#and if you post+support the latter I’m not interacting with you as a person

[fishyartist]

Oh ew an artist I followed was posting shit about how we need to be accommodating of sexualizing incest+children because “it’s fiction” bullshit get lost ☠️

[fortheloveofpiggy]

TW this is a rant about proship and comship! Tags will have more in-depth trigger warnings

Edit: OMG PROSHIPPERS STOP MAKING THIS POST ABOUT DEFENDING IF SHIPPING CHILD X ADULT OR INCEST IS OKAY OR NOT THE POST IS ABOUT THE LABLE I DONT WANT TO ARGUE WITH YALL ABOUT THAT ANYMORE.

This is my one post where all people on all sides of the proship debate can interact. Including proshippers. If that makes you uncomfortable then don’t interact. I hate echo chambers and I want to hear all sides.

Also sorry for cross tagging just want the opinions from all sides

Actual post:

I hate the terms proship, neutral ship, and antiship. They’re all extremes and I hate them. From what I understand the meanings are

Proship: support all ships no matter what even if they’re comships

Neutral ship: doesn’t have an opinion at all

Antiship: is anti any comship which is outrageous

If y’all don’t know comship just means complex ship or they enjoy more morally grey or imperfect ships. This can include things like human X different intelligent species (like aliens, furries, monsters) which most rational people don’t think is bad. But this can also mean kid X adult, family x family, or victim X abuser

I actually don’t identify as pro, neu, or anti because I think some comships are good and healthy. I think morally grey ships are important in media when done correctly. Especially since a lot of relationships are rocky and not always healthy and it’s good to show that in media. My own ocs personally aren’t in a perfectly healthy relationship because of their own issues. But this should be done respectfully and with care. Abuse shouldn’t be romanticized but people can be romantic outside of the abuse going on just like in real life relationships

But in a pedophilic fan fiction or art or an incest fanfic or art there is no such thing as a loving part of it. The relationship in itself is abuse because a minor being with a child is abuse and family members being together is abuse. It’s not healthy for anyone involved to romanticize relationships like that and frankly can effect reality no matter how you spin it because it’s representing something as normal to kids.

Right now a lot of neutrals, antis, and probably a lot of pro shippers are agreeing but that’s where my point really starts

The term “proship” and “anti ship” are too vague. If you say you’re proship you sound like you defend media where children are harmed. I understand the meaning is being proshipping and minding your business but that’s still what you look like and frankly that’s what the term does. If you’re pro everything then that means you’re pro the harmful stuff too

And the term “antiship” suggest that you’re anti shipping in general or anti any complex ship which is also unhealthy for us all because morally grey topics need brought up. Antis also are very very commonly okay with harassment when it comes to proshippers

And neutral ship is basically just saying you don’t have a opinion at all which is harmful because you’re suggesting you’re okay with the harm done on both sides. And I understand some people who are neutral ship agree with me and don’t just not care but I feel like majority is the former not the latter (based on what I’ve seen)

Also disclaimer if you’re neutral because of mental health or because you have better things to deal with that’s valid but identifying as neutral ship does put you in it and i instead suggest staying out of it entirely

So idk maybe we should make a term for the middle. I had a few ideas maybe something like middleship or intentship (intentship meaning enjoying or allowing all ships as long as the intentions are good and are not to romanticize trauma or abuse)

Idk everyone can share their opinions but if I see another proshipper say fiction doesn’t effect reality I’m gonna scream and if I see another anti shipper call all morally grey ships bad as if they done killed their grandma I’ll go insane

[accio-victuuri]

LOEWE PFW sweets and treats. 🍬🍭

what an event that was! yibo out here being the international star that he is! and he looked so happy and relaxed! i especially loved how he was interacting with people and he naturally got that aura in him that attracts people. the good energy was honestly coming across the screen!

i think the loudest cpn right now is his clothes. the color choice. we definitely wanna see him in color and so he does with 🌈, and during pride month! whether this is a styling choice or a statement, the cpfs in us will of course choose the latter. if this was a choice by the creative director, who appears to be a fan of wyb, and mix that with the brand who is lgbt friendly, then it sort of makes sense.

also people are excited about them being in europe for 622 and GG’s supposed 620 flight back home seemingly getting delayed. your guess is as good as anyone’s. we will not know ( at least for now ) if they meet up. let them be. i’m hoping someday they can have a proper rest and vacation! they totally deserve it! i understand the excitement but don’t get too fixated. we will some bits of it in the future if it happened, be patient.

i like this parallel! the umbrella! ☂️

his short interview where he said he loves the rain very much. aside from all the other “rain” symbolism between the two, does it give him good memories?

And there’s the scene where they’re playing on the eaves. The scene where alcohol is prohibited. It took about two days to shoot. It was raining all the time in Guizhou.

the yibo-official post which is clearly for the loewe even and for business purposes with the kadian of 55 and talking about romance. interesting caption. 👀

we have some lore around the 55 kadian and how it represents them. so that was 👀. i was personally expecting them to post an hour or 30 mins before the show like they usually do at other events, but for some reason this was cutting it close. so it makes me think it may have been chosen with purpose. plus it’s their 1823rd post!

AND THIS! TWIN FLAMES!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥

Finally, the show of support from CPFs is amazing! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 thank you! seeing those balloons!!!! i know there is some hate from so/os ( as usual lol ) but it’s a free country! it’s a public space! and any support is appreciated. especially since he is in a foreign country. they can all stay angry! 🤣🤣🤣

-END.

P.S: this instagram post from loewe, mentioning yibo specifically needs more comments! GO GO GO!

[skzoologist]

Meeting Bae at a fansign event

request: meeting Bae and interacting with him by @thightswideforhanin

word count: ~1.6k

warnings: none

genre: crack

a/n: As I mentioned earlier, I really don't know how exactly a fansign works, so I could only go off on things the internet provided me with. This is the result, I hope you're happy with it! I think you will be, dear, considering you just caused Bae to malfunction lol

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

They’d had their latest comeback a week ago, STAY still recoiling from its mind-breaking effects. The feedback on it was overwhelming, giving immense glee to the boys who took great pride in their work. Nothing made them happier than their fans’ joy, caused by something they all worked extremely hard for. Shaking the musical industry was their goal, and they’d succeeded.

Of course, with every new comeback came the time for a fansign, something that was always exciting, for both participating sides. For the fans, because they could finally meet their beloved idols, and for the members, who were happy to personally chat with the people who’d supported them through their arduous journey so far. Bae was no exception to this rule, no matter what anyone would think. He loved his fans dearly, despite his cold appearance and hard to approach aura.

But god, did he wish they would fluster him at least a bit less.

On stage, in comments under every picture or video, in their own edits, it didn’t matter, never did. There was bound to be at least one person saying a cheesy pickup line, something they all knew worked on Bae like a charm. The man loved cheesy and bad puns, which was the exact reason why he’d been dragged to Chan’s lives several times, just for the elder to read some comments out loud and cause Bae’s skin to flare up on camera. It was an endless cat and mouse game, one Chan enjoyed tremendously.

So imagine when these people could say those things to Bae’s face directly. He slightly dreaded it already to be quite honest, even though the event hadn’t even started yet.

“How’re ya holdin’ up?” - it was Chan’s voice, a sweet melody calming to his anxious mind. “It feels like there’s more than usual.” - that was Bae’s only reply, his dominant hand disappearing behind the veil of his hair, no doubt to lightly tug on his earlobe hidden there.

The leader just grabbed onto Bae’s shoulder, giving it a few gentle squeezes, reassuring the younger successfully. Bae couldn’t help feeling like this, he never did exceptionally well in social settings. Maybe that was why he naturally gravitated towards Jisung, the two too similar in that sense for their own good.

An unexpected force threw Bae almost off-balance, his own legs and a strong pair of arms immediately compensating for the sudden added weight to his back.

“I’m soooooooo excited! Aren’t you, Bae hyung?” - it was their little sunshine, his energy off the charts.

Bae and Chan just chuckled at him, the latter ruffling his hair with fond eyes. The tallest member took the young one’s legs into his hold, shifting the boy properly up onto his back and giving him a piggyback ride. Felix naturally didn’t complain, happiness practically radiating from him thanks to the surprise affection Bae was giving him. This caused Chan to loudly laugh, his phone already in his hands and taking a video to show the others later. Bae’s cheeks slightly dusted, but he was used to this already a bit, thankfully.

“Oh wow, Hyung’s favouritism is showing again.” “Seungmin, what are you– Oh my god, you’re right. Dal hyuung!” - Jeongin’s voice whined after he rounded the corner, eyes watching the scene in mock disbelief.

Bae merely looked back at them with a raised eyebrow, as if to ask them both if they wanted to take Felix’s place. The two immediately shook their heads, dropping the act before they activated their hyung’s overbearingly affectionate side and doomed themselves to be coddled to death.

The others trickled into the same room as well, their eyes instantly latching onto Bae and teasing him, asking where their own piggyback rides were. Changbin was the most vocal about it, only calming down once he was promised to be the next to get one. The otter’s ears were already red, even though he hadn’t even met a single STAY yet. He had to do something about it and quickly, lest they were called to go out like this. But no matter what he wanted, Felix had a plan of his own, not releasing Bae even when the man stopped holding him up.

“Lixie…” “What? You started it, now you’re stuck with me!”

What had he done to deserve this…?

“Hyung’s gonna have to go out like this and I’m already loving it.” - it was Jisung, eyes twinkling in evil delight. “Oh absolutely, me too. You record and I take photos?” - Hyunjin replied, the two sharing a brofist before laughing at the glare Bae sent them.

True to his words, Felix didn’t let the older go, causing Bae to start holding him again in fear of any accidents happening otherwise, injuring one of them.

They were soon called to go out and take their places at their respective booths a few minutes later. The mere thought made Bae hesitate, something that Minho took the opportunity of, stealing a butt smack from both him and the koala clinging to his back. Felix was merely surprised for a split second, while Bae yelped quietly, glaring at the running form of his cat-like hyung with no real heat behind his gaze.

Knowing he had to get it over with either way, he followed Minho, bumping into the man playfully before letting the younger get down from his back. There was cheering from their audience, no doubt enjoying their silly interactions that were hard to come by when it involved the Glacial Prince.

Bae took his seat, being the sixth in line, sitting right between Hyunjin and Minho. The fans were absolutely ecstatic, excited chatter barely contained for the sake of their idols. Everyone was holding something, either an accessory for the members to put on, or a plushie to cuddle and play with. The first fan was taken to the first member, the beloved maknae of the group. A minute or two later they were ushered over to Seungmin’s booth, the next fan taking their place.

It went like this for a while, nothing major happening. Thankfully the first few fans decided to have mercy on Bae, merely chatting with him about their latest comeback happily and not giving him anything too embarrassing to put on yet.

This soon changed, the next fan looking entirely too thrilled to take a seat in front of him at last. Bae recognised them, remembering how they usually held a sign with a pickup line about him or Jisung in their concerts, shouting their names and overpowering the speakers’ high volume. He mentioned this to them with a gentle smile while he signed the page their album was marked at, causing them to gasp and nearly shout in excitement and disbelief.

“Of course I remember, I have good memory.” - he chuckled out, pushing back the album into their awaiting hands with another smile. “Ohmygod I love you Bae oppa, I have the biggest crush on you!” - the words stumbled out of their mouth, surprising not just Bae, but themselves as well.

The idol blinked back at them, pale cheeks rapidly tinting red with each passing second. No words that formed in his mind could successfully leave his mouth, giving ample time for the STAY in front of him to recover. They quickly placed some clip-on cat ears onto the table, seemingly high quality and fluffy. Pleading eyes stared into Bae’s own, their request clear and unmistakable.

With a quiet, well-hidden sigh and closed eyes, Bae gathered his inner strength, knowing fully well his members would not let him live this down for a while. It was only a matter of time before one of these somehow got onto his head, he knew that well.

So, his hands gently took the accessories, swiftly attaching them onto his long hair that was dyed a deep violet. The reaction was immediate, a poorly concealed squeal leaving the fan’s lips as they complimented him over and over, the gushing merely strengthening the rising colour on his cheeks.

For their last minute they simply talked, the fan grateful for having been able to meet him this close and expressing their gratitude. Bae gently smiled at that, thanking them for supporting the band so much through thick and thin. 

When the pair's time was up, the eager fan promised to attend the next concert as well, not wanting to let their crush down. His skin that was slightly faring better heated up once again, his attention stolen by the next fan and the album he had to sign. Bae tried his best to focus solely on the new fan in front of him, despite feeling the stares on the sides of his face from his members, no doubt lured by his flustered state that was pointed out by the shy girl sitting at his booth.

“YO, BAE HYUNG, THOSE LOOK GOOD ON YOU! WANT ME TO BUY YOU SOME?” - Jisung’s voice cut through the shushed chatter, pulling in everyone’s attention. “Don’t worry Sungie, I already got it covered.” - Minho replied calmly, that smug expression already sitting on his face as he watched Bae.

The male in question could only hide behind his hands, his walls of defence completely crushed and crumbled down, clearly hearing everyone’s chuckles and the fans cheering as he only hid deeper into the palms of his hands. He couldn’t look into anyone’s eyes, not even the poor fan who was right in front of him, obviously enjoying the show, if her giggles were anything to go by.

Flustered, Bae could only hope his fans would have mercy on him for the remainder of the event, knowing fully well that it was naive thinking.

[fantasticalchaos]

Wait if you're into both TWST and EAH I REALLY want to know how you think Hunter Huntsman and Rook would interact both having a similar source but different personalities to say.

That’s a good and interesting question anon!

It’s true, both are sourced from the Huntsman. And yet - they’re personalities are different! Rook is more flamboyant, passionate, and outgoing (all while keeping details about himself private). On the other hand, Hunter is more on the reserved side - except when it comes to his romantic gestures to his girlfriend, Ashlynn. (I love Huntlynn sm!) Additionally, Hunter - despite his destiny - despises hunting. Rook, does!

Now into how I believe the two hunters (heh) would interact! (Honestly also using this if any Hunter and Rook interactions appear in my fic at any point) [long post below]

First of all, since Hunter is son of the Huntsman (and considering I love TWST x EAH crossovers), he’s gonna be bombarded with Rook’s compliments and praise. 😆 Saying that he’s honoured to meet the descendant of the Huntsman as he would with the other Ever After High students. How strong and heroic he is! How skilled he is! And Hunter, while does enjoy the praise, he does try to remain humble… at times.

Heck, even when Hunter expresses that he doesn’t desire to hunt (though he loves doing the heroics) of his destiny, Rook is all in for it! “What a pure heart and kind soul you have!” Rook respects Hunter’s decision, and even encourages the latter on whatever he does/has a passion for! While Rook embraces his hunter lifestyle and he doesn’t, Hunter appreciates that Rook doesn’t force him into becoming someone he’s not. Rook & Hunter also have an long and jolly chats on animals! Well minus the dead animals part from Rook– Oh and Hunter trying not know some of the strange feeling on how Rook knows all personal things. He wants to at least be polite to Rook, since Rook doesn’t mean that much harm outside of the stalking and lack of personal space.

I also feel like the two would have some archery competitions on rare occasions. All filled with some friendly banter, and Rook would also gives Hunter some pointers on what to improve on. This surprises Hunter with Rook’s perceptiveness.

As for Rook’s nickname for him (and using a web translator), I’m thinking of Monsieur Amoureux de la Nature (Mr. Nature Lover)! It references Hunter’s love for nature overriding the (h)expectations for Hunter and his destiny. Also Ashlynn’s nickname is Princesse des Chaussons Cendrés (Princess of the Ashen Slippers).

Speaking of! Last but not least: ROOK IS A HUGE SUPPORTER FOR HUNTLYNN! If Hunter asks Rook for any help with setting up any romantic gestures, he’ll be right there! Gushes over the couple with such support! How two beautiful kind souls are perfect together! If this was prior to True Hearts Day, Rook will keep their relationship a secret. He will feel bummed out that he can’t share, but he understands and will wait until the couple will do it themselves. Still… Hunter and Ashlynn do get third-wheeled by him sometimes cause Rook is, well, Rook 😅

—————

“Ah! The love between Monsieur Amoureux de la Nature and Princesse des Chaussons Cendrés is utterly beautiful and heartfelt!” Rook wipes the tears of joy slipping down his face. A giant smile on his face, as he continues. “A romance so pure! So true! A once forbidden love doomed to the narrative, now turned strong and true until the end! Love truly conquers all!!” 🥹

“Thanks Rook!” Hunter thanks him as he scratches his head. “Now can you please leave me and Ash alone for a moment. We’re kind of the middle of something.” 😅

[goldenhickeysandramen]

📢🔊🎤🎶 LOVE IS IN THE AIR... 🎙🎷🎺🎸🎹and 5 takeaways from the past months

THIS IS A LONG POST.... 

Oh my Gosh! What an afternoon of excitement!

Apparently Jimin changed for nanoseconds(?) his profile picture and posted one of JK 

Too bad the account didn't record a video..... If there is only one person as a testimonial, let me be a bit skeptical. 🤨

But who knows... maybe Jimin was playing with Jk, as this latter did on April 28th.

https://twitter.com/jkfl6wer/status/1640512226829189122?s=20

Also emerging on twitter are the constant cacophonies heard in Jimin's last vlive....LOL

https://twitter.com/jeje_machi/status/1645017065609388032?s=20

I take these things with a grain of salt, because they always happen... there’s always someone in tiktok who hear voices in Jimin's and JK's vlives 🤣 

BUT

I do think they were together the night of Like Crazy's BB100, because all the k-army accounts (I follow) perfectly hear, at the beginning of the vlive, a "go quickly" with a busanese accent. That can't be a coincidence, nor a general delulu mode! 

In any case, I'm here to celebrate Jikook's love fest of this past month.

📢🔉🔊🎤🎶🎵 LOVE IS IN THE AIR... 🎙🎷🎺🎸🎻🎹

I have to admit that there was a time when I didn't understand why the hell we didn't know anything about Jikook.😫

Those who wait are in despair. And if I'm the one who waits (while quitting smoking), it's even worse, because I'm (above all) IMPATIENT! hahaha. I missed jikook a lot and I was in a total skeptical phase.

Don't scold me, I am not insecure, I like to be objective and critical. And there were things from these months that just made me wonder if everything was okay... I'm not going to go into them, because there’s no need. But I am going to share with you some of my lessons or takeaways from these months of CHAPTER 2 and that now, with more perspective, I can share, in case it helps anyone for next months.

1. The members who interact the most are the ones who are promoting at the time. 

I don't expect to see others in official content, unless they have something to promote. I guess it's marketing strategy. Just compare how Suga has reacted to other albums on socmed, with how he has been more involved in Jimin's, because he came next. 

The only exception is Hobi who is constant. Our dear sunshine..💜

But as I could see, if we want to see the rest, it's up to them.

2. This brings me to the next point: JIKOOK has chosen to show us that they are still there as usual, but without the exposure. 

Let's cry in chorus! 😭😭❤❤

JK wanted to support Jimin and for us to see him. And he wanted it to be something special, dammit! And so it has been!

I melt with him and everything he has done so far: from saying how great the Set me free Pt2 MV was going to be, to playing the chords of Letter, and the vlive reaction to Suchita and Jimin's best moments unbothered.

Plus the next morning reacting to Jimin’s live LOL

And Jimin has always been active in JK's vlives, whenever he could, with some very memorable lines 

3. What we don't see is almost EVERYTHING. And what we can see depends on many external factors. 

Thanks to the editors we could see JK visiting Jimin. It looks like they were together for only 5 seconds, but we know that was not the case.

if they even said goodbye in two different positions LOL

On the other hand, Letter was not recorded remotely, nor did JK teach himself to play it on guitar on youtube, like he learned to make sushi on ITS. 

This would be a point for non-jikookers who believe that jikook has not seen e/o for months.... but, I write it as a reminder for everyone, but especially for ME. 

What we see in recorded content is Hybe's choice. The rest is either shown to us by them or we have to assume it by applying common sense.

On the other hand, does anyone expect jikook to plug in a vlive when they're at home together watching The Notebook for the umpteenth time? I don't... Which brings me to the next point...

4. Army is always a support to Jungkook

I really believe that when he has been feeling very bored, alone or melancholic, we have been a help to him. Maybe he needed a rest, but at some point the inactivity has taken its toll on him, given that he didn't have his precious people around him.

In particular, I am happy to see him in his new role as CK ambassador and to see him travelling and active, at least until he enters the more intense work phase of his future projects.

So when I've seen Tae at his home, or with him at concerts, far from worrying about the cults's reaction (Who cares!!), I've been glad he was getting him out of the Mikrokosmos cave, because JK is an introvert and his comfort zone isn't exactly socialising.

[How I feel about Tae and his vlives and name dropping at certain times is another matter. But I have no doubt that Tae loves him and has made it a point to take him out bowling or to concerts]

5. Perhaps most controversial, but most obvious.....JIKOOK don't officially live together and that's what we're going to see from here until they leave for military service. So it's best not to give too much thought to the issue of houses.

But there is a very big obviousness to this issue. JK lives in a house rented by Hybe, with furniture from the dorms and barely decorated (althoug full of underwear 😁), as if he can't rent a house while his mansion in Itaewoon is being built...LOL! It's a joke! (and by this I mean that perhaps he spends part of his time elsewhere 😏).

If jikook is an established couple, as many of us think, we will always have to bear in mind is that they cant fulfil everything we would see in a long-term couple, like living together in one house 24/7/365, for obvious reasons, but basically because they are hidden couple and they’re also chased (especially Jungkook, who has a lot of sasaengs behind him).

And this is basically my main takeaways.... I'm sure I have more lessons learnt.... but I don't remember them now.... or I'm tired of writing.... maybe it's the latter ;)

I purple you 💜

[lavenderspence]

for the struggling writers, pt 1

hi my lovelies, last week I said I'd do a few posts dedicated to my fellow writers who are struggling within the space - experiencing doubt or writer’s block or comparing themselves to others. 

I’ve planned this to be three parts, and I hope I can help at least one person out there feel better.

This part is dedicated to followers and numbers.

I’m going to start you off with something that’s either going to hit you really hard because it applies to you, or it’s going to make you come for my head because you disagree. 

I think any newish writers out there unintentionally or at the very least subconsciously base their worth and their writing’s worth on the numbers. Sometimes it’s a bit inevitable not to. 

Well, maybe not necessarily when they first start out, because with the first two or three works you post, you are in such a euphoric state that you don’t really pay that much attention. But then, the more attention is paid to YOU and your works, the more that feeds your ego, and that’s a sure way to start spiraling, especially when you start focusing on said attention and allow your ego to go off. 

It’s where most of your self-doubt comes from, why you start comparing yourself to others, and it’s also one of the fastest ways to get to a creative block. And all of that, I’m very sorry to say, is your own doing. 

It’s happening because you start basing your abilities, creativity, worth, and overall experience on something as meaningless as numbers. 

Yes, there is absolutely a discourse online about the importance of interaction within the space, especially as a way to support the writers and other creators who post forms of entertainment for free. And there will always be a discourse about it, and I’ll personally always yap about the importance of it. 

But, and there is a but here - there is a very clear difference between caring for interaction as a way to boost writers, and borderline obsessing about it, to the point where your self-doubt takes over.   And I’m putting myself under here when I tell you, sadly, I have found myself to be the latter. 

What is the difference? One is fighting for yourself and your fellow writers as a way to make others acknowledge your importance. Babes, we aren’t getting paid, and the people consuming free entertainment should acknowledge some of our motivation comes from the love and support we’re given. So it is always a kindness and a nice way to show your favorite writers you enjoy their works by interacting, okay? okay.

The latter, though, is, like I said, where your ego comes into play. And your ego is your biggest enemy in this case. 

So now that I’ve called you out, and you all might hate me already, let me calm you down and give you a bit of reassurance. 

First,  your follower count is not a representation of how good or bad you are, and I need you to remember that. Your follower count means nothing. And before anyone comes for my head, I don’t mean the people who follow you don’t matter, okay? What I’m saying is - you cannot base your abilities on followers, and I’ll tell you why. 

Not everyone who follows you is going to interact with your works or any other of your posts. There are going to be quite a few people who enjoy your writing enough to constantly be in your corner (your mutuals most of the time), but the fact of the matter is, there are so many people who follow you, who are silent followers. And we can’t do anything about that. You can’t know if they read everything you post, or maybe they read one or two things only. 

Regardless, it’s amazing they’re there, and they are appreciated, but you cannot assess your abilities based on that. 

And the same can be said about the note count on your works. 

Obviously, the common belief is that the higher the number, the better the work. I don’t believe in that at all. And let me tell you why. The popularity, or lack thereof, of your work means nothing. 

One of the most clear examples I can give you is Colleen Hoover. Miss girl is popular, but, personally, her writing style is not what I enjoy and search for. Why? She has a simple writing style - people have gone on to say it’s basically 3rd-grade level. And that’s okay, it works for some people, and to be honest, a simple writing style sometimes works for most people. I do sometimes also enjoy something more simplistic. 

What do I like? Emily Henry’s style is more my speed. It’s a bit more intricate and lyrically appealing. It’s closer to the style I myself am trying to learn to write in. But being that English isn’t my first language, it can be a bit harder to understand and write in.

And, as with everything else, that takes practice. The more you write, the more you practice. Figure out the way you love to write and what your style is - more simple, more intricate, a bit poetic? See what YOU like best, and not what others enjoy more. 

But to get back into it. Sometimes, the most overlooked, underloved pieces are the ones that are better written, and I want you to remember that. 

Of course, we as people pass judgment based on the common belief, and that sucks, and I do wish we didn’t. 

But, as someone who’s been in other fandoms and communities and had both high and low numbers - as long as you are having fun, none of it is going to matter. And you lose all of the fun times you can experience by hyper-fixating on something that doesn’t even need to take that much of your focus. 

You are the person who gets it in their head that they matter when they don’t. 

You are the representation of your abilities - how you write, what you write, and your writing style. Nothing else. 

And I need you to believe that, because the moment you stop, you go down the ladder, and the next struggle you’ll face is comparison and self-doubt. Which I’ll kick your ass with in the next part. 

Now remember, this is only MY opinion. It doesn’t mean I’m right, okay? But I am right in the sense that this is how I experienced this, and these are the things I want to remind myself of. 

I may have yapped more than I helped, but if I did help, I’m very happy. If I didn’t, please feel free to laugh at me. I did spend time writing this, you spent time reading it, and we both lost time. But if I could help anyone avoid going down a rabbit hole of bad thoughts and losing love for writing, then it was time well spent. 

[themirokai]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged in this by the incredible @pellaaearien . Thank you so much, dear! I really did start working on it when you tagged me and have picked away at it ever since. It’s quite long!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

49

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

122,560. I write short things.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

In chronological order I have written:

BBC Sherlock- Mystrade only

James Bond

Doctor Who

Star Wars

Person of Interest

Arcane

Cats the Musical

Sandman

In theory I’m open to writing in any of those again and any others as the inspiration strikes.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5 - Worship (Sandman, Dreamling), also received the comment that inspired my first tumblr post to breach containment.

4 - Who He Is (Mystrade), my first fic on ao3 besides the ones I moved to the Other Account. I’m a bit surprised by this honestly. It’s got age on its side but my writing has improved a lot since then. It reads as a bit clunky to me now.

3 - Loverboy (Sandman, Dreamling + Matthew the Emotional Support Raven), first time I brought my 2 Sandman series together and my first multi chap Sandman fic.

2 - The Century Gentleman (Sandman, Dreamling), I got this written and posted pretty soon after the show aired when there was a massive demand for Dreamling content and before there was a tidal wave of content to meet the demand. I have mixed feelings about it now.

1 - Sort It (James Bond & Sherlock crossover, 00Q + Mystrade), fills the niche of “Q is a Holmes brother” + fluffy Mystrade. I do still really love this story.

5. Do you respond to comments?

My rule is that I do. And I’ve generally been very diligent about it. But I burnt out a little while writing Grave and I currently have an embarrassing number of unread comments in my ao3 inbox that I keep telling myself that I need to respond to…

So if folks have commented on my stuff in the last month or so, I’m very sorry I haven’t responded.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Sequenced Proposals. No contest. Look, the character is terminally ill in canon and it’s a lawyer AU so it wasn’t going to end with him becoming a cyborg. I cried a lot while writing it. Apparently a lot of people cried while reading it. Technically he’s still alive when the story ends.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

With the one notable exception discussed above I pretty much exclusively write warm, fluffy, occasionally funny stuff. They pretty much all end happily. I am a quokka of fan fiction.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven’t! Someone called me a bitch in a Sequenced Proposals comment but even though we had never interacted before, they meant it positively.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not on this account. 😏

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I’ve written 2: Sort It, as mentioned above, and Dreaming of Leverage, which is a Sandman & Leverage crossover. I’d say the latter is crazier.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nooooo. And I can’t see ever doing it. Writing is very much a solo activity for me.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I can’t pick a favorite. I adore every ship I’ve written.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I will probably not finish Law School Days. I know how the story ends and that’s good enough for me and no one was clamoring for it. I still like to think I’ll finish Lonely Two-Legged Creatures some day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’m good at dialogue, especially dialogue in which characters talk about their feeeeeelings. I guess I’m also good at emotional intelligence in stories. And creating the warm & fuzzies.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot and description. I almost exclusively write very short things because I am incapable of plot that would carry a longer story. Also, if I’m being honest, one of the things I like about writing fan fiction is that I don’t have to describe what anyone looks like or sounds like! Y’all know that already. But I do get the flop sweats if I have to describe someone wearing clothing that is not a t-shirt and jeans.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I wish I could! More than 15 years ago I was basically conversational in Spanish, but now I’m functionally monolingual. I do appreciate when people who do this provide translations.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

As a kid, before I knew what fan fiction was, I wrote at least 100 pages of what was essentially OCs in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar. The first fandom I intentionally wrote and posted fic for was Mystrade.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Can’t do this, sorry. There are some of my stories that no longer resonate with me the way they did when I wrote them, but they’re in the minority and of the rest it’s impossible to pick a favorite.

Phew! That was a lot. Whenever I tag people in these I always say no pressure but really and seriously this time there’s no pressure and you don’t need to tell me why you’re not doing it. Just ignore. ALSO, if you’ve already done it and I missed it, apologies! With that said @once-in-a-blue-moon-rising @lavenderandvanilla @ml-nolan @mashumaru @ibrithir-was-here @karalynlovescake @stormofsharpthings @argylepiratewd

[rilli-luci]

What does Pro/Shipper Mean?

I’m only typing this cause I had to explain to a friend why the label of pro/shipper is so controversial and I like to act on the benefit of the doubt that some people may not be informed so under the cut I’m gonna explain this and why there’s so 

I’m not really gonna debate the morality of it but I am going to just explain the general gist of the term and WHY a lot of people don’t like the word and I hope it helps some people when it comes to fandom labels.

Reblog if you want but please do not come to my inbox or IMs to debate this topic. This is an information post ONLY. Not a discussion one.

Warning before you read, this post will cover Problematic Ships with triggering topics. They are mentioned for the sake of information. But I don’t want to unintentionally trigger anyone.

Going to start with the fact that this word has changed meaning over time. When I first got into tumblr rp and heard this term, it meant a completely different thing than it does now. And I think this is important cause when words change meaning and people just may not know, it can lead to a lot of misunderstandings that could be avoided if people just y’know...communicated. But that’s besides the point.

Pro/shipper at some point USED to mean one who supports a specific ship or shipping in general.

I’m currently very much so still in my Owl House hyperfixation so I will be using ships from this fandom to better explain the point. So if you are a big fan of Goldric (Hunter x Edric) then you were considered a pro/shipper for that ship. The opposite of this would be an Anti-Shipper as you did not like this ship. There was nothing generally wrong with being pro or anti as long as the ship was not problematic. Most of the discourse came from Antis sorta flooding the tags of the ships either due to their pettiness or tumblr’s shitty tagging system.

HOWEVER that is not the case now. Roughly around the 2010s (I like to think it happened somewhere around 2012-2015) the word changed its meaning.

That’s because people who supported what are called Problematic Ships.

These are your ships (with examples) that ignore canon sexualities of one or both parties of a ship (such as Hunter x Amity), are in/cest (Such as Lilith x Eda),have inappropriate age differences (such as any ship regarding a minor and an adult), those that display abusive dynamics ( such as Lilith x Belos ), etc. Ships that generally will make the average fan feel uncomfortable.

Some people who highly enjoyed problematic ships started using the term Pro/Shipper as a way to either defend their ships or justify their reasons as to why they were okay.

At this point the meaning has changed.

Pro/shipper NOW means one who supports a ship or shipping deemed problematic and/or believes in the freedom to create and consume fanworks with such elements.

Now content with toxic or abusive dynamics is more of a gray area, they’ve sorta always existed even before fandom culture became what it is today and it of course isn’t just purely tied to ships (For example, Hunter and Belos have this dynamic but are HOPEFULLY not a ship). Its all dependent on if the person making the content genuinely ships it or is making content for some other purpose that’s far less problematic and its complicated and definitely a case by case basis. But for the previous problematic examples, well there’s really no reason to ship in/cest now is there? Its just pretty gross. 

So when a person says “I’m a pro/shipper” today while there is a good chance they’re very much so meaning the first definition, it may be automatically assumed by others that they mean they are the latter. And for those other people, they may not have the energy or time to invest in meeting this person and learning what they think a pro/shipper is and if they still stand by that label if they know the connotations it presents. Its generally safer to them to just call it a lost and not interact.

So if you read this and  you still think this label is for you, then this is the sort of risk you are taking by taking on this label. Does it suck? Maybe, depending on who you are. But like I said, this post is meant to inform people and I’ve done just that.

Words have power now and days, more than people know. Especially when it comes to labels.  And when words change meaning like this one did, then I feel its important that everyone gets on the same page.

[evansblues]

Ok, so every time I read for Chris and the people around him I get this back and forth, whiplash energy. Like when a dog grabs its toy and shakes its head really fast. They love, they hate, they support, they hinder. All of his readings take way longer to edit than my other readings which is why the composite has taken so long and it probably needs another edit but because we’re on the topic I’m going to post it in its erratic, contradictory glory so you understand why it’s hard to answer questions about their future together.

Alba and Chris composite

I’m gonna quickly explain what a composite chart is first. So the natal chart is the map of the person being read on, the synastry is how two people interact together, The composite is how they seem to the outside world as a couple, it’s the perception of them as a unit as though they were one person, it will also tell you about the General Dynamics of the relationship as if it were its own entity. The way the composite chart is calculated as it takes the averages of each of their placements and gives it as an average so it’s the middle distance of each of their charts. I guess you could describe it as how they meet in the middle.

So the first thing that I see when I look at this is the Mars and Chiron conjunction in

Leo. Mars and the MC are effectively conjunct. It's a 10 degree orb, so it's kind of wide, but they're together in Leo. The North node is there at 27 degrees. The MC is 18. The North Node isn't close enough, but this is the 10th house of career. So Mars and Chiron are interesting together in a composite chart. It could mean that it's healing of the aggression. I don't see that though. When I look at this, I see that it's aggravating, that it really pisses people off, particularly up there with the MC, to see them together, which is what we see people’s general reactions being.

The 9th house is a very full house. There’s Venus, Mercury, Saturn, fame, the sun, and Vesta. I’ve talked about Chris's cancer situation, and hers too. So there’s love, beauty, the mind, thoughts, communication, restrictions in karma, fame, the ego and self and the burning flame, all together in the 9th house of travel and wisdom and expansion in nurturing Cancer. Cancer can be both self-protective and nurturing, I lean toward the latter with the layout of this chart, these placements play a big part of a very big T-square situation. Everybody but Vesta is across from the Uranus Neptune conjunction in the 3rd house Capricorn. Neptune is at 11 degrees, which is a builder number. Those are both retrograde. This could mean the local community is not aligned with the relationship, that is causes internal rebellion and that rebellion is compounding, it could also literally mean that their close family and friends post falsehoods online. Niche interpretation. I almost want to say his local community can also be his fans, which isn't normally how you interpret that, but because this is the composite for the relationship, I could argue that in this case the local community is the fandom and the 11th house community is the general public. Which could mean people post stories about them online. These are fantastical stories because it’s Neptune and part of the T square. It could also mean that they take secret videos together that the internet doesn't know about.

The T-square Apex is in the 12th house Libra, where the moon and Lilith are conjunct, which is unsurprising because they both have the moon and Lilith conjunct in their own natal charts. In Libra, it's about balance, harmony, beauty, but it's in the 12th house of confinement and illusions and otherworldly things. So their feelings and their sexuality and their rebellion together are balanced in confinement. It could mean that they can only be themselves in isolation as a couple. And since the moon is at 17 degrees Libra, the Apex lets out directly across from Eris and Pallas Athena in the six house. That's a lot of conflict in everyday life and in work. It could mean that their work just blows up spectacularly. It could mean that the wisdom of the aggressive approach that they take to their presentation, which in their case is like their public image together, goes poorly daily. It’s Ares, so it's aggressive and cardinal.

The Ceres is in the seventh in Taurus, that's a good placement. That can mean marriage. It can mean the partnership is supportive and nurturing. Let's see, the AC and Pluto are conjunct in the first house Scorpio. Pluto rules Scorpio. Although technically, since this is a whole sign, it's the Hellenistic rulers, so Mars rules the chart. I have discussed many times in many ways about Mars and Chris, you can check my other posts, her yearly ruler is now Jupiter. Jupiter's in the second house, retrograde Sag. So that's weird, because the second house is money and values. It inwardly expands their values. It could mean the money is good, but it's trine Chiron. It could mean that they actually do benefit personally from the bad press and the pain that it causes. I mean, if this wasn't going so poorly, I could make the argument that Mars and Chiron conjunct could heal his image. Although there's also this narrative going around that he's a victim, and people are more dedicated to defending him so that could also mean that people are dedicated to defending him in his career because they feel sorry for him. This relationship is definitely, with the North node in Leo 10th house, destined to be very public and very, very performative.

In the 11th house is Virgo with Juno, also at 8 degrees, the same as Mars and Chiron. The wife asteroid in the social house, they want marriage. These asteroids are actually quite well placed. Maybe not Athena. The Vertex, the destiny point, is in 8th house Gemini. They're destined to transform together, to intermingle their money. This is the house of other people's money. It’s across from Jupiter, it transforms them as the twins. This is a very strange read. So the South node is in the 4th house Aquarius, which makes it feel like this started out at home, but in the public home. Like, that would be an indication of a contract, 7th house is contracts. Ceres is the only thing there. I mean, generally the big red T squares are not good, especially across from Eris and Athena in the 6th. I wonder if it means their feelings and sexuality are hidden.

AC Scorpio. It's a very painful AC to have, Pluto's there meaning personal transformation. That could just be the karma of it all. 12 degrees Pluto is the hanged man. It’s going to help them see. They could have done this to transform their own images. I mean, people are saying how bad this looks for him, but at the same time you can see how he would have chosen to...Well there are a couple of ways. If he'd known it was going to look so bad with her, he could have chosen that to try to change and shake up his image. But he doesn't seem to like the criticism, so it could have just been that he wanted to change his bachelor image. These are all positively aspecting the cancer placements. It's possible he wanted to seem changed. He knew that being out of marvel, he might have the image of being a fuckboy or a fuck up. And it's very important for him, Vesta and the Sun, to maintain his softer image. He's got a Virgo mic heaven. The only thing there is a 11th house Juno. He might have wanted it to seem like he'd found somebody because he's been talking about it so long. He didn't want the image of somebody who's looking for too long and they start to wonder why you can't find somebody. It could also be that he didn't want to be openly single for so long because of the attention that it gets him and the questions that it gets him. And in a couple of cases the pairings that it gets him, like how people were asking about Lizzo, which was just shitty because he didn't ask for that or agree to that. So it could have been this idea that he wanted to cultivate in the public to seem like a loving boyfriend who was serious about actually finding a wife.

I need to talk more about these cancer placements. Saturn's at 11 degrees across from Neptune. None of those placements in the top are retrograde.That's fascinating. The four in the bottom are. That's very interesting. It could mean that they want to shut off the non-public part, the private part. It's only benefiting them internally. It could mean that they don't really engage in the private part of the relationship or that people don't see it, because the composite chart is kind of how people see them and how they greet the world, but it's all public because that's how people see them. I mean, it could be interpreted that Pluto in the first changes people's opinions on their image.

Jupiter in the second positively affects their money, Uranus and Neptune in the third It fuzzies the opinions of them on the internet and their local community. That actually isn't a bad read for it. It causes daily struggles with the Eris and Pallas Athena. Then they in the 12th have to lock away their feelings and their own sex lives which also causes the six-house struggles and an imbalance because it's Libra in the 12th. Capricorn in the third could also be it affects their work because they both have to have online presences and this gives them very strange images online and Capricorn is their work.

There are a number of very big T squares here, all of them pointing at the moon. The moon is the thing you really want to be well aspected in any kind of synastry or composite chart because it’s your feelings. The moon is square to Neptune and it's square to pretty much everything in Cancer. So the Sun, fame, Saturn, Mercury, it’s a little wide for Venus but all those are conjunct together in cancer so I’d count it. Then all of them are in opposition to Uranus and Neptune in the third. What this says is that there's a huge struggle in this relationship with their feelings and emotions and in the 12th house, it's crippling.

Interestingly those 9th house placements are trining Pluto in the first. So it gives them a sense of control of who they are, but it just wreaks havoc on their emotions, this includes all of the important placements. The sun is their ego, their fame, vesta is their hopes, Saturn is their karma and their discipline, Mercury, their mind and their thoughts, Venus is their sense of love. And everything is connected to Neptune and everything is connected to Saturn. It’s a lot of karmic illusions. You may remember from my reading on Scott that there's a very interesting thing that happens when you have Mercury, which is your communication, aspecting both Neptune, which is illusions and stories, and the Moon, which is your emotional feelings. When you have those three in this formation together it means is that you're dealing with lies and the apex of these lies is the emotions in the 12th. So that formation here is why everybody that sees these two together feels like they’re being lied to. It's just their composite. Also, it's directly across from their sixth house of work and coworkers, where they have Eris and Pallas Athena in Aries. Two female warriors in the house of the God of War, in their everyday life. So all of this illusions and stories and fame and communication and the self-identity that they put into it is banging up their emotions something awful and it's coming out as fighting daily, like a routine. It could also be strategizing. Athena is the strategizer and since the sixth house is your daily life and routine, it could mean that this is consuming their lives every day with problem-solving.

I can't say that it's not tied into the image because there's so much stuff in the tenth house. Mars and that MC. That North Node in Leo says that they want to be seen. It says that they want to be showy. This isn't private at all. There's nothing private. There is a lot of fortune in the fourth house of home, which says that they would be lucky if they kept it private. But it's at 13 degrees, which is death. So they're not going to. This is a transformation. That's what it's made to do. This just goes back to everything else that I've said about what I see in this relationship.

Second house Jupiter retrograde but at home in Sag. This had something to do with values. And Jupiter's trining Mars and Chiron. Eight degrees is Scorpio, the great metamorphosis. Eight degrees is also strength. Strength is about finding your inner or your inner fortitude, being who you are and being happy with it. Your inner lion, like taming the lion. And it's trining down to Jupiter, which is this idea of personal growth and expansion in your value system. There is something about this dynamic that is making them stronger. It's painful. It's hard, but it's the kind of pain that grows you. It's the suffering that makes you stronger. It's the bad things that happen to you that show you what you value the most. That's what that aspect is there. This is a very stark reminder of what's important to them. Jupiter is inconjunct fame. It's agitating their publicity. The fame of this connection is agitating. And you may ask yourself, well, then why did they do it? And the answer is it's lie. Now they might have been the ones that were lied to because this is their composite chart. And that's their moon that's getting held. And their egos and their voices and all of their karma and their online personas.

Uranus and Neptune in retrograde and Capricorn in the third house. It's like the story that they were telling isn't working. It's messed up. This wasn't meant to affect personal growth for them, but that's what it's doing. It's hurting them more internally than it's benefiting them externally. Neptune isn't great in Capricorn. Too many boundaries. Whenever I look at everything with these two, everything just doesn't fit together. Everything's conflicting. This is about the illusion of control in the first house in Scorpio. They wanted control. They feel like it gets them control in a way because it's all positively aspecting the 9th house, but it's not getting them control because it's in this giant T-square. It's causing all of these emotional problems, all of this confinement. The 12th house is confinement. The 12th house is undoing. The ruler of their undoing in the 12th house is Venus in the eighth house cancer. Their public love. I use love with quotation marks, love is their undoing as the composite. It doesn't get along that great in cancer. Saturn does not like being in cancer. It's the aspects that really get it. They put so much into this.So much of themselves. And it was a mistake because it's exposing. And now they're scrambling to feel better. So the ruler of cancer is the moon which is in the 12th house. Which means that Venus and the moon are mutually received. They're also square each other. They don't like being the way that they are.They don't like where they are. Interesting with the vertex in the seventh house. Destiny again. In partnerships and contracts. Youreally don't want your moon poorly aspected in a composite chart. Probably not Venus either. There's something else here but I don't see it right now.

Mars is square Pluto. Pain of that public image. The drive of that public image. That could also be stubbornness, that Mars- MC -Chiron in 10th Leo. That could be what keeps driving them. Need for control.That's square to Pluto. That “no we're going to keep doing this and we're going to control this narrative, we are going to be in the driver's seat for this situation”. It's not working out, that's what I see there.They want to maintain control. They don't want to just accept defeat. As always fighting comes from more fighting. This reminds me of his solar return.More fighting.More chafing.More pain. Things that just don't fit properly together. The 11th house of us could just be that people are speculating about marriage, Juno in Virgo is traditional mindsets. The fact that people speculate on marriage (apparently that’s me now too) and this type of relationship is beyond me. You shouldn't be wishing that upon people who don't go well together. That's what I see.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hi! I’d like some advice (it maybe very unusual to say this) but how can I detach my worth from my school grades? I’m going through a medical situation and I have professors that are super supportive and willing to help me. Meanwhile I’ve been dealing with a TA that’s been very rude, off putting and aggressive towards me the whole semester and even opt to have been get paper work to prove I was going through medical complications which disrupted my school work. I usually get good grades but it’s been tough due to what’s going on and she’s been grading my work. Recently she gave me a 70% on a paper I worked so so hard on. I was so devastated because my grade wasn’t that good and this dropped it lower. And it was so odd, I was confused and decided to email her why (I haven’t sent the email yet). I’m super emotional rn because I’ve been forcing myself to keep studying, (through my pain, recovery etc) and she’s been so so unsympathetic and cruel. She has a bad energy about her and she’s a grad student. I am so upset. And I don’t want to be so hard on myself because I did do my best.

Hi love! I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through these medical issues right now. It can't be an easy experience, especially while you're a university student. From what you've written, there seems to be something wrong with this TA's approach and behavior toward you. My suggestion would be to CC your professor on every email to this TA to ensure she takes accountability for her unfair harshness regarding your grades and performance. Having a separate chat with your professor on this matter might also be useful – if this situation isn't resolved without your professor's direct involvement in your conversations with the TA.

On an emotional level, I think one skill everyone needs to learn and internalize as they get older is to not take other people's actions personally unless there's a simple, logical reason as to why your behavior might be met with a harsh or intense reaction (e.g. you made fun of someone's appearance or dreams and they ghosted you, looked angry, or walked away). Most people's actions are a reflection of their inner worlds, how they see themselves, and the circumstances they're currently navigating. While understanding this doesn't resolve many conflicts, it helps you take your emotions out of the situation to assess logically how to best approach the situation. In return, you tend to think more clearly and display a calmer demeanor during a contentious interaction.

Regarding decoupling your academic performance from your self-worth, the best approach I've found (as someone whose clear top priority was my grades as a student, too) is to see your academic performance as a means to an end in pursuit of achieving your longer-term goals. Consider how earning a certain grade affects your future career or lifestyle goals for the first 2-3 years post-grad. If you're applying to a rigorous graduate program, making your grades a top priority makes sense as they will help you to get into the program responsible for helping you get placed in your ideal career (lawyer, doctor, etc.). If you're not planning on earning another degree, think about how well you truly need to do to get the job or experience desired in your chosen field. For the majority of people in the latter camp, having decent marks will not decrease the available opportunities in a given field.

Ultimately, though, making your health your #1 priority will always serve your best interest. Remember: You can always go back to school, retake an exam, or learn a new skill. But, medical-related issues can create chronic or lifelong issues that hinder all future successes or opportunities in certain areas of your life. You can't perform well if you have no energy, mental clarity, or optimal mobility. Choose your well-being. Every time.

Hope this helps. Sending you well wishes and good health xx

[marlsbys-dragons]

I’m so scared right now. 

I’m writing this not for any grand statement or call to action or anything, but because it’s safer for me to express my thoughts here than elsewhere right now.

If this goes like my other original posts, chances are no one will see this. That is ok. I might prefer it, actually. Though if you do happen to see this, please don’t take that to mean I don’t want interaction. This is a time to pull together, and that can most easily be done, in my opinion, by talking.

Like most of the people I figure are likely to see this, I am a queer American. If you are part of this group, chances are pretty good you know what I’m talking about. Earlier today, March 27th 2023 as of writing, there was a mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville Tennessee. Six were killed, three children, all age nine, and three adults, all aged between 60-61. The perpetrator was one Aiden Hale, 28, killed by police during a gunfight after their arrival on-scene approximately 14 minutes after 911 was called. 

If you are surprised by that name, so was I. Hale is being reported on mainly by the name Audrey Hale, his legal name, as according to a family member who asked to remain anonymous, he had only recently started identifying as transgender and using he/him pronouns. Despite this, almost all of the quotes featured in stories that I could find use she/her pronouns, and many stories refer to him as either a transgender woman or a female. The latter is inaccurate, the former strikes me as dangerously wrong.

Now, all of that is tragic backstory for the main point of this post. Some ungracious among you may attribute me lingering on the gender identity of the murder as opposed to his crimes as some sort of deflection, or worse, sign of respect. To any hypothetical people doing so, this is not for you. This person was clearly deeply mentally unwell, and if he had survived I would’ve been advocating life in prison.

However, while my heart goes out to the families of this senseless act, my mind turns to my own family. Not just my literal family who I live with, but my queer family, specifically my trans siblings across the US. We are already facing violence, oppression, and open criminalization to a degree not seen in my admittedly brief lifetime. Republicans and other right-wing actors are doing everything they can to instill baseless fear and hatred into our fellow Americans, forcing through bills that restrict our liberties and violate our human rights. 

The easiest targets for this hatred are trans women, aided by the overwhelmingly male statistics of sexual violence, and long-running and unfounded rumors seeded by transphobes and TERFs regarding alleged assaults and sexual motives for transition. After trans women come trans children, targeted for the same reasons children always are: dismissal by adults at large and a subsequent inability to speak to their own defense. And the bills are getting worse. To share a personal detail I don’t like to publicize, I am a parent of two, and there are bills in state legislatures across the country, Florida comes to mind, that could take my children away from me and throw me in jail for supporting them. A seemingly logical progression, which may have already been taken without my knowledge, is criminalizing trans people who live with children, something I have had nightmares about.

Why I am afraid is relatively simple, but to fully explain my reasons I want to share some further information: according to the Daily Mail, this shooting is is the 129th in the States this year. According to some very rough math I did on gunviolencearchive.org, a site whose list for 2023 has already reached 6 pages, this is in fact the 130th. Personally I would trust the Daily Mail’s number more. Also according to some quick finger counting on gunviolencearchive.org, we surpassed 100 mass shootings sometime on March 5th, a day with 4 separate incidents and a combined total of 3 dead, 13 injured. This is nearly two weeks earlier in the year than 2022 or 2021, and more than two months earlier than 2018-2020. I could not stomach looking farther. 

Some of you may have realized the awful truth about these numbers: in each of the last three years, we in the United States have had more than one mass shooting a day. Again per gunviolencearchive.org, that is a feat replicated by both 2020 and 2019, as well as 2016, the only other year to do so after their archival began in 2014.

As a trans person in America, who loves a trans person in America, who has trans friends across America, who has already had to start laying plans to flee the state I was raised in if it continues its present course, who sees nothing but fear in the future of so much of my family, I can only think that this will lead to bad things. 

The twisting and slanting has already begun. An article on Fox News refers to Hall as a transgender woman, despite his actual identity being a transgender man, and the usual bias of that company to call him a woman. Meanwhile, the New York post has an article focusing heavily on Covenant’s status as a Christian school.

Our enemies despise us with a visceral and blinding rage. They have proven time and time again that facts, logic, reason, human lives, mean nothing in their pursuit of a radicalized right-wing populist agenda and the power they think it promises. And now this? The all-too-real intersection of two of the biggest issues in US politics today: gun violence and transness. One which the right led to through inaction, and the other they manufactured out of hate.

I am no pundit, no scholar or insider. I cannot claim to forecast the future happenings of American politics with anything more than a layman’s weary eye. But I am a trans American, and despite everything I still want to be proud of this country, and I could see no resolution in sight to either gun violence or anti-trans legislating, only escalation, and now the two have merged. What will happen to us now? Sources:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/nashville-covenant-school-shooting-suspect-identified-as-audrey-hale

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nashville-christian-school-shooter-appears-former-student-police-chief-rcna76876

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-covenant-school-shooter-in-nashville

https://www.foxnews.com/us/nashville-shooter-audrey-hale-transgender-woman-opened-fire-covenant-school

https://nypost.com/2023/03/27/nashville-school-shooter-audrey-hale-identified-as-transgender-and-had-detailed-manifesto-to-attack-christian-academy/

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nashville-shooting-covenant-school-03-27-23/index.html

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/06/politics/america-mass-shootings-2023-gun-violence/index.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11907933/Nashville-school-shooting-Americas-129th-mass-shooting-2023.html

https://www.them.us/story/florida-bill-trans-kids-supportive-parents

Note: I wrote this in a hurry, with no real plan, and no proof-reading. If there is anything erroneous, please let me know. I apologize if it’s a bit disjointed. 

[seraphica]

Welcome to Tumblr

I haven't found a single masterpost intro to tumblr, so i made one. I'm loving all the memes and 2012-era jokes, but for those who do actually move over it'd be nice to have something helpful. Below is a non-exhaustive, alphabetical reference list of tumblr things that might be helpful to a newbie or returnee.

Disclaimer: Links to posts are to versions I reblogged, so they will have all the additions and no risk of linkrot if someone deactivates or changes their username. Also sorry this shit is so long. I’m sure I missed stuff too.

Activity - the little lightning bolt at the top of the page is your activity log. If you click on it, it will show you recent notifications for your blog - you can filter to mentions, reblogs, or replies, and you can also change which blog's notifications you're looking at. It will show notes both for posts you reblogged that people liked and reblogged from you, or posts you originally made that people liked or reblogged somewhere along the line. If a person you're following likes or reblogs your post, it'll be shaded a slightly different color.

Ads - historically Tumblr Ads have been their own genre of hilarious - not at all targeted, generally completely insane. Some genuine advertisers are now getting in on it which isn't as fun. You can go ad-free for a fee. (Or use Firefox + UBlock origin on desktop)

App - Tumblr has an app. I only use desktop. Someone else will have to help you here.

Asks - you can send people 'asks' that they can respond to privately or publicly. You can have asks turned on or off, allow anonymous or only logged-in users, etc. Asks you receive will trigger a notification on the 'envelope' icon.

Blacklist - a feature on XKit (see below) that allows you to filter words and phrases you don't want to see on your dashboard. You can customize it to include words and phrases, whitelist words that would allow the blacklisted phrase to be shown, choose how filtered posts behave, etc.

Blaze - When you make an original post, you'll see the option to 'blaze' it. You pay a set amount of money to have it show up on the blogs of a certain number of people. There's no guarantee of interaction, and there are some restrictions on what can be blazed. You also shouldn't say, blaze a fanfic and then be shocked when all the people who see it aren't in your fandom and are very confused. You SHOULD blaze pictures of your pets because tumblr loves that shit. As a whole, tumblr users aren't a fan of brands or marketing, but we do like the option to support the site while causing a different kind of chaos. You can't blaze reblogs.

Celebrities - very few celebrities are on this site (that we know of) and frankly we like it that way. If they come here, they need to follow the example of Neil Gaiman and act like everyone else on this hellsite (affectionate).

Censorship - you can say things like 'kill', 'dead', etc. on here. Don't censor words like 'd3ath' because it will then show up on the dashboards of people who have the word 'death' blacklisted. If you censor, do so only to keep yourself from showing up in the searches - i.e., if you're complaining about Celebrity X, you might use a pseudonym like Bumblebee Cucumber to keep your post from showing up in searches for their real name. You won't get shadowbanned for saying 'fuck' or 'abuse'. If you're talking about something and want to help people avoid it, you can also use tags like tw: abuse or cw: violence that people can blacklist.

Community Labels - a relatively new feature, this is designed to allow more types of content on tumblr by giving a vehicle to mark them as mature content - featuring violence, addiction, sexual themes, etc. You can choose to show, blur, or hide items marked with these labels. I believe they're hidden as the default on the app, to align with apple's restrictive app store policies.

Dashboard (Dash) - this is the name for your homepage. You can set it to be endless scrolling or pages. I highly recommend the latter, both for loading purposes and so you don't lose your place. Your dash contains posts from people you follow, the option to make new posts, etc. More on settings.

Deactivating - some people deactivate their blogs. If they do, you can no longer find posts on their blog - but the posts they made will still exist if they've ever been reblogged. It'll show their username as something like usernamedeactivated20221031.

Deleting - deleting a post will get rid of the version on your blog, but reblogs will survive. If you say something really stupid and then delete it, but someone has reblogged it already, it will always be out there.

Drafts - Drafting a post allows you to save it and edit later before posting or queueing. To save a post as a draft, click the arrow next to Post and select ‘Save as Draft’. You can also queue, schedule, preview, or post privately.

Editing - You can edit your post even after it’s been posted. However, if someone has already reblogged the post, the edit will not impact that reblog or any reblogs that come from it. You will occasionally see people editing their own old posts to claim they were clairvoyant about something 10 years ago. The ability to edit other people’s posts when reblogging was limited a few years ago, though there are workarounds if you’re REALLY trying.

Following - following someone will set it so their posts show up on your dashboard/homepage. If you're having a hard time, a good starting point is to search tags and blogs to find some that share your interests. Keep an eye on blogs that they reblog from, as well - those might be blogs you'd enjoy. And don't be afraid to unfollow! Maybe they're spamming your dash with content about something you're not interested in, or failing to tag things, or are making posts constantly insulting something you like. Curate your space and unfollow. You don't need to make a call-out post or confront them, just press the button and move on.

Likes - Hitting the heart on a post adds it to your likes, and adds to the total notes count, but doesn't really boost it in any other way. You can have your likes public or hidden. You might choose to like posts to go back later and choose which to reblog, or use them to send a bit of love to the person who posted it (such as a mutual's personal post).

Linking- you can use in-text links on tumblr! And you should! Linking is a great way to cite your sources or share relevant information. Within this post you'll see several links to more information.

Memes - Tumblr has a lot of in-jokes, and humor here is a bit different than some other social media. Memes pretty much never die, and many of the ones you've seen on other sites got started here.

Messaging - Tumblr's chat feature. You can have this set to allow anyone to message you, or just people you follow. It's a nifty way to share a post directly with someone, as well.

Missing E - you were here once and have been gone a long time. See XKit.

Notifications -See 'Activity'. You can also enable notifications via email, or presumably on the app (again, I don't use the latter). I recommend turning them off for email.

Porn Ban - Tumblr used to be a lawless place, with a common refrain being 'go nuts, show nuts'. A few years ago came the infamous porn ban, which led to a large exodus of users and the unfortunate phrase 'female presenting nipples'. While the content rules have relaxed a bit recently, 'We still don’t allow hate, spam, violent threats, or anything illegal, and visual depictions of sexually explicit acts remain off-limits on Tumblr'. The CEO talked a bit more about the restrictions, as well.

Posting - You can create your own posts on Tumblr. They can be text, quotes, videos, photosets, or a mix of the above. You can even use limited HTML to edit them in html mode.

Post+ - literally no one does this. It's the concept of paywalling your posts. No one on tumblr is going to pay to see your posts. No one.

Queue - one of my fave tumblr features. The queue lets you set up posts for later. For instance, mine is set to post 10 times per day between 8 am and midnight my time. You can still post outside the queue, but it's a great way if you want to avoid reblogging everything at once, or if, say, you posted something and want it to self-reblog later in case your followers missed it on their dashboard. To queue a post, select the arrow next to 'Post' when posting or reblogging, and select 'add to queue'. If a post is in your drafts, click the clock icon to queue it up.

Radar - Tumblr radar is posts that staff have selected to highlight. Generally this will be art, occasionally photos. It might be brand new or years old. You don't get on radar by using magical tags and hoping the algorithm selects you. Radar also only shows the first image in a post - you'd need to click on it to view any other images or associated text.

Reblogging - the lifeblood of this site. posts are shared via reblogging. The vast majority of posts on most blogs will be reblogs, and often the original poster isn't someone they even follow - it's just traversed through the tumblr ecosystem over time. Reblogging puts the post onto your blog, and thus the dashboards of your followers, while keeping it connected to the original poster. You can add your own tags, engage in a conversation, etc. If you laugh at something or enjoy it, reblog it to share it! Reblogging with tags also means you can search your own blog later to find a post again easily. If you don’t want people to reblog your original post, you can also turn reblogging off.

Reposting - don't do it. Reposting is when you take something someone else posted on tumblr - art, graphics, a screenshot of text, etc. - and make a new post with it. If you want their content on your blog, reblog it. If you want to share something from elsewhere that isn't on tumblr, make sure you cite your sources (and if an artist elsewhere says 'no reposting to other sites', DON'T post it on tumblr).

Replying - clicking the speech bubble below a post will allow you to reply to it. Replies will show up in the notifications of both the person who put the post on your dash, and the OP. You can have conversations in the replies. It's also possible to turn replies off entirely - if the button is greyed out, the original poster turned off that function. (Sometimes for the better).

Search - using Tumblr's search function will search both the content of posts and their tags. It's a notoriously questionable feature in the results it returns and their order, but it can find some hidden gems. you can also search within a specific blog - such as by going to seraphica.tumblr.com/search/cats, you should find posts both tagged 'cats' and with 'cats' in the content.

Settings - Settings lets you customize everything for your blog, including appearance, whether anonymous people can message you, password-protecting a blog, hiding it from search results, etc. You should customize your blog a little or people might think you’re a bot.

Sharing - clicking the share icon allows you to send a post via messages right to another blog. It also gives you the chance to copy the link, embed, share to specific other sites, etc.

Shortcuts - there are a whole bunch of keyboard shortcuts to make your tumblr experience smoother - posting, reblogging, and viewing. Click the little person icon and then 'Keyboard Shortcuts' to view a full list.

Sideblogs - You can create multiple blogs from a single Tumblr account. Your main blog is the one that will show up as following people or liking posts, or in replies, but you can sort out the kind of content you post into specific themed blogs. For instance, I use @blue-sky-sapphire​ for fandom blogging, @disneyesque-dreams​ for Disney-related content, and @fuckyeahneopia​ (mostly dead now) for Neopets. I can access all of them from this blog, and view their notifications and messages without having to log in and out. There isn't a magic button that tells you all of someone's other blogs, so it's possible to have a main blog and sideblog that aren't obviously related to each other.

Sourcing - When you make a new post on tumblr, there's a nifty gear icon on the top right. You can paste a source link directly in there. (You can use this same button to make custom post URLs, change the editor type, etc.). It's also good to add source links in the text - for example, if I share a photo from Flickr, I may set the source as the original image link, and the below the photo put 'Photo Title by Photographer [via]' with the via linking right to the source.

Submissions - You can choose to allow people to submit things to your blog. For instance, you might share pictures of other toasted-marshmallow cats with @straycatj​. When posted, those submissions will also automatically credit you as the submitter, and should be tagged 'submission' by default. You can also turn submissions off if you don't want people sending you things.

Tagging - unlike other social media, tags on tumblr aren't part of the post itself. They allow spaces and punctuation (bar commas, which mark the end of a tag). They are also a much more important factor here, IMO. Tags are used to:

Sort things on your own blog (i.e. I can later go to seraphica.tumblr.com/tagged/cats for all posts that are tagged 'cats')

Show up in tracked tags (if you're the original poster)

Allow blacklist to work

Follow content you're interested in.

add commentary or jokes without clogging up the original post

The first ten(?) tags you use on an original post will allow it to show up in that 'tag'. If you're following a tag, you can set that following topic to show up on your dashboard - or just have it as an easy link for the future, without crowding the dash. Tracked tags only include original posts that actually have that specific tag, rather than searching the full content of a post or what tumblr thinks is tag-related.

A rule of thumb is that you only use tags that are actually relevant to the post. If you're posting a picture of your cat sleeping, you might tag it 'cats', 'black cat', 'pets', but it'd be out of line to tag it something like 'destiel' 'epcot' or 'rabbit'.

It's polite to use a consistent tag for things you reblog frequently. For instance, a mutual of mine recently got into Formula One racing. Because she uses the tag 'f1' consistently, I'm able to blacklist that and have them hidden on my dash without having to unfollow her (which I didn't want to). Conversely, if she'd used the tag 'formula', i'd run into an issue - EVERY post on my dash that had the word formula in it would be hidden, whether talking about baby formula, math formulas, etc.

Any tags you use on a reblog show up in the notifications of the original poster and the person you reblogged it from. They can be a great place to add mini-commentary like 'beautiful work op' to art.

More on Tagging.

'Spoilers' is a good universal tag to use. You can tag something 'Movie X Spoilers', but unless someone has 'movie x spoilers' blacklisted, it won't be hidden unless you also tag it 'spoilers'. The second tag can be useful for telling someone what the spoilers are about if you've also tagged it spoilers, but it won't trigger the 'spoilers' block.

Themes - you can completely customize your blog to have its own theme and page - for instance, seraphica.tumblr.com uses a theme from @magnusthemes​ that has been customized with my own info, images, links, and colors with minimal coding knowledge.

Timestamps - you can enable these both via Tumblr itself and via xkit. It allows you to see when something was originally posted, and is super helpful for figuring out how recent and relevant information may be - particularly news items.

Tipping - you can enable tipping on your blog, and an icon will show up on your original posts even when reblogged. Most people on tumblr do not have money to send you, so don't expect much at the moment.

Username - Your username can be anything untaken, and include letters, numbers, and the - dash. You can change your username easily, but that will make it available for someone else and any links elsewhere that went back to your blog will be dead. (Though posts you made should be updated with your new name). Restrictions are pretty minimal, and you'll see people with usernames like 'officialcompany' that are not actually connected to that company. As long as their blog is clearly a parody (and not genuinely impersonating), it's fine.

Verification - not a thing here, and we don't want it.

XKit - currently 'XKit Rewritten', this is an add-on for Firefox or Chrome that allows additional customization

... Menu - on the top right of posts, you'll see a '...' aka meatball menu. Clicking on it will bring up a selection of options relating to the post, the person who reblogged it, etc.

Miscellaney....

Don't put a bunch of identifying information out there. This is one of the last bastions of actual online anonymity and we like it this way.

Curate your experience. Unlike most other social media, that is actually possible here. You can turn off suggested posts and only see things from people you actually follow.

Reblog. Most blogs are majority reblogged content before they are original posts. That's the way this place works and thrives. That's how you see posts from outside your orbit that have been selected for sharing by other people.

Don't screenshot posts and repost those screenshots. You can reblog the same thing a hundred times. You can bring old posts back to life. Screenshotting should only be used if you're using it as a reaction image or like... compiling an archive of November 5, 2020.

Unless you have something genuinely valuable to add, keep it in the tags. If someone things your tags are funny, they'll add them to the post in their reblog. Think of it as peer-reviewed humor.

Share your sources. In-text links, the built-in source option, etc. Don't just steal stuff from the internet and call it a day. And remember, Pinterest is not a source.

We post bullshit here. Get used to it.

Feel free to add on if I missed anything important.

[redheadbigshoes]

CW: A vent/rant about objectification/fetishization, men seriously DNI

There is something I’ve noticed and it’s really, really beginning to bother me. A lot of cishet men are engaging with any lesbian content that’s being posted, including mine, especially when it’s sexual. And I’ve seen a lot of people act like I’m a mean, scary lesbian for saying that I really, really dislike it. I feel like it isn’t unreasonable to ask for cishet men not to engage in lesbian content, since they are usually engaging in sexual stuff specifically. I feel like they really don’t understand and/or don’t care (probably the latter) that doing that dehumanizes us. Objectifying/fetishizing lesbians does not make anyone an ally. It makes us feel like we’re nothing except something to turn people on. Not to be too personal but I grew up in a very homophobic environment but I didn’t live under a rock—I knew men did this. And it ADDED to my internalized homophobia. Because I don’t think they realize/care that objectifying/fetishizing lesbians increases the idea that we’re taboo and that we’re deviants and gross/dirty. That made me delay my coming out process and actively hate myself more. It’s also part of the reason why wlw content is becoming increasingly sanitized. We want to be seen as whole people and I’m sorry (not really), but cishet men literally have no remote connection to lesbians whatsoever. I guess I can be okay with cishet men appreciating lesbian characters and plots in an innocent and genuinely supportive way, but let’s be real, they almost never are.

I’ve gotten harassed over having this feeling and I’m really tired of it. I understand that there’s nothing I can do to stop it but I will express disliking it and why, and I really don’t want to be harassed over the internet for it.

I just needed to vent/rant. If you have any advice on dealing with this, that would help. Thanks for listening!

Allo cishet men usually don’t care about women, much less lesbians. They know very well they’re fetishizing us and crossing our boundaries by interacting with posts they know they’re not welcome to or know it isn’t made for them.

They don’t see us as people. They don’t see us as human. The worst part is other queers being pissed about us setting our boundaries and not wanting men to interact with our posts, especially more sexual posts.

It’s like everyone around us is telling us we should like men or we should allow them everywhere and that uncomfortable feeling because of men is not valid. This all especially when it comes to lesbians. Queers don’t seem to have a problem with other people who like men doing the same, as long as you still want men it seems to be okay to hate them or feel uncomfortable because of them.

Unfortunately I don’t think there’s any better advice to you besides blocking blogs that you know are men (or the ones you’re not sure). If they’re not respecting your boundaries you should establish them in other ways. It’s frustrating but whenever it’s about DNI lists people who fit those lists don’t care that they shouldn’t be interacting with you, that shows what they think about respect.

[talescfshadows]

MOBILE RULES

  001   Hi my name is KILBY, I'm 30+, GMT timezone, very neuro-divergent and use she/her pronouns. DISCORD is available for mutuals only. I do not interact with minors, nor will I support anyone who is racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, sexist, xenophobic, antisemitic, etc, or uses hate speech of any kind   002   Any of the CANON characters are property to their relevant creators and I have no affiliation with them. The ORIGINAL CHARACTERS are my own creation. DO NOT STEAL THEM. They are my babies.   003   For my own comfort, I am MUTUALS ONLY. I have had bad experiences in the past which has made me extra cautious about who I interact with. I work in a hospital and I'm training to be a nurse, so m time is often split between work and university. I will try to be on when I can, but with how busy I am I will have to limit my interactions. If you have an idea, feel free to run it by me and perhaps we can do something.

  004   This is a DRAMA FREE zone. I don't want to be dragged into anything, or forced to deal with childish behaviour like anon hate or witch hunts. Please respect the mun, as I will respect you. This is a hobby, it's something I enjoy doing and I'd really prefer it not to be ruined by other people.

  005   I do not believe in cancel culture, it's a toxic ideology that's gotten way out of hand. I reserve the right to unfollow/soft block/hard block someone at any time. I don’t like to resort to the latter if I can help it. If I have an issue, I will try to talk to you first and resolve it, because mistakes or misunderstandings happen and I wouldn’t want to make a decision based on one. However, if talking doesn’t help or I feel like someone becomes a risk to my mental well-being, you will be blocked.

  006   I will always tag any major triggers, especially if it involves a heavy topic. I typically will use tw or trigger before the word when tagging (for example tw death) because I’m aware tumblr doesn’t always pick up on it if a colon is used. If there’s ever anything you ever need me to tag, please let me know. Due to the nature of the muses there will be dark themes.   007   I would prefer if you reblog memes FROM THE SOURCE. If you send me a meme, I will answer it in a NEW POST, which you are free to reply to if you want to continue it. I don't mind if we carry it on, in fact I would love it as I often find it opens up new opportunities to interact with someone. However, I won't always reply to them all, it won't ever be a case of I don't want to write with you, it might juse be I don't have muse for it, or I might just have too much on my plate. However, you are ALWAYS free to come to me if you have ideas.

  008   I am 30+ but will not participate in smut on tumblr, if any thread leads towards sex, I will be fading it to black. Do not try and force smut on me or try and talk me into it as this will get you blocked. I don’t feel comfortable writing it, and even in private I struggle unless I know the person I’m writing with really well. There will be cases where I might write it on tumblr but this will be rare and only with people I have gotten to know well enough.   009   All my muses are open to shipping however that doesn't mean I will ship them with everyone that writes with me. Shipping isn't the only aspect to rp and I love to explore all kinds of relationships; be they familial, friendships, enemies etc.

[havnblog]

✉️ To the SigmaOS CEO: This Is What I Don’t Like About Arc’s Direction

I really, really like the Arc browser. But as I alluded to in this post, I have some reservations regarding it, and don’t feel like it’s going in a direction that I like. In the post, I said that I might try SigmaOS again — and I am. 1

I mentioned this in their community Slack, and their CEO, Mahyad, asked me what about Arc’s direction I don’t like. I must say, the dev team seems very active, nice, and open to input! So this post is my reply to his question.

(And here’s a link straight to the TL;DR at the bottom.)

Hi, Mahyad — and thanks for asking! I wrote a blog post called «I Just Want A Nice Browser!», which might give you a hint, heh.

And let me also say that I’m a bit worried about your direction as well — but I’ll come back to that. 😉

Two fundamentals I don’t love, but that I don’t need to go too much into

I don’t love that Arc is built on Chromium — as I think Google has more than enough power over the web as it is.

I’m not against supporting any VC funded company — but in combination with an unclear business model, I become more skeptical and worried if our incentives align. 2

My main issue, though, is regarding AI

3. Focus

From my blog post linked above, in reaction to Arc’s launch of Arc II:

This is the moment I felt the Browser Company and I started to drift apart.

The entire premise of Arc II, is that «browsing the web sucks», so they would like to do it for me. But I don’t agree: I like to browse the web — I just want a nice browser to do it in!

Now, Arc is still a nice browser — and they haven’t stopped shipping new features to make it even nicer. But that direction just isn’t for me. And when dev resources aren’t infinite, focusing on big areas that aren’t for me, is a turn-off. 3

I like small features that enhance the product, like Instant Open. However, and I know I might be in the minority here, I hate Browse for Me. I don’t want the browser to browse for me, pick my sources, and keep me away from what, I think, might be my favourite tech service: Kagi Search. I want a more human web — not less. 4

Now, I do think LLMs, and other modes of generative AI, can be immensely useful. But the market is flooded with ways to interact with them. My personal favourite, is Raycast: Hyper + P gives easy access to a chat, regardless of which app I’m in, and I’ve made some small GPTs to help me with repetitive tasks (like checking how a word is spelled).

Sometimes having the AI know more about the context is useful. For instance, the one in Zed knows my code base. But it has to be quite a bit more useful than just using Raycast, for it not to be wasted dev time that could’ve been used to improve the core app instead! 5 It looks like you have some neat ideas with Aieris that leverages that it knows the web page — and I’m getting access to Airis today, to check for myself. 6 But my fear is that most of the features step so close to Raycast that it, for me, do end up being wasted dev time.

Because while the market for «general access to LLMs» is extremely flooded, the market for «nice web browsers» is far from it. Especially if you, like me, want to stay away from Chromium.

In my mind, there are two different ways companies seem to leverage AI these days:

Trying to be The One Big Portal To Generative AI.

To improve the details of their core product.

As I really like Raycast as number 1, personally, I want most other products I use to focus on number 2. Arc Max features that fit the latter, are things like Instant Open, Tidy Tab Titles and Tidy Downloads. 7

Some other (number 2) ideas for SigmaOS, from the top of my head:

Automatically sorting tabs as subpages might be a bit too much. But maybe you could have the AI «sense» that a tab might belong under another tab or in another workspace, and then display a button? And if you click it, it sends the tab there (hover would show where).

There could also be a button next to the tornado, to do it to every tab. (Need undo for this, though!)

Another use for the same feature, could be in the Mini-window: It could suggest a Workspace to open it in, based on the content. (And if it’s too unsure, it would revert to the default.)

Let’s say you have some text on a website, and you want to search for that somewhere else. Maybe you could select it, hit a hotkey, and it would propose (three?) places to search for it. You should be able to say which services you prefer to search on, and perhaps pin some. (I might pin Kagi, so that that’s always suggested.)

If I select a video game title, it knows that it’s a video game and that I prefer to buy on Humble Bundle or GOG — so it offers to search on Kagi (pinned) and those two.

Now, some might prefer just asking «is this available on GOG?», but I like to actually go to the websites instead, and that the browser makes that easier. 8

A variant could be that when you select text and hit a hotkey, you write something in a text box, and it acts on those two data points. Examples:

I select «Balatro» and type «Humble» = It searches for Balatro on Humble Bundle.

I select «Apple’s DMA compliance» and type «John Gruber», and it searcher Kagi for «Apple DMA Daring Fireball» (or something). The challenge here, of course, is knowing when a name is «a site to search on» and not.

The other way around, would do the same: Selecting «John Gruber» and typing «Apple DMA».

I select «SigmaOS» and types «YouTube», and it searches for videos there.

Oh, and I looove the Raycast practice of letting everything have an alias (keyword) and/or a hotkey. I want this for SigmaOS’ «send to» feature (as I mostly share via Telegram), and would also like it for the feature above. Either because I want to just type «yt» to search on youtube, or set Meh + K to search for a string on Kagi.

Lastly, yet another variant, could be to use it to enhance the Lazy Search: On Kagi, I can use bangs to search on specific sites, like «yt SigmaOS» searches for SigmaOS on YouTube. 9 However, I have to write exactly «yt + string». It would be cool, if all of these, typed in Lazy Search, searched on YouTube «youtube sigmaos», «sigmaos youtube», «sigmaos on youtube», etc.

4. Ethics

Even though I, personally, find generative AI useful, I’m also very skeptical regarding the ethics behind them and if they’re a net good for the web and society. Too many people think that «If you think it’s useful, you must think it’s ethical» or «If you think it’s unethical, you must think it’s useless».

John Voorhees and Robb Knight make some great points in the latest episode of the Ruminate podcast (Full of Spicy Takes), and Matt Birchler also says stuff I agree with here.

These models are worthless without other people’s content and hard work, but become very valuable with it. Then it simply feels wrong that they can take this content without it benefiting the creators. And «no», I don’t care whether it’s technically legal or not.

Personally, I’d love to use image generators for my blog posts — but I’ve landed on that being too unethical for me. But as mentioned, I do use LLMs — but I’m also unsure about that. I do try to be mindful about how I use it, though. 10 And I want the implementations of tools to be as positive as possible — both for the web and the greater world and people it in. I don’t want them to make it too easy for practices like gunking up search results and platforms, or ruin the livelihood of creators. And I think that Arc (and things like Perplexity) are doing too much of the latter.

Things like Browse for Me, are trying to replace me going to the places where it got the information. And, I mean, you have to be pretty naive to think that this 5-Second Preview feature benefits Our Escape Clause:

.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container video { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

I absolutely don’t buy that this would lead to more clicks, because «the preview would make people more intereste». On Hard Fork, the CEO of Perplexity said that they were trying to cite more sources, and that if your name often came up as their sources, that would increase your credibility and recognition. How that, in turn, would pay for your mortgage (when Perplexity just gives users all your content), he didn’t mention.

I wholeheartedly belive that stuff like this, if left unchecked, will drive content creators out of business and drive a large portion of the content that’s left behind paywalls. And both will hurt the web.

So, while I disagree with Arc, in that «browsing the web sucks» — their products are starting to do their part to make it more true.

TL;DR:

So, I already didn’t like that Arc was built on Chromium and was VC funded without a business model.

But, from a user perspective, I don’t like that they’re moving the product to focus on stuff I don’t want — and I think that focus has questionable ethics and is hurting the web.

Please don’t do this, Mahyad. 👆🏻 If you’re going to implement AI into SigmaOS, do it in a way that doesn’t remove focus from it being a nice web browser for actually browsing the web. 11 And don’t do it in a way that hurts the real people making content and making the web a great place.

I like it pretty well so far! ↩︎

I would prefer to use a browser that only had one incentive: Being so good that I want to keep paying for it. I hope this can be SigmaOS. ↩︎

As I have the impression that you guys over at SigmaOS are a smaller team than Arc’s, this is extra important. ↩︎

Kagi’s Small Web initative, is a great example of a company that do make AI features also promotes a human web. ↩︎

I actually don’t really use the one in Zed - as there’s value in having muscle memory, that to me, outweights the benefits of Zed’s implementation. ↩︎

Even though I sometimes feel sumarisers can make the web «less human»… ↩︎

Which I wouldn’t mind you copying!

 ↩︎

This is also due to the ethics, which, spoiler, is my next big heading. ↩︎

And it also works on mobile and no matter which browser I’m in! I can also make custom ones. ↩︎

For instance, even though I’m not a native English speaker, I don’t use it to auto-translate stuff. ↩︎

Because SigmaOS is one of the nicest out there! ↩︎