#i'm too scary

[bewareofchris]

I've been on the writer's tag again.

Listen guys.

Nobody owes your fanfic anything. I know that you want validation and adoration and those are both completely normal things to want. But this obsessive demand for comments over kudos and reblogs over likes is A Problem.

I won't bore you with tales of yore where we literally punted our fiction into the world with no idea of how it was being perceived by others because the only way to know if anyone even glanced at it was by the incredibly inaccurate page counter on our shitty geocities page.

(But that was a thing and it's semi-relevant to my point.)

A lot of you are growing up in a era of social media and viral marketing. You are babies of the influencer age, raised on the myth that if you can just get enough attention you'll get famous for something. I don't mean 10 million followers on insta famous but famous in your specific sphere.

That will not happen for you.

Not because people aren't reblogging your shit or writing out loving comments but because it's a myth. The idea that if you shame, beg and cajole enough people into interacting with your creation you'll access some serotonin high and ascend to a greater state of being is also a myth.

Here's the truth:

Most writers do not know how the majority of their audience feels about their fics. Those very few novels that you see on booktok, X (former twitter) or wherever else you get your writing news represent an infinitesimal portion of stories written and books published.

Most writers do have writing buddies or trusted members of an inner circle that they share their writing with.

For most fandoms, fanfics are so plentiful it's like going into a mall sized grocery store that sells only apples and then demanding the customer review every apple they touch.

For those few fanfics that you see that have an outrageous number of comments there are three possible explanations: 1. that person is what we used to call a "Big Name Ficcer" and they have amassed a following through consistent production of whatever that fandom is into, 2. that is a fic so long you have to sign a waiver to start reading it and despite the fact it was started seven years ago its still getting updated, or 3. that person is writing a viral fic in a fandom that is presently on fire.

Your self worth and self esteem cannot be tied to writing and posting fanfiction. It might be a fun outlet or you might be looking for your viral moment, but either way the moment you start weighing your worth as an author or creator based on what a bunch of strangers on the internet think of you is the moment you give up on yourself.

Social media has brainwashed you into thinking that you must be recognized and rewarded for the things that you put onto the internet. Or maybe it hasn't brainwashed you, maybe you just want to get a comment because you worked super hard on something and you feel like if you can't even get one decent response then its all been wasted. (I.e. you've been brainwashed into the feeling that you need the validation of strangers for happiness purposes.)

So what are you going to do about this?

Get off the internet. I don't mean permanently. I don't even mean literally. I mean take yourself out of the spaces that reinforce the idea that you need validation from strangers to be happy. Stop going on the social media sites for a few days (or a few weeks). If you've got a friend in fandom that you share fics, headcanons, ideas or anything with start chatting with them about something you want to write. Invest in them, in what they're doing and their opinions and how they react to your creations.

Put your shit on the internet like you literally don't give a fuck about anyone's opinion. Explain nothing about your writing choices. Put warnings, no more than 5 tags and drop that shit into the world like a newborn giraffe. Then ignore it.

Teach yourself to seek validation from your accomplishments: write a slightly longer fic, write a fic in a different genre, write a fic in a different rating, write a fic in a different fandom.

Find an actual friend that you actually interact with whose opinion you know matters because you agree on the important stuff.

Stop begging strangers for compliments like a cartoon hobo shaking a cup for coins. You're better than that.

[noahkirschtein]

i hate that the phrase "netflix and chill" became code for sex cause wtf is my asexual ass meant to say if i just wanna chill and watch TV shows now ??

hey you wanna chill and watch netflix (NOT SEX) ?

[somewhereincairparavel]

"jason is a knockoff watered down percy" NO hear me out, jason actually parallels annabeth immensely, sharing SO many similarities with her personality, not percy, in this essay I will-

edit: my full analysis is out now! here

[egophiliac]

buckle up lads we're going BACK INTO THE BOOK

[avenoirn]

to hold you is my only wish

[baskeigh-ball]

posting some mind swap doodles to prove im still alive, so have a few headcanons :D

- Leo in Mikey's body is pure chaos, he has no boundaries when it comes to modifications to "his" body in order to feel more comfortable in his own skin. For example, he gave himself his old markings to cover up Mikey's spots (only around the eyes tho, the arm and leg markings would take way more time.) He loves using Mikey's mystic powers/weapons at first, but eventually feels too weird about it and switches to his own weapons/gear to cope

- Mikey reins him in whenever he gets a little too confident in using his mystic powers though. Mikey is always hovering nearby to make sure Leo doesn't decide to go overboard, fully aware of Leo's lack of awareness when it comes to his physical limits, let alone when he's in someone else's body

- Raph is on the opposite side of the spectrum as far as modifications go, only willing to give Donnie his tech back and wear arm wraps to feel more like himself.

- The only tech he has to keep is the battle shell, especially after realizing just how fragile Donnie's body really is. He becomes refuses to take it off for days at a time, and when he does finally take it off, he's extremely paranoid and puts himself in the safest spot possible: his own room, bundled up in pillows and blankets.

- He also is woefully ignorant in how the battle shell is operated, so it goes haywire pretty often in the beginning. Donnie has to be nearby and ready to be damage control for a long time before Raph becomes confident enough to operate the battle shell's most basic functions.

[bunjywunjy]

my aunt wanted to know how the fuck I heard her lost phone ringing 50 yards away in dense underbrush and I FINALLY got to use the "autism grants many powers that some would consider to be... unnatural" line, I've fulfilled my purpose on this earth

[feathernotes]

I was writing up a post to help encourage folks who’ve always wanted to start a webcomic to dive in- and that they shouldnt have to fear ‘being perfect’ to start one And as I was going along, it made me sad to realise that.. there is an expectation now in the webcomic sphere, as much as I want to deny it (and that it should NOT stop folks from creating!!! please keep creating, no matter your level) I’m bummed out about the changes in the webcomic sphere over the past 5 years, i’m disappointed that there has been changes to this medium that was KNOWN for all of the different skill levels and flavours of so many different creators. I want to combat that. I want to see more beginner art, I want to see that excitment and embracing of growth. I want to see what made webcomics so accessible to so many creators and readers flourish again. Hopefully, if you see this post, and you’ve always wanted to make a webcomic but felt you weren’t ‘good enough’ : Make one anyways. Have fun even if you don’t know all the ‘ins and outs�� of comics. Make one because you’re obsessed with your characters and you wanna share them with the world. Make one just because you can, and not because it has to fit in some impossible standard we’ve forced onto ourselves because of the changing landscape. Start one, and have fun doing it for YOU!

[demonic0angel]

DP x DC Prompt: Selina Kyle has to awkwardly explain to Bruce about the weird meta girl (Dani) who just sort of comes and goes from Selina's home like a feral cat no matter where she happens to live.

"... so she's who?"

"My new kitten," Selina replied smoothly.

Bruce looked at the young girl who was drinking Selina's soda with one hand on her phone and the other on a cat in her lap as she sat at the kitchen table.

"Selina, that is a person."

Selina said, "No, Bruce, that is my new kitten."

Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Selina— this is very irresponsible! Where are her parents?"

"She doesn't have any. I just feed her and she leaves. If she wants to, she can take a shower here too."

Selina walked over to the girl and patted her head. The girl paused and then sulked, but didn't say anything as she continued to look at her cracked phone. When Selina did it again, she gave a small hiss, pouting at her before turning back to her device.

Selina brandished her arms towards her, eyebrows raised expectantly, as if to say, "Isn't she cute??"

Bruce sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

How on earth did he fall in love with a woman who had an adoption addiction just as bad as his again?

[mizgnomer]

Doctor Who - Wild Blue Yonder - Visual Effects - Part Two

Link to [ Part One ]

[son1c]

new yoke sonic :^)

the palm tree is great and all, but what about the flickies?? in this backwards world, those little animals are his only friends, so he’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect them. when the chaos council took over, they were in great danger, and bullet made the tough choice to trade his freedom for their safety, acting as an enforcer on their behalf.

[deoidesign]

Ray of sunshine

(pre-launch page for their comic)

[revvethasmythh]

You know, I think there's something so, so insidious to the idea that Orym's perspective of the Vanguard is "flawed/human" or that him repeatedly reminding his friends what the Vanguard does (kill innocents to achieve their means) "blocks nuance" in the conversation, etc, because it implies that, in this mythical "objective" perspective that apparently exists, the Vanguard aren't so bad. If only Orym could put aside his petty grievances, such as the murder of his father and husband, and let people be nuanced about this situation, he'd see there's two sides to this story. And why discount the Vanguard's perspective just because *checks notes* they're a massive, manipulative cult that preys on vulnerable people to join their ranks and turns them to violence, or that they work with a centuries-old fascist eugenicist literally mind-controlling psychic government with the goal of freeing a creature that could very well destroy the world as we know it and even if it doesn't, will leave an enormous power vacuum for that fascist government to potentially occupy when they invade Exandria?

I think there's some misconception people have that they think war shouldn't ever be personal and if it does become personal for someone then their logic is too clouded by their feelings to see the situation clearly, just automatically. And perhaps sometimes, in some contexts, this can be true! But not here. It's actually quite cut and dried that Orym's "flawed, human" perspective is the one reminding everyone of the human cost to Ludinus' grand plans, all in the name of so called "progress"

[writeouswriter]

Why are college websites sooo stingy with their details, I just want to know what the course actually entails, like what are the concepts they're actually teaching, and they're like oh we're too cool and aloof and mysterious, we can't let you know that, teehee, now sign up for my email list that just redirects you to the home page, boy.

[materassassino]

Calling them done right now, eheheheh. (Nicky does also have a sniper rifle)

And for everyone wondering where Nicky's cargo pants are

BAM!

Side prints, babey!

[cerealforkart]

It's here everybody! Dungeons and Daddies the Manga is now possible for you to buy and to hold!

I'll have this store open for a few months to let orders build up before I place my own order to get the books made (I don't want to order 100 books in advance and only get 50 orders, leaving me with a ton of leftovers, y'know?), so be prepared to wait a while before it's actually in your hands.

Dungeons and Daddies the Manga is over 250 pages, and costs $25 CAD (~$18 USD) before shipping, which is about $2 less than the manga I most recently bought!

While you're over there, I also have a leftover sale for the stickers I made for the anniversary some months ago, so if you missed out on those, now is the time to grab them while supplies last! They're $10 CAD a pack (~$7 USD).