#i get discouraged sometimes

[ihateliterature]

Being an aromantic shipper is so weird because on one side I enjoy shipping in the way that I like porn, fanart and crack but because I am aro I don't get particularly attached to any of them (I've always described myself as a shipping racoon, I'll literally take everything I am given). What I get attached to tho, are my queerplatonic ships, which means that not only do I have much less content then alloro shippers (as in, ppl who ship characters as alloro) but I also have to carefully isolate myself from the rest of the fandom because depending on the people you are finding you can get death threats either for being homophobic (read: not interpreting a popular ship as gay) or for pushing the gay agenda (read: not interpreting a popular ship as straight). So you just have to stay in a limbo, making stuff for yourself and the other 5 aros you know in the fandom and praying none of the camps find you

You end up in situations where you have to unfollow people you really like and admire because as soon as the opportunity arises they will throw people like you under the bus just to promote their ship. They disregard and downright insult people who revel in some ambiguity, in characters being close with no romantic labels attached to them, because more representation for us means less shipping opportunity for them. And it hurts a bit, especially looking at the limited range of canon aspec characters, to see people very consciously insulting and throwing you away just so they can draw two characters kissing each other with no moral complications. But there is nothing you can do, because you understand them partially, their insatiable hunger for representation, you just wished they understood and honored yours too

[b0ylik3r]

I dont wanna get myself involved in any more ZADR discourse, but I also don't want misinfo to spread around and people to get discouraged or anything like I had been for a while. So I'm going to say this: Zim in Invader Zim is most likely a child.

There are a plethora of reasons I think this, but if you don't care then scroll. I'm going to provide my reasoning under the cut.

My first reason is that from a writing standpoint, there is absolutely nothing appealing about the dynamic between Dib and Zim if Zim is an adult. What would or do you find enjoyment out of their dynamic if they are not meant to be foils of one another like the show HEAVILY implies them to be NUMEROUS TIMES? If Zim is a child, their dynamic becomes "2 children want parental approval and go against each other for it, when in reality the approval and love they seek is unattainable because the parental figures will never give them it. They would be better off being friends or allies, but instead keep fighting to be loved because they're dumb kids and don't realize that it's fruitless and dumb". If Zim is an adult, their dynamic becomes "Immature man cannot beat child". What is to be enjoyed or explored there?

My second reason is that Zim acts like a child in a multitude of different ways. His interactions with The Tallest, his general immaturity, and even how he surrounds himself. He goes to school. He has made himself robot parents to support that idea. He needs different disguises to act like an adult. Again, from a writing standpoint, if he was an adult infiltrating a school building and pretending to be a kid, that's just fucking weird. I don't think Jhonen is that type of person. I don't think the writers are that type of people.

Also on this subject is the episode Tak: The Hideous New Girl. At the point of the episode, Zim was trying to impress and "crush on" and be the boyfriend of this middle school girl. It doesn't matter if Tak was actually irken. It doesn't matter if she is the same age as him actually. It doesn't change that Zim was trying to get into a human relationship with what he thought was a middle school girl. If he is an adult, that's pretty fucking weird. Again, I don't think Jhonen is that type of person and I don't think the writers are that type of people.

The "flying ships before you were born" only proves that on Irk, he was an adult or at least the age that would permit him to fly ships. Calendars are manmade, why would irkens use the same years? Zim's age could also easily translate into human years into the late tween years. We also have to think logically about things.

Also, I sometimes feel like people are forgetting that Irk is a dystopian society. They are a hyper-militarized alien race that codes people's brains on the daily and does not wait for the children to grow up even a little before they start military training (or, at least training for military training). What morals prevent them from using child labor or child soldiers? We also have to remember that in accordance to The Trial, Zim was a smeet or older allowed into violent chemicals and resources that can kill, like it did Tallest Miyuki and Tallest Spork. That, in a way, proves that Irkens are not above dangerous child labor.

One other argument I have is that in Enter The Florpus, during the species change clip, Zim, Dib and Gaz switch species. The thing is, Dib and Gaz look the same as Zim in this clip. They don't become little smeets, they don't become tiny kids. They become Zim's age. Zim also does not become an old man in this clip. He stays the same as Dib and Gaz. Being that these are their canon human/irken translations, I don't see how someone could still defend this.

You could take all of this and say "Okay, but ZADR is still proship because they are abusive to each other so why are you so pressed". But like I said in a previous post, there is a major difference between "haha 2 people fight each other n get hurt haha" and "this adult man is grooming this child sexually". That's not funny. That isn't cartoony. That is a fully serious topic taken seriously in every single media that it is represented in. Cartoony unserious fighting has been a staple for years in animation and media. Grooming is not cartoony. That is why so many people have a problem with it. Some people don't enjoy shipping things that are seriously fucked up in the real world like that, or shipping proships.

This all started because of one singular tweet Jhonen made that you all believed. I bet if he tweeted "guys invader zim didnt actually happen and dib was hallucinating the whole time, lmao dream theory is canon", some of you would believe it.

I leave you off with this: "If it looks, sounds & acts like a kid, it's a kid, no matter if it's actually 1000 years old or not."

[pidgydraws]

I'm thinking of getting into arcane, I've seen a few episodes, like the dynamic between jayce and Victor - as someone who's seen it... Do they have a happy ending? I'm ok with spoilers, I know vaguely what happens, but I don't want to get super invested in the show if the ending is like, unambiguously sad... Basically, what am I in for if I continue watching? Thanks so much for your time, I love your art! 💜💜💜💜

oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my... that is a COMPLICATED question. cuz... like, since i don't know what you personally look to invest in, or how strongly you feel things, or what you consider "sad" vs what i do, it's a bit hard to answer in way that i think can be useful??? but i'll try!!!

for me, i have zero regrets about the fact that i've watched the full show over twenty times now. does it cause me a lot of emotional anguish every time still? yeah. it's pretty much "emotional anguish" the show. but i am also someone who describes themself as "empathy poisoned" so, like, i very easily feel too much~ to the point where i need to just NOPE out of stuff if it hurts me too much. (i'm looking at you Jujutsu Kaisen) and that might not be true for you. but i also think it's ABSOLUTELY a show worth sticking it out for. even if it's only for the animation and the music! but! even better! every single character will take you on heart-wrenching emotional journey in their own way. just, some definitely get happier endings than others.

but as for Jayvik specifically - would i have liked there to be a world where their ending is more... just... UNAMBIGULOUSLY a cut-and-dry love story??? obviously! i'm a wretched little queer who wants to see their boys get EVERYTHING - but i also don't begrudge the show the very, very beautiful ending that they did get.

throughout the show they both fuck up so much, make the wrong choices so often, and get manipulated by people and forces so far outside of their control that it's little wonder there's so much AU and fix-it-fic written about them. you desperately want better for them. but you also see exactly WHY people ship them. their connection is UNDENIABLE in so many ways and across so many facets. and in the end, Jayce and Viktor choose EACHOTHER over LITTERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE. and it's so beautiful that i absolutely sobbed my eyes out.

do they ever say the words "i love you?" or kiss? no. and what becomes of them is intentionally left super ambiguous. so, in the end, you're really just left with the intense melancholy of knowing that all they want - forever - is just to be together. and that's so fucking beautiful that i just can't help but say it's worth it. 100% absolutely worth it.

[ducktracy]

I feel like you would love Wander Over Yonder.

I WOULD AND I DO!!!!! I’VE SEEN WOEFULLY LITTLE OF IT and really, really, really want to commit to it. both times i’ve tried to watch it i’ve loved it immensely. i really need to commit myselffffff!! but in what very very little i’ve seen i’ve adored it. i love the energy i love the cartooning I LOVE WANDER!!!!!!!!!! i feel like since i’ve gotten into LT, where every character is some sort of absolute freak and has their own unique set of issues, i haven’t been Advertising my sheer adoration of obnoxiously happy little guys (to the chagrin of everyone around them). characters like SpongeBob, Lazlo, Chowder, Stimpy…. it’s definitely my favorite character archetype and Wander more than fits the criteria which is why i need to watch!!!! i’ve had multiple people say it’s an Eliza Show and i very much stand by that having only seen like 2 episodes

also, the prophecy is fortold because i drew this exact pose with Lazlo and Lumpus once upon a millenium. which i can’t look for right now because i’m on mobile. but mark my woids.

[soaps-mohawk]

sorry if this is something you dont wanna answer but im like super frusterated rn

does it also annoy u when u read like a good oneshot n the only comments are like "omg pt 2 plsssss"?? bc it annoys me like can we talk about the writing first and actually appreciate it😭😭

As an author? Honestly? Yeah.

I've seen countless others that have spoken on this that have articulated it far better than I could, but yeah. I get where those comments come from and what they mean, they liked it so much they want a part 2, but it doesn't come across that way to authors. Most authors are going to see it as demanding, especially as fanfic authors because we do this for free in our spare time. It's one thing if the author asks if anyone is interested in a part 2. Then yeah. Comment that to your hearts content. Sure there's better ways to phrase it "omg I loved this so much, would you consider a part 2" or "omg this was amazing, please do a part 2." Just commenting "part 2 please" sounds demanding. Doesn't matter if you say please or not, you can't even take the extra two seconds to say how much you enjoyed it? IF you enjoyed it?

It's like the decades old trend of the "more please" or "update soon" comments. Those don't come across as kind and supportive as you think they do. Again, they sound demanding. You took the time to comment but couldn't even add in a few words about how you enjoyed it? How you liked it? "I loved this so much I can't wait for more." See how much better than sounds than just "more please"?

I literally had someone on Ao3 bookmark CRCB yesterday and they put "update please"...like I literally just posted the new chapter. I literally just updated and you're demanding more? That's how fic writers are going to take that. There's no way you can frame the "update soon" or "please update" comments to have most fic writers see them in a positive light. Especially when the new chapter was just posted. Like what do you mean update soon, I just did.

Fics take time. Chapters take time. Commenting in a demanding tone, even if YOU don't think it's demanding, is not going to get you an update faster. I know a lot of fic writers that will hold off updates because of comments like that. I don't reply to comments that are demanding because what do you even say to that?? There's no compliment there.

Anyway, long story short, if you're going to comment, at least say something about how you liked the chapter or you enjoyed the fic and the story. Doesn't have to be some long expose, one sentence is enough to make a fic writer's day. Honestly, a key smash will do. Just don't be demanding in the comments. That's not going to get you an update any faster.

[f-imaginings]

Balancing full time emotionally taxing work, a social life, maintaining a healthy romantic relationship, household chores, and part time study alongside writing isn't easy but I am trying my very best. Three years of writers block was hard but now I'm finally overcoming it thanks to being in a supportive relationship and working on myself through doing trauma therapy.

[alukaforyou]

Hi! I was wondering how did you learn how to draw? You’re so talented !

hii i just started when i was a kid & never stopped 🤔 everyone starts out drawing bad / wrong whatever but all it is is training ur eyes to see and ur hand to replicate what you see :3 like ur gonna make a drawing that doesnt look right, and you go hmm what about this is off, and compare it to reference photos / whatever it is you are trying to draw and try to figure out what is different between ur pic & the original thing / ur ref photos etc and thats the whole constant process of learning 😅 and u can also google tutorials like "how to draw hands / cats / cars / whatever." i also went to art college which was a ton of life drawing / model drawing / naked ppl drawing / skeleton & anatomy drawing etc.

to improve at drawing u gotta just keep doing it constantly long term, like get obsessed with something (anime characters, for me) & go to town. find art that looks good to u and try to figure out what specifically u like about it (line quality? color? shapes?) & u can practice emulating it, maybe it will show up in your own art style as you develop it.

im still learning obviously, and i feel like theres sm i dont know how to do yet, so using a boatload of reference pics is key, sometimes i take my own ref pics lolz good luck :') just keep drawing ah

also if you look thru my #art ref tag theres some helpful link stuff, i feel like 80-90% of the tag is me saving reference pics lol but every time i find resources or guides or a helpful site i also put it in that tag 😵‍💫

[thevioletcaptain]

while it's probably just a byproduct of people being so used to product placement in media that they internalized it without noticing, i've read a few fics recently that have really had me thinking like... did honda sponsor this fic? was this fic brought to me by amazon prime next day delivery?

[copia]

i'm going on exam season lockdown as of today, which means no more gifs/edits/anything else because i spend way too much time on them for an engineering student in the trenches lmao. posting this not because i think anybody will notice or care, but so i can hold myself accountable and get embarrassed if i break the pledge. see you on june 3rd for a ghovie creativity extravaganza

edit: besides the ghovie trailer 😭 i cant restrain myself from that one

[kedsandtubesocks]

[chaos-potat]

I feel like being mutuals means so much less than everyone makes it seem

You literally just follow each other, that's it

Most of my mutuals probably don't even remember who I am after I stopped drawing for them

Edit: the rant in the tags is more about being annoyed with people who tell me they like my art and follow me, but that's it, no art support at all

[mostmagicals]

i’m gonna be on my other blog. the reason i don’t wanna keep them public here is because i’m worried people might not get interest in towards them in general. as well as keeping my following count as low as possible so if you want me to follow you there, i’ll just link to this post where you can like it.

[lctibule]

the problem i keep stumbling across while writing byan and my two boys (bc believe it or not, byan came after both of them) is that... byan is inherently wild and chaotic and fun and interesting, whereas minjoon and si-u are much more... subdued. they're quieter, more pleasant, more agreeable (less fleshed out) and so i always end up feeling/worrying that they're... not that interesting? i just... idk it's frustrating aksjsdsf

[seraphiism]

use xkit and hide your follower count. those two people who unfollowed you just now? not personal. one deactivated their account, the other has had a shift in interests. your fic flopped? got less notes than anticipated? that's alright. you did great. it was amazing and i see the work and effort you poured into it. i guarantee someone in the world loved it and shared it with their friend. please keep in mind that numbers and statistics do not define the worth or quality of your art or writing.

[badlydrawn-brostrider]

Im so sorry people are being weird to you I dress in a sort of alt fashion too and had to abandon crop tops because people would like, bark at me and shit.

Anyways you look super cool dude 👍 absolutely fuckin' swagged out head to toe.

BRO: Its sucks you had to abandon somethin' ya liked just 'cuz some assholes can't control themselves. You shouldn't have had to. Hope one day you're able to return to them.

BRO: Thanks. Bet ya looked fuckin' sick, kid.

[wanderinghedgehog]

Enjoying both the musical and book versions of Les Mis becomes so much simpler when you remember that a big part of musicals is just vibes.

I’m a very academic person, so I often get really into technical analysis. I like doing that, but it definitely makes the musical less enjoyable for me. I still love it, but I know I’m looking at it from an odd angle. The book and its fans seem to be just right for me. It’s a fantastic space to discuss and analyze the material. But I have a bad habit of looking at the musical the same way I would the book. I could write essays on the musical motifs and their meanings or explain how certain themes from the book are condensed, but that would be missing one of the main reasons the musical is so popular to begin with. You really don’t have to do all that.

When you see an opera in a language you don’t speak, a lot of the plot is communicated to you through the music and physical performances rather than the words. You’re not getting the little details, but you’ve probably got the idea and that’s enough to be emotionally impactful.

A Les Mis example could be Bring Him Home, a song notoriously hard to reconcile with the book, but loved nonetheless. It’s a gentle sounding song with a certain amount of emotional depth. I could listen to this song in Simlish and it would still have that effect. The music holds its own even when the lyrics are less than book accurate.

In conclusion, I’m gonna point a finger at myself and say in depth analysis can only get you so far before you just have to return to the realm of vibes.