within a span of time, and requiring human intervention for posts that are suddenly spammed with reports? Those are probably the most effective ways to deal with it.

Having correct information and knowing what to request from a company is vital in these situations. Accusations and chaos aren't going to get results, and this only hands victory over to the transmisogynists sending these reports when nebulous Tumblr staff are targeted and nothing is done to thwart their part in it. Tumblr should be held responsible for their lax moderation methods that allow these issues to persist.

[aethersea]

tldr:

tumblr is not deliberately going around banning trans women.

terfs and other jerks are mass-reporting trans women as a harassment campaign. this leads to them being banned because tumblr's moderation system is user-based.

it's hard to get banned blogs reinstated, probably because tumblr is not having any real humans look at the appeals to reinstate blogs.

so it is not helpful to accuse tumblr staff of banning trans women. they're not doing that. your complaints should instead be about the user-based moderation system being easy to hijack like this, and the reinstation process being so garbage.

if we accuse staff of something they're not actually doing, we waste everyone's time and drum up anger & fear over the wrong things. accuse them of the things they're actually doing. the goal has to be solutions.

[musashi]

i am not a trans woman so please forgive me if this is out of line, but i AM someone who also happened to get their account banned/terminated because of mass reporting by terves due to my support of my trans sisters. obviously, i got it back, with all my memories & posts in tact.

if this happens to you, make a reddit throwaway and contact tumblr_acct_help, or reach out for help on any of the subreddits they frequent. they are an active member of tumblr staff who post in communities like r/tumblracctterminated and r/tumblrhelp, with enough power to actively look into specific problems if you give them your url.

at the very least, they have been emblematic in helping to provide insight as to what might have caused a termination or false flag. they've done a lot of good work explaining the actual processes behind what just looks like intentional bigotry & silencing on staff's part on the outset.

i know it is tempting to let rage be your motivator, to lean into that righteous fury, but genuinely, a lot of these problems are fixable, infuriating as they can be.

this obviously does not change the fact that this is an absolutely dogshit system, and the website needs to fix itself fundamentally. but if this DOES happen to you, it is not the end.

[crazysodomite]

Someone not being a furry is crazy to me. You're saying if you had a choice you would choose to have human feet and not paws or hooves or literally anything else. And you enjoy just being a human.... And you don't want horns or emotive ears or anything... That's crazy. Not even fur or scales or chitin

[memorizingthedigitsofpi]

✔️middle aged

✔️gender ambivalent (not ambiguous, but hopefully just as good?)

✔️advanced degree in esoteric field

✖️fibre arts hobby (although I keep squinting in the direction of crochet)

✔️crashing out

✔️willing to pin my remaining mental health on your OTP

the odds of me writing 100K in a single fic is incredibly low, but the odds of me writing 300K over the span of several dozen fics is actually pretty high

I enjoy nerdy colleagues to besties ships. I love banter. I enjoy ensemble casts that I can pull into fics along with the ship. I haven't fallen hard for a IP in like 8 years and I could really really use somethign to fixate on. I do not currently have the mental space or time to dive into a book series, but a TV show with 2+ seasons would go down pretty great.

If you want to shoot your shot, give me a show and a couple of sentences about why you love it (and the ship of course). Let's see if I can get myself an obsession before the end of the year.

[muppetshow2026]

you may think misogyny is good because it is made up of miso, which is delicious, and gyny, which is woman. and girl miso sounds great. but 👆 it is not girl miso

[foone]

I'm currently betatesting a new add-on to make replying much more efficient for trans femmes on tumblr

[foone]

This post is a joke, but if I made this for real, I'd of course make it scrape their profile for pronouns. There's too many cute trans mascs and enbies and such to make this a trans femme-only thing.

[foone]

I really need this feature now because I keep browsing Tumblr from bed and I've only got one hand (I'm disabled, not masturbating) so it's not easy to tell people they're cute

[predstrogen]

not even a full year apart... we stay silly :3 🐈

[predstrogen]

literally fuck off lol

[predstrogen]

tumblr has doubled down and after almost a week re-reviewed MY FUCKING TRANSITION and decided it still needed a community label for sexual themes

fuck this website and fuck every person working there you pricks

[predesterone]

hey remember the website that did this? well op just got deleted by them! fuck this website

[predesterone]

tumblr has now deleted all of these images stating they violate community guidelines, here are screenshots of before it was deleted

half a year later and theyre still fucking with my transition timeline. horrible website

[trinityhorrors]

my friend had an art project and wouldn’t lock in so I had to convince him

[amber-writhing]

Some thoughts.

Tip jar

[amber-writhing]

Can I just say it’s validating and uplifting to see this still get notes every single day since I made and posted it?? We are everywhere, and so are our allies, advocates and friends. Peace and love on planet earth

[tepkunset]

Actually I don't think it's being a "grammar snob" to ask people to learn proper language for referring to Indigenous peoples.

Personal example:

My people spent hundreds of years being wrongly called "micmac". There are people who have reclaimed this bastardized name and that's their right, but most folks I know detest it, and it's certainly disrespectful for settlers to keep using it. Call us what we want to be called, it's really not that complicated! if you're gonna talk about us, do it right.

What is correct -

Mi'kmaq = plural. "The Mi'kmaq are from Mi'kma'ki."

Mi'kmaw = singular/adjective. "My friend is a Mi'kmaw person."

Alternatively, L'nui'simk -

L'nuk = plural. "L'nuk ekwitamet sipuiktuk."

L'nu = singular. "Ni'n na l'nu tleyawi Potlotek."

[isuggestlandback]

Which one of yas is whining about this I'll knock ya 👀

[dragon-in-a-fez]

a billionaire can never be held accountable, therefore a billionaire must never make a management decision

[isuggesteatingtherich]

i have a suggestion

[dragon-in-a-fez]

forcefemming the billionaires won't help

[dragon-in-a-fez]

sorry I thought you were someone else

[bravehyde]

Ant Tenna Anatomy: What's In a CRT?

~Deltarune Chapters 3+4 Spoilers~

I think it's safe to say a lot of people like Tenna. TV heads are popular for a reason, they're fun! And obviously I'm not going to step on the toes of people making designs because you can do whatever you want. I've simply noticed quite a few people making him very modern under the collar, which is fun and all, but what if he's 90s tech all the way down?

I wanted to make a series of posts on possible things he could have as a television from the 20th century, as well as a broadcast host (since he seems to make his own show and would need to be sending that signal somewhere!) and just a piece of equipment that's walking around. Everything's bendable in that televisions aren't alive, so it's a fun exercise. This first post is just pointing out some things I've noticed that are very present day for such an old man. A quick checklist of things he may not have that a regular TV head or robot character would have, you could call it. I'll try to offer alternatives as well if you want them!

First things first: what is a CRT?

Most people use CRT to refer to the analog television set, however CRT technically doesn't mean that. CRT stands for Cathode Ray Tube, and is referring to the device that allows the image to be projected on the screen of the television. As such, know that when I just say "CRT", I'm not referring to the television. For the television set, we're still calling it a CRT TV, which may sound like a mouthful, but it's a pretty important distinction. For Tenna, the different between a CRT and a CRT TV is the difference between his brain and his head. We should know which is which!

It's incredible how CRTs work since it is, when we really really simplify it, electrons shooting through a glass tube completely devoid of oxygen to make an image appear on a screen we covered in phosphor cream. This is kind of a form of radiation, but a lot of things are a form of radiation when you boil it down, so that's not too big of a deal. Just know that most of what's in Tenna's head is what he uses for his display, this big glass thing right here. Basically, electrons are made by a heated filament and then bounce a million times to the screen where it displays a series of images. If you've ever heard that a CRT is radioactive, it's because of this thing. It can make x-rays, which generally you do not want to contact with your naked flesh or eyes. Sorry.

Are CRT TVs made of metal?

I put this one personally because it tickled me how many people do a full body of Tenna and give him a shiny shell when CRT TVs were not like that. If a CRT TV had a metal casing, it would be incredibly unsafe. All technology can hurt you if you fuck up, but since this thing can make ionizing radiation and/or implode with glass, they were especially careful. What's in his body past his neck can be debated, and I'll make a post later on ideas of what technology he may need inside him, but we're going to pretend for now that the rest of him is like a natural extension of a CRT TV. He's full of very thick glass that is incredibly difficult to break, designed to be free of defects, and with other little bits mixed in for durability and x-ray shielding. Yeah, these are one of many inventions that have a bunch of lead in them. Don't lick it even if it makes rainbows.

And so you don't get electrocuted, his ass is not metal. He would be incredibly ineffective if he was. If we used the incredibly simple term for his material beyond the screen, it's just plastic, but if you want to know the science-y one, Tenna's most likely made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS plastic. This type of plastic is used because it's very rigid, very tough, and incredibly resistant to chemicals and temperature. ABS is used in a ton of stuff, from toys to car exteriors to pipe fittings to medical implants. If you've heard recently about something being replaced with 3D printed plastic, there's a good chance it's ABS plastic.

Obviously, that's not as fun to shade if you're going for an incredibly rendered piece, so I can see why people would default to metal, but I've also seen more people lovingly render LEGO bricks than I can count, so I think there's something there for you. Bonus points if you want to bring up how he's probably 30ish years old so you can put all sorts of scratches and dents in there. Who didn't have scuff marks on their childhood TV on the corners?

Do CRT TVs have wires?

We all know why this is on this list. I don't have to say it. And yes, CRT TVs have wires, just a lot less than you're thinking. By "a lot less", I mean this is what the inside of one looks like, with a quick video of someone taking one apart.

Highly recommend watching videos of people taking old technology apart, btw, it's addicting. But anyway, this is a bullet point for a slightly separate reason. It may be tempting to have an art or fic where someone is taking Tenna apart for whatever reason.

Taking apart a CRT TV, like all technology, is very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. CRTs can emit radiation, the actual TV can be high enough voltage to kill you. To safely take apart one of these for repairs, you'd have to ground the power. That is one of the main wires in a CRT TV, actually. It's very foolish to do CRT TV repairs while the television is plugged in, AKA while it's on, AKA while Tenna is awake. You could definitely swing this as him showing trust to the other person that they can poke around his innards while he's unconscious, or of course, if Susie's doing it when he's kinda-almost-dead. Just, uh, don't do it while he can still react and talk. That's a pretty good sign you're going to get zapped.

For a lot of wire stuff it would probably make sense to do more AV inputs and outputs. Those would most likely go right into the back of his head, but if you fenaggle it to be in other places that'd make sense too. I personally think his neck is probably just those cords lol and it's a great way to get a pop of color in him. It's most likely also how he has a microphone if you want it physically connected to him.

Do CRT TVs have fans?

Another one that makes me giggle because I see people write this who are more used to doing computer-y robot people as their writing focus. I'm sorry babes, Tenna is no spring chicken. He's not your MacBook that wails in agony when you try to play Minecraft, he's not that Windows laptop that vrrrrrrrrrrrrrs when you dare to put it on a blanket. He does not have a fan. In the days of the CRT TV, if he got hot, he got hot, and he had an oven inside of him to force him to cool off, but it took a long time. I know a lot of people want to bring up fans to talk about him ~overheating~, but it isn't quite like that.

This doesn't mean you lose the idea of him needing to cool off. Quite the opposite, really. Anyone else really like to touch the front of a CRT TV after it's been on for a while? How it kind of hurts but in a good way? You know, that little zap? Just a nice way to get around that. Of course, when people talk about a CRT TV getting really hot, it's a good idea to have a fan in the room. Maybe Tenna has an old box fan in his chest to help him thermoregulate? Food for thought, I guess.

Do CRT TVs have pixels?

This is a toughie and something that I find really fun: in a way, CRT TVs predate pixels as we think of them. LCD screens have pixels as set objects on the screen, tiny panels that cover it. CRT TVs do not, and I can explain why they don't but that's a huge thing that will take several paragraphs and pictures and I can post about at length later, so for now just take that they don't. Images in general have pixels, but they aren't projected on the CRT screen how they would be on a pixellated screen. This is part of why a lot of people got rid of CRT TVs, since this makes the pixels come out "blurry" compared to the clean, high resolution of an LCD screen. You can adjust a CRT TV to project more pixels since it doesn't have them as a set number of resolution on the screen the way an LCD TV does though! I think a lot of people have seen this image before but I'll put it here anyway as an example of what this means appearance wise. Still pixels, just doesn't look like it.

Honestly, it makes Tenna's appearance in the game that much more interesting. His pixels don't stay in the same place the way they do for every other character, with defined outlines and the same sized pixels throughout the story. Him shrinking and growing could be seen as him setting the resolution on his monitor to accommodate how many pixels he wants to be. He doesn't have an outline like everyone else because he doesn't have the set pixel count, instead approximating it the way all CRT TVs do! He already had some light reality bending powers given that he can teleport us wherever he wants and put up a "technical difficulties" screen, but him using an ability that powerful for something so seemingly inconsequential is insane. I'd also recommend looking at Tenna's sprites on a CRT TV if you track down one of those videos, because his appearance in the normal game compared to that intro cutscene on a CRT TV is crazy similar and I love it.

That's all I have for this first post. Very introductory, very basic. I know some things because I grew up with CRT TVs, some things because I have a degree in media stuff and had to take classes on the history of television and cinematography, and some things because I just kind of got curious and wanted to look into it. Obviously, I don't know everything to ever exist, but I know not everybody wants to do the digging I do for fun on old technology or knows where to look.

I'll be making more posts under the tag "ant tenna anatomy" if you want them, and my ask box is always open! Any questions you have, I'd love to answer.

[3wisellamas]

Fellow CRT TV owner / person who grew up with CRTs here, with some more trivia that might be useful for Tenna art / fics / headcanons:

I looked it up and CRT TVs maxed out at 48 inches, anything bigger than that is usually a projection TV which is a completely different animal (I've had both).

A 48" CRT TV like Tenna likely is at his size weighs about 400lbs.

General rule of thumb is that each inch of screen width uses 10000 volts. So that 48" CRT uses 48000 volts, all of which which GOES INTO YOU if you touch it without discharging it first!! Also CRTs remain charged for a long time after being unplugged, meaning just turning one off doesn't make it safe to mess around with. Please please please DO NOT open up ANY old CRT TV for cosplay or other purposes unless you know what you're doing.

The glass is NOT a cover, it's literally the front of the CRT. It's very thick leaded glass, but it's not a LOT of lead so it's not TOO bad to lick, just don't, like, eat dinner off a TV screen.

CRACKS IN A CRT SCREEN ARE VERY VERY BAD. Like, The TV Is Permanently Fucked bad. CRTs work because they are basically a giant vacuum tube, and a crack in the glass would allow air to get inside, ruining it.

It's also entirely possible for a damaged CRT to explode, or rather, implode, since vacuum tubes are pressurized.

Burn-in, which Tenna mentions he totally does not have at one point (lying), is when a particular image is displayed for so long on the screen that an afterimage is permanently etched into it even when the screen if turned off. You see this a lot from video games, especially with CRTs in old arcade cabinets, and on computer monitors -- screen savers are in fact a method to reduce burn-in by displaying a different, constantly-changing image after a period of idleness. If you're playing a video game on a CRT TV it's important to NEVER leave it paused or otherwise on the same screen for too long!

You actually shouldn't just throw a CRT TV out with the trash like Toriel did (if you don't cart Tenna off to Castle Town / Mettaton's house first), they actually contain a lot of toxic chemicals including the aforementioned lead and have to be taken to a dedicated e-waste center for disassembly.

Something else Tenna mentions that some people might not be aware of, and that OP started to talk about above, CRT TVs technically only have three colors: Red, Green, and Blue. Each "pixel" in the screen is actually composed of these three colors, which you can see if you get close, and it's the specific amounts of light shining through each one that mixes those colors into the final image!

Here's a closeup of CRT TV pixels so you see what I mean:

Some sensory fun: Some people have mentioned this but the sheer amount of electrons shot towards the screen while the TV is in use makes the screen really staticky to the touch -- I used to enjoy sticking balloons and things to them when I was younger. (It also makes them really annoying to keep clean since dust and pet fur STICKS) That really thick ABS plastic does tend to warp very slightly over time, the edges not quite coming together as cleanly, and so pressing in on the sides of an old CRT TV or monitor can make it creak and pop. And also sound-wise, there's a very distinct sound most CRT TVs make when you first power them on, as the CRT activates and the screen degausses (de-magnetizes) -- it varies depending on the specific model but in my experience it's usually kind of a quiet pop followed by some crackling.

The screen also takes a few seconds to "warm up" before fading in and showing an image.

Back in the days of antenna TV, those "rabbit ear" antenna on Tenna's head were pretty common -- something important to note is that these were often aftermarket, and were NOT ACTUALLY ATTACHED TO THE TV. You'd plug them into the TV's coaxial port and they'd just sit on top, and you'd adjust them as needed until the signal came in clear enough -- there was always at least a little static when dealing with over-the-air programming, and it heavily depended on distance from the individual station's broadcast towers as well as time of day and weather conditions! (There are REASONS why the Weather Duo are Tenna's seconds-in-command!)

Antenna TVs did NOT get a ton of channels. Unless you live in a really big city market you'd usually only get a few local channels. And in 2009 (in the US at least) broadcasters switched over from analog to digital, meaning that old antenna TVs no longer work at all without special converter boxes! Tenna's so obsolete today it's not even funny... ;-;

The CRT Whine. It is real, just maybe a bit more audible to people with sensitive hearing (like myself) -- CRTs do indeed make a constant noise while they're active! It's a very quiet high-pitched tone, kind of like that "ringing in ears" noise a lot of movies use, that is best heard with the TV on but muted.

[3wisellamas]

Something I forgot to add until today: Ports!

CRT TVs do NOT have HDMI ports.  Please do not give Tenna anything with an HDMI plug, he won't have any clue what to do with it.  Instead here's some ports you might realistically find on a CRT TV, in order of modern-ness:

This is an S-video port, which is a slightly higher-quality video input introduced in the mid-90s.  Usually you'll see these paired with RCA (below), and they're used for game consoles and MAYBE DVD players.

This is an RCA port, also called AV component input, which is BY FAR the most common type of input you'll find on a CRT TV.  It's used for game consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and most other devices.  Note that the yellow cable is for video, while the white and red cables are for stereo audio (left and right channel), though on some older sets you'll find yellow / white or yellow / red for mono audio.

This is a VGA port, which isn't really that common on TVs (though I've seen a few!) but is UNIVERSAL for computer monitors.

This is a coaxial port (pronounced co-axial), commonly shortened to coax.  These are primarily used for cable and antenna hookups, though occasionally older pre-RCA VCRs will connect using coax as well.  Sometimes these are labeled UHF / VHF like the port below, since they largely serve the same functions.  These do not usually plug straight in but instead need to be screwed onto the port using the rotating hexagonal metal piece at the end of the cable -- I also recommend using a small wrench to make sure you get a tight fit!  

This is a UHF / VHF port, which was largely phased out by the mid-80s in favor of coax.  These were also used for antennas, as well as game consoles via adapter boxes like the one in the second picture below.  These also do not actually plug into anything, you have to physically screw on two metal prongs using a screwdriver.

As an 80s / 90s CRT TV, Tenna would definitely have both RCA and coax inputs.  If he's newer he could have an S-video port, while if he's (much) older he might still have UHF / VHF, but not both at the same time.  VGA input would be unlikely but I have seen it on CRT TVs so it's definitely possible, so Queentenna fans don't despair!  Hopefully all this helps someone out there plug shit into this old man.

[2000pikas]

After Pain vs Pain comparisons

[oboetemasuka]

This has probably been brought up already, but I feel the need to bring it up anyway.

[Image ID: 1- Amane in the new pop-up shop announcement, in which she is raising her right arm over her head. 2- Amane in Magic, raising the wand over her head. 3- Acrylic standee of Amane in the T2 album cover, also raising her arm above her head. /end ID]

[puppyaulait]

May I offer you tokoyama 👀✨

[apolladay]

If you had to choose, where would you prefer to have your toilet paper positioned from you when you're sat on the toilet?

Left

Right

Ahead

Behind

I don't care as long as there is paper

Results

If you had to choose, where would you prefer to have your toilet paper positioned from you when you're sat on the toilet?

Left

Right

Ahead

Behind

I don't care as long as there is paper

Results

Voting ended onDec 3, 2025

[todays-xkcd]

"Want to feel old?" "Yes."

Fifteen Years [Explained]

Transcript

From Two Years: [Randall (drawn as Cueball) and Randall's fiancée (drawn as Megan) sit on a bed, Randall's fiancée is talking on the phone. The person she is talking to, a doctor holding a clipboard, is shown inset.] Randall's fiancée: Oh god.

[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit together while Randall's fiancée, now bald, is receiving chemotherapy. They are both on their laptops.] IV pump: ... Beeep ... Beeep ... Beeep ...

[Randall and Randall's fiancée (who is wearing a knit cap) are paddling a kayak against a scenic mountain backdrop.]

[Randall and Randall's fiancée sit at a table, staring at a cell phone. There is a clock on the wall. Her head is stubbly.] Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?

[Randall and Randall's fiancée are back at the hospital again, Randall's fiancée receiving chemo. They are playing Scrabble.] Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word. Randall's fiancée: But ''caaaancer.'' Randall: ...Ok, fine.

[Randall and Randall's fiancée (wearing a knit cap) are listening to a Cueball-like friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads and it obscures the friends talk. The text below, split in three is the only part there can be no doubt about:]

Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mounta - Randall and Randall's fiancée (thinking): '''"Next year"'''

[Randall and Randall's fiancée are getting married, with a heart above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back.]

[Randall and Randall's wife (wearing a knit cap) stand on a beach, watching a whale jump out of water.] ''Fwoosh''

From Seven Years:

[Randall and Randall's wife (with her hair noticeably longer) are walking through a forest.]

[Randall's wife is sitting down, not in the forest anymore.] Randall's wife: My toe hurts and I found a report of a case in which toe pain was an early sign of cancer spreading. Randall: Wait—didn’t you stub your toe yesterday? Randall's wife: Yes, but what if this is unrelated?

[Randall and his wife are going spelunking. The guide is gesturing deeper into the cave while Randall and his wife are climbing down.]

[Randall's wife stands on a rock above an alligator in a swamp, photographing the alligator. Randall is on a balcony behind safety railings.] Randall: When they estimated your survival odds, I think they made some optimistic assumptions about your hobbies.

[Randall's wife sits on an examination bed, listening to a doctor holding a clipboard.]

Doctor: This is probably nothing. Doctor: But given your history, we should do a full scan. Doctor: We'll call with the results in a few days. Try not to worry about it until then!

[Randall and his wife stand above a deep pond full of fish and other objects. Randall's wife is piloting a wired underwater camera with lights.]

[Randall and his wife are standing next to each other. Randall's wife has shoulder-length hair covering most of her face.] Randall's wife: Hard to believe—six years ago, I was bald. But today, after a long struggle, I finally look like the little girl from ''The Ring''. Randall: That's, uhh... good? Randall's wife: ''Hissssss''

[A line of six people, including Randall and his wife, stand and watch the solar eclipse.]

From Ten Years:

[Randall and his wife are sitting in a room with five bunnies sitting around and on them. The Poster on the wall reads: Rabbit rescue.] Randall: Do you think they're socialized enough? Randall's wife: This one might need one more head pat.

[Randall is running and pushing his wife on a hand cart.]

Someone off-panel: Has anyone seen the hand cart? Randall's wife: Wheee!

[Randall and his wife walks up hill with snowy mountains near by and in the background. his wife is gesturing to something ahead of them.]

[A large dark panel, to the right of the previous three, to the left in two rows. Randall and his wife sits, leaning back on their hands looking up, at the end of a pier going into a lake. The end is broader and they sit to each side of the middle of the pier. It is night and behind the lake there is a forest of pine trees. Above the three is a clear starlit night sky with hundreds of stars and the band of the Milky Way clearly visible. The trees and some of the stars are reflected in the water of the lake, distorted by the movements of the water. There is a box with the words "Ten Years" in the center of the image.]

From Fifteen Years:

[Randall and his wife are cuddling in their bed together. Randall is presumably reading from the book he is holding in his hand, Moominland Midwinter.] Randall's wife: One more chapter? Randall: Don't we both have to get up early tomorrow? Randall's wife: ''Nnnnnggggh'' Randall: Sure, good point.

[Randall and his wife are walking through a city. In the background is Hairy, Ponytail, and White Hat. Everyone is wearing a face mask and looking on their cellphones. On the phone are various graphs of COVID-19 statistics.]]

[Randall is wearing a beanie and a scarf, while his wife is wearing a matching scarf. Randall is holding out his hand to feed birds birdseed, while his wife is holding a cellphone with a bird on it.] Randall: Hah! They like '''''my''''' seeds best. Randall's wife: Wait, how do I take a picture of this one?

[Randall and his wife are kayaking in a river. There are 3 fluffy clouds in the sky and 6 birds. A forest grows on the riverbank, which is partially covered by reeds. There are lily pads on the river and a small turtle is on one of them.]

[Randall is lying in bed with his head propped up by 3 pillows, facing his wife. She is holding a large pile of items in her hands: a takeout box, a pillow, two blankets, a pill box, and a mug.] Randall's wife: I brought you honey lemon tea, more pillows, a cinnamon roll, Tylenol, another blanket, a— Randall: It was just appendicitis, I'm really— Randall's wife: '''It is my turn to take care of you and I'm going to do it right!'''

[Randall and his wife are sitting in their car, still and in shock. Randall is in the driver's seat.]

[Randall and his wife are still sitting in the same position in their car.] Randall's wife: Oh my god. Randall: Oh my god.

[The car is moving quickly and gravel can be seen bouncing up behind the car, as well as exhaust.] Randall's wife: Pull over! Randall: I am!

[The car has been parked and Randall and his wife are scrambling to get out of the car.]

[Randall and his wife are standing by the edge of a lake. The color is inverted, with the background geography black and their bodies white. A beautiful aurora of reds and greens is spread across the night sky.]

[Randall's wife is leaning against a tree and Randall is lying down on the grass looking up towards the sky.] Randall's wife: Fifteen years. No signs of cancer.

[Zoom in of Randall's wife's face.] Randall's wife: I am having some weird symptoms. Joint pain. Fatigue. I think I'm losing my close-up vision. Off panel voice: Yeah. Me too.

[Zoom out, back to the original panel with the tree on the hill. Randall's wife is facing down towards Randall.] Randall: I think we're getting old.

[Randall's wife is looking forward again.] Randall's wife: I guess that's okay. Randall: It's all I wanted.