#i want to be grateful to this site and to the people who I interactive with here

[gawrkin]

I Believe it's now over a Year since I've joined Tumblr

First of All

THANK YOU so much to all My Followers and Mutuals!

I wish I could mention all my 99 followers, but I felt it was too unwieldy so I'll just settle for keeping it small:

Thank you very much to:

@cesarescabinet @sanddef @0rions-belt @fairyhagmother

@mistoffeleesisawitch @moirailsupport @taliesin-the-bored @dullyn

@gailyinthedark @enjoyerofstories @rainbluealoekitten @a-funeral-pyre

@agravaineoforkney @gingersnaptaff @sagewiththyme @emperorcandy @nukethebees

@jimmythejiver @oneshoulderangel @salomania @wandrenowle

@wildbasil @sickfreaksirkay @liminalpsych @neapolitangirl

And Shoutouts to:

@tiodolma @delphiniumpacificguinevere @the-king-and-the-druidess @thesquireinvictus

@adhd-merlin @joemerl @gellavonhamster

and many, many more!

With special thanks to:

@queer-ragnelle - who's Arthurian Preservation Project was the best resource that I was fortunate enough to discover. (You should go check it out HERE)

SO... a whole year has passed since I've joined Tumblr and wow, I didn't think I would come to love blogging here; I don't really engage with social media much at all, even now. But here, it's different. I first came to Tumblr because of my growing obsession with the Arthurian Tradition - something that had been growing for a long time since I was still in High school. Back then, I was also a freak for folklore and mythology. And having since come here, I think it's helped me a lot, both in my personal life and with my obsession with Arthuriana. The community here is wonderful and comfortable to talk about our little niche

With all that said, I thank you to all who've liked and reblogged my posts and, trust me I've got PLENTY MORE things to show and talk about King Arthur and his mythos.

So, I hope I can continue blogging about our favorite knights and ladies at Camelot for the forseeable future.

Finally, to cap off

I wish you all love, peace and happiness no matter what

[fingertipsmp3]

Watching people catapult that white girl who said the n word to fame instead of ignoring her like she deserves

[mrkida-art]

PSA! I am (not) leaving tumblr. But… 

Hi people! I want to start this by saying, I am NOT leaving Tumblr. I am however gonna start focusing on other social media and go back to using my Tumblr blog as an archive for my art. This means you will still get to see my work if you follow me, but most of my activity will be on other sites (also, some of my other socials will have work previously unseen on tumblr btw!).  I won’t link my Carrd here (to avoid my post getting suppressed) but you can find it in the image or in my bio. 

There are two reasons for this, first, I have been neglecting other socials and I got to get my ducks in a row and actually build audiences on other platforms (esp since my “main” audience was on Twitter and well, you know what happened there). The second and main reason is because my engagement has totally died on this site and I’ve received very little feedback or response to my posts on here for a while now. I am grateful for all the interaction I do get and for those who continue to support me, but like most artists, one of my main reasons I post my work is for some sort of response and if I don’t get any, I am simply gonna go looking for other places where I do. Because well, that’s where I have the most fun posting and Tumblr has not felt very fun lately. It’s also very hard to gauge the interest of my audience here with the lack of comments, I have no idea what people think about my work.  What do people enjoy about my art? Are people bored with it? Are people tired of the subjects I work with?  I don’t know because my audience does not tell me, 99% of my notes are likes or reblogs without any sort of commentary about the art itself. 

And yes, I am very grateful for that support too, of course I am!  It’s just that comments are what motivates me to post, and with my note count going down more and more for every post I make, it's simply not worth it for me to put much time into this website with how things look right now (and how Tumblr users use this site nowadays) So instead I am going to try to put more effort into building audiences on other socials where people interact more with artists (like Tiktok for example, we’ll see what happens with the possible US ban though). 

So to summarize this PSA, I am not leaving, but I will mainly use Tumblr as art archive and focus on my other socials instead (and please go follow me there too!)      

[yridenergyridenergy]

On the eve of the seven-year mark for this account, let's address the biggest hate point about me: how I insist that people either ask before, come and say thanks, simply link to or credit this page when they share/repost the content.

Even if I manage to convince a handful of peopIe, I will continually have to argue and work with people on this because it's not inherent. For example, I come from an online community where, decades ago, we were shocked when we learned that Japanese artists were mad that some people had simply copied and pasted their fanart. It's obvious when you stop to put yourself in their shoes, but for a lot of people, it takes some personal effort to accept the realization that: "Oh okay, I see where you're coming from." In no way am I comparing fanart with most of my content, as artists deserve a ton more praise, but the concept of being grateful for where you got stuff and not simply saving and reposting stuff is the same. And guess what? People outside of that aforementioned community, and even probably newcomers to that community, are still sharing uncredited fanart. It's not inherent, I get it.

For almost seven years, I have posted twice daily, at least, and this requires quite a lot of budget, time, innovation and effort. And absolutely, the content comes from the band themselves, I'm not the photographer(s), the live show recorders, the interviewers, etc. However, you also wouldn't have that GIF, JPG, etc. if it wasn't for me. I do it to share the love, the passion. If I don't mention the source in my post, then it's either directly cited on the picture or the band has not mentioned the source either, like for memocas.

Also, each perpetrator thinks of themselves individually, but imagine my perspective too: it's not just one, but dozens of people who keep reposting my content to their own crowd of followers without any context. When you don't mention a source and just display new content out of nowhere, you are indeed claiming it as if you were the benefactor.

So, am I fighting for the "clout" or whatever? Well, maybe in the same capacity as those people are clearly attracted to. Whether we are or not, it's just about the principle behind the whole situation that reposting is not the proper way to show that you are grateful about something. Unless it came from a robot or some big corporation without feelings or humanity. If you don't wish to interact and ask permission or say thanks at all, let alone like or reblog on Tumblr, then the least you can do is to mention where you found stuff. To whom you owe the pleasure of having seen that content and being able to share it.

And it's so stupid because on Twitter, for example, you benefit from 280 characters now, plus a link gives a preview of the images that are on the landing site. There is zero excuse for not mentioning your source right there in the post where you repost an image (or screenshots of a translated interview, mindblowingly enough), in addition to whatever small comment you want to make regarding the content, instead of in a subsequent reply that nobody will bother to check.

A lot of people will still disagree on this and hate me, and that's fine. If you don't like me, then don't engage with what I share, because that's just hypocritical. This really shouldn't be that controversial, it's just that your feathers are temporarily ruffled. People added watermarks on their GIFs and scans etc. way before I did.

And the descent from "Please credit if you repost" to "Do not repost" came because people didn't do even that anyway. But if someone comes to ask me if they can nevertheless, I'm super likely to say 'yes'.

At the end of the day, I want to keep this blog positive, I want to foster a good environment to lift people's mood day by day. We have enough bullshit in our lives. I've heard of the Dir en grey community being toxic at probably more than one stage of its existence, but hopefully we can keep avoiding that.

As for me, I am eternally grateful to those who keep up with my apparently insufferable self.

[thechekhov]

If I may, what’s your biggest regret/joy from making this series into what it is? I hate the AUs that are just “The show but everything is exactly the same minus slight differences that don’t amount to anything” so your comic has a deep place in my heart :)

That's an interesting question!

(Though I AM personally fond of AU stories with more fundamental change, I don't particularly feel like the hate towards those 'change a minor thing' AUs is justified. There are many ways those stories can be very engaging! They're different for sure, but they, too, have value!)

I think my biggest joy has been the fact that I'm able to continue the comic.

It's my largest project by far and I've had a lot of growth because of it! Drawing over 200 episodes that's kinda inevitable but regardless, I'm grateful for the circumstances which have allowed me to keep it going. For the readers, for the luck I've had in my job, and for my partner's support!

My biggest regret is.... honestly nothing?

I could say I regret not taking this comic more seriously from the beginning.... but it was the casual nature of Season 1 that allowed me to keep it running in the first place! If I had been trying for season 3-4 art from the beginning, I would have probably burned out and quit much earlier!

I could say I regret small changes here and there, but again - all my previous decisions have made the comic into what it is today! All my choices have compounded into the story's current arc.

What I DO regret is...... because I now have to juggle my IRL job and my comic and GMing, I have very little time for anything else.

I also regret that this workload makes me an even grumpier person than I am naturally, and sometimes I just don't have the patience to present myself in a PR-positive light. I grow frustrated with readers who assume I have more time than I do, and I get annoyed by those who expect me to perform customer service work and answer questions (which are in the FAQ). I know it isn't their fault, and I KNOW I should appreciate their curiosity... but being tired all the time means I sometimes cannot react reasonably to answering the same question 100 times.

And it's hard! It's hard to have to be the 'face' of a comic and be expected to interact with everyone with an everlasting smile, even when I'm bone tired. I'm not even a social person by nature! I don't want to be a public figure. I don't need people to idolize me. I just wanna draw.

But that's less of a comic regret and more just a general regret of not realizing that this is a part of my 'job' now.

I wish all the other artists that use tumblr or twitter or any of those other sites a very 'you do NOT have to wear the Social Media Personality hat'.

anyway............the point is............ it's mostly joy! No real regrets about the comic itself.

[thewanderingmask]

Hellooo sorry to barge into your inbox like this but I am going FERAL over your Joel winner art so I hope you can excuse this senseless essay of a ramble

First off, stained glass window art?? Yes please?? I love how the entire fandom has just accepted that kind of style for the winners and it's FABULOUS. I absolutely adore your art style and Joel looks SO COOL in it!!! The sword and the ender pearl is perfect (the sword because he's a fighter, the pearl because that's how he died!!)

The hands around him!!! I LOVE how distinct every single one of them are, you can immediately tell who they belonged to. (Okay, the black long-sleeve thumbs-up is giving me trouble. Gem?? But the others going clockwise I BELIEVE are Pearl (the crown ring!!), Ren, Bdubs, Cleo, Tango, Grian, and Etho.)

The backgrounds are LOVELY and immediately distinct: Gem's barn, Scott's cake, Scar's roller coaster, the Tuff Guy's bases, the Spanner's bridges, and the bamboo for the Bamboozlers!!

THE FIVE PREVIOUS WINNERS!!! Quite frankly I consider it silly that we've been canoodling around with celestial objects for so long and I LOVE the symbols you chose for everyone- the red eye for Grian, the stars for beloved Scott, the crescent moon for Pearl, the sunflower for Scar and Martyn's shirt design!!

I'm deeply fascinated by the flowers- the cherry blossom is most likely a tie to his s10 base, but cherry blossoms also symbolize the balance between life and death, beauty and violence. Very fitting for our family-oriented yet ever bloodthirsty Joel!! The blue ones are most likely forget-me-nots, which also fits very well with Joel's ideals of making alliances and having "friends, not family".

"It's Your Turn"... man, I was rooting so hard for Joel this season and I'm SO HAPPY he won. Man deserves a victory.

I'm terribly sorry for this block of text but I just really wanted to tell you that your art is APPRECIATED and your style is FABULOUS and it always makes me smile when it pops up. Keep creating, my friend, because you have gorgeous talent and I'm incredibly grateful you shared it with us. Cheers!

hi anon and thank you for this lovely message, it made my day

longer art talk under the cut

you're absolutely right about all the hands, well done figuring out gem! it was based on her red life skin, but i couldn't think of anything to make it more clear who it was.

(at least, not until after i'd already finished and posted the piece)

flower language is rad and i did wonder about the meaning of the ones in here, but didn't actually think to look anything up. i like that the blue ones are forget-me-nots! i added them to the winners' circle as a nod to cleo's avatar!

because i literally forgot there were 6 previous winners until i'd already committed to the composition.

the series i forgot about was actually limited life. idk why. i'm new actually haven't seen any series before this one. (i also had to check with a friend of mine who's been watching the series a lot longer, to see if the symbols i'd picked would work for the other victors)

anyway since Real Life was april fools and not really played the same way as the others, i figured it made sense to add martin to the symmetrical circle of 5, and put something around the circle to represent cleo. hence the blue and yellow flowers!

and yep the sakura is hugely inspired by his hermitcraft base, plus the trees at the site of the final fight. learning it has meanings that work so well for his performance just puts such a smile on my face!

(since drawing this, i've seen other people using a comet, which is also so freaking good)

anyway thank you again for this ask, and for giving me an excuse to go off about how i put Very Much Thoughts into art sometimes

i haven't really interacted with many folks in the fandom itself! i'm shy, and i'm generally pretty happy to sit quietly in my corner and sometimes throw a piece of art to the winds to go wherever it might. but a result is that i don't always know how my art is received, if it lands, or it if it feels off to folks who've been around longer.

so your message made me really happy today! thank you!

[churromancermasterofchurros]

I think that the switch from reddit to tumblr is particularly difficult for me so far, and i know it's just been a few days, but i wonder if other people are having these issues as well, so i thought it might be a decent idea to write out my thoughts here.

-first off, i was a lurker almost exclusively on reddit. Much more introverted, and i only spoke about things i knew or if i knew id get karma for it (being a person with RSD, i kind of hated downvotes, regardless if they were just "useless internet points" or not).

-tumblr requires you to be more interactive and speak out more with its etiquette, by reblogging and so forth (ive read in a few places that comments sections werent used much before the refugees invaded tumblr, which i think seems like a cool positive)

-while there arent any downvotes, i still feel anxious to talk/put myself out there. Am i reblogging right? Are my tags funny? Is my blog a big uninteresting mess?

This isnt a problem with the site itself, but with me obviously. But we are talking about my difficulty here, so it still needs to be said.

-the communities arent built in here like they were with reddit, so you sort of have to find it, and the regular posters who have the kind of quality content you want. This is pretty cool, but vastly different from reddit and im having a tough time getting used to it.

-there's definitely a few people i missed from the reddit communities i was in, and i wish i knew if they were here or not. (Talking about you, u/nepalman230)

All this being said, holy hell, its wild. Im putting my thoughts out here right now, and while it does feel....uncomfy, i think its more because im not used to it. It feels more like shouting out to the void. Maybe itll talk back. Who knows?

But i think this site is very neat, and i love love LOVE how much more inclusive tumblr is. Im straight and a cis male, but there were a lot of toxic communities that would just not let people be who they say they are, and im so glad that all my LGBTQ+ friends have a more inclusive place like this, and that so many have migrated over here. I wish i wouldve come here sooner.

Im also very grateful to all you veteran tumblr users putting in the effort to help us out. Youve put so much out here for us, to help us better understand how to navigate these new waters, and honestly? I'd have been really screwed without the help ive received, because tumblr is really kinda chaotic.

Its good to be here, and i'm hoping i can get over all my dysfunctions and really enjoy this space you've shared with us.

[witness2caesar]

Introduction Post !

Hello! I already had one of these but some has changed in that little amount of time and I decided to finally get on with it to rewriting it. So here is some stuff about me and my practice.

Before we get into it I would like to say I am so genuinely thankful for having people interact with me on here and be kind to me even when I ask certain questions for help. This especially applies to anyone who saw and comforted me on my very first post going over my anxiety with this and the post where I vented about my depression. I do not reply to comments under posts mainly because I am nervous to but please know that I am forever grateful for all the kindness and support. ❤️

I go by multiple names but as of right now I use "Alyce", "Amleth", "Nakoa", & "Heloise" the most. I have just turned 17 years old about a month ago, I use any pronouns along with Neos such as vamp.(Because gender is fun). I am a Puerto Rican Taíno, with some Dutch thrown in there from my moms side. My experience with my practice hasn't been for long, but my research makes up for it I think. I have been hyper-fixated on Greek Mythology in general since Elementary school but became interested and drawn to the Hellenic practice in middle school. I am not by any means saying my research has been 100% reliable or valid compared to actual first hand experience.

I am a baby witch! I have been interested in the idea of it since around the same time I've been interested in the Hellenic practice, my mom is a very superstitious lady so that still has effect on how I can practice in the house. I am still very new to Tarot, and I have a long way to go with it (Searching up on YouTube for shuffling tutorials)...

About my worship and relationships with Gods, I publicly worship Apollo, Ares, and Hermes. I mostly keep my worship and relationship with Helios, Selene, Nyx, Dionysus, and Aphrodite very private unless to post something silly or progress that I am proud of. This is just a personal choice of mine for now. So you will most likely see more posts of those three than those other five.

I am a writer! The main genre I stick to is around Thriller and Fantasy, and have at least 20+ unfinished book ideas in my docs. I've been feeling much more confident about my writing though and started thinking about doing writing commissions in the future. I do block a lot! So if anyone finds themselves blocked by me its just for personal preference on what I want on my dash, so please don't take it personally :3<

I have an Instagram and TikTok that is also for religious posts but I have just recently made the Instagram and for the TikTok you will have to dm for it because I do not feel comfortable giving it out on a site like this. Thank you:)

[shadyufo]

How much do you like selling on Etsy? I've been thinking about opening up a shop to sell my own taxidermy art on there. It's just that I've heard Etsy is known for shutting down shops randomly and people keep saying that Etsy's "dying"/on a downward slope. I also heard there are a lot of scammers... What are your thoughts?

Hi Anon!

My feelings about Etsy have definitely gotten sorta complicated over the last few years.

First of all, I love my little shop. I love getting to interact with so many sweet and lovely folks and I love getting to send my art and oddities all over the country. I’ve sold pieces through Etsy that have ended up in museums and classrooms, as props in movies and television shows, that have been centerpieces in peoples’ weddings, that were birthday gifts for little kids just getting into nature and science, and so many other neat and wonderful places with some really awesome people who I am forever grateful to for supporting my shop.

That said, in my opinion, Etsy is definitely not what it used to be and there are plenty of things I wish they would do differently to make the site better for sellers and buyers. I think their search feature needs a total revamp and they also need to crack down on all the sellers flooding the site with mass-produced merchandise. Their recent decision that AI-made content is totally fine by them is another serious bummer and a slap in the face to the real artists using their platform. The list goes on.

In spite of all that, if you want to open an online shop, then Etsy is still probably the best site to do it on, at least starting out. It’s a trusted, household name and they have millions of users from all around the world so you are going to be getting much more traffic than if you were just starting your own site from scratch without any sort of social media following.

You'll still likely want to grow a social media presence (if you haven't already) to help drive traffic to your site rather than rely on Etsy alone for this. A great deal of my own shop's traffic comes from Tumblr and what little I post on other social media. This is something I really should be better about as I've kinda shot myself in the foot by not utilizing them more over the years...but I just really don't like using TikTok or Instagram haha.

From what I’ve seen, vulture culture stuff-wise, Etsy mostly gets mad at folks who sell wet specimens or other more “gruesome” type of oddities and don’t blur the main listing photo or do something similar to warn folks that it could be something they might find upsetting. They also prohibit the sale of some animal parts that are perfectly legal to buy and sell provided you follow the laws around them. So if a seller was listing some of those items, while legal elsewhere, that might have gotten them in trouble with Etsy. Here's a list of what they don't allow. And here's a more specific list of their prohibited animal parts. Note bear, wolf, and zebra are on the list—it's perfectly legal to sell parts from some of these animals in some places provided you follow the laws around doing so, but Etsy doesn't allow it at all. I've had them remove listings for domestic dog and cat skulls in the past as well—the law there is in regards to selling dog and cat fur (which is illegal in the US) but Etsy seemed to think it covers bones as well which it does not.

As for scammers, don't click on suspicious links anyone sends you and watch out for people wanting to contact you outside of Etsy. Don’t swap phone numbers, email addresses, etc with people. Etsy has guides on their site on what to watch out for that it’d be good to read through.

So all of that to say that if you want to start selling your work online then I think Etsy is most likely going to be the best place to do it, at least starting out. If you want to just dip your toes in the market before opening an Etsy shop though you can always try posting a few items here or there on Instagram or one of the oddities selling groups on Facebook but in my experience at least, Etsy is still the best way to go. Then, once you build up a following, you can always start your own site or branch out beyond Etsy if you want to.

I wish you all the best, Anon! Hope you find wild success selling your work wherever you decide to do it <3

[maxmoffs]

if you saw my post last night ❗️ since I couldn’t do a lot in the past few months leading up to christmas , sporadically writing , during, I decided to be off discord + dms , and major clean my blogs . and for my mental and to feel happier + less pressure, I did do some soft blocking just for those who have followed me but never interacted, nothing of personal! im obviously open to them following again if they come back but as of rn bc I’ve stopped following back in general. it’s just for my own mental wellbeing and rather focus on you guys that do genuinely want to write with me, wanda and my muses, because I love them all. ♥️ THAT BEING SAID, HELLO. I AM OFFICIALLY ON MY WEEK BREAK . EEEEEEEE expect some major writing after a month of being completely icky activity! it doesn’t seem a lot, and I will still be naturally periodic, but because I work 5 days a week, I really barely can keep up so this break is a lot for me, im sorry im such a difficult partner 🥹 but honestly i do love my all blogs . I had a panic delete this week because i got a weird message and felt like, really ppl got annoyed lmao but it’s natural anxiety, so we ignore! so i DEFINITELY love those of you that are understanding AND continue to write with me anyway despite my slowness , now that im in a balanced headspace now and not thinking about holiday chaos, seriously just want this space to be lax and not pressure because I also opened these blogs to let my writing creativity out and run wild and I missed the rpc so much , i missed writing with people / aka all of you and i am ( really truly believe this ) always excited and incredibly grateful to be writing. so this is the last time, I’ve ever ever saying sorry for my activity again. really can’t let this site make me feel less or have to prove my writing!! do not tolerate behaviour of the sort, and I can’t let it get to me, especially when this space just serves as my space where I can unwind from my chaotic life , so we dont need unnecessary pressure nor expectation, but just pure fun and my creative juices to flow , so whoever stays stay, whoever goes goes, sayonara because I cherish those who do enjoy to continue to write with me ♥️.

[hy0ung]

Hii my stars! 🌸✨

How are you? I'm fine, thank you. Came here for a little chat, maybe a vent and announcements, so let's start with this post, and you will be able to go back scrolling real soon, I promise!

First of all, announcements:

1 - Requests OPEN FOR ANY GROUP/IDOL: I know I said I'd stick only to my Tinybebe little bubble, but some kind people asked me about other groups, and I enjoyed doing readings for them, so now I'm fully open to other groups too! ✨🩷

2 - Christmas event + shipp game coming: Most of you who follow me probably came from my shipp games, where you could get a reading on you and your bias. As I said, I stopped doing these readings for free because they were a lot, demanded a lot of energy, and some people didn't even show any gratitude, even a thank you or feedback, and they unfollowed me as soon as I did their reading. So yeah, now I only do it as paid readings, but as promised, I'd host some events on special dates, like Christmas! So please be tuned in, because soon I'll drop the post with the infos and rules! 🎄🎁

3 - Paid readings: I have a special post dedicated to it, so if you want to buy one, this month I'll do a special promotion: buy one, win one. So, by buying a reading from me, I'll gift you with any other you choose. I await you in my DMs! 🌸✨

4 - Kindness: I would really appreciate it if you could please keep it friendly. You know me, I don't back down in a fight, and I'm not afraid to speak out or even argue when I feel the need to, but I still would appreciate it if you were polite in your asks. It keeps this community cool, easygoing, and friendly. Recently I found this site called Grammar Check (I'll put a pic here) that helps me to translate and fix the grammar mistakes, because, as you know, English is not my first language, and it helps me to be able to post quickly for you, but please, have some patience. I still have a weekly job, sometimes I work on weekends or in extra shifts, and I'm still at the university, so yeah, it could take some time. Please be kind and empathetic! 

I know that a few days ago I said I would be more active, and then I disappeared again, and I'm really sorry about that. Some of you don't know, but in addition to going through financial difficulties, I've been going through a difficult emotional period. I've suffered from anxiety and depression for a long time now, and although I manage to live well most of the time, this year I've had more relapses than usual. I've had problems at home, health problems, and that's made it hard for me to be here constantly.

But I'm really determined to change that. I always get motivated at the end of the year, making plans for the next year and organizing my pending tasks. So yes, I'm working on it! I'm changing my mindset and my habits, and in this way, I'm managing to stabilize myself, and that has helped me lately, so I believe I'll be able to keep my presence here.

I want to interact more with you, so if you've read this far, know that I'm grateful for your presence and your support. Thank you so much for waiting for me and for understanding me. I will work hard and do my best to make this blog a comfortable, safe, and happy place for you! ✨🩷

[gadzooksgalore]

I'm not entirely sure why but lately I've been in a very introspective mood when it comes to my art, specifically the attention (or lack thereof) it receives. So I'm gonna ramble a bit. Feel free to ignore this completely.

God has been growing me in a lot of ways over the past few years and I've finally reached a point where I no longer worry about/obsess over the amount of attention my work receives online. And gosh, it's seriously so freeing. To simply post something I made for the sake of sharing it, rather than wondering how many people will like it? It's a wonderful feeling. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY appreciate when people interact with my work and speak kindly about my stories/characters. It's something that inspires me to keep creating! But I'm just grateful that external influence no longer dictates the worth I attribute to my art. (Now the only problem is internal influence and comparison and my own stupid expectations...but that's a conversation for another day.)

At the same time, I realize my work never got much attention over the years because I didn't make enough art to warrant attention. And I think I always secretly knew this but seeing just how little people cared about my work still hurt. Even now, many of those who interact with my art are people I've initiated conversations with or consider friends - which I've come to realize is much more meaningful than the opinions of strangers, from my perspective. Regardless, consistency is very helpful when it comes to catching folks' attention within online spaces, and I recognize I just can't manage that. How many times did younger me feel terrible about herself simply because her sporadic art got a couple likes, or none at all? Sometimes I wish I could grab her shoulders and say, "The internet is a weird system and you can't keep up with it, so don't waste your feelings on this beast!"

I'd need two hands to count how many times I've wanted to create some sort of art-based ask blog, only to reach the conclusion that it'd be less disappointing not to try than to watch it fizzle out due to my own lack of ability. I've mostly come to terms with the fact that I'm just not fast, and that sometimes my 'best' is not very good. But aside from wanting to encourage interest from others on this site, there's always been a part of me that wished I could draw quickly and produce character art to bring life to the overwhelming amount of ideas in my head. For me.

I just wish I could draw what's floating around my mind, and in this particular season I wish I could draw at all. Not for anyone else but myself. To see the characters I created, drawn by my own hand. It's funny how priorities and perceptions change as you grow. Back then I wanted attention, but the only thing I want now is to be able to draw again.

[aheathen-conceivably]

Did someone say Simblr Gratitude Day? ✨

Y’all will have to forgive me for not having more prepared to show the immense gratitude I have for y’all today (a special thank you to @armoricaroyalty for the idea!) so please instead have a characteristic rant because I love you all and I can’t let that go without being said!

There’s no possible way for me to tag everyone I am grateful for because there is/has been so many of you who have helped and inspired me along the way. Also there’s so many of you who make the community what it is by reading or sharing, so I want to thank all of you beyond just those mutuals and content creators I appreciate. So thank you…

❤️ To all my Fellow Simblrs both big and small:

I know how utterly strange this little hobby can be. It can suck you in and spit you back out, take our attention for weeks and months at a time and then burn you out. It can be immensely fulfilling, creatively inspiring, and then exhausting. Thank you all for continuing to post here every day, for making this community a vibrant and lively space for those who have been here for years, the teenage simblrs just finding their sea legs, and for the new people stumbling into the community every day. Thank you for inspiring me and welcoming me and making me want to come back every day!

❤️ To my fellow Decades and Historical simmers:

What a strange and serendipitous moment when I fell into this little niche world. I would never have thought there were so many of us who find so much joy in combining these two hobbies and interests, so to see you all out here thriving and creating was a wonderful moment. Thank you to CC creators/mod makers/recolorers/builders/pose makers/and anyone else who makes this possible at all. Without y’all how could we transform this game into the historical wonderland we’ve come to love?

Another huge thank you to anyone who’s ever posted their decades challenge or historical content, to those doing gameplay or those who fell down the challenge to storytelling pipeline (hello it’s me) or those who share their edits and lookbooks. Y’all have all inspired me more than y’all can know.

❤️ To my mutuals and simblr besties:

The moment we utter ~mutuals~ on this site y’all know exactly what I mean. Like a little telekinetic bond that when I see your content or you see mine you know that’s exactly why we’re here, and I’ll support you every damn time. Thank you to those in the notes, those I speak to regularly, and those who I may not know as well; y’all are all the lifeblood of my dash and I have found many little icons I know immediately. Even if I don’t see you for a while you’re still in my mind and I’m so grateful for that.

A special above and beyond shoutout to those who have helped make the story happen at all. Those who have patiently walked me through technical skills and editing techniques and those who read my rough drafts and give me absolutely invaluable feedback. And of course those who finally pulled me down the reshade rabbit hole despite my unbecoming stubbornness. Y’all know who y’all are and seriously, would I even still be writing without y’all?

❤️ To anyone who has ever read, engaged with, or enjoyed my story:

I just…I cannot even possibly fathom how to show my gratitude to y’all. I never intended for my small little hobby to completely take over my brain, or for my decades challenge to become a story to this degree. But little by little it has done so, and I have y’all to thank for that. To those in the community who found me when I was a baby simblr and reblogged me, or those who encouraged me when getting more than 10 notes a post was an exciting feat. To anyone who has enjoyed a single picture or a single post, to the casual readers, and those who have jumped aboard along the way.

I am grateful for every interaction. Every single like and comment and reblog brings joy to my day and inspiration to continue creating. But a very special thank you to those I see in my notes every story post, who have been here from the beginning or gone back to read the story despite having literally hundreds of posts to go through. To those that know my characters and take the time to comment on them with emotion and investment. For all the joy this community brings me, those are the moments when I’m really stunned at my presence here and this little space you’ve all helped me create, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you all ❤️

[sungbeam]

spread some love !

talk about your favourite mutuals and why you like them

hi anon! thanks for sending this in :') im always so bad at posting these things, but i can def do this one. i don't know if i would classify them specifically as favorites, but more so people i've interacted with the most 😭

@justalildumpling : i don't even need to go on besides saying that this woman is my soulmate. "in another life" but we're gonna beat the universe and meet in every life, type of connection. the girl who has seen me at my worst and has still treated me with as much kindness and compassion and care as she did the first time. i feel like in certain ways, we're kind of polar opposites, but also the same? i mean, on paper we can be so different, but when we talk abt what we like and dislike, when we laugh together, it all becomes something of the same and she restores my faith in other people again. she's the person who constantly makes me want to be a better person.

@ethereal-engene : one of my two beloved 姐姐's on this site skfnrknf but i remember talking to ash so many nights abt just any and everything. i am so happy that we're comfortable enough to be able to joke around, share our niche interests, have deep conversations, and even pen pal!! like i think it's crazy how SIMILAR our families are; we could legitimately be long lost sisters haha but also the blood of the covenant runs thicker than the water of the womb sometimes, so that makes sense. she's one of my comfort people, and honestly, i feel like we both come out of nowhere with some topics, but either person will hop right into the convo regardless and just vibe 🤧

@winterchimez : my second 姐姐 on this site !! my older sisters def take care of me well and i am so grateful for that :')) ally is always so supportive and yet so energergizing to talk to. she's def seen a lot of my brainstorming and i feel very comfortable bouncing ideas off her. she's always so generous with me too, like care packages??? RAH 😭 obviously, i love her for reasons besides the material goods, but it's a love language nonetheless. ally is prob one of the warmest and most welcoming presences on this hellsite tbh, so if ur ever looking for a new friend/mutual, she's the best.

@loveliestfelix : nana is another reason why im still around. i like to thank that beomgyu drabble every day for kickstarting our friendship because i have never met someone i have had such lengthy and fun brainstorming sessions with. nana is the type of person i would love to meet irl and just share stories over coffee with, though i feel like i always associate her with train rides and coffee now HAHA she's also one of my greatest writing inspirations, like i was and have always been blown away by her mind, and her word counts. i love calling her the queen of angst, and you will never be disappointed when reading something of hers.

@jaehunnyy : chip's been here for a really long time, like guys, no one can compete when she's been here since i had park jisung as my pfp and she had jeno as hers 😭 i think i really treasure our friendship and how much it's grown over the past two years :')) so much has happened over that time, and i think that if i met her in real life, i would just be blown away by how pretty she is like TT anyways,, i always love talking to her because of how much chaotic energy we create when we do, like i feel like we can power an entire city grid with how much chaos we make, and it's all the better for it. i love her very much, and i hope she understands just how wonderful of a person and friend she is.

@mosviqu : oh, my beloved bar, i love u to bits and pieces. i think recently you've become one of the few reasons why im still here writing and posting. like i am so utterly, from the bottom of my heart, grateful for all of your support and the love you've given and shown me. and even when we moved to dms to converse, i just realized how cool you are as a person, and how similar we are (in the best way possible). it's really nice to be able to connect with a person on multiple levels, and im really happy that was the case with us :') as soon as i saw ur love for tomorrow by chanyeol, i knew there would be something more to our friendship. i am so very fond of you, and your writing blows me away every time i read it.

@zzoguri : moni :( i hope ur doing well, friend, and i know you haven't been active here lately but i do wish you all the best. i love how passionate and committed you are to improving in writing and developing your own creative writing style, and it's so impressive to read your writing in general :') i love the confidence you advocate for yourself, and how real you are. thanks so much for being a friend; i just really appreciate all the support and hype you've given me during my time on deobiblr, like thank you for being such a thoughtful person.

@wuahae : cat and i have definitely interacted more off this site than on this site, but i felt that it was dire she was included here nonetheless. like bro, thank you for literally being the reason i come out of my apartment (or in most cases, invite people to my apartment), and for thinking of me! i think i once told you how hard it is to find friends in college, but you've made my experience here far less lonely. i love getting dinner with you, planning outings, and making weird animal noises together on the streets 😭 also, cat's writing is literally so poetic, and just her explaining to me her plot ideas tears visceral reactions out of me TT

@yunhoszn : i feel like me and fawn are low-key on the same wavelength a lot of the times, but in general, i think fawn's just such a rad person. i've told her once or twice before but i genuinely love her writing style because it has so much personality in it. it just makes reading her fics such a fun and enjoyable experience. also even off this site, i have so much fun interacting with her, like just commenting on her instagram posts like the gremlin i am, i know she's gonna hit me with the best response back skfnkejd (waiting for the day i go to where u r so u can do my makeup low-key... ur so fly, pls do my makeup...)

@goldenhypen : em, my lovely twin :')) i know our interactions have def decreased, but i don't think that's decreased the fondness we hold for one another. i remember when em first started interacting with my works and then followed me, i literally rolled off the couch cuz i started fangirling 😭 and she is one of the most genuine and brightest presences here. she is a follow forever, bro, you better follow her forever. i just adore her compassion for others and her absolutely adorable fic concepts, and omg don't even get me started on her work ethic 😭 i wished u the best everyday you had requests, i don't know how u did it. you are literally superhuman.

@hqrana : i haven't spoken with noa in quite awhile, but im guessing it's cuz she's girlbossing her way through to that nursing program 🤧 my favorite woman in stem girl in this hellsite, she is my beloved xnonie 😭 i think i just appreciate noa's undeniable presence and character so much, like she brings so much energy to my inbox whenever she's here, and her support of my ideas and fics just makes me 🙇🏻‍♀️ like thank you for being here. and to know we both love marvel and taylor swift? i feel like she has to be like,, my best friend? like she needs to be my best friend?? sending hugs and well wishes your way, always.

[pokemenlovingmen]

Oh neato new blog!! I enjoy reading peoples different interpretations of characters through x reader imagines, and it’s nice to see another one pop up. If you’re comfortable with it, would it alright if I request a scenario using any Pokémen of your choice developing a crush on a male reader who’s a big, intimidating buff guy..but in personality is actually a softie and an attentive single father to his young child. (Who is tinyyyy. Just a lil thing to contrast dad) I like romance and found family..what can I say.

oooooh that sounds so fun and cute!! Since it seems like you meant one guy, I’ll do one dude, but a longer post! Usually that’s my form, one person gets a longer post whereas multiple get shorter segments… however long it takes me to adhere to that. Because I have no self control. Anyway, my man of choice for this ended up being Grusha, because some nice and warm fluff should melt that frosty exterior.

And on the romance and found family thing, you are speaking my language fluently, you’re talking to a guy who worships those things in fan content. You can’t!! Go wrong with it!!

Soft as Snow

Grusha x Intimidating Male Reader (who has a kid!)

So. In your relationship Grusha might be a bit uh.

❄️ — Grusha is not a kids guy. Not at all. He’s the literal opposite of sunshine and rainbows. But hosting arguably the most intense and therefore exciting out of Paldea’s gym matches and spending so much time in a snow-covered mountain that is, realistically, so much fun for a kid to go to, he sees a lot of kids. Usually glued to their parents, which he’s grateful for, because rounding up some kid who runs off is about the last thing you can expect him to do successfully. So all in all, he limits his interactions with kids as much as humanly possible, but understands his job puts him around them a lot.

❄️ — A frequent culprit of drawing in rugrats he’d really rather not interact with would be the Cetoddles he looks after. He supposes he can’t blame the kids, they’re pretty cute and definitely not something you see anywhere but the mountain. And that’s exactly what gets him awkwardly interacting with some unknown little girl when he’d rather be doing anything else.

❄️ — A little girl had come to look at one Cetoddle, and with no parents in sight, he had to stay near. So, sighing, he stuffs his hands in his pockets and walks over, making the Cetoddle chirp excitedly when it sees him. He clears his throat and makes some horribly awkward attempts at small talk at this random child, no older than seven, who is just staring at him so intently now.

❄️ — “You, uh… like Cetoddle? Yeah… um. I think he likes you,” he tries, but he’s no… well, any other gym leader, even Larry, would be better at entertaining some random child while phoning the league staff on site that some unsupervised kid is running around.

❄️ — But he never actually has to make that call, because you run up shortly after he hesitantly approaches, frantically calling your daughter’s name. Like good lord, she is so fast. You blink once and she’s gone. You’re pretty fit, but even now you’re sweating profusely from all the times she’s bolted off on you.

❄️ — Grusha just stares at you as you approach, bug-eyed and wondering how the earth didn’t literally rumble as you ran up. Because holy shit, you’re massive. Legitimately built like an Ursaring and for a second he fears for his life and regrets ever approaching this kid thinking she was lost, because he could swear at the speed a guy who looks like you is approaching, you’re about to bite his head off for getting near her. Once again, interacting with kids proves more trouble than it’s worth, considering he’s so sure this is going to genuinely cost him his life. People get rash when it comes to their kids, understandably.

❄️ — But instead, you look at him, then at your daughter and immediately fall into bowing your head muttering thanks and apologies. “Oh, hey, I’m so sorry, she can be so fast when she wants to, I hope she wasn’t pestering you and your Pokemon for too long!”

❄️ — While you’re gently chiding your daughter for running off and imposing on a stranger, he looks from her to you. Then to her. Then to you. She’s not even, like, a quarter of your size. Being a former athlete, he’s seen some built dudes, but you’re giant and he’s still taken aback by how different your attitude was compared to your appearance and how doting you clearly are over your daughter. (A big heart AND nice body? Grusha isn’t even aware of how many of his boxes you tick because he’s just never thought about those things since his accident.)

❄️ — He clears his throat, scratching at the back of his neck awkwardly. “Uh. No problem. She wasn’t causing any trouble.”

❄️ — Both of you awkwardly mumble out some small talk (Grusha really isn’t one for talking and you’re kind of struggling to hold up the conversation), but when he mentions he’s got to get back to the Gym, you’re shocked. Oh! He’s the gym leader?! THE retired snowboarding prodigy?

❄️ — Turns out you and your daughter had just moved to Paldea, and to warm up to your new home, you’re taking her to see a few of the Ten Sights of Paldea. She ran off when she saw the Cetoddle on their hike, though, and you’re pretty surprised you just kind of bumbled into a pretty famous trainer who you’ve seen in a lot of informative pamphlets and ads for the region. It also makes you increasingly apologetic for your daughter imposing on him because he definitely has a job to do, and shouldn’t be pulled away from it.

❄️ — The conversation doesn’t last much longer, and you part ways shortly after. Grusha doesn’t even realize how attractive you are to him, you’ve got his heart thumping but he doesn’t even consider feelings for someone being a reason why. He’s just sort of resigned himself to be alone. But deep down, seeing a man so attractive (like phew. you are FIT.) be so caring and soft is actually really resonating with him. Basically, you’re a type he doesn’t even know he has.

❄️ — He’s a bit surprised when he sees you and your daughter again after a week or two, back on Glaseado. You wave and give him just the sweetest, happiest greeting when you meet again and sheepishly explain that your daughter became fascinated with the local Ice-type Pokemon and had been begging to go out and see them again. (He’s not sure if he can imagine that child emoting. His interactions with her, including now, all she’s done is hug your side and stare blankly at him.)

❄️ — But you’ve done something rare, and like most of his feelings, Grusha doesn’t realize it—you’ve struck a chord with him somehow and he’s too much of a die hard, stubborn loner to understand why. So when you meet for the second time he awkwardly offers to let you and your daughter meet the local Cetoddle pod that he watches over a lot.

❄️ — It’s cute. Seeing someone of your towering stature playing with the Cetoddles, who somehow don’t fear you at all despite how intimidating you are. They’re crazy about you, probably because they see how your daughter interacts with you and just flock to your parental nature. That and your daughter herself just having a good time while you laugh with her, sometimes throwing halfhearted snowballs because you know if you actually tried to could hurt someone with one, and she mostly just wants to pelt you with them than get hit herself. (Kids)

❄️ — The whole time, Grusha’s watching, not even aware of how smitten he is. But someone else is, because after a bit he’s startled by something shaking violently on his poke ball belt, and then with a crack! and no other warning out comes his Altaria, which grabs his scarf in its talons and drags him the hell over to you. When it shoves the flustered Grusha your way, it lands and begins preening itself, instantly capturing your daughter’s attention. (Because what kid wouldn’t want to pet the fluffy cloud bird? Altaria’s cute, and it knows it.)

❄️ — While Grusha’s giving his dirty traitor of a Pokemon the stink eye, you just give this warm and hearty laugh that has his heart doing flips all over again, and pat Altaria on the head. “Aw, this is a friendly one! Isn’t it pretty?” (To which your daughter vigorously nods.)

❄️ — “Uh, yeah, sorry…” he glares at it, and out of the corner of its eye Altaria glares back. “She’s usually not like this. I don’t know what her issue is.”

❄️ — “Haha, it’s no problem!”

❄️ — Then silence. And silence. …And silence. Grusha’s out of things to say, which didn’t take long at all. You cough. He clears his throat. The both of you watch your daughter and his Pokemon play in the snow. He’s only just now realizing how strangely desperately he wants to find something to say to you. And then, while playing with your daughter, Altaria gives him another Look.

❄️ — Oh. Oh, Altaria knew, too. Altaria was trying to bide him time. Well, he couldn’t let his Pokemon companion’s efforts go to waste, as embarrassing as it was…

❄️ — “So, uh…” he clears his throat. “Wanna… come back to the gym with me? Got a coffee machine there. Get something to warm you up.”

❄️ — Your eyes light up and it feels like his heart just got body-slammed. “Hey, that sounds great!”

❄️ — You call your daughter, and he calls his Pokemon, both running at the promise of some hot chocolate from the coffee machine. As you and him are both turning to head back in the direction of the gym, you completely miss a certain interaction nearby.

❄️ — Your daughter tugs on Grusha’s scarf, and when he looks down at her, she gives an unsettlingly blank stare as she studies his face. Finally, as if it’s a complex equation she just solved, she happily announces: “You’re nice.”

❄️ — Oh, uh… thanks? Those are the words Grusha wants to say, at least, but your daughter keeps going with a genuine verbal gut-punch.

❄️ — “I think you and my daddy should get married.”

❄️ — Kids say the darndest things, huh? (You exchange numbers by the end of the day, and who knows… maybe one of you will follow your daughter’s advice some day. But definitely not today. Grusha has to go crawl into the void and die of embarrassment first.)

[touloserlautrec]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Thanks for the tag, @mk-writes-stuff (here) and @ceph-the-ghost-writer (here)!

The question template by @davycoquette is here!

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr? Uh... Hmm. Me and time measurement don't mix great. Haha maybe about a year ish?

What led you to create it? My partner/co-writer, @sunset-a-story pulled me in and I'm grateful they did! I'm always resistant to joining social media sites, but this one was well worth it.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community? All the kindness and interaction. It's the one place on the internet I feel like I'm interacting with real humans and engaging with creativity anymore, rather than just shouting into the void. It's a great community.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you? I am an introvert with a deeply people-focused job, so sometimes I don't interact as much as I'd like to because of The Tired. But I love seeing your posts and reading your stories and thinking about your characters!

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash? I pretty much always want more stories and characters and art. There is plenty of it on my dash, but I am a glutton for blorbos and stories.

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today? Don't be afraid to comment, reblog, send asks-- I was super nervous about that at first because on other sites it can be a minefield, but the writeblr community is wonderful!

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately? Pretty much I'm working on Sunset all the time. It's the only WIP I'm actively writing/editing and I'm rotating it in my head for most of my days. But I do have a handful of OCs from other stories/'verses that live strictly in my brain. Lately, that's included an alien Mech pilot named Lux; a head-empty reincarnation of a trickster fae, named Axel; and a reluctant superhero who travels through people's dreams, named Piper.

How long have you been working on them? I've been working on Sunset with @sunset-a-story for about 17 years. The last several years (8, by their count) it's been more seriously dedicated writing. Axel has lived in my head for probably a decade, and Lux is less than a year in. Piper came into being a couple weeks ago.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started? Sunset started as a TTRPG that grew into a much larger story. It definitely had anime influences at the time and has evolved from there.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them? If I'm not focusing on work, then... all of it.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say? I have a bad habit of downplaying it that I'm trying to break, so usually it starts as something like, "A silly genre serial," and then I try to course correct to something like, "It's a science-fantasy serial about people with powers, corrupt, problematic corporations, and espionage, with romance and horror elements and lots of intertwined storylines."

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)? I'd like to, without cringing, just be like "Listen, it sounds bananas but it's like the best dump cake you ever ate. It's so delicious. It has everything. It has super powers, it has deeply flawed and morally grey characters, it has horrible cannibal vampires and people who hunt them, it has cult-like corporations, it's queer and diverse as hell, there's romance and steamy scenes, and it has SPIES. It's hilarious sometimes and devastating others. It will hurt your feelings. You'll love it."

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created. Listen, our cast is enormous enough that we have a Dramatis Personae. So Instead of listing them, here's a link to my art, which is 99.9% exclusively of our OCs.

Who’s the most unhinged? Sunset's cast falls into one of three categories: OCs I created, OCs @sunset-a-story created, and OCs we both created and the origin is murky at best. I'm gonna choose one that I created here-- Emmett. He pretty much an unhinged, driven, competitive hurricane.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write? Alex. Alex is my baby and is the closest to my heart. He was the first character in Sunset I created.

Do you ever cringe at them? Oh, all the time. They don't make good choices, but that's how you build a great story.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters? Only some. They mostly take off themselves. I just kind of get a seed of imagination germinating and see where it grows.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? YES. I love asks, reblogs, tags, comments... Being a writer/artist/creative online feels like shouting into an empty void most of the time, so when I get a comment or a reblog or an ask it's like the biggest battery charge for me. It's easy to get discouraged, so those moments are life savers sometimes.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? If their WIP seems to vibe with me (especially science-fantasy, queer, romantic, dark stories), if they post a lot of their own work and reblog other original creators' work, if there's art involved too, or if they generally seem like someone I'd vibe with.

What makes you decide against following? Usually it's either because a blog is too dedicated to fandoms I don't know, or if it's all just reblogs of memes--then it depends on the vibe. But the biggest reason I don't follow is, unfortunately, that I get tired and can't focus enough to scope new people out. BUT I do keep tabs on new blogs in my activity notifications to come back to and check out when I've recouped some energy.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often? ...Maybe? TBH I forget sometimes who are moots and who I just follow. I interact with people that seem neat and friendly and I'm brave enough to try. Some of them are for sure moots. Some of them aren't. And then there are those who seem really cool and I need to build up confidence enough to interact with more than just liking and reblogging. Which is silly, because almost all of us say all the time that we love interaction from others, so...why do we let anxiety do this to us??

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle? YES. BLORBOS. I think about them regularly. It's the best.

I'll gently tag @revenantlore @littlemoondarling @scribe-of-stories and open tag!