#dumping my brain

[fushiglow]

gege akutami has ruined september forever.

[fushiglow]

I want to add that words like 'attention' and 'exposure' and 'interaction' muddy people's understanding, because they're rooted in the commodification of art. As the person above suggests, I think we need to move towards talking about these issues in terms of 'connection' and 'communication' and 'finding shared meaning' instead.

Almost all of the mainstream stories we're exposed to are produced under the 'culture industry', so most people are only acquainted with art in a commercialised form — art that was created with the intention of selling it from day dot — and they naturally come to believe that this is the main purpose of art.

This understanding is so normalised that, when regular people share their art with the world, we default to assuming that there's an ulterior motive (usually wealth or fame). However, the vast majority of artists will never make a penny from their work and most of those people aren't even seeking to. Even so, it's a commonly held belief that artists are 'greedy' for seeking engagement with our work; that the process of creation should be fulfilment enough for a 'real' artist. This draws a false dichotomy between an artist's quest for personal fulfilment and their search for connection with other human beings.

When you're used to parting with your hard-earned cash to enjoy art, it's perhaps reasonable that you expect it to impress you. When you purchase popcorn at the cinema, you want to feel it's worth the price you paid for it — and the same goes for your movie ticket. Buying and consuming is the norm in our culture, but that norm is built on the concept of a fair exchange.

It's unfair to apply that approach to work shared by an amateur artist for free, because the exchange isn't fair and never will be. Within a capitalist framework (which art doesn't belong in anyway), the burden of time, resources, emotional labour etc. falls almost entirely on the artist. Yet, our consumerist tendencies are so deeply engrained that we impose the expectation upon artists that they must 'earn' our enthusiasm (even the notion of 'paying attention' has been distorted by this idea, as though 'attention' is a currency) — which is how we end up with viral tweets insisting that AO3 should have a 'dislike' button because authors get 'too used' to receiving purely positive feedback.

When artists complain about receiving unsolicited criticism, we get, "Don't share your art with the world if you can't take it" — as though it's our duty to take feedback from strangers and use it to 'improve' according to the standards of people who are not trustworthy peers.

This is not what artists are seeking when we share our work with others. Moreover, it's so far removed from the reason we create art in the first place.

If it were about the personal fulfilment we get from the process of creating, we'd have no need to share our work with the world — and we often don't! A huge deal of art is created for the artist's own practice or progression (alongside more meaningful reasons) and never sees the light of day. So, when we do share our work with others, it's because we're seeking connection and understanding and, yes, praise sometimes. However, seeking praise isn't antithetical to those other forms of communication — because that's all this is about at the end of the day: communication.

When we share any form of art with others — whether it's music, writing, visual art — we're communicating something about ourselves to the world and hoping that it reaches someone who resonates with it. Creating art can appear (and feel) like an egocentric endeavour, and perhaps it is egocentric to pour all of yourself into something and ask people to give it their time and attention.

However, is it egocentric to compose a song for someone? Is it egocentric to write them a letter? Is it egocentric to craft a handmade gift? These are all just ways to communicate our innermost feelings and thoughts to others in the hopes of developing our connection with them. Everything is communication when you're a member of a social species — so is it egocentric to communicate with other human beings?

TL;DR: Showing some love to the artists whose labours you've enjoyed for free will never be too much to ask. In fact, it's the bare minimum of human connection, which is pretty much the only thing we've got. Go leave a comment on that fic you've been loving in secret.

someone I follow on the bird app just announced they're starting a very exclusive private fic server because they and a bunch of other people want to talk about how much they love the fics they're reading, and as an author can I just say that a really great place to talk about a fic you love is in the comments for that fic

I understand that people are trying to create safe spaces, but as the number of comments that I get on my fics dwindles with each passing year, knowing these spaces exist where my fics are being discussed, places that I am excluded from, makes me want to write fic LESS

I mean I guess who cares, right, because if I stop writing, there's 10,000 other people that will continue...but if you participate in a fic "book club" server and you say nice things there about a fic you loved, maybe copy and paste that into a comment on AO3?

the only thing fanfic writers are asking for in return for hours of hard work is attention. please don't rob us of the one thing that we hope for when we hit "post"

[noodles-and-tea]

Last part whoo!!!

PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3 / PART 4

[tickleepuppy]

Kiss my worries away? Fuck my worries away? Choke my worries away? Sloppily makeout my worries away? Pound into my worries away? Tie me up my worries away? Breed me my worries away? Edge me my worries away? Overstimulate my worries away? Make me cum my worries away? Use me my worri-

[paintedcrows]

Assorted Gravity Falls doodles!

[wardingshout]

alttp ish tegaki dump

[collophora]

Do yourself a favor and go read the entire fanfic work of @fanfoolishness

(In order: Under sun and shade, Blind Side, and Breathless (patching up is one of my fav too, I just had no cool sketch idea for it)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

hope you feel better soon!

I am riddled with ailments, but I stay silly!

[ryssbelle]

Had a silly dream where JD and Floyd came back to the troll tree before the last trollstice but after singing killed their grandma and decided to doodle and expand upon it a bit

Clay never left the tree but was too scared to return to the families pod since he didn’t want things to go back to how they were before, he did try to find his brothers during the escape but got separated by the cave in.

John Dory was the one to find Clay and see him get caught by the cave in, when he came out of the tunnel without Clay and holding his wristband they all just assumed he was dead. Even so JD still searches for Clay with the hope that he might’ve escaped and is alive out there.

They know Bruce is alive but after JD got the post card he assumed Bruce didn’t want to be found

Some more doodles that kind of show their dynamic

Also-

JD always brings home souvenirs for the brothers both as an apology for being gone for so long and also because of this:

[iwantmochisoup]

- june 2024 sketchdump -

[lilacthebooklover]

typing "bill" into the mcgucket labs computer leads you to the "jazzy triangle meets a square square" video. bill is a triangle. 'square' is a slang term for someone boring & rule-abiding and also ford's face is shaped like a square. in this essay i will

[fushiglow]

How's it gloing?

I haven't spent much time on here recently, so I thought I'd check in with you guys! I don't tend to speak about my personal life online, because I don't really want to. However, I've received a few messages that seem easier to answer with a little (long) update.

In short, if you ever want to know how I'm doing, simply check how long it's been since my last update to Over the Threshold! We're currently approaching three months between chapters so ✨ yeah ✨

Work got Very Bad™ to the point that I had to take time off with stress. They hired a consultant to help me with my "ADHD specific struggles", only for the consultant to turn around and say "yeah, the issue isn't with the employee, no one can do all that". wbk.

Employers are at least trying to take appropriate action but the transition period is rough. I fully burnt out, so easing back into my responsibilities without getting frustrated and self-conscious about how little I can now manage each day is hard. Of course, mum has been undergoing cancer treatment throughout all of this too. Though the worst is (hopefully) behind us now, it's been rough, pals!

I'm doing my best with Over the Threshold, but that story is a different beast. I try to follow the inspiration wherever it takes me, because I've never found forcing it to be helpful, but I really want to move forwards with this fic now! I'm determined to make some significant progress once chapter 12 (the biggest problem chapter yet) is out of the way, so wish me luck!

It also hasn't helped that my special interest series came to an end rather unexpectedly during this time. As embarrassing as it feels to admit it, I've spent quite a bit of time grieving the end of JJK. I found my feet in the fandom here on Tumblr, and I'm sad knowing it'll never be the same space now it's over. Without the yapping and theorising and nerding out, I'm not sure how to make use of this place really, but while BlueSky seems promising, I miss Tumblr a lot. I really want to spend more time here again, so I think it's time to dust off the old queue. Reckon I've got stuff from last December sitting in there!

I know I've left a lot of people hanging in this time, and I'm genuinely sorry for that. However, I've been preserving every last drop of energy for the thing that gives me most joy: writing. My fics have brought many wonderful friendships my way, and I'll never stop being grateful for that, but trying to keep on top of all the different things demanding my attention is a huge part of the reason I burnt out.

At the end of the day, I'm here to create first and foremost, and I have to prioritise that for my own wellbeing. I really hope you understand ♥️

Okay, enough of that! Let's end on something less serious! A lot of the content I used to create here is no longer viable or appealing, so aside from unwanted yapping about my own writing, I'm not sure what to post about! Is there anything you'd like to see from me on Tumblr specifically? And last but certainly not least, how are you?

A reminder that my asks are always open — love you guys!

[sharkysherbetz]

Got bored tried to make my own Miku design

[sketchy-beck]

Been working on a lot of Hellsing sketches lately. Anderson and Alucard have my silly brain in a choke hold.

^ Also a bonus image of Alucard looking like a wet cat that someone left outside for too long.

[whiskeyswifty]

The Black Dog - Taylor Swift (Tavern Branding Concept)

On an unremarkable side street in north London you can dry off your rain soaked body in The Black Dog Tavern, serving up pints to a crowd of almost exclusively locals. This staunch neighborhood watering hole has always been a place for friendly catch-ups and first dates. Mellow and time worn, it's been revamped by new owners, but still retains all the scratches and scrapes of it's history upon the hundred year-old oak bar. Many loyal patrons will say The Black Dog bears the marks of a bit of their own history as well, nights ended in dancing and tears in equal measure. Next time you pass by, drop in for a stout and a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of city life. You just might find your old flame nursing a beer at the corner of the bar, listening to your old favorite song.

[koalchicine]

My fractured soul has become entangled in yours.