#also very appropriate for this time of the year

[fromchaostocosmos]

The law firm hired by Mr. Beast to investigate internally cleared the company of wrongdoing after a 3 month investigation and 39 interviews. I don't know how these things work, but that doesn't feel like enough time to me to do a proper job and 39 interviews doesn't feel like enough interviews.

I find it very suspect, but again this is not an arena I know enough about.

A law firm that investigated accusations of sexual misconduct and grooming within the organization of the YouTube star MrBeast said on Friday that it found no evidence to support those claims. The investigation came after allegations surfaced against Ava Tyson, a frequent collaborator with MrBeast, whose name is Jimmy Donaldson. Public accusations were made that Ms. Tyson had used inappropriate language and had engaged in grooming behavior with a minor. The law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which was hired by Mr. Donaldson’s company, said in its report that over three months it had conducted 39 interviews of current and former employees and reviewed more than four million documents collected from phones, emails and other messaging platforms. “Allegations of sexual misconduct (e.g., pedophilia, grooming, child pornography, etc.) between company employees and minors are without basis,” the report said. “The allegations were soundly rejected, including by alleged victims.” Online accusations began this year after social media users scrutinized interactions between Ms. Tyson and the minor, who goes by the online handle LavaGS, when Ms. Tyson was 20 and he was 13. At the time, both Ms. Tyson and LavaGS denied any predatory behavior. In July, as public outcry grew, Ms. Tyson denied any wrongdoing but apologized for any “past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone,” and said that she would step away from MrBeast’s company and social media. The next day, Mr. Donaldson, whose YouTube channel has 326 million subscribers, and who has turned the venture into a marketing juggernaut, announced that he would part ways with Ms. Tyson. In a post on X, he also said that he had hired an independent investigator. “I’ve seen enough online and taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast,” he wrote on social media. “I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions.” On Friday, LavaGS responded to the law firm’s findings, writing on social media that he had been interviewed. “I was not groomed, these were false allegations made up by other people with my name thrown in them,” he wrote on X. “This investigation was conducted by real investigators and not internet detectives. They reviewed everything.” The findings came during a tumultuous year for Mr. Donaldson’s channel, which is known for elaborate stunts, including real-life “Squid Game” re-creations and huge cash giveaways. This summer, an older video circulated online of Mr. Donaldson making comments about buying Black people. A representative said at the time that “after making some bad jokes and other mistakes when he was younger, as an adult he has focused on engaging with the MrBeast community to work together on making a positive impact around the world.” And in September, a group of contestants who had taken part in a competitive series put on by Mr. Donaldson called “Beast Games” filed a lawsuit that accused the production companies behind the show of exposing them to dangerous conditions. The contestants claimed, in part, that they had not received adequate food or medical care, and that they had not been appropriately compensated. Although the law firm’s report did not find evidence of sexual misconduct, it did identify several unspecified “isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct.” It said the company quickly worked to remedy those concerns. “The company has already implemented or is in the process of implementing changes to ensure a safe and professional corporate culture today and moving forward,” the report said.

Reading articles about MrBeast's dominance of YouTube is fucking bizarre because, from my perspective, the dude isn't even on YouTube. I've never watched one of his videos. YouTube has, to the best of my knowledge, never recommended one of his videos to me. Every thumbnail screenshot of his looks like something you could tell me was a photoshopped parody of YouTube culture, and I'd believe you. No one I follow on YouTube ever mentions him, even negatively or in passing. The first time I ever heard his name was in regards to the quality of his ghost kitchens. The only way I know he isn't a mass, shared hallucination is that I've witnessed the thoroughly mid-looking chocolate bars he sells at Walmart for some reason

[sassydefendorflower]

Holy Server B@tman! Fanfic Rec List 2.0

Hello and welcome back to a very special fanfic rec list! 

The members of the amazing Holy Server B@tman! Server are an extremely talented bunch - many great artists and writers together in one place to foster each other’s creativity and joy to participate in fandom.

That has to be celebrated! 

So, please welcome a list of stories our writers loved to create, their very own Greatest Hits!

(please click on your own discretion - you’ll find the appropriate warnings on ao3)

Fujiwhara Effect by byrambles / @byrambles

Fujiwhara Effect: When two tropical cyclones spinning in the same direction pass so close to each other than they begin spinning around a common center. Or: Dick is NOT a fan of Bruce’s new kid (seriously, WHO brings home a new kid weeks after the old one moves out and then doesn’t even have the courtesy to tell – ). When he gets trapped in Gotham by an East Coast hurricane, though, he has to figure out how to be in the same room as Jason without losing it.

byrambles's words: This was so much fun to write! I think it has a sweet mix of angst and fluff — plus a silly little surprise part-way through!

The Lines that Bond Us by canaf_lilah

Reclusive author Bruce Wayne's most recent book, The Bat Man, was a critical success and a mass market flop. As he struggles to make sense of a sequel, he shocks no one more than himself when he brings home recently orphaned Dick Grayson. Bruce could never have predicted the impact on his life - and his writing - the remarkably resilient young acrobat would have. Batman and Robin may only exist on the pages of Bruce's books, but that doesn't stop them from saving the people they touch.

Lilah's words: to me this is by far the best fic I've ever written. I'm determined to finish it one day, but don't be too put off by the incomplete status! It works well as a standalone.

red like blood (they won't wash clean) by silver_the_phoenix

Tim snaps. It's a lot bloodier than he thought it would be.

Silver's words: I started this one because Tim deserves to go a little feral, as a treat; and I finished it because I'm a simp for Good Brother Jason Todd.

Cared For by 1Zukoneedsafamily2 / @trashcollectshere

Jason smirked as he stood over The Replacement. He stroked the feathers of the splayed-out wings, before he gripped a group of feathers and yanked. Not hard enough to pull out feathers but he wanted him awake when the fun started.

Krys' words: also everyone loves a tower fic right???

Brother, Go Find Your Brother by sleepingcreep (JaySgrech) / @misplacedspleen

Brother, go find your brother: A method of finding something lost by attempting to lose something similar in the same way, in the hopes that it gets lost in the same place and both can be found. “You should match, right?” The grin cracked wider as the lanky captor rolled the knife between their fingers, strolling closer to where Tim was pinned to the wall. Jason didn’t comprehend what the creep meant, too focused on trying to pull his hands against the cuffs in the right way to pop his thumb out of place to get free. There are many years of scars between Jason and Tim before they match.

Jay's words: I'm reccing it because I'm proud of how the settings turned out and I think I wrote a unique take on Jason and Tim's relationship

dirt piling up, putting me to bed by rutaceae / @applejee

Jason never imagined that a simple trip to a bookshop could end with him trapped in the basement of a collapsed building with Tim, but you don't often get what you imagined when you live in Gotham.

Luka's words: i’m quite happy with how contained this little fic is (for me); i always wanted to stab someone, and have someone else panic so bad they don’t realise they’re fucked up themself. fun times!!

Do-Si-Do's Churros & Other Curious Things About Love by sElkieNight60 / @selkienight60

Being a beta in a house full of alpha’s is rough. Especially if you’re trying to be heard.

Selkie's words: I like it because I really enjoy reading Platonic Omegaverse stories, and the Batfamily are so unrepresented here, (I say, in the meaning that I simply crave more of them, there are truthfully quite a few out there, but I just enjoy them so much).

Maui Melon Mint by motleyfam / @motleyfam

In the case of Bats vs. Stomach Bug, there can only be one victor.

Motley's words: I had a ton of fun writing from Damian’s POV for a change and letting Alfred wear his sassy pants

Writer's Cellblock by pinstripedJackalope / @the-ghost-of-jason-todd

Mystery writer and father to five, Bruce Wayne has no great fortunes to fall back on. No reserve of social charisma, no family jewels. He no longer has a butler, though Alfred does his best to visit regularly. He is, in short, not the kind of man who can buy freedom. Heck, he can barely make ends meet some months. So you can understand the… concern… he feels when, late one night, two FBI agents come knocking at his door.

K's words: ngl it was hard to pick a fic, and i would have picked one with more than one chapter but i always did think this one was kind of fun

Golden Silence, Golden Yolks by BabblingBookends / @babblingbookends

Words between Dick and Bruce have never been easy. Dick talks, Bruce doesn’t listen. Bruce talks, Dick is expected to listen. Better if neither of them speak at all.

Babbles' words: If you watch a TV show for long enough, there will inevitably be some character moments in a diner, and I just think that's fun, hence this fic!

keep your head up (it's a cruel world) by lookforanewangle / @lookforanewangle

“If the past is anything to go on, sir,” he says kindly, “this boy will be in your care for a good many lifetimes, and you will do all you can to keep him safe, just like you have with the others.” Or, the Batfam/The Old Guard reverse verse au with Dick's introduction to the world of immortals

Lyss' words: I put a lot of work into this one and while I know reverse verse isn't everyone's cup of tea, I think it works best in this universe in this order, with many surprises yet to come, and room for this universe to grow!

A Promise to Stay by xerzi / @xerziartblog

No one needed Tim Drake, but Tim Drake still needed to be needed. And well, who better to choose than the one person who could never stop needing him? So inherently broken that his job would never be finished. Yet so unfortunately resilient that he would never be left the sole survivor. And so desperate to serve that he would never be betrayed again. In other words, no one else needed Tim Drake, but certainly, he knew there was someone who could make use of his particular skill set. - Tim Drake, 12-year-old independent adult, professional birdwatcher, is offered everything he’s ever wanted…for the low, low price of his verbal agreement. All he has to do is say yes.

Xerzi's words: I just want to put Tim Drake in a jar and try to figure out what's wrong with him…so I put TWO Tim Drakes in the same jar so they can work together to figure out what's wrong with them (and how to fix it)

The End of Man by AuroraKant / @sassydefendorflower

Dick Grayson wasn’t meant to be caged in, but then again… Dick Grayson wasn’t a murderer, and look at him now. (was this what insanity felt like?) Dick Grayson gets captured, forced to shift, and put into a cage - surely, this is the worst that can happen?

Aurora's words: Look... I always wanted to write a deranged Shifter AU in which Dick Grayson goes absolutely mental. What can I say? I love it when my boy is broken and covered in blood <3

Catching Stars and Comets by Faeriekit

From this tumblr prompt: "Reverse Robins AU but instead of making Damian oldest and going down the line so on and so forth, it’s a bunch of assembled weird vigilante-crime men and their accidentally adopted autistic eight year old rich boy, Bruce, who calls himself “batkid” for reasons beyond their mutual understanding of expected kid behavior."

Faeriekit's words: it's been a fun AU to work on, I hope people enjoy it, also it's got kids. It's basically an ageswap!AU where all the batkids are "villains" without Bruce's influence. And it was either this fic or the bees.

cardboard box by A_Canceled_Stamp / @a-canceled-stamp

Robin!Tim is exposed to Ivy's cuddle pollen. For the first time, he reaches out to Bruce for help. How he wishes he hadn't.

Stamp's words: this is my first hurt/no comfort fic and I am very happy with how it turned out! The comments I've gotten on it always make me cackle lmao

a flower called you has bloomed by dottie_dc / @dottie-wan-kenobi

The real problem is that, well. Last time Tim went undercover, he kind of… came home and embarrassed himself. It’s not that he’s shy about being seen in disguise, okay? They can all tease him all they want but it doesn’t bother him. He has way more blackmail on his siblings than they do him, so whatever. It’s just… Caroline Hill is a different story.

Dottie's words: I saw the inspo art and it gave me immediate motivation to write something, which was really fun. I loved writing it and seeing people in the comments be able to relate. queer headcanons my beloved <3

Of The Covenant by Kgraces / @kgraces

Dick Grayson is many things, and foremost among those, he's a detective. He can't stop himself from noticing things about Tim Drake — things that make him question not only his home life but his relationship with Bruce Wayne, too. (Things spiral from there.)

Gracie's words: I’m gonna toss my current longfic your way so hopefully it motivates me to work on it more lmao. It’s a Dick & Tim fic where Dick basically takes a look at all the adults in Tim’s life and goes “is anyone going to take care of this feral, unsupervised child? No? Guess he’s my responsibility now.”

Now and Then by librarylexicon / @librarylexicon

Dick’s spent the past few months recovering from an ordeal he’d rather not think about, so when Bruce asks him to spend quality time with Tim outside of their masks, he instantly agrees. Amid conversations, itineraries, nightmares, photos, revelations and a whole lot of chocolate, he and Tim navigate the Great Ocean Road—and learn more about themselves and each other along the way.

lily's words: Dick and Tim are my favourite Batboys, so I've been wanting to write a fic about them for a long time, because of their long history and close brotherly relationship in the comics. This story is a love letter to their bond, and I'm very pleased with the way all the emotional whump turned out!

How to tape a card castle by Fleur_de_Violette / @fleur-de-violette

Dick saves the new Robin one day. This is it. This is all. It’s not that he doesn’t want to have a relationship with Jason, it’s just that it’s too complicated. He doesn’t know how to deal with being an adult on top of being Nightwing. He can’t deal with Jason, with what Jason represents, on top of it. Except, when a small injury doesn’t heal up the way it’s supposed to, he ends up being the one who needs saving and he’s finally forced to face the new Robin.

Violette's words: This is my longest published fic so far ! I really enjoyed writing it, both the Robin Jason and Dick part and the little case stories in between and I'm happy about how it turned out!

See You At Your Worst by wildsofmarch / @wildsofmarch

Dick has only been a mob enforcer for six months, but delivering a shipment of guns to an up-and-coming crime lord in Gotham should have been easy. All he needs to do is win the man's trust and secure him as a repeat customer. Unfortunately, the Red Hood is not impressed with him.

Wilds' words: I like this one because I go ham with the identity porn!

The Nature of Things by FidotheFinch / @fidothefinch

After a mission gone wrong and a spat with Drake, Robin is benched. Worse than that: Damian is grounded. As serendipity would have it, it gives Damian the opportunity to facilitate the rehabilitation of the manor's new ward, a dog Batman rescued from a fighting ring.

Fido's words: I got to memorialize pieces of my childhood pups in this story, and it was my first fic in the fandom

in vitro by genericlesbian72 / @femmescooter

Shadow-girl did not know much. She didn't need to. But she knew her first kill would be for the baby.

Hedgehog's words: This fic was a challenge to myself on how Cassandra would view her first kill, without words to describe it, while also a take on ‘joining the Batfamily early’ for her that I haven’t seen much before.

this one takes the cake by carol_in_au / @carol-in-au

Jason took a sip from his glass, slowly, synching it with Bruce's words. Bruce cleared his throat, and continued with an authoriative tone that was so not him. "I have something to announce." Bruce Wayne has an announcement to make

Chrys' words: It's fast-paced, has a good comedic timing, a bit of fluff in some moments. When I reread it, I found it pleasant to read and I was quite happy I created it

presumptions by Valkirin / @valkirinii

Batman is away on a long mission with the Justice League when Red Hood attacks Robin in Titans Tower. Red Hood thinks that hurting Robin will get Batman's attention. He doesn't expect Nightwing. Nightwing doesn't know what to expect from Red Hood, Gotham's newest rogue.

Trixie's words: It's one of my favorites that doesn't seem to get as much attention. It's also really fun to let Dick Grayson be angry and intimidating.

Operation Friendship Helmet by goldenraeofsun / @raeofsoleil

When Red Hood meets Dick, he seems almost friendly, compared to the violent hostility he showed Batman and Robin. Maybe, if Dick plays his cards right, he can turn Red Hood from a crime boss to a vigilante. But the closer he gets to Hood, the question nags louder and louder: why does Red Hood seem so familiar?

Rae's words: This is the first time I really dove into my favorite trope, secret identities, complete with a big reveal at the end.

Roadtrip to Nowhere by Ghxst_Bird / @ghost-bxrd

“For the last time, I’m not modifying a car we’ll be ditching a few towns over.” “Why, you got better things to do?” “Yeah, getting food on the table, you leech.” Jason goes on an impromptu road trip with an ex-Talon and ends up running into a family member… who still thinks he’s dead. Oops.

Ghost's words: Calvin Rose deserves more love in this fandom!

Q is for Quintessential by writergeek / @writergeek

"Rodney...you're talking about altering the timeline here." Well...yeah. Wasn't that the point? "...I want you to have a backup plan." Of course he had a backup plan. At this point he could probably list them all by alphabetical order. Or...the story of the backup plan(s) Rodney never wanted to use to save 12 days 25 years 48000 years mankind.

WG's words: not a DC fic, it actually comes from my old fandom, SGA. i just... i enjoy the time loop shenanigans and the fixit nature of it (which needs fixing only bc i broke it shush), both tropes i adore reading (and writing, apparently)

Leaving The Light by TheCallOfTheSea

Jason is alive, but he has fallen. Can the Batfamily save him?

M&M's words: I enjoyed exploring Jason as a villain, but it wasn’t easy writing relentless angst! I still brought out his humanity in a way.

closet space by adelfie / @adelfie

“Hi,” she says in a breathless rush, then takes a moment to swallow and wet her lips. “I, uh, need your help?” “Are you dying?” “N-not exactly.” “Then you don’t need me,” comes Jason’s lazy, uninterested reply. The call ends with a click. . Steph doesn't know what's more embarrassing: that she's been locked in a closet during a party, or the fact that her "friends" aren't really her friends. And to top it all off, Jason's the only one who can come rescue her.

adelfie's words: I love that Steph isn't fighting a big bad villain -- there's something so soft and strong in realizing that other people's judgments aren't what truly matter.

penance by cuephrase / @cuephrase

After Tim dies, his soul remains stuck as a ghost at the Manor. Forced to watch Dick and Bruce grieve him and unable to do anything, the only thing making the afterlife bearable is Jason. Until the day his ghost departs.  Tim assumes that Jason has passed on. But then the Red Hood breaks into the Cave. And for the first time, someone can see Tim.

Cue's words: i just had an inordinately fun time writing it!! there was a lot of catharsis in the process, and i’m very proud of the ending because i feel like i was able to preserve the fic’s bittersweetness- like the happy ending didn’t dilute the sorrow and instead they were able to complement each other

two vigilantes carry a cake across gotham by JBS_Forever / @jbsforever

In a scheming attempt to make them bond, Bruce forces Jason and Tim on what should be a simple quest: retrieve Alfred’s birthday cake from across town and make it back before the party. But this is Gotham. And nothing is ever simple in Gotham.

JBS' words: it's a story that centers around jason learning just how much crime alley appreciates him. it's also a sibling bonding fic between jason and tim

Ghosts From The Past by red_jaebyrd / @red-jaebyrd

Tim stared at an old poster of the ‘The Flying Graysons’ and his stomach dropped. He immediately fixated on the young boy’s smiling face with his eyes bright and full of life; frozen in time in eternal happiness. It was such a sharp contrast to the last memory Tim had of the youngest Grayson laying broken and still on the circus floor. Tim sighed. He wasn’t just at any old circus. He was back at Haly’s Circus where his nightmares had started and never really stopped. Or Bruce is Ghost Hunter and takes Jason and Tim with him to investigate strange happenings at Haly's Circus.

Jae's words: I wanted to try and write my own version of a no capes au adding in my own lore about the characters and their new world.

sons of sky by ScarlettSwordMoon, Kiwilart / @kiwilart

Dick is thirteen, leader of the Teen Titans, and already starting to chaff under Bruce’s thumb. When Bruce gets de-aged to fourteen, Dick thinks this experience will finally bring their partnership back to working order. It doesn’t. And then it does.

Scarlett's words: This fic has challenged me in so many fun directions. It is terrifying and exhilarating to write young!Bruce and to really try my hand at a big novel length plot line. Of all my WIPs, this is the most fun to work on because I'm working with an artist, Kiwili, who supports me during the loneliest parts of the drafting process, and also draws amazing art for the fic. I'm very proud of what we've done so far and very excited to be close to finishing.

we'll meet again some sunny day by Ms_Trickster / @ms-trickster

When Talia rests a hand atop her bed, the sound of paper crunching beneath it fills her ears.

Missy's words: Talia is a character that deserves a lot more depth and affection and it was a blast to write a story in which she is loved.

[sgiandubh]

A very positive update

In other news from today, thanks to what must have been an overwhelming amount of encouragement messages from all around the world, it is my pleasure to let you know she decided to keep her account public:

The person who she answered to is a good friend to many of us. It is some sort of poetic justice, given the unfair brunt the entire Shipper community has been given over all these years. You go, girl: you are loved and you are a brave, kind soul!

Rowan thinks that people using online sock accounts in order to troll others 'do not know how to behave' and keep hiding behind a 'private account'. Including in real life. Reminds me of the modus operandi and bajillion avatars of the Traditional Troll, *urv for insiders: I think it's time to go, woman. You broke enough havoc, in here. Enough is enough. Find another fresh face. Don't ever write back. Your dirty little game has been recently and very directly rebuked by S. Because it is now clear your Main Source is but a sad little man, a foul-mouthed imposter. No surprise you are now very cautious about posting and keep on pathetically patting yourself on the back.

I am also very glad to read Rowan MacKenzie asked herself the right questions: 'why should I lose the ability to work through social media because a few have mental issues?' Exactly. She made the sensible, daring choice to remain open and that speaks volumes about who she is. It is also my deep hope Police Scotland will continue to 'put into place' whatever it has deemed appropriate for her, in terms of legal action and personal safety. Last but not least, I hope the Two Only Cows get the right retribution for their unspeakable deed.

Rowan earned not only my respect, but also my heart when she posted this:

Those who have been reading me for a while know why.

I wish this brave, strong and gifted soul all the best this imperfect world could ever give her.

PS: vielen, vielen Dank. 😘😘

[fuck-customers]

This is really just a minor inconvenience, but it's still irritating.

We have to wear radios at work. We USED to have earpieces for them, but they were several years old and about a year ago, the last one broke. The radios themselves are still functional, we just have to use the speaker vs. the earpiece. So, if someone says something over the radio, everyone in the surrounding area of a radio-wearing employee can hear what that person is saying.

This drives me nuts. Especially because all that has to be done is my manager ordering some more fucking earpieces.

The problem with not having earpieces is that now customers can hear everything we say over the radio. 99% of the time, what we say is very professional and appropriate, but it is still irritating to be talking to my coworker about something (usually a stock check) and having a customer hover around, eavesdropping on the conversation and very often commenting on the conversation.

Also, I personally feel the earpieces are very necessary for privately warning coworkers that a particular customer is being very rude and hostile or if a Karen is on the loose. Of course I can't say "hey management, can you order earpieces so we can shit talk customers?" but that is a big part of it. Lol

The real issue is that this is one of the many things on an extremely long list of responsibilities that the SM is supposed to take care of, but she doesn't do her job and lets everything go.

Posted by admin Rodney

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

you seem nice and are being polite so i am going to attempt to return the same energy: there is just no universe in which i think it is the case that the language i used, talking explicitly about myself, on my blog, qualifies as harm that i need to be morally responsible for because someone else saw it and made a series of unwarranted assumptions about me. none whatsoever. this is a principle that i hold deeply, and one i extend to you as well and to anyone reading this and to the person i blocked: everyone on earth is allowed to talk about themselves however they see fit in their own spaces. i believe we all deserve that. i believe in being mindful to some degree when we are speaking in the semi-public space that is a personal blog on the internet, and i am in fact generally quite deliberate about using first-person language, as i did in that post, partly because i know that sloppy generalizations can cause people to take posts personally in ways that can be pretty painful, and although frankly i also think many people could stand to get better at keeping it chill when a 3-line post from someone they don’t know who was probably not expecting it to go viral doesn’t encompass their personal situation, i do generally strive to avoid posting in a manner that might cause such friction. but that’s not what this was. i said “here’s what i’m doing,” and someone said, in effect, “fuck you for telling me what to do.” i simply cannot be held responsible in any way for someone wildly distorting the reality of what i said, and i am under no obligation to make any kind of space for someone whose only interaction with me literally ever is to be rude, obnoxious, and annoying directly at me. because that’s what happened here, to be clear: yelling at me about something i quite literally did not say while seeming to make a million unwarranted assumptions about me (a stranger) is a rude thing to do. it is bad behavior in no way justified by the trauma of seeing a personal post about how a stranger on the internet is thinking about the election. absolutely no one is obligated to put up with that shit. if someone wants to take the high road on the matter, that’s very nice. but that’s a favor. it’s not a requirement. if you’re going to be a dick at people - literally at me, like, if they had screenshotted my post to yell at me on their own blog not in a million years would i have responded even if somehow i found out because they would not be doing it literally to my virtual face - you have forfeited the right to expect anyone to respond to you without matching your energy.

it is so, so, so obnoxious to see a stranger talking about themselves and decide it’s appropriate behavior to get in their face and yell at them that they’re doing emotions wrong. i don’t see this as an understandable overreaction after the thousandth paper cut. i just don’t. i see it as someone behaving without any consideration for the fact that other people have interiority. and i don’t think there’s ever a situation in which we are required to greet that particular form of myopic entitlement with gentleness. there are times where that kind of thing may be at some point met with forgiveness, for, like, a person in my actual life and community, although i’d like to state for the record that my friends are almost exclusively people carrying a fuckload of shit and literally not one of them has ever engaged in this kind of behavior, because it’s actually really easy to not be an asshole on the internet. but i just can’t get behind the idea that any of us owe shit to someone whose literal only interaction with us is ever was making up a guy in their head to get mad at and being a dick to us. i don’t believe it is prosocial or good for everyone to endorse the norm that if someone takes the time to behave badly towards you, a stranger whom they don’t know from adam, the only correct thing to do is shrug it off or accept that actually it’s reasonable of them to have gotten mad at you for something you didn’t do. i believe that thinking that way does nobody any favors. i think it’s bad for everyone.

my other grounding technique is remembering that the earliest abolitionists & the earliest suffragists had no proof that the world would ever make possible what they fought for and indeed many of them did not live to see it come to pass. and yet they did not succumb to despair so it would be disrespectful to their memory to let it overtake me

[bialbovi]

I NEVER TOLD YOU GUYS ABOUT MY OCS ON TUMBLR

But the time has come

So, generally I am trying not to yap too much about them because I still want to use major story moments for some project or my potential comic, but I love telling people about them. And I love making additional AU’s (because they do not contain any main story spoilers)

So here is a short description of my main oc group so that you can recognize them (I have other worlds, but these occupy my mind the most)

This is Leonardo (Leo). He hates his full name

He is an introvert and a local flying showoff. Has terrible eyesight, glasses do not really fix his vision completely, but he uses lenses and devices to look close and far. His eyes are also sensitive to bright light. He is a half-idiot and a half-genius.

Despite the fluffy appearance, he is naturally drawn to the theme of death, undead, spirits, and everything related to that. He is a little too confident in his abilities and also stubborn, he’s an easy target of ”I bet you can’t do /x/” questions, because he will want to demonstrate that he actually can do /x/ better. Believes in practice over theory. He is terrified of huge bodies of water and drowning. He loves wearing dark clothes (not emo). He has a journal, or a few of them actually, where he notes his insane theories, ghost observations, to do’s etc..

He used to run away from home to practice flying and get lots of bruises when he was like almost a teen, and during teenage years, he is quiet proud of the skill he got because of his dangerous childhood adventures.

He also met Nicole and Michelle during the main plot events. And Emil is his childhood friend with who they studied together at the same school, and so they’ve known each other for years, and theyr dumb and supportive of each other but they have their mutual misunderstandings as well (future boyfriends)

He has raven wings

I figured I draw him the most

This is Emil :)

He is an artist with a chronic dust disease (all human bodies contain it in their system, and most of it goes into wing creation, but it can also be used with your palms for example). He becomes tired much faster than other people, his body is weaker, and he gets purplish spots as a result of exhaustion (his wings are more fragile and regenerate longer).

He has a ”good imagination”, or at least he calls it that, because his years of practice let him create dust butterflies that hang around nearby. Usually dust objects, shapes, constructions, especially if they are moving, are considered a rarity and an impressive trick. (Wings are directly attached to the big surface of the back and they are not detached from the body, everyone normally can create those, like second nature)

He likes his wings a l o t, but doesn’t really like his body. He is very skinny and tall, and even though generally he’s comfortable with drawing nude bodies, he hates showing a lot of his own skin to people; he adds layers of clothes to appear bigger

He is very sensitive and emotional, talks a lot, doesn’t like arguments. He is really gentle, he will probably cry because he is really expressive on all spectrums of emotions. Jokes a lot and sometimes not when appropriate. He’s partly drowning in philosophical questions and in finding some deeper sense of self (deep). And ofc he’s a theatre kid. Art nerd. He likes purple. He also befriended Michelle and Nicole, even though Nicole hated him because of his behaviour for some reason at first. However both of them have similar tastes in music and art, so.

He has red admiral wings

Leo used to be a frequent guest at Emil’s house when they were younger.

I frequently sketch Emil and Leo everywhere, they come as a pair!,

This is Nicole.

She is an anxious girl with facial burn scars. She’s loud, honest, and can be mean, but she also hates a lot of things about herself. She is good at noticing details and subtlety. She doesn’t trust people easily, if at all, but she is also afraid of loneliness. In the plot they do some plot stuff together with Michelle (theyr roommates ohmygod they were roommates). She befriended Leo and Emil later, even though Emil annoyed her immensely being a stranger she just met. She likes yellow :)

She absolutely loooves animals big and small, and she will always care for a traumatized creature in trouble even if it’s seen as nature’s mistake or ugliest thing ever.

She has the wings of a military macaw

Can’t tell much more about her because I feel like those are spoilers AND she is getting a big character remake in the plot department

This is Michelle!,

She’s calm and emotionless at first glance, has a face that looks like her mind is always thinking or anywhere but here. She has low self-worth and not great relationships with her mother. She is interested in magical potions, alchemical stuff, and questionable inventions. She’s always more interested in how something works and how to get intriguing results, rather than legality or obeying rules.

Obviously she feels emotions and lots of them, but she doesn’t let herself open up.

She also has only one big albatross wing. The build of her back makes one of her shoulders lower than the other (right shoulder lower)

Also this grey art has her newest face proportions, which I couldn’t quiet capture before, but now this is final :)

And here we are again in the spoiler zone

This is Ivor! (Old reference) (I got tired and didn’t draw him a new one)

He’s THE gossiper, who loves scandals and dramas. He plays a bandura (a ukrainian string instrument) and with it composes rumors or stories obviously inspired by something that has happened in real life. He says that the more people he knows the more interesting songs he can create. Loves being the narrator and shining in the crowd. He can actually sing well. He is also deaf in one ear

He has the wings of a european goldfinch

He is more of a secondary character though

This is Séaghdha!! (From my extensive research, it is close to "Shay" pronounciation, even though that one is an independent name by itself)

ACTUALLY I AM RECOLORING HIM TO HAVE NATURAL BROWN HAIR but at one point his hair can be green :)) Green haired Séaghdha is an old concept, but canons change and I didn’t want to completely remove the green hair lol

He vibes as a technical guy, but he’s actually really artsy, and crafts decor, and stained glass thingies.

He’s a local mystery-man who was born with a completely unthreatening height and small build (he is very short), he carries a parasol and he is limping (it’s made with lace and was gifted to him). He is generally calm, tired, masks a lot of stuff with sarcasm type of guy. He’s actually farsighted. He can also walk and even run without his parasol, but he has it on him 99.9% of the time. He has silvery hairs because of the magical trauma that scarred half of his body.

He is ultra responsible and he wants to do good things, for the sake of justice, (or at least he wanted) and he regrets it

He knows Emil’s father, and Séaghdha is also close with Thia (technically in Ukrainian her name is Tsia, but in English it shortens from Forsythia; I haven’t decided on minor changes like that). Séaghdha actually kind of fell in love with Thia from the first sight, and they bonded because of music and musical instruments. Both of them are plot partners and they suffer together and they luv each other. They had an argument and they weren’t communicating for some time but they can’t live without each other

He has wings of a sharp-shinned hawk

This is THIAAAAA

(Left reference is the newest one) I didn’t finish her grey ref, but I am likely redrawing all of them again on a new canvas, so old refs won’t matter!

She does not have a final final design, but I am imagining her in all kinds of flowery dresses!

I also do not have a final version of her character yet and more will be added. She’s literally the only good thing in the world. She’s a kind aunty and a talented singer with a low voice. She has lots of patience, she adapts easily to changes and has a calming effect on people. Likes to have a chit chat with Ivor.

She is a pretty famous singer (both she and Ivor are local legends, but in different ways). I would say that Ivor tries to build a character for the public more, than Thia, but Thia just has it much more subtly. Ivor knows people recognize him for his performance, Thia doesn’t really have an over the top flamboyancy, so in comparison she looks like a normal person. It doesn’t feel like she even gets into the role of a performer and feels authentic. ANYWAY, JUST THOUGHTS.

I also want her to be into some cloth handmade stuff, or lace, or a different little hobby. I think to balance out the signing she would love making something with her hands

People suspect that Forsythia is not even her "real" name, how could they.

She has the wings of a bluethroat :))

LAST BUT NOT LEAST THIS IS AYA :з

She is an absolute menace. Uhh she is really fucked in the head. She is an insane ghost who wants to scare people to death and wishes for revenge.

UH. Theres lots to her

she is absolutely deranged

She also had bee hummingbird wings

OOOOF THATS IT FOR NOW

Note for self: just send this post to your english speaking friends next time they ask for an oc exchange because writing out stuff from the scratch is painful and I wont do it again until I have actual new info (crawls into bed)

[jackslocket]

IL PREDESTINATO VINCE.

(inspired by @scdria's super awesome monaco poster)

[royalarchivist]

I say this in the kindest way possible, but I think this style of prose is more appropriate for a personal account rather than an update account. I have no idea who's being talked about half the time. 🥲

[ Tumblr meme via @mikaikaika ]

[hand-face-chan]

I'm only halfway though Hbomberguy's new video and I dont know if this is a universal experience but my main horrified takeaway from hbomb's plagiarism video so far is that one of my highschools TAUGHT AN ENTIRE CLASS OF 13 YEAR OLDS TO PLAGIARISE. LIKE, ON PURPOSE.

I ended up moving to a much better highschool, but my first highschool essentially taught us to "write" essays by reading what someone else had written and then write what they said again but putting it "into your own words". Which in practice was teaching us to change, for example, "the works of Shakespeare were regarded by many as the first popular art form" to "Shakespeare's plays have been said by some to be the first example of popular media". One teacher actually told us that the process of writing an essay was "saying what the people you've researched have said, in a way where it sounds like you said it".

Like. The tactics that actual plagiarists use to hide the fact that they were stealing. An actual teacher tried to teach me to do that.

[quasi-normalcy]

.

[batri-jopa]

Quite recently I realised that whenever I hear or see a word "always" it sounds in my brain more like polish "za każdym razem" (that is "every single time") instead of what I've been taught ("zawsze" is more like "now and forever"). Would you please tell me what it really means?

[marcmorrigan]

my heart's crippled by the vein that i keep on closing / you cut me open

OCs, they/them for seyva and he/him for rauel! bloodless version + original concept sketch and some notes under the cut

heavily inspired by carrie + vintage pulp novel cover art... i didnt end up emulating the style much, but i think i got the vibes okay!!! yayyy blood

[holydrakes]

Sometimes I dug deep into the SoMa 2012-2013 fandom archive and started getting jealous I was not part of the party

[itspileofgoodthings]

see i have all these spicy takes in the drafts that i don’t post out of self-restraint but then i see a spicy take that i hate SO MUCH and then i want to post mine out of revenge. it’s a terrible cycle tbh.

[bunnihearted]

📚🎀💕

[emdotcom]

I have a wild, new, & bold suggestion for a tumblr feature:

When a tag is recommended or trending. & It previews some posts IN that tag, (showing you thumbnails of art, for instance,) then maybe.

Clicking on that post. Should show you that fucking post.