#Best Influencer Platforms For Creators

[tixteenseo]

Revolutionizing Brand Engagement Exploring Influencer Marketing Platform

Greetings from the vanguard of brand engagement! In India's top influencer marketing platform, learn about the ideal way to link influencers and brands. Our platform uses the knowledge of the top influencer marketing company in India to open doors to success like no other. We provide the best influencer platforms for creators, empowering them and expanding their reach while assuring smooth collaboration and successful campaigns. Join us now to tap into the potential of bringing businesses and influencers together to forge dynamic alliances that produce outstanding outcomes. Take advantage of the strength of our platform—trusted by business titans as the top influencer agency in India—and transform the engagement strategy for your company. Visit us at -

[digitalgrowth1]

What is Linktree and Why You Should look for the Best Linktree Alternatives?

Linktree has quickly become one of the most popular tools for organizing and sharing links across social media. Known for its simplicity and accessibility, Linktree offers a solution for individuals and businesses alike who need to share multiple links from one profile. But while it’s widely used, Linktree may not always provide the best solution for everyone, which is why so many users are now exploring alternatives.

What is Linktree?

Linktree is a bio link tool designed to let you share multiple links from a single URL, typically used on social media profiles like Instagram or TikTok, which only allow one link in the bio. With Linktree, users can create a mini landing page with various links, directing followers to important pages, social accounts, online stores, blogs, or other resources.

Since its launch, Linktree has attracted a broad audience, especially influencers, marketers, and brands, for its simple interface and ability to gather multiple links under one bio link.

Why Users Love Linktree:

Ease of Use: Linktree’s interface is easy to navigate, making link management simple.

Aesthetic Options: Linktree allows you to customize your bio link page, adding colors, themes, and styles to match your branding.

Insights & Analytics: Premium users get access to valuable insights on link performance, helping them understand where engagement is coming from.

Widely Recognized and Trusted: With its brand presence and trusted reputation, Linktree has become a go-to for many.

The Drawbacks of Using Linktree:

Despite its popularity, Linktree has limitations that prompt users to seek alternatives:

Customization Limits: Free users get minimal customization options, limiting their ability to fully brand their page.

Lack of Advanced Analytics on Free Plan: Although Linktree offers analytics, the most valuable insights are locked behind the premium plan.

Branding Control: Linktree branding remains on free accounts, meaning your brand identity may not be as prominent.

Costly for Small Businesses: The premium features can add up, which might not be feasible for individual creators or small businesses.

These limitations may leave users feeling constrained or unable to fully represent their brand identity through Linktree alone.

Why You Should Consider Linktree Alternatives:

Given these drawbacks, many users are turning to alternative link-in-bio tools that offer better flexibility, control, and branding options. If you’re looking for more customization options, enhanced analytics, or simply a tool that fits your brand style better, it might be time to explore alternatives.

Best Linktree Alternatives

There are many tools available today that provide similar or better functionality than Linktree, allowing for more customization and branding options at different price points. Here’s a helpful guide on some of the best alternatives: Best Linktree Alternatives. Each alternative offers its own unique features, from advanced analytics to broader customization options, making it easier for you to find a tool that aligns with your specific goals.

Top Features to Look for in a Linktree Alternative:

If you’re considering a switch, here are some of the top features to look for:

Customization: A tool that allows for full brand control with customizable themes, colors, and fonts.

Analytics & Tracking: Access to detailed analytics so you can measure link performance effectively.

E-commerce Options: For creators selling products, some alternatives come with e-commerce tools integrated directly into the bio link page.

Seamless Social Integration: A good link-in-bio tool should work seamlessly with major social media platforms.

Affordability: While Linktree offers a free version, many alternatives provide more features at competitive rates.

Each alternative tool brings something unique to the table, and depending on your needs, you may find a perfect fit that outshines Linktree in functionality and ease of use.

Conclusion:

Linktree remains a popular choice, but as the digital landscape continues to evolve, there are several reasons to consider alternatives. Whether you’re seeking more customization, in-depth analytics, or affordable premium options, alternatives to Linktree provide an opportunity to elevate your social media strategy. Take some time to explore and find the best tool that aligns with your branding, audience engagement goals, and budget. A better bio link tool can make a world of difference in your online presence.

[truefanz]

Know more: https://www.truefanz.com/post/creator-spotlight-connect-with-american-kat-on-truefanz

[buywith]

Livestream shopping has revolutionized the e-commerce industry, offering a dynamic and engaging shopping experience that combines the convenience of online shopping with the excitement of a live broadcast. With the rise of social media and the booming content creator economy, livestream shopping has become a powerful tool for businesses to maximize sales conversion. In this blog, we will explore key strategies to help you leverage livestream shopping effectively and boost your sales.

[genericpuff]

zoo wee mama, the new Hbomberguy video is a RIDE and it's absolutely relevant to everything going on in webcomics. let's talk about it.

I'm sure a lot of you have heard about this video going around already (it's gotten 2+ million views in just a little over 24 hours) but if you haven't, I highly recommend you set aside time to watch it yourself, I was surprised to see how much he had dug up especially regarding Youtubers that I never suspected were plagiarizing. He also says some very on-point stuff about how we view content creators and plagiarizing in this "do it yourself" industry that really resonated with me because it's stuff I've been saying for years in the webcomic sphere.

I won't spoil the video much because I think it's best experienced watching it for yourself (especially because he's putting all the money he earns off this video towards compensating the people who had their work plagiarized by one Youtuber in particular who's especially guilty... I'm not even gonna mince words, it's James Somerton) but this passage in particular just felt so validating to hear from someone who clearly holds themselves to the standards that more Youtubers - and creators in general - should be holding themselves to:

"I think a lot of people are inclined to protect creators they like on the grounds that plagiarism is a very academic-sounding problem, like something that happens in research papers or journalism, not something that you can do in a silly video made for entertainment purposes. Why are we holding Youtubers to standards? That would be like expecting accurate history from someone whose name has 'historian' in it! Because Youtubers often project a sense of being scrappy, do-it-yourself amateurs, it feels almost wrong to expect them to be professional... but a lot of them are professionals, regardless how authentic their persona may be. Youtubers are now among the most recognizable faces on the planet, and have become immensely wealthy doing this. Some are so influential we literally call them influencers. Maybe it's a good idea to have some standards for not stealing. Maybe." - Hbomberguy, "Plagiarism and You(tube)" timestamp: 3:35:32

Obviously this has nothing to directly do with webcomics but I do think it's something that reflects very similar behavior within the webcomic community that's, frankly, worth discussing. Many people justifiably want to make a living off their work, want webcomics as a whole to be taken more seriously in the mainstream next to traditional publishing, and for webcomic creators to be taken more seriously as professionals.

But at the same time, I still see a lot of infantilizing of the people in this industry, done by both their fans and the people within it, the idea that being a professional (noun) isn't mutually inclusive of being professional (adjective). It's how we've gotten creators in the past like Snailords, mongie, and yes, Rachel Smythe, who are often shielded by their fanbase on the basis of, "they're just indie comic creators doing what they love, leave them alone!" when they're very much not that, at least not anymore. At least two of those three creators have TV deals (though whether or not they'll make it to the screen is debatable), and all three of them have or have had Webtoons seemingly wrapped around their finger more so than any other creator (though mongie has argued she left Webtoons over unfair treatment, it really doesn't seem like that to the people who know how much mongie was intentionally pushing the rules of what she was allowed to post on the platform, particularly with her Sam x Charles smut).

They are not 'indie creators' anymore and they are not exempt from criticism just because their younger fanbase mistakenly assumes them to be the same age as them. Rachel, mongie, and Snailords are all in their mid-to-late 30's. They all have merchandising deals and either have TV deals or want to have TV deals. They've all been given priority advertising by Webtoons even at the cost of undercutting all the other creators and series on the platform that need it more. They are not "scrappy" creators, they're contractual professionals now and they all do not act like it. Whether it's reacting poorly to criticism or using their characters as a mouthpiece for their own egos or even just using their comics as a poorly disguised fetish, they're all contractual professionals who do not act professional. And they're not the only webcomic creators who do this.

And again, I've talked about this before on here and in the discussions on reddit concerning LO and other webtoons, so it's incredibly validating and refreshing to see Hbomberguy put those feelings into words (albeit about Youtubers, but let's be real, Webtoons is definitely trying to be the "Youtube of webcomics", as is Tapas and other competing webtoon platforms) because that sentiment rings true for a lot of the webtoon creators who have practically failed upwards and only forgo their advertised "professional status" when they're under fire for their actions and writing. Rachel is an "award winning creator" and "self-proclaimed folklorist" until her comic is criticized for its blatant misrepresentation and disrespect towards an entire culture, then all of a sudden "it's just fanfiction". Mongie is the creator of the bestselling series Let's Play until she's called out for racist depictions of Asians and Hispanic people in her work, then all of a sudden she's "just trying to make a fun comic" that's not meant to be taken that seriously. And of course, their audience of teens and young adults who don't know any better keep forgiving them and vehemently defending them because they wrongfully assume that these creators are scrappy teens just like themselves who just started making webcomics for fun and then achieved fame and glory overnight (which they're not!)

We should be having bigger discussions about what awaits the webcomic and "content creator" industry as a whole in the future and what standards we should be holding creators and their work to. We can't possibly expect these mediums to be taken seriously as a professional industry if we don't set better expectations for the quality of the work that's being created and the creators who are building these platforms for themselves.

"In current discourse, Youtubers simultaneously present as the forefront of a new medium, creative voices that need to be taken seriously as part of the 'next generation of media'... and also 'uwu smol beans little babies who shouldn't be taken seriously when they rip someone off and make tens of thousands of dollars doing it." - Hbomberguy, "Plagiarism and You(tube)" timestamp: 3:36:18

[esimsterlookbook]

Avery Sims 4 CC Lookbook

Meet Avery, an influencer who just moved to Del Sol Valley!

Find base sim information here! (Too many links to post all at once)

Everyday:

Hair: SonyaSims 167 Hair Transcendent

Outfit: Busra-tr Baseball Jacket P91 / Aladdin Denise Cargo Pants / BED and Musae Sungsudong Chelsea Boots

Accessories: Simpliciaty Nubia Rings / Christopher067 Destiny Necklace / Praline Sims Malice Piercings / That Sims 4 Core Bunny Belly Bar v2

Makeup/Nails: Fashion Royalty Sims Lipstick N236 / Praline Sims Eyeliner 116 Cocoa / Veve Bisou Highlighter / Maxi Moons Haylee Nails

Formal:

Hair: Ade Darma Baby Style 3

Outfit: Eskinege Prom Dress / Senate Polly Sandals

Accessories: toksik Kamill Headband / Giulietta Sims Spica Star Bracelet / Christopher067 Idol Necklace / GiuliettaSims Tori Hoop Earrings / Praline Sims Malice Piercings / Mellouw Sims Clarity Rings / S-Club LL ts4 watch 202007

Makeup/Nails: Lady Simmer Kiss me Eyeshadow / Praline Sims Eyeliner N88 Sienna / sims3melancholic lipstick N9 / Veve Bisou Highlighter / GiuliettaSims Long Stiletto French Tips Ombre Nails

Athletic:

Hair: Java Sims Hope Hair

Outfit: Lazy Eyelids Sports Set top + bottom / BED TS4 FM We are young roller skate

Accessories: Joliebean JoliePods Headphones / Jolliebean Peak Performance Basic Socks / Joliebean Jolie Watch / Praline Sims Malice Earring + Lip Piercing / Sugar Owl Pentacle Rings

Sleep:

Hair: Anto Hair 407 Celina

Outfit: Busra-tr Lace Outfit Top P208 / Busra-tr Envy Outfit Shorts P156

Accessories: Dance Machine Trait Stockings / Praline Sims Papillon Glasses / Praline Sims Malice Piercings

Makeup/Nails: Alinnsie Facemask / Aretha Bee Chipped Nails

Party:

Hair: Anto Hailee Hair N267

Outfit: Belaloallure Ikera Dress / Regina Raven Platforms 07 V3

Accessories: Giulietta Sims Etta Earrings / Giulietta Sims Thick Link Chain Bracelet / Simpliciaty Dolly Rings / Praline Sims Malice Piercings / Giulietta Sims Denise Watch / Gorilla x3 Heart Ring Chain Choker

Makeup/Nails: Northern Siberia Winds Eyeliner N5 / Northern Siberia Winds Lips N30 / Praline sims Eyeshadow N94 Ice Queen / Veve Bisou Highlighter / Aprisims Festival Eye Dots / Maxi Moons Haylee Nails

Swim:

Hair: Sonya Sims 170 Piety Hair

Outfit: Camuflaje La Playa Collection Bikini Two Piece Set

Accessories: R Raven Garter / Aretha Bee Jayleen Sunglasses / Giulietta Sims Greek Key Bracelet / Simpliciaty Elia Rings / Simpliciaty Pixie Necklace / That Sims 4 Core Bunny Belly Bar v2

Makeup/Nails: Breezy Trait Petals Makeup / Lady Simmer Starfall Shadows / Praline Sims Eyeliner 121 Maze / sims3melancholic lipstick N9 / Giulietta Sims Long Stiletto Candy Tips Nails

Hot Weather:

Hair: Casual Sims Suzy Hair

Outfit: Serenity Sol Coverup / Mermalade Strappy Wide Heels S144

Accessories: S-Club Glasses 202001 / Praline Sims Malice Piercings / Christopher 067 Mahlia Rings

Makeup/Nails:

Peachy Faerie Brick Eyeshadow / GoppolsMe Gold Liner cc71 / Praline Sims Eyeliner 121 Maze / sims3melancholic lipstick N10 / Giulietta Sims Long Stiletto French Tips Ombre Nails

Cold Weather:

Hair: S-Club Nadia 010522 Hair

Outfit: Sentate Ethel Cardigan / Tauve Florence Denim Mini / Jius Leather Platform Ankle Boots 01

Accessories: EnriqueS4 Jane Earrings / Simpliciaty Azure Rings / Praline Sims Malice Piercings / Gorilla x3 Heart Charm Necklace / AxA Girlboss Tights

Makeup/Nails: Northern Siberia Winds Blush N8 Full Face / Northern Siberia Winds Lips N40 / Breezytrait Florence makeup / Lady Simmer princess beam eye shadow / Giulietta Sims Rounded Square Medium Glossy Nails

Thank you to all CC creators and please let me know if any links aren't working and I'll do my best to fix them!

[icedsodapop]

It should go without saying that race plays a huge factor in all of this, but to state the unspoken: Being white means having systemic advantages people of color can only dream of. Not everyone with the skills to make delicious food will advance their career on merit alone.

It would be ridiculous to claim that people can’t cook whatever they want, and people criticizing cultural appropriation rarely make this point. But perhaps a better starting point is to question who gets to profit off of ethnic cuisines.

(...)

This creates a free-for-all situation where anyone who can manage to make money off of a type of cuisine may do so. We’d like to think that whoever makes the best food rises to the top, but there’s ample data suggesting that white people in the US have a much better chance compared to POC for things like accessing small business loans to start a restaurant or getting a ethnic cookbook publishing deal. 

(...)

At the end of the day, respecting and practicing authentic ethnic culinary arts may put a smile on the faces of POC. But materially, this branding benefits white food creators as they grow their businesses. @logagm has 2.7 million TikTok followers, enough to land lucrative brand sponsorships, attract TV deals, publishing opportunities, or investment in any Korean cooking business endeavor he may pursue in the future. While he cooks just like a Korean ajumma, a Korean ajumma making japchae on TikTok would likely not get the number of views — and the business opportunities they may help secure — he does.

“When a white chef profits off of the cultural capital of someone else’s culture, they should surrender some of that capital,” Adrian De Leon, assistant professor of history at the University of Southern California, told me in a phone call. 

We accept that when white food creators take the time to seriously study ethnic cooking, they are “paying their dues,” but what if white food creators literally paid their dues with money? Or hired and mentored POC to thrive in the industry? Or used their industry influence to lift up POC food creators from the same tradition? Or involved themselves in working with the communities that taught them how to make the delicious food making them rich?

Emphasis added by me

[darcytaylor]

Fandoms: A Toxic Playground?

Fandoms can be vibrant, passionate places, but one thing I’ve noticed is how easy it is for creators - to be placed on pedestals. While admiration can be positive, elevating someone to an almost untouchable status tends to spiral into toxic behaviours, leading to emotional reactions, unhealthy competition, and sometimes, a "mean girl" environment.

It's fine to admire or appreciate someone for their work, or contributions, but there's a risk of taking that admiration too far In fandoms. This can happen when creators or fans start believing their influence makes them more important than others. This can cause tension, with some people feeling left out or pressured to conform to certain narratives or beliefs. The moment we treat someone’s words or actions as absolute truth - just because they have a following or met a celebrity - things become murky.

I’ve seen this play out - where people who’ve met celebrities assume they hold some sort of exclusive knowledge about their personal lives But the truth is, just because someone managed to take a photo or attend events doesn’t mean they’ve suddenly become the celebrity’s best friend. There’s no special insight into their private lives that comes from this. Often, it's simply about following them around or being lucky enough to cross paths - not establishing a personal bond.

(I've had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Luke Thompson, it doesn't mean I know the guy or that we are friends).

Meeting them shouldn't give anyone a sense of superiority, and it definitely doesn’t make that person an authority on the celebrity’s personal decisions or relationships.

Another issue I see is when people in positions of influence start playing into drama or using their platform to stir things up, it can feel like a high school popularity contest, where cliques form, and if you don’t agree with certain narratives, you’re on the outside.

(I've received so much hate because I tend to not fall in line with what a group of people think to be true, because guess what? None of us know these people!)

No matter how much we admire someone’s work, it’s best to recognize that they’re human - flawed, imperfect, and just like the rest of us. Whether it’s a celebrity or a fandom creator, no one should be placed on a pedestal. Doing so only sets us up for disappointment when they inevitably show their human side, and it can create unnecessary divisions within fandom communities.

Fandoms should be spaces of mutual respect and fun, not arenas for power plays or emotional manipulation. It's okay to admire people, but always remember to try and keep a balanced perspective and avoid falling into the trap of idolization.

[girl4music]

In celebration of XENA DAY I’m going to leave the link to this podcast episode that the She Nerds Out hosts did with Steven L. Sears right here and transcribe some of it for you that I find the most fascinating and validating in regards to how the TV show and TV ship inform and influence each other in that the story arc/plot/narrative always wraps around the characters of Xena and Gabrielle instead of the other way around.  

The way Steven (yes, a straight white middle aged man) talks about Xena and Gabrielle is remarkable to me. He has such respect and reverence and just absolute sincerity when he talks about them both as individual characters and as a relationship dynamic that is primarily and predominantly romantic in his eyes. He confirms exactly why I will always highly praise the creators/cast/crew for what they did with this TV show and this TV ship and the timelessly magical experience it has on me and I know always will have on me. I can't believe that I actually had a personal conversation with this man for over an hour because I feel like he is a kindred spirit of sorts to me. At least as far as my interest and passion for TV art/entertainment goes. The way I know and understand the characters on a much deeper level than the show itself could ever really represent them to and for me.

You’ve just got to love how Steven automatically and intentionally wrote Gabrielle as a comphet lesbian. And I resonate so strongly with his words about her story arc and her journey in terms of how it applies to Gabrielle’s love for and initial fear of loving Xena the way she thinks - at the time - she’s only supposed to love men. Of course she’s constantly “running home to mama” because that’s where she knows herself best even if she’s always felt too queer to be mama’s little girl. And there is that very quietly played theme with her where she’s constantly struggling with that internally which is so brilliantly communicated in both Steven’s writing and Renee’s nuanced portrayal of Gabrielle’s character. And that is exactly what a “comphet lesbian” is. It’s someone that habitually runs home even when they know they don’t belong there because it’s safer or more familiar for them than stepping into the dangerous unknown even when it feels so much more welcoming than home ever did.

‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ is a queer story from the get go. Episode 1 is very queer storytelling actually in the way that these 2 protagonist female characters meet each other and become family to one another. It’s “I feel like a stranger in my own home but I just met you and you seem to feel the same way as me - let’s just stop being strangers and be a home to each other.”

I would really recommend listening to the whole podcast episode because the whole thing is just amazingly in-depth and insightful but if you can’t do that please enjoy these transcriptions of what I think are the best parts of it that explain so much about where the creators/cast/crew’s minds were at VS where the network/studio/executive’s mind’s were at because it’s important to be aware that they were not queerbaiting or pandering or exploiting LGBTQ fans which many show’s creative teams and their network/streaming service platforms still do with their lead same-sex characters instead of take them seriously.

As I said - most of the creators/cast/crew agreed with the fans and even viewed the TV show as a love story between the 2 lead characters themselves. Especially the big names. Steven is a great example of that fact. And if they were just “fan-servicing”, then they were serving themselves just as much because they wanted canon Xena and Gabrielle just as much as the fans did. They may never have initially saw them that way but they clearly knew that it was the natural progression for them so they didn’t dispute it. They embraced it.

STEVEN: “One of the things we discussed at the beginning was a flaw that you find in a lot of TV shows that have 2 leads. Generally, 1 is the lead who has the name on the banner and the other one is the ‘sidekick’. And I remember saying - not as an ultimatum, I just casually mentioned it in the meeting - I said ‘I don’t believe in sidekicks. Sidekicks are the props that you kill off at the end of the first season so that people will tune in the next season. They’re kind of useless and they just exist.’ And everybody agreed with that and we did not want to get to the point where Gabrielle was just standing in the background going ‘Get him Xena! Get him Xena! Get him Xena!’ And I remember we angst during the baby tossing episode ‘cause that’s all she did. She participated by grabbing the baby but she literally was acting ‘Get him Xena! Get him Xena!’ And so we decided that Gabrielle had to have a solid progression that was not just a convenience for us. In other words we didn’t want to do this just because ‘well, we don’t want her to be a sidekick so we’re going to pretend like she’s important.’ We felt she had to be. And so obviously the relationship between the 2 characters folded in with that perfectly. So this was one of the episodes (‘The Greater Good’) where I said - I kind of posed the question in my mind - I thought ‘what if Gabrielle was the Xena of this episode?’ Which, obviously, is what came out of it.”

HOST: “Speaking of that episode though,… that’s one of the most iconic episodes of the show. Definitely of that first season if not of the show generally. So when you say that building up [Gabrielle’s] character and making her more important to the story and finding that through the relationship - was their relationship sort of just natural or was that something that you guys were like ‘yeah, no, this has to be a huge part of what the show is now.’”

STEVEN: “There’s no yes and no for any of that so… the thing is that every TV show - unless it’s adapted from a novel or unless you actually chart out 5 seasons right at the beginning - which a lot of TV series now are doing because of the way that we stream. They’re basically novels - at a certain point as you begin to develop it, it takes on its own life. With everybody’s contributions the characters become real and just as all of you are real, I could write stories that you could do, but you will live those stories differently. Even if you do them together, you’re going to live them individually. So when we started out the series we were looking for having a successful series. We wanted to have fun - everybody in this business wants to have fun - and we wanted to get another season. But, in the way that I write - and fortunately in this particular group we all had the same mindset - we don’t believe in doing action for the sake of action. We don’t believe in doing comedy for the sake of comedy. We don’t believe in doing anything that’s not rooted in character first. So when we started the series I had made a comment about their relationship. I actually said ‘we’re going to have a very large gay/lesbian following’ and some of the people in the office were like ‘why would you think that?’ and I said ‘well,… my first show was 3 guys on a boat.’ And back then you didn’t have the internet for fanfiction but there were news magazines that went out that fans would put together. Fanzines. And - of course - I subscribed to 1 4 Riptide and almost all the fanzines dealt with their relationships with how they regarded each other. On every level. Romantic levels and just on brotherly levels or anything like that… but their relationships were a lot closer. So what I realized with all the subsequent series that I was doing - every time there were 2 leads of the same gender, this type of fanfiction was out there. Now as a backstory, I come out of theatre. I’ve been doing theatre since I was 12 years old. So being around the LGBTQ community was just… Tuesday, you know? So, for me, as I kind of explained this, I said ‘any time a dispossessed group of our society finds validation in any of our media - they grab it. Because they’re not given it, they have to grab it.’ And I said ‘so, you know, it’s going to happen.’ And thank god nobody went ‘oh, we have to avoid that’ or ‘we have to stay away from that’. Okay? Nobody in the room … So what we just figured was like we’re just going to let these characters evolve the way they evolve. And anybody looking at these characters and the way they came together and the adventures they were going on - I mean in retrospect,… was it really a surprise that they would have this incredibly close bond as they went forward? I mean however you ship it, it doesn’t matter. That bond had to happen or Gabrielle would have been totally unnecessary. We would have gotten rid of her. She would have been an annoyance. As opposed to us embracing the annoying aspect at the beginning and then allowing the audience to watch this incredible growth that she never would have had without meeting Xena and the incredible growth that Xena had that she would never have had if she hadn’t met Gabrielle. I’ve always said ‘Sins Of The Past’ was a suicide episode. Xena was trying to kill herself. She had nothing left. When she buried her weapons she was saying ‘I’m leaving myself open to the next warlord to kill me’ and then she hears the noise in the distance and she goes over there and she sees this young girl standing up against warlords and there’s a part of her that says ‘I was like that. That was me. What happened?’”

STEVEN: “I will say though that as the show became more popular the studio backed off on a lot of things with us because we were doing well and they trusted us. I want to look at it that way anyway. The President of Universal Television during that time was a guy named Dan Philly and I knew Dan since I started. He was actually one of the studio executives from NBC for Riptide. So I knew him from back then. Really cool guy. Awesome guy. And he was like ‘look, you know if this is working, people are happy, you seem to be walking that line…’ - which I always snickered at - it’s ‘cause ‘yeah, cause we’re NOT walking that line’ - he said ‘just go for it.’ And he was also one of the old style studio executives where if they wanted something they would trust you. They would turn to you and they would say ‘can you have a little more titillation? ‘Cause we like that. That helps. Give us more titillation.’ But they wouldn’t tell us to do it. They wouldn’t say ‘this is how you do it.’ They wouldn’t say ‘redesign their costumes so that their boobs pop out.’ They would just leave it to us. And so we would say ‘oh, this scene where they’re in the tavern talking about these really intense things that are going on in their life - we’ll put it in a hot tub!’ And that actually is how the hot tub tradition began because we thought ‘well, that makes it titillating’ and yet… we used it for the story and… it actually is kind of a bonding thing… ‘so put it in there.’ They’re watching the dailies and you hear [Lucy] say ‘where’s the soap?’ and we go ‘do we leave that in?’ ‘Yeah, we’ll leave that one in.’”

HOST: “As far as from the fan side of it, I don’t remember when the term ‘subtext’ started to become a word that the fans threw around and it obviously has become it’s own thing: the subtext of the show. But it sounds to me like it was just very organic for you guys. But when did you start to hear of the fans - LGBTQ+ specifically - latching on to what we would call ‘the subtext of the show.’ Was there like any kind of feedback you were getting? Were you then more inclined to kind of give us a little more like ‘wink wink, nudge nudge’ moments like the hot tub? Were you receptive to what the fans were asking for?”

STEVEN: “Yes and no. With the internet obviously we had direct access to the fans and we always made it a rule that we were not going to follow where the fans wanted us to go. We hoped that they would follow with us. But at the same time we kind of adapted things. I remember - because of my geeky nature - I was the one who was online first. I was really into that. I was the one who found the first AOL chatroom that Laura, a little 14 year old girl had set up for Xena. So I was listening in. And for those of you who remember back then, I never hid who I was. I wasn’t a lurker. I would go in and I would say ‘this is who I am’ not because I wanted everybody to go ‘ooo’ but I would say ‘talk freely.’ I said ‘I will leave the room if 1 of 2 things happen: if 1. you start talking about episodes you want to see because I can’t ethically listen to that or 2. if I become the centre of conversation ‘cause that’s not the point.’ I said ‘if I do that, don’t take offence, that’s just my own little ethics.’ But I was able to listen in. And so I do remember that at the beginning of this I told Rob this was going on and he said something to the effect of ‘yeah, well, it’s good they’re talking about the show but, you know, we don’t really care what they’re saying there, we’ve got to keep focused.’ I’m like ‘okay.’ And like an episode would come back and he would come out and come into my office and he’d say ‘so umm,… what do the fans think?’ And again, I was kind of looking for this because of my background so I was a little more aware of what was happening. The early discussions among the fans of where this was going was extremely interesting to me and I tried my best not to get involved in it because I wanted everybody to interpret it the way that they wanted to. I’m always amazed by the Xena fandom. I’ve been on other shows that have fandom and certainly a lot of my friends have huge fanbases on their shows, and I’ve said this when I’ve been on podcasts for other shows: the Xena fandom is the most incredible fandom that I’ve ever been involved with for a number of reasons. And one of them is that at the beginning - keeping in mind this was obviously in the middle 90’s - there was still some contentiousness as if people were trying to protect the girls from being lesbian. It’s like ‘we have to protect them, don’t say that!’ ‘Oh, okay, good, you’re going to protect me from what? Being a straight white male. Oh, thank you very much.’ So it was a little bit of that going on and there was some fire that went back and forth. I remember a few of the transcripts that were just so amazing. I kind of kept track of them. And what I started to see though with the Xena fans - which I loved - is that the people who wanted to maintain their shipper stance became friends. They began talking about it with respect to each other as opposed to ‘no, you’re that camp, I’m this camp’ and then the major contention was ‘do we ship Xena with Ares?’ And I’m like ‘okay, so what you’ve done is you’ve defaulted to the idea that she’s already with Gabrielle and now you’re just talking about a jealousy thing.’ And I’m like ‘that’s totally cool. I love that!’”

So the characters evolved. Now had they evolved in a different direction, well, we’d be having a different conversation here. Going back to the studio, one of the things that did come up was the studio did say ‘can you somehow remind people that, you know, Xena still likes guys and Gabrielle still likes guys.’ But they never said that they can’t like each other. And I’m thinking to myself ‘okay, what you’ve described to me is either the ultimate bisexual or what you’ve described to me is’ - and I don’t have a word for this ‘cause, you know, straight white male, how would I know this? - ‘is many of my friends who are a lesbian but denied that identification and fought themselves, and then finally came out - liberated themselves.’ So I said ‘you’re kind of describing that.’ And I remember thinking to myself ‘and that’s going to be Gabrielle.’ That she’s going to fight a lot of this internally. And so, you know, when we got to the Perdicus episode - with the marriage … you know we all get together and we would talk about how we’re going to put it together and some of us would come up with little things that go into somebody else’s script and it’s always the original writer that really is the owner of the script, but we always contribute things. And I remember we got to that thing and I’m like ‘okay, I know where I’m leaning on this’ and I’m going to lean into the curve on this one because what’s happening with Gabrielle is that she’s gone this far with Xena and suddenly this reminder of what her hidden past was - what her past was when she - well… you could say ‘denied’ -  there’s a time where - this is difficult for me because I’m not a gay woman so I can’t speak with authority from this. I can only say I’ve had friends that have gone through this - where their coming out process is so scary that sometimes they - what I call - ‘run home to mama.’ And mama is where they were - at least they could deal with it - it was familiar enough. So when Perdicus comes in,… she’s questioning a lot of things and she thinks ‘okay, and now I’m questioning where I am and why I’m here,… so I’m running home to mama because Perdicus represents my childhood, my past, my village.’ And that scene where Gabrielle and Xena have that discussion before Gabrielle goes off to marry Perdicus - again, I always remind myself I’m NOT that orientation, I’m NOT that gender, I’m NOT that - but that scene still sticks in my mind because it broke my heart because she’s looking right at the woman who is her destiny and she’s saying ‘I’m so scared of you because of what you’re going to reveal about me and so I’m going to run away to something I should never have been apart of.’ And I’ve seen people go through that so that scene still sticks in my mind. It’s literally in my mind. I see the entire image of that scene.”

HOST: “When you say that - obviously you’re not a gay woman but you know humans and you know people and at the end of the day those characters were very human and - I hate to say it, love is love - it’s very cliché, but it is, right? Of course, why wouldn’t you understand what those 2 character’s are feeling … Because you’re a human being who understands the concept of love. But I love what you said. It’s like, yeah, of course, Gabrielle knew what being married to Perdicus living in her old village would be like. Like you said - she could endure that. She’d been there. She understood it. If she stayed with Xena, it’s scary, it’s the unknown and it’s that great inner conflict in her. I hadn’t really thought about it but that scene is very heartbreaking and it’s got to be one of my favourites.”

STEVEN: “When she left the village that little girl was looking at adventure because she was bored. She had no idea what she was getting into on every level. Not just the action level, the adventure level, the danger level - but the emotional level. She had no idea. So then she got to a point where that all scared her. She was more scared of that than she was about the adventure and the danger. Warlords did not scare her the way that this scared her. And, you know, it was a huge turning point. Now whether you ship one way or the other way on this, it still works because she had to find her destiny. And I also make a little distinction in my mind that Gabrielle’s destiny was not to be with Xena. Gabrielle’s destiny was to be with herself and to love who she chose to love. It was to find her happiness and BOOM… it walks into her life. And that is the scariest thing that can happen to a person and it’s hard to admit it. So I’ve often described the relationship at the beginning as: because Xena was much more experienced Xena was much more focused on what she had won and lost in her life and she had a lot of repair work to do in her life. Gabrielle had a lot of growing to do. So when Xena and Gabrielle came together, I made this distinction: I said that Gabrielle loved Xena ‘cause ‘AWESOME! XENA! The legends, the things I’ve heard about you!’

So Gabrielle loved Xena… but Xena was IN LOVE with Gabrielle… from the moment they met.”

[tixteenseo]

Tixteen - The Ultimate Influencer Platform for Creators

Tixteen is the perfect influencer platform for creators who want to connect with brands and grow their audience. With Tixteen, you can easily monetize your content, collaborate with top brands, and access powerful tools to help you succeed. Discover why Tixteen is the best platform for creators and start growing your influencer career today.

Best Influencer Platforms For Creators

[digitalgrowth1]

Top 9 Best Linktree Alternatives for Your Social Media Bio Links

With the rising influence of social media, creating a seamless user experience across platforms is essential. Tools like Linktree help by consolidating multiple links in one place, making it easy for followers to access relevant content. However, with many Linktree alternatives emerging, it’s worth exploring the best options to meet your needs and budget.

Here's a look at the Top 9 Best Linktree Alternatives to optimize your social media bio links.

Tap.bio

Tap.bio is designed to simplify bio links by creating “cards” for each of your important links. You can add different cards for your website, social media profiles, or even recent posts.

Key Features:

Unique card-style layout

Easy-to-navigate design

Basic analytics

Free and affordable paid plans

Campsite

Campsite is another popular Linktree alternative, providing a professional look for your bio links. It enables users to customize link buttons, track click-through rates, and integrate with social media channels effortlessly.

Key Features:

Customizable link layouts

Google Analytics integration

Supports social sharing

Free plan with optional upgrades

Shorby

Shorby offers unique features like adding a messenger link and scheduling options. It’s ideal for brands and businesses looking to increase engagement through personalized interactions.

Key Features:

Click tracking and analytics

Multiple link pages

Embed social media links

Integrates with Facebook Messenger

Milkshake

Milkshake is a mobile-first tool that lets you create beautiful bio link pages directly from your phone. With a drag-and-drop interface, it’s perfect for influencers who want to make quick changes on the go.

Key Features:

Mobile-friendly setup

Customizable layouts and themes

No coding required

Free with optional upgrades

Lnk.Bio

Lnk.Bio is a highly customizable tool allowing you to create a simple landing page with unlimited links. It's perfect for those who want a streamlined, user-friendly experience.

Key Features:

Unlimited links, even on the free plan

Visual editor for easy customization

Affordable paid plans with added features

Works with Instagram, TikTok, and more

Bio.fm

Bio.fm stands out by allowing users to add not only links but also embeds like YouTube videos, Spotify playlists, and photo galleries. It’s an excellent option for content creators looking to showcase a variety of media.

Key Features:

Supports multimedia content

Customizable and easy to use

Analytics to track user engagement

Free and premium options available

Linkin.bio by Later

Linkin.bio is a tool by Later, one of the most popular social media scheduling platforms. It allows users to link Instagram posts to specific URLs, making it ideal for driving traffic directly from your feed.

Key Features:

Optimized for Instagram integration

Scheduling options for Instagram posts

Analytics for performance tracking

Paid plans with advanced features

Carrd

Carrd isn’t just a bio link tool; it’s a platform for building simple, fully responsive one-page sites. It’s ideal for users who want more creative freedom than a basic bio link tool.

Key Features:

Fully customizable one-page website builder

Various design templates

Free plan with affordable upgrades

Integrates with forms and widgets

LinkPage by Wix

Wix’s LinkPage is a free service that lets users build a one-page link bio, complete with Wix’s drag-and-drop builder tools. It’s a strong choice for brands that want a professional and highly customizable bio link page.

Key Features:

Drag-and-drop design options

Custom URL for brand consistency

Integrates with other Wix tools

Free to use with paid add-ons

Choosing the Best Linktree Alternative

Selecting the right Linktree alternative depends on your goals. If you’re looking for Best Linktree Alternatives with a variety of features, check out Zumvu’s blog on Linktree Alternatives for a deeper dive. Whether you're aiming to grow your social media following, drive website traffic, or manage multiple links, these tools can make a big difference.

From the simplicity of Tap.bio to the multimedia options of Bio.fm, the right tool for you is out there. Use this list to find the one that fits your style and start enhancing your bio link game today!

[truefanz]

Top Social Media Marketing Trends That Influencers Should Know

Know more: https://www.truefanz.com/post/top-social-media-marketing-trends-for-influencers

[mariacallous]

@stephantradez thought he was going to be fine. In his first TikTok about Hurricane Milton, he vowed to stay at his Tampa apartment. In a follow-up video, he said the media was “rage-baiting” everyone into thinking the storm “was going to be some catastrophic thing” but that it wouldn’t be that bad “as long as you can swim.” Late Wednesday night, he posted another video saying that he thought he’d survived but then lost his power. “This is so much worse than I expected,” he said while pointing the camera out the window of his home, showing the destruction from several floors up. Thursday morning, he posted a video saying he’d survived, adding “They have to ban hurricane’s at night, that was the most stressful thing I’ve ever been a part of.”

I attempted to reach the creator through TikTok and Instagram DM, but got no response. @stephantradez, though, was one of many people who kept posting on TikTok, and other social media platforms throughout the storm, despite, as the warning on one of the creator’s videos noted, “participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt.”

When Milton made landfall Wednesday night local time in Sarasota, it was a Category 3 hurricane. As it traversed Florida, it took the roof off of Tropicana Field, left millions without electricity, and killed several people. It also became the subject of TikToks with millions of views, and, according to a report in Rolling Stone turned the platform into “a hellscape of people staying in Hurricane Milton’s path for clout.”

While it’s true that some people likely stayed, and kept posting, because there was nowhere for them to go, others definitely seemed to be sticking around in an attempt to keep attention on their feeds. Rather than a hellscape, it became a demonstration of the best and worst of TikTok.

For every mom getting told to flee the storm’s path even as she explains that she can’t afford to, there’s someone saying they’re in an evacuation zone but sticking around while also offering up sports betting tips.

Then there’s Caroline Calloway. The influencer and author, who lives in Sarasota, drew the ire of the internet when she posted on X “where there’s a Callowill, there’s a Calloway” and said she wouldn’t be leaving her home, even as officials were stressing the importance of evacuating. (“You are going to die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned anyone who stayed put.) In an interview with New York Magazine’s Intelligencer, Calloway said she was staying to check on elderly neighbors, adding that her sense of humor is just “very dark.” On Thursday, she apparently sent a text to Intelligencer’s writer with a picture of herself and her cat with the message “I lived bitch.”

All of this wouldn’t feel so dystopian if the US—and the world—wasn’t hurtling toward a scenario when social media platforms, particularly TikTok, weren’t becoming a lot of people’s go-to news source. Even as Anderson Cooper braves the storm to give CNN viewers updates on Milton, a new report from Pew Research shows 52 percent of Americans who are on TikTok regularly get their news there. Not from media outlets, but from influencers and content creators.

While these accounts may be relying on reports from traditional outlets when they deliver news, their posts are “probably interspersed with a lot of very non-traditional content—like skits, funny dances or promotional content,” Aaron Smith, Pew’s managing director of data labs, told Axios. On-the-ground reporting from influencers, then, becomes mixed with entertainment. Watching it, or, admittedly, writing about it, feels like missing the point.

[gr444nde]

i cant help—

falling in love with you

part one

vinnie hacker x fem!reader (lwrcase intended)

TW: angsty chapter

vinnie was distant with you, a lot. you never understood why, but because you had a really big heart, too big for your own body, and you really liked vinnie, so you kept trying.

“vinnie, hi!” you call his name from afar. he quickly turns his head away to exhale and roll his eyes before turning back to your direction as you’re walking towards him. “oh y/n.. what’re you doing here?”

you and hundreds of other people were at a social media event. everyone there ranging from influencers with 10k followers to youtubers with over a million. with you being a content creator with a large platform and hella subscribers, of course you were gonna get an invite. and of course you were gonna show.

“i got invited! i’m only here with a couple of my friends though. who’re you with?” you say with a big smile plastered on your face. “just with jett and jordan, they’re just off somewhere..” he’s been paying more attention to his phone than you. it seems like he wants this conversation to be over. you took the hint and decided it was best to leave him alone. “right right..” you look off to the side awkwardly before speaking up again. “alright well I don’t want to keep you here all day. i have to go catch up with my group. it was nice talking to you though, vinnie.” “mhm. see you.” was all he replied back with as you turned away and left. “tough crowd..” you mutter.

you’re walking around different areas with your friends as you see vinnie again. you want to try to talk to him again but you knew it was no use since he obviously didn’t feel like talking to you. that was until jett noticed you and your group of friends as he called out and they all waved at you. well, all except for vinnie. he just kinda stood there awkwardly frowning like a grump. even when you gave him the most sweetest smile. god, was he made out of fuckin sadness and despair? you quickly turn your head away in embarrassment.

vinnie’s pov

i watched as she looked away in what seemed to be disappointment. i felt horrible knowing that she probably thought she was doing something wrong, when it was me who was trying to get away from her. all because i couldn’t stop thinking about her. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her. she’s everything anyone could ever want if i’m honest. i’m just too scared to love. how do i even approach her after all this?

end of pov

as vinnie’s mind was racing with thoughts, it didn’t occur to him that his friends were talking to him, asking if they wanted to stay for the after-party. vinnie not being able to find his words, just nodded and on they went.

surprise surprise, you and your friends are staying for the after-party too. you and vinnie’s group decided you all were gonna attend the party together. which meant you’d be around vinnie for like..basically the whole night. his “hatred” for you can’t be that deep, right..?

PLEASE READ ‼️

this is my first writing so please be kind and im very open to criticism! thank you for reading and part two will be out on the 25th. thank you again ❤️‍🩹

[genericpuff]

I don't know the term for creators who became popular outside the traditional steps to "make it" in their profession; then when people started taking their work seriously and giving them criticism, these creators saw it as an attack because they are not used to mentors and studies.

Smythe's professional training is vague at best, being a folklorist. Then there's the creator of the popular hell cartoon that became her own executive producer and director in her 20s (I'm not going to say her name since it tends to attract her rabid fans) and becomes reactive to any kind of criticism on Twitter. Then there's that TikToker Devon Rodriguez, who became popular for sketching people on subways, and when an art critic gave a mild review to his art gallery, Devon unleashed his fans on him.

Like am I seeing a pattern here for artists? And I guess, what do you think we can learn from it.

Ah, so this is a very interesting (and broad) topic that we've touched on in discussions in ULO and other webtoon-related communities. So buckle up, it's time for an ✨essay✨

I think the best way I can sum up my thoughts on this issue is: the vast majority of people who become paid content creators don't seek out a job as content creators, a job in content creation is just something that happens to them.

I say "content creation" because this is something that applies to a lot of other platforms and online mediums as well, such as the examples you included (TikTok, Youtube, Twitch, etc.). And don't get me wrong, it's not like every successful content creator out there didn't work their asses off to get to where they are, but for many... it still involves an element of luck. People don't go to school for it, people don't "apply" to become influencers, and much of it relies entirely on just making stuff until it gets seen and propelled into success.

I think a lot of these issues arise with the creators themselves and how they view their own work. The reality is that many of us artists have been treated as the "rejects" of society, we constantly feel like we're misunderstood and have some deep inner pain that we express through our art, and instead of going to therapy, we come up with OC's. It's a lot more fun and it's a lot cheaper LOL Webcomics naturally wind up being the perfect lightning rod for people who feel that way, where we can pour ourselves into the characters, the world, the narrative, in a way that perfectly mixes our talents for art and our need to express our innermost thoughts and feelings about ourselves and the world around us. So when our art gets criticized or rejected ... it can be hard for a lot of artists to not feel like it's a criticism of the self, a rejection of our identities, an attack on our feelings and experiences, because we've tied so much of ourselves to our work. And this can make that transition very difficult for people who are trying to go pro, because being professional demands separating yourself from your work, at least enough that you can view it objectively, recognize its flaws, seek out pathways to improvement, and not take every bump in the road personally.

A lot of successful creators are people who just never made that transition. It's led to an abundance of professional creators who know how to film themselves or react to content or, in the case of webcomic artists, write stories about their OC's, but don't know how to actually navigate the industry at a professional level. They don't know how to read and negotiate contracts, they don't know what deals are actually good for them and which ones are better left on the table, they don't know how to manage teams of people, they don't know how to react to the attention, praise, and criticism of their audience - they're just doing what they've always done, but now they're making money doing it.

None of this is to speak ill in any way of the creators who've found success and are still just doing what they've always done for money. None of this is meant to be a slight on the creators who are using webcomics and art as an expression of their deeper selves (I do it myself, it's very cathartic!) because ultimately that's what makes your work your work, the fact that you made it, with all your good parts and bad. Many of these creators are capable of running their platform without any issues because they've learned how to play the game, or because their platform is made up of people just like them so their audience is more like just a social circle.

But many of them still also can't operate on a professional level and those are the ones we often see getting called out and held accountable when they do shit like, I dunno, scamming their audiences for money or making alt accounts to manipulate user reviews or plagiarizing from other people's work or just being really REALLY shitty to their own audience.

Often times these are people who are just doing what they'd normally do as a hobby, became well known for it, and managed to turn it into a living. But they never actually learned how to turn their hobby into a job, and themselves into professionals.

And artists especially are prone to this because, let's face it, a lot of us are just weebs having fun drawing our blorbos, so of course if we get a chance to monetize that, we're gonna! We should! We should want to be paid for our work and time and efforts!

But we also have to remember that it's a different ballgame, especially if you're turning your audience into customers. "I'm just a baby creator doing this for fun" doesn't and shouldn't apply anymore once you start signing contracts, selling your art as products, taking people's money to fund your projects, etc. because now it's not just your art, it's what you're expecting people to pay for so you can eat and pay your bills and live.

As much as our art is often personal and should be cherished as such, you can't expect people to want to pay for it if you're not setting a bar and meeting it, or if you're not treating your audience with any amount of dignity or respect.

I'm not saying you're not entitled to having feelings or still wanting to treat your art as art, but the line between art and products is there for a reason, it's to set people's expectations and ensure that both sides are having those expectations met. Webtoon creators suffer from the same thing that a lot of Youtube creators and other types of content creators suffer from in this transition, and I feel like HBomberGuy summed it up best:

"In current discourse, Youtubers simultaneously present as the forefront of a new medium, creative voices that need to be taken seriously as part of the 'next generation of media' - and also uwu smol beans little babies who shouldn't be taken seriously when they rip someone off and make tens of thousands of dollars doing it."

It's not gatekeeping a medium, it's not telling people they aren't allowed to have feelings or to want to still have that personal connection to their work in spite of the professional level it's achieved, it's simply just expecting people to actually live up to the label of 'professional' that they're using to make money.

And this especially goes for someone like Rachel, who claims to be a 'folklorist' despite all the contrary evidence that says otherwise. This is the same person who copy pasted the first result on Google as her source on a simple word definition:

There's a second part to that HBomberGuy quote that also actually applies to Rachel really well in this discussion, concerning how she labels herself a "folklorist" and how that's affected and influenced the greater discussion surrounding Greek myth:

"But on the opposite end, Youtubers who act like serious documentarians gain a shroud of professionalism which then masks the deeply unprofessional things they do. We just saw that with James. I think [James] partially got away with what he's doing for so long because he acts so professional about it, so people assume, 'there's no way he could just be stealing shit!' so they don't check. And on top of that, a lot of James' videos contain obvious mistakes and made-up facts... but because they're often presented next to well-researched stuff he stole, no one questions it. I've seen James repeat a lie in his videos, and then other people claim it's true, and link his video as the proof. He has helped to solidify misinformation by seeming like he's doing his diligence."

There's always going to be discourse over what's legitimate and what isn't when it comes to Greek myth, there are loads of things we still don't know simply due to the knowledge being lost to time. But there's something to be said about a white New Zealand woman using her self-insert romance comic and platform to build a veneer of professionalism and legitimacy around herself, as if she's the authority on the subject, while simultaneously relying on first result Google searches and citing works that have no real foothold in the way of scholarly or "folklorist" discussion.

All that's to say, you're right, her professional training is vague at best. She's never completed a longform comic prior to LO, she's not doing her due diligence in actually engaging with the media she's trying to "retell" and exposing herself to the voices of those from the culture that's tied to it, and she's not holding herself to any sort of standards when it comes not only to being a professional, but a professional who's been held on a pedestal for all these years. She's still operating the same way she was 5 years ago - drawing and writing whatever pops into her head and sending it to her editor for uploading, with next to no intervention or guidance. Except now it doesn't have the benefit of being new and having "potential", it's getting noticed and called out more now than ever because it's been 5 years of this shit and it's been getting worse on account of her clearly being burnt out (or just giving up/not caring) and the readers can't be sold on "potential" anymore.

And that's all I have to say on that.

[liquidorcard]

I feel like I've said this before on this blog, but I guess I need to say it again as some house keeping . . .

Speaking as someone who's been on the internet for a very long time, though there's a time and place to discuss serious issues with the gravity it deserves-- making a mockery of someone is (in my opinion) the most effective way of taking away their power. Speaking with anyone, even an abuser, with reverence can do more harm than good.

It's known that Lily uses her platform, her status as a content creator, and her false intellectualism to pray on children and the vulnerable. Destroying Lily's reputation, ratioing her, and chipping away at her influence may be the best any of us can do, and stop her from doing any more harm.

There's been some misunderstanding in regards to how laws regarding CP in Canada work. And though I agree that Stockholm fits the SPIRIT of the law in terms of what it's meant to penalize, I'd say it wouldn't be easy to get Lily to actually see justice in that regard. I'm no legal expert, but. If the law worked in the way people seem to have mistaken it to, even books like Looking for Alaska by John Green would be banned here.

Second, on a GENERAL note not specific to Lily, just some if the talk I see flying around, as a CSA survivor myself-- though I very much respect the feeling isn't universal, some of us like to cope with humor. Some of us NEED to cope with humor. Don't assume every CSA survivor is going to feel that way, don't use this fuel to shout down another CSA survivor. But don't shout down me just because you heard some other CSA survivor say they want the topic discussed with nothing but grave sincerity. Don't play judge, jury and executioner as to which opinion outrules the other-- make up your own mind and respect other people's perspectives. Not over someone's trauma. I don't make jokes directed or implicating at any of Lily's real victims for that very reason.

Thirdly, whichever content creator you're currently thinking I wholly agree with out because I'm friendly with them and have never publically expressed any criticism of-- you're wrong. I can assure you every single person I've expressed support for on this blog has said shit I disagree with. If they said something I felt harmful enough to speak out on, trust me, you'd know. No matter how friendly I was with them, I'd say something. If they asked me my thoughts directly, trust me, I'd tell them. There is a judgement call to be made on these sorts of things-- and I'd remind you all everyone is human here.

I will say this; almost every time someone asks me to comment, answer for, whatever something someone else has said-- it's in regards to someone expressing an opinion fueled by a very strong feeling. Kiddos, you cannot argue someone out of their feelings. Think back to when you had an opinion present day you doesn't agree with anymore-- the first time someone tried to talk you out of it. If you didn't ask them, if you didn't trust their point of view, how did that go for you?

Lastly, this is a parody blog. I know I talk about serious topics on here sometimes and I'm okay with you guys sharing their thoughts when appropriate-- and I'm not mad, I know there's some neurodivergency going on often in these situations, and lord knows I've sent my fair share of drunk overshares, etc. But, SOME of the asks I've gotten on here, I'm gunna remind you guys to put an honest effort into reading the room. There's tons of other "LILY EXPOSED IN 4K" blogs you can send anons to that are more appropriate for that kind of stuff. I try not to share or comment on unsubstantiated claims I can't look into myself, or comment on matters I have no business commenting on.

If any of Lily's victims would like me to signal boost certain things they are welcome to contact me and I'll make a judgement call, but for on-lookers, remember I am a very small blog. So, of course, none of them have.