Worst “Master Of The Arts” Ever

Warning: sarcasm | | pronouns they/them

[digitalkiddo]

If you're writing anything involving cons, scams, heists, or morally questionable characters who are very good at lying, here are some free resources I've been using for research. Saving you the "why is this in my search history" anxiety.

1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.

2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.

3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.

4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.

5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.

Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.

Reblog to save for later. Your WIP will thank you.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

This phrase has already entered my vocabulary re: media criticism where like. The viewer has a concrete view of what they expect a story to be based on the tropes and cliches they're used to seeing together, and when that doesn't happen, they judge it as a failed depiction of what they assumed it was going to be instead of judging it as what it actually is.

"This show is problematic because the hero didn't kill the villain at the end": When does he steal the bread?

"These two characters who were close friends throughout the series don't kiss at the end! What the fuck?": When does he steal the bread?

"This feels like it's missing a conclusion! Like, the protagonist does bad stuff and because of a critical decision he makes as a result of his major character flaws, meets tragedy in the end! Where's the part where he learns better and brings is love back from the dead and becomes a good guy and gets a happy ending?": When does he steal the fucking bread??

[thetetra]

I heard this out as "When criticizing something, you must judge it for what it is, not what it isn't"

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

#this is why so many of us urge people to get a wider diet of stories

[nitashinori]

That post about death note being "everyone's first anime" (untrue statement) made me curious and now I want to gather data for science

Can you reblog this and tell me where are you from and what was your starter anime?

[levicatguy]

i think it's unfortunate that though games like the sims and the new tomodachi life are getting lauded for their lgbt representation (which is great and necessary, don't get me wrong), i haven't seen much discussion about how they severely lack any kind of disability representation. no wheelchairs or other mobility aids like canes or crutches, no amputee options. sims 4 only recently added blood glucose monitors and hearing aids in create-a-sim, but there's no gameplay functionality to go with them. i was trying to make a disabled oc in tomodachi life and i just think it sucks that lots of folks still can't make a character that truly represents them, even in 2026.

[fanzines]

'Don’t Just Do Nothing: 20 Things You Can Do to Counter Fascism' is a zine by Jewish anarchists on how people can organise and act in this changing terrain. Download it (it's free), read, print and distribute it IRL!

[asynca]

I watched an insane amount of TikTok and other short form videos for the story I'm writing right now. I gotta say, afterwards, I found myself picking up my phone and opening the apps, almost unconsciously. I was walking and I thought about watching some vids at the same time. I was on hold to the ATO... maybe some videos.

I also happen to specialise in gambling addiction (although I'm not practicing in that area right now), and all I could fucking think about was how these fucking apps were conditioning me in the same fucking way gambling apps do. To be constantly plugged in, consuming. To not even think about just picking it up and having a look. To feel bored when I wasn't watching them, to think about watching them when I wasn't watching them....

That shit is fucking evil.

I deleted it. I'm not exposing myself to that.

That shit will fry your dopamine/reward system so fucking bad you will never read a book or watching a movie again without it.

Love yourself and your potential enough to put that fucking shit away. Watch longer form things that require focus and engagement. Listen to podcasts and audiobooks. Read books. DO ANYTHING BUT CONSUME SHORT FORM CONTENT IN AN UNSTRUCTURED WAY.

If you MUST consume it (I'm sure people will be like 'but my classmates' or 'but my own channel'.... etc), do it in a siloed and structured way. 30 minutes between x time and x time on x day. Focus on it. Don't eat and do it. Watch each short form video to completion. Engage critically with the content. ANd never watch them first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

PLEASE. From a gambling professional, short form videos ping your SAME circuitry and you will fuck up your life and your brain so badly if you don't put up guardrails for yourself.

[actingwithportals]

Would you be willing to elaborate on the ableism in that isat au? I mostly know the au in passing so I’m not super informed, but I’d like to know so I don’t make the same mistakes with my own creations. Genuinely no pressure though

Disabled character who is presented (or at least interpreted as by others) being unable to/incompetent at taking care of themself on their own. Implies that disabled people need to be taken care of instead of knowing how to live with the disabilities they have and experience every day.

Is blind but doesn't use a cane or read braille and is instead given magical explanations for how they can get around these things. Implies that these things are unnecessary or that blind characters would be more interesting/palatable to a (sighted) audience if they are shown to not need those pesky mobility aids/accessibility tools.

Completely blind except for magical exceptions (seeing the stars) (and this helps them to circumvent certain aspects of blindness that are not realistic). Implies that a character must have some kind of workaround to their disability in order to be capable of portraying, because leaving them to experience the full breadth of that disability is "too hard" to attempt.

Is apparently very skilled but is constantly infantalized (example: can't let the disabled person fight despite being fully capable). Implies that no amount of effort a disabled person might put in to being competent at a skill will ever be enough to be treated like an equal.

There's a whole thing about touching other character's faces to see what they look like. Blind people don't do this. This is an extremely common and offensive trope that blind people are sick of. Implies that we give a fuck about what a person looks like when that is completely irrelevant information to someone who is blind.

Portrayed wearing sunglasses, which is another trope that most blind people do not do, and at this point it's so uncommon in reality yet popular in media that I think it really does not need to be on the table anymore. Also cloudy/white eyes. Very few types of blindness cause that. It shows a lack of understanding over how blindness works/a refusal to do research into actual conditions that cause blindness. Implies that the aesthetic preferences of a sighted person is more important than what is truthful to a blind person's reality.

An AU almost entirely done through a visual medium (comics) and yet has no accessibility offered so real blind people could ever engage with it. Implies that we are not expected to exist in this fandom and would want to engage in fanworks, or that our thoughts/input would be desired on a portrayal about us.

I wrote up a post talking about how to write/draw blind characters, because while these issues frustrate me in any work that poorly portrays blindness, I would rather see people learn and improve than to not try at all.

[pangur-and-grim]

would commissioning horny art of my book be freak behaviour, or no

[pangur-and-grim]

you know what, that’s true

[pangur-and-grim]

alright I'm going for it. this is the reference sketch I sent the artist

[pangur-and-grim]

HOLY SHIT!

this was done by the amazing @taylor-titmouse! AND if you wanna know what these two men are getting up to, you can read Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die

[taylor-titmouse]

i truly do love that reference sketch i was given. as you can see i did not follow it at all

[pangur-and-grim]

I've asked my publisher if I can share the scene with the class, because the Illustration did have to be slightly.... amended, to fit with tumblr's nsfw policy.

[pangur-and-grim]

ALRIGHT my publisher said yes, you can share an excerpt, but only one or two sentences. so I've chosen very carefully:

I let out a little sound of something that wasn’t fear. The mad sorcerer froze so completely that he resembled one of his constructs. With agonizing slowness, his gaze traveled downward. “Are you . . . What is wrong with you?” He leaped backward, nearly tripping over his own robe. “How could you possibly be erect right now?”

[pangur-and-grim]

and the book is now OUT and READABLE! learn all about Sir Cameron's accidental erection, and the mad sorcerer's..... response (here's the link)

[moonstonecassie]

Since Netflix is removing She-Ra in January or something here’s a link to a Google drive with all five seasons <3

[liquidgoldgoblin]

Since it's less than two weeks before SPoP is removed from Netflix, I just wanted to reblog this again for visibility and to make sure more people can watch it.

[thckskulll]

Gay Black History. Blackness and Disability.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8uHfsCV/

[thckskulll]

What’s being said in the video: “I bet you didn’t know a black man invented the silicone soldier. Welcome to strap 101 where we talk about everything you need to know to do the silicone salsa. And today we are gonna talk about strap history, which you probably didn’t know is black history.”

“There would be no silicone soldier if it wasn’t for Gosnell Duncan, a black Grenadian man who, in the 70s, had an accident that left him paralyzed. But instead of letting that define him, he turned his pain into progress that also resulted into you and I’s pleasure. He realized that people with disabilities were left out of intimate design, so he invented the silicone soft pack, one of the first silicone based toys built for accessibility, comfort, and inclusion. What he started wasn’t just about pleasure. It was about liberation, empowerment, and respect for everybody.”

“So when we talk about Black history, black innovation, and innovation for sexual wellness, we have to say his name, Gosnell Duncan, the man who made the industry more human and accessible. The reason why you and I can strap up to this day. And a name that is often left out when it comes to sexual wellness history and black history as a whole. Happy Black history month, and thank you to Mr. Gosnell Duncan.”

[doberbutts]

Again I say it

📣 EVERYTHING GOOD IN THIS WORLD WAS INVENTED BY BLACK PEOPLE 📣

Everyone say thank you black people

[genderkoolaid]

also gonna add that, apparently, there is a podcast episode narrated by Steve Buscemi which goes over Gosnell Duncan's story. so that's incredible and i will be listening to that posthaste

[theprofessional-amateur]

Link to original post with all the links

Some very helpful tools, ideas, and ways keep going or get involved

I will add the resource Big Beautiful Boycott as a way of checking businesses to avoid that is not an app

The Big Beautiful Boycott stops funding to those funding fascism. Every dollar is a choice

[maigaza99]

My mother is dying while people scroll past. Every minute of delay is killing her. This is life or death. Please reblog.

$25 from 25 people could decide if we survive tonight. Please don’t scroll past. Donate or share. Donate here PayPal Verified fundraiser

[maigaza99]

I don’t want to lose my mother. Every contribution can save her. I urgently need $600 today your support today could save her life.

[akashicrecord]

the lesbian computer from portal was right. given the circumstances ive been shockingly nice

[ivy-connivy]

insane like/reblog parity on this post btw

[divorce-enjoyer]

why go to the grocery store or to a restaurant when you can just get food delivered why go to the mall when you can get same day shipping on amazon why go to the library when you have kindle why make art when there’s ai why go to the cinema when you can stay at home and watch netflix. we are in a loneliness epidemic btw

[divorce-enjoyer]

the loneliness epidemic was invented by BIG SHIT to sell you more SHIT

[decompositie]

[melancholic-pigeon]

reblog to give prev a fUCKING BREAK in 2026

[callmebliss]

And they look out so hard for the well being of the spiders AND the dolphins

[callmebliss]

@moss-wizard of course this isn’t how we serve it!!

It has to be in a dish with much higher sides, so when we go to cut it and it tries to sliiiiiide away it doesn’t escape and blorp blorp blorp across mom’s nice tablecloth

[breelandwalker]

SLICE YOUR CANNED BOGBERRY GOO INTO DISCS BEFORE SERVING, YOU FILTHY HERETICS.

[traegorn]

NO. IT WILL BE SERVED IN PROPER CAN SHAPE, AND WILL HAVE ITSELF SCOOPED INTO WEIRD SHAPES THE WAY THE GODS INTENDED

[breelandwalker]

YOU STAY OUTTA THIS, GOD-QUEEN-EMPEROR. AND TAKE YOUR CERVID STALKERS WITH YOU.

[dandelion-witch]

It's supposed to be served in can shape with two discs already sliced and laying tastefully in front

[breelandwalker]

I have consulted the scriptures and this is variation is still within the bounds of orthodoxy.

[tribblesandtribulations]

Mash the can shape up. We giving the table what they want, chaos in a dish, with a serving spoon.

[breelandwalker]

[moiracolleenodell]

Not to derail the escalating heresy, but what do dolphins have to do with cranberry bogs?

[amastodonofconflict]

[phizgigz]

cranberry is served in its can shape in the can direction, not on its side but on its cylinder

[olliums]

Right but you guys know that ocean spray also sells like. Cranberries. Which you can use to make an actually edible cranberry sauce on the stovetop in 10 minutes of unattended cook time

[aniseandspearmint]

actual cranberries? ew no thank you. The unprocessed chunky stuff is GROSS.

[oft-goes-awry]

Look, in my house, we mix it with whipped cream and freeze it in a graham cracker crust for dessert!

[somethinginterestingithink]

@oft-goes-awry

what the actual fuck?

[oft-goes-awry]

@somethinginterestingithink

Behold, my grandmother's recipe for Cranberry Surprise:

For the crust, combine 2/3 cup crushed ginger snap crumbs (put them in a large plastic bag and crumble with a rolling pin, or a mug if you don't have one) with 2 T. of sugar. Press into a 9" pie plate.

For the filling, pour a half-pint of regular whipping cream into a bowl, and beat until stiff. Mix in 2 T. of sugar and 1/2 tsp. of almond extract.

In another bowl, take a 14 oz. CHILLED can of jellied cranberry sauce and mash it with a potato masher if you've got one, or a fork if you don't. (My mom bought me a potato masher specifically so I could make this dessert at holidays without having to borrow hers.)

Once the log is goo, fold the cranberry sauce into the whipped cream mix. Yes, it's supposed to be THAT pink.

Pour the pink cream-and-cranberry mix into the crust and freeze for at least 24 hours. Cut and serve immediately upon removal from freezer.

[justgot1]

American Horror Food is one of my favorite tumblr post types.

(I make it from real cranberries but if I decide to go with Goo Log, I mash it like the unorthodox godkiller that I am.)

[strid3rofthen0rth]

I can only add that I worked in a deep freeze warehouse for a little bit when I was younger. The cranberries would come in loose around Halloween. This big machine would clean, sort, and dump them into 1000 lb wooden bins that would be forklifted and stacked to freeze in the warehouse.

One time, somebody lost control of a bin and broke it open. I would like you to picture a dozen warehouse workers slip sliding around on frozen cranberry ball bearings for hours, trying to clean them up, while you play Yakety Sax in your head. It was a nightmare.

[arianrhodsgarden]

Doesn’t everyone have a special cranberry-from-the-can serving plate and slice-cutting tool! What, are you all just living live Neanderthals?!?!

[callmebliss]

Oh my ZOD I love that

[astrid4189]

my brother is a culinary artist. one year he made some amazing cranberry sauce that nobody touched. the next year he made the same sauce, added a thickener, and set it in a ribbed can (he reused a pumpkin can iirc), and it was a hit.

we like the vague can-shaped fruit gelatin. i personally like it even more when it’s home-made.

[annleckie]

Ah, in my house we serve this standing up on a plate, and we call it Invisible Can. It is not a holiday dinner without Invisible Can.

[gallusrostromegalus]

Hello international friends, I am delighted to report all of the above is real :)

Not to come in with a steel chair here, but the ideal pairing for cranberry sauce in all forms, and the meat we *should* be serving at Thanksgiving, rather than easy-to-improperly cook turkey that tastes like napkins, is Lamb.

[gingersnapwolves]

okay but I still want to know what dolphins have to do with this???

[gingersnapwolves]

I have consulted The Ancient Texts (aka my mother in law) and have found confirmation that slicing is correct because why else would this exist?

[dyedvioletreblogs]

Ten minutes for homemade cranberry sauce??????? What are you on. No. That's 40 minutes minimum and you better be adding pepper flakes and orange juice.

[mysteryteacup]

Cetacean Harvestation

No, cranberry farmers aren't netting and canning dolphins during the harvest season.

How Cranberry Bogs Work

How can something as delicate and delicious as a cranberry thrive in something as filthy as a bog? Blame it on the durability of this most u

[daughterofscotland]

...

In Germany we just put the cranberries on pears.

[thestrangestthlng]

As a bitch with texture ✨preferences✨ the only way I will eat it is jellied and the you have to still see the can lines for optimal flavor.

[massachusetts-official]

Official Post of Massachusetts

[beemovieerotica]

sharing here for people in baltimore, this looks well researched/likely to be happening soon. please be vigilant

ICE raids coming to Baltimore

I've been tracking/following federal government contracts for a little over a month now and have reason to believe Baltimore is next (or very close to the top) on the list for ICE raids.

The General Services Administration (GSA) posts leasing opportunities to vendors to work with the government on their website and other contracts can be located on SAM.gov. I'll include links below.

As of **10/31**, the opportunity, *"Administrative Office Space in support of Law Enforcement Operations Baltimore City, MD"* was posted, requiring 44 office cubicles/workstations. Offers (options for the government to choose from) are due **11/7.** 

On that same day, Baltimore County was removed from the sanctuary jurisdiction list and has agreed to work with ICE.

On **10/30**, another leasing opportunity, "*Administrative Office Space in support of Law Enforcement Operations Hyattsville, MD"* was posted, also requiring 44 cubicles/workstations with offers due **11/7**. 

On **9/29**, Baltimore City, MD; Orlando, FL; Seattle, WA; Towns of Islip and Smithtown, NY were all included in a leasing opportunity, "*Administrative Office Space in support of Law Enforcement Operations"* requesting 70 workstations each. Offers were due **10/7**.

**Chicago and Memphis also had listings requesting space to support law enforcement prior to hell breaking loose. San Francisco had this listing as well.** 

On **9/23**, a vendor was awarded a contract through ICE for 42,000 Meals Ready-to Eat for a 6 month period to the Baltimore and Salisbury detention centers. 21,000 were to be delivered immediately and the remainder 90 days later. 

I don't want to fear monger and I'm not professionally well-versed in the world of contracting but, I'd much rather be loud and wrong here than silent and sorry. Compared to other contracts I've been reading, Baltimore has hardly been listed on any until now.

[https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/983b3fdf7736400caf4392adf3bbcd8f/view](https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/983b3fdf7736400caf4392adf3bbcd8f/view)

[https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/0f4999f25bee48b7b276582920c7c921/view](https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/0f4999f25bee48b7b276582920c7c921/view)

[https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/09ab0782924c4010ab92f7dca6a32a2b/view](https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/09ab0782924c4010ab92f7dca6a32a2b/view)

[https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/b42b40a8dec44d55be77b34e52049014/view](https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/b42b40a8dec44d55be77b34e52049014/view)

[vaspider]

Legit, this is G-d's work. That's not fear-mongering, that's good, solid work.