#i dont even know if i should tag this as digital or traditional. the original drawing was traditional

[edgymilkshakeart]

tried messing around around with an older drawing that i didnt really like and never posted

[hongism]

hiHI your timing was great my brain just fell down the moc brainrot rabbithole again now that i realised i missed an interim chapter SDFHDFJ

honestly my fave bits are seeing people go back and be hit with that ‘oh!’ realization of all the pieces falling into place and making sense it’s so so rewarding as a writer and im so glad to see it every time 🤧

ok WORM i prolly wont reread it right away bc its still very fresh, i wanna let it simmer a little 😌😌 but when i do. does this mean i have permission to come yelling in your ask box as i do SJDFHSDFJ or would you rather i just reblog it again and freak out in the tags/additions as per usual??

ofc i don’t mind indulging you, i always always ADORE answering questions and talking about the worldbuilding bc worldbuilding is my most favorite part about creating fics!!!

OK WORM [2] i will probably pop in w random questions from time to time when moc is on the mind then. which is... fairly often. im gonna start building a little hut in your ask box, i have a feeling im gonna be here a while 🤭 might as well get cozy!

there aren’t really ‘cellphones’ or smartphones like we would have but the wristbands go in place of that.

so its not even a matter of the crew just not having them, but they just arent a thing? thats interesting :0 i guess they had their priorities on intergalactic space travel rather than a little light brick of addiction and brainwashing. yknow, maybe they had the right idea. or maybe they just didn't need the internet when you already can brainwash people with a serum 🥴🥴🥴🥴

what a lot of the scenery and environment is meant to emulate is a sort of call back to past history and things of the past, or a clinging to this old tradition even if it’s not the more forward-thinking type of technology.

could you elaborate more on this? :0 like, you mentioned kebos reminiscent of ancient rome - is it like, Actually recreating the past that exists in-universe, like Was there an ancient rome equivalent that they are paying homage to, or is it just happening to become something similar to what we as readers know as ancient rome? does this mean the people of this universe are really big on tradition? was it more like the need for fancier newer n more novel tech just fizzled out when people realised they already had the fundamentals and thats all they needed to work on improving, as a society, or was it just never invented because (??)? or is this actually really early in this universe's timeline, where the origins of technology was more focused on travel and military than entertainment, and theyve just yet to cross that bridge yet? sorry if this is a lot of questions sDFJHSKDFHKsdf im still tryna wrap my head around this in particular. i didnt think abt the whole them being criminals and therefore downgrading their digital footprint for safety though, thats pretty smart. so does that imply that the internet does exist but criminals simply know better than to use it? ik you just said its something you dont feel like going into a heap of detail abt but KhGJKSKDFG

the idea of there being things like video games or vr headsets doesn’t feel like it necessarily fits with the idea and tone of the setting that’s already been constructed, and that was never something i thought i wanted to include from the very beginning of the idea. and that was a conscious decision just because from the start, i’ve wanted the story to be set in this fantastical universe of course but the plot and the characters are meant to be the focal point

you're right, it doesn't really fit with the vibe at all - it really does just feel like a typical pirate au, but in space. having san be a gamer and seonghwa being a film nerd would probably take away from that a little SJFKSKDF its not that i feel the story Should have more advanced tech elements, but more just me being curious abt all the in-universe Why's ykno. and tryna figure out what is and isnt possible with the realm of tech available. but it makes sense that you want to prioritise the characters themselves rather than the environment, which at first seemed less of the case w the amounts of planets in the profiles but i get it now that they just serve as catalysts for character growth with their pasts and such rather than an in-depth sinkhole of planetary lore just for the sake of immersion. (youve got plenty of immersion going on already with just the Rawness of all the characters, anyway.)

in the scope of the main characters we have in our crew - i want the crew to feel like a safe space for not only the main character and the other crew members but also to the reader. they are a safe place and they offer understanding and warmth and comfort that’s completely separate from the parts of the universe that aren’t that accepting or understanding.

yeah, this i totally get an expected as much. ateez are canonically For The Gays™ and a safe space so theres no reason why theyd be any different here 😌

it’s been addressed in the plot before with yeosang and wooyoung in particular, that they could never have been together even if wooyoung weren’t a slave because of gender and because of yeosang’s position as a prince.

okay THIS i totally missed bc i had just figured it was because of the whole slave/prince thing. makes sense that a traditional system such as a monarchy would be where you find more traditional thinking like bigotry. but yeah that all makes sense

i will say that we will see a lot more characters come into play, and we will see journeys with the characters we already know, and as it’s a story that’s very character based, those are aspects i love to focus on and so we’ll be getting into more of that and seeing things unfold and manifest over the course of the story as we’ve barely scratched the surface regarding the entirety of the universe and what it holds!

this is so ominous how do you manage to say so much without saying anything at the same time. i read this and translate it to "stay tuned, im aboutta absolutely rock your shit" and honestly... so true. i am vibrating with excitement to see where this goes! tho this seems like its hinting at more diversity/queerness based on the topic at hand so would it be too spoilery to ask if moc will eventually see any trans characters 👀 s'fine if you cant answer that tho for spoilers sake lmfAOoo i just figured i might as well ask for my crumbs. LOL.

i hope this all makes sense and is more than just my ramblings bc my god did i ramble!

i did quite literally invite you to ramble so i am positively Thrilled you delivered, you could write a wholeass thesis on moc as a whole and i would read every damn word of it 😤😤😤😤 thank you for taking the time to do so!

whewie whewie i have to apologize i didn't realize this was sitting in my inbox all this time TT dumblr told me i had cleared it pretty much all the way out so i never saw this until i came in and refreshed earlier today?! wack. but i'm here now better late than never ahahha </3 haertbreaking im SO SORRY 😭😭

you can as always do whichever you feel most comfy with! if its sometihng you really want me to respond to then i'd say inbox is best bet (if tumblr lets me see it that is </3)

build your hut and build it strong it's very cozy and comfy in here indeed 😮‍💨

i would say i compare kebos to ancient rome because that's what we would know and understand it best to be. i've never envisioned this universe ever having what we consider 'earth' like i dont consider the moc universe to just be a distant future form of our current universe irl, so they aren't necessarily paying homage to an ancient roman civilazation or anything like that but rather creating on their own.

as far as their views on tradition, i wouldn't put too much thought into that tbh. in the grand scheme of things it's definitely not the most pressing matter but i suppose you could call the technology rather primitive on certain planets, but we also have to think about how large this universe is and how many planets there are and how different each one is. there are different laws for each system and each planet, i would say that aurum is the most unified and so far we've seen that they are the most advanced in terms of technology as well. some of that technology has bled to other places as well but each planet is going to be at a different point in terms of advancement just based on resources and needs are them

and definitely yes the planets and those profiles are meant to serve as a visual helper for the readers and a  somewhere i can look back on and understand what each setting provides. there are some planets where the planetary lore will come into play so that is not for no reason at all by any means, it's just that so far in the story these planets act as the stage for the actors to come alive on! but also keep in mind that this story has been going on for over 2 years at this point! the direction and minute details have definitely gone under a lot of changes so it's hard to say where my mind was at two years ago versus where it's at now!

DFAHDSKJF i fULLY plan to rock everyone's shit absoluteLY, while we aren't going to really get much in the way of main characters coming forward (it is still an ateez fic after all) but we will get some side characters who fall on different spots on the spectrum, i can't say that i have anyone right now who is trans but there might be one further down the line if i feel its important for the story telling!!!

[dangoghz]

legitimate advice for new phandom blogs

hey !! so i know sometimes posts like ‘RULES FOR THE PHANDOM XD’ are made and they’re all like “numba one. dan is a squishy bean respect this uwu” but this isn’t gonna be like that lol. im just going to list a few actual things that might help people new to the phandom learn about and become integrated into the community! of course these aren’t ‘rules’ and u dont have to listen to any of it ofc,,, im not here to control ur blog, just here to say what people normally do. feel free to rb whether u are a new blog or not, ill appreciate it either way!

(NOTE: PLS TELL ME IF ANY OF THE LINKS DONT WORK AND ILL FIX THEM PERIODICALLY!)

italicized text is defined in the glossary at the bottom!

1. be interactive! 

here, unique to our corner of timmy darn communism, we have a lot of like virtual traditions that everyone knows. these help you to make friends and also grow ur blog with some new mutuals. here are some examples.

networks: networks, or nets, are a sort of selective gc, usually with a theme or concept that it’s based around, in which all who wish to be part of fill out an application form that determines whether they get in. this is kinda the one with the most work, as u also have to make a group blog and info post, but it’s definitely worth it. i have made my closest friends in nets (such as @phleurnet which i birthed), and a lot of people on here would say the same. if you want to know more or apply, my friend diana runs an update blog @phandomnets! (examples, these are all open btw: x x x)

meetups: meetups are not in real life, don’t worry. a meetup is when someone organizes a specific time at which we all post thing around a certain theme! for instance, on halloween on tuesday, my friend milo hosted a halloween meetup. usually people post selfies but if u are uncomfortable with that, u can post art, music, or anything else related to the theme. a blog called @phandommeetupwatch keeps track of these! (examples, all happening soon/just happened: x x x)

follow forevers: a follow forever is a big celebration post when u reach a follower count milestone, no matter 50 or 5k. u tag all of the blogs you love, and they reblog it to appreciate u! it’s really positive and shows people how their work has paid off. usually people are tagged in alphabetical order, and sometimes people bold their favorites but the stylization is up to u. (recent examples: x x x)

milestone activities: sometimes people do things for their followers when they reach a follower count that involves their followers requesting something! there are many many forms of this type of thing. a common one is blog rates, in which there is a set template and the blogger rates each blog that sends in an ask using the template (info post ex: x; rate ex: x). there are also url edits (x), name/url moodboards (x), and more. u can certainly come up w an idea of ur own, being creative is great!

talk to people: that’s right dude!!! ye!!! u can message a blog u think is cool, or send an ask if u think something they made or are talking about is interesting, or add something sweet in the tags (more on etiquette later) when u rb their post. additionally, sometimes people stir up discourse, and u should participate in it if u want (past discourse examples: x x). u can also send asks when people reblog ask games, which are a list of questions with a theme (new one of mine ex: x). 

2. play around with your blog!

customizing your blog can start giving you what we call a branding, making you distinguished from other bloggers. this can include everything from as simple as using an icon to coding your own about page. 

themes: a blog can be way more appealing if it is aesthetically pleasing. admittedly, i often follow people just because of the smoothness of their mobile theme. a mobile theme is rather easy to construct as u can do it on ur own with a phone. it is how ur blog looks on a phone. although u don’t have to do this, i recommend sticking to two to four colors on ur theme and avoiding stuffing it with a lot of bright things because it can distract from content. additionally, bloggers often make their descriptions short and succinct. (my fav mobiles: x x x.) on a pc, your blog theme can be customized completely on html, meaning there is a lot of freedom. u don’t have to learn to code for this, bc u can find free themes anywhere, just search ‘free tumblr themes’ on google. once again, be creative, but u shouldn’t overload. (my fav pcs: x x x.)

about pages: in order to avoid chunky descriptions but still let people know the key deets about themselves, bloggers create about pages. sometimes these bout pages are uncoded but u can also use html code if u want to. some common things in an about page are interests, maybe personality types/horoscopes/hogwarts houses, original content, and links to other social media. (examples: x x x)

urls: urls are a key part of your blog’s brand. ‘rebranding’ is what people say if they change their url! if u are tired or bored with your url, changing it is an opportunity to change your theme and other parts of ur blog as well. (url change ex: x). 

saved urls: saved urls are basically when bloggers hoard sideblogs in order to reserve the urls used for them. if you ever encounter a blank blog that has ‘saved’ as its title, that’s probably it. sometimes people like to give away their urls, either as a constant thing (ex: x) or by doing a url giveaway (x). either way, it’s a good opportunity to change it up!

tags: in order to keep their blog cleancut and organized, a lot of bloggers have special tags for certain people, certain topics, and/or certain types of media. many people in the phandom particularly have tags for dan and phil that match (strawberries and cream, lune and sole, etc). if they have many of these tags, there can be a page for their tags on their blog. this page can be coded with special html or just a regular tumblr page, it doesn’t really matter. but it’s very useful for those who visit your blog, and makes it easy for u to navigate older posts as well! (examples: x x x)

3. learn to make og content!

producing original content helps you establish what your strengths are and why people should follow you. it also allows u to contribute to the fanbase, and gives u a chance of being noticed by dnp! and the validation is lovely. there are many options if u want to make something. 

gifs: gifs are an ART here in the phandom, and its mechanisms still perplex me to this day bc ive never tried it. u probably already know what a gif is, but if not, its essentially a short animation made in photoshop that repeats. gifmakers are often distinguished by a unique coloring (example gifmakers: x x x), such as my friend emily’s smooth dark blue tint (x). it can be a long process to learn how to gif but it is very rewarding in the end, from what i’ve heard. (tutorials: x x)

art: there is a very wide range of phanartists, all with such talents, either digital or traditional, that you can draw inspirations from for your own work. you can make cartoons, comics, realism, abstract, nsfw even, or any mix (or none) of the former. artists on tumblr definitely deserve more attention than they get here on tumblr, so be sure to show appreciation towards them! (my fav artists: x x x)

edits: edits are the Graphic Designs of our community and are usually very aesthetically pleasing. they can be centered around a certain event, like a video or something dnp made, or just for fun. the more practice you get making them, the more dexterous u’ll become. they can be a great tool if u like the design aspect of art but don’t want to actually draw. (edit makers: x x)

icons: icons are just the little profile picture that u can insert for ur blog. it’s really easy and fun to make them, kind of like a lazy version of edits. you can make them using photoshop or an app like picsart or medibang, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. more on how to use icons in section 4. (examples: x x x) (my lil tutorial: x)

moodboards: moodboards are nine pictures arranged 3 by 3 that have a certain color scheme. it’s kind of like a collage except the photo feature here separates the pictures for u. there are a lot of innovative moodboard makers that stun me w how pretty it looks or how they arrange the pics. moodboards are also an easy and fun option! (moodboard tags: x x x)

textposts: this is by far the easiest and more common form of content u will find. it’s just writing about dnp in a textpost! if a textpost isn’t very serious, people also call it a meme or shitpost. shitposting is defs on the rise here so its a good business to get into. it’s also a great outlet for ur emotions or personal connections to what dnp do! (example talk tags: x x x)

fics: by far the most famous media to come out of here, phanfiction is a popular form of phan indulgence. u have probably heard of the most scarring ones (list: x), but there is actually a really vast range of it, not just creepy smut! some other genres are fluff, angst, and slow burns. u will discover that, despite the sterotype, not all fanfiction is bad. you can find lovely fics on @phanfictioncatalogue by genre, au, or topic. and, if u need help writing something, many writers would love to help. (a few well-known fics: x x x x x)

4. tumblr etiquette!

i know tumblr might seem like a simple social media (or perhaps not after u’ve read all the above?) but there’s a lot of things that u just....u just don’t do. it’s sort of like virtual manners, and if u don’t follow them, then it’s unlikely that people will like ur blog. once again, this is by no means me forcing u to run ur blog a certain way. it just happens that the types of ppl who break these rules are who we mock in gcs :////////. so yea, here’s some advice.

credits: if u decide to use someone’s art, edit, gif, or icon on the theme of ur blog, check what they require of u before u use it. most content creators strongly ask for credit in the description of ur blog, either by link or like ‘icon/header/art by ____’. it is just a common courtesy to the person who spent time on that, and if u think credit will ruin the aesthetic of ur blog, a) u probably don’t have an aesthetic in the first place and b) learn to appreciate art, binch. 

anonymity: anon asks can be very powerful either negatively or positively depending on how u yield them, so make sure that u are careful with what u send. compliments are always welcome and criticism as well, but blatant rudeness or hate will do nothing. u will only make someone feel bad about themselves and it will not accomplish anything. also, u face the threat of all their friends turning u into a meme. 

sensitivity: a lot of people here are way too easily offended by harmless jokes, a common example in the phandom being when we insult dnp affectionately and people take it way too much to heart. please don’t start drama over something w no real meaning. however, there are times when it is indeed necessary. if u want to criticise a blogger, be respectful of them simultaneously. by all means, if u spot someone being racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, or the like, feel free to call them out on it. but beforehand, make sure that u have done ur research and are educated on the topic, or u could turn out to be blatantly wrong. 

adding to posts: everyone makes this mistake when they start out here and that’s totally okay, but adding to every post u reblog is incredibly bothersome. a rule of thumb would be don’t add anything unless what u say will actually improve the post significantly. if ur additions are along the lines of ‘LOL’ or ‘i relate!!!!’ or ‘philly is a smol bean XD’, learn to use the tags for heaven’s sake. they’re there for not only organization but also for commenting. some exceptions, though, would be if u are mentioned in the post or the op is your close friend. 

respecting privacy: this should already be obvious to u, but respect dan and phil’s boundaries. do not tag them or their main tags (#daniel howell, #danisnotonfire, #amazingphil), in any phanfics, phanart (like specifically with them as a romantic ship), or phan edits. do not talk to their family members, expose their personal info like address or phone number, and do consider that they are real people just like u. we may make things based around phan, but it is kept in a community for us and not for dan and phil’s eyes. this is very important.

5. have fun!

sorry if this is all overwhelming, but i tried to make it as simplified as possible. and also sorry for the sass, i’m kinda tired of all the ding dongs on here and want to prevent further ding dongs from being created. thanks so much for readin and be sure to send me an ask anytime if u have questions! welcome to hell!

glossary

timmy darn communism: me being my usual weird self and replacing ‘tumblr dot com’ with random words that start with the same letters

mutuals: someone who you follow and who follows you; usually who u interact with most

rb: shortening for ‘reblog’

discourse: when theres is intense discussion of a certain topic, sometimes phan-related sometimes not, sometimes serious and sometimes silly

branding: the word ‘branding’ kinda started as a joke, but it’s generally what we use to call what someone’s blog reminds them of, whether it be a certain color or a discussion topic; my branding, if u asked a mutual, would probably be impressionism, tea, and baguettes (dont ask ab that one)

html: a simple type of coding used for designing websites! u can learn basic html here or here, it’s way easier and funner than it looks

dnp: dan and phil; we also say ‘deppy’, ‘dip and pip’, ‘the boys’, ‘the rats’, and more

coloring: basically the stylization of a gif, shown through filters, textures, contrast, brightness, etc. 

talk tag: a tag in which all of the textposts that a person makes are sorted into

phanfiction terms

smut: porn fic :/ 

fluff: just what it sounds like, a type of fic that usually has a lot of soft stuff like cuddling, flirting, and looooove

angst: a fic with a lot of drama, usually sad or very emotional

slow burn: a fic where a pairing, in this case phan, slowly falls in love

au: stands for ‘alternate universe’, a fic in which dan and phil are written not as youtubers but in a completely different scenario (ie. bad boy and new guy in high school, university students, space exhibition, anything u can dream up really)

anon: short for ‘anonymous’

op: short for ‘original poster’, aka who made the post

[valorousowl]

if u believe in kin u believe theres no such thing as fiction, or skill in creating fiction like art & literature, u believe it just happened. u believe art & lit dont belong to creators, but 2 kin of it & its aus. u believe u have more a right to police the fandom than the creators. u believe ur the only authority on whats allowed 2 be drawn/written/talked about in fandom. its all a power trip. its not to make ppl feel better. its bc theyre manipulative brats. they hide it well. playing victims

and you’re on anon, I should believe anything you say why? Although I think I know who it is already. I’m going to reiterate a few things here because on anon you are a waste of my time. If you were off, you and I could speak of this privately, I’ve said recently I’m against majority of callouts because they’re driven by personal agendas and grievances (and gatekeeping) rather than any kind of betterment to the group. But you’re on anon so that tells me A) you’re not going to stand by your words publically so already they’re meaningless and B) you’re joining this kinhate hype train out of spite. 

I make Original concept works as well as AUs, UAs, and fanworks. I know the feeling of having your art stolen. I know it sucks and it feels invalidating. 

But if a few people making this shitty world better for themselves in a small way that does not change ANYTHING about where your art came from or who made it, you’re honestly just being petty. Because how many text posts and anecdotes from REAL PEOPLE’S LIVES go  viral and get tagged with #me #this is so me #this just happened to me when it didn’t? 

And honestly, if you don’t want people to use it? don’t post it? Do not? you can make plenty of shit and not post it? Are we really going to condone the path of Anne Rice? Like yeah it sucks and there are things people should never do. But considering ESPECIALLY the nature of AUS we’re already perverting the source material. We don’t really get to complain when people do it to us when we ignore the creators. It’s why I don’t post a lot of AE content anymore, because I put my heart and soul into world building and filling gaps, and lazy writing from temps and forced heteronormativity have really ruined a lot of things in universe but there’s not really anything to do about it because a lot of stuff is just ignored or looked down upon by the devs and the fandom. And that’s a damn shame honestly. So the majority I didn’t post and instead turned my energies to making my own stuff. Fandom is supposed to fill the gaps in source work. But when that fails you make your own original stuff instead. Because again, with fandom it’s a line of command with the creator at the very top, not that people remember that when the creator doesn’t agree with every little thing they say.

And to end? Like that’s a really, really presumptuous and pretentious attitude you got there. between that and spelling I can’t imagine you have much that anyone would interact with, much less kin with. Like oh, if I think kin people exist I have to agree with every last little thing they say? I think Christian people exist and I don’t agree with a damn word from any of them. Do you see how that logic doesn’t follow? Creative writing and art is an escape from reality, we make it for ourselves and others to enjoy and you have to let it go and understand people are going to  experience it and appreciate it in their own ways and we have absolutely no control of that, nor should we. Art is meant to connect people, to evoke feeling and to unite people on some level. It is the epitome of the human experience in physical form. And it can take any form be is scientifical, traditional, digital, with words or pictures and so many other things. To see it as something to be controlled or only consumed in one way is just, not possible. 

Also, if you think people define their own lives, selves and realities is any way policing or power tripping, you may have a misunderstanding on what individuality is, pal. I’ve wasted enough words on you though. You’re probably not even an artist or a writer or anything, just a nasty little troll that has fun screaming through your keyboard. It’s been fun though. Well, see you.