#and using fandom filters to understand their starter source

[mxtxfanatic]

People who started their mdzs journey with the donghua and came away with the idea that Madam Yu was some scorned wife crack me up, because you actively see Jiang Fengmian try to gift her something with sentimentality, and she outright rejects it because “should’ve thought of that before you liked someone 20+ years ago before we got together and decided to save her orphaned son 10+ years later 😤” And this is still after watching her be mean and caustic to him in their every interaction. But play some sad music while the moonlight shines down on her turned back, and suddenly she a victim 🤣

[parisiansulfur]

How Not To Commit Art Theft

Because this is tumblr and people can’t read, I’m gonna start this entire post by saying this:

I DO NOT BELIEVE PEOPLE WHO COMMIT ART THEFT IN 2K18 ARE DOING SO MALICIOUSLY. I SINCERELY BELIEVE PEOPLE SIMPLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS WRONG, AND THAT NO ONE IS DOING THESE THINGS TO BE AN JERK OR BECAUSE THEY WANNA STEAL. 

Good? 

Read that again.

Alright, let’s move on.

So, art theft. People get accused of art theft a lot, especially now, especially on tumblr, especially in relationship to anime and manga fandom. Let’s talk about what is and what is not art theft.

In the past, art theft (especially on DeviantArt) was a thing where Person A would post an image, and Person B would trace it or color over it or do some other sort of manipulation to it (or not! people are crazy), then post it as original art. Someone would accuse Person B of art theft, Person B would argue that they changed the art significantly enough that it wasn’t theft (or not, who knows), and then there would be Drama.

This isn’t at all what I’m talking about.

Art theft in 2k18 is different than in 1998.

Art theft in 2k18 looks like this:

I’m using this as an example, and while I realize this looks like a callout post, it’s not meant to be a callout. But I need some sort of indication to show. No falsified example is going to show exactly what the problem is as clearly and precisely as something that is exactly the problem. (To point, I have tried, through multiple channels, to get in touch with the person from this blog, to no avail. So on we go.)

Let’s call this a teachable moment. Let’s call this a chance to be better. Let’s call this an example in a fandom that is, frankly, fraught with this kind of stuff. 

Let’s call this an explanation of why art theft is so prevalent and common that it can be hard to recognize.

Moving on.

“How is this Art Theft?” you demand.

Well, chitlins, gather round.

Here’s the source of the screenshot above:

http://grimtwin.tumblr.com/post/177119081910/summer-twins

Let’s look at this image. This is an image, posted on a blog that is not owned by the artist. The blue text underneath is a text, which leads here: 

https://twitter.com/yuyu_hamu86/status/1021016848622481409

If you click on that, you can go to the artist’s twitter page, with the image: 

So how is posting a picture on tumblr art theft? 

First, let’s talk about what was done.

The person who posted this on tumblr went onto this twitter page, downloaded/saved the image, then went back to Tumblr, uploaded it, posted a link with the translated name beneath (the artist’s name is NOT in the link), added some tags (including the artist’s twitter handle as a tag), and posted it.

Now, let’s talk about what this means. As of this posting, the tumblr post has 1310 notes. The artist’s post, on twitter (this particular artist also has a pixiv account, but this image was not posted there) has 563 retweets, and 1643 likes, for a combined total notes of 2206 notes. 

The tumblr page has 1310 notes that the actual artist will never see.

“So what?” you might say. “It’s exposure, and there’s a link to their twitter. What’s the problem?” 

Well, for starters, don’t just decide for someone else what they want and don’t want. Artists who want their art shared are pretty vocal about it, but for the most part, most artists clearly state: Do not reupload onto other sites. Most image sharing sites like Pixiv (a closed service, meaning you need to have an account, agree to the Terms of Service, and be logged in to view images) clearly have it in said Terms of Service to not do exactly what was done above, to the point that Pixiv has it as the second point in a highlighted section at the very top of their Terms of Service that you must not repost an artist’s work without permission:

So even if you willfully ignore both the will of the hosting site and the requests of the artist, even if the art is posted somewhere without a terms of service, and even if the artist doesn’t explicitly say 'please don’t reupload my art elsewhere,’ the best policy is to move in respect for the artists, and understand that if they wanted their art on other sites, they would post them there themselves.

And also, since you really should want to ask permission in the spirit of like, you know, the kind of consent we’re always going on about on this site, you can always ask the artist.

Here’s a really great breakdown on why asking the artist matters.

Please also understand that fandom is not monolith. Just because YOU don’t mind exposure doesn’t mean someone else feels the same way. Just because your friends don’t mind exposure doesn’t mean someone else feels the same way.

Anecdotal: I had a eastern-fandom friend whose family found out she drew BL doujinshi semi-professionally. She was outed, and she was kicked out of her house, lost support from her family and close friends, and basically had her life ruined for a good chunk of years because of it. There are still consequences to this, despite it having happened some fifteen years ago.

Anecdotal: I have several fandom friends have their work shared onto sites like Facebook and Tumblr, where they’re found by people they work with/family, to the point that they’ve left fandom altogether because the risks were too great.

“But Paris, the person above put a source, a link to the twitter where they found the art!!! You’re just splitting hairs!” you say. “The artist is still getting credit! Don’t be a bully!”

Nah, boo. I’m not being a bully. I’m trying to educate you, darling.

What you have to keep in mind is that even by putting a source, you’re still committing art theft, because you are taking away the ability to choose where an artist puts their art.

“But Paris, like, what about unsourced art in like museums?! Are you saying we shouldn’t put anything in museums if we don’t have the artist’s permission?” 

Listen, I can’t believe I’m honoring this absolute garbage with a response, but you and I both know there’s a huge difference between a piece of art from a lost artist, and an artist publicly asking for their art to remain under their control, and people deciding to ignore them.

“But Paris, you big old jerk,” you ask, "how can I have pretty things on my tumblr if I don’t just download art and post it?”

Well, one of two ways:

1) You can contact the artist and ask permission to post. Here’s some cute templates for how to do so. If you don’t like these, there are others, or, you know, you can use Google Translate. It’s not hard, and even if it was hard, that’s not an excuse. You can even reach out to people like me or other multilingual people to help you if you aren’t comfortable trying to contact them in English.

"But what if the artist says no because they’re a giant meanie who doesn’t want free exposure?"

2) The second way you can keep your blog full of pretty shiny things is by linking to the image properly. On tumblr, when you link to things, an image shows up. For example, if I copy the above twitter link and post it as a twitter link here in tumblr, I get the following:

This allows the very cute art to appear on my blog, without having to going out of my way. Anyone who clicks on it will go directly to the twitter page, and it includes the artist’s name as the primary part of the caption.

If the link is from pixiv, it looks like this:

(Please notice how Pixiv has been so fraught with art theft that at this point, they have an automatic filter that appears on the art itself, with a hard link to the image and the artist on the bottom right. This is because art theft is a huge problem.)

We have an obligation to the artists who enrich our fandom lives with their beautiful, beautiful porn art, to treat their works with respect. We can respect the wishes of the artists for the totally selfish reason of wanting to encourage them to make more art, but it should be enough to say we don’t want to be assholes. I mean, it’s simple niceness, people. I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people.

If someone says, “Please don’t repost my art,” don’t repost their art. If a site says, “Please don’t repost the art found here,” don’t repost the art. Simple mathematics, kids.

“But Paaaaaaaaris!” you wail. “What am I supposed to do when I come upon stolen art on my feed? I wanna reblob it! :C And since I’m not the one who posted it originally, it’s totally okay to just reblob it, right? :D Right?”

Well, darling, you have a choice. You can just hit that big ol’ reblog button and continue to perpetuate the same issues I’ve rather clearly delineated above. OR YOU CAN FOLLOW THE GUIDE ABOVE AND MAKE A NEW POST. For example, let’s say I really like the “Summer Twins” image above. I could just hit reblog and move on with my life, who cares, la-dee-da, or I could go to the source, and post a link from there. 

The choice is yours, fandom. It’s all about the kind of world you want to surround yourself with. If you want to be a person who treats others with respect, you shouldn’t repost or post stolen art. If you want to be a person who is a credit to the fandom, follow the guides above, educate yourself, and make changes to the way you interact with content.

IN CONCLUSION, I WILL RESTATE MY THESIS: NO ONE WHO IS COMMITTING ART THEFT IN THIS WAY IS DOING SO TO BE A JERK. THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS WRONG. BUT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND WE SHOULD ALL STRIVE TO KNOW BETTER.

DON’T STEAL ART.

DON’T REPOST STOLEN ART.

More reading, because I know y’all love to read:

http://raspomme.tumblr.com/post/68028153710 http://raspomme.tumblr.com/post/69226532697 http://chocoleeto.tumblr.com/reposts

And sources that can help you find out where that stolen art is from:

https://saucenao.com/ https://www.tineye.com/

Thanks, and my inbox is open, and ready for hate. 😘

[avengersassemble-fics]

Unexpected Mutant (Steve Rogers x Reader)

Previous Chapter

Link to Master Post

Word Count (1,717)

Bucky was disoriented, his hair falling into his face as he slowly started to come around. Sam stirred, glancing behind him into the other room that Steve and you were occupying. He called out Steve’s name and watched Bucky with an intense gaze. He could hear you both stir, and soon Steve had walked around the corner followed a few seconds later by you, still looking a bit beat. Well, a lot beat if Sam was going to be honest.

Steve took a deep breathe, nervous, as Bucky’s head lifted and his eyes met his best friends. Those baby blues he knew so well, “Steve,” he greeted, his voice slightly rough.

“Which Bucky am I talking to?” Steve asked, moving his weight from one foot to another.

“Your mother's name is Sarah,” he started, taking a short break before chuckling quietly, “you used to wear newspapers in your shoes.”

You were convinced, relaxing your demeanor as Steve glanced back at you and Sam, “Can’t read that in a museum.”

“Just like that, we’re suppose to be cool?” Sam asked, slightly irritated with his friend. Bucky had to be restrained under a weight, his metal arm dangling above him as he sat on the floor. Bucky hadn’t seen Sam until he spoken, and he groaned, his head still pounding for some reason.

“What did I do?”

It was a question no one knew how to answer. Steve looked back at you and your bruised skin, and you gazed back at him with a sad expression. From the time you had known Bucky, he would express his concern for going full Winter Soldier mode, and how he would hate himself if he hurt you. You didn’t say anything, but it was almost as if Steve knew your exact thoughts, and ou didn’t say a word.

“Enough.”

Steve walked over to his friend, and Sam hesitated to stop him from releasing the metal weight. He stepped back and you offered him a small smile, understanding his hesitancy. Steve and Bucky needed some time to talk, because you of all people knew that this situation was going to be Hell, and no one could come up with a plan better than Steve. Now that he had Bucky? It was a duo the world wouldn’t be able to ignore.

“I knew this would happen,” Bucky mumbled, just loud enough for his friend to hear, “everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the god damn words.”

“Who was he?” Steve asked, releasing Bucky from his restraint. He lifted his arm, and it made a whirring sound, and you watched as the metal realigned itself. Even from a distance it was mesmerizing.

“I don’t know,” Bucky answered and you closed your eyes. This wasn’t good at all, and Steve sighed.

“People are dead. The bombing. The set up. The doctor did all that just to get 10 minutes with you. I need you to do better than "I don't know."

You opened your eyes, and Bucky was searching his mind, his eyebrows scrunched for a moment as he looked down at the ground. You glanced at the light filtering in, and you noticed how the sun was slowly beginning to fall towards the ground. Whatever the plan was going to be, you had to find somewhere to sleep soon.

“He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where..” his words trailed off and you looked back at the scene unfolding in front of you. Sam noticeably tensed up beside you and Steve cleared his throat, “Why would he need to know that?”

Bucky was silent for a few seconds, making Steve and Sam uncomfortable - waiting for his answer. Bucky grumbled and looked back up at his friend, “Because I’m not the only Winter Soldier.”

A silence fell over everyone, but soon the conversation ensued. Are they like him? Worse. Can he control them? Enough. Your mind was wondering with possibilities, but as soon as Sam sighed, your mind stopped all the working out possible deadly scenarios and you were back to reality.

“I know a guy.”

You shook your head, “Can I just say something?”

It was the first time you spoke, making your presence known to Bucky and Steve look away from the two guys. Your bruise was evident and Bucky squirmed in his spot knowing how that mark must have gotten on you. His look made your stomach twist, but you continued anyway, “Even if we call in people, we still are going to need our gear,”

“I can get that handled” Steve answered for you and you nodded.

“That won’t happen until the morning though. We need a low profile car and somewhere to sleep for the night.”

Steve knew you were right, and he looked between the three of his friends, all who looked tired and beaten. He had a few calls to make, and he could probably find a car for them all to squeeze into, so he nodded, “I’ll get the car and make a few calls. Sam-”

“I’ll come with.”

You looked back towards Bucky, and Steve walked over to Sam, stopping beside you, and touching your arm gently, “Just relax, and keep an eye on him.”

You nodded, his touch warm on your bruised and aching body, and before you knew it Steve and Sam both disappeared into the dangerous world outside, and you made your way over to Bucky, who was fiddling with his fingers. You knew how he must have felt, he used to confide in you about remembering his targets, and sometimes you swore he would be on the edge of crying - and his silence was deafening. You slowly edged yourself down to the ground, a sharp pain itching it’s way into your body, and you knew you had a fractured or broken rib, but you sat beside him either way, and looked towards him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Buck..”

“Did I do anything else?” he asked quietly, and you weren’t sure how to answer. Even Steve didn’t know about the pain you were starting to feel, so you decided it was best to not say anything.

“No.. But I know it wasn’t you. Please-”

“I told you I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I hurt you,” he cut you off, and finally raised his eyes too look at you. You felt your eyes sting as he continued, “and I meant it. You reminded me how it felt to have someone again and I did that.”

You shook your head, “Bucky.. It’s a bruise, and I’ll be fine.”

You slowly watched as his metal arm raised towards you, and soon his cold fingers were pressed against your slightly purple skin. He couldn’t tell it was warm, but he was surprised you didn’t flinch away. You gave him a reassuring smile, “See? I’m fine. It’s okay.”

Bucky shook his head, and until Steve and Sam returned, you were both sitting in silence.

Quietly the knob twisted and turned, somebody fiddling with it from outside. It was so cautious that if anybody was inside they probably wouldn’t had noticed. The lock finally slid open, and slowly the door was pushed open into the cold wooden cabin that was just filled with darkness. The only source of light came from a flashlight that was pointed at the ground. Footsteps echoes against the hardwood floor, and soon a figure disappeared around the corner and into the hall - possibly checking to see if anyone was in the residence.

Shivering, the remaining three waited for the cue to come in, and as soon as their fearless leader Steve turned a lamp on, the shoved their way into the cabin.

“It was cold as shit, Steve, did you have to take so long clearing the cabin?” Bucky questioned his friend.

“Figured you’d be used to it by now,” you shot back at him, earning a glare from your new friend.

“I hate you,” he mumbled, and you only grinned.

“No you don’t.”

Sam on the other hand wasn’t too happy either, heading straight for the fireplace, “Thank God these people have wood ready.”

While he began setting logs into place and starter along with it, Steve made his way over to you, and nodded towards the kitchen, “Can we talk?”

His question threw you off, but nevertheless you nodded and followed him into the dimly lit kitchen, the only light filtered in from the main room. You crossed your arms as he leaned against the counter, avoiding your eye contact.

“You don’t have to fight you know.”

You gaped at him a bit, and finally he met your eyes. You didn’t know what he meant, but he suddenly stood and was right in front of you.

“This fight, you’re not apart of it. You can leave, right now, and never look back,” he trailed off and a sad smile fell on his face, “they’d never find you.”

You shook your head, glancing back out at Bucky and Sam - who were sitting opposite one another, and not saying a word. You let out a sigh, “They have to see he’s innocent,” you started, meeting Steve’s eyes again, “I don’t know what’s split the team, but I’m with you Steve. I always have been.. I always will be.”

Steve’s face softened and he wrapped his arms around you in a tight hug. Your head rested against his chest, a feeling you missed for so long, and your arms went around his waist. You didn’t know what tomorrow held, you didn’t know how much this would all blow up in your face - but none of it mattered at the moment. The moment was ruined when Sam and Bucky started arguing, and Steve sighed against you.

“Guess we have to go babysit them.”

“I mean there’s worse ways I could spend my time,” you joked and Steve chuckled lightly, pressing a kiss to your head and releasing you.

Neither of you knew what tomorrow was going to throw at you, but the next few hours was filled with laughter and happiness. Little did anyone know that would be last time they’d all be together in a calm setting for a long time.

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