#ITS TOWARDS THE OP FOR NOT RESPECTING ARTISTS!!!!!

[sunrayretriever]

seeing credited reposted art and then looking up the artist and their bio says no repost... if the op knew the artists twitter then how did they not see the words 'no repost' in their bio?? :| its 'respect artists!!' until you wanna post their art on your page

[megahykler]

for the record, i think u can have a stance of "hes a nice person and probably didnt mean it" And "hes a public figure and needs to be aware of the implications of his actions when in a public setting, especially when said public setting is known to be highly political"

and you can recognize the strict guidelines of all the parties involed, And recognize that if one truely wanted, anyone of the artists have the power to disrupt the whole show in protest. it would have severe consequences for them yes, but no one forced them to go to eur*vision. them being there and having an opportunity of a lifetime, is at the cost of taking attention away from Rafah, which isr*el is using right now as im typing, to invade further in.

Now, we're all adults here, and we can all recognize that u can be disappointed and angry and not take that anger out on other people, both him and fandom people. You also are free to feel satisfied with his statement on IG and feel like "no war" was enough (genuinly, no sarcasm intended), but i still feel like he could do more to "counterbalance" the impact of him being there and the video. this doesent mean im against the fandom or im irrationally angry or acting out in emotion.

rant over but idk. ill stick around and see if he makes another statement and go from there

[chainkeepustogetherr]

NSFW ALPHABET, JEFF BUCKLEY

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

he is so beyond respectful, and so so so beyond cuddly + affectionate. instantly, he questions you askin' if youre doin' okay, if you need water, food, etc. if you require none of those things, he'll instantly cling himself to you, kissing every square inch he can reach while youre in his grasp. its usually quite silent for a few moments afterwards (due to you both relinquishing within each others embrace), him only muttering his love for you afterwards.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

his hands are 10000% his favorite body part of his. he's aware of the sense in which his touch drives you absolutely crazy. the way his fingertips seductively graze within the line of your waist, trailing down towards your hips, the way the palms of his hands grab so delicately, yet passionately around the preface of both your tits & hips simultaneously. and.... guitarist fingers. they know what theyre doin'.

sexually speaking, his favourite body part of yours would be both your lips, and your hips. your lips due to both how good they feel wrapped around him, effortlessly taking him within the outskirts of your mouth, & the entanglement in which they feel dancing alongside his own. he loves the flesh alongside your hips, in which he often times mindlessly grabs at and fools with, which he knows sends you spiraling to say the least.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

I feel like he ops to cum over your body as oppose to your face/mouth. he finds it more artistic that way. (thats a joke).

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

oh lord does this man know what hes doin… he has the fingertips of an angel, the mouth of the devil & the rhythm of the ocean. he knows exactly what he’s doin, how to do it, what makes you shake & quiver, & what sends you over the edge. there is never a dull, nor boring moment with him, that is 100% certain.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

its definitely torn between missonary & cowgirl. he loooooves being able to look you directly in the eye as he slides in & out of you, often leaning down to kiss alongside your neck & collarbone region, muttering how good you feel, n how you’re doin so well for him. though, he does believe that theres nothing hotter than watching you aimlessly bounce up & down his cock

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

he’s definitely not one to crack jokes while he’s literally inside of you, but he’s also not stone cold, sexy man persona, yk? theres a healthy balance in a sense

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

i feel like he often just trims it shorter, not fully shaven, yk?

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

so so beyond romantic. he tends to your needs so beyond well, often kissing your skin & speaking soft encouraging words of praise, tellin’ you how much he loves you

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

often times when you’re apart due to him bein’ on the road, he’ll often call you to engage in said activities alongside him. (a/n…. seperate one shot on this perhaps ?)

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

100% a praise kink, both giving & receiving, though i feel like he isnt into the freakiest of freak, yk?

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

i feel like jeffs a heavy bath/shower sex enjoyer…. 1000%

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

seeing your reactions to his touch, seeing the goosebumps & the way your legs instinctively open themselves up for him. hearing the way your breath hitches as he teases your skin.

he also loooves whenever you wear pretty dresses, or sometimes the way you specifically glance at him as if you’re a hungry doe of the sorts.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

anything that could involve hurting you or putting you in an unsafe or uncomfortable situation. your sense of security, safety & wellness is a top priority to him. even if its just a lil bruise from gripping your hips too firmly, he feels horrible afterwards, often tending to the bruise & kissing it as a form of medicine as much as possible

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

oh… this man is STARVING for you, there is nothing he loves more than tasting you,

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

it certainly depends on the day, the mood, etc. some days, he ops for slow, sensual, passionate love makin', taking more time than usual softly working your body as a form of worship, while other days he can be almost animalistic. opting for the faster & rougher approach, showing you how bad he truly needs you.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

he’s more inclined to take the time preparing you n praisin’ your body how it needs, he doesn’t like rushing or cutting short any form of intimacy, explicitly sexual. though, often sometimes before shows he tends to indulge in a quick session of some sorts, always claiming it “helps him preform”

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

not necessarily. he’s extremely careful & conscious of partaking in anything you potentially wouldn’t enjoy, so if often times he wants to take a risk of the sorts, he’ll ask you prior on your thoughts & feelings

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

some nights you spend hours unwinding each others bodies, working in secret languages & creating rhythms only the pair of you are familiar with, though on different occasions, you typically undergo 2-4 rounds

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

jeff typically isnt one for using toys on both you or himself. he often prefers the touch of your hands, the contact of your mouth, or vice versa as opposed to plastic/a toy. though if you asked, he definitely wouldnt be opposed to it

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

he's 100000% the KING of teasin'. wether its simple smirks while youre out with others, sweet dirty nothings whispered into your ear in inconvenient times, slowly gracing his fingertips in attempt to make you beg, the list goes on & on.

A/N how we feelin' about a seperate one shot about this..

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

he certainly does not hold back. often letting out sharp exhales, alongside breathy moans as he mutters endless praises of how good you feel, tellin' you how beautiful you look taking him, etc etc.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

i feel like it’s relatively high. not in the sense of, he needs to fuck you anywhere at all times, but in the sense of he really really appreciates those more intimate, orgasm inducing moments with you, & often craves them on a day to day basis

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

he’s definitely the last of the two to fall asleep. his main priority is always set on you, how you feel afterwards, & making sure you feel both properly loved & satisfied.

[citrusotakutea]

This is a different anon, but i want to continue on the points you've said about Alucard, the new fandoms interpretation of him, and hellsing and correcting some stuff. First of all thank you for actually giving good points on why youre not fond of the recent fans of the fandom, and i agree with most of the points you make. New Alucard fans are so weird because they will objectify him and miss his entire character completely and or water it down,,and for the "Vladdy big bara tiddies mm" people, whats up with that mandela effect? He was shown shirtless and he was hairless in both anime and manga, you guys should try actually watching the anime next time. Not sure where to start on the Alucard x integra part because of how jarringly popular it is, but "almost just as bad as aluseras" isn't accurate to me because atleast Aluseras is legal, Alucard and integra aren't (they met when she was 12, seras was 19). I personally dislike both, but the hate is more personal towards Alucard x integra because the only people who ship it are the people who heavily mischaractarize the both of them, and Alucard mischaractarization kills me, i can't care less about integra (sorry op) but even i out of all people know it's bad for her. The entire organization exists because they hate each other, yes, Alucard may not directly hate integra, but her grandfather is abraham for fucks sake. Why in the world would integra betray both her grandfather and father just to date the "monster" that they spent all their lives trying to defeat. The literal Dracula x any Hellsing member will never work, Alucard only works for the organization out of respect for abraham after he (a human) managed to defeat him, and his job is to serve the family and any master who comes after, which right now is integra. There is no romantic chemistry at all, it's his job. (Sorry for the ramble op, theres just too many reasons why this ship sucks ass) i think the abridged ruined a generation by forcing it on everyone. For your second point, Alucard and seras weren't canonically said to have a father/daughter relationship by the author, but some writers who worked on Ultimate, and even so they said they were unsure (correct me if im wrong pls!), but seras has pip anyways so it obviously won't be anything more. I personally only like Alumina because its the most canon with Alucard, althought it's left very vague so we don't fully know, kouta hirano has stated that Alucards story is more accurate on Draculas part rather than Vlads, which means he most probably loves mina. "He was in his girl form the entire time in WW2" it wasn't actually the entire time, in a short backstory shot, there was Alucard (with his normal red coat shown, no hat or glasses tho) shown next to young walter (same as the dawns), he turned into a girl to prove a point to walter after they arrived in the melliunium base (walter asking "wheres your form" to Alucard, indicating that it may be a first time thing") but the dawn is unfinished so we wont know if he changes between forms, but he was still shown in his male form in 1944. For people who read the last post, the bonus book op is reffering about is the official hellsing guide book (im guessing since you mentioned it has no translation, i recently got a hold of it and im currently working on a translation myself) And yes KH was a hentai artist, the original Hellsing oneshot (Legends of the vampire hunter) was actually a hentai too, easier to find translated than most of his older work. And for that last part, you're real for that i support you op (again sorry for all the rambling and thank you so much if you read!!)

I won't stand for the Sir Integra slander here but thank you for correcting me on the Hellsing lore anon!

And yes, I was talking about the guide book. Obviously anon, but getting a translation of that would be amazing, there's so much content we're missing out on from that ;-;

[thenaiads]

Fandoms and Ships

Here is the link of the first post: LINK

@wilbywrites

@bruhimbadatart

and who ever will read this

I will said here to not bothering OP anymore.

......................... The point is that you CAN'T STOP THIS!!!

Boundaries or not you can't stop it, this thing happen everytimes.

When I was in the Undertale fandom I saw shit like you can't even imagine!!! Some creators in that fandom will create some cute or even dark AU and then people will totally vomit bullshit to them no matter what.

In the Gravity Falls and OTGW fandom, I and other people shipped Pinescone (WirtxDipper), and most of us will age them up but others Not!

And don't let me talk about the gore and porn stuff that some people draw (some of them are 16 years old) even when the original creator said no!

As I said I have been in a LOT of fandoms, and I keep seeing this war over and over again.

Many people took what Techno said as "NO, don't do that",  but for me was more "This is cringe and I don't wanna participate it. Please, keep it private".

And with Techno that NEVER really talked about it in a more specific way like Niki did. (I remember she said to "don't ship HER (real person), but that we were free to USE her Character for our fanworks").

We were left with a very lovely ship, but with some people that will come and say "delete that or else", even when we tagged and keep it between our friends on AO3.

I believe that the creators have no issue with us using their fictional characters, but if we wanna talk about boundaries then I wanna use an example: 

Imagine that you (creator/artist) make a doll (series/comic), and you give that doll to a person or kid (fandom), and maybe you give them some "rules" (boundaries) about how to play with this doll. Now the person starts playing by creating fictional stories and scenarios (AUs and headcannons) that don't have much to do with the original story (canon plot) of this doll. From there the person inevitably begins to give this doll (which has become a completely different character from the original story) "companies" who can be family, friends and love interests. The doll is now the Persona/Original character of the fandom.  At that point the fandom created something so similar and different from the original story and characters. And the original creator can't "take back" the doll, because it has become something totally new even though it's still part of the original series in a way.

This is what in a way happened in DreamSMP's roleplay, where the creators have given us a product, which we have with our imagination changed into something new. (Where this is going with the boundaries??? I’m going there)

This kind of behavior and creativity is the foundation of every single fandom, and you can't change it... Because that's what makes a fandom.

The moment the creators of the DreamSMP created the Server and its storyline, they knew that inevitably this sort of thing was going to happen!!!!

And yes some asked to avoid some things (like using their real persona, or to avoid writing or draw smut or horror/dark/gorey stuff), but even so they never said "DO NOT CREATE this particular topic at all" not really, what they tried to say was "Please, if you create this context keep it private and don't force it on me, because it make me uncomfortable”. That's what I really hear from every single creator and artist at the end of the day. And that's what we as fans are supposed to acknowledge and respect, but fail to do (towards the original creators and other fans).

Another example: Dream said that horror and gore make him sick, but that wasn’t an order to stop creating dark content for his character. (That Dream said something that made people angry, and then fans and haters bein assholes with him is something totally different and not new. If you some of you was on Twitter on that time you know exactly what happened and how 😓)

I've learned not to force my ideas on others when it comes to fandom, whether I'm right or wrong.

You can't tell people what to create and how, not when the fandom was originally created by fans for fans!!! To allow them to run wild with their imagination and creativity.

Don't you want your fandom to create some kind of stuff? Then don't create a fandom... or at least stay away from it.

I mean, Toby Fox the creator of Undertale has never interacted more than he should with his fans here on Tumblr (where the Undertale fandom was born. Even when the level of toxicity skyrocketed), and for a reason simple: there is no way to control people, you can only hope they are respectful enough to keep their shit to themselves and not make trouble for others.

If you go to my tags you will find some problematic ship (not DSMP) with themes like: incest, selfcest, R-18 (for the smut/lemon scene), and other that I don't remember.

These tags are all about fictional characters that I'm 100% sure the creators vomited blood after read them.

Still this hasn't stopped anyone from creating them and enjoy these kinds of themes.

If you wanna avoid to see the “Dreamnoblade” (or other ship names), you need to go on your Settings and use the Filtered Tags!!! And if you find a post DNB with any tag on it then you need to contact OP (the creator of the post) and ask them to use the tags that will help your filtres to work!!!!

In the past, I had a lot of people coming into my ask-box asking me to tag "in the correct way" my posts to avoid seeing things that they did not like. I had to create the “moth” tag, because some guy that followed me didn’t like the photos of moths that I LOVE to reblog!!! So I don’t understand why you can’t do the same 😑

So I Repeat:

1- You can’t control people and force them to be like you want.

2- You can’t and should NOT trip guilt fans to throw away what made them happy, especially if they keep it privately (on Discord, AO3 or here on Tumblr), with NO intentions to show to the CC their PRIVATE WORK.

You CAN and SHOULD create boundaries with other fans asking them to be respectful towards CC and yourself, and to use tags correctly (like good neighbors do).

3- And when a person is a total piece of sh*t and doesn’t wanna find any agreements with you, then you: Unfollow them, you can even Report and Block them if you wish (like most of us do these days), and call it a day 😊.

This is how a fandom work and should always work!!! Period. And if you can’t do that, then you should not be in a fandom and interact with the people in it!

P.S: English is not my first language, if there are weird and confusing words and sentences I’m sorry, you can contact me and I will try to explain myself better. The word is Try.

Please don’t send hate or disprectful messages here or in my ask-box (if you do that I will totally report you to the Staff and then block you. Don’t test me)

[talk-today]

Fostering cultural appreciation and lifelong memories: The Irish Dance Party experience

With the highly connected world today, appreciation and understanding of culture are more crucial than ever. Field trips to schools form a core part of this education process since they provide experiential learning, which is impossible through books. One such enriching experience would be the Irish Dance Party, an interactive event oriented toward educating and entertaining audiences. The experience not only celebrates Ireland's rich cultural heritage but leaves an indelible mark on the students by promoting cultural diversity, education, and community spirit.

The Importance of Cultural Diversity and Education

Cultural diversity enriches our lives with exposure to different traditions, languages, and ways of thinking. It broadens people's horizons and helps develop a feeling of empathy and respect for others. Live experience of cultural diversity develops in students. This got to prepare them to appreciate and navigate the complex, multicultural world that they will enter when they become adults.

Cultural Education

Cultural education is one that goes beyond the classroom studies of history and geography. It means the arts, traditions, and daily practices of people from different cultures. The wholesome approach enables a student to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the surrounding world. Such school field trips that specifically focus on cultural education can provoke curiosity and inspire lifelong learning through immersive experiences.

The Irish Dance Party: A Different Kind of Educational Experience

Irish Dance Party is a new innovative program designed to introduce the student audience to the vivid traditions of Irish music and dance. Specially designed for school groups, this event combines live performances with interactive lessons to create a dynamic and truly memorable experience.

Live Performances

At the heart of The Irish Dance Party are its live musical and dance performances. The band, composed of professional musicians playing traditional Irish instruments - instruments like the fiddle, tin whistle, and bodhrán, bring to life the lively sounds of Ireland. Accompanying the music are talented dancers performing traditional Irish dances, showing the intricate footwork and energetic movements that have defined this art form.

Interactive Dance Lessons

Probably one of the most interactive aspects of The Irish Dance Party has to do with dance lessons. The audience is invited to participate on stage with the dancers to learn some basic steps. These lessons are tailored in such a way that they are fun and accessible to people of all levels, so everybody will be able to participate and enjoy themselves. These practical lessons help students deepen their connection with the subject and appreciate the artistic value and work put into Irish dance.

Creating Lasting Memories

School field trips are often among the most memorable experiences of a student’s educational journey. The Irish Dance Party, with its vibrant music, dynamic dance, and interactive elements, creates lasting memories that students will cherish. These positive experiences can inspire a lifelong interest in cultural exploration and appreciation.

The Lasting Impact of The Irish Dance Party

Educational Enrichment: The Irish Dance Party provides a rich, cultural enrichment program supporting educational goals in the classroom. It expands students' knowledge of Irish culture and heritage by allowing them to personally experience it in an engaging manner in order to gain further understanding. Such enrichment takes learning out of the classroom, hence making it more memorable and engaging.

Fostering Lifelong Learning: By sparking curiosity and interest in cultural heritage, the Irish Dance Party sets a path for lifelong learning. Students who attend the event are more likely to further seek out other cultural activities and to experience the world around with openness.

Global Citizenship: An event such as The Irish Dance Party empowers students to be a global citizen, acquainted with the different cultures that make up the world. This is extremely important in fostering empathy, respect, and cooperation among future generations.

It is The Irish Dance Party that is also both a great opportunity for cultural education and community building. It offers students a hands-on, interactive experience, provides appreciation of the culture, and creates lifelong memories. Those schools that adopt The Irish Dance Party in their field trip programs have invested in the cultural enrichment and personal development of their students for them to live successful lives in a diverse and interconnected world. They dance to the rhythms of upbeat traditional Irish music and learn about Ireland's rich heritage; therefore, they are educated and develop a deeper appreciation for the beauty of cultural diversity.

[thomasicism]

── #. 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐒 ; 𝐋&𝐃𝐒

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[jcmarchi]

SAG-AFTRA Signs Agreement To Allow Devs To Use A.I. Voices In Games

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/sag-aftra-signs-agreement-to-allow-devs-to-use-a-i-voices-in-games/

SAG-AFTRA Signs Agreement To Allow Devs To Use A.I. Voices In Games

Last September, SAG-AFTRA union members voted yes to authorize a video game strike. Reasons why included a desire for better wages, increased safety precautions, and protections around exploitative uses of artificial intelligence. Now, just a few months later, SAG-AFTRA has signed an agreement with Replica Studios, an A.I. voice technology company, to allow game developers to use A.I. voices, as reported by Game Developer. 

Various video game voice actors, like Yong Yea, the new English voice of Kazuma Kiryu in the Like a Dragon series, have publicly stated that they and other actors they know were not aware of this. “Evey voice actor I know not only didn’t approve this,” Yea writes in a tweet. “[They] pretty much heard about this for the first time today on Twitter.” 

Every voice actor I know not only didn’t approve this, they pretty much heard about this for the first time today on Twitter.

— Yong Yea (@YongYea) January 9, 2024

SAG-AFTRA says this new agreement “paves the way for professional voice over artists to safely explore new employment opportunities for their digital voice replicas with industry-leading protections tailored to A.I. technology, allowing AAA video game studios and other companies working with Replica to access top SAG-AFTRA talent.” According to the union, this agreement will enable Replica and union members to engage “under a fair, ethical agreement to safely create and license a digital replica of their voice.” From there, those licensed voices can be used in game development and other interactive media projects from pre-production to final release. 

Curiously, the union says this contract was approved by affected members of its voiceover performer community. But Yea is not alone in voicing his concern over this agreement publicly on Twitter and elsewhere. Steve Blum, whose video game credits include games like Deadpool, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham series, and more, tweeted the following in response to SAG-AFTRA’s announcement: 

Excuse me? With all due respect…you state in the article “Approved by affected members of the union’s voiceover performer community.” Nobody in our community approved this that I know of. Games are the bulk of my livelihood and have been for years. Who are you referring to?

— Steve Blum (@blumspew) January 9, 2024

“[This contract] marks an important step towards the ethical use of A.I. voices in creative projects by game developers, and sets the basis for fair and equitable employment of voice actors as they explore the new revenue opportunities provided by A.I.,” SAG-AFTRA writes. “In addition to establishing minimum terms and conditions, the agreement ensures performer consent and negotiation for uses of their digital voice double and requires that performers have the opportunity to opt out of its continued use in new works.” 

For more, read Game Informer’s coverage of SAG-AFTRA’s 2023 strikes. 

[Source: Game Developer]

What do you think of this news? Let us know in the comments below!

[writingsfromthegrave]

Hi! Can I get a Monster Prom matchup, please?

I'm a transgender man who's queer. I don't really have a label for my sexuality yet so I pretty much go with anything.

I'm into heavy punk/rock music and I enjoy dressing alternative! (I like to drift between grunge and goth). I typically enjoy going to indie concerts (the smaller venue the better) and taking walks through my city. I like digital art though I have trouble sharing it with others. I also love video games! Horror, slice of life, indie rpgs, etc are all fun! I wouldn't mind playing co-op with someone. I'm a huge animal person too; when I was younger, I'd go out in the garden after it had just rain and try to catch critters. I specifically love snakes, cats, and dogs. Off topic but I love cryptids too!

I don't like spicy food. Bummer, I know. I just don't have that good of a tolerance. I don't tolerate people who get off to making fun of others for their fashion choices (unless it's offensive). It gives off petty middle schooler vibes y'know? I also don't like people who try to act like they have the upper hand in a friendship/relationship.

I'm usually a self-reserved person but I'm not afraid to speak up when I want to. I'm often respectful towards others and I have a tendency to compliment people when they're dressed nice or simply wearing something I know (like a band shirt). My love language is gift giving; I love to spoil my friends and they're usually my first thought when I'm out shopping. I would say physical touch is my love language too but I'm usually not the one to initiate it lol.

out of all fandoms i write for, i would've never expected a monster prom ask. yipee !! i love monster prom sm its such a shame theres not much content for it anymore :'(

anyways, i think you'd look good with . . .

[🏈] Scott Howl !!

♡ Since the beginning of your time at Spooky High, Scott has always been up your ass about your intriguing style, which is very much different that anyone else he knows.

♡ So, can you really blame him? He's a diehard supporter of your fashion choice and always tries to squeeze his way into a concert with you. Honestly thinks you're the coolest person he's ever seen, like, ever.

♡ The compliments never end. "You're so handsome!", "You look cute today!", whatever he can come up with. He makes sure you know how much he loves you, daily. Every hour. Every minute.

♡ Although Scott is more used to loud and rough crowds, he very much enjoys being in your company at said venues. Is never not close from you and is always giving positive feedback when he can, even if he doesn't particularly like the music and isn't familiar with it.

♡ Whatever makes you happy makes him happy, really. You could be excited over a banana and he'd be so fucking ecstatic over it too. When you're sad, he's sad. When you're angry, he's angry. Though, when it is needed, Scott will try his best to comfort you and get you through tough times.

♡ ...Walks? Walks. In the CITY? Yeah no you're never going on another walk alone AGAIN. Constantly asks you when you're going out, and if he can tag along. Unless you have a schedule- then he's up and ready ten minutes early. It's his favorite thing to do with you! He'll point out anything funny/interesting or anything he thinks you'd like.

♡ Thinks you're super talented and will praise your art to no ends if you decide to show him a piece. You're better than Bob Ross, Picasso, and any other historical artist he can think of. As long as you're comfortable, he'll mention and brag about your amazing art skills to anyone who'll listen.

♡ Co-op video games? He may not be as good as you are, but he's surely trying his best. If you end up playing a game in which you fight each other, he'd probably accidently win. Just smashes the buttons and hopes it works tbh. Though, after figuring out the basics, he'd purposefully lose for you. Gets all excited when you win, "yeah, beat me up! go go go!"

♡ Do I even need to mention anything about you being an animal lover? No. I think this one explains itself quite well LOL. You two would probably have a pet snake, or a bug.

♡ Mostly does the speaking for you in public settings and ordering food and whatnot. Doesn't mind at all! He never pressures you to speak or do anything you're not comfortable with. Though he'll definitely hype you up and try to encourage you to break out of your shell more! (Mainly because he doesn't really understand self-reserved people).

♡ You're in luck! Buy Scott a present and he'll go insane with buying you gifts back and will shower you in kisses & "thank you's". Could be the smallest little thing or something you made for him yourself and he'd love it forever. Cherishes anything you give him no matter what. Even if it's a shirt that doesn't fit or an item he can't use.

♡ Don't worry about initiating physical touch, Scott has got it covered! Understands boundaries (if you have them) perfectly clear, but sometimes forgets, though he deeply apologizes for this and tries to make up for it any way he can. Adores hugs, kisses, cuddles, you name it. Anytime and any place, as long as you're okay with it.

♡ He's just a big goofball that loves & cherishes you no matter what, you could grow seven tongues and five eyes and he really wouldn't care. As long as you're the same, self-reserved, caring person you always are; his love for you won't ever change.

[choco-minto]

I FINALLY FINISHED CYBERPUNK 2077!

Some notes off the top of my head:

Viktor Vector? Viktor Vektor? Victor Vektor? Victor Vector? The game can’t make up its mind on what Vik’s name should be, but either way...I wanna bang him.

Seriously, I thought I’d be thirsting for Keanu the whole game...NOPE. I want the ripperdoc.

QUICKHACKS. PUT EVERYTHING YOU CAN IN INTELLIGENCE. Ping and Contagion are so OP.

I know Jackie died in the game trailer, but it still hurt see it again.

Speaking of Jackie, don’t send him to Vik...just trust me on this one. Choose any of the other two options, but DON’T SEND HIM TO VIK.

The gig “Happy Together” is TIMED. Please check on your neighbor as much as you can while the gig is active.

Drink vending machines >>> civilian’s lives

I hate driving in real life and I hate driving in game even more.

Judy really made me question my sexuality.

Also, Judy is a bit impulsive...but if you wanna be her friend, you gotta go along with her bad decisions lol

I asked Viktor “How’s Biz” a million times in hopes that he’d say something different. Why can’t I bang him?

Yo Johnny, I know your intentions are good, but I don’t think freeing GLaDOS is a good thing. She literally tried to kill us not even an hour ago.

I understood The Office, Cowboy Bebop, The Matrix, Ghost in a Shell, and Overwatch references.

Hey. That stupid statue Mitch gives you that was Scorpion’s good luck charm? You can put that on the end table in your apartment. Mortal Kombat. I understood that reference too.

River is really really hot. The intimate scene was really really hot too. But if given the option I’d still go for Viktor.

I did not expect the grandma sex scene.

I also did not expect the Spanish Inquisition.

By the way, the creepy poem you get when you decrypt the shard from “The Prophet” cult, the real message is the first letter of every word of the poem.

For a man of God, the Padre is kind of a dick.

The Nomads are beautiful and sweet and I killed everyone who tried to mess with them.

Blaze, the guy who sent Viktor that threatening message (that you can read on his terminal), he’s one of the scavs you kill in the very first job you do with Jackie when you rescue Sandra Dorsett.

Choosing Denny over Henry was literally the easiest choice I had to make in this game.

Look, Takemura, I know you’re loyal to Saburo and all, but he and everyone in his family are pieces of shit. Every time you talked about how much you respected Saburo and his daughter made me want to stab your eyes out. 

I know that Takemura is super high on everyone’s “I wish he was romanceable” list, but he’s definitely not on mine. After everything I did for that ahole, he told me to go fuck myself in the credits when I took the Nomad ending. SCREW YOU TAKEMURA. 

Viktor, why aren’t you romanceable?

It’s SO good! I don’t think I got so invested in a game since Mass Effect. I know everyone is angry for the crunch time/semi-unfinished release, but please throw your hate towards the studio execs/higher ups and don’t take that anger out by insulting the game itself. I can tell that there was a LOT of love and effort that was put into this game and I appreciate all the artists, writers, designers, and everyone else who worked on this.

[cha-ra-nui]

Just a few days ago I received my copies of Story Op.1 and Story Op.2, two albums I have avoided for years and was convinced I wouldn't enjoy. Avoided, because I've taken years to return to SHINee after 2017, and only properly listened to Base (which I loved) and She Is (which I'm entirely too ace for) a few months ago, while Poet | Artist sits on my shelf, still untouched after more than four years. Avoided, because I didn't feel emotionally prepared. Convinced I wouldn't enjoy them, because I rarely like slow songs, and these albums have a reputation for being exclusively that. I can count the number of KPop ballads I like on one hand.

And now, after finally listening to them, I have felt overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions for days. I needed an outlet, and my normal year-end-retrospective, which I used last year to make sense of my feelings towards SHINee, just isn't an option for talking about albums from 2015/17. Even if it were, I have too much to say, too much to untangle, to put into a single paragraph. So I wrote a review for both albums for @x-i-l-verify like I usually do when I buy something, but even that wasn't enough to clear my head this time. Which is why I decided to properly edit my thoughts and put them on my blog. I’m going to link to the respective song’s entry on colorcodedlyrics.com this time, not YouTube directly, since I consider understanding the lyrics to be an integral part of the experience, something I never thought I’d say about a KPop album.

Story Op.1

End of a Day: Probably the most talked about song on these albums, and I can see why, even though it's far from my favorite. (She says, now watch me give this a glowing review.) It's very comforting to listen to, and that's pretty much how I'd describe the entire album. This album makes you feel fuzzy, but in very different ways. I've seen someone say that the entire spectrum of human emotions can be found in Jonghyun's discography, and at this point, I'm inclined to agree. This song is like coming home after a long day, and finding comfort even though life is hard. It's hopeful. And by all accounts, this is the type of song I'd usually rip apart. It's slow, soft, and minimalist, just a piano and vocals really. But it works. It's not boring, and it doesn't feel empty, its a song that didn't need anything else to be captivating. 10/10, this isn't what I'm going to listen to most, but I have too much respect for what he achieved here to deduct points for that

U & I: This too is the kind of song I usually can't stand, but there's just enough leeway in the lyrics to interpret them as not-romantic, and I like that. This is about as upbeat as this album will get, and it's almost fun. It's about looking forward to talking to someone close to you, no matter if the stories they tell are happy or sad, even if you're struggling yourself. It's comforting, and by the end of this review I'll have run that word into the ground. It's a bit more rhythmical, but still a far cry from the loud instrumentals I've come to expect in KPop. Instead of adding more synths, Jonghyun seems to focus on getting as much as he can out of what's already there, and it's such a breath of fresh air. This is the type of song I could see being released by a band, not a pop idol. The guitar makes most of this song, even more than the vocals really, and I'm just not used to melodic instrumentals that can easily stand on their own, not in KPop. 8/10, this one was a pleasant surprise

Like You: Ah well, I knew what I was getting myself into with him. It's a cute, fluffy, love song. Yeah, I'm just too aromantic for this one. I appreciate the verses, especially the vocals during them, and it's a far cry from a bad song. Just really not for me. And because I can't connect with it, I notice more details I dislike, like how I'm not too fond of the repetitive chorus. 5.5/10, still cute though

Diphylleia Grayi: On paper, this should be boring. It's a song with shockingly short lyrics stretched over 4:37 minutes. Nothing but strings and piano, sung in a very careful and hesitant tone, it's like countless bad, fake-deep songs that get put on pop albums to give the singer some artistic credibility. Thing is, this is the real deal. I don't even know what to say, this song is magical. The skeleton flower is one of the best metaphors for regret I've ever seen. And this song is regretful, filled with pain and melancholy, but not quite despair. The vocals here are also nothing short of angelic. I cannot oversell just how impressed I am with this. I don't know if I'd call it my favorite of his, it's not exactly something you can put on a playlist and jam too, but it's certainly one of his best. On first listen, this was the song were I started grinning like an idiot because of the sheer joy I felt over having found a truly special piece of art. If I'm feeling overwhelmed by these albums, this is why. I'm giddy with incredulous joy at how otherworldly perfect some of the songs are, while also being put through an emotion wringer by the intense feelings of regret, loneliness, pain and anxiety many of them are conveying. 10/10, if this would be all I'd gotten from both albums it'd have been worth every cent I spent on them

Happy Birthday: I'll make this one quick, because I don't want to listen to it more than once to write this. And that's really all I need to say. Yeah, this is the stumble on the album. I'm not even sure what the intend was with this song, it's just a bit too subdued to be celebratory, and I'm honestly a bit annoyed by it when it ends. It's too repetitive. My sister asked me jokingly what I expected from a song titled "Happy Birthday". I don't know, more than 12 repeats of the title and half a verse I guess? 2/10, this is the biggest difference in score between two consecutive songs I've ever given

I'm Sorry: I think this is a breakup song, but once again it could also be about a broken friendship, much appreciated. At first this reads a bit like Key's Cold (a favorite of mine), where the narrator was too indifferent to the other person, but the dark turn this takes is very different. Instead of "I tried melting it, but my heart has frozen", this devolves into a full break-down, and hurts in an entirely different way. Where Diphylleia Grayi was regretful over past mistakes, this one goes into self-loathing, and it cuts off with only a hint of healing. It's about realizing your mistakes, and letting them break you down. Musically it's another strings-and-piano song, held together entirely by vocal skill and strength of composition, but I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy this without the lyrics and context of the album. 8.5/10, that was a quick and sure recovery

2:34: This is the closest to an easy-listening song on the album, alongside U & I. It's about reuniting with old friends, and remembering your joint childhood fondly, it's comfortable and easy. That alone wouldn't make me love it so much though, even though the subject matter is appreciated. No, it's that 2nd verse, which is easily one of the coolest things I've heard him do. I'm not sure if that counts as rap, but it's close, and his delivery is on point. I also love the phone call style intro and outro. This is a song that makes you feel warm and fuzzy, reminiscent and nostalgic. I want to have a get-together with my childhood friends now, too. I'm struggling a bit with the score though, it's not as impressively well constructed as End of a Day, and nowhere near as mindblowing as Diphylleia Grayi, but I still really like it. 9/10, very annoyed that the runtime of this song isn’t 2:34 minutes

Fine: There's a lot of strong stuff in this song, but it's all in the verses and bridge. Maybe I'm too aromantic for this too, but "You're so fine, you're so nice" doesn't really strike me as a very romantic line either. 5.5/10, too bad, I thought we were on a roll again

Maybe Tomorrow: This has such a beautiful message: It's okay if you're not feeling okay, and it'll get better, so take your time, it's okay, I'll be there for you, you're not alone. This is why the fluffy love songs feel like such a waste too me. It all comes back to this album feeling very comforting, and this song encapsulates that perfectly. So this might be a good point to mention the sequencing, because this is easily one of the most cohesive KPop albums I know. Jonghyun throws in small details during the intros and outros of songs that make them feel connected, even though they really aren't. And this last track ends on a spoken "I'm here", which is the perfect way to end this album. I love that. 8.5/10, he always finds exactly the right words to express the right sentiments

Which places Story Op.1 at 7.44. "Happy Birthday" heavily hurts its score, it'd be an 8.13 without it. For a bit of context, and I'm an extremely picky listener. The highest score I have ever given to an album is a 8.6 for Eau de VIXX, and there are only two other KPop releases that received a score of 8 or higher, namely Key's Bad Love at 8.58 and VIXX's Ker at 8.13, an EP and a repackaged album with three title tracks respectively.

Goes to show that the style he was going for here is extremely hard to nail, and one tiny misstep quickly knocks a song down from a 9 or 10 to a 1 or 2. Too bad, but don't let that distract you from how impressive this album is. With the exception of one song, everything works. The sequencing is perfect, and it's difficult to imagine that the songs on this were never designed to be on an album, much less the same one. He released them on and for Blue Night after all, over a span of months. I'm also very hesitant about calling this album KPop, because it really isn't. This has more in common with some acoustic indie rock albums I know than anything SHINee ever did. I'll talk more about some of the general things I appreciate about this release later, but first, let me talk about the 2nd album.

Story Op.2

Lonely: Okay, this will sound weird, but this song is too traditionally good for me to appreciate it. I enjoyed Story Op.1 mostly because it's so unapologetically not-marketable. And this? This sounds like something SM decided to make the title track because it follows a normal pop-ballad structure, is produced like one even, and because they banked on Taeyeon. Also, this is the 3rd of her features on SHINee solos I encountered, and I still think she works best with Key, their harmony is the most interesting one by far. And while this is certainly a better song than her collab with Taemin, I also think she suits his voice more than Jonghyun's. Still, they're both too good at their job to not make it work. 8/10, it's good, but not what I want right now

1000: As if to prove my suspicion about SM having a hand in Lonely sounding the way it does, we're back to a guitar and little else. This song is sung like one would tell a story, it's quite an interesting style. And once again, it should be boring and pretentious, but Jonghyun doesn't have to pretend, he can make a song like this work no problem. It does feel a bit like more-of-the-same though, there's little that distinguishes this song from the rest of the Story albums. Even the subject matter is too similar to End of a Day. 7.5/10, falls just a tiny bit short

Just Chill: This song summoned the incredulous grin back onto my face in seconds. It's a chill song like the title suggests, but it's the type of chilling where you lie on your bed with a really good and exiting book (or this album) and enjoy yourself very much. It's about being alone because you chose to take a day off, and it's lovely. The prechorus is also very catchy, and would make me smile if I wasn't already over how much I'm enjoying myself with this album. 9.5/10, I'm knocking down half a point for that useless "oh baby" in the chorus, this song isn't even addressing anyone

Love Is So Nice: That it may be, but the angsty break-up songs I sat through on both these albums make me question if it's worth it. Also, I'm very much too aromantic for this shit...again. Still, better too aro than too ace, I can deal with a romantic song, but I have no idea how to handle the lyrics on the She Is album. Yeah, I have little else to comment. This is my least favorite song on the album, but it's not bad, just really not for me. Also, once again, I doubt "nice" is the most romantic word you could come up with. 5.5/10, the usual

Blinking Game: This is a hard one. We're very much in French romance movie territory now. It's relaxing, almost too much, but once again not boring for it. The vocals carry it, and I'll make one comprehensive comment about the vocals on these albums later. 7/10, not my favorite, but very pretty

Elevator: Enough fun and games for now, this is pure angst. And I'm not sure if I interpret this right, the lyrics are slightly confusing. There's more than one person suffering in this song, but I don't know if they're suffering because the other person is suffering, or if this is a horrible case of being unable to reach out to someone (once) close to you, either to help them or to get help for yourself. It's about feeling isolated, isolating yourself, and watching someone you love isolate themselves as well. It's depressing and lonely, anxious and desperate. It's also a very pretty song, you could easily switch this and Blinking Game in subject matter and no one would notice, not as long as you don't consider the vocals, because they carry every bit of the pain and isolation of the lyrics. 9.5/10, I’m holding back on the 10s because Diphylleia Grayi set the bar too high

Let Me Out: I'm honestly a bit speechless over this one. It's extremely cool, a much heavier instrumental track than anything else on these albums, even though it still shows the same restraint and focus. He used a slightly distorted vocal filter, just enough in the right places to make this song hit even harder than it already does, and never too much, never so that it takes away from the controlled power of his voice. As far as vocal production alone is concerned, this is about as good as I ever heard in KPop, and the only songs that come close are also his productions or found on late VIXX releases. And it doesn't even need to be outstanding in that area, because everything else works just as well. This is why I’m holding back on the 10s! Songs like this are why I love music. And yes, the lyrics are seriously scary, but I don't think you can make a cry for help hit any harder than this one does. I just wish it were heard. 10/10, I'm floored. You did so well.

Fireplace: If Let Me Out is screaming in anguish, this is the acceptance of despair. There's a terrifying coldness to the song, a horrible indifference to a complete loss of self-worth. And once again that's reflected in every tiny detail, an instrumental track that stays in the background for once, the disconnected way the chorus is sung, or the way the bridge gets counted in, like he would've forgotten to sing it otherwise. 10/10, I'm at a loss for words

Our Season: This seems to be a fan favorite, but how anyone has the energy to appreciate a hopeful love song after the triple gut punch that is the middle of this album is beyond me. I'm pretty sure that this is good. Screw that, I know that it is, but I'm too emotionally burned out to care. To me, this is the calm after the storm. I don't think ending the album on Fireplace would've been right, and this about as good of a follow up as you can get. I just can't bring myself to care. 7/10, this is just nice

Where Are You: The (in)famous song about even cockroaches having lovers, what am I supposed to tell you? It's funny, it sounds like something you'd sing together at a campfire, as a joke. See, this is why Our Season needs to exist, imagine following Fireplace up with this song? And it can't be anything but last on the album, it ends with a horrible (affectionate) kazoo solo, what would you even play after that? I'm making this sound worse than it is, because as far as shitpost songs are concerned, this is up there with Woof Woof for sure. The only thing that bothers me is that this song about being a salty single, in the context of this incredibly anxious album, leaves a bit of a sour aftertaste. Because you're supposed to laugh at his pain in this one, and that's just hard to do after having listened to the terrifying extend of it just two songs prior. 8/10, someone please take the kazoo away from him

The final score for Story Op.2 is an 8.2, which beats Ker for 3rd place. I would like to say that I'm shocked, or that I feel bad for dethroning VIXX like that, but honestly? I can't. Ker is amazing, but mostly, Ker has some amazing songs. It has weak links, it has filler. And this album just doesn't. And where Ker has surprisingly good sequencing considering it's stitched together, this is just on another level. It makes such a smooth transition from melancholic to sweet and relaxing to anguished and desperate, and somehow it makes it to hilarious dark humor from there, it's insanely well crafted.

I said I'd have to comment on the vocals separately, and this is it. We all know that Jonghyun is an insanely good singer, just from a technical perspective. We also know that he liked to experiment with different styles, and that no matter what he did he'd always put a lot of personality in his lines, a bit of an extra flair in an otherwise ultra-clean genre of music. I already loved that in SHINee, and it was even more apparent on Base and She Is, but all of those are still pop productions. The Story Op albums aren't, and it shows. If the vocals have seen any kind of post-processing I cannot tell. There are some light effects, most notably in Let Me Out, but apart from that everything sounds perfectly natural. There's a part I love during the first verse of Atlantis, where you can almost hear Onew smile in the studio. Imagine that on steroids for the entirety of both albums (with the possible exception of Lonely). There is no smoothing over imperfections here, no hiding slip ups, I'm also pretty sure that they didn't take countless takes to find the best one, syllable by syllable. Of course I can't proof that, and we'll never know, but that's just not what the vocals sound like to me. If they're perfect, it's because Jonghyun was just that good. And I think if they went about any of the songs on either album like you would a pop production, none of this would work. More than the impeccable compositions and lyrics, what makes these albums work, and allowed the songs to connect with me so hard so quickly, are the vocals. They need to be raw and honest, because the songs demand for both incredible precision and the ability to convey every bit of the varied and complicated emotions the lyrics are charged with.

That makes these albums almost miraculous in my eyes. They work exactly because they were made by the right person who made all the right decisions. No one else could've written or composed this, and no one else could've sung the finished songs and do them justice either. So thank you, Jonghyun. This is brilliant work. I miss you, and you did well. You did so well.

[captlok]

Pacifism Isn’t A Character Trait

Or: MLK Day is Upon Us so Let Me Do You a Learn

Or: As An Aang Stan I Got a Bit Over-Zealous But Lemme Explain Why For A Hot Minute

Plus some History and Tumblr commentary that even non-ATLA fans can chew on

And by ‘hot minute’ I do mean this is going to be a long meta, so strap in.  For those of you who just might be tuning into this debacle, I, a person who has not used Tumblr, much at all, except for the last half year, ran into some trouble. 

If you wanna skip the whole TLDNR interpersonal stuffs and get straight to Why Aang is the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread, I will embolden the relevant parts, and italicize the crit of Korra, if you want that alongside.

I was excited that ATLA was seeing a resurgence due to the Netflix remake. I wasn’t even trying to apply any steep expectations for it. (learned not to do that the hard way with the last live action adaption, and to a much lesser extent, ATLOK, since it had good . . . elements, *ba dum tsshh*) 

So, these are a couple aspects of the issue: (1) Even on the internet, I am extremely introverted and until recently mostly came for content, not socializing. My main online interactions thus far have been in forums and artist-to-artist on DA. Tumblr is still very strange to me because it splits up its ‘threads’ so you can’t see all the replies if a certain pattern of users responds in their own space. I’m not even 100% sure it’s in chronological order, and replies are not nested next to each other so you can look in the comments and someone will be replying to something you can’t see in that window. And also since it is a bizarre hybrid of a blogging system, posts are somehow considered ‘owned by’ or an ‘extension of’ OP in a way forum threads are not. (2) ATLOK was good in a cinematic and musical way, to be sure. It also had some good concepts. I can go into it just appreciating it for the worldbuilding and be somewhat satisfied. But the execution was terrible. I was on AvatarSpirit.Net for years, and If I had maintained my presence on ASN to current day and had gotten around to downloading their archive now that the forum is dead, I would include some links to other peoples’ detailed analyses on just how flawed both the plotting and Korra’s frustratingly flat learning curve was especially in the first two seasons. But, that is a task for another day, and only if people are interested. 

No, what I’m addressing today, on the issue of Korra as a writing exercise, is how Mike and Bryan said specifically they wanted to make her ‘as opposite to Aang as possible’ and in so doing, muddied the central theme of the original ATLA series.

Now, again, I was mainly an art consumer for my first major round of ATLA fandom. Tumblr is an alien beast to me. But, after I write my first major Aang meta, talking about how amazing it is that he has the attitude he does, and how being content in the face of this overwhelming pain and suffering is an ONGOING PROCESS and an INTENTIONAL DECISION and not a simple PERSONALITY TRAIT, I start hearing that Aang gets a lot of hate from the fandom. Now this would be bad enough if it were merely people not liking his crowning moment of pacifism because they don’t understand the potential utility (I’ll elaborate on that in another post) or the ethics involved.

Aang is easily the most adult member of the Gaang. But he apparently gets hate for his few moments where he actually acts his age, a preteen, and maybe kisses a girl in a historical timeframe in which ‘consent’ discussions were probably nonexistent. Even in the present day, we are still practically drowned in movies that reinforce this kissing without asking trope. And even some female bodied people complain that asking kills the mood! But somehow he is responsible and reprehensible for this, even though the first time she kissed him back. I’m only going to get into the pacifism discussion today, but that was just another layer of annoyance bouncing around in the back of my head.  Other peoples’ crit of Korra that was stewing in my subconscious, plus this Aang bashing, which thankfully I had not directly read much of, made up the backdrop of gasoline for the match that set it off.  Even that seems a pretty melodramatic way to phrase what I actually said, which was: Aang, on the other hand, lost dozens of father figures and was being steamrolled by Ozai who was gloating about genocide TO HIS FACE, yet he still reigned in all that quote, ‘unbelievable rage and pain’ (The Southern Raiders). We Stan Aang, the Superior Avatar. No I did not f**king stutter. #AangSupremacy In another meta, someone complained that I was too defensive of Aang as a character and didn’t apply literary analysis enough, which I quickly rectified.

What set this off? Someone was kind of indirectly praising the line from Korra,  “When I get out of here, none of you will survive” To them it was emotionally resonant or whatever, and I have to point out that no, it was a martial artist not having control of their state of mind, as is the bedrock of the practice. It was never addressed by the narrative, which is a severe oversight.  I had a conversation with someone in the chats, making this distinction between Korra’s character traits and life philosophy. If she were to kill people while enraged and she was fine with that, that’s one thing. But if she regretted it, that’s a whole other kettle of fish. People argue that she comes from a warrior culture, unlike Aang.

Never mind that warrior monks are a thing. That’s what Shaolin monks are. You can be a pacifist and skilled at fighting. Those things are not mutually exclusive, which is the whole point of Bagua, Aang’s style.  And also, Katara’s style. 

That’s one reason I like Kataang so much- their congruent styles. Both of their real world martial arts are dedicated to pacifism, even though ATLA specifically doesn’t spell that out for Katara and her learning arc. 

There was a meta where someone briefly tried to argue that knowing “martial arts” is against pacifism. No. Quite the opposite. I’d argue that you are not a true pacifist unless you know exactly how to handle yourself if someone attacks you.  If you are not in a position to make conscious decisions about how much force to use, rather than merely operating on survival instincts, that is not pacifism. Or at least, not any energy or effort towards pacifism as a practical everyday tool.  I’ve made a few attempts to learn some tai chi and aikido, and it’s improved my physical and mental health, but some other things have gotten in the way. #lifegoals

I’m not going to tag the unfortunate soul whom I was replying to, because they’re probably tired of all this, but I’ll be sending them a PM to say that I’ve made this into a different post, because as I mentioned before, threads are somehow considered “owned” by OP, so it’s been pointed out to me that I should separate it.  I also said, I have basically ZERO respect for Korra uttering violent threats when the writers already minted a far more emotionally devastated and yet still resilient and centered character earlier in their franchise. People always try to excuse away people who genuinely like Aang more.  As if it’s just nostalgia or whatever. For me, no, it’s absolutely not. It is respect for a character who stands toe to toe with real people who are kind in the face of overwhelming injustice. (I have another meta on that). 

Both OP and people in the chats try to make excuses that she wasn’t raised as a pacifist, and that would be fine if they had addressed it with Tenzin and she had stated outright that she was rejecting pacifism and mind training. As it is, we are left with this nebulous affair where the lines between ideology and personality traits are blurred. 

We are told she “has trouble with spirituality” but what does that even mean? Does she have trouble with focus? Does she have trouble relating to the canonically real spirits? And pacifism specifically nor inner peace that it flows from is never even talked about as an extension of spirituality, which is canonically tied to airbending.

“Aang didn't have to deal once with the loss of his autonomy in atla” OP claims.

This was after I had noted that Aang was getting kicked around by Ozai and was most likely going to die.  Similarly, someone in the chat rejected the idea that a 12 year old trapped in a stone sphere that is heating up under a cyclone-sized blowtorch feels powerless. 

Sorry but that’s flat out ridiculous.

No one wants to admit that both of these people were faced with similar situations, and when push came to shove, one showed his LIFE PHILOSOPHY through conscious effort, and the other was abandoning the basis of martial arts, which is, no matter what the situation, keep thinking. Hold the panic at bay. Non-attachment would have served her well in this situation. Tenzin should have told her this. Before, or afterwards. It should have been addressed in the writing.  

People see this as “bashing” Korra, and oh well, can’t help that. If I think the writers didn’t follow through on their themes, that is my concern.  OP said I was “offended.” No, not really. 

I wasn’t offended by the post itself, or its commentary. Thought I made that pretty clear.

This is not dramatics. Let me be blunt.

As a ideological pacifist, and an actual practitioner of meditation, based on Buddhism, NOT just the fan of some show, I am for calling out writers who write one way from the survivor of genocide, and then stray from that ‘thoughtless aggression is immoral no matter HOW hurt I am’ to ‘let’s not address this character’s aggression in the narrative whatsoever.’ OP attempted to derail by accusing me of being racist or sexist against Korra. Also ridiculous. It honestly should have set me off more, but it didn’t. 

Meditation is about reigning in your emotions. Managing your anger when it gets out of hand, and digging down to the roots of it. Being responsible for your own behavoir. Acknowledging ownership of your own actions. Not blaming anything YOU DO on anyone else or any circumstances in your life. Like an adult, or should I say, an enlightened adult.

Or at the very least, that is the ideal ypu strive towards while being imperfect in the present.

. . .

Now.

I’m going to quote a passage in a Google Doc of mine, even though I’d really prefer if you asked to read the whole thing, with context.

“What do humans do when it is necessary to, or greed makes a nation want to recruit?

They go to the army to get trained, right?

Granted, having someone scream and get spittle on your face is, in the grand scheme of things, poor preparation for having bullets whiz past your chest and grenades shatter your ears. And, what do you do to prepare you for the pain of getting your leg blown off? Hopefully, nothing. Like taking a test where you only got half the study guide. But, it’s about the most ethical way to go about it, right?

Not everyone even sees action. So any more more extensive mental preparation for physical pain than that, and you’d have people definitely protesting.

Well, as it turns out, pacifistic protestors themselves, if they were in the right time and place, also very intentionally do this type of mind training. Except, when they did it, they actually did sit still and took turns roughly grabbing each other and throwing each other down and in some cases, even kicking and bruising each other.

Turns out, those pacifists are, in some ways, more hardcore than the army.

Why is this?

Because a pacifist’s aim, unlike a unit, who wants to gain the upper hand in a situation, is to grit their teeth and grind their way through all those survival instincts, and totally submit.

In this, they aim to get the sympathy of the public, who clearly sees they are not aggressive, or a danger, no matter how much the footage is manipulated or suppressed.

In this, they hope to appeal to their attacker’s better nature.

Make them stop and think, wait a second, are these people a threat like we’re told they are? I’m attacking someone who’s letting me beat them up. Or a bunch of people. All forming a line, and letting us peel them off. Or sitting, and bowing their heads. If I’m on the ‘right’ side of things, the law, why am I doing this?

It’s not like a bully, who’s just a kid.” They’re more self-aware.

And might I add the situation influences a pacifist’s actions too. There’s no reason to let a single or a few random attackers beat you up if you can evade or disable without permanent damage.

Pacifism is a dynamic set of responsive actions informed by values. Not a proscribed set or a checklist.

But in terms of organizing against state power, and recording wrongdoing, which unlike during the Civil Rights can happen from all angles from smart phones nowadays, these are the motivations.

“So, the pacifist knows this, and that’s why they go through all that trouble of training themselves to, not only submit, but not turn tail and run, either.”

See, a character trait is something like being a morning person, or ways of handing information, or a given set of emotions a character feels. Once you cross over into actions, you must make the distinction of whether an impulsive character agrees with their own uncontrolled actions, or is embarrassed or remorseful. Those are life philosophy. Now sure, one type of person or character may be more likely to subscribe to pacifism, but there is no gatekeeping on what you have to feel or how you look at things. You can be easygoing, or feel all the rage in the world, but as long as you at least attempt to have a handle on those desires and feelings to where they do not cross into actions, you are still doing the work of metacognition, which is what martial arts and its accompanying mind training are for.

It’s what we see Aang do.

He’s informed us, during the Southern Raiders, on how much rage and pain he feels.

Pain points, TRIGGERS, that were directly struck at when Ozai gloated over him.

He joins with all the past Avatars for several moments, and just like every other time he is in the Avatar State, he is enraged. He wants to exact revenge on the unrepentant grandson of a baby murderer.

We see it when he turns his head away, face still screwed up in anger.

For another example, I could cite my difficulties in being aware and reining in my tongue sometimes. I know the roots of these issues and I seek to let them go.

It’s just that process takes way longer than Guru Pathik would have us assume.

In fact, I would even say that Aang’s portrayal throughout the three seasons is not strictly a realistic representation of at least the sad side of grief. I addressed that a little when I talked about real life figures. But what it IS, is a metaphor that cuts very deep to the heart of pacifism. As I showed in that Doc . . . There is no limit of suffering a pacifist is willing to go through, internal or external, for the preservation of peace.

This was demonstrated during the Civil Rights, and with Gandhi and all his followers beforehand, inspiring them. The pacifists’ method of swaying hearts is probably the reason BLM exists in such numbers as it does today. Will the types of narratives that correspond with their full stories of the way they collectively planned and trained for and approached conflict make it into fantasy media? I’d say, probably not. For a host of reasons.

It could be hoped for, I guess.

But we DO have Aang.

As for myself, whether speaking sharply is an “action,” per se is up for debate- certainly it doesn’t seem to violate the non-aggression principle put forth by the vision of a “stateless society.”

For another example, let’s take my explanation at the beginning. I am examining how circumstances affected my actions, and now am attempting to fix it, if indeed it needs to be fixed. 

At least one person said that it not so much what I said, but how and when I said it. I don’t actually think I’ve said anything “wrong” per se. So I have to figure it out. 

[I’m considering splitting up this next part into a second post, as it only slightly relates to pacifism itself and is just kinda some more commentary on Tumblr itself- Tumblr discourse, as it were]

[I’ll put more brackets when I’m done in case you want to skip this part as well]

An interesting social difference between Tumblr and other places is this command you often get, “don’t chat/reblog/message me back.”

This is interesting for several reasons. For chats and reblogs, other people may be following the “conversation,” so it’s actually pretty rude and presumptuous to tell a person not to respond to whatever you said, because other people watching still may be interested in your take.

In a forum setting, if someone involved in a conversation doesn’t have anything left to say, usually they just don’t respond.

This method would work perfectly fine for Tumblr, but for some reason, maybe its super odd format, probably due to the “ownership”/“extension of self” I mentioned at the beginning of the essay, people don’t tend to do this.

Now, in comment sections, sometimes you’ll run across an amusing sort of “mutually assured destruction” where two people both say this to each other. You’d better stop responding. Omg just give up. Why are you still arguing. Etc.

But see, no matter where this behavoir pops up, and no matter who starts in on it, those who do this usually want to have the last say on the matter.

Instead of merely not replying, they want to assert verbal control over the conversation.

Tumblr, in its weirdness, is also sort of like a mutant comments section. You can post comment section threads as your own post.

Which is one reason why I’m puzzled when people say ‘don’t read the comment sections’ when Tumblr is so popular.

I’m an oddball in that I browse comment sections for fun.

Probably due to alexithymia, I didn’t really comprehend the emotional toll it takes on many people, so the warnings to “stay out of comment sections” read to me like “hey don’t eat that dessert.” After I’m done with the ‘meal’ of an article or art, I like to see what lots of different people have to say about it. The fluff. Anything vitriolic I either blip over, or extract anything useful, or if I judge the person is reasonable enough, I might engage.

Sometimes I mis-judge on how reasonable someone is, and I shrug and move on after being cussed out or whatever.

In this, I suppose I succeed much of the time in being a verbal pacifist.

[But let’s get back to the more serious stuff.]

We’re talking about what is done in life or death situations, here.

For myself, I may in the near future be working more with dangerously mentally ill people. I’ve had a little exposure to it through various means. Nurses are obligated not to retaliate against patients, and those who have, have been fired in some situations. Again oddly, this is not primarily what triggers my anxiety. Unfortunately enough, this requirement has also resulted in nurses getting seriously injured and violated. I hope to influence whether “no harm” techniques such as tai chi and aikido and arm locks may be allowed. The voluntary philosophy I was luckily already on board with is enforced by bureauacracy, directly relevant to my potential profession.

Were someone to get involved in a dangerous profession, such as a police officer, their moral duty would also be to own up to any spur of the moment anger or fear they acted on. 

It’s just that their bureaucracy acts differently, in excusing their actions.

Ideally, they would be taking steps far in advance, to avoid this often-cited fear of death reaction. As training pacifists like Aang do. 

And yes, army people are trained differently than police officers because the army, often, even when threatened, is supposed to avoid engagement or deploy deterrents that are non-lethal almost all costs, unless ordered otherwise. Whereas American police are given pretty much complete discretion and often not taught de-escalation techniques. Even police from other nations are better trained in that regard.

Enter the ironically named @avatarfandompolice whose account description should really speak for itself. Combative, dismissive, and their attention-hungry bread and butter is to find people they think it’s acceptable to ridicule.  They basically tried to say trauma was a valid excuse to take out your anger on other people, and in this situation, potentially kill. 

Now, does this hold up in the real world? Yeah, sometimes. Especially if some law breaker or law keeper has not been given the anger management tools, they perhaps could be excused, or better yet, rehabilitated.

But especially if anyone finds themselves in dangerous situations, or intends to put themselves in such, it falls to them to do this preparation.

As an aphant, I am at a bit of a disadvantage, compared to an average martial artist, being unable to visualize an attacker. But I still attempt it.

As the main “police officer” of the world- the coincidentally blue clad figurehead that is supposed to keep order, it is apparently fine for Korra to not do the work Aang did to keep level. To blow it off as too much trouble: clearing the First Chakra of fear. For herself or others. And its resultant anger. Had she had access to the Avatar State, the authority figure pretty much would have killed people.  This is what the “fandom police” and a certain chat goer ultimately support. Maybe they didn’t understand it that way, and since the second had blocked me, they will also never see this explanation. Unless I were to share it in Google Doc form I suppose.

So, I responded. “Remember kids, you are not responsible for your own behavior if you have the excuse that someone else did something bad to you.” A frighteningly common sentiment on this site.

When it’s low stakes like CAPSLOCKING or internet fights, that’s not such a big deal. But what happens if this attitude leaks into the real world? This isn’t even about Korra or Aang anymore, it’s about toxic mindsets. I didn’t know fans taking pro-Korra posts as anti-Aang was a common in the fandom. I’ll say again I’ve only just gotten really active on Tumblr like the past few months. This is about pacifism itself. MLK and his hardworking, training followers (yes some of them sixteen and POC and not super-powered like Korra) facing down firehoses and staging sit-ins long trained for would shake their heads at this defense of reactionism. 

Pacifism is not a Personality Trait.

It is deliberate actions and preparation taken over a period of time.

Then the “fandom police” tried more of this, and these two conversations ensued, the comments with another user resulting in the title and main thesis of this essay:

https://captlok.tumblr.com/post/638777472806273024/avatarfandompolice-response-to-my-independent

https://captlok.tumblr.com/post/638806142933467136/the-plight-was-not-what-i-was-getting-at-it-was

[hyunrun]

Dream SMP/Batfam

This is my reasoning for connections between Dream SMP members and the Bats. This was all just for fun, but feel free to give feedback if you’d like! And do say if I’ve made a mistake. I haven’t done everyone, so if there’s anyone else you’d like me to do, lemme know! Please read, I spent a good while on this :D

Batman (Bruce Wayne)/Technoblade: Technoblade's Dream SMP origin story starts with his parents dying, so the backstory fits. He swears to kill all orphans because of the way they killed his parents (Similar to the way Bruce wanted to stop crime from running rampant in Gotham). Techno is also, technically, an orphan as Bruce was. I've always imagined Bruce's voice to be kinda like Techno's, especially that monotone tone he uses, and especially when he's Batman and not Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is -Bat-man and Technoblade is a pig, need I elaborate? Both of them seem to stay up till ungodly times of the day, and I'm sure their sleep schedules are never on the same clock as anyone else's, Bruce's because of his vigilante lifestyle and Techno because... well, he's a Minecraft YouTuber. Both of them have a father figure, although not biological. They also have a friendly rivalry with a fellow content creator/hero (Cough Dream/Superman cough). We say Dick/Wilbur is dramatic, but you can't possibly mean to tell me Batman/Technoblade isn’t subtly more dramatic. They practically invented being dramatic in their respective businesses.

Alfred Pennyworth/Philza Minecraft: Is the father figure to Batman/Technoblade. Is really a force of chaos but everyone pictures them as a soft, loving dad because we all have parental issues and we need more father figures. Both of them are very badass in their own ways. Old and British. Here's a parallel I thought was pretty cool. Philza had been building up his hardcore world for 5 years before he died. It was like his home disappeared in front of his eyes as he fell away from his life. I'm not sure which continuity/arc this is from (Please do not hate on me, I am but a small child) bUT I do know that Alfred died of a heart attack/stroke at the same time the Wayne Manor was destroyed. His home was destroyed as he died. Just as Philza's had been.

Damian Wayne/TommyInnit: Is never really loved by anyone at first glance (From the fandoms). Tommy's the loud, annoying one, Damian's the grouchy, haughty one. But everyone eventually gravitates towards their characters later on. Their families were wary of them at first but grew to love them. Both of them are the youngest, and generally angriest child. Both are not American, Tommy being British and Damian, Arabic. They both have ICONIC mothers. MotherInnit is a queen, we all know this. If she can handle Tommy, she can handle absolutely anything. Talia Al Ghul has a reputation of her own right, and while she hasn't quite the pristine repertoire, she definitely strikes a strong mark on people. Now, this is a dumb connection between the two, but hair!! Tommy’s seems nice and floofy while Damian's is generally drawn spiky, and I think that's a cool contrast. Their love for pets is also important to note. Tommy's the one that's known for starting wars over the deaths of his pets, and it's easy to know that Damian wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone if they did anything to Titus or Batcow. It’s been shown on multiple occasions that he loves his pets a lot.

Jon Kent/Tubbo_: Best friends with Tommy/Damian. Do not try to argue that Jon and Damian aren't best friends because come onnn. And PLEASE do not take this as a dumb excuse to ship Tommy and Tubbo, as I know people ship Dami and Jon. Both are the embodiment of chaos wrapped in kindness, and both are definitely the more stable of their friendship with the other gremlin children. I am confident that both would probably refer to their parents as mother and father dearest. You cannot convince me otherwise. Tubbo has already done so, and Jon would never disrespect his parents, so this would obviously be the next best alternative for when he is upset by them. Jon’s powers fluctuate upon shifts in emotion and he can’t really control his powers, like the shifting of Tubbo’s alter egos. We never know when Toob or Big Law will creep out of the shadows.

Dick Grayson/Wilbur Soot: (Second) most dramatic in the family, though perceived as the drama queen because of their boisterous personalities. The one that was probably a theatre kid in school. The lighthearted one that keeps everyone cheerful, but also the one with the easiest path to a horrid descent into madness. They have a flair for drama, the glitter and sparkles to Batman/Technoblade’s sombre smoke and haze, which is why they work together so well. The closest family member to Tommy/Damian. Their little brother/big brother dynamics are just impeccable. Both are the most simped for by their respective fanbases (from what I’ve seen). The token pretty boys. Both artistically talented in different ways, with Wilbur’s music and Dick’s acrobatic skills. Also the ones that get constantly shipped with every woman they literally even look at. They also express their dramatic tendencies through their clothes, Dick with his jazzy Discowing suit and Wilbur’s dramatic L’manburg outfit.

Superman/Dream: The OP gods, need I say more? Friendly rivals with Technoblade/Batman. Very often perceived as ‘Perfect’ which they are not, but many refuse to accept that. A funny parallel I drew was the fact that both of them are famous in their own rights, but can just walk around and not get recognised despite millions of people knowing their online/superhero identities. Both are technically not human.

Stephanie (Batgirl/Spoiler)/Sapnap: Both of their names start with S! Not my only reasoning, but I’ll take it into account anyway. Both are basic looking in my head (Blue eyes blonde hair for Steph?? There’s at least 3 other girls that look EXACTLY like her in the nearby DC universes. And Sapnap blends in with every other white boy, though I love him regardless.) but both also have immaculate personalities to make up for it. They’re the most normal people out of all their co-streamers/superheroes in my eyes, also my favourites. (I didn’t realise as I put them together that I loved them most but here we are). They’re both great at dumb banter. They don’t have huge, hilarious bits often or any constant jokes that are pulled on time and time again, but their general atmosphere makes everything seem like a joke. They may not be the best at what they do in their friend groups but are actually really good nonetheless and do not get due credit for their effort and talent sometimes. Has a warring relationship with Damian/Tommy (Sapnap over the pets and Steph and Dami didn’t have the most friendly relationship at the start)

Jason/BBH- Same but opposite but same. Exists to cause chaos. I wouldn’t have associated these two with each other till the Badlands became a thing… but then the Badlands became a thing and I had to. Now, I know that technically Bad doesn’t have a grudge against Techno, but Jason would totally set up a whole empire just to mess with Bruce’s plans, just to get in the way, to instigate, to fan the flames of the fire till he’s driven Bruce to his breaking point. Bad isn’t exactly trying to do that, but he’s only around for the chaos. He’s only here for his own benefit, and he’s only here for that because of the hurt caused to him by the nation he came from. A parallel being Jason causing havoc because of the pain Bruce caused him. Besides, both have a cool red and black colour scheme, and both wear jacket!! Both are also technically not alive (If we're considering BBH as a demon).

Roy Harper/Skeppy: I have absolutely no explanation for this, but it just Fits. Besides, they have cool opposing colour schemes and are best friends with BBH/Jason!!

Aaaand last but not least

Jason/Technoblade: Now you must be thinking But Kaly you already spoke about them! And yes, I did, and they do go really well with their respective characters but I couldn’t simply ignore the connection between these two, so I thought I might as well write about it. Technoblade was an English major (If I remember correctly) before he dropped out to pursue his youtube career. Jason, though this may not be a well-known fact, was a definite literature nerd at school before he met his demise. Their cut off education in English is an interesting parallel to me. Both of them also have destructive tendencies, with Technoblade being an anarchist and Jason periodically running an underground empire to make sure he can do whatever the hell he wants to. They don’t generally care who they hurt on their way to reach their end goal. Jason’s reckless shooting and killing clearly shows this, as he continuously justifies his actions by saying he’s ending crime rather than just making it wait in line for its turn to pop up again, while Technoblade’s release of the withers and excessive use of his firework crossbow clearly shows that the deaths of the residents of L’manburg do not matter to him as long as he abolishes the government.

[synthmusic91]

thoughts? kjfhlkjdfh asking bc i rb'd the original post from u a bit ago because i agreed w/ original poster but i just saw this rb of it and wanted to know what u thought. ciaran(.)tumblr(.)com /post/652413157345820673/there-is-a-genre-of-posts-thats-obsessed-with-the

well first of all i hope this isn't a bait ask. this reply really doesn't deserve the time and effort i put into refuting it, but there was a point in time when i was emotionally confused by these..."arguments", so whoever u are, anon, i hope this is helpful. i also recommend some distance - literally, "go outside and touch grass", which is a lot more difficult than it sounds, but it needs to be done. anyway, here's my "analysis":

for context, here's what the post in question said:

and the tags:

at a high level, we can see that what ciaran is saying doesn't really respond to what OP was talking about. for this reason, i'm not going to bring in much of what OP said, because it's uncontested in this context, and look at ciaran's reply. i'll try to break this up...

EDIT: i had a long-ass response here, but then i realized it was dumb because the source material is dumb. i cut out most of it, but here are the highlights.

"there is a genre of posts that’s obsessed with the notion that fandom is something much larger, more prevalent, and more able to affect the way media is processed and consumed, than it actually is in reality."

so, as we can all see on tiktok and, indeed, on the electronic lore olympus billboard that takes up a side of a literal skyscraper, fandom is no longer the niche thing that "fandom olds" make it out to be. also, we can't ignore how many (white) fandom players go on and work in the industry (cassandra clare, whoever wrote 50 shades, man idk much of anything so there's probably many more). so this comment is sort of myopic. and since this is what characterizes the rest of the reply, well...it's not great.

also don't look up lore olympus; it's basically a dd/////lg fanfic that happens to be one of the most popular series on the line webtoon app, which is rated for teens...and for $1 to the creator's patreon, you can view not sfw p*dophilic art, so. also obviously i didnt do that; there was a video essay about this. i can't find it though

"ironically but understandably, these posts are made by people who are so terminally fandom-poisoned that they ascribe phenomenal power to it, and think of it as some great evil that must be defeated (by making posts on tumblr, which is obviously a very influential thing to do)"

"fandom-poisoned" is such a nebulous term, especially since it appears to mean "has had some really significant, (in this context) bad experiences with fandom." this is, first of all, a huge assumption to make about a stranger, and second, not the own they think it is. i'm just going to link this post, and hopefully you can see how it relates.

anyway, the "making posts on tumblr is meaningless" is um...interesting, seeing as off the top of my head i can think of two very influential tumblr blogs that talk about really important issues, Gradient Lair and Red Light Politics. I don't know as much about Red Light Politics, but Gradient Lair is frequently cited by academics (not getting into academia nonsense now but... -_-). also, they sound more pissed that the original post did gain traction, but whatever. this paragraph doesn't really make sense, but nothing here does, because i wasn't given much to work with.

"...and then because these people have basically no imagination and unfailingly pick on others for their own faults, they project their own experiences on everyone they perceive as being more ‘in fandom’ than them,"

jesus christ. i'm going not say anything about the tone of this because i put too much effort into this for some rando to call me a cyberbully.

i think what they're thinking about is how there appear to be some "fandom critical" people who try to, holistically, "ruin everyone's good time" by "stirring up drama" about popular fandom artists/writers/whoever else idk. oftentimes these people will also make jokes about fandom whatever, seemingly picking on random people's interests.

however, if you look at the long history of fandom racism, fandom's normalization of p*dophilia, and even general fandom harassment, and then you look at fandom's visceral, unwarranted reaction to criticism regarding these things, you can quickly see that disillusionment towards fandom is entirely reasonable. as for the joking, well...this an oversimplification but not everyone needs to like what you like. it sounds like they just need to get over themself.

and go “You, a 27 year old queer blogger who is into [tv show/anime/movie] an embarrassing amount, are now going to be the face of Capitalism” with no self-reflection or critical thought given to how fucking cringe it is-"

so, i'm regretting putting so much effort into this because this is so fucking long and i have to analyze this nonsense...it feels like i'm back in my feminist thought class. nightmarish. but anyway, this seems to deal with- [CUT FOR LENGTH. nothing important was missed].

EDIT 2: actually here's a summary of what I had. it deserves better than to be a response to this nonsense, but first it detailed how this took 1. the op's post and 2. a comment that we don't even know if op agreed with and misinterpreted that, and threw quite a fit about this- and i hate to say this because this term is misused so often by redditors, but- strawman.

I then went on to discuss how, for example, PoC can uphold systems of white supremacy. while obviously no person of color is going to be the "face" of white supremacy, the discussion still needs to be had, especially within that group. similarly, while fandom constituents may not be the face of capitalism, there needs to be a discussion, within fandom, on how they support and are defined by capitalist (and other) systems.

it was really too good of a point to be making for this trash reply. I could go say more, but I'm still trying to stay on topic, unlike ciaran.

"to act like random people on the internet, end users with no influence over corporate decisions, are the ones personally responsible for the fact that late-stage capitalism has destroyed popular art and culture in an increasingly sordid attempt to make money."

we've been over the "no influence" bit - because in fact fans do have influence, especially since media creators are literally fans, etc etc. i'm tired of people acting like they have no power and using that as an excuse to support and perpetuate harmful, easily avoidable behavior.

also, to act like the nebulous system of late-stage capitalism is the only cause of bad media is ludicrous. first of all, someone has to make these so-called "corporate decisions", and the people making artistic decisions are, again, overwhelmingly members of "fandom." this comment is really trying to keep marvel trash and lore olympus-esque nonsense in the same atomic, indivisible category lest someone catches a whiff of nuance.

"the above post is a great example of this phenomenon because op admits freely that they only think fandom is destroying media because they have been spending more time in fandom and thus have an over-inflated sense of its importance in greater culture. posting your own Ls indeed."

i'm so tired. this person literally has 120 works on ao3 like...who is spending more time in fandom.

and the tags:

#i assure you that fandom has no bearing on my actual real life #and if it does on yours. then that is your problem #it's also a very funny problem to

now this is just egregiously tone deaf. you do not need to do more than a cursory google search to find a bottomless well of examples of fandom harassment, threats, doxxing, and violence, much of which is racially motivated. you can see why it would be bad to make fun of this. 

also the way that “fandom has no bearing on their actual real life“...120 fanfics on ao3. 120.

conclusion:

the reply clearly misinterprets of op's point, and as such, does not refute it. they responded to another issue altogether, which is that of the sanctity of their ~coping mechanism~ or whatever it is. their argument in this respect was, in my opinion, delusional and pathetic, especially given that they wrote it on someone else's unrelated post.

FINAL NOTE: i cut out lots of this because the reply went in so many different directions, so some stuff might not make sense. let me know if you have any questions.

[paths-of-my-childhood-candid]

Lover Conquers All

By: Mark Sutherland for Music Week Date: November 4th 2019 issue (published online on December 13th 2019)

She’s the world’s biggest pop star, but despite her global success, Taylor Swift is also the music industry’s greatest advocate for artists’ and songwriters’ rights. And, with a ground-breaking new record deal and a bold new album, Lover, she’s not about to stop now. Music Week meets her to talk music and business...

Around this time of year, the Taylor Swift anniversaries come at you thick and fast. Nine years since her third album, Speak Now, every note of which was written entirely by Swift, hit the shelves. Five years since she released her mould-breaking pop album, 1989, and went from the world’s biggest country star to the world’s biggest pop star overnight. Two years since her Reputation record saw her become the only musician to post four successive million-plus debut sales weeks in the United States. And so on.

But today, Swift’s mind is drawn further back, to the 13th anniversary of her debut, self-titled record, and the days when her album releases weren’t automatically accompanied by mountains of hype and enough think-pieces to sink a battleship. Her journal entries from the time - helpfully reprinted as part of the deluxe editions of her new album, Lover - reveal her as an excited, optimistic teenager, but also one with a grasp of marketing strategies and label politics way beyond her years, even if she was reluctant to actually take credit for her ideas.

“It always was and it always will be an interesting dance being a young woman in the music industry,” she smiles ruefully. “We don’t have a lot of female executives, we’re working on getting more female engineers and producers but, while we are such a drastic gender minority, it’s interesting to try and figure out how to be.”

And, of course, when Swift started out she was, as she points out, “an actual kid”.

“I was planning the release of my first album when I was 15 years old,” she reminisces. “And I was a fully gangly 15, I reminded everyone of their niece! I was in this industry in Nashville and country music, where I was making album marketing calls, but I never wanted to stand up and say, ‘Yeah, that promotions plan you just complimented my label on, I thought of that! Me and my Mom thought of that!’

“When you’re a new artist you wonder how much space you can take up and, as a woman, you wonder how much space you can take up pretty much your whole period of growing up,” she continues. “For me, growing up and knowing that I was an adult was realising that I was allowed to take up space from a marketing perspective, from a business perspective, from an opinionated perspective. And that feels a lot better than constantly trying to wonder if I’m allowed to be here.”

In the intervening years, Taylor Swift has released six further, brilliant albums, growing from country starlet to all-conquering pop behemoth along the way. She takes up “more space”, as she would put it, than any other musician on the planet: a sales and now - having belatedly embraced the format with Lover - streaming phenomenon; a powerhouse stadium performer; an award-garlanded songwriter for herself and others; and a social media giant with a combined 278 million followers across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook (which would make the Taylor Nation the fourth most populous one on earth, after China, India and the US).

But her influence on music and the music industry doesn’t end there. Because, over the years, Swift has also become a leading advocate for artists’ and songwriters’ rights, in a digital landscape that doesn’t always have such matters as a priority.

In 2015, she stood up to Apple Music over its plans to not pay artist royalties during subscribers’ three-month free trials (Apple backed down immediately). She pulled her entire catalogue from Spotify in 2014 in protest that its free tier was devaluing music, sending Daniel Ek scrambling to justify his business model. When she returned in 2017, it was a crucial fillip for the streaming service’s IPO plans.

More recently, her ground-breaking new record deal with Republic Records contained clauses not only guaranteeing her ownership of her future masters, but also ensuring Universal Music will share the spoils of its Spotify shares with its artists, without any payments counting against unrecouped balances. And when her long-time former label boss Scott Borchetta sold Big Machine to Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, taking Swift’s first six albums with him, the star publicly called out what she saw as her “worst-case scenario” and stressed: “You deserve to own the art you make”. She may yet re-record her old songs in protest.

In short, Swift has, for a long time now, been unafraid to use her voice on industry matters, whether they pertain to her own stellar career or the thousands of other artists out there struggling to make a living.

All of which makes Swift not just the greatest star of our age, but perhaps the most important to the future development of the industry as a more artist-centric, songwriter-friendly business. Hers is still the life of the pop phenomenon - she spent today in Los Angeles doing promotion and photoshoots (or, in her words, “having people put make-up on me”) as Lover continues to build on huge critical acclaim and even huger initial sales. But now, she’s kicking back with her cats - one of whom seems determined to disrupt Music Week’s interview by “stampeding” through at every opportunity - and ready to talk business.

And for Swift, business is good. The impact of her joining streaming, and the decline of traditional album sales, may have prevented her from posting a fifth successive one million-plus sales debut, but Lover still sold more US copies (867,000) in its first week than any record since her own Reputation. It’s sold 117,513 copies to date in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company.

Even better, while Reputation - a record forged in the white heat of a social media snakestorm over her on-going feud with Kanye West - was plenty of show and rather less grow, Lover continues to reveal hidden depths. Reputation struck a sometimes curious contrast between the unrepentant warrior Swift she was showing to the outside world and the love story with British actor Joe Aiwyn that was quietly developing behind closed doors, but Lover is the sort of versatile, cohesive album that the streaming age was supposed to kill off.

It contains more than its fair share of pop bangers (You Need To Calm Down, Me!), but also some gorgeously-crafted acoustic tracks (Lover, Cornelia Street), some pithy political commentary (The Man, Miss America & The Heartbreak Prince) and the sort of musical diversions (Paper Rings’ irresistible rockabilly stomp, the childlike oddity of It’s Nice To Have A Friend) that no other pop superstar would have the sheer musical chops to attempt, let alone pull off.

“Taylor’s creative instincts as an artist and songwriter are brilliant,” says Monte Lipman, founder and CEO of Swift’s US label, Republic. “Our partnership represents a strategic alliance built on mutual respect, trust, and complete transparency. Her vision is extraordinary as she sets the tone for every campaign and initiative.”

No wonder David Joseph, chairman/CEO of her long-time UK label Virgin EMI’s parent company Universal Music UK, is thrilled with how things are going.

“Love Story was a fitting first single release for Taylor here - she’s loved the UK from day one and has engaged so much with her fans and teams,” says Joseph. “She really respects and values what’s going on here creatively. To see her go from playing the Students’ Union at King’s College to Wembley Stadium has been extraordinary. Taylor is an artist constantly striving for perfection, and with Lover - from my personal point of view, her most accomplished work to date adore working with her and whilst it’s been more than 10 years this still feels like the start.”

And today, Swift is keen to concentrate on the present and future. She has a starring role in Cats coming up (and a new song on the soundtrack, Beautiful Ghosts, co-written with Andrew Lloyd Webber) and, after a spectacularly intimate Paris launch show in September, festival dates and her own LoverFest to plan (UK shows will be revealed soon). Time, then, to tell the cats to calm down and sit down with Music Week to talk streaming, contracts and why she’s “obsessed” with the music industry...

Unlike with Reputation, most of the discussion around Lover seems to have been focused on the music... Absolutely! One of the ideas I had about this record, and something I’ve implemented into my life in the last couple of years is that I don’t like distractions. And, for a while, it felt like my life had to come with distractions from the music, whether it was tabloid fascination with my personal life or my friendships or what I was wearing. I realised in the last couple of years that, if I don’t give a window into distraction, people can’t try to look in and see something other than the music. I love that, if you really pour yourself into the idea that an album is still important and try really hard to make something that is worth people’s attention span, time and energy, that can still come across. Because we are living in an industry right now where everyone’s rushing towards taking us into a singles industry and, in some cases, it has become that. But there are still some cases where clearly the album is important to people.

Does it matter that some new artists won’t get to make albums the way you always have? It’s interesting. Five years ago I wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal and said, maybe in the next five years, we would see artists releasing music the way that they want to. I thought that each artist would start to curate what is important to them, not just from an artistic standpoint but from a marketing standpoint. It’s really interesting to see different release plans, if you look at what Drake did and then what Beyoncé does, incredible artists who have really curated what it is to drop music in their own way. We all do it differently, which is cool. As long as people dropping just singles want to be doing that, then I’m fine with it, but if it feels like a big general wave that’s being pressured by people in power, their teams or their labels, that’s not cool. But I do really hope that in the future artists have more of a say over strategy. We’re not just supposed to make art and then hand it to a team that masterminds it.

Were you worried about putting an album on streaming on release day for the first time? Well, there are ways that streaming services could really promote the [whole] album in a more incentivised way. We could have album charts on streaming. The industry follows where they can get prizes. So you have a singles chart on streaming services which is great but, if you split things up into genre charts for example, that would really incentivise people. It’s important that we keep trying to strive to make the experience better for users but also make it more interesting for artists to keep wanting to achieve. But I really did love the experience of putting the album on streaming. I loved the immediacy, I loved that people who maybe weren’t a huge diehard fan were curious and saying, ‘I wonder what this is like’ and listening to it and deciding that they liked it.

You’d resisted streaming for a long time. Have you changed your mind about the format now? I always knew that I would enjoy the aspects of streaming that make [your music] so immediately available to so many people. That’s the part of it that I unequivocally always felt really sad I was missing out on. There wasn’t ever a day when I woke up and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m really glad that multitudes of people don’t have access to my music!’ So I always knew that streaming was an incredible mechanism and model for the future but I still don’t think we have the royalties and compensation system worked out. That’s between the labels and their artists and I realised that me, to use a gross word, ‘leveraging’ what I can bring to cut a better deal for the artists at my record label was really important for me.

How big a factor were things like that in you signing to Republic/Universal? That’s important to me because that means they’re adopting some of my ideas. If they take me on as an artist that means they really thought it through. Because with me, come opinions about how we can better our industry. I’m one of the only people in the artist realm who can be loud about it. People who are on their fifth, sixth or seventh album, we’re the only ones who can speak out, because new artists and producers and writers need to work. They need to be endearing and likeable and available to their labels and streaming services at all times. It’s up to the artists who have been around for a second to say, ‘Hey guys, the producers and the writers and the artists are the ones who are making music what it is’. And we’re in a great place in music right now thanks to them. They should be going to their mailbox and feeling like they’ve got a pension plan, rather than feeling like, ‘Oh yay, I can pay half my rent this month after this No.1 song’.

Did you have more creative freedom making Lover than on your previous albums? In my previous situation, there were creative constraints, issues that we had over the years. I’ve always given 100% to projects, I always over-delivered, thinking that that generosity would be returned to me. But I ended up finding that generosity in a new situation with a new label that understands that I deserve to own what I make. That meant so much to me because it was given over to me so freely. When someone just looks at you and says ‘Yes, you deserve what you want’, after a decade or more of being told, ‘I’m not sure you deserve what you want’ - there’s a freedom that comes with that. It’s like when people find ‘the one’ they’re like, ‘It was easy, I just knew and I felt free’. All of a sudden you’re being told you’re worth exactly, no, more than what you thought you were worth. And that made me feel I could make an album that was exactly what I wanted to make. There’s an eclectic side to Lover, a confessional side, it varies from acoustic to really poppy pop, but that’s what I like to do. And, while you would never make something artistic based on something so unromantic as a contract, it was more than that. It was a group of people saying, ‘We believe in what you’re making, go make what you want to make and you deserve to own it too’.

You’re obviously not happy about what’s happened at Big Machine since you left. But will the attention mean artists don’t find themselves in this situation in the future? I hope so. That’s the only reason that I speak out about things. The fans don’t understand these things, the public isn’t being made aware. This generation has so much information available to them so I thought it was important that the fans knew what I was going through, because I knew it was going to affect every aspect of my life and I wanted them to be the first to know. And in and amongst that group, I know there are people that want to make music some day. It involves every new artist that is reading that and going, ‘Wait, that’s what I’m signing?’ They don’t have to sign stuff that’s unfair to them. If you don’t ask the right questions and you sit in front of the wrong desk in front of the wrong person, they can take everything from you.

Songwriters are in dispute with Spotify in the US over its decision to appeal the Copyright Board decision to boost songwriting royalties. Do writers need more respect? Absolutely. In terms of the power structure, the songwriters, the producers, the engineers, the people who are breathing magic into our industry, need to be listened to. They’re not being greedy. This is legitimately an industry where people are having trouble paying their bills and they’re the most talented people we have. This isn’t them sitting in their mansions going, ‘I wish this mansion was bigger and I would like a yacht please’. This is actually people who are going to work every single day. I got into writing when I was in Nashville and it was very much like what I read about the Brill Building. You would write every day, whether you were inspired or not, and in the process I met artists and writers. Somebody would walk in and someone would say, ‘Oh, he’s still getting mailbox money from that Faith Hill cut a couple of years ago, he’s set’. That’s not a thing anymore. Mailbox money is a thing of the past and we need to remember that these are the people that create the heartbeat that we’re all dancing to or crying to.

You were clearly aware of music industry machinations from a young age... Reading back on the journal entries, I forgot how obsessed I was with the industry as a teenager. I was so fascinated by how it works and how it was changing. Every part of it was interesting to me. I had drawn the stages for most of my tours a year before I went on them. That really was fun for me as a teenager! A lot of people who start out very young in music, either don’t have a say or don’t have the will to do the business side of it, but weirdly that was so much fun for me to try and learn. I had a lot of energy when I was 16!

Are you doing similar drawings for next year’s LoverFest? Definitely. And that’s why it’s still fun for me to take on a challenge like, ‘Oh, let’s just plan our own festival’. Let’s create a bill of artists and try and make it as fun as possible for the fans. I’m so intrigued by what that’s going to be like.

Finally, when we last did an interview in 2015, you said in five years’ time you wanted to be “finding complexity in happiness”. How has that worked out? That’s exactly what’s happened with this album! I think a lot of writers have the fear of stability, emotional health and happiness. Our whole careers, people make jokes about how, ‘Just wait until you meet someone nice, you’ll run out of stuff to write about’. I was talking to [Cats director] Tom Hooper about this because he said one thing his mother taught him was, ‘Don’t ever let people tell you that you can’t make art if you’re happy’. I thought that was so amazing. He’s a creator in a completely different medium but he has been subjected to that same joke over and over again that we must be miserable to create. Lover is important to me in so many ways, but it’s so imperative for me as a human being that songwriting is not tied to my own personal misery. It’s good to know that, it really is!

[lastyearwasweird]

from paper to web pages: the end of teen print magazines

Enjoy this ~artsy~ Polaroid I took circa 2016, feat. an American Apparel bag, an H&M catalogue, and Teen Vogue’s February 2016 issue with Amandla Stenberg on the cover.

I received my first copy of Teen Vogue in November 2013, Demi Lovato gracing its cover. Over the years that followed, I collected the magazine through an on-again, off-again subscription. I ripped out countless pages from countless issues to create mood boards that now decorate my bedroom wall. I wrote my college essay about the ways magazines have inspired me artistically and shaped what I want to do in the future. Teen Vogue was the first publication I read that effortlessly discussed beauty tips and political issues within pages of each other, which is something I admired. So you can definitely imagine my disappointment when I learned that the magazine’s publishing company Conde Nast was discontinuing the print version and would only be releasing content online. And the decorated “fashion bible for teens” isn’t alone in its endeavors.

Teen Vogue got rid of its print version in 2017. It was known for its pieces on beauty, fashion, mental and physical health, and, more recently, politics and social justice; it continues to publish content on these topics for its website.

In 2017, around the same time as Teen Vogue’s announcement, Nylon (another of my favorites ever since they featured Marina Diamandis on its cover in 2015) revealed that they were moving fully online and getting rid of the print version. The news begged a question in my mind: What is happening to teen print magazines?

The decline of print magazines, especially those geared toward teens, makes total sense. Everything important to younger generations lives on the internet, and if it’s not online, it may as well not exist at all. Plus, these magazines have already had an established presence on the Internet. Both Nylon and Teen Vogue have stylish websites and YouTube channels where they conduct interviews and host fun activities for their cover stars and other celebrities.

During the 2016 presidential election, Teen Vogue began publishing political content, including one of its most read pieces titled “Donald Trump is Gaslighting America”, an op-ed by Lauren Duca, criticizing the presidential candidate. This new kind of content resulted in its website gaining millions of views and lots of focus, most notably for the magazine’s shift from solely fashion and beauty to include politics and social issues.

Nylon, meanwhile, previously maintained an online store where they sold t-shirts and hoodies with their logo plastered on it. More recently, the magazine’s cancellation directly led to a focus on its online presence; they were acquired by Bustle Digital Group and debuted the online edition with a music issue in April 2020. There are reportedly plans to revive the print version again, but seeing that these have been delayed to late 2021, it’s a bit too early to tell what impact Nylon’s e-version will have, if any, on bringing the magazine back to paper.

After announcing the cancellation of its print magazine in late 2017, Nylon made its digital debut in April 2020, with actress and singer Maya Hawke on the cover.

The transition of these publications, along with others like Glamour and Seventeen, from paper to digital is one that leaves me with mixed emotions. The young teenager in me, the girl who constantly checked the mailbox to see if her latest issue of Teen Vogue had arrived, is nostalgic over the fact that today’s kids likely won’t experience the same rush I felt as I paged through new copies in my room. But the person these magazines helped to shape understands that they’re going out of style. The untouched magazine shelves at Barnes & Noble serves as proof of that.

I’m hopeful that the online equivalents of these publications will be able to create the same kind of safe space I had for newer generations. Considering promises made by their respective teams that both Nylon and Teen Vogue are adapting their online spaces to convey their iconic brands to audiences on a digital scale (this is evident through the continuation of their editorial photoshoots and cover stories, as well as through articles and other pieces in the same caliber of things that had been published on paper), it’s definitely not as far off as it may seem. That, coupled with reports of both sites surpassing their physical counterparts in readership and circulation, suggests that digital magazines may become the future of what teen journalism has to offer.

SOURCES:

Conde Nast Laying Off 80, Shutting Down Teen Vogue Print Edition

Nylon Magazine Is Shutting Down Its Print Edition

Nylon scales back print relaunch, moves forward with digital edition

Post-print, Nylon looks for its digital footing

Real Teens Mourn the Loss of Teen Vogue's Print Edition

Teen Vogue Finally Ends Its Print Run After Years Of Rumors

Teen Vogue Will End Print Edition as Part of Condé Nast Cuts