#if anyone wants to give me some monetary support

[hybridshadowz]

Kinda late, but November’s phone wallpaper is up for my Patreon peeps!

Featuring the lovely mushroom in the Chasm, Xamaran. What a good lad~

[laylawatermelon]

Please please read this and give it some love but I had an inkling of this feeling but never mentioned it cause I thought it was absurd.

Basically its a tweet of a reddit post (inception ik) basically of how Tim is basically rewriting the characters back to the way they were.

More below 👇🏾

Everyone's been mentioning how the characters have been more in character and the actors are happy and that makes sense.

He's been making them more in character than they ever were.

And with the Buddie situation (yes not everything is about them but i am a buddie fan who happened to find and grow to love this show because of it) it makes the most sense.

Now that Oliver mentioned the love story and everyone assumed it was the shooting and being in live it made the most sense.

Who else was he going to be falling in love woth at the time? It surely wasn't Taylor. Their romantic relationship was always doomed to fail and it was a great friendship they had (ehhh sideye for Bobby situation and Jonah eventually) that lasted if they weren't too persnally involved in each others lives.

She'd have been a perfect friend for him to gossip about the drama at the 118 (not work cause you know she'd make a story). That relationship wasn't going to work. He's too honest and she's too opportunisic.

If it hadn't been Jonah it'd be something else and he'd feel the same sense of betrayal (also Buck kissing Lucy was betrayal but that also felt a lil like assult cause she got him reallllly drunk and if the roles were reversed people wouldn't be that enthusiastic about it).

The only other love story that's been written logically as a will they won't they tragic and emotionally complex story is Buck and Eddie's.

Season 2 he replaced his love intrest! Like come on!

But in all seriousness, the Ana breakup and ll the vague dollow your heart is basically being rehashed.

I remember someone mentioning that Marisol is just another Ana (whoever you are if you see this send me hit I'll put it in here) and that's actually true.

Yay Marisol no last name haters your time has arrived cause it's official she's done!

There's no worry because we're getting a conclusion on the fact that was supposed to happen years ago.

She's not a permanent structure.

This storyline can go two ways.

One Buddie confirmed season 8.

Or two, Eddie realizes what his family could look like and its a single parent home with a support system from work (and Buck but we're gonna just gloss over that for now).

Meta linked above I just talked about Eddie and its coming to fruition (hire me abc im getting better at screenwriting!).

For the first one it's juicy storytelling.

For the other it makes sense as development for Eddie becoming comfortable with himself apart from his identity as a husband/widower, son, Catholic, and father.

He'll learn to bebhimself which he hadn't had the opportunity to do as he had fell into adulthood with his kid and then added on having a child with a disability that needs a lot of monetary support he ended up losing the chance to figure out who he is without all of that.

Even if it's not romantic (😔) it's great for him to realize he doesn't really need to be with anyone or fulfill a role he's not ready or willing to fill due to duty.

He can just be a father and work it iut that way.

Chris only wants his dad happy and I sense he knows his dad isn't happy at times or even worse he's not happy but is pretending so that his dad can be happy as he feels he has to give him that space/approval.

Chris is getting a storyline and he's always been observant so he'll most likely either explode in his feelings and tell his dad or tell him in a misunderstanding (he is getting to be a moody teen after all it's not going to be an adult reaction).

He's been close to death, heard his dad lose it and loat his mom. He's more mature than people give him credit for but the story hadn't included him much recently so we'll just have to see.

[khonaker]

Hi

I think ochako is one of the most under utilised and underrated characters. I'm not a fan of her character (no, i DONT hate her). She had so much of potential amd her fight with BK just proved she's more than a pretty face. I'm fully aware of the fact that this show is oversaturated with characters. But let's not forget that she is the main female lead of the show. My biggest issue with her is that she didn't get to do a god damn thing in the Stain arc. She joined the academy with the sole intention of making money, and that's exactly what Stain hates about the hero society. Their monetary outlook. She could have been a part of the arc, the build up was there. She could have shown Stain that yes, while there are heroes who are there solely for the financial gains, that doesn't make them bad people. She all she wanted was to help her family get out of the poor financial situation they were in. Instead, she gets the typical shonen lead heroine treatment- being the love interest and whose sole purpose in life is to be a satellite character to the male lead of the show.

All her effort in the UA sports festival to do her best against Bk, all the desires to make good income as a hero to help her family financially, devolved into a girl who becomes a blushing mess infront of her love interest.

They did her so dirty. She was one of the few female shonen characters who felt like she could be someone in life without having anything to do with matters of the heart.

Also, notice how it's other characters around her who enforce her this whole Deku crush on her. Mina, toga and Aoyama to name a few. These are the characters who constantly remind her of her feelings for deku, thus pushing her further and further away from the plot relevancy.

I find this very annoying and makes me sick to think that a girl with tremendous potential is now relegated to the role of a girl hopelessly in love.

One last question: So many people think she's a terrible person for wanting to make money. I'm like, what? Are you serious? (If you want me to give further explanations I will) but it's the most human and realistic thing to do when you're stuck in a financial rut.

Please let me know and thanks for reading my extremely long post

Cheers

Ooooooooooo Lordy.

(Cracks hands and neck)

First and foremost, I still love Ochako. But I can’t ignore what’s happened to her throughout the series.

Honestly, it’s been ages since I’ve had that exact thought about Ochako and Stain situation! While he had a valid point (that wasn’t further explored, HORIKOSHI) about there being heroes that didn’t have the EXACT same mentality as All Might, her duality of wanting to provide enough money to support her family all the while having the desire to save others for the sake of saving others would be honestly a culture shock to Stain. (Or he may go further into denial, it’s actually hard to say. Guy had a few screws loose.)

But it HONESTLY would have been interesting seeing these two interact! And not to replace anyone the Hosu trio! It honestly would have been cool seeing her trying to use her new Gunhead Martial Arts (though she probably would have been focused on saving Iida as Izuku and Shoto took on the role of the main fighters, but Stain could have also tried to go after them and Uraraka would attempt to hold her own against him.) And we would have had MOST of the Dekusquad there! (Asui had her own internship.) Hiw great would it have been seeing the Dekusquad fighting together! And Ochako going feral protecting Iida!

Yeah, she happened to be more focused only about her crush with Izuku as time went on, which made a lot of her early traits and accomplishments kinda fade away and be forgotten. But for the record, and I still stand by this. A girl having a crush on someone DOESN’T cheapen her in my opinion. It’s something that happens to many teenagers. And some of their interactions I think are handled well, like them talking about wanting to save their respective villains. But other times, yeah, it felt a bit excessive that Horikoshi had to stop and say, “Hey! Hey! Do you remember Ochako has a crush on Izuku?!?” I honestly was looking forward to seeing how she acted after she vowed to put her feelings aside during the provisional license exam. But…Hori just continued to drill it into our faces.

As for the biggest perpetrator of making Ochako only about Izuku, I lay on Toga’s feet. Mina, yeah, she brings up the crush as well, but it’s done more in good fun I feel. And I think Aoyama has done that once. (Now that I think about it, it’s kind of random how he suddenly knew about her crush. He never does it again.)

But Toga? Horikoshi could have used her for something else to make her relevant, but the ONLY thing she had connected to Ochako is their shared crush on Izuku. Others say theirs other themes between them, but I’m sorry. I don’t see it, or believe that it was handled effectively. Ochako had more than just a crush. Like you mentioned, her want to provide for her family. Her fighting spirit and prowess that she showed against Bakugou. She had things that could have been fleshed out more.

Toga was a wha-wha girl that embraced being a remorseless villain and happened to be crushing on the same guy Ochako was crushing on. That’s it. There’s nothing else really about Toga. And she became to Ochako what Bakugou became to Izuku: a detriment to her character and preventing her from becoming something MORE. (Sorry but not really if I sound cynical about Toga. I just got REALLY tired being demanded to care about her. Like some OTHER blonde.)

Speaking of which, your last question? I also never understood this. I get it for a quick joke and stuff like that. Hahaha. But when people were SERIOUS about holding that over Ochako’s head? I was like, “Did you not hear her entire motivation?!?” I was dumbfounded how people could possibly come to that conclusion.

I find it ESPECIALLY interesting NO ONE brings up that BAKUGOU also had the desire to be a hero for money,JUST TO BE RICH AND FAMOUS! But no, shit on Ochako for wanting to take care of her family! Filthy hypocrites. I honestly wish Horikoshi did a better job balancing both her looking out for heroes as well as wanting to have a good paying job for her family. I think both are completely character of her.

Anyways, you gave me a long post, I gave a long response. 😜 But honestly, thanks! I don’t honestly get these and I hope my answers or thoughts are interesting or understandable! Have a good one and thanks again!

@theuntamedangel

[tryslora]

Support your favorite creative(s) this season!

So, it’s the holiday season (for values of holiday which can be anything you care to celebrate during the winter months) and you would like to support your favorite creative(s). What are some good ways to do that?

Tell the world about them

If someone is a favorite of yours, there’s a good chance that you know someone else who will enjoy their work. Signal boost the creative’s posts. Create your own post with links to their work. Showcase some of your favorite pieces of theirs with a snippet and a link to the original. Talk about why you love the work (trust me, your favorite creative will love to hear this just as much as your friends will appreciate finding out about something new).

Important side note which I know you know but it bears repeating: please reblog and link to your favorite creative’s posts; do not repost their material. Reposting might sound like a great way to show off what the creative does, but it doesn’t help anyone find them. Please be considerate.

Post reviews of their work

Instructions for this depends on what type of creative you are following. If they are a writer, leave a review on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, B&N, whatever platform you choose. Positive reviews are how writers get discovered.

If your creative is an artist and has a platform where they offer commissions, leave a review there if appropriate. Give them five stars. Help your creative climb the ranks from unknown to well-reviewed!

Follow them on social media

If your creative has a list of social media accounts, follow them! This gives you a better chance to help signal boost their cool stuff (as well as hearing about it when they post!). It also gives you a chance to interact, and to see what they’re like when they aren’t creating. If you like their creations, you might have other things in common. 

Does your creative have a newsletter? Subscribe! You can even forward copies to your friends if there’s something really cool you want to share. A Patreon? Check to see if they have free material posted. Many Patreons allow people to follow at a free level, and while there might be paywall-locked material, there might be unlocked material as well.

Social media is wide and varied these days, with everything from Bluesky and Mastodon, to old-school Facebook pages, to even older-school platforms like Dreamwidth. Don’t forget the little known Pillowfort, or the highly fannish Tumblr. Even better, be aware that your creative may present different faces in different spaces. They are just as human as the rest of us!

Talk to them

I’m serious! Being a creative is like shouting into the abyss… if the abyss happens to shout back, that’s emotional food that can sustain a creative for days. Most creatives have several places where they can be found, either for private communication (check to see if they accept messages/DMs/emails first, please) or for public conversation (social media can be wonderful!). 

Create a transformative work

This won’t work for all creatives. BUT. If your creative is a writer, I would place a bet that they would LOVE fanart of their work. Or maybe that’s just me.

Buy their stuff

Yes, this one requires money, and I am well aware that most of us don’t have the budget for monetary support. And that’s fine! As shown above, there are so many other ways to support your creative and help them grow. But if you do have the budget, picking up copies of their work means you can get great gifts for your friends (and help spread the word!). And if you’re up for it, monthly support via Patreon, or random tips are always nice and appreciated things.

Ask them what will help

In the end, every creative has their own list of things that will help them most, and almost every single one would be happy to tell anyone what would help Right Now.

I’m putting this next bit behind a cut/read-more/clicky-link — whatever is appropriate to the platform you’re reading this on. Because this is the personal bit where I add links to the places you can find me. 

And if you are a creative and you are reblogging this on a platform which allows reblogs, please add your own list of helpful information. If it’s a place with comments, please comment! I want to help by giving other creatives a way to get information out.

Where can you find me…?

TrisLawrence.com is my professional website, with blog posts, upcoming appearances, and links to where to find my Stuff.

I post blog entries on Tumblr, Pillowfort, and Dreamwidth (which mirrors on Livejournal and Insanejournal).

I babble randomly on Bluesky and Mastodon. While I exist on Twi-X, I no longer post there.

I have a professional Facebook page. I have an Instagram. I have a TikTok that I am trying to learn how to use.

I am also active in several Discord communities, if you happen to find me there.

Want to support me? -- Patreon | Ko-Fi | Reblog & Comment

Want to hear more from me? — Join my mailing list

[kyra45]

I don’t really consider myself a popular tumblr user. I’m just a random furry (look at my pfp) who sometimes appears in your comments telling you the ask you answered was a scam.

Other times I’m telling you that if you need some info about tumblr scams, you can check out my pinned post where the posts about them are easily accessible.

And then occasionally you’ll see anons come over here and accuse me of scamming just because I offer ways that people can support what I do only if they are financially stable enough and are aware that they are free to give to someone else who may need it more then me.

Anons act like I do this for attention, but truth be told if that was true my informative posts on how to spot a scam would have more notes then they currently do. Anons act like I do this to be famous, but I’m a long time lurker whose been here for 11 years and most people don’t even know me.

I do this because I want people to learn about scams. That’s it. I don’t do this for monetary reasons. Whatever payment I get is appreciated, but it’s just a hobby. I just want to spread awareness about how to spot a scam blog.

As long as one person learns about scams, it’s worth my efforts. Even though I work daily, barely have any off days, I still try my best to provide whatever information I can find but I appreciate the help I get too.

All I really ask for is to share the guides I make and send them to anyone who needs it. Especially new tumblr users.

[fatcatjace]

hi everyone!! this is taffenxl from twitter, here to try something new and also a back up if twitter ever finally becomes totally unusable 🫡

to start off, hi! I’m Jace! this is a nsfw kink account. I post about being fat and loving tummies. pls leave if this isn’t for you!

a little about me if you’re new;

-23 y/o

-5’1

-non-binary

-they/them

-asexual

-melbourne, australia

-feedee & gainer since feb 2023

-single

you can also find all my links here; linktr.ee/taffenxl

This includes my other social media, anon asks, art, and wishlist/paypal stuff :3

I am also an artist! I draw both sfw and nsfw. c0mmissi0ns are usually open if you’re interested! Feel free to dm for more info!

Some general housekeeping stuff;

1. my dms are open but I don’t often respond to them unless ‘business’ related. It’s not personal, it just gives me anxiety. I’m also just not really a chatty person.

2. anyone under 20 y/o will be blocked if I see you follow me.

3. I’m not a woman, bbw, or whatever. don’t refer to me as one.

4. I’m asexual. I am genital-averse. Do not send me unsolicited dick pics or try to talk to me about your dick. I don’t want to hear about how sexy you find me or how you get off to my pics. Gross. Don’t do that.

I also wanted to include a list of feedism/tummy-adjacent things that im okay/not okay with just to stop the fantasy projections early on lol. Enjoy !

If something isn’t on here and u wanna know, just ask ☺️

Finally, just as a lil disclaimer, I’m not a ‘content creator’ or SW. I post for my own amusement and not for monetary gain, it’s just a happy bonus if someone feels obligated to. I’m just a regular person who likes posting about fat :3

Thanks and enjoy ur stay 🩵

(bonus tummy if you made it this far!)

[fans4wga]

Hi, I'm interested in organizing my fandom. Can you throw me some templates?

Absolutely yes! Some things have changed in recent weeks, so the top advice we can give you is to be flexible and adapt as you can. The needs of the picketers might change, so keep an eye on the news and the official WGA and SAG-AFTRA channels. Twitter is a good place to follow the union members on strike.

Also, don't feel the need to rush: there is plenty of time to build up a good foundation by talking to people in your fandom and testing the waters to see what people are prepared to do. Some fandoms just have more financial capability than others for whatever demographic reasons, or have more pro-union sentiment in the community. While you can't push anyone to do anything they're unwilling to do, you can find out what's possible and encourage interested people to get involved.

The next best advice we can give you is that this will require logistical skills; therefore, if possible, collect a small moderator team of trusted, responsible fandom friends with organization skills so it's not just you going at it alone. 3 people is probably adequate to start with, more if your organization expands.

I do recommend fandom organizers be at least somewhat active on both Twitter and Tumblr. That way, you can size up the big fandom accounts and figure out the best way to get the word out to your fandom on both sites. (If you have a mod team, you could even just have one person be your official Twitter liaison.)

Here are 3 methods to organize your fandom, and this applies to any fandom, so feel free to share this to whatever fandom group you want to get organized. Pick whichever method seems most feasible for your fandom, and go for it!

Method 1: Mod team assigns volunteers to shifts

Pros: very grassroots and non-hierarchical, can lead to the most consistent fandom support across time

Con: hardest to wrangle, and potentially more difficult for the shift-by-shift volunteers especially if individuals are difficult to reach online

Examples: The Star Trek Snack Squad, the OFMD Snackery

Claire Willett @/clairewillett on Twitter started the Star Trek Snack Squad back in the early days of the strike to get Star Trek fans organized. That's still a solid template to use, but will definitely require modifications. Link here (please make a copy to your own Google account/a throwaway if you'll be making it public and want to protect your identity)

How it works:

-You, the moderator, pick a specific picket location (all locations listed here) to target for delivery. (Since Stranger Things is a Netflix show, targeting Netflix makes sense; however, Netflix is already a very popular target location so maybe the other locations could use some love? I'll leave that to your discretion!)

-Moderators put out a call for volunteers. Make graphics, create a hashtag or catchy name, and get it boosted across the fandom as much as possible. Volunteers will then sign up (via an ask or a Google form, up to you—just make sure you keep track of who's volunteered and their Tumblr or Twitter username that must be open to DMs so people can talk to other people in their group.)

-Moderators organize 3-5 volunteers to a shift (morning or afternoon) on a specific date. It is then up to these volunteers to get talking and for one member to place a DoorDash/UberEats snacks/drinks order for delivery to the picket lines by pooling whatever money they can via Venmo or Paypal (the only international option). From $5 to $50, anything helps: it could be a case of Lacroix, it could be a whole meal for picketers. More instructions and ideas in the template.

-The template can be updated with new shifts until you run out of volunteers.

-If this method is a little overwhelming, fear not, there are other options!

Method 2: Single fundraiser on GoFundMe or PayPal Pools

Pros: Single place for money to go, very easy to set up and organize

Cons: Runs out of steam the fastest as a large monetary goal can seem daunting; money all goes to one place so there has to be a lot of transparency from the fundraiser.

Examples: Julie and the Phantoms hot dogs fundraiser, Lord of the Rings second breakfast (from SAG-AFTRA member Chelsea Schwartz's Ko-Fi); Our Flag Means Strike Paypal pool.

This is your basic fundraiser, which means the mods will have to decide how exactly the money will be used and how to have as much transparency as possible. Sometimes you're fundraising for a specific goal (taco truck at Amazon Studios, for instance). Sometimes you're pooling money to give to the Entertainment Community Fund. If you're looking for food truck options and don't know where to start, you can always reach out to people who have done the OFMD pooling here! From what I've seen, a food truck will generally cost around $3000 for a day, so plan accordingly.

[One possible fundraiser I haven't seen but would love to see is fandoms giving support to the Green Envelope Grocery Fund, which gives out $100 to people affected by the strikes specifically for groceries! So that's definitely an option as well.]

Method 3: Fandom auction for donations

If you're in a fandom that has any big-name writers/artists willing to chip in, you could organize an auction for commissions, with the proceeds going to the Entertainment Community Fund, the Green Envelope Grocery Fund or another WGA/SAG-AFTRA-related fund. As with the above, you'd need to be transparent as to where the money is going.

---

A final note: Organizing any kind of action from scratch is hard, but thankfully people have walked this road before. You can always contact us, or the people at any of the above linked groups, with questions or advice.

It may also be helpful to remember that lots of people have done this before successfully. During the 2007-08 writers strike, the Battlestar Galactica and Whedonverse fandoms were instrumental in showing fan support for the WGA strike. (More on that here!)

Best of luck and feel free to shoot us any more organizing questions! Solidarity always.

[dearweirdme]

you know I have always been one of the first in lines fighting to defend Tae from that rumor, I'm 100% positive that is mediaplay still but something shifted these days as in yes it was mediaplay but ultimately Tae did choose to take part in that paparazzi walk( albeit he didn't look happy at all I think I have reasons to believe that even if he was somehow coerced he probably was made to feel like he had some negotiation power too) and honestly I guess I felt more adamant to defend him bc i saw how much he tried to fight the tide and separate himself from all of that ( the wv live in the airport, these insta pic changes being the last example etc and seeing ppl disrespecting his agency and his right to state himself his own truth really pissed off me a lot ) but I started to think these last days what's the point in him doing all of that when he agreed to do that walk and he must know what would happen otherwise why did he even agreed, what is he even fighting himself doing little things to separate himself from being associated to this person when he will forever be associated,for the gp and fandom itself and as you said once this will be in the historial of his live forever? By doing all of that it's like he made us, the fans who cared for him and were paying attention to him fr want to defend him too and literally fight air because there is nothing to defend when he did that walk, when the purpose of that walk being met. I'm not saying he did any of that with the purpose of having fans fighting on his name at all, I don't think so but that's what happened, I guess I'm feeling disappointed these days bc i see no need for him to even fight against all of this when this issues reached the levels it did when he chose to do the walk. I'm also disappointed bc i think anything he might do that would have been considered brave and important about his identity before loses weight completely now, him smooching jk's cheek on the party and uploading it, him being bold etc bc no one but a small group of ppl considered delusional by everyone will see this for what it is. He can do a lot now only bc no one it's going to take him/it seriously.

I used to be pissed by Holland behavior that one time but I even kinda can get the frustration now. Tae is safe or at least has reduced the risk at a minimum now to do whatever bc everyone thinks he dates women. And some ppl be crowing him as an LGBT icon when some other idols have actually exposed themselves honestly to a lot more without any security plan to fall back into. And that actually feels like being brave and doing something. Not making everyone who supports you look like a delusional clown and make the thought of you being queer laughable to most ppl. Moonbyul being a pretty good example of someone who has been direct and brave.

Im sorry I really needed to vent, I have loved Tae for a lot of time ( not that i dont love him now but sometimes i cant shake the disappointment and the distaste of not being able to enjoy his content without seeing him being constantly related to ppl I don't like at all) and I'm open to anyone making me feel different about this situation

Hi anon!

Let me give you my perspective on this and maybe that will make you see things differently as well.

Tae is moving within certain boundaries. It is most likely that there are actual clauses in his contract that tell him what he can and cannot share publicly. That goes beyond plain saying that he is queer. That also goes for the level of queerness he can show through art and media. Basically I feel he is able to show queer media and art, but not adress it as such. Going beyond that would probably mean he’d be breaching his contract, which could lead to monetary penalties… and when it goes too far he could be kicked out of BTS (not that I think it would ever go that far). I think it’s possible that with this new contract, things have become more loose though. BH/Hybe doesn’t want to lose Tae, because he is one of the most popular members and losing any member would look bad. So I think there was some leverage there.

In my opinion it should not be underestimated how bad things still are for queer people in SK. Artists loose their careers over it stil. People like Holland are absolutely very brave and I hope within time there will be more and more like him. But you cannot compare one person’s choices with that of another’s. I think Tae possibly discovered his sexuality when he was already under contract with BH.. that would mean he had the choice to either hide, or to break his contract… leave BTS… and be left with a shitload of debt (because you don’t simply leave a contract). He would have no perspective of any career after that.. losing all his dreams and all chances of having any influence at all. It is an impossible choice maybe.. or maybe not.. I don’t know. Has he chosen to leave BH would his life have been easier, better? He would still have had to deal with severe homophobia. So I don’t think Tae had much options but to hide in the first case. It is not something he chose.. it was basically decided for him. Contracts are no fun anon, they basically chain them to the company in many many ways. I don’t think Tae ever had the option to be as open as Holland. And I think that is something he struggled with greatly. So if that walk was something he agreed to just because it would give him some more room to be authentic, I am absolutely not holding that against him. It doesn’t make him bad or whatever, it makes him someone who needs a bit of room to breathe.

In general I don’t feel Tae owes us much. Speaking for myself, I am here completely voluntarily and completely aware of forever being shit on by the rest of fandom. I’m of the opinion that both Tae and Jk aren’t actually fighting to be out and open.. so that probably makes my perspective on this different than yours. I think they’re just trying to live their lives and what we see of them is just stuff we pick up on.. because we pay attention. I always see myself as a bystander and not a participant in this. But.. that’s just me ofcourse.

So how did we end up here; Tae doing a walk with Jennie. Looking at it from a practical side, it was only one walk.. half an hour tops. If we assume he did agree to it and he wasn’t actually forced all the way, for him that was probably doable, and if he traded that for more freedom to be authentic.. to insert more queerness in his work (which is eventually what people will remember him by), then I think the trade probably looked worth it. Ultimately it wasn’t a fair choice ofcourse, because trading anything for freedom to be yourself is insane.. freedom should always be yours. But I do think the company possibly sold it that way.. and being used to having no freedom for years, maybe to Tae it did seem like a chance. It is ofcourse also possible they made him do this, but it’s not something I’m leaning towards personally.

It is not something Tae would’ve done/come up with himself. Tae didn’t go “yeah, I want to do a papwalk with Jennie for fame and attention”… people are right when they say he didn’t need that. He was not enthusiastic. And I think he was very over it all soon after.

The way I see it.. is that possibly Tae gave away a small part of himself to do something he felt is necessary in a broader way. His new mv is so important! To have such graphic display of queerness is so important! Especially from someone as famous as Tae. Imagine all the young queer fans he has seeing that! Tae knows what kind of influence he has. He has probably missed seeing representation like that himself when he was younger. I think this is what matters to him most and personally I just applaud him for that. Taennie will be nothing but a blimp on our radar in a few years, but his songs and mv’s… I think those will have an actual impact on many lives.

[fireheartedpup]

I think my birthday has become a trigger for me. There's no one to invite. It's nice that my parents still want to go all out, but I don't know what to tell mom because I don't want to do anything.

No one here cares about the pandemic and I'm not even sure how much to care anymore because they stopped caring when it was still in full swing. I haven't gotten covid even though I haven't avoided my family, who stopped taking precautions a few months in and think masking is stupid, so what have I even been doing? Has it done anything at all?

I'm still happy that I haven't gotten sick other the built in body issues in... how long has it been? Five fucking years? But I miss feeling normal.

I don't want to live here and I don't want to do this and I don't know what to do even when I know what to do. The only thing that really motivates me is being angry. I hate being angry.

I don't want to live in this reality and I don't have enough money to move and whenever anyone tries to change things here, they're met with a bunch of people saying you can't change things here because we haven't changed things here so you can't change things here.

I think my dog deserves better and I don't have enough money to pay off my debt, much less a specialist. She's not neglected or anything I just have higher standards now. I'm probably still alive because of her. If I die, no one will know for days. Maybe a week or more. No one's coming to check on me.

Mom might come eventually but mom comes sporadically because she tries to give me space. I flip between wanting to cut my parents out entirely and just wanting to see them. They're still conservative and I can never trust them the same way again, but they've supported me the entire time.

I did beg for some of it. But they have supported me.

Dad's cranky because prices are going up and he didn't plan on supporting me this long and he's in the same position I am. I inherited the no friends disease. I'm fucking pedigreed in mental illness. He likes drinking wine even though eating makes him throw up now. He doesn't want to see a normal doctor.

His mom has had many cancerous growths removed. I should probably get ready to deal with his stuff.

Mom clearly wants to leave and doesn't feel she can. It's tough when being with someone makes your life harder, but you can see them actively getting better. I think it's one reason she wants to keep her flight attendant job even though she's becoming less and less physically able. She can just pick up and leave whenever she wants.

I feel stupid and useless for not earning enough by now. I know that's not entirely realistic because I read it takes two years to get over an abusive environment and it's only been one. My parents love me, but living in that house put me in fight or flight mode every time I went to the kitchen.

I feel paralyzed and when I try to look up jobs I want to break down entirely. I've made half-hearted attempts to build my own thing but it feels like I'm never able to pick the right thing, that I'll always burn out, that I can never tell what's going to work, that every thing I'm actually excited about is doomed to fail.

Sometimes I don't even want to support people because it feels like my support is the death knell for their cause.

I'm trying to restructure my thinking. I spend almost all of my time doing that. It's difficult to escape the social media whirlpool when social media is so attached to so many different forms of monetary income these days.

I thought I could get free therapy with my insurance so I could bounce this off of a therapist instead of tumblr or a random person but I'm not sure anymore so I gave up.

I feel like I'm overwhelmingly tired and negative and hurt and angry and that no one should have to deal with that.

I'm trying to make friends with my neighbors, but either I don't text back in enough time or they just don't respond. I don't know why or where or when it goes wrong. I start avoiding everyone because I'm waiting for it to go wrong.

I want to get on medication but I just saw that thing about the autistic licenses in MY state. The government doesn't want me. They don't even want me to exist. I don't want to give them the option of using it against me in any way.

It's very hard to get myself out of a spiral. I should probably look into ocd help a bit more. I don't know if that's me or if this is an offshoot of something else, but either way it's connected.

The recent blog thing has just reinforced me feeling stupid and isolated. I'm very grateful for the people who've been here for me. I don't want anyone to ever feel obligated to support me. But I'm having a really hard time.

And it feels stupid to be having a hard time. I have more than most.

I want to live in a different reality.

[graysmiles-world]

Not Everything is As it Seems

"I'm leaving to join the monastery," Steve told the congregation, ignoring the shock that spread throughout the church. He could feel his father staring at a hole in the side of his head, which is why Steve didn't tell him. Not that he had the chance; he made the decision moments before he opened his mouth.

Bishop O'Donnel's popping vein was visible even halfway through the church, face going the color of the devil. It was no secret that he despised monks, constantly murmuring how all the money going to the monk's community was better spent at the church.

Steve now stood there, frozen and unknowing of how to proceed. His father and mother stood beside him, planning to announce his engagement with him and Tammy Thompson to the court. The same Tammy Thompson he refused to look at now. Either she'll be crying or bursting with anger - Steve knew she's had a crush on him since they were children.

"I just want to thank everyone for supporting me and helping me realize my true purpose," Steve said, laying it on a little thick. But they believed it, based on the large eyes of many men and women around the chapel. "I just want to journey to find my inner peace in the eyes of God."

Every sermon was pressed together into some scrappily crafted sentences, but it was enough. Someone started to clap, and then another, and soon, the chapel was bursting with applause. Steve supposed he would be clapping too, if some other chump was announcing he was giving up all earthly pleasures to go live in a dank temple.

But this was his only choice, and he knows it.

"When are you leaving?" Joyce Byers asked. Johnathon and Nancy were sitting next to her, both staring at him with wide eyes. He quickly pulled his gaze away and spoke to everyone.

"Immediately," he smiled. "I just wished to thank anyone one last time."

Bishop O'Donnel's withering expression had settled down to a glare, so he was able to speak without blowing up.

"We will miss you, Mr. Harrington," the Bishop said, voice echoing through the chapel. Steve resisted the urge to snort, sure. O'Donnell's hated him ever since he was a kid and was caught with his daughter out at night. They weren't even doing anything, but it was enough for him to be on his shit list.

As Steve stepped out of the pew and into the aisle, many from the town came up to shake his hand and wish him luck on his journey. Steve thanked each one, ignoring the stare of his father and mother on his retreating back.

He'd just made it out the doors and into the fresh air when he heard someone come out after him. His shoulders tightened, preparing to go toe-to-toe with his father.

But it was Senior Harrington, but Nancy Wheeler - now Byers. Steve and her stared at each other for a moment before she actually said anything.

"What are you doing, Steve?" she asked like they were friends. Like she didn't reject his marriage proposal and called him bullshit. "You don't want to become a monk?"

"How do you know?" Steve snapped. He wasn't a monk yet, he could still be a dick for a little bit.

Nancy didn't look taken aback by his temper. In fact, her own shoulders loosened a bit. "You'd hate being a monk, and you know it."

"Well," Steve shrugged. "There isn't anything for me here. This is my only chance to escape Nancy."

This is what seemed to get through to her. Her mouth opened but before she uttered another word, the doors of the church opened once more. Johnathon stepped out, eyes flitting between the two.

"Go home, Nancy," Steve said, turning and walking away before anyone else came after him.

Steve was able to sneak back into his house to grab some new clothes and some food for the journey. Monks were allowed anything of monetary value, so he just let his gaze and fingers linger over the softness of his bedsheets and books, let the old plush he's gotten from Dustin fall back onto the covers.

He was able to get out before Church let out, and thank the lord for that. He knew the second his father had him alone, Steve would pay for potentially ruining their chances to get in bed with the Thompsons. He could see his mother's wobbly lip now, quivering as she asks tearfully why he isn't thinking of his family.

Steve got out into the path before his house before realizing he had no idea where to go. He's heard rumors of one being out east, but the forest was dangerous. He wasn't very keen on wandering around on hope.

But there was no one else around, and Steve wasn't sure that there was anyone who knew where it would be, so he went with his gut. He headed out east.

The forest was dark and windy. Thankfully, spring had yet to melt into summer, so Steve wasn't suffocating in the humid heat. He traveled for a few days, resting when the sun set in between tree roots.

He ate through his rations quickly, wishing that he knew more about the wildlife so that he could actually know what's safe to eat or not.

Sometimes at night, Steve heard rustling in the bushes or footsteps against the dry dirt. There's never been anything there, until now.

Steve had found a little nook in a hill to rest for the night, curled up with his arms under his head as a makeshift pillow. He woke up to people talking.

He's woken up before to noises, but nothing as loud or clear as this. And when Steve slowly opened his eyes, it was to firelight. Someone was carrying lanterns - splashing light against the brush. Steve sat up, back pressed against the hill.

He had a quick second to debate whether or not to run for it when the man holding the lantern appeared. Steve couldn't see his face well with the darkness and the hood he was wearing, but he was able to see the widening of the man's eyes.

"I found something!" he called back, persumingly to the others. Moments later, more lanterns appeared, swinging from the hands of at least six other young men.

Steve slowly rose to his feet, rocking back and forth on his heels just in case he needed to make a break for it. The man who initially found him set down the lantern and held up his hands, approaching Steve like one would a wild animal.

Growing closer, Steve could see him more clearly. He was covered in freckles with dark eyes and hair, and something in him settled at the sight.

His cloak was a rough brown, and Steve knew he'd found the monks.

The man, Thomas, led him back to the monastery. The others followed. They were all silent in their movements, almost unnervingly so. Steve felt like an idiot trampling the underbrush alongside him, but no one mentioned anything.

The monastery was small and made of dark stone. There was a cross hanging above the entrance. Thomas led him down several corridors to a door that swung open to reveal a small room. It was only a few paces long, with a cot shoved in the corner. There was a tiny window perched above it.

Steve entered and sat down on the bed. The mattress was thin, and he could feel the wooden planks beneath it. Thomas was the only one left in the doorway when he looked up; the rest must have retreated to their own quarters for the evening.

"Feel okay?" Thomas asked, leaning against the door.

Steve cleared his throat. "Yeah, thanks."

Thomas nodded at him once before shutting the door. Steve laid back on the cot, laying his head on the thin, limp pillow. He watched the shadows move across the ceiling briefly before falling fast asleep.

He woke up the next morning to someone unlocking the door. Steve sat up, breathing heavily as he remembered where exactly he was. He didn't even realize the door had been locked the night before. He wondered if that was normal for a monastery.

The man who opened it was not one of the men Steve had seen the night before. His hood was down, so Steve could see his face clearly in the early morning light.

"Breakfast," the man said gruffly, looking Steve up and down once before turning and walking out into the corridor.

Steve stood up and hurried after him. This place was almost like a maze, and it wouldn't do any good to get lost.

The man led him to a great hall of sorts. Long wooden tables stretched out the room's length, with various monks milling around. Portraits hung on the wall. Paintings of the devil and suffering. Of children dying and men growing sick.

Steve was a bit disturbed by the images, but he knew the Bible was very dark. It probably is just a reminder of why they're monks, of how earthly pleasures can lead you to the devil.

Steve sat down next to Thomas, who gave him a toothy grin before turning to the other man, who sat opposite him.

"Billy!" he crowed. "We on for tonight?"

Billy glanced over to Steve quickly before nodding at Thomas. "Yup," he told him. "The usual stuff."

Steve furrowed his brow, running his spoon through the bowl of porridge some had dropped in front of it. "What's tonight?" he asked Thomas.

"Mass," Thomas said quietly. "Billy's the leader here; he always makes 'em interesting." Thomas winked at him before returning to his own porridge, shoveling it down like it was a delicacy. It wasn't.

But Steve was starving, so he scarfed his down, too. It was filling, at least, sitting heavy in his stomach. He sipped at the water he was also given, washing away the oats that caked in the back of his throat.

He wasn't really sure on what to do afterwards, so he just sat and listened to the conversations happening around him. A lot of people were excited about tonight, nudging each other and cracking jokes.

Steve relaxed a little bit. Maybe he'll fit in here easier than he thought. No one seemed to be the uptight monks everyone thought they would be.

After a few minutes, Thomas had scrapped the bottom of his bowl. He threw an arm around Steve's shoulder and jostled him a bit, standing up from the bench seat.

"Come on, let's get you changed."

Steve sighed in relief. He hadn't wanted to ask, but his clothes were caked in mud and brush, and he felt gross. He followed Thomas out of the hall, ignoring the whispers and stares from the other monks. He felt like he was back at church, like he was getting ogled and judged all at once.

Thomas led him to another room with only a desk in it. Across the old desk laid a long white tunic. Steve looked back at him, confused, but Thomas just gestured him forward.

He rubbed the fabric in between two fingers and was awed at the feeling. This was silk, smooth and chilled against his finger tips.

Steve looked back at Thomas again, but he was looking out the door - probably to give Steve some form of privacy. He looked back at the clothing and started to strip.

The silk tunic made gooseflesh appear on his arms and the back of his neck. It fell halfway down his thighs, but there was no trousers to go with it. He looked over to Thomas's long robe.

"Why do I have to wear this?" Steve asked, wrapping his arms around his middle to combat the chill that all stone buildings seem to bring.

Thomas looked him up and down, something flashing in his eyes. But it was gone when he met Steve's gaze.

"I'm not sure, something about being bare before God," he shrugged. "All new converts do it."

Steve stared at him for a moment. "How do you know I want to join?"

Thomas snorted a bit. "There's nothing else around here. There's no other place you would have been going."

Steve shrugged, finding no thought in the logic. "Now what?"

Thomas grinned, "Now is solitude."

"Solitude?" Steve asked. Thomas had exited the room, Steve following.

"Yeah, it's when we all go to our chambers and pray to God for a couple hours. Happens once a week."

"Oh," Steve furrowed his brow. "That's..." He couldn't find the right word to describe it.

Thomas had led him back to the chamber from the night before. "Have fun!" he said, closing the door behind him and locking it.

Steve looked around the room, at a loss for what to do. Finally, he just went to lie down on the cot. He's prayed before, but never on his own. Only in church or before meals, so he doesn't even know what'd he say to God.

While debating it, Steve fell asleep.

Steve woke up to the door unlocking for the second time that day. He sprang to his feet, hoping it looked like he was doing something productive instead of napping. But the guy who opened the door didn't even seem to care.

"Hey, I'm supposed to bring you to Mass," he told Steve in a rather monotone voice. Steve nodded, willing his heart to stop racing.

Steve followed the guy down various corridors, almost dizzy with the number of turns. He's sure he'll get it eventually, though. The man didn't say a word to him, so Steve stayed silent. They were both barefoot, so they made no sound as they walked through the monastery.

Steve wondered what time it was. He knows it was mid-morning when he ate and returned to his room, and it must have been a couple of hours since then. But there were no windows to show the sunlight and his stomach was starting to pain from hunger.

Finally, the man opened up a door at the end of a hallway and let Steve through. The man quickly joined the others who knelt before a great stone altar, lit up with candles that were spread throughout the room.

Steve caught Thomas's eye, who grinned and winked at him before returning to the altar. He wondered if he was supposed to kneel down too or if he had to do something else because he was new.

The door opened again, Billy strolling in with the same air of confidence as that morning. He grabbed Steve's arm, bringing him up to the dais where the altar sat.

Steve looked around, very confused by what was happening. Maybe there was an initiation or something. No one would meet his eyes, all staring straight forward.

Billy placed one hand on Steve's back, shoving him forward a bit so his stomach dug into the altar. Steve gasped a sound of pain, preparing to ask what the hell was going on.

Before he could, however, someone was grabbing his middle. He struggled, trying to kick back at the guy, but someone else held tight onto his arms and another to his legs.

He was set on the altar, heading banging back against the stone. His wrists and ankles were strapped to the edges, Steve eagle-spread across the top.

Steve looked around, wondering what was happening. Something thudded heavily in his gut as he realized all the weird things that had occurred since he arrived.

No one asked his name, he was given strange clothing, he was locked in the chamber for most of the day, and how everyone looked at him like he was a piece of meat.

Steve wasn't becoming one of the monks, he was their sacrifice.

[flowerinbattle]

The Interview (Genuine)

Charlotte was Nervous. She sat in the waiting area outside of the main office tapping her toes and twiddling her finger. This was it, her opportunity to get into The Officers Academy which she had always dreamed of! The academy was a place of study that not only would help her improve on the battle field, but expose her to many noble, handsome, and most importantly rich bachelors.

The interviewer then opened the door, causing Charlotte to stand up straight as she was invited inside. She followed in, and took another seat admiring the lavished décor of the office before the interview spoke, and began questioning her:

What has led you to where you are today?

IT’S BEGUN! Charlotte thought as she cleared her throat to begin talking, a smile now forming on her face. “Well, let me introduce myself. My Name is Charlotte De La Roux and I am from the country of Nohr, born in the capital Windmare. However, despite being born in such a great, prosperous land my parents were… not so lucky” she laughed a bit awkwardly but then sighed. “Growing up I had nothing really, at least monetary wise. We were constantly scraping by but despite it… my parents always gave me what I needed. Even though we were hungry, I still had food even if it wasn’t a lot while my parents would sometimes go without. They loved me, er, they still love me of course! But I have to give back to them! So I started to train with an axe, and honestly I’m pretty skilled if you asked me” she smirked a bit, her cockiness showing off. “so that’s what led me here, to be a warrior and fight for not only myself, but for my parents… aaaaand so I can send them back any money I earned to help!” she laughed a bit awkwardly at the last part.

What do you believe are your greatest strengths? Your greatest weaknesses?

This question stumped her for a moment. To be honest or not, she debated in her brain but finally decided to be honest and took a deep breathe before speaking once more:

“my greatest strength is in fact my strength itself. I know I may not look like it, many call me a flower, but I can lift my great axe with ease and chop down anything and anyone that stands in my way!” she said with confidence, almost standing up but then settling back down, “aaaaaand I have this pretty face. That can get you a lot of places in life” she grinned before moving on to the second part of the question. “Weaknesses…. Well… honestly Its my motivation is a bit of a weakness. I want to be rich, even marry rich if I have to. I need to make money to give my parents the life they deserve. And sometimes... I play the part of a weak damsel in the presence of a strong, rich man. I mean, who wouldn’t want to support a cute, helpless girl? I haven’t had much luck yet in that department though but I fear it may cause some struggle in the classroom as I may be distracted by them and the p[possibilities.”

If a story were to be written about your life, what role would you play?

Charlotte tapped her chip with her fingertips now as she pondered, “I know most people would pick the role as main character, but honestly I would much rather be the romantic interest in someone else’s story” she said, “my story… isn’t fun. It’s boring honestly. But if I could be like a Cinderella to someone or Snow White and be taken care of? Now THAT is a role I want” she giggled a bit just at the thought. “Though… realistically I would probably end up a supporter for someone else. I can take hits, I can power through battle, I can take care of someone. And honestly… that’s ok by me” she smiled warmly then, truly genuine in her responses.

The interviewer then thanked her and Charlotte stood up, giving a respectable curtsey before she was escorted out. She let out a loud groan and sigh then as she walked down the hall, “boy I hope I didn’t mess that up… lets see… maybe I should chop down a tree or two to let theses feelings out..”

~END~

[thenonbinarydetective]

As I've said/supported before, Barbara shouldn't be Batgirl. And Gotham Knights shouldn't have had her be Batgirl, as it falls into the ableist trope.

However, I do understand why she is Batgirl in this game. She is the most recognizable Batgirl to the general audience. This is where we lose some people because this game is not actually meant for just batman/batfam fans like some people believe. It's meant for anyone remotely interested in buying video games, like every other video game in existence. I know some people might find that condescending, but I don't mean it that way. It's important to remember who buys video games, even specifically "Batman" ones.

Meaning they made the safe bet because money is the driving force. Barbara is a safe bet. But honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she was a bet they didn't have much of choice in making. Either because it's not really made by an independent studio or evaluating the loss between a number of fans not purchasing a game because of Barbara no longer being a full-time wheelchair user and the number of potential buyers not wanting to buy a "Batman-oriented" game while not knowing who any of the characters are. Additionally, the potential strain of resources in adding more than the current cast of characters we have. They settled on the safest, known characters attached to Batman, probably for monetary reasons.

That being said, Cass and Steph could've been good additions to this game. I don't think Duke would have; he is still too new. The batgirls here have more of a footing and deserve to exist in more than just Scribblenauts and LEGO Batman games. However, I can see how introducing them with Batman might be a better bet for all three of them than Gotham Knights ever would have been. It creates an association for the general audience, which is more important to developers than specifically Batman fans (the general audience is larger and gives more money). Yes, they should be used more in games for more recognition, but for that idea to succeed, there needs to be a plan that actually promises audience growth.

People are allowed to have boundaries towards the reliance on an ableist trope and dislike the game for it.

People are also allowed to acknowledge that Barbara Gordon in Gotham Knights is still a disabled character and the fact that they worked with a charity focused on disabled representation in gaming (AbleGaming) to represent spinal disabilities in a respectful/realistic way that isn't relying upon on "magical/scientific cures."

Wheelchair users are valid for being upset that Barbara Gordon isn't one as well, the same way that people with other disabilities can still feel represented by this version.

None of these things are mutually exclusive and can exist at the same time.

Me being able to rationalize their actions doesn't mean that I agree with everything they do, as I have shown in the past. I just don't believe that a piece of media or a studio is unsalvageable or irredeemably evil for falling into a bad trope. Media is flawed. This constantly happens. If we view media that way, then we'd have to abandon literally every piece of media in existence.

Me acknowledging that the game made an effort to include aspects of disability doesn't mean that I don't believe there are no ableist aspects to this game. That's just a stupid assumption.

People are also flawed. Playing Gotham Knights, someone isn't a terrible evil person who is irredeemable and should die. That isn't a productive view. People can recognize how they interact with media and address how it exists in their lives and the lives of others.

This article has a pretty good explanation of how I feel and how some others feel. I've basically paraphrased it multiple times: https://halfglassgaming.com/2022/08/gotham-knights-lets-talk-about-barbara-gordons-spine/.

I won't say more because I don't have much more words than there are multiple ways to look at things other than everything is either fully correct/good or wrong/evil. It's fine to acknowledge that things can exist in a combination of multiple factors, and morality is something defined by each individual human.

[mochibuni]

How to Support Your Favorite Creators!

This guide is largely based on my preferences as a freelance digital artist, but I think can be applicable to others. So let's chat about ways you can support your favorites, sometimes very free and very minimally with big results!

FREE WAYS TO SUPPORT

Like and/or comment - The easiest and free-ist way to help is simply to like or leave a comment on their work! Speaking personally, especially as someone who typically draws for others instead of myself, this is what keeps me drawing and sharing. Knowing that you're here liking what I make, finding happiness in it, or delightful shock and horror fuels me to keep creating, keep being inspired, and keep looking for ways to improve my skills. I just wouldn't be here drawing as much as I do without your likes and comments, and to me this is one of the most valuable avenues of support.

Watching Streams - If your creative also streams, just hanging out and lurking in their stream is super helpful. A lot of streaming platforms, especially Twitch, gate streamers based on their average viewership. For example, in order to be able to receive subs and bits on Twitch you need to be an Affiliate account, and in order to do that you need to reach a few different requirements, one of them being an average of 3 viewers over a 30 day period. You'd think 3 would be easy, but it isn't! If you can also interact in chat with the streamer, great! If not, lurking is absolutely helpful in helping your streamer reach the numbers they need for their next goal on the platform.

Reblogging and sharing links - This is perhaps one of the most impactful ways to support your faves without spending a cent, and that's because you're helping us reach new people who will hopefully like our work as much as you do, and will in turn also share our work to new people that will like our work and so on! As a small freelancer, growth is important to keep me going professionally as an artist, and reblogging and sharing my work absolutely contributes so much to that.

Referrals and Recommendations - A lot of my recent commission work is thanks to previous clients and supporters that recommend my work to others looking for art. Good reviews and word of mouth have helped me so much in my commission work and I'm so appreciative of this.

(A small aside to fellow artists, always try to be professional and friendly as it's your attitude and behavior that plays a part in others wanting to refer you, not just your art. Not advocating that you let anyone boundary stomp, but I know for a fact that my professionalism is what gives people the confidence to recommend me so strongly to their friends and fellow content creators. Use invoicing, stick to a schedule, be clear and consistent, and if there are issues be transparent and prompt in communicating them. If anyone would like me to go into more detail about how I handle commission work I can make a separate post.)

MONETARY WAYS OF SUPPORT

I just want to make it very clear that I do not expect anyone, especially in this economy, to give me money. However if you do have some extra cash and you'd like to give it to your favorite creator, here's how!

Tip them! - If they have a Ko-Fi or another platform for small tips and donations, use them! A few dollars may not seem like a lot and perhaps you feel bad or foolish to give so little, BUT DO NOT. With money being such a precious commodity, for me it means a lot when someone is willing to send a few my way. And if even a few are tipping a couple of dollars, that can easily add up. To put in perspective, even if just a portion of my supports decided one day to tip me or sub to my patreon one month, I could easily cover most if not all of our living expenses for a month. I'm not telling you guys to do this, but to understand that a few dollars can have a lot of power.

Sub to one of their platforms! - Since I use a few different platforms with this option, I want to discuss the pros and cons of each so you can decide which way you would like to support your favorite that may also have multiple platforms. Ultimately if your fave has a preferred platform I suggest using that one, but if not--

Ko-Fi - Has a 0% fee taken from donations received and do not charge supporters extra., and 5% from monthly memberships, shop sales, and commissions through the platform. The only downside to Ko-Fi is they immediately submit transactions to the creators payout method of choice which can sometimes be troublesome depending on said method. Patreon - A popular choice for creators as we can create multiple tiers of monthly rewards in exchange for your monetary support! The only drawback I think is largely for supporters as it requires a monthly subscription, but you could certainly go the route of a one time payment, catch up with what you missed since your last sub, and repeat. Patreon takes a 5%, 8%, or 12% fee depending on the creator's account. Twitch - For your favorite streamers, subbing to their Twitch is often the way to go as increased sub numbers directly benefit streamers in their growth on the platform. HOWEVER, Twitch has a pretty notoriously bad payout split of 50/50, so if your favorite streamer has a tipping platform or Patreon, it might be worth asking if they would prefer a sub or one of those other options.

Commission them! - If you have the funds and their commissions are open, request one! I know at least my commissions can be pricey so I never, ever expect anyone to request one, but I am so excited when someone fills out a commission request form and it lands in my email!

Some tips for commissioning art:

Read the artist's Terms of Service and fill out their request form, if they have one. If they don't then contact them privately, but if they have one please use it instead of DMs (especially on Twitter where DMs do not show up most of them time).

If you feel you can't afford their fees, just tell them you simply cannot afford them at that time. Do not tell them their skills cost too much or aren't worth their asking price. Custom art is a luxury, it isn't cheap.

If you want to use the final commission commercially, you need to purchase commercial rights from the artist. Artists retain copyright of their work, even fanart, and you are not permitted to sell it without permission or obtaining the copyright. Be upfront with your artist if you want to use the work commercially so they can price accordingly.

Provide references, especially for OC. If you have a certain pose in mind, even a poor doodle of it is helpful for your artist.

Be patient, give your artist some time to work and respond. Drawing takes time. That said, if your artist is taking weeks and months without communicating with you, absolutely follow up with them.

On the other hand, don't let your artist rush you either. I always tell my clients to take a few days to ruminate on questions and in progress updates. If I'm streaming your commission, I will never ask you to make confirmations during stream.

Understand that big changes, especially during certain parts of the drawing process, may incur additional fees based on how much work the artist will need to do to accommodate those changes.

Ask for a proper invoice, never do friends and family. An invoice is to protect you as much as it is to protect the artist because if you have an issue with the artist never delivering your commission you can use the invoice to assist in recouping your money. I personally use Paypal invoicing for this reason, despite all the issues with Paypal, because I want to make sure both myself and my clients are protected.

Pay on time! And if you feel your artist is underselling their work and they have tips turned on, tip them!

Those are the major free and monetary ways you can support your favorites! If other creatives would like to chime in with additional tips, please do so!

[ardraws]

Unless stated otherwise, all original works (except commissions) by ardraws are licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International

this means you as an individual are free to share and even modify my work as long as you credit.

corporations, you gotta pay me and credit me.

if you see my works posted without credit, please bring it to my attention, but do not harass the person who posted them.

commissions are private, and will only be posted with permission from the commissioner. please do not repost or modify commission pieces.

ideally I'd like my works to be used to spread acceptance, solidarity, and kindness.

FAQ and commission info below cut!

Also I, a trans nonbinary person, love and respect my trans siblings. transphobia is not welcome here.

Commissions

• do you do comissions?

yes! I love drawing for anyone and everyone. if you have a commission, just send me something in my ask or a private message and we can discuss details. I will ask for your email and send an invoice to you through your email.

I will send you updates as I work to make sure you’re happy with your final product. I like posting my art, and usually post a signed version here, but I will always ask permission first.

• if I want to support you but don’t have much money, what can I do?

if you desperately want to give me monetary support, but only have a few dollars to spare, I have a ko-fi! if you buy me a coffee, I’ll do a cute doodle for you, and if you want something in particular, leave it in the note.

you can also support my work even without money, by reblogging my stuff! always feel free to tag generously (I love reading the tags on my posts) and send me asks!

• wills/wont's

will draw: nsfw, some mechanical, armor, light body horror

my style does well with cute things with bright colors, but I will stretch my artistic muscles from time to time and attempt realistic art and creepy/horror art.

will not draw: things that squick me out or that I find morally objectionable, overly mechanical pieces

I reserve the right to turn down a commission if the content is too heavy for me, or too technically challenging. in this case, I will do my best to connect you with other artists who can better execute your commission if I can.

• how do I pay for commissions?

I usually will send an invoice via Paypal when I start on your commission, but I can also do Venmo. if you decide to commission me to draw something for you, we can talk about pricing over private messages, either on tumblr or in emails, whichever you feel most comfortable doing!

• pricing?

we can discuss more exact pricing in our correspondence. the final price will be based on how complex the piece will be.

examples:

sketch

cell-shading

full color

[jasperjv]

Hey. So 2 years ago Connor Lavery's aka khonjin's psychological torture of me reached fever pitch in my psyche and I was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital in a severe psychotic breakdown that lasted almost 3 months. Now I'm indexed in his long story of his supposed inexplicable persecution. He thinks me, in my psychotic state, demanding monetary compensation for his gaslighting and harassment, was some kind of attempt at "cancellation" and me throwing a tantrum instead of communicating like an adult. However I deleted my entire social media presence after getting back from the hospital and haven't bothered him since. But he still thinks I did something to him.

The man is dangerous. He believes that the worst sin of mankind is the ego, so he makes it his mission to bully the fuck out of everyone until they have no self-esteem, boundaries of their own, or healthy sense of self whatsoever. The elimination of the ego however is what psychosis is, also unable to suppress the flow of the unconscious, identical to a waking dream. But when that happened to me after 2 years of mind games, he retreated into himself and framed it in the most disgusting way possible. Which you will see.

Embedded here is the first video I made myself specifically on this topic. You will see more details in a more recent video, and follow the trail I put in that video's description to get my full story. For the podcast in particular I would give a content warning for assault, sexual assault, ableism ("saneism"?) and general torture and terror.

There's nothing on God's green earth I could do or say to force him to take me seriously. I have probably half of you people blocked because just seeing anything to do with him would make my blood pressure spike. And it's high enough as-is just due to genetics. Maybe the rest of you might be able to be reached.

I'm so sick of fucking self-centered freaks trying to hold me accountable for actual psychosis because they're so desperate to blame anyone or anything but themselves for their part in tragedy. I really get gaslit about my own psychosis, and forced to prove a negative repeatedly (which we know is a lexical impossibility). I'm handed a blatant double-standard about mental health awareness and basic human decency, when in many cases I desperately need it more than most. Schizophrenia sufferers are 1% of the population. We're dwarfed by most, if not all, other mental illnesses. In this I continue to be thrown alone to the wolves. Sometimes even while being laughed at, it truly feels like. So I feel like I have to do all in my power to help make sure that this happens to fewer people than it would otherwise.

The callouts in 2018, the types of points of persuasion they were trying didn't make sense to me. Maybe this, though, could strike others. I'm more specific about how exactly he destroys people from the inside out. Stay the fuck away from him.

He's scared of losing his financial support from Patreon and ad revenue or whatever. I really, truly felt for that for a long time. But now I know that none of us are obligated to keep his ass afloat. It would be nobody's fault but his own if he didn't even try to heal his fucked up mindset and was just a raging misanthrope nobody wants to deal with. When you get to be my age, you become aware of all the ways to make a living. He could get disability. He could get a factory job, for instance. And that paid me an absurd amount of money. He needs to make up his mind about if he wants to be around people or not. Because he can't keep treating them the way that he does.

Oh, and if you're reading this and you happen to have any social connections with him whatsoever, for the love of God, do not let him put you on the defensive. About anything. Over and over again. It chips away at you. He doesn't have the answers. He doesn't have any objective taste like he desperately wants to think. He doesn't know any wisdoms that you couldn't get from someone who won't talk down to you.

Took me quite a while to convince him of the truth that he is only older than me by only a few months. I needed my hope in humanity and the future in order to not go and end it all. He did not give a fuck. He kept accusing me of lying about not being a naïve teenager. Just for that. Ask any well-adjusted and experienced adult and they will tell you to stay far away from people like that. The motivations that drive them to that behavior and opinion are bad, bad news.

He is intelligent, in the scariest ways. Intelligence of that type allows dysfunctional people like him to fabricate lines of logic that justify and enable the abuse they already sought to do. Literally anything can be justified with just the right kind of logic. Trust your gut. Guard your mind. It's the only one you've got.

He leads an excessively stressful life, creates his own dysfunctional world both inside and around him. I truly believe that this causes him many health problems. I've been having nightmares because of him. And as this built up and weighed heavy on my mind I got a fucking hemorrhoid. It went away very quickly after I made this video.

I'm feeling anxious as I type this. But I have to tell myself that anyone who would continue harassment of me over all the truth I've spoken is not worth my time or space. This isn't for them. It's for me, and it's for people who still have basic respect and empathy left in them.

Yours truly,

"slug"

[imjustabeanie]

Finally got around to doing this! ^^ It's superman--yoosung!! ☆☆ Okay, so for my matchup I'd like Genshin or HSR, if that's ok! I'm 29, use she/her pronouns, and I really love music and the arts in general! I'm studying to be in healthcare and music one day, and it's a lot of work but worth it to me! I like lots of things - strawberries, sweets, tea, cute hair accessories, plushies - if you can consider it generally cute, I probably like it lol! I dislike many things, but roaches are the #1, I have a terrible phobia of them ;-; What I like and dislike in a relationship is probably the same as many others. I like to start as friends first and see where things go. I certainly want to be treated with respect, both initially and throughout a relationship. I don't expect it to be perfect, but as long as we can both be mature and discuss our issues straightaway instead of letting them simmer, that's ideal to me. Communication and compromise are key! I'm also fairly short so they'll have to be okay with reaching anything high up in my stead lol! I don't have many deal breakers, but morally I'm obliged to turn down anyone with strong prejudices (homophobia, sexism, etc.) or those who are ultimately self-serving, since I'm an idealist and I don't favor those views in the long-term so even if we got together for a short while it wouldn't last. As for how I'm like in a relationship... Hmm... I wish I could say I give my time freely to those I care for, but it isn't the case. I just don't always have much free time during school since I'm working hard to get good grades and I'm an officer of a campus organization, but I try to carve out time for my loved ones as much as I can! I'm very good with giving words of affirmation, though for myself I prefer receiving affection through quality time or being given gifts (not monetary ones, though, those give me anxiety lol). I am not an overly touchy-feely person, I don't really enjoy kisses or holding hands; but I do like hugs from those I'm close with or to hold onto their arm or shoulders/have their arm around my shoulders.

Thank you again for this!! ^^)/

Your Genshin match is...Tighnari!

Okay so your match is Tighnari! Not gonna lie, I really hesitated between him and Wriothelsey (kaveh too). I think that he’d really fit your caring and responsible personality.

You said you’re studying in healthcare. I believe you two met at a work collaboration. You needed more inside info on some plants and the forest so he’s your guy. You’d get along rather well with Collei too. He is not someone focused on relationships that’s why he won’t even notice how close you are until someone points it out.

Tighnari is a lover that show his love through acts. Just like you, he is very busy with his patrols. Which means that your time together is rather scarce but it gets better when you move in together. He is the type of lover to write you letters every day he doesn’t see you and even prepare a box with little words of support for you to open each day. But he’s also a lover who’d drop everything if you needed him (if you get sick he’ll stay with you, cook for you and make you medicine). On the rare dates you two have, he loves when it’s a picnic where he gets to take you for wonderful views and ramble about the different papers and plants (I can also see him actually planting tea  and strawberries for you and making you sumeru specialities)

Something that’s nice with him, is that he’s understanding and honest. If there are problems he will communicate and is willing to compromise (which you both do due to your respective schedules). He respects you and sees you as an equal. That’s why it’s rare for you two to get into an argument and if you do it’s mostly due to different views on a subject (he apologizes with a plushy afterward if he feels he was in the wrong or went too far. Your fox and fennec plushies came from him) . This relationship is harmonic and going at its own pace.

Now…I believe Tighnari plays an instrument too. Had to ask my mum to remember the name but he seems like a Mandole player so you two could play songs together with your respective instruments (plus he loves listening to you play after a rough day). He doesn’t mind you being touchy and often holds your hand or propose his arm in public (please tell us how the ears and tail feels. You’re the only one who can touch them). He also appreciate your loving words and if you write him letters or anything he’ll treasure them and re read them when you’re not here and he’s feeling down. Your dates often consist on a picnic, cooking together or just cuddling while talking about different topics (he complains about cyno jokes). He appreaciates the communication in the relationship and how understanding you are.

Now on a funny topic (like your shortness. Sorry not sorry)…tighnari does enjoy some teasing here and there. While he always helps you with high shelves, sometimes he feels funny and purposefully puts things in places you can’t reach. And when you confront him about it he’ll come with a plethora of bad excuses creating a light and funny mood.

Welp! Hope you like it!