#Do you ever have someone really cool interact with you online and get kind of star struck?

[loquarocoeur]

GUYS THERE'S ART ALERT THERE IS ART

doodle based off @loquarocoeur's landoscar fic pillow duty that you MUST read DO IT!!! THE POWER OF YAOI COMPELS U

(dont mind the janky art this time im testing a new tablet)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

You seem like a decent person so I wouldn’t be shocked if you don’t have this thought. But I just saw something that REALLY made me think this (I won’t say which one, after all this is just me being a jerk I’m sure).

Do you ever get submissions where you think “MAN, someone here needs to go outside. The argument you describe would not have happened if you guys just went out and like interacted with human beings occasionally.”

It wasn’t a stupid submission or anything like that. But it was an argument that I really, genuinely felt could only happen if you lived on the internet almost 100% of the time. It’s concerning. But I would not be shocked if this is just me being ta

The thing is, you're still interacting with human beings on the internet, it's just that the communication has been made so abstracted that often people forget. The problem I have with how people act online has nothing to do with caring a bit too much about a fictional character or whatever and everything to do with the callousness and casual cruelty that comes from forgetting you're talking to people. You know, building that shell of ironic memey detachment and getting too caught up in dunking on people for internet cool points.

Which is kind of hypocritical for someone running a blog like this that kind of exists to dunk on people, I know! But I think the line between a justified dunk on someone who truly deserves it and just ripping on people who are literally just minding their own business is being lost. I totally get what you mean, and I think NAH in this case because everyone has little judgy moments in their head like that. And that's fine and normal! But I think the internet overall might be a little less awful to exist on if we collectively were a little less bloodthirsty in the comments section about it.

[tlbodine]

How to Socialize

OK, before I dig into this, a few disclaimers:

1 - I'm not like. A psychologist or anything. Just a writer who's been part of a whole lot of online communities and has run a pretty successful one for a few years.

2 - The advice that follows is not intended to make anybody feel bad or be a condemnation or enforce standards of behavior. If you read this and don't vibe with it, cool. Keep on scrolling by.

**also, oops, this is really long because I wanted to be thorough.

OK. So with that all out of the way. I was talking with a coworker today. She's undiagnosed but suspects she's some flavor of neurodivergent, and she works over on the sales side, where she was recently hired. Part of her training involves being coached specifically in how to interface with clients -- active listening, etiquette, how to ask good questions, that sort of thing.

She said to me today, "For like 27 years everybody has always just told me I was weird and intense and off-putting but nobody ever told me what I was actually supposed to DO until literally this week. Mind blown."

And I was like, shit, you know what? You have a point.

And that got me to thinking about communities -- from online spaces to meet-ups to society at large -- and the way we try to teach people behavior.

I feel like, overwhelmingly, folks are assumed to just understand what they're supposed to do. If there are community guidelines in place, they're usually rules about what not to do. But you can follow the rules to the letter, and still come off all wrong, and then nobody will ever tell you what you're doing wrong because it's impolite or whatever, until you irritate them so much that they either blow up at you or else just straight-up start avoiding you, and neither of those are really helpful pieces of feedback.

So. In case nobody has ever actually told you, specifically and explicitly? Here are some tips on being a good community member, the kind of person that folks will generally like to be around and want to be friends with.

Show Interest in Other People

The number one most important thing you can do to be a good community member, is to show interest in your other community members. After all, you want them to respond to you when you say things, right? Well. They want the same thing for themselves.

"But I'm not interested in what they're talking about." No problem. You're interested in getting along with them, right? Cool. So this interaction isn't actually about the subject. It's about making them feel good. And, hey, you know what? If you keep an open mind, you might find that what they're saying is actually pretty interesting.

Some phrases to remember and use when people are talking about an interest of theirs:

"Oh?" (general usage prompt for more information)

"That's really interesting! How does that work?" (acknowledges their interest + prompts them to talk more)

"I heard once about [related thing]." (shows that you are engaged with the topic, and allows you to shift conversation in a direction you're more comfortable)

"I'm really interested in [thing], I feel like that might be similar in [way]." (forges common ground and allows you to shift conversation to a topic you enjoy).

So for example, let's say you're talking to someone who mentions that they're really interested in...idk...volcanos. You don't really care about volcanos. But you like this person. So instead of just saying nothing (because you don't care about the topic), or changing the subject, engage instead: "I saw that movie Dante's Peak. How realistic is that?" "What got you interested in volcanos?" "I don't know much about volcanos. My thing was always horses. What's it like being a volcano girl?"

Whatever. The point is not to learn about volcanos (although learning new things can be fun!) but to give them a chance to talk about their thing.

Give Other People a Chance to Speak

The flipside of the thing above: If you're talking to someone about their interest, don't go so overboard trying to relate to them that you don't actually let them talk. In the horse/volcano example, see how it ends with a question? The question hands the topic back to the other person. It's like playing a game of catch. Conversation is tossing a ball back and forth. If one person hogs the ball, it's no fun for the other person.

When you're talking about your interests, you'll want to pay attention to the person/people you're talking to. In general, engaged conversation partners will mirror your energy. If they're asking questions and relating what you're saying to something they know, then they are trying to carry on conversation with you. Proceed!

If you notice they are:

Responding more slowly (without saying a disclaimer like "sorry, multitasking/at work, keep typing!")

Starting to reply with single-word responses ("cool!" "Okay" "lol") or emotes

Saying the same thing over and over ("That's awesome!" three times in a row)

They are most likely trying to disengage from the conversation. It's almost certainly not that they dislike you or that you've done anything wrong. They've probably just run out of things to say, or they really want to talk about something else, and they're looking for a way to politely exit the conversation. You can provide them with a graceful out by saying something like, "Anyway, that's my thing. What have you been up to?"

(Incidentally, if you notice that people have a tendency to stop talking to you or change the subject when you're trying to converse, check that you're not inadvertently giving off those disengagement signals. Saying things like "ok" or "I know" without any further prompting or question can be perceived as a cue for the other person to stop talking).

Avoid Self-Deprecation

Sometimes, you realize that you've made a misstep, and it seems natural that your next step should be to apologize. This isn't a bad impulse! But the way you apologize makes a difference.

For example, let's say you're talking in a discord channel and realize that you've been going on for a while and nobody else is saying anything. You get self-conscious and realize, oh, maybe you're talking too much.

So perhaps you're tempted to say: "Sorry. I know I talk too much and it's annoying."

Do not do this. Because now the people in chat will feel contractually obligated to reassure you that you are not annoying.

Instead, try a joke: "Phew that was a lot! Anyway. Anybody else want a turn?"

Keeping things light-hearted alleviates the pressure that other people might feel and keeps the mood from being too awkward.

"Isn't all of this dishonest and manipulative?"

Look. Here's the thing. People who are good communicators -- folks you might hear described as charismatic -- are folks who understand these rules, and other social rules, intuitively. Most well-socialized neurotypical folks communicate this way without thinking about it or even knowing what they're doing.

For those people, conversation is usually less about exchanging specific information and more about nurturing a social bond. Remember -- it's not about volcanos. It's about making the other person feel heard and appreciated.

To stretch the example to its breaking point: What would be dishonest or manipulative is if you pretended that you loved volcanos, or lied about your experience with volcanos, or went out of your way to build a relationship with someone on a shared passion for volcanos when actually you don't really like volcanos at all and one day you won't be able to stand it anymore.

Showing polite interest for a few minutes by asking a question? Is not dishonest. That's just you signaling to them, "I don't get your thing, but I care about you as a person and talking about this seems to make you happy, so please continue."

That's all for today. I might be back later with a post about sympathy and venting and advice. But for now, I hope this was at least a little bit helpful for somebody. Good luck out there making conversation!

[ily-tomura]

Dedication - First Encounters

Autistic!Tomura, ADHd!Spinner, Social Anxiety, QPR

Tomura does get nervous talking to new people, but he almost has a sense of ease to him when interacting with folks online. They can’t see him fidget and he doesn’t have to worry about them wanting him to make eye contact. He’ll occasionally stream games for folks in his favorite server. He likes the company of chatter in the background.

Iguchi on the other hand is not very socially adept. He does what he needs to to get by without being harassed in public, but that’s about it. The first time he joined a group VC he couldn’t even bring himself to speak. He eventually just sent a text in the general chat that said his mic was broken.

Tomura will occasionally chime into dialogue in the voice chat, saying if he agrees with something someone has said or if he thinks XYZ video game sucks, but he keeps an idle watch of who’s watching his screen.

Iguchi’s hands are shaking ever so slightly as he types responses to different folks in the chat. The conversation often moves so fast that he doesn’t have time to respond. He’ll type something out and then back out before sending it because the moment has passed. He’s really glad he’s not speaking now, because surely his voice would be shaking as it escaped his mouth. He finds some peace in watching Tomura’s gameplay.

At a certain point, different people in the call leave to do their own things or go to bed and it’s just the two of them. It’s very quiet at first, but Tomura, not liking the silence but not wanting to go to bed quite yet, strikes up a conversation.

It’s about little things at first, just a question here and there. Simple questions. What games do you like? You into esports at all? Did you hear about XYZ title coming out?

Tomura leaves ample time for Iguchi to type out responses. When Iguchi answers Tomura reads it and gives his own answers in response. It’s an easy flow to get lost in. It’s something comfortable.

The way Tomura talks about games and laughs with someone he’s barely met, its kind of cool to Iguchi. Confidence is a trait he wished he had.

Three am rolls around and Iguchi is having trouble holding his eyes open. He’s stopped shaking for the most part, but he knows he’ll have to leave soon. He types out a message asking if they could hang out like this again, but he hesitates over the send button and lets out a sigh.

“Hit send.” The command hit’s Iguchi’s brain like a brick. Was this guy some kind of psychic?? He complies regardless, figuring he might as well. He hits send.

Tomura doesn’t reply, instead sending over a friend request.

“I’ll let you know the next time I want to stream, that sound okay?”

‘yeah’ Iguchi sends before Tomura tells him to have a good night, ends the stream, and leaves him alone in the call.

Iguchi leans back in his chair, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. This was all so new to him. Hopefully that guy didn’t notice how nervous he was.

Tomura turns off his PC for the night. That was the most nervous person he’s ever talked to on call. He didn’t mind doing social heavy lifting to get the friendship ball rolling though. Helping people open up took a bit of dedication, but for the right people, it was something Tomura loved to do.

[pianocat939]

Random idea, but imagine the yandere turtle ai’s, but m/c straight up has no clue who they are even talking to.

Like, Donnie finds out about the multiverse and tries to connect with other dimensions. Our dimension has a show version of them, so he easily connects with it. Imagine poor m/c, who really likes the show, just randomly coming into contact with some strangers one day. The turtles don’t mean to connect to poor m/c at first, but they get attached really quickly.

It is pretty much the self aware au, but the turtles speak to m/c through a chat system and m/c has no fricking clue it is the turtles talking to them.

M/c, texting: wow! Your user is of that character I like in ROTTMNT! Do you like that show too???

Random turtle, texting: uhhhhh, yes…?

Or, we have a scenario like this:

Donnie, texting: salutations, random individual. I have breached the multiverse and appear to have found myself in this chat with you. My name is Donatello, what is yours?

M/c, texting: wow, that is some good role play! How did you get so into character like that?

Donnie, texting: wha-

Also, m/c is royally screwed. The moment the turtles get attached, m/c can pack their bags and say goodbye. Because as soon as Donnie gets a portal going to breach into their dimension, the turtles will kidnap m/c on sight and drag them to their dimension. Poor m/c finally learned who those strangers online were.

Besides, m/c really likes them! They will live a perfectly happy life in their world with them. Except m/c isn’t ever allowed to leave.

Leo, texting: what would you do if you were to enter an alternate universe with your favorite characters?

M/c, texting: I honestly don’t know. Maybe try to talk and interact?

*portal opens, and Donnie steps out*

Donnie, with a big grin on his face: hey

M/c: holy-

Ooh! I must say I really do love the Sentient Bot Alt/AU ngl- I wouldn’t mind adding a bit more on that.

Anyway, I’ll just add a few scenarios and bits.

Tw: kidnapping(?)

Donnie was just trying to discover what talking through the multiverse was, as a scientific curiosity and nothing else.

But the first person he managed to stumble upon was- interesting to say the least. Within the first message he sent, they would reply that he talks an awful a lot like their favourite TV show- something about being ninja turtle, which isn’t entirely wrong.

He continues to talk to them, and they’re quite funny but also nice at times. Donnie would soon find himself tending to talk to them more rather than focusing on his inventions and research.

The way they talked to him with so much love and appreciation! Ugh, he couldn’t help it, it just felt so refreshing talk to someone so kind rather than his brothers’ habitual bullying-

So in secret- he changed their username to 🤍Dearest_Darling🤍. They were HIS darling, the one who loved him and comforted them! And he was going to indulge himself on their love.

Then as if he’ll broke over- his brothers found out about his messages with them. And they are not pleased to say the least.

What became his indulgence became a communist type sacrifice of sharing the love of this person from the multiverse. Instead of just Donnie, all 4 would now converse with them- and Donnie hated it.

Until one day, a message was sent to him from them.

🤍Dearest_Darling🤍: I wish I was talking to the real thing instead of an AI chatbot- it would be so much fun!

And at that moment Donnie realized that he did not seem to be a living entity to them- which saddened him. But no matter, he is willing to change it! So instead, he took the chance to bring them to his universe by constructing a portal that interrupting the usual flow of energy of the universe.

His brothers were excited too, but HE’S going to be the first one to get to interact with them.

…

Princess_Diana_3000: How would you feel if one of your favourite characters suddenly showed up right before you?

🤍Dearest_Darling🤍: That would be so cool! I would definitely talk to them for sure!

Donnie smiles, and then activates the portal- as soon as steps through he sees them, and he can’t help but stand there in shock for a second. Wow, they are real- they’re just as real as he is…

He usually isn’t one for touch, but in that moment he couldn’t help but hug them. His dearest darling was finally within his grasp! No more lonely days where he wishes he could do stuff with them, just a world of happiness.

Donnie: “Oh my! My darling, we are finally able to live a life of peace and love!”

MC: “Wha- huh? Tf?”

And then he drags you to his portal, and you find yourself at his lab, surrounded by his brothers.

Leo: “Oh my god, they’re so adorable, look at their little face~”

Mikey: “Hey do you wanna try the apple crumble I made? I told you I would let you try my cooking my divinity!”

Raph: “You NEED to see my plushie collection. Then we can snuggle!”

And then consider yourself never able to leave their dimension ever again as you are constantly cuddled with love.

[strongermonster]

this is a really weird thing to complain about perhaps + has a really simple fix of "why don't you just switch banks then bc no one cares??"

but last year (maybe the year before?) my bank switched from a very conservative navy blue, berry red, and steel grey colour scheme that had a sort of feel of professional detachment to it that i've come to associate with dry corporate things like banking, to this "fun" new thing that's lime green and hot pink, with (mostly) light grey text on dark grey backgrounds, and uses exclusively black and white pictures of Attractive Diverse Youths of an Indeterminate Age Doing Fun Millennial-Appealing Non-Banking Activities to try and jazz it up, and i... i don't... hate it, but it feels... wrong?

it feels too very specifically engineered. calculated. like, you're a bank. you're a financial institution owned by a larger one that has all the money in the world and does not care to help a single soul with it, but you know it doesn't matter because we're stuck with you anyways.

"free spirited photography" "old-fashioned competition" "energetic black-and-white imagery" why does it feel like they're trying to convince me of something?? this is like a new wave social media app that hasn't figured out how manipulative phrasing has worked yet.

the whole thing feels disingenuous and tacky. they're an online only bank, so they're trying to appeal to millennials and younger by being Hip and Cool with the Youths, but it just feels sour. reminds me a bit of 'they live (1988)'-ish, or when you get a new job and they're like "we're a family here! 🥰" and everything is really sleek and buzzfeed/tech startup-esq and counter-productively techy in a really inhuman way and you end up getting fired over zoom by a bohemian chic hr woman wearing fashion glasses she doesn't need with bangles that jingle the entire time she gesticulates while telling you she's really-really sorry your mom has cancer, but you did break company policy by taking 10 days off this year 😢

also when i say "i don't hate it" i mean uhm. if this was the kind of colours and imagery that someone was using to promote a community-based event that involved interacting with other people, i would find it enjoyable and engaging. but there's something about it being used to encourage engagement with an app designed to take my money that makes me feel uhh well all of the above i guess.

i don't know. corporations have more access to us on a deeply personal level than ever before, so when i see things like this it makes me nervous to think about how many greedy corporate execs sat in a room workshopping the best way to seem like Your Cool Friend like some sort of shapeshifting social parasite. but maybe i'm just paranoid.

[ilydeku]

waiter deku things

nah bc imagine Izuku being a waiter? 5 star server, rated the best waiter in the district online, server of the month countless times in a row <3

- ONLY HE CAN PULL OFF THE UNIFORM

- The uniform is all black, collared button up long sleeve, work pants, waist apron

- HIM HOLDING THE TRAY HOLDER AND TOWEL OVER HIS ARM AND SHIT

- HE'S SO HANDSOME

- He's only doing the job for extra money to pay for wrap bandages and weights, (And to help out his Mom a little <3 ) but he loves meeting nice families and people there, especially if they're children, young aspiring heroes

- It's really heartwarming to see him interacting with the kids. The way he speaks to their little hearts. The parents love it too. Sometimes families come back to the restaurants and the kids actually go looking for Izuku. That's just how much love and joy he's brought to them.

- No one has ever yelled or bad-mouthed Izuku from the food. They know how much of a good person he is. They usually call him over gently and thoroughly explain the situation. He listens, nods, and always ends with a bow and a sincere apology.

- Of course, you'd know since you've been coming to the restaurant ever since your first experience. There have been times when you went several days in a row just to see him, but most of the time he wasn't your waiter and you sometimes you leave immediately after that. Izuku might actually be catching onto this because he has always noticed your presence. There was one time you came 5 times in a row, 3 of them not being Izuku as the waiter and 1 of them you not even caring anymore. You just wanted to see Izuku at work. Seeing his smile and the way he's enthusiastic with the kids always makes your day. On the 2 days, Izuku was your waiter, he asked a bit about you, how you were, what things you like to do, and what school you went to. (he looked kind of sad when you said you didn't go to U.A. he was hoping you'd be in another class and he could maybe hang out with you in school :( ) When you answered yes when he asked if you had a quirk, he got all excited. You could practically see his tail wagging. You told him your quirk, wind manipulation anemokinesis, and did a small run down about what it was all about. You even did a small demonstration by setting a sudden breeze inside the restaurant. Izuku was stoked. He just had to see your quirk in action. Imagine how cool it would be to see gusts and pulses of wind against villains! You and Izuku must have been talking for a while because the kitchen manager actually had to come out from the back and personally tell him to get back to work. Of course, he obliged and went off to attend to the other awaiting customers. That was the first time you and Izuku had actually spoken to each, outside of ordering. And you'd be lying if you said you weren't head over heels for him.

- Izuku has actually memorized the usual times and days you've arrived, your usual order of (insert) and a glass of water, and the usual time you'd leave. He feels ashamed to be keeping track of this, but what he doesn't know is that you're practically the same. You know the times he clocks in and clocks out, the time he takes a break, and the days of the week he works.

- There was this one point in time when you never came to the restaurant for about a month and he got really worried. He was actually going to try looking up ways to contact you, but then it hit him. He doesn't know your name. Ugh, what a dummy. Coincidentally, you came the very next day and all of Izuku's worries had instantly gone away. (But the dummy forgot to ask your name 💀)

- Izuku knows a lot about you. And not just from that one conversation. He's listened to you talk on the phone before. And he didn't do it on purpose. He just happened to be passing by with a stack of dirty dishes and heard you talking about your aspirations with someone. You were speaking your clear intentions of what you wanted to do as a hero. You're not doing it for the fame or the money or your name on a top spot. You're doing it to save people and want nothing more than for everyone to be happy. From that moment, Izuku has grown very fond of you. He got to learn more about you and didn't even have to speak a word to you. But when he's actually your waiter, he pretends like none of that is registered in his head. What would you think of him? Of course, you'd think he's some kind of weirdo. Most of the time, it usually goes like this:

"Hello, how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing well. And you?"

"I'm doing good. Would you like the usual?"

"That'd be great."

"All right. I'll be back with your order in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay thank you."

- So bland 💀

- Guess it'll take for Izuku's feelings to overwhelm him and gain the courage to push forward with you

[tezzbot]

Thoughts on Big the Cat? Just in general. But if you'd like something specific then I guess, how do you think he'd get along with characters he doesn't get to talk to that often, like the Chaotix or Team Dark?

I LOVE BIG SO MUCH!!!! I love a good gentle giant character. And him being like actually kind of wise despite just bein a humble fisherman hehe Big has everything So figured out ^_^

As for interactions, I feel like Big would just get along with everyone tbh

For Team Dark

I think he would just confuse Omega, like Omega just doesn't. See the point in him as like a person BDJDGD because he doesn't "serve a purpose" he just doesn't get this big extremely chill dude, but Big is okay with that everybody lives differently :] Omega does respect Big teaching those fish who's boss though he's like yesss reverse waterboard thosr fuckers!!!! While Big is like thank you fishy<3 and plopping it back in the water

Rouge and Shadow I think would have opposite. I guess relationships with him? Rouge I think would find him nice to vent her frustrations to he's p much always willing to lend an ear and has learned he's not really gonna get a word in edgewise so he is content to simply sit and listen and nod along when needed

On the other hand Shadow would find it nice to have someone to Just sit with, no obligation to listen or talk or. Just no expectations of him to do really anything except Be there. And it's nice to finally be able to sit with someone who doesn't talk Just Fuckin Constantly LOL and again! Big is content to provide that for him hehe

The Chaotix uummm

Well I think Vector would be cool to just chill with him as well, they both vibe well near water LOL Maybe Vector swims fr a bit then chills out in Big's boat or like next to him on the dock and he brings a little radio to sit nearby to fill some silence. Also that one post with those two smoking weed together was so real actually, 2 big queer men smile

I think Espio wld appreciate his sort of. musings? He's susceptable to fake deep shit online I feel like LOL, but Big tells it straight to the point just as it is and it like blows his little mind, and the stillness and quietness after Big says somethin gives him a moment to meditate on it or whatever, he writes some of the quotes down in a journal and then like doodles and little notes to self around em because I need him to be portrayed as an edgy cringelord teenager so badly HGFHJ but yeah he has a huge respect for Big I think

Charmy. is kind of difficult? I mean, pairing any Extreme Hyper Energetic and Chillest Guy On The Planet characters together isn't ever gonna be easy HJGFH Maybe hanging out with Big after running out of All of his ideas for stuff around them to play with in different ways, he'd decide he was bored and maybe start to get grumpy, but then he notices Big get a bite and catch it and then suddenly is really really into fishing with Big. He asks about every item in the kit Big brings with him and is THE most excited when he eventually actually catches something himself. Vector and Espio come to pick him up and are Shocked to see him sitting in one place not saying anything just intently staring at a pond with his own little fishing rod next to Big QuQ

Oh also headcanon Big, when he's not fishing, makes The Most dad noises of anyone in the cast because I think that's funny GHFJGH

I could probably think of more but I am. Tired now lol

[brisquad-unit-4402]

IM LOSING IT OVER YOUR RECENT IKE FIC. LIKE OH MY GOD. its so sweet and heartwrenching i felt just as nervous and anxious as reader the entire time, and when ike reciprocated my heart MELTED AHHH his freckles!!! how kind and beautiful he is, and his confusion turning into acceptance and his SQUEALSSS AAAA. i cant take it this is my fav ike and probably luxiem fic of all time. all of your hard work paid off so well, it was so well structured and emotional and everyone felt so real!! like they arent characters, theyre actual people!!

ahh, now i wish i knew ike's perspective during those stream moments and his reaction to pen and paper ship content HAHA. i imagine he swiftly bookmarks it on his private account but he keeps blushing and his hands shake whenever he sees any fanart WAAAH. maybe one time he sees pen and paper kissing and he cant properly look at the notifications from reader's chat without FLUSHING RED i love them so bad

i love whenever i'm reading a fanfic and it's so sweetly emotional that you feel your own emotions kicking in. so whenever i hear my work has that effect on someone else it's one of the nicest feelings in the world and WHAT DO YOU MEAN FAVORITE IKE AND/OR LUXIEM FIC EVER. that's super high praise thank youuuuu sobsobsob

i mean this is the kindest most /posi way possible but "they aren't charcters, they're actual people" is the scariest compliment i've ever heard. like on one hand i'm genuinely happy! i worked really hard on keeping multifaceted personalities in mind even for the minor characters! but also Oh No. I'm Writing Vtubers. We Need To Play This So Carefully And So Conscious Of The Creator/Audience Boundary Or My Ass Is GONE

real talk one of my most favorite ike things is when he squeals at something cute or because he's embarrassed ahhhh. and his speaking voice gets so high pitched and soft when he's flustered too like?? it's probably my favorite charm point of his

the ogs remember the poll i ran like a month ago about if ike should have freckles or not. shoutout to the landslide victory, if i remember correctly 97% of voters wanted ike with freckles! so glad that worked out, it works so well with the star theme and the difference between an online friendship meeting irl, and how reader loves them because it's a reminder that they have so much to learn about ike and are ready/willing, and also, freckles are just plain adorable. ike is just plain adorable. put them together and if i were richer and thirstier i'd be commissioning an artist

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

real talk tho i feel like ike goes from 1 to 100 whenever he catches himself simping over reader before the off-collab. either he's really good at acting composed, being normal, just interacting with his best friend like best friends do... or he's a stuttering, blushy mess that wavers like jell-o.

ike's the type of guy to sleepily check twitter before going to bed and whenever he sees pen and paper on his fyp it's like he snaps awake. maybe even squeaks or goes "a!" if it's especially.... you know. sometimes he can't even comprehend that people want him and reader to. well. his mouth goes dry.

and then he feels so dirty and embarrassed just because it's there, but... he's still looking at it. is it bad he's still looking at it? it definitely is but it's captivating, in a way. somehow. the artists are so talented, and somehow they nail your body language to a t, and the way your hair swoops above your eyes, and draw you with the cutest little expressions, and—

ah, who is he kidding.

in moments of weakness it triggers something in him to bury his face a little deeper in his blankets, pretend the screen's light would cool the heat pooling over his cheeks, and search the hashtag himself.

not even three pieces of fanart later, he has to throw his phone face-down on the mattress, cover his blush with a pillow, and now he's definitely squealing. it's healing and it makes him ill. it's... pretty. you're pretty. and he's pretty dumb for letting a silly crush distort itself like this.

the worst part is that some of these line up a little too well with daydreams he wanted to lock away until the end of time. he likes when he takes the lead. the stunned, puppyish expression so rare it only shows up on your face during the biggest plot twists during a stream, but coated in a darkened blush as he pecks them on the cheek, elegant and composed. calm.

ohhhh, this can't be good for his heart. especially when ike himself is so red-faced just thinking of it. calm, his foot.

still with the pillow over his flush, ike feels around for his phone and sets it on his nightstand. he chides himself. that's enough internet for the day, eveland! now quit acting like a shoujo high schooler in love and go to bed already, it's not going to happen!

he sets his face into a determined frown as he lifts the pillow and sets it aside. with any luck, he'd go the rest of the night without thinking of reader and his feelings for them.

the frown eases as he nestles into his blankets and tucks himself in. soft sheets and warm comfort greet him as he shuts his eyes, and he enters the fluffy haze of sleep as he slips into dreamland...

...is what he'd like to say, but not even ten seconds later his eyes snap open and jerks upright in bed. wait, i'm acting like i'm in love?!

he sits with the thought seeping through his brain like a corrosive acid, filing through every little moment he daydreamed about you, and when those don't paint him a picture he likes, he tries to recall the moments he shared with you instead. those are even fonder, and even worse.

he slaps his hands over his face and sighs, and when it sounds lovesick he sighs even more.

✧. ┊ masterpost ✧. ┊ kofi

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

Hi there,

I'm a really shy person, so it took a lot of convincing myself to send this, but I just wanted to say that I really love your art. It has a delightfully messy style to it and is also just really neat, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. I hate interacting with folks on the Internet so just know this means a lot, haha.

Keep doing what you do cool person 👍

(ps, thanks for introducing me to scarebat!)

howdy! as someone who was merely ghosting on online spaces when i was younger an’ way-way more socially anxious, i applaud you for braving up an’ going out of your way to do this. this is very touching! after all, i’m just a random fella with niche interests. so honestly, that’s a big gesture in my eyes! esp when someone says that they like my art, out of all things! 

i'm glad you like what i make. when i post i don’t expect anything tbh. just think, that maybe someone out there might enjoy it too or just find it peculiar to look at.

hehe. oh gosh. cool. who?? me? you’re too kind! 

i’m happy, if my stuff got you interested in scarebat, casually or not. they are a very good ship, like my own bias aside. i do think that fandoms can really benefit from various niche ships. even if just idk, for exploration reasons.

thank you again for telling me all of this! here, *i’m too sickly to draw anythin’ new atm* so i hope this lil thing, that was supposed to be part of this set might express my gratitude. i wasn’t able to find a proper placement for it back then an’ eventually forgot about it. but finally, it can be useful in a way. 

so you an' everyone else, who would read it, can have batman trying new methods of interrogation, when it comes to scarecrow. basically, he just force holds him, till he gets flustered enough to give up the info.

[javaghoul]

Uuuuh idk I guess off of that, when people relate to him because he's "hard" or "tough" or "cool" I always feel really. Weird.

I know a lot of people relate to him because he's severely traumatized and still pushing through. A lot of people want to be glorified like he does. That's fine - that's their prerogative. But I can't see you as cool or even edgy if you relate to him, yanno? He gets reduced to his aesthetics a lot and while I understand the ghoul perception of him (which is similar to some of these peoples'), we as an audience get to see him much deeper than that. Focusing only on the things he's doing that Look Cool and not breaking them down or comparing them to him as a character is always such a loss to me. I feel like a lot of the people I meet - esp IRL - that like TG often don't understand it, they just think Kaneki is cool and tragic, and THEY wanna be cool and tragic, yanno?

It's their business - idc what kind of person u are or u project urself to be. I'm more mourning the characterization of Kaneki himself as I watch it get twisted into this super cool super powered edgelord who's ONLY cold and detached now. A coldblooded killer who doesn't care about anything. A lone wolf.

No... No no no. It's cool you see yourself that way but you're SO missing the point with him. Projecting that onto him is doing this pansy such a disservice 😭 If you met him in person you'd hate him, you'd think he's a whiny bitch (cuz he is lowkey)

- Same anon as last time. 👽

yay hi again Alien Anon 👽

I haven't met anyone in real life who feel that they hugely relate to any of the Kanekis' (or spoken to anyone online who do), so I can't really agree or disagree with what you've said. I can believe it happening though. I have noticed that Kaneki will get thrown in with lots of other anime characters that fit into the aesthetics as you called it, when he seems like the outlier of said group (possibly because I'm more familiar with his story idk). When Kaneki is mentioned outside the TG fandom, it's a very specific evolution of him that is talked about: Post-aogiri, pre-interacting with touka again kaneki, with no mention of his background, who he was, and who he becomes.

How do you feel about him being compared to Ayato?

I've always seen Kaneki as a vehicle for the real story of Tokyo Ghoul rather than it being HIS story. He isn't a character that I think I'd get along with in real life despite having things in common with him (being orphaned, let down by family etc) and I can't imagine a much younger me ever relating/idolising him in any sort of way as -like you said- he's kinda whiny, silly, and pathetic at times.

I mean, he gets there in the end, but he takes several country miles in getting there.

This is me reaching, but maybe people like to relate to him because they like the turning point where Kaneki stops giving a shit and starts getting fighty about it. He's spent his life getting treated like crap, then he has the enough is enough moment and takes it out on the world. I think there's people that daydream about being able to do that. Could it be a bit of wish fulfillment?

You put things more eloquently than I did, so I don't think I contributed anything, but thanks for writing this! I feel that Kaneki is an off-limits character to criticize so it's refreshing when someone expresses a different opinion on him.

Oh and to add, you said people perceive him as tough: I've never seen him as tough lol, survivor definitely. But then my definition of "tough" is having shit things happen to you and not allowing it to completely change you/your life (for the worst) if that makes sense, so that's a personal thing

[divorcedwife]

your art is gorgeous and deserves all the notes in the world. i love all of your fashion and outfit designs and the way you draw poses and facial expressions is always so perfect. don’t let the internet fool you into thinking more numbers means more liked. i think your art is some of the most beautiful art i have ever seen

oh thank you!! i definitely think you're right that it's good to face what we want and that there's no shame in wanting attention. i've been trying to not be so ashamed of everything in general because i've realized that most people deal with that too, and that being at ease with myself helps people be at ease with me too

but in general, i am very happy with the amount of attention and kind words i get, and i definitely agree that more numbers =/= more joy. i used to chase certain milestones and think that i would reach a point where i'd be content and satisfied, and reaching a milestone is cool but it's still just numbers. ultimately, it means more to me to get thoughtful feedback, or when an artist i respect likes it, or to see the same people stick around for months and years :-) i do notice that & i love to see it

and not to be mean, but i also really don't vibe with how some people i follow on instagram, that are popular artists, act very demanding of their audience's attention and money. i don't think following someone online means you pledge your eternal loyalty to them, and i never would want people to think that if they scroll by an art piece of mine without interacting, or just liking, it's a deep betrayal lol. it's fine! ultimately, my feelings are mine to deal with, and it's not on anyone else to provide validation to me at all times. i really don't want anyone to feel guilty for that

like people are not entitled to free labor from artists, but artists are also not entitled to a "fandom". i remember being really not impressed back on deviantart with how popular artists talked to their followers and tbh i think some people are rude to feel more like rock stars. it's not cute.... i don't like it... i feel like the respect has to go both ways

also im kinda glass half full-ing my way through life - if something doesn't work out, i'm like well, this is a good way to practice failure and emotion control. can't go through life with everything going smoothly at all times, that's just how it is. i cant control what happens, only what i do about it. if i post something and it doesn't work as well as i thought, oh well, it's ok, i'm learning to detach value from notes, i'm going to be just like the buddha very soon

god this is so long. im sorry, i have so many thoughts re : being an artist online and handling metrics and so on. the TLDR : i really love being there on tumblr dot com and i feel really lucky that so many people like my art, like my original characters, and it's a pleasure to be there :-) thank you again!! <3333

[itsclydebitches]

The opposition to rewrites in the FNDM is just so goddamn weird to me, given that one of the cornerstones of another fandom I'm in is a rewrite of a canon storyline that had some really cool ideas but dogshit execution. I see people saying that the rewriters are arrogant for thinking that they can do RWBY better than the official team, but no, in my experience even if they are arrogant it's equally possible that they're right. Official doesn't mean "The Best" or even "Good", just official.

Exactly. Ultimately it shouldn't even matter whether rewrites are "good" or not because

a) That's a highly subjective interpretation no one will ever agree on

b) They're written by amateurs for free as a hobby - with "amateur" meaning someone who does not produce RWBY writing in a professional capacity, not someone who is automatically "bad" at the art - and thus rewrites would be at huge disadvantage even if we did want to judge their quality

and c) That's just what fanfiction is?? Transformation??? The writer's motivation is inconsequential. Whether they're producing this because they think they can craft a better story than canon, or whether they simply want a creative means of celebrating it, the end result is still the same: a new, unofficial RWBY product that readers will inevitably compare to the original, favorably or otherwise

So yeah, it's wild to me. I've literally never seen another fandom so anti-rewrite. It's usually the opposite - as you say, a cornerstone of fan engagement - where fans, both jokingly and not, talk about how sometimes fic is a love letter and sometimes it's a "FUCK YOU STRONGLY WORDED TELEGRAM TO FOLLOW." Despite RWBY appearing unique at first glance (from my perspective, anyway) I wonder if part of this is due to larger fandom trends? Meaning, RWBY is comparatively young as fandoms go and I've noticed in recent years a prioritization of canon that hasn't been around before, particularly when it comes to shipping. Some of that is good imo (like the push for queer canonization) and some of it is just downright odd (what do you mean I'm not "allowed" to ship them just because they haven't spoken to each on screen? Since when is THAT a requirement?). Though RWBY is definitely an extreme case, there seems to be this generalized move from, "This is our canon and it's great, or maybe it sucks, but either way it's a spring board for all of THESE cool things" to "This is our canon and it is scared. It is perfect, flaws and all. If you're going to add to it I need a detailed proposal for how this fits into the established world, encapsulates the original author's vision, and maintains characterization even though I'm too young to know what OOC stands for." Certainly in RWBY's case, I wonder if part of it stems from the rise in social media and, as a result, fans "personal" relationships with the actors and writers. When you're seeing a creator's tweets all day and feeling like they're your online friend, you might be less inclined to "mess with" their work; as opposed to seeing an actor/writer at a con once a year, going home, recognizing that they're a complete stranger outside of any fantasies, and then getting on with playing in their sandbox because why wouldn't you? They're never going to know. This is the age of fans sending their fic to actors to read aloud and tweeting at writers that such-and-such had this to say about the show. Though this was done in a cool and positive light, I have legit had a meta of mine tweeted at a OFMD actor and, if the like he gave is any indication, he read it... which is a weird thing to think about considering he was not the audience I had in mind while crafting it. Those kinds of interactions has got to have some kind of impact on fans' perception of what they can and cannot do with the material...

Anyway, today's PSA is that if you want to do a rewrite of any story - yes, even RWBY! - you are absolutely allowed to do that regardless of how "good" it supposedly is. Go forth and get creative. Get messy. Do whatever the hell you want and if someone in the fandom tries to make you feel bad about that, tell me and I'll manifest a Lego in their shoe.

After all, it's not like the entirety of RWBY is built on transforming others' stories or anything :)

[blueberry-lemon]

"It's nice to be nice."

For a brief time after graduating from college, I worked at a before-school program at an elementary school.

While I don’t think I have the fortitude to work with kids in the long-term, it wasn’t so bad. At times, it was kind of relaxing. My supervisors were cool. Most of the kids were pretty chill.

Some of the kids were less chill. They would misbehave, in typical elementary school fashion. My supervisors had various different tactics for dealing with that, which worked pretty consistently. Usually it was a time-out, or a stern talking-to, or something similar.

One of my supervisors had a common refrain that she would try to teach the kids if they had done something mean to another: “It’s nice to be nice.”

She would say it loud and clear, for everyone in the room to hear. On its face, it was a bit corny and redundant. It didn’t really…convey much. It was a handy turn-of-phrase that was meant to instill a sense of compassion among the students. Be kind to each other. It’s a "good thing” to do!

Since a lot of the kids were already in 4th and 5th grade, I doubt that the phrase did much to change any behavior. It’s the exact kind of platitude that I would ignore at that age, given that it doesn’t sound like anything besides “stop breaking rules.”

For some reason, it did stick with me though.

It pops back up into my mind every so often. “It’s nice to be nice.” It lacks nuance or cleverness, which I think is maybe the best thing about it. Maybe it’s deceptively wise. Or maybe I’m overthinking things.

It’s possible that my level of social exposure is low, and that my expectations are lower, but I’m over-the-moon when a stranger is friendly to me. Even if they’re paid to be friendly, like a grocery cashier or a hotel clerk. I don’t really feel like they should feel obligated to do it, even if it is their job, so I still find it a flattering bonus when it happens. It puts a pep in my step.

The same goes online.

There’s something about a low-stakes, respectful, cordial interaction that just…[chef’s kiss]

So much on the internet is about being funny, or smart, or educational, or persuasive, or cruel.

The older I get the more I’m like…what about just being nice? Maybe it’s worth a shot.

And yes I can throw a million disclaimers here: I’m not talking about respectability politics, or pandering, or inappropriate levels of toxic positivity. I’m not talking about distracting from the real issues, or avoiding politics, or donating all of my time and energy on fixing depressed strangers. I’m not talking about being parasocial weirdos or overstepping our bounds with accounts I follow.

I just mean regular old, day-to-day, casual friendliness with peers.

It’s fun! Almost intoxicating!

There’s nothing more fun now than a quick, casual exchange with someone online where we respect each others’ boundaries and gush over a shared interest. Or reaching out to actually leave a nice comment on something instead of just scrolling by, etc. etc.

I’ll stop now before I sound like corny old internet boomer. You get the idea.

All of this is to say that when I make an effort to actually reshape the interactions I have online, it makes me feel like there was actually a point to this whole internet thing. It makes me feel slightly less alone, and less trapped in my own head.

Even though it’s easier now than ever, I really don’t want to streamline my online experience into a never-ending timeline scroll of “content.” An endless refreshing of things to make me laugh and things to make me mad. I want it to be an actual exchange of ideas, and of kindness and support. A place where I can show small kindnesses in the same way that I should try to small kindnesses to people in my real neighborhood.

That boss of mine might have been cooking. Maybe it really is nice to be nice, even just for its own sake.

[manipulatorkaleidoscope]

Going over the other dread tower bros, Kyle and Evel

For @0iam0 (who requested this yesterday along with Count Nightfell)

Anways while I think that bros are so silly and the entirety of the dread tower is like, so silly, I actually don’t have that many head cannons for them. It’s ok tho, I’m hoping the ones I have are good enough 👍

Kyle:

Bro is a furry. Like cmon why wouldn’t he be

Aslo he Gossips a lot. He as a mysterious online friend that also tells him a lot of the dirt In the place they are staying over at and he tells them the sort of dread tower back (I’ll reveal said mysterious friend IF you guess who they are and ask about them. But until then… it for me to know and for you to find out 😏 )

Also he had been living alone with no place to go until he stumbled into dread tower one day (I know it’s in the middle of nowhere but HEAR ME OUT-) and Hyde saw him and was like “oh you poor thing” and then he was like “you wanna stay here free of charge, I have like 30 empty guest rooms” and Kyle was like “lmao sure”. He doesn’t show it to Hyde but Kyle is extremely great full lmao.

Also that’s one of the reasons why Kyle admirers Hyde so greatly and he was willing to go along with the entire battle cruise scheme as well as being the introductory act of dread tower. He just wants to make Hyde proud

(Hyde IS proud. But don’t tell Kyle I said that.)

Evel:

Constantly has to be reminded by Hyde to go to sleep but rarely ever listen

Aslo has become the perfect outlet to yell at when someone is talking sh*t about someone else. Mostly because he won’t tell a soul since he isn’t even listening.

Evel is a simple guy. He would also experiment on people if Hyde didn’t stop him from doing so (“They’re our guests, Evel! NOT ur lab rats!”)

Apart from that really gets along with Hyde. He thinks Kyle is a bit anoying, but he’s ok. He thinks count night fell is a bit extra, but he’s also ok. Isn’t sure what to feel about Phi though.

Okay!! Time for the personal rating!!

Kyle

✨6/10✨. In this case, this is actually good for him. At first I wasted exactly sure what to think of him, and then I found him kind of… bad per se. I thought he was kind of dramatic (in a bad way) and that he was kind of ugly (I sorry but they gave Kyle some of the worst camera angles known to mankind 😓). But the when I rewatched turbo again (and again) I didn’t think he was that bad. He was just, silly and weird, just like everyone else at dread tower. I like stuff about him, like for example, his mask. The only major complain I have about him though is that his outfit is In some serious need of a redesign but hey, he still cool in my book 👍

Evel

✨5/10✨. Im not really sure how to feel about him. On one hand I always love to see a good Beyblade scientist/smart person (see: Gwyn),I think his soulless eyes are one of the most ingenious character design sh*t that the show has ever pulled and I genuinely love seeing his interactions with Hyde, but on the other hand… he’s kinda boring. Plain. Just used as another character to build others storylines on top of. Literally the only thing that bro did to advance the plot was give Aiger the invitation to Dread tower. Then he was used by other characters to advance the plot, which is kinda sad. Also bro only got two battles…which don’t you know how sad that is..?(EVeN PHELIX HAS MoRE THAN THAT) (/srs but hey I still love u Phelix 🥰). The point is, we just need a more plot revelant, more screen time Evel with a dash of personality on the side. Maybe then he will be better imo.

[leopardom]

i thought i wouldn't end up making one of those sappy posts before the end of 2023 but here we are i guess

what i wanna say in advance is a huge thank you, and that i'm sorry

this year has been a nightmare for me and i can't stress that word enough. i won't get into details, if you follow me you may have seen some occassional rant posts. long story short though, i'm ending 2023 being mentally exhausted af and even though i'm not in my most optimistic mood, i hope 2024 will not as shitty as 2023

as of my tumblr presence, there have been some changes. i jumped from one fandom to another without completely leaving the bc fandom. i'm just not that much in the mood anymore. maybe this will change once the new album is out? we'll see 👀 and jumping to another fandom means that i lost contact with so many people from the bc fandom. i promise you i didn't do this on purpose and i don't hate or stopped liking any of you. it just... things got weird and a bit too much in my head and now idk how to keep contact without looking extremely weird in this fandom

anyway! entering another fandom has been weird not only in means of interests but also in means of communication. ever since i remember my tumblr activity in any fandom, i always tried to interact as much as possible with other accounts and talk with people, whether that was via posts or messages. in the jo fandom i feel like i have kinda failed that

i'm aware that i post a lot and i'm probably everywhere with the content updates and the gifs. and that may be annoying to some people. and i understand it, i don't like it but i understand it and i wanna apologise for being... all over the place yet not really reaching out to anyone in the fandom or building any kind of online friendship

idk if there's an accurate explanation for the way i feel about this so i'll put it in the best words possible: i wanna make jokes and have fun in here and exchange random messages or mentions in posts and talk shit or not about jo etc, but i feel like my social anxiety (both online and offline) has passed any limit i had put to it until now that i end up thinking it's actually wrong to interact with anyone in this fandom. because everyone has already connected with some people and have built a specific line of interests and you all seem so fucking cool for someone who is as insecure and scared to talk as me so i end up hiding behind my gifs, shitposts and content updates in hopes that people will like me or at least aknowledge i exist in this fandom. and again, that's all on me, there's no one to blame for this behaviour but me and my fucked up mind (which got even more fucked up in the past year). so idk, i feel like i wanna apologise for this, for being like that

however, no matter the anxiety, i must admit that the jo tumblr fandom was actually my escape when things in real life got bad bad. i've spent hours scrolling through the jo and kaarija hashtags in hopes of seeing something unhinged and funny to lift my mood and you know what? i found something every single time. and that was more than nice. if it wasn't for all of you being as funny and crazy (in a positive way) as you are, i'd feel even worse. but every time i open the jo hashtag there's someone posting a wholesome thing or saying something unhinged like how many ways has Kris listed to kill Bojan in his sleep lmao

anyway i ended up writing a lot, this could easily be an entry to the journal that i don't keep but maybe should start keeping. if you read until this point, congratulations for going through all this ramble and i'm sorry

hope 2024 is gonna be a lot different than 2023 but in a good way this time. and i hope i get better and actually get to interact more with all of you great people 💕 and obviously i hope you all have a fantastic year ahead of you 💖