#but also art should be fun and enjoyable and if you're just

[alexanderwales]

Turning Off Your Brain and the Critical Lens

Alright, let's start with this: there is a thing called a critical lens. It is a way of looking at a piece of art, examining what it's saying to us about itself or its subject or themes or whatever.

There are many critical lenses. Because this is something that's mostly only taught at the college level, most of them are (in my opinion) mired in academic language and not actually all that interesting in and of themselves: I think if you read a dozen stories through a feminist lens, you really start to think "okay, yeah, I get it". Different readings of different texts through different lenses can be great fun though, and it's one of my favorite parts of media criticism, and something that I wish people were more explicit about.

I'm going to talk about the Barbie movie, because it's easy. The feminist lens is obvious and in my opinion intended: it's the thing that the movie is most trying to be about, and as a consequence, it's something that probably has the most critical meat. But you can also read the movie through other lenses, and ask what it has to say about capitalism, about race, about neurodivergence and queer theory and game theory and a bunch of other things.

Some of these readings are Unintended. The author (in this case, hundreds of people working together on the film) did not intend for you to look at the movie to see what it's saying about, say, American Imperialism. Probably.

I personally enjoy unintended readings. I like teasing apart a book to see what it's saying about different things, and how it's saying it, and what the assumptions it's operating under, and whether this creates anything interesting when I bring a different set of assumptions. I think the writers and actors of Winter Soldier were not trying to say anything in particular about masculinity, but fuck it, let's watch the movie and think about it.

Sometimes people will watch something and recommend that you turn your brain off. Sometimes they'll say this to you just as you're about to start in on some critical analysis of something that definitely was not made with that critical analysis in mind.

Here's how I think of "turning off your brain": it's a critical lens. It's not a critical lens in the sense that academics might use it, but you're looking at this piece of media from a specific viewpoint, and that viewpoint is "omg they're in love" or "fuck yeah" or "no, don't go into the basement!". There are certain pop genres that greatly benefit from being viewed this way, at least in terms of pure enjoyment.

When I sit down to watch a romcom, I can do it with male/female social dynamics in mind, or I can do it with "aw, I hope these kids get together" in mind. One is the intended reading, and I don't think that it should get all that much privilege for it, but I do think generally it can result in better enjoyment. I love media criticism and consider it to be one of my main hobbies, but if you fall in love with one particular way of viewing media and only use that single one, you're going to have a bad time.

I write and generally enjoy rational fiction, which comes with its own lens, which I guess we can call the rational lens. If you sit and view a work through the rational lens, sometimes you can have fun with it: you try to work through the systems as presented and the actions of the characters and think about how you could make everything make sense. The way to do this that's not very fun is to look at a work through the rational lens and conclude that the author is dumb, the characters are dumb, and the worldbuilding is shit. I guess this can be fun if you have a sense of smug superiority, but I personally do not.

One of the things that I love about media criticism is that you can sometimes extract weird and new things out of a work. One of the things that I love about fanfic is that you can take a deliberately strange reading of a work and then write as though that reading was true. You can look at Batman and say "what does this say about income inequality" and then start writing and say "this is about income inequality now". You can look at Winter Solider and find a reading where Cap and Bucky are gay and then write it out.

Where I think people fail in a way that's personally annoying to me is that they take their preferred reading and then loudly claim ("ironically" or not) that this is the One True Reading against which no other readings can stand. Sometimes "that is not The Point of [thing]". I think you get that a lot from the "shut off your brain" crowd, but I've seen it from other places too, and I would attribute it to people talking past each other, sometimes not even realizing what critical lens they're using.

If you're talking to me, you can just say "non-preferred lens" and I'll understand, or maybe I'll say "wat" because I might forget this blog post moments after I write it.

[egophiliac]

I was wanting to try doing an art piece in the style of the signature spell poster art pieces you create. But I’m not really the best at coming up with a composition for such a thing.

Do you have a process for how you come up with the compositions for them?

oh, awesome! it is an INCREDIBLY enjoyable style to work in; I hope you have fun with it! :D

I'm not great at putting my thought/art process into words, so my apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'll try! my first step is always to do a LOT of thumbnails to figure out both the idea and how I want to show it; not trying to do a real sketch or anything, just little doodles to figure out what exactly I'm trying to portray. (I also call these "garbage passes" because they're not meant to be any good, they're just there to throw things out. aha. ha. ...anyway.) I think it's important during that first stage to really focus on the idea and the layout and not to get too bogged down in the actual drawing yet!

I tend to save my final thumbnails, so I'll use 'em as examples (I posted the ones up through episode 5 here if you're interested!) (and, uhhh, spoilers through episode 5 also in this post, hopefully that won't be an issue!)

the main thing I try to think about in composition is balance -- not necessarily in terms of symmetry, but in where each element is placed and how much space it's taking up. remember, empty space is still space! it's also really important to think about the parts that don't have anything in them, as much as the parts that do!

personally, I like to divide things up roughly by both halves and by thirds -- there's a lot more in-depth info out there on why the "rule of thirds" in particular works well visually, but in short, our brains tend to focus on things that are placed closer to imaginary division lines, instead of in the exact center of an image. so even when I'm doing something that is very centered and symmetrical, I try to keep that in mind and generally aim around those for landmarks like faces/eyes (or...where they would be, anyway) and other focal points.

it's not a formula of "the character's face should be in this division of this grid" or anything, more like "our minds like to focus on these areas, let's think about how to use that", if that makes sense! and of course rules are made to be broken, art is lawless anarchy, and so on. but it can be a good starting place for deciding where you want to put things!

(blue - thirds, red - half)

and against the finished versions, because they do usually end up changing a lot (including the empty space of the border):

(...these actually lined up a lot better than I thought they would. :') it makes me look like I do things way more intentionally than I do.)

other stuff I just try to keep in mind is that our eyes like following arcs and paths, which can be a good way to guide the eye:

and frame and control the focus:

honestly, composition is one of those things I feel like I struggle with a lot, so I'm not sure how much of this is helpful or actually makes sense outside of my head. but hopefully it helps a little! it's all just stuff to think about while drawing and not anything hard-and-fast, so don't, like, stress out about making sure things are lining up exactly on the thirds or anything. again, it's more "our brains think these are the dopest parts of the rectangle" than anything else! take advantage of the cool parts of the rectangle!

NOW GO HAVE FUN DRAWING seriously though, it is always super cool that other people like this idea and style enough to want to do it themselves and for other/their own characters! thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

Hi there! As a new fic writer, I was wondering if you had any writing advice (in general), but especially for writing dead dove. Do you have any advice on how to make your writing impactful and more emotionally devastating (lol)?

I’ve always thought writing that hits a reader so hard that it effects them emotionally—as if they’re a part of the story themselves—are some of the best written (and my personal favorites to read).

Thanks so much!

the most important and effective advice in general that I can give anybody when it comes to writing, is that ‘practice makes perfect’.

however, it’s also important to note that I am by no means saying my writing is ‘perfect’ — because you (general you) stop learning and improving your skills the second you believe what you’re doing has already reached the point where it’s ‘perfect’, and that’s where it becomes a problem. there’s a difference between being proud of yourself and your work (which you should always be) and thinking that your work is already ‘perfect’. 

so what I’m saying is; as long as you’re willing to keep learning, you will only keep getting better. always practicing, always learning.

your first ever work may not be as satisfying as you want it to be, and that is okay. looking back, the first ever fic I wrote almost 8 years ago would not be satisfying if I wrote it recently — considering how my writing style has changed, as I’ve found (still am continuing to find) what represents myself best in my works, and how I’ve learned and improved my skills — but that fic was still my creation and I still am proud of myself and of the art I’ve created; the thing is that I’ve practiced and learned and I’ve come a long way, and that’s what really matters.

as for writing dead dove, my advice would be ‘don’t hold yourself back just because you think this is too violent or too disturbing’. as I’ve always said, there is no such thing as ‘too far’, ‘too graphic’ or ‘too triggering’ when it comes to any form of art. 

that being said, content warning is just as important. warn your potential readers beforehand about what they might be getting themselves into if they decided to give your writing a read. this doesn’t mean you have to ‘spoil’ your fic to them, just let your readers know what kind of content is in the work — for instance, child death, blood and gore, non-con, drug use, human trafficking, etc — so that your readers can decide for themselves if the work is too much for them.

but that does NOT mean you should stop writing about This Specific Topic You Love to Write About just because it’s too triggering for your readers. why? because, while your readers should always be appreciated, you don’t write for them. you write FOR YOURSELF.

write what you want to read.

write whatever you want.

you, the writer, are the priority of your work.

don’t write something you don’t want to write just because it’s what your readers want. 

don’t hold yourself back from writing what you want to write just because your readers don’t like it.

the most important factor about writing fanfics and/or original works is that writing should be something you enjoy. not a job (even if you write original work as a career), you should always have fun doing what you’re doing. that’s how you can do your best.

the trick to writing an impactful and emotionally devastating scene is if YOU are invested in what you’re writing enough that words come from within yourself. and you can only be invested in what you’re writing that much if you love and enjoy what you’re writing.

it’s more difficult to love and enjoy what you're doing, if you’re doing it to please other people.

you see where I’m getting at? it’s all about your love, enjoyment and passion as a writer. 

you don’t write for your readers. you write for yourself, and your work will attract to it the right readers who love the same thing you do. and that’s how you successfully write an impactful and emotionally devastating scene that can make your readers cry.

don’t think about whether or not your writing will have enough impact on your readers when you write, because thinking about that will only distract and prevent you from reaching your best potential. just be invested in your writing. 

don’t think about whether or not your readers will like this; because worrying about whether or not your readers will like it will also distract and prevent you from doing your best.

if you want your readers to feel as if they’re a part of the story themselves, you yourself have to be emotionally invested in it that you feel like you’re a part of the story yourself. and that can only happen if you’re doing it for you. not for your readers. not for anybody else. but for you.

repeat after me ‘I am the priority of my writing’. 

again, be invested in your writing. write whatever you want to write, no matter how disturbing or fucked up or violent your work gets, write whatever you want. just don’t forget to tag all the trigger warnings properly.

you don’t ‘try to attract people to read your work’. you get invested in your work, you write whatever you want, out of love and passion, and your work will attract the right readers to it.

I have no doubt you will become one of the best writers out there, anon. keep learning. keep writing. I’m rooting for you.

[pixelxgore]

hers a billfold wip as a treat i changed his face bc i have free will

The art is to encourage you to read my silly little insanity (you should totally do it btw)

I'm dyslexic so sorry if anything is spelled grotesquely wrong lol autocorrect sometimes has no idea what i’m trying to spell

Starting with my head cannon because every thing will make more sense with it (or it wont that's entirely up to you) Imma try my best to make this enjoyable

So I head cannon both bill and ford as aspec this is important for the rest trust (I'm Aroace myself so some of my words are based of of experience ) being aroace doesn't mean you can't have a toxic one-sided relationship with a triangle

(most of this is pretty vanilla but I still wanna talk about it)

I believe it started of as a one-sided relationship on fords part (wow shocker) but it wasn't really love because he's ace it was more of infatuation (this stems from the fact he is a science boy and like ooo demon triangle thing) mistaken for love (I'm pretty sure this is common among aroace people or I just had an original experience) and maybe bill had just a little bit of the same feeling but instead of infatuation it was just pure obsession and when they had there little “tragic break up” and bill finally came to realize his obsession and it consumed him (idk i think that how abusive obsession is) and he realized he can’t live with out ford (i man he can but unhealthy obsession) and thus bills one sided relationship with ford where he just tries to get his puppet back but can’t figure out why he needs him so bad so he comes to the (subconscious) cuncultion there in love (because of course that’s the reasonable decision) and then you all know what comes after

I think bill has major will wood music vibes so I have nominated three songs of his for bill ford (cuz I'm genuinely going insane over them)

This is for fun and based off my head cannons

All of my discussions are made purely of the vibes the song gives me and how cool than animation in my head looks so take everything you know about these will wood songs and throw it out the window cuz none of that is relevant :3

i saw someone say “Will Wood songs can really be interpreted in different ways, and most of them seem like wisps of similar thought rather than a concrete narrative, so you're always a little bit right and wrong when you take a guess.” and i think you should keep that in mined

(I'm gonna embarrass myself so hard (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) )

I'm not gonna elaborate much but just trust me ok I put it kind of in chronological order

fords one sided relationship with bill: ...well, better than the alternative

Ok so this one is the least perfect out of all of them cuz it only half what I want (obviously this song is a stretch but hear me out) It's mostly for the like the last half of the song (remember what I said about throwing out the meaning for get that i lied) this song about the struggle ls of growing up and is a heartfelt plea to be understood and accepted for who we are (which obviously ford was a wired kid) and this kinda ties into the one-sided infatuation because it also is about the romanticism of nostalgic love, and the pressure of society telling you to find someone and "settle down" as we get older (witch yk aroace can’t really do that) so he’s grasping at the fact that he is enamored with this demon he just summoned (because science) so he can come up with this narrative in his head of how he is in love and can finally fit at least one of the societal boxes (idk it sounds like something to me probly ooc but I'm having fun)

bills one sided relationship with ford: ¡Aikido!

obsession with someone and how people often use coping mechanisms such as drugs to help with their feelings of uncertainty and helplessness. (yes this is copied not fully of a site this is tumblr not an english assignment) it also explores the idea that love and obsession can often manifest in neurotic and even pathological behavior.(oooo oooo look i’m so smart like staring the apocalyps) i’m not this cool this whole thing started with the first like whit h is “I apologize for playing with your eyes But I’m obsessed with you” witch reminded me of how bill used for as a puppet and then yk fords whole world came crashing down (this one explained its self more i have to do less mental gymnastics) and he’s like im sooo sorry i can’t live with out you

there whole relationship from the deal to the end of bill: Misanthrapologist ("In case I make it,"

Outtake)

ok this one is the one that mostly made of vibes because the song is about an unhappy codependent relationship through metaphors of christianity, nihilism, outer space, and mozart (witch only really encompasses a portion of the relationship) the song stars with “I wanna meet your make Shake him by his ensanguined damask lapel Holler "Look what you've done Gave this planet a sun And made a man to wonder if he's more than the sum of his cells"” which makes me personally think of obviously the deal fore made with bill and how bill stroked his ego all the way through there partnership um you can see where i goes from here just go listen to the song

ok this one’s off topic and only for my imaginary animation but the line “So how could I stand a chance, let alone dance With the way you sweep me off these two left feet?” just like imagine this with me it’s bill (human probably cuz i don’t work with the triangle) and young ford in the minedskape thing and its bill dipping ford and when it goes down it switches to bill and fort in bills pyramid thing with ford chained up do you see the vision ok I’m done now (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)

[visit-new-york]

Does Brooklyn Bridge Park Have Any Family Friendly Amenities or Play Areas?

Brooklyn Bridge Park, nestled along the East River with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, is not only a picturesque destination for adults but also a haven for families seeking recreation and relaxation. As one of New York City's most beloved waterfront parks, it boasts an array of family-friendly amenities and play areas that make it a perfect spot for parents and children alike.

Playgrounds:

One of the standout features of Brooklyn Bridge Park is its well-designed and diverse playgrounds. The park offers several playgrounds tailored to different age groups, ensuring that children of all ages have a safe and enjoyable place to play. The Main Street Playground, for instance, is equipped with state-of-the-art play structures, swings, and climbing equipment that cater to both toddlers and older kids. The imaginative designs and incorporation of natural elements make these play areas not only entertaining but also stimulating for young minds.

Water Features:

For those hot summer days, Brooklyn Bridge Park provides refreshing water features that are perfect for family fun. The Water Lab, located at Pier 6, offers a dynamic water play space with various jets, sprinklers, and fountains. Children can splash around, cool off, and engage in water play, creating a delightful and memorable experience for families visiting the park. It's important to note that the Water Lab typically operates seasonally, so visitors should check the park's schedule for availability.

Sports Facilities:

Families who enjoy sports will find Brooklyn Bridge Park to be a fantastic destination. With multiple sports fields, including soccer, basketball, and volleyball courts, there are ample opportunities for friendly matches and sports activities. These facilities cater to a range of age groups and skill levels, encouraging families to engage in physical activities together.

Picnic Areas and Food Options:

Creating a perfect family day out involves more than just play areas. Brooklyn Bridge Park provides numerous designated picnic areas equipped with tables and benches, allowing families to bring their own meals or purchase food from nearby vendors. The park also hosts a variety of food concessions, ensuring that families have convenient access to refreshments while enjoying the scenic surroundings.

Events and Programming:

Brooklyn Bridge Park regularly hosts family-friendly events and programming throughout the year. From outdoor movie nights to concerts and educational workshops, there's always something exciting happening in the park. Families can check the park's official website or event calendar to stay informed about upcoming activities suitable for all ages.

Conclusion:

Brooklyn Bridge Park stands out as a premier destination for families in New York City, offering a wealth of family-friendly amenities and play areas. From thoughtfully designed playgrounds to water features, sports facilities, and engaging events, the park provides an ideal setting for families to bond, play, and create lasting memories against the backdrop of the city's skyline and the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Whether you're a local resident or a visitor, Brooklyn Bridge Park is a must-visit destination for families seeking a delightful and enriching experience.

[emmavoid]

Platonic Ideal of TTRPGs, or; I Swear This Isn't Just About Yeld (But Also Yes, It Is About Yeld)

To me, the platonic ideal of a tabletop role playing game is this- a kit that is perfectly suited to building stories with a particular mood and theme.

Ideally, this hypothetical perfect ttrpg won't even require you to know what the theme is! Instead, it will provide you tools (mechanics) and materials (setting) that, in whatever way you put them together, will lead you to creating stories with the system's intended themes!

Of course, platonic ideals are, by their very definition, perfect, and thus impossible. So it makes sense that most games that aim for this ideal will need to signpost what sort of mood they want you to create, or even outright state it directly; an instruction booklet of sorts, to go with the kit metaphor.

But, it's definitely possible to attempt the impossible!

---

In The Magical Land of Yeld, you play as a group of children who find themselves trapped in a world of magic, surrounded by strangers- including monsters who are people and people who are monsters!

In Yeld, separated from their families and caretakers, your characters must take on Heroic Jobs, which give them access to new powers, and grow in agency and ability on their quest to return home.

To return home, your characters must defeat the Hunters of Yeld- powerful agents of the establishment who have pledged themselves to the ruler of this place, the Evil Vampire Prince Dragul- in order to collect the magic keys that will allow them to open the door back to their world.

There is a time limit, however- any player character who turns thirteen while in Yeld will transform into a monster, taking on a Monster Job which will empower them, but also change them for the rest of their lives and prevent them from returning home unless they take control of Yeld from Prince Dragul.

---

Did you catch it?

Nowhere in the game book is the theme directly stated, but as with all good stories, it's there, waiting to be found by those who look closely.

The theme of The Magical Land of Yeld is Growing Up.

You begin play as children thrust into a world full of problems, and given the opportunity to improve themselves and grow as people. You're introduced to many new people, and learn that while some of them are dangerous, many others are helpful, and what they are- monstrous or not- does not determine who they are.

Your characters grow and learn, gaining agency and responsibility as they do.

In order to return home, to "normality," you must fulfill that responsibility by working to make the world a better place, and thereby leave your mark upon it.

And becoming a monster, well… puberty can be a terrifying change that leaves you feeling monstrous, a stranger in your own body! As I mentioned above, being physically monstrous does not determine who you are! And with age comes even more responsibility- in this case, the responsibility to deal with the biggest problem plaguing Yeld, Dragul himself!

Even the basic mechanics of the system reflect the theme. The system encourages a round-robin GM style, which allows every participant to play both roles of player and GM, giving them the opportunity to grow themselves. The initiative system, with players declaring they will take the first move, then each making the choice of who will go after them. The action chain mechanics, wherein that choice of who goes when made collectively by the players can allow the characters to work together to achieve effects beyond what they would typically be able to do.

Of course, this platonic ideal of mine is not the only consideration that must be taken into account when creating a TTRPG. As games, it's usually assumed that a TTRPG will be "fun" and "enjoyable" to play. As art in a capitalist system, it's usually assumed that a TTRPG should be "marketable," "efficient," and "worth dropping money on." As creations often made by artists struggling under that capitalist system, it's usually assumed a TTRPG should be "something that will help its creator stave off starvation and homelessness under said capitalist system." These and other considerations are often why aiming for such a platonic ideal can be, at times, counterproductive.

(And of course, my definition of the platonic ideal of TTRPGs is not necessarily one that everyone, or even anyone, else would agree with :p)

But ultimately, I really appreciate seeing stuff that works towards this <333

[ghostsoap-server]

🌘 ☀️ UnFated: GhostSoap Soulmate Event ☀️🌒

It hasn't been long, but the GhostSoap 18+ Discord is excited to announce that sign-ups are open for a SoulMay creator event!

🌟 What's SoulMay?

This is a quick and sweet creator event, with no partners. All creators should create something inspired by or within the 'soulmate' theme. Be it directly tied to our well-loved tropes, or completely contradictory to anything within that universe, we welcome it all!

As long as your creation is in any way tied to the idea/trope of soulmates, you're in this event!

🌕 Event housekeeping

The sign-ups will be open for server members throughout the whole event, so you're welcome to join whenever you want. You don't even have to sign up up until the very end (posting period). Signing up just allows us to give you a special role we'll ping for all announcements for this event. Only those with the event role will be able to post their creations in the destignated channel in the server at the end of the event.

This is a relaxed event. We want this to be more low-key for everyone, while also enjoyable and fun for creators ❤️

📃 Minimum word count is 500 words. No maximum!

🖌️ Minimum art contribution is black and white sketch is enough or an equivalent of rough draft in your chosen medium

🎨 Special thank you to @octaviusing for our beautiful banner and all of the hard work you've put into this event!

🔖We have a hashtag! When the time comes, your work can be posted to #GhostSoapSoulMay for the server blog to boost!

🌑 Timeschedule

April 25th: Sign-ups open (and never close)

May 1st: Creation period starts

June 1st: Creation ends, posting period begins

June 8th: Posting period ends, reward roles are given out

⭐️ How do I join?

This event is open to server members! If you are not yet a member of the GhostSoap Server, we hope that you'll join us 💚 Detailed instructions, sign up sheets, creation help, and just chatting about our favorite soldiers can be found in the server. If you'd like to join us, click here:

We look forward to all of the lovely things you'll create! 💚

-Lt. Bucky and Lt. ANTchan

[unhappy-last-resort]

PGR Writing Game!

Pick a prompt and character of your choice and write it! There's no competing or any requirements to join, just write something!

Tag me, or use the #PGR writing game to participate! Time period is Aug 5th - November 1st

Further details and prompts (if you need them) below...

Info:

There is no specific trope or genre that you need to follow.

You can write whatever you want! Fluff, smut, action, horror, romance, whatever inspires you to write!

You can either post your work yourself, or submit a post!

Just make sure you give a pen name of some sort so I can credit you, otherwise I won't post it

Time frame is Aug 5th - November 1st

There is no word limit or requirement.

It can be 100 words, or 100,000. It's whatever you wanna write

You can post your work even if you're late

Struggling to write, or nervous about participating?

It can be hard to post your own work in fandom, maybe you don't feel like your work is "good enough" (there is no such thing, fandoms are community spaces, not corporate ones), or maybe you don't think anyone will like it.

Well, I've been there too! In fact, I think that all the time. Some things that have helped me keep posting my work despite that are...

Writing what you want to read

If you ever thought "I wish there was more X type fanfic", this is your sign! Writing what you want to read means you're passionate about it, and if you're passionate about what you're working on, it shows in your writing and other people will notice it too!

If you don't like what you've written, change it up!

Re-read what you've written and ask yourself "Would I read this?", "Would I enjoy it?", "Why, or why not?"

Identifying what's missing in your story will help you write with better direction. It could be as simple as adding more interesting and unique vocabulary, taking more time to describe scenarios or places to capture whatever vibes or feelings you want, or maybe adding something to the plot point.

Of course, these can be difficult to identify so you could try asking for help through the event tag, asking a friend, or asking me for help

What if people don't like it?

They can suck a dick. Okay, seriously though, most people won't do or say anything and if they do, I will eat them. You go post that lovely piece of art

My work isn't getting as much attention as X persons/Why aren't I getting a lot of notes?

Well, there can be a lot of reasons behind that. First and foremost, tags. Are you using all the tags that you could be? The PGR fandom is pretty niche in and of itself, so chances are that there a lot of people who would love to read some PGR fanfic, but they think the scene is dead and aren't looking for it, or they're only looking in the #pgr, #punishing gray raven, or #punishing: gray raven tags

Secondly, your font. Other fonts like

This

Or this

can be busy on the eyes which can make it both difficult to read and unappealing to look at it. Using the default font at a normal, or smaller size is generally your best bet.

Lastly, why is X person's work getting more attention than mine?

Like how writing is a hobby, so is reading. Some people may not have been interested at the time, or you just have to wait. Writing has the benefit of being pretty timeless, so that means people will come to read your work months or years after it's been posted.

It's also important to remember that PGR isn't a large fandom, so unlike other fan works on Tumblr, notes won't accumulate as quickly

Focus on your enjoyment of what you're making

Remember, fandom is a community space and this is a community event. You should be having fun, first and foremost

Everyone is scared

Everyone from a random blog who just posted their first writing ever, to your favorite author of several years with hundreds of works is scared of posting sometimes. It can be easy to fall into the pitfalls of thinking you're somehow annoying everyone in the fandom by posting a bunch of words, or being scared that a post won't do well. You're not alone in your paranoia, so try to be nice and encourage both yourself and others you see who might be struggling. You've got this!

Prompts:

You can write with any perspective or character(s) you want, I only have the "you" here to help you get immersed in the prompt. You may change the prompts as you like to fit your story telling.

The artificial sun of Babylonia's sky warms your skin. It's lively today, with children playing, couples shopping, and individuals heading for their morning coffee. You were no different, briskly walking towards a cafe you had agreed to meet someone.

You push the cafe door open and a bell chimes above you as you walk into the establishment. The golden rays of sunlight stream through the large, glass windows, cascading down on the patrons inside and giving the cafe a new sense of warmth. The aroma of freshly made coffee fills the air, pastries sit tantalizingly in the display cabinets, and a barista is busy making a drink behind the counter.

Just as you're about to step forward to the counter, the bell chimes behind you and you turn to see a familiar figure.

The Science Council is busy today, well- they're busy everyday, but today feels especially important. Scientists frantically type on their terminals, constructs and officers going in and out. Even Celica stopped by for a moment, hurriedly exchanging words and documents with Asimov before leaving just as fast. You tried asking what was going on, but everyone seemed too busy to talk to you. At that moment, Asimov walks up to you.

The scent of salt and water fills your lungs, sand shifting beneath your feet. You wander along the shoreline, various hopes and worries aimlessly run through your mind, coming and going as quickly as they came to you. You're so lost in thought that you didn't hear the soft crunches of sand coming up behind you.

The stars twinkled above you, cold wind rustling the trees and biting at your skin. You did your best to ignore the cold, after all, it was part of why you could travel without running into too many enemies on the way. Even still, the air held a strange tension, as if even the trees were holding their breaths, waiting for something, or someone.

The lounge felt uniquely quiet. That shouldn't be surprising, it was just you here right now, the other members of your squad were busy with their own duties at the moment. Even so, you couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness. Sighing, you stood up and wondered what you should do to occupy yourself. Should you clean and organize equipment? Maybe clean the lounge? Or...do something less productive? Look at old photos and logs, indulge in a private hobby? It has been a while since you found yourself with so much free time.

"Ah, there you are." Vonnegut's voice reverberates throughout the room, he speaks evenly, calmly, but you still feel the tension rise in your shoulders. A heavy gaze of displeasure and expectation weighing down your soul and keeping you from moving an inch.

Vonnegut sits on his throne, hands folded, legs crossed, golden mask and eyes glinting in the limited light.

"You've kept me waiting for quite a while."

You exhaled shakily, nervously readjusting your formal wear for the upteenth time. You could hear the cacophony of chattering voices, and clinking silver wear, occasionally cut through with the chime of a glass knocking against a plate through the other side of the door. You knew the moment you opened it, the sounds would become overwhelming, drowning out all personal thoughts and suffocating you.

Nevertheless, you couldn't linger in this dark, isolated hallway any longer than you already have.

The library was quiet as always, but it was even quieter now that the nighttime hours on Babylonia had begun. It was a perfect place to hide in solitude and wander in your thoughts, or even go through old memories of your life.

It felt eerie. The stained wallpaper, scattered furniture, broken windows with beams of moonlight streaming through. You had received a comms signal in this abandoned mansion, but now that you had stepped foot inside, it was gone. You walked quietly, keeping an eye out for any potential traps as you stepped through the halls. A creak of floorboards sounds above you, a door opens, footsteps...and silence. You froze, should you retreat? Call out? Try sending out a comms signal? Investigate? You chewed your bottom lip and as you're still deciding what to do, you hear another creak.

Right down the hallway.

[pityroadart]

Hi Nic!! What's the thing you most look forward to doing when you're drawing/painting? I've never touched a paintbrush in my life, sorry if that's a super broad question. But say, your eye watercolours- is it trying to reproduce the tones with a limited (at least to a digital artist) palette? The initial drawing stage? Painting in the wispy lashes and brows? It all seems like magic to me!!! 😍

Hello I apologise for the late reply! Race week was busy, and I wanted to give your lovely message the care it deserves (& also I just love talking about watercolours)

That's a hard question! I really enjoy the process as a whole (except when I am complaining about it, which is an important part of the process), especially my eye paintings because they're so intuitive to me by now.

But, a few parts I really enjoy are:

1. Choosing the palette — both the actual paint palette I'll be using (I have so many), and the palette of usually 2-6 actual paint colours I'll be mixing my colours from. I'm a bit of a pigment nerd, so figuring out which paints are gonna have the perfect properties (granulation, staining etc) and mix the colours I want very enjoyable

2. The first wet wash, normally working wet-in-wet (applying diluted paint to already wet paper), where the goal is to simply place your colours in the approximate areas they should be, and let the watercolour work its magic.

Here's a couple WIP shots of my Yuki eye, in both that initial stage and the one I'm about to describe below:

3. Getting the darkest darks in, and all of a sudden, just like magic, it becomes an eye! This is normally the third layer out of an approximate 4, and whilst I try to save the individual brow hairs and lashes until that final stage, I'll often mostly block them in here. An artist I follow on youtube, Arleebean, says often that if you feel your painting is going through the Ugly Stage, you've probably lost your values and need to get the (relatively) darkest darks in to bring it back to balance. It's a rule I live by, and that's what this stage is to me. I also get any freckles/spots/splatters in at this point, which is very fun to do too!

I hosted a watercolour workshop on eye paintings back in 2022 (and have another planned for this year), and here's a step-by-step I made of the first four stages (sketch, wet wash, mid tones, darks) in preparation for that. The final step after that would be, as you mentioned, any fine eyebrow hairs and eyelashes, which I think you can tell it's missing here

4. And possibly the stage I get most excited about, from about the middle of the painting onwards if it seems to be going my way, is posting it in the group chat or on here and watching my fandom friends and mutuals yell about it :)) Big fan of that, even if I am usually terrible at replying to nice comments :')

Here's a selection of older eyes I painted again as workshop examples, all using a limited palette of four colours (quin gold hue, pyrrol red, ultramarine, burnt umber)

+ a selection of more recent eyes:

Thank you so much for the lovely message! I adore your art (& seriously, if you're ever in the mood for an art collab or something, you know where to find me), so I'm glad you enjoy mine too ☀

[crow-stars]

❝LET'S GO ICE SKATING❞

❦summary; ice skating can be such a fun time, though that may depend on whether you're new to the rink or have a bit of experience under your belt. ♪the characters in this story; octavinelle; azul ashengrotto, jade leech, floyd leech, gn!reader ✎word count; ~674 words ❀what do the ghosts say?; ambiguous, school trip to an ice skating rink, falling chatacters, first times on ice, mentions of climates in respective twst characters homeland, fun times ☛the author's notes; nothing to note... ☪look at the catalogue?

❛AZUL ASHENGROTTO❜

❀ He would be... less than graceful

❀ You know that one art with Azul falling because he slipped on a banana peel? Yeah... 

❀ And he was so confident about it too!

❀ Sure, it was cold, and sure, his human legs have never touched ice, but he thought it couldn’t be too bad! 

❀ He was wrong.

❀ So, so wrong.

❀ The first moment he got on the ice, immediately slipped and fell on his butt

❀ Got up, tried again, and he fell

❀ Got up and decided to just hug the rails because he was not ready to be embarrassed for a third time

❀ He’s definitely going to be hugging the walls for most of the time on the ice, no doubt

❀ Azul refuses to try and go further than an arm’s length away from the railing

❀ His legs are horrendously shaky and he doesn’t. Know. How. To. Stop 

❀ Why did it look so much easier in the shows he watched?

❀ “Because they’ve practiced on the ice way more than you have Azul.” shut it jade

❀ But yeah, Azul isn’t getting much movement on the ice. 

❀ He’s used to the cold, but that doesn’t stop it from hurting whenever he falls

❀ Azul is definitely not going back on the ice, no matter how much you or anyone else try to convince him. 

❀ Maybe he would try selling some hot chocolate though...

❛JADE LEECH❜

❀ Jade has never been on ice before 

❀ So how is he so well balanced on the ice???

❀ No seriously, he’s stable, he can properly skate around and he hasn’t fallen either

❀ How is he doing that?

❀ I like to think that Jade actually has really good balance, so being on ice is a bit of a challenge at first, but he gets it soon enough 

❀ He’s not going to be doing anything flashy, but he’ll definitely be doing small circles around the rink or just idly skating by

❀ If you’re struggling, Jade would lend a hand, though not without a bit of teasing 

❀ Small things like poking at your side to make you fall stumble or just deciding to stop suddenly stop if you’re holding onto him

❀ Jade would apologize, but he’s definitely going to do it again

❀ I do think that Jade would find some enjoyment in ice skating and dabble in it from time to time 

❀ Though he wouldn’t take every opportunity to go skating, he wouldn’t protest to going 

❀ In my honest opinion, I think he’s rather go foraging in the woods to go find new mushrooms or plants he hasn’t discovered yet.

❀ I actually think that he’d prefer that rather than ice skating if it was an option

❛FLOYD LEECH❜

❀ Do not let him on the ice

❀ Not because he would be an absolute mess on the ice, no

❀ It’s because Floyd is a menace and has no spatial awareness. 

❀ I mean, he having fun at least? 

❀ But also he should probably have the rink to himself if he really wants to enjoy his time there 

❀ I wouldn’t be surprised if he picked up ice skating because he was bored. It seems like something Floyd would do

❀ And going in shorts in the winter also seems like something he would do, but we’re not here to talk about Floyd’s fashion sense (another post another day) 

❀ Anyway, Floyd definitely has a blast when ice skating because he really fast

❀ How and when he learned how to ice skate?

❀ Oh simple. 

❀ Spite

❀ See, I like to think that when Floyd got to experience winter for the first time, he saw a frozen over lake and thought he could easily walk over it

❀ He was wrong and fell straight ass on the ice

❀ Floyd was completely confused while Jade was laughing by the side

❀ And Floyd was embarrassed, he wasn’t sad, no

❀ He was going to go and conquer the ice. He had bruises for weeks but hey! Floyd learned how to ice skate!

❀ Most definitely would love to go and ice skate in his freetime

❀ That just means more opportunities to conquer the ice

[copperbadge]

hi sam! do you have any recommendations for good sources of info for someone who'd like to learn more about cons and con artists? Any format is fine, books, podcasts, youtube, whatever, i'm just having a hard time finding a good source that really digs into and examines the actual techniques and 'mechanics' so to speak.

It is a little bit tough because of course most scammers are also self-embroidering liars :D And my education was very patchwork. For specifically cons and con artists (outside of art crime, which generally doesn't touch the con world directly) I'd advise starting with "Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet On Everything" by Kevin Cook, which is a biography of one of the early 20th century's most preeminent con men; it's a good tale but it also demonstrates the general life trajectory of con men, which can be pretty grim. Most cons end up in prison, and even those that don't or that get out tend to die poor and alone, because they can't stop scamming.

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading is one that I don't remember vividly but I did write a review of here, and I think it's another good starting place. (All the links following are to reviews I did.) If you've ever watched The Sting, which is a movie about con artists and also kind of a good primer, it's based on The Professional Thief by Edwin Sutherland, which is an anthropology of professional crime in the early 20th century. While technically it was written less by him than by an anonymous contact of his in the criminal underworld, that doesn't mean it's accurate per se; we only have that writer's word that any of it is true, so again, read skeptically.

I'd have to look up which piece it was because there's been a lot about her, but if you give Doris Payne a google she's another great example of a fascinating person who is just a giant liar. She paints a very vivid picture of her own career, but if you read about her later years you do realize that she's still conning everyone (she attempts to swindle at least one journalist working with her) and has nothing to show for her career, which may be a pack of lies to begin with. A lot of her stories have been fact checked and found wanting. I'd read up on the life of Victor Lustig as well; he's most famously known as the man who fraudulently sold the Eiffel Tower (twice) but I don't have a good biography offhand.

In your reading you will probably run across Han Van Meegeren, who forged Vermeers and ripped off the art world with them, then was tried for colluding with Nazis because he sold Nazis many "Vermeers" -- he had to paint a Vermeer while in prison to prove he'd forged the ones he sold the Nazis. This is a charming story but until very recently it was not widely noted that Van Meegeren was ABSOLUTELY A BIG NAZI HIMSELF. I was suckered by the story for years and I know most people were, so if you encounter media about him that does not include this fact, and you're interested in his story, look for newer scholarship.

There's a tangentially related book, "Where The Money Was" by Willie Sutton and Edward Linn, that is the semi-autobiography of a bank robber and it's very fun and funny, so despite not being directly about crime, I'd recommend that one.

The Napoleon Of Crime by Ben MacIntyre is a biography of the man who Moriarty was purportedly based on; it's sort of related rather than direct, but I recall enjoying it and there's a fascinating example of the VERY rare times when art heists are for a specific piece rather than for a specific goal.

There's a podcast called Scam Goddess that I found...enjoyable and informative, but also not very well-researched. In particular some of the earlier episodes are really poorly fact-checked. That said, she reads out letters from people writing in to discuss their scams and she talks about a lot of famous scam stories, so as long as you listen with the knowledge that she's neither a researcher nor an expert you should be okay.

Provenance by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo is what I'll close with, because it's about the interplay between art crime and con artistry, but it's also a strong argument for not valorizing cons; it's a documentation of how a couple of criminals out for nothing more than a quick buck really fucked up the entire system by which we authenticate art, and did insane levels of damage to genuine art scholarship. This isn't a little guy punching up against millionaire art collectors or fat cat museums, the way the narrative is often framed; art crime like this, involving forged or altered provenances, really harms art historians and the study of art.

I think the study of confidence crime and art crime is absolutely fascinating. There's a lot to learn about social engineering and society itself. But I think if I can impart to you one piece of wisdom, it's that con men are never, ever out for anyone but themselves and have no qualms or hesitations about hurting you to get what they want. The romance of con artistry often fools journalists and sophisticated researchers as well, so it's very easy to get swept up in it, but you should approach the entire genre with the attitude that everything you read has a 75% chance of being a charming work of total fiction.

On that note -- you may enjoy the short stories of O. Henry, some of which are about confidence men; I can't recommend specific titles but his fiction is very enjoyable generally, at least in my opinion.

[elbiotipo]

I'm not asking for lack of violence in videogames though. There is much one can criticize as playing as the 'hero' in a videogame who wields violence, but the thing is, the hero stereotype is not going away as long as humanity exists. In fact, being 'heroic' in many contexts didn't even mean 'a good person', it meant someone who experienced extraordinary stuff and did great feats. Videogames allow you to replicate that. And they are art forms, so they should be analyzed and criticized, but I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with say, a videogame that allows you to rescue a town from bandits or slay a dragon. Those are things I could not do in real life, and they are fun to experience in a videogame.

What I do not find any enjoyment is in mowing down hordes of nameless enemies in an RPG. I do not mind violence in videogames, and I don't even mind playing as a bad guy. What I think is that if you're just giving me endless low-level enemies to kill and kill and kill, especially if they're people in the lore, I don't enjoy any of it. It's no longer the 80s where you get a better score by destroying enemies in a 8-bit game. I don't feel like a hero by killing Bandit 146, Raider 321 or Wolf 812. I feel like someone who did something extraordinary when I slay a dragon, or defeat an enemy army as a result of my skills.

What I want, in a roleplaying game, are roleplaying choices. If I want to play as a pacifist hero, I should be given the choice, and the choice to fail it. No, perhaps you could not negotiate with the leader of the pirates. Perhaps it's a bad idea to walk to a dragon lair equipped only with your knowledge. You were given the choice. But it also might work in many other cases. You might change things with your words. That's extraordinary too.

There is a lot of truth that many RPGs, from D&D onwards (and let's face it, Dungeon and Dragons looms large over everything) give you violence as the main gameplay, and other things as options. RPG videogames have replicated this once and again. Videogame design assumes leveled enemies, grinding, and combat-centric design as essential for RPGs. And I again, I don't mind combat. I just wonder, why it sucks so much? What pleasure is there in mowing down hundreds of wolves or bandits? When I play an RPG, I play it to be someone extraordinary, or someone regular in an extraordinary world, and I think games would be better if they focused on making an extraordinary, well crafted world where your choices make sense, and then make the gameplay fit around it, instead of endless grinding fights.

[greatbigbellies]

Do you have any tips for starting a kink blog?

Yeah! I have a few I can share! One size does not fit all but I've certainly learned some things that inform my approach.

Remember above all that it's supposed to be enjoyable. If you start a kink blog and it feels like a time sink or a chore, then it might not be for you, or you could be spending more time on it than you really should. This also means that the time and energy you have to dedicate to a kink blog is going to fluctuate. You might pop off one week and not log into it at all another, and that's okay. You should run it at the pace you enjoy. This also means when you feel a dip in sex drive and the kink stuff isn't hitting like it usually does, take a break so you don't burn yourself out.

Queue is your friend. As are tags. Honestly 1 post a day works wonders, cause you can load up around 15 posts at once and be covered for a couple of weeks. Having a solid and consistent tag system for yourself is also great. You don't need to overload it with specificity, but have some for different kinds of media (writing, video, gifs, audio...) is helpful, and being able to tag different facets of your kink is great for when you OR your followers need to scratch a specific itch. Like for me and my preg kink blog, whether the belly is bare or not, if there are lots of stretchmarks, if it's fpreg, mpreg, or nbpreg... all good things to keep sorted. Also try to keep the meaning of your tags really obvious (that sounds like a no-brainer, but I used to use a tag meant for when clothes were too small for a bump, but it just came off as me complaining that the belly was too small, which actually resulted in me need to talk to an artist to get a block lifted, oops!)

Related to the above, if you produce original content, be it art, writings, audio, whatever, have a tag for that too. Makes sifting through your original stuff and reblogs much easier, and lets people find your stuff even just searching tumblr wide.

LABEL. EVERYTHING. AS. MATURE. If you're running a kink blog, minors should not have any way to see it, and the easiest way to do that is to slap a "sexual themes" label on it. Covers your ass and keeps people who should not be able to look from looking. Even if the kink is pretty innocuous, it's best to play it safe.

Pinned posts are especially useful for kink blogs for setting boundaries, and telling newcomers what they'll see right off the bat. It doesn't need to be enormous, but just a little intro and a list of expected kinks someone will find on your blog helps keep people informed so they know whether or not to follow.

Don't be shy about blocking people. If someone posts stuff that makes you uncomfortable or is being shitty, just block em and move on. On the flipside, respect other people's boundaries, and remember that if you find yourself blocked by someone, remember it might not even be personal and just be a blog content thing.

If you do make kink content involving yourself, like pics or videos, protect your identity. Just play it safe, don't show your face and obscure identifying tattoos. Odds are low it'd come back to be a problem, but they're not 0, so just play it safe for yourself. Both for potential work/career hang ups and to minimize stalking or doxxing.

I'll reblog with more later if I think of it. I know half of this applies to blogs in general, not JUST kink blogs, but other than there being inherently sexual content, they're not that different. Please send any follow up asks if you have further questions, and if you decide to start one, good luck and have fun with it!

[needsmoretea]

Just thought I'd post some random Pixiv recs for my fellow enjoyers of ZOOL shenanigans~

カキ has some really cute illustrations. This is one of my favourite collections, and I particularly love the how it started vs how it's going pic of Touma being all, "uhh, guys???"

猿川円 also does some lovely illustration collections. One of my favourites is a collection of stuff from APOZ and Beyond the Period, partly for this lovely scene of Minami being reminded of Haruki before rejoining the rest of the group.

ymd does a lot of gen stuff as well (along with some ToraMina if you like that sort of thing), and their art is super pretty. This comic collection is very amusing, especially this one. Very rough and short translation...

Haruka: This is hilarious. They’re saying ZOOL get along so well, the four of them should just live together and marry each other. Do we really seem that buddy-buddy?

Touma: M-marry?! Why would they say that!?

And then Haruka, Minami and Torao are like lol sounds like fun, let's do that, live in a crazy expensive Midou residence and buy a really big rice cooker, while Touma eventually just kind of goes along with it and is all

Touma: You really look like you’re enjoying this… Sure, why not. Let’s live together and be happy!

(GOOD END?)

And then there's U, my absolute favourite ZOOL fanartist, who draws the most hilarious comics. I did a rough translation of this collection here when I sent an ask to @always-a-joyful-note, so I'll repost it here for good measure.

Q: Which entertainer do you message most on Rabbichat?

Minami: I... (Inumaru-san...)

Haruka: To... (Touma, I guess...)

Torao: To... (Touma, probably...)

Touma: It's Riku.

Minami, Haruka and Torao: HMMMMM????

Touma: He's always active on Rabbichat, after all.

And then to save face they all change their answers instead of 'Touma' or 'Inumaru-san' to...

Minami: Iroke no aru hito desu. (A certain sexy person)

Haruka: Toshiue no onna! (An older woman)

Torao: Toruko no onna. (A Turkish woman)

Touma: You can't answer with any of those! (We're idols, you know).

And now for some other comic translations under the cut to break things up a bit.

Like the last comic when they finish up work early so Touma asks the others if they want to grab dinner together but they all play hard to get, so he's like, whatever, guess I'll invite Riku instead, and they're like WHY AREN'T YOU TRYING HARDER TO ASK US OUT??? and he's like GOD YOU'RE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS.

I also greatly enjoyed this collection and this comic of the rest of ZOOL getting jealous of Touma's interactions with Riku the most.

Riku: Touma-san!

Touma: What’s up?

Riku: Take that~ *thwack* I smacked you with my towel, so now we have to hug!

Touma: Uh… I don’t really get it… wait, listen to me!

Riku: A hug with Touma-san~ *squeeze*

Touma: Get offa me already!

Minami, Haruka & Torao: … *THWACK THWACK THWACK*

Touma: Ow… that hurts! What’s with you guys? Are you bullying me?!

Also this collection too, and the comic of them bumping into Re: Vale.

Yuki: *staaare*

Touma: Wh-what is it?

Yuki: Those yaeba sure are nice. (They remind me of Momo’s) *just noticed*

Touma: !!!!!!!!

Momo: Hey, Yuki, are you cheating on me? I’m supposed to be your number one!

Toao: That ice queen again. Hey, Touma, pull yourself together!

Touma: Yuki-san gave me a compliment… (Well, my teeth.)

Torao: What are you blushing for? Just what kind of relationship do you have with that guy?!

Again, another quick translation via an ask @always-a-joyful-note for this comic here, here and here of Touma's 'I love you' scene from Beyond the Period:

Touma: (Wow, Haru is actually saying 'I love you' to the fans. He sure has become cool. Okay, I should say it too.) I love... you... (Huh? Those two are really staring at me for some reason.)

Torao: Did you hear that, everyone? Touma just said he loves me.

Haruka: No, he looked at me when he said it.

Torao: He was looking at me longer though.

Haruka: No, he was looking at me 5 seconds longer than you.

And then while Touma's being all what the heck are you guys talking about, it's like...

Minami: I'm the only one you didn't say 'I love you' to.

Touma: No, it's not like that, Mina. When I said 'I love you', I meant -

Minami: I'M THE ONLY ONE YOU DIDN'T SAY 'I LOVE YOU' TO.

Touma: OKAY OKAY YOU'RE SCARING ME

The collection with the Monster Parade comic is also super funny because even teeny tiny mon-mon ZOOL refuses to leave Touma alone (sasagero fuwafuwa version?)

Touma: My shoulders feel heavy lately

Haruka: Isn’t that just you getting older? 

Tora: Don’t tell me you’re being haunted

Minami: Fufu, has someone cursed you?

Touma: Don’t scare me like that

Staff member: Excuse me

Touma: Coming~

Haruka, Minami & Torao: !!?

Also, this comic. I guess everyone just lives at Touma's place now?

Touma: We’ve done our first shrine visit of the year, so now I guess we should head home

Haruka: You’re leaving already?

Tora: But I kept my schedule open for you

Minami: I feel like we should still hang out

Touma: Ehh… Well, my place is nearby. Wanna come over?

Torao: It’s tiny. It’s smaller than the bathroom at my place.

Touma: Your bathroom is just ridiculously big!

Minami: How like you to have a kotatsu, Inumaru-san

Haruka: Kotatsu are awesome

Touma: I know, right? Anyway, make yourselves at home

*A few hours later*

Torao: It’s small but it’s comfortable. It’s not so bad

Minami: I don’t want to get out from under the kotatsu

Haruka: Zzzz

Touma: I know I told you to make yourselves at home but when are you guys planning to leave…

While once again, the rest of ZOOL gets jealous of Touma's relationship with Riku and decides to take it out on poor Shirou instead.

Minami: Inumaru-san, are you drinking Li*ton again?

Haruka: Probably because of Nanase Riku

Torao: Yesterday it was Sougo. What a cheater

Touma: I’m just drinking Li*ton! But you know, collabs sure are nice. When I look at them like this, it makes me feel like I can do my best. Like I wanna see Riku.

Minami: Ohh….

Haruka: Hmm…

Torao: Hehh…

Minami: Utsugi-san, why aren’t we getting any collab jobs?

Haruka: If you’re our manager then you’d better get us some collab jobs!

Torao: If you don’t, we’ll tell on you to Ryou-san

Shirou: I get it already, calm down! (Inumaru-san, what have you been saying to them?!)

Speaking of Shirou, looks like Torao needs to be cautious around him too.

Shirou: Excuse me, about tomorrow’s 5 year anniversary…

Touma: What about it?

Torao: (That’s it, Touma. Stay vigilant around this guy.)

Shirou: Shall we have a chat over some grilled meat after you’re done?

Touma: MEAT?! (I knew it, he’s a good guy!)

Shirou: Inumaru-san, you really are like a dog. I can see why Ryou-kun said you looked good wearing a collar. 

Touma: *not listening anymore* Haru, let’s go and eat some meat!

Shirou: Can I pet him just this once?

Torao: ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Sorry for the super long post and the sucky translations, but please enjoy the pretty pictures and do feel free to give the artists a like if you enjoyed their work as much as I did. >3

[olderthannetfic]

Re: m/m vs everything else

My fandom has an oddly high number of straight women, and the most popular ship is m/m and the second is m/f. I always attributed it to these women not understanding what it means to be attracted to another woman, but they do understand attraction to men. Hence, writing men attracted to each other.

That's obviously a generalization, but it seems to fit with the pattern I've encountered.

(And there's definitely a correlation between women writing m/m and internalized misogyny, but that's a whole other discussion.)

--

LOL.

Do you know how many times some smug little twit has said these things to me? They were nonsense in the 90s and they're nonsense now.

How do you know those fans are straight women?

How do you know what the average in other fandoms is such that you know the number is higher?

No, there is no correlation.

And, in fact, it's not a whole other discussion. It's the same "Only I am a good fan, unlike those girls" crap you're peddling in this post.

Not liking f/f because you want to fuck men and not women is not a matter of not understanding. I think plenty of people who are not attracted to women understand fine. Hell, I know straight women who like female-centric porn, including f/f, because it shows a body like theirs having fun.

It's a matter of writing what is hot to oneself. People write what is fun for them. It's no deeper than that.

Maybe you don't see the distinction, but I do. The way you phrased it downplays the centrality and positiveness of HORNY as a reason for art. Too often, these intellectual explanations sound like they're written by people who don't understand what lust even is.

If you do want a deeper reason, women, including the most cishet woman ever, are made by culture to feel uncomfortable in their own skins. Insisting that women write female characters is saying they can't even daydream about another scenario. They should be shackled to their physical body at all times. Would we say this to a trans person? Your physical body defines you?

Oh, patriarchal society scarred you? Oh, you don't like doing 90% of the work to figure out how to write female characters when media didn't teach you and the media you enjoy has few great ones? Well, just get over it. Doesn't matter what you enjoy. Your art is for the benefit of others, not for enjoyment.

It's some Calvinist anti-pleasure, anti-leisure crap.

It's also some radfem "prioritize women always" bullshit.

--

Someone has internalized shitty views here, but it's not those writers.

[mrfancyfoot]

Healthy Reminder to Not Feed the Trolls.

I think especially younger fandom members and creators need to hear this because it's not advice that I see nearly as often anymore and part of that may be because my gen (Millennials) heard it a lot and often take it as Just Something You Know (though I think we also sometimes need the reminder). But we're older now and there are those younger than us that may not have the experience we do, especially if we just assume they know better (and younger and younger people are online now). It's part of Online Safety 101. I've linked to a couple resources near the bottom.

A troll is someone who shows up in a space and is purely there to upset someone and cause drama/chaos. All they're seeking is attention and the enjoyment they get from upsetting you. They do not care about facts, your feelings, or anything else you throw at them. They will argue in bad faith. They will commit the cardinal sin of Being Wrong on the Internet. They will accuse you of committing the cardinal sin of Being Wrong on the Internet. They will make fun of your favorite character, your art, your writing, you, your friends, your dog, any and everything. They will tell you that how you enjoy or interpret your favorite thing(s) is Wrong or Bad. They love to cause drama in and between groups. Peaceful coexistence is often what they want to disrupt.

Some spaces will unfortunately draw more trolls than others.

In this PSA, I'm not quite referring to the "trolling" term that is also used interchangeably to mean "joking" or "fooling around" with the intent to get a raise out of someone but not necessarily to upset them. Though that can easily lead to this.

Resist the Urge to Feed Them. ("Feed them" being "give them attention.")

Don't give them attention by responding to them or giving them any kind of space on your blog/page/whatever. That's what they want. That's what they live off of. They want the hate because it means they've gotten under your skin and in your head and that makes them happy. They may have an agenda, they may have no specific agenda.

This can be so hard because it's natural to feel the need to defend yourself, someone else, and/or the things you enjoy. It can feel good to correct or engage someone who comes at you swinging. But they often don't stop. They will keep leeching your time and energy, especially if you allow them to.

You lose nothing by not engaging them. They bring nothing of value.

Engaging them can bring drama and hurt in your spaces and this may not only affect you. This can tear apart fandom spaces, cause rifts in groups, and pit people against each other. And then you're all unhappy and you have these negative associations of interacting with something that previously brought you joy. It causes people to stop creating, to stop engaging with others in the fandom, and to even leave fandoms.

And that is the goal of many trolls.

If you feel the need to address something they've said publicly, do not link their post/message/blog/name/etc. You want to give them as little of the attention as possible - you're addressing the accusation/concern/subject/whatever specifically, not them. Don't even relate it back to them if you can prevent it.

Some very non-exhaustive examples of what can be trolling behaviors:

They leave nastygrams in your inbox/Ask box.

They leave negative comments or reblogs on your post.

They leave unsolicited "critique."

They'll tell you that how you interpret X is wrong.

"Your blorbo would never do that!"

"X should never be shipped with Y!"

Antis (the people or groups that don't agree with certain content and try to get others to stop making/sharing it [being anti-X doesn't make you a troll, but going into the space for X and telling those people that they're wrong for liking X is trolling/harassment])

Someone comes into your fandom niche and tells you all that You're Wrong

They may behave inappropriately or send inappropriate things

They don't always use provocative language - they may be very polite (all the easier to make you seem like the unreasonable one if they do get a rise out of you). Still trolling.

They'll do or say things to try to get support from others in order to turn it on you/someone or pit "sides" against each other

They may lie and/or try to spread rumors

"You/they made this with A.I!" is a common accusation towards artists/writers I'm seeing now that has absolutely been picked up by trolls and is unfortunately spreading (please always make sure that you are informed and don't jump on the hate wagon just because you see others doing so - do your own research and demand credible sources/proof [learn what "proof" is per context]). I've seen this kind of accusation disrupt artists' livelihoods just based on someone's say-so that others piled on with no credible claims.

It is okay to have differences.

People are allowed to be Wrong on the Internet, but that doesn't mean that they're owed a response or that you can't delete their comments. You can delete comments on your page just because you feel like it (though "I don't like it." or "This makes me feel uncomfortable." are perfectly fine, non-exhaustive reasons).

If you don't engage them, they will often simply go away. You're not fun if you don't give them attention. You're not going to change their behavior (please don't waste your time trying). Some may try harder to get you to notice or reply to them, but they generally won't stick around for long. They'll move on.

Curate your blog/social/fandom space. (You'll be so much happier and healthier for it.)

Do not engage them.

Block them.

Report them.

Delete their DMs, comments, etc.

Use the moderation tools that you have.

You are under no obligation to accept every 'friend' request, or allow everyone to 'follow' you or engage with you on social media or let into your Discord server or into your little fandom or Tumblr friend group, etc etc. If someone is causing drama, kick them out! Don't feel the need to keep giving them chances to behave, either. Don't be afraid to put your foot down and be firm.

If they pop their head back up (maybe even under a new name), block them again, report them again, delete their messages again. Do not engage. Move on. Dealing with trolls is often like playing whack-a-mole. Send them to the void with the spambots.

You will be happier not engaging them.

Honestly, the above works in similar scenarios, too (not just random strangers)!

Uncle Joe keeps ranting on your page and upsetting you and/or your friends? Delete his comments. Block/unfriend him. Don't feel obligated to keep troublesome family members involved on your social media. Or even in your life.

If the above is someone that you can't simply block (there are valid reasons), sites like Facebook allow you to make lists that you can use to control who sees which of your posts.

You may have to remind your friends, followers, or others in the fandom to not feed the trolls.

You are the moderator of your own spaces. If this is a public space or a private group space that you don't control, politely inform a moderator or someone who has the authority to deal with the troll (sometimes all you can do is hit a report button and/or block them).

Learn the moderation and safety tools that you do have for the platform/app you're using:

How to unfollow/unfriend someone

How to report and block someone

How to turn off read receipts for things like chats and emails

How to turn off online status

How to contact site staff

How to turn off reblogs/comments/etc

How to turn off anonymous/guest messages or comments

How to delete comments

How to moderate comments, etc, on your works (ex: AO3 has an option for all story comments to be approved before they're posted on your work)

How to privatize your profile

How to back up and delete your content

How to filter content

Thoroughly read through all settings (I recommend doing this periodically as settings frequently get updated or change)

Learn where and who you can turn to for help

Read the platform's FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), Rules, and Terms of Service (TOS)

Etc

And again, They will Argue in Bad Faith.

They may accuse you of not being fair, of not allowing them to participate, of leaving them out, of ignoring them, of not "liking" them, of being "mean" to them, of your silence "agreeing" with them or meaning they're "right." They may accuse you of being a bad person or condoning bad things IRL. They may accuse you of any number of wild things. They may say they're just "being the devil's advocate" or of defending their own fandom interests. They may call you names and insult you. They may say that they have private information about you that they'll leak/share or that they'll do X if you don't do Y - this is almost certainly a bluff, but this is part of why it's important to protect your private information and be careful about what you post online. They may say that something you've done is illegal and that they're going to report you to the police (again, very likely bluffing just to scare you). They may even say that they'll harm themselves. There's a lot of crossover between spammer/scammer and troll tactics (often they are one and the same).

That's what they do.

Don't take their words personally.

They just want to guilt you into allowing them to stay and continue causing drama.

It is okay to give people chances.

But you do not need to keep giving them chances.

In your spaces, you don't even need to give them a chance or an explanation.

I have become very liberal with how I deal with trolls. I block on sight in many cases. I don't give them ground to even start if it can be helped. But part of that is just due to experience - you gain the ability to recognise them pretty fast (a lot of it is simply pattern recognition), the difficult part is usually in how you choose to deal with them.

If someone is being particularly problematic, keep a paper trail (like screen shotting their messages with time stamps), but otherwise block+report is usually still the thing to do. If they are threatening harm to you, someone else, or themselves, report them (if you're a minor, tell a trusted adult). If you don't know what to do or you're scared, reach out to someone you trust for support. Trolling is a form of online bullying that can escalate to other forms of harrassment - a majority of the time, simply not engaging them helps prevent this, otherwise know that tools and resources are available for help. Just because it's "online" doesn't mean it isn't real or impactful or can't have "real life" consequences - there are agencies (like the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center) that you can file a report with or contact for help.

Have fun, be safe!