#if u read it all u are entitled to compensation

[wontbyers]

12, 18, 19, 27 👀

Salty Ask List

Thank you for sending, Rae!! My answers ended up way too long/detailed so I’m putting them under a read more to save space <333

12: Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

I’m trying to think of an arc that’s unpopular…Maybe Eddie? Just Eddie in general, because I feel like most people either hate that he died (or the way he died) because they love him and think it was a shitty plot for him, or they’re indifferent to him as a character so they’re upset that the show even introduced him in the first place just to die (instead of focusing on other original main characters.)

But I have a unique relationship to his story-line, in which I didn’t really care for him when he was introduced (the way he acted towards the party made it seem like he’s just the equal opposite of the conservative jocks where you still have to conform to his specific “anti-conformist” ideals to be accepted—Lucas playing basketball is demeaned and he’s excluded from the Hellfire session bc of it), and I could tell he was gonna die obviously so I didn’t want to bother to get attached either (even when he had an admittedly sweet scene with Chrissy in the woods.) But he slowly grew on me towards the end of the season until he finally died and that was the very exact point where I actually cared enough about him to cry over his death.

So it was an interesting sort of situation TO ME where the peak of a character’s arc was just finally making you like them once they have no time left for this world. Especially when you knew they were gonna die the whole time and it was just unavoidable, but you still managed to grieve for it.

Could they have figured out a way to drive the Hawkins plot of s4 without creating Eddie? Probably. Do I think the show suffered for spending time introducing a character who was written to die? Not really. It was an interesting/unique experience for me the way his arc played out. Besides, his death is going to affect characters (especially Dustin) in season 5. Bob was also written as a one-season-and-he’s-dead character and I still appreciate his role and that grief was still felt by Joyce through s4, like Nancy’s grief for Barb, etc.

18. Does not shipping something ‘popular’ mean you’re in denial and/or biased?

On a general basis, no, not at all. Everyone doesn’t have the same taste in ships whether something is canon or popular or not. Simply not shipping something isn’t really within a person’s control just like not enjoying a certain food or music style, it’s just down to personal taste. There doesn’t need to be mental gymnastics involved (like being in denial) to not liking a certain thing.

That said, if someone is hardcore against a certain popular ship that is...literally not harming anybody, like for example a super innocent childhood-best-friends-to-lovers trope with two boys in the 80s, and they absolutely refuse to believe there’s even a chance that ship could be canon and are really mad that it became the biggest ship in the fanbase after the 4th season of the show when one of the characters involved was confirmed to be in love with the other…idk they might have some biases to uncover and deal with?

(Anti-Bylers get some help challenge. You don’t have to ship it, but don’t be homophobic. If you just don’t ship it, but accept that its canonization would be a win for gay representation, you’re cool.)

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

People who deny that Billy was a racist abuser just because he was abused himself and was still young when he died. I mean. That one’s low-hanging fruit. But tbh I don’t really consider his fans part of the same fanbase as me even though we technically like the same show…I feel like they’re in their own group that’s cordoned off from the rational world? They don’t usually cross my path, I just know they exist...

So what I hate most about the side of the fanbase that I actually interact with—which is not the racists/homophobes/abuse apologists/etc. More the fans of the party, like Byler side of tumblr? I feel like people vague-blog here a lot. (Tbf nobody’s innocent because even I’ve seen a post with a headcanon/opinion I disagreed with and then made my own post with my contrary opinion, not out of spite but in a light-hearted/humorous way.)

Which I’m sure is probably better than directly arguing with people on their own posts if they weren’t specifically seeking a discussion/debate, that’s just tumblr culture (“don’t agree? make your own post”) but the way some people act like their interpretation of the show is the only correct one, and anyone who sees it differently is obviously missing something. Until the show is complete, a lot of what we talk about and theorize could be proven otherwise, so idk. It would be nice if people were more respectful of others’ ideas. We’re all on the same team here.

Least shippable character?

Ooh I’m not gonna say something easy & obvious like any of the antagonists (because if anybody is shipping Brenner or Henry or Billy with anyone I’m side-eying hard, and I think that’s a pretty popular opinion except for amongst B*lly stans 💀)

Out of the main characters, I’m gonna be so honest and controversial and brave rn and say fan-favorite Steve is actually not super shippable. Despite Steve’s whole appeal as the apparently most-shippable figure in the fanbase (I mean, you’ve got the Steddies and Stancys and H*rringroves and Stonathans—and even romantic Stobins if they exist which I don’t like to believe is possible🤮) And I kinda do like Stonathan/Stoncy in a crack-shippy way, not super seriously, but otherwise?? He’s a good dude and he deserves to live his dream life with a wife and 6 nuggets in the future, but I don’t think that’s any of the characters we’ve met in the show (certainly not Nancy.) I don’t seriously ship him with anyone.

Honorable mention is Dustin, but just because I feel like the rest of the party members I have a really strong ship for with another main character (Byler, Lumax, Elmax) whereas Dustin has his own solid long-distance relationship with Suzie instead of a potentially romantic bond with any of the other party members. So like Duzie is cute enough that I don’t need to pair Dustin off with anyone else, but bc Suzie isn’t super relevant on her own and they don’t have much screen-time together (the s3 duet being amazing but that’s all they have) I also don’t really think about them enough to have a strong OTP status for them?? They’re there, they’re cute, it’s whatever.

I also feel like with Steve and Dustin often being paired together as a platonic, brotherly duo of sorts—they don’t strike me as very shippable in canon because if they’re not in group settings they’re just paired together (whereas Byler, Jopper, Jancy, Lumax and even Elmax in s3 are often getting solo scenes/plots together.) Unless you actually really enjoy Stancy for some reason, bc they’ve had solo “romantic” time, but to me they’ve been specifically designed/presented to not be good together so? Idk idk

[lavellane]

i cannot believe im saying this but ive been thinking about my cousland and sten all morning and theyre making me insane

[kitttenteeth]

my mom has been v sentimental w me lately Since i’m turning 21 soon nd she doesn’t know how 2 cope w it ig . She just called me nd wistfully sighed over the phone b4 monologuing “ah. My beautiful daughter. do you remember those commercials ab people with mesothelioma being entitled to compensation? they would run all the time when you were little; you used to love those commercials. i remember chasing you around the neighborhood screaming because you would run away into the woods every morning nd come back out with stray cats. you had the highest reading comprehension in ur kindergarten class but kept failing assignments bc u refused 2 read anything not ab fairies.” For an hour. AN HOUR

[syn4k]

It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize you guys wrote one of my favorite fics on ao3

Like I didn’t make the connection between the names on the different platforms then was like “ashes au haha like that one story?” Then realized it WAS that story and that you wrote it

I wanted to let you guys know that ashes au is The Best and every chapter rips my heart apart and stitches it back together halfway (in a good way)

I love how Gem and Fwhip are Trying to get along and sometimes it’s fine and sometimes it’s tenser than rubber band about to snap and oh god it makes me think of my own siblings. And Pixl!!! He is the densest and saddest character. The day he comes to terms with the fact people will want him around is the day the world will spring back to life haha.

I cannot wait to see where the story goes next and whenever I check my bookmarks for updates I always look to ashes au first

-Starry

anon, please know that the intial response up here when we saw this went like this:

lance [clicking the askbox expecting another ask game ask]: oh shit, ray look at this ray (the main person up here who has actually physically written the vast majority of Ashes): what? lance: look at this ask ray, walking up to the front screen: yeah? oh what the fuck? oh wow. holy shit. hold on WHOA.

and then we proceeded to keysmash about it on Discord. based on our very normal reaction, one can clearly judge that we get asks of this moniker a lot and are used to it (joking)

seriously though, this ask has made our evening and probably our entire weekend due to several reasons- hold on let me make an itemized list real quick hi its ray i stole the fingers i am going insane over this. Hello. Hey.

do not worry anon i would have done the exact same thing if this wasn't our fic that we were writing. it has happened to us before on multiple occasions as well you are not alone

AAAAAAAA???? AAAAAAA?? AAAAA? AAAA! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! AGH!

if you or a loved one have experienced physical or emotional pain while reading this fic, you may be entitled to financial compensation

yeah uh. Yeah theyre siblings alright! some days they are getting along just fine and some days they are literally ready to dropkick each other into a tree

pix is layered like a French pastry. this is intentional. how have we done this so in depth and so well? don't worry about it (it's a little technique called "mild to moderate projection") (yes, we are actively going to therapy and have been going for years. do not worry)

asks like these are the literal backbone of everything we write ever. i am not kidding when i say that we have been pouring all the effort we can into writing this, partially because we refuse to fully abandon a multichapter ever, partially to distract ourself from the huge amount of schoolwork we've been subjected to lately, and partially because of the readers (including you!) that leave so much godsdamned feedback that we read when we are sad

things like this are the world to me and out of all the words we've ever written, i don't think any of them would show our gratitude enough, so we'll stick to showing that by keeping this thing going for you and everyone else who keeps up with and enjoys this fic

thank you SO MUCH for this and please subscribe to the work if you haven't already because ao3 gives you emails every time a chapter updates. we love u and we understand so so much but desperately refreshing the page will not actually make us write it any faster although i wish that was how it worked </3

we wish you a Very and a Good :] hope to see you when the next chapter drops, whenever the hell that might be!

[according2thelore]

hello your blurry wife fic has made me insane. the writing was so beautiful and disturbing. I feel like someone took out my brain juggled with it for a while then put it back upside down. I will now proceed to read everything you have ever written <3

hi!! i am so sorry you are now insane, you might be entitled to financial compensation

thank you so much!! i'm so glad you liked it! i've been thinking a lot about what a Post-Dean Sam looks like, and how he can even relate to/connect with other people given all he lived through. no human alive could ever truly understand him, his entire support system (and canonical other half of his soul) has been wiped out in one fell swoop, and the effort of trying to explain himself must be exhausting. (and as seen in my fic, i imagine that he doesn't even WANT to)

sam's blurry wife has been taking up all of my mental real estate recently, and i noticed besides the usual "damn she's literally nothing," there wasn't any exploration of who or what she is outside of OC fics (which definitely have their space in fandom!) but that's not what i wanted. she's a 2D cutout who's there to simply Be There, and the mantle in their home in the epilogue is literally a shrine to Dean (and a lesser extent, mary), which must be so FREAKY!!!! he's so weird!!!!!

i hope you enjoy your cruise through my fic! it's mostly hurt/comfort or angst, bc i WILL supply my own demand.

thank you again--your ask made my night!! i hope u are thriving right now! :)

-lizzy

[thepratandtheidiot]

CALLING ALL POLAR EXPLORATION NERDS, AMC TERROR FANS, and people who enjoy a damn good book: 

i was recently privileged to pre-read Dorian Ravenscroft’s novel This Savage Kingdom, and devoured it in the space of days like a starving beast.

What: a slowly-unravelling mystery that creeps through the slums and drawing-rooms of Victorian London, lurks in the murky bowels of ship’s holds, and culminates in bloodshed on the icy shale of the Arctic Circle, Ravenscroft’s prose is meaty and visceral.

Who: Kingdom’s protagonist Harry Lambert is a Victorian-era journalist, with all the frustratingly requisite biases intact: i often found myself muttering “oh for CHRIST’S SAKE, HARRY” while reading, which is possibly the highest compliment i can bestow on a fictional character. determined to uncover the truth in the aftermath of arctic shipwreck Melpomene, Harry soon finds himself tangled in a sinister web of spiritualism, dueling narratives, and erotic obsession. as contradictions in each tale coaxed from the handful of mutineers survivors begin mounting—with deadly results—a ghost from Harry’s past returns to haunt him when he least expects it. 

Why You Should Read: laced with a deeply unsettling sense of growing claustrophobia, This Savage Kingdom is one of those rare gems that had me second-guessing myself all the way to the last page. a twist in the third act had me itching to throw my laptop across the room, in the best way possible. 

Ravenscroft’s attention to historical detail (scattered throughout like breadcrumbs, and stacked into a gorgeous bibliography of an end-note) will have polar exploration buffs grinning from ear to ear. mystery lovers will find themselves (delightfully) stymied at every turn by the most unreliable of narrators…. and as an admirer of AMC’s The Terror, i’m especially keen for my fellow fans to enjoy a subversion of familiar archetypes as much as i did.

a story intimately acquainted with hunger in all its forms, you can practically taste the sooty grime of polluted London air at the back of your throat as you keep pace with Harry; feel your lips crack and peel in the frigid wind alongside Melpomene’s scorbutic survivors as they trek miserably into the Arctic wilderness. best read with chapstick & perhaps a glass of orange juice close at hand.

highly recommended for: franklin expedition enthusiasts, devotees of amc’s the terror, boat media™️ aficionados, fans of sarah waters’ victorian novels (especially fingersmith and affinity), gay people, gay people who BITE, readers who love when the conses quence, Ice Mummy Monday observers, and anyone who enjoys a bloody good mystery.

if any of the above applies, you may be entitled to financial compensation i am begging you to leave space on your bookshelf for This Savage Kingdom, coming soon to a publisher near you. in the meantime, go say hi to author @dravenscroft here on tumblr & ask them about their novel <3

and finally, a few ~Live Slug Reactions~ from yours truly under the cut:

“harry is doing the most in his role as a victorian gentleman & i want to hit him over the head with a 2x4 in the most complimentary way possible”

“ooooooh love a good bit of cannibalism foreshadowing, me”

“lieutenants who could probably use a xanax hours”

“[my Mary Anning senses are tingling]”

“historical john hartnell??? My best friend john hartnell of Beechey boy fame?????”

“return of the king (the thylacine)”

“are u forever haunted by the ghost of your boy best friend who perished horribly on a doomed arctic expedition or are you normal”

“everyone at this seance is like. Wow weird energy in here tonight”

“HARRYYYYYYYYYY i realise you’re having a bad time but it’s about to get worse because i am going to punt you out a window”

“congratulations, miserable new puppy play unlocked”

“oh i am stamping and cheering and clapping STANDING OVATION FOR LIARS WHO LIE”

“i love you complex characters i love you weird flawed dudes i love you fucked up little codependent romance arcs”

“sickosYES.jpeg”

“The love was there. It saved absolutely no one but the love was there :(”

if any of the above zero-context reader’s notes sound right up your alley, you’re going to fucking LOVE this book. can’t wait for y’all to read <3

Since this baby is going out to publishers soon, thought it was time to drop the trailer again.

THIS SAVAGE KINGDOM is THE TERROR meets ALIAS GRACE. Partly inspired by the true story of HMS Wager. Queer and twisty, with dual timelines, set in both the Arctic and 1860 London.

[nightguide]

Kardashians and their effect on worldly history and their compromising return: conspiracy theories actual reason of hate define and deplored

the K K K K K K

Khe Korld Knows Khem Kas Khe Kardashians Kut Kid Kou Know Khe Korld Kas Kever Khe Kame Kithout Khem.... Kut Kid Kit Kast?

Kim. (the world stylist)

Balenciaga ooh na na, she takes me back to your store closet ooh na na, she makes you pay for her new beau's life ooh la la la.

terrifiying on stage but does not know how to put a show (hires a lot of publicists to speak for her)

socially awkward. introvert. body ody ody ody ody ody ody ody ody is what she does

the body of a God, that people are now terrified of lip injections

Kourtney (the bodyguard hasbeen socialite)

likes to read

introvert

plays the drums

not cool around satanists (demonises public for shaming public life as in 'rich living? u have that too🤨🤨🤨🤨'

publicly entitled to collect Kris Jenner's obligations of heartbreak after she dies, is the last of the last child, like if the Koyal Kamily had Scar then it would be her, she is there but she is not there, (my distaste for the rich exists but she is the least of the hearts i see who may be heartless but not demonic-like as the others may seem to be)

Kourtney (shrekless but feckless. the motivator. anti-war hero, Luisa from Encanto)

hates the living shit out of fat bitches, demonises fat. just is Katie Hopkins with no resort money or heartbreak.

gym bro. cheats.

podcast bitch, no expertise.

actual villain

Tristan Thompson cheat code.

Kylie (the... ending credits)

is not allowed to live

the outcast

what did she do?

???????????????

'kids are not allowed to live but you are?'

the actual mastermind no one cares about because the public eye sees her as

goddamn blow up doll

satanist

corrupt business lady (underpays her workers)

bad person

(theres a whole ass explanation with the Jenner's that made it too hard for the public eye to meet ends cuz where is the actual plot anymore hence the hate towards the rich and the feud between two families)

Kendall (the goddamn.. heart in actual heaven)

is a man

model as hell, literally the only one with a job that compensates the entire family. (Kylie is exempt for reasons about the actual reason to support the family)

the person no one wants to have sex with but they pay her to suck a mans d**k to leave it all alone, meaning she is me if i had a dream and Hollywood would hate it if i was a man. just a metaphor for the heartbreaker (you already know about the end times) would get in the same position as the rich but God knows how the times will get her there knowing one of many rich families that took part in reviving Hollywood

Kris (thot mom)

she doesn't care

DGAF

dropped all her shit in the 1980's

hates the living shit that she doesn't get to live as a gen Z or Millenial but is actually foreign to generational warping cuz rich people don't even live it meaning she's a gen delta (3 generations above generation alpha) so they don't know what it's like to breathe which is why she could have killed everybody in the family if she were not rich, hastily meaning: she would have killed Keanu Reeves if the heartbreaker was aware of the shit she put into the modern society (body of heartbreaker is the body of one society afflicting all generations of the viewpoint of man is not changed, it's what you could challenge if gen Gamma (after Beta) is not happy, so her family is her reason to stay put (gen Omega), so Hollywood has to be last to ensure the first coming, they knew but they also know that power can escape within the mind which the mind monarch (Keanu) does not imprint from, it also means the world did not end as before when transitioning up the latin to arabic so they have to attain certain level of wealth, they have to give up (as in give up their rights to bestow generational wealth to give in to the heart) that means Keanu is actually from a severed bloodline that gave in to his passions of work, he killed the rich guy (grandma) to buy his way into wealth to put into his place that he is the monarch to exist into society as he is a new man (woman become from death of generational loophole to exist as a homebody than a man of pure heart, to extort that from society he controls)

(gen omega people are literally gen z if they are openly talked about cuz omega is alpha)

this is the imprint of generational effect of arabic to english if the english flux of energy is emitted in arabic. so latin alphabet is a restored in generational health in frequencies, slowing down frequencies is an override of heart to heart engagement (marriage to rich) which is why Muslims marrying rich will have a hard time being apart from their significant other if their time does not tune in to one frequency. the best part about it is that the worth of one soul within them (arabic remedial) will save them from hardship outside of broken bonds (both partner's have to believe their morals in-depth)

[vtori73]

Hmmm... probably shouldn't try writing this right now while lacking a decent amount of sleep BUT I can no longer escape complaining about it so I'm just going to DO IT...

Anyway, so, I keep seeing posts by people sharing counter arguments to posts complaining about people not reblogging their work and just... I'm not sorry to say this but none of these counters i've read so far make any sort of good arguments and kind of just prove the point that a lot of us artists/creators are already very aware of and that is that a LOT of y'all feel entitlement to our creations (regardless of if ur an artist or not).

Don't get the connection? I'll try to explain. Let start with breaking down some of these counter arguments I've seen. The flimsiest one being accusing people of 'guilt tripping' & yes I do think it's flimsy argument/accusation. For one, the artist is NOT literally forcing you to do anything you don't have to ACTUALLY share anything but for the artist it means a lot and could lead to them making actual money that they NEED but can't get elsewhere because we live in a capitalist society. If it bothers you, guess what, you can UNFOLLOW them (it's free) and artists shouldn't be made out to be the villains because they are being honest that the shares/engagement are just THAT important for them (unless they are literally harassing u but that's diff, let's all acknowledge that a diff thing... good? Good!). I don't really see it all that different from panhandling, sure you might find some artists who aren't actually poor poor BUT I would hope most of us are aware of by now that only a very very small percentage of artists are actually living lavishly and at most are making decent enough for what they do. Also, I know we all LOVE to complain about this age of influencers and how things have to involve engagement, likes, etc but for fucks sakes don't be dicks and forget SOME people DO need that bullshit because they can't get their shit out there otherwise & if their shit isn't out there they can't make money, and we need money to fucking live in this nightmare world!!!! You could also just BUY from the artist instead because you know what's even BETTER then online bullshit? ACTUAL FINANCIAL COMPENSATION!!! 'oh but I don't have money, I'm poor too, I can't right now, I would rather give to someone I know who REALLY needs it, etc" all valid responses (that you should keep to yourselves because we don't need to know ur business) BUT you can't have ur goddamn fucking cake and eat to, if you can't support us financially THATS why/when we ask for reblogs/reshares, etc because guess what?... Yeah, you guessed it, it's FREE to do that shit, sure likes are... SOMETHING I won't argue they aren't BUT at the end of the day it doesn't get the artists work to others, it doesn't help spread their artwork to others who might actually be able to pay/hire the artists for their skills.

... okay, so yeah I hope that all makes sense, if not... oh well this is as coherent as sleep deprived me can be. Moving on, I'm going to tackle the next argument which is "likes are engagement too, they mean something TOO ME!!!🥺🥺🥺" ...Ugh 🤮🤢🤮 yeah, this argument is... also bad. Why? Well for one it makes it about someone else, just because YOU are okay with only likes doesn't mean everyone else is especially since not everyone needs the same amount of engagement/support as others since some or even plenty of y'all arent ONLY making income from ur creations/art and have other venues of support unlike some other artists who rely on their art to bring in money. &, I KNOW we are all aware that's not how social media works, social media doesn't put much worth into just likes which is what most artists mean when they complain. They aren't LITERALLY saying your likes mean nothing to them and that you might as well have just spat on them & their work you FUCKERS but I feel like we should all be aware that's what these artists meant, right? Right? Well, y'all should if y'all pay any attention to social media/artists (and please, PLEASE don't try to lie and say yall don't because I know that's bullshit with how much commentary & criticism I see on this & that regarding social media & the claws it has in all of us and our passions/livelihoods etc whatever).

I... think I had another counter argument to a counter argument but I honestly don't recall either so for now I'm just going to wrap up this horrible post. So... you all like to go on & ON about supporting artists, about supporting individuals and not corporations, about supporting indie titles TRUE indie work... and yet... And yet, when these artists & creators go on to complain about no one reblogging/retweeting/sharing, etc their work that they have worked very long & hard for that they are trying to use to stay afloat in our capitalist society y'all are quick to go 'oh y'all are so mean to guilt trip us & this artists who clearly doesn't need engagement for xyz reasons says they appreciate just likes so why should we!!!" I've already known this for awhile, and it's not a hard pill to swallow either, it's just a fact of life that people don't actually want to support artists, it has to be easy, or quick or something, it has to be in the way y'all want to support us, otherwise y'all won't bother and instead of leaving it at that y'all dare to COMPLAIN about US, and it's... its entitlement, pure entitlement to us, to our creations and I just wish yall could acknowledge that, just... be honest with yourselves, with us... please.

Anyway yeah... this was directed at specific posts I saw, and maybe I'm being harsh but I'm just tired... so so tired & not just because I'm lacking sleep but also I'm just so tired as an artists and dealing with seeing day in and day out of basically almost NO ONE caring at all about us or our work. I'm just so tired of all of y'all and maybe next time instead of complaining about x mainstream media thing maybe just... go partake in it instead? I mean, at least those creators/artists were already compensated & don't actually really need y'all's shares, follows, etc, all y'all got to do it consume the media, which is what y'all actually wanted... right?

[apostatesims]

“something feels . . . different . . .”

uh huh . . . 🙃

“you’ve . . . done something with the place?”

in a sense . . . 😏

“i see. and this ‘something’ wouldn’t have anything to do with getting my cat out of the spoiled spaghetti, would it?”

nope —  even better ! i FINALLY worked up the courage to fuck around and find out how reshade works, so we’ve officially moved up as a legacy thanks to simemi’s reshade preset and only like, idk, 15 different tutorials bc i was catastrophizing i’d wind up disintergrating my pc over a misclick. but i digress. how’s life in ~wonderous technicolor~ treating you, my guy? how does it feel?

“well, it feels like i’m living in filth. but . . . vibrantly, i suppose.”

that’s the spirit!

[screamingay]

id like to go back to the gory dreams now 😳

[lululawrence]

Can u please be nicer on ao3? Maybe you should try answering people's comments

when i read the first line i was honestly flabbergasted and wracking my brain trying to figure out when in the world i wasn't nice on ao3 ever. because i honestly truly try to be nice to everyone always, even when i'm angry or frustrated or people are going after those i love and want to protect. if there was a time i WASN'T nice on ao3, i wondered if it was maybe because my comment had been misunderstood or someone saw me razzing an author i'm good friends with and they didn't get that we are close and i said what i did with so much love and appreciation, you know? like what??? did i do???

but then i read your second line. and please forgive me if i come off as rude in my response to this, because honestly i'm in a pretty bad spot mentally and emotionally in general right now, but PARTICULARLY today, and this ask triggered an anxiety response in me. so. i'm trying really hard to word this in a way to educate without being condescending or mean, but i might not succeed.

firstly, thank you for your comments i'm assuming you've left. i'm also assuming they were nice comments, in which case extra thanks. i'm sure i'll send you effusive responses on ao3 when the time comes.

secondly, please understand that sending an ask like this, on anonymous no less, is incredibly entitled. writing is not my profession, i receive no compensation for my works that i post for free online, and as a part of that it is not required of me to respond. i do my very best to reply to every comment i receive, but it is not always in a timely manner, because i have other priorities in my life. all of which leads us to my third point, which is:

writers do not owe you a reply to your comments. end of. there are no other qualifications or quantifying modifiers to be added to the statement. is it nice to be acknowledged and know your comment was seen? sure. but do they OWE you one? hell no.

in fact, i'd like to offer you a suggestion. a way of tweaking your thinking about the comments you leave on fics. instead of looking at comments you leave as being something that deserves a reply from the author, think of your comments as your way of paying the author for the gift of their time and talents that they have shared with you by posting their fic. that's how i think of the comments i leave for authors. i'm giving them my thanks for the words they've shared! i want to help THEM feel as amazing as they have made ME feel when i read their fic. in fact, my hope isn't necessarily a response from them, but instead my hope is THE GIFT OF THEM SHARING MORE FIC WITH ME. i'm a selfish bitch in that way and i always want all the fic to read. i never want that well to go dry. one way i can ensure that doesn't happen is by supporting authors and being kind to them and spreading all the love and excitement i can about their writing in the hopes that my words will inspire them to share more.

because whether they reply or not, i GUARANTEE they are seeing your comments. i PROMISE they are. and for all you know, your comment might be the one that keeps them writing even when their words aren't coming easily or when they are tempted to give up.

but, again, please remember that no matter what, these authors (including me) don't actually owe you anything.

the rest of this is going under a cut, because honestly my reply is already far too long and i have a LOT more to say now that you've gotten me started.

now, all of this in mind, i'll explain to you why i'm not great with keeping up with comments made on my fics the last couple of years. i don't owe you this explanation any more than i owe you a response to your comments, and i'm honestly not sure you deserve this explanation either, but i'll still offer it anyway. it'll help me feel better knowing i at least put this out there, whether you care or not, mainly because if i don't do that it will cause me greater anxiety having you possibly think i am not responding to people because i feel all high and mighty or that i think i'm better than the comments or whatever the fuck kind of motivation you're attributing to me to see my lack of a response as something "not nice" towards the commenters.

i'm not sure if you've noticed, but i put out a lot of fic. like a lot. a lot of words and shit. i love writing, it's often my therapy and a way for me to help keep my anxiety and depression and ptsd at bay.

now, more personal shit for you, i've got three kids ages 9 and under. the oldest has adhd which we have yet to find a med for that helps to the extent she needs without side effects that aren't healthy for her to continue with, she also has anxiety, AND she's extremely gifted and starting a new program at a new school, all in the midst of a pandemic. and all of those situations exacerbate her anxiety! huzzah! she's also dealing with the beginning of her tween growing up shit, which is great fun because it means where she used to be pretty damn understanding of her younger brother, she is finding it much more difficult to. because the second oldest? he's autistic with some pretty significant gross motor, speech, and socialization delays that have only been exacerbated because of the previously mentioned pandemic. PLUS he transitioned from his special needs preschool to a fully integrated elementary school for kindergarten last year and then had to deal with all the ups and downs of the switch from e-learning to hybrid to all in schooling when everything in him screams for a normal schedule he can rely on to keep his own anxieties and fears and struggles at their minimum. and that youngest child? he was born in january of last year. he STILL barely leaves the house and has only met other children in close range a couple of times because, once again, pandemic!

add onto all of this my own mental health issues, the fact that my husband ALSO battles major clinical depression, adhd, and anxiety, AND we live with my parents who have their own health issues, both mental and physical. i run the home for our house of seven. i keep this place functioning, fed, clothed, clean, and everywhere we need to be for all of our five million appointments every. fucking. day. there is a REASON i've been borderline burnt out for the last fucking year and a half.

now, for fun, i have fandom shit. i love it here, even if it is a dumpster fire on the best of days, and getting to be a part of the writing community is so very lovely. i adore it. honestly, it's because of those friendships i've built with other writers that i have been able to keep writing and have found just how helpful it can be for my mental health. but i'm REALLY. INCREDIBLY. BUSY. i hardly have time to get on tumblr for just a quick swipe through my dash most days. i put off asks so long i forget i have them. i don't have the mental and emotional capacity to talk to people on here or interact fully a lot of the time. but i do my best to do so and be kind while i'm at it even when i don't want to be.

then, on top of that? i also run fic fests like @wordplayfics and help friends run their own. because not only am i a writer, i'm a reader. i LOVE fic. fic has saved me soooooo many times over the past seven years that i've been here. i want to do what i can to support other writers the best way i can, which is to provide a space for them to create their works that welcomes and helps promote them, but also by doing my monthly fic lists and pocast highlighting what i've been able to read, reblogging their fic posts, and then commenting and kudosing their fics too.

sometimes i get really fucking down on myself because i'm so behind on replying to comments, but my brain is very much a "if you start this, you have to finish it" kind of a brain, and i feel even WORSE sometimes if i reply to comments on some fics and not all of them. but i do my best and reply when i can. i was actually really fucking proud of myself because i had a couple days to myself in june, and i spent hours replying to comments on 20 of my fics. when you have almost 150 fics (i think? i don't even know how many fics i've posted by now), that is only scratching the surface. but i tried and i was so so happy i did that many fics at once. it's exhausting, though, and takes a lot of spoons for me to reply to them in mass like that plus time consuming. so i tried to be happy with those 20 fics and the comments i responded to there and told myself that when i ha a moment to breathe, i'd go and work on replying to some more.

but see, that again causes anxiety and guilt. because i haven't replied to all of them. and that anxiety and guilt can cause me to put it off further OR to put off important things like feeding my children or getting sleep in order to finish it, so i have to make myself put things into perspective and ensure i'm doing the important things, like taking care of myself and my family, first.

and then, i have a moment where i CAN go ahead and reply to comments... but i also have MANY fics that are on deadline and i actually have a schedule. a SCHEDULE. for when i'm going to focus on which fics. i can spell it out for you if you really want. i made it back in APRIL to make sure i didn't sign up for too many fic fests because there are so many going on right now that i want to participate in, but i know i can't do all of them so i had to pick and choose. and when you are SO overscheduled and busy that back in APRIL you had to figure out what fics you would focus on at what time to ensure you got everything written when you wanted to through THE END OF THE YEAR, more choices have to be made.

for example. my writing time and time for myself came down to only one evening a week for ALL fandom things i'm doing and a part of right now once the kids were out of school for the summer. it quickly became apparent that for my own self care i needed more time, so i worked with my husband to find two other days i could carve out at least 30-60 minutes to myself to write every week. and i did. but if i'm already only getting that much time and have committed to those fics and fests and things that you're running etc, you have to choose am i going to use this time to try to squeeze in some comment replies? or am i going to write? and i choose to write. simple as that.

so yeah. see it as selfish if you want. see it as mean. you can honestly see it as whatever the fuck you want, but for me? i know that as soon as i possibly can and i can breathe freely for once and not feel like i am constantly drowning in my day to day life and am doing pretty well when it comes to my fic deadlines and getting started on those christmas cards i'm once again going to be making by hand for everyone on tumblr who chooses to sign up for one this year out of the KINDNESS of my heart and the love i really do feel for so many of you, then i promise i'll be on ao3 catching up and commenting. my friends laugh and make fun of me for it sometimes, because they will sometimes get 10-12 replies to their comments in a single day. they know that's how i work. i WILL reply to every single comment i get, no matter how old it is. but for the love of all that is holy, do NOT add to the anxiety and guilt i already feel over it. the only place that will get you is the ask/comment getting deleted if it's a good day, a fucking long rant like this one if it's not, and a block if it's a REALLY bad day.

if you're asking me to be nice on ao3, then i ask in return that you also be nice by not demanding things of people that they are not in any way obligated to give.

[asstrolo]

it's Aquarius moon!! ✨lil astro observations ✨😎

these are based off of people i know, please take what resonates and leave what doesn't!! read these observations everytime the moon's in aquarius!!

Scorpio placements, especially Venus and Sun have vibranium dicks

Obviously Edward Cullen was going to be a Leo moon but I didn't expect Jacob being a Capricorn... Like king why you stayed?!?! For the unborn child??!! Can we have a conversation about this....

Have you ever liked someone who's sun sign is your opposite? You're entitled to legal compensation

Did you had detached parents growing up? I'm sorry 👀 what else do u want me to say

All Capricorns are morally ambiguous

A Libra made the acclaimed Oscar winning cinematic masterpiece Ratatouille

We've convinced ourselves that Sagittarius are funny out of fear

Do you have a spit fetish or are you just an Aries that listens to my chemical romance

Astro twitter is like "what's your favorite sun sign and why is it [most hated zodiac sign]?"

Did you used to manipulate people because you are a Scorpio moon? Yes? Dude wtf.....

twinflames are the personification of all your deepest darkest fears therefore they're the sign you hate the most

That's it folks!!

(this is all satire and not meant to take seriously at all! It's my lunar return say happy lunar return bby)

[akajustmerry]

Did you even read those articles? The white wolf change has nothing to do with brudbaker because even if they continue to use the winter soldier they legally don’t have to pay him royalties because that’s part of his original contract (a contract made before the mcu even existed). I just think you should be focusing on the actual problem that’s within the comics industry which is that writers are rarely entitled to their work/creative decisions, which leads to people like Brudbaker never being given credit for his own work. Putting words in his mouth and misconstruing information isn’t going to help his case or the problem he wants solved. Do I think the mcu/disney should be paying more to these writers? 100%, but the problem is they don’t legally have to, which is a problem that stems back to writers and creators in the comic industry and how they often get screwed over in their contracts. Because of this he has no legal right to his creative decisions, so any changes made in the mcu (like white wolf or a lack of buckynat) have nothing to do with trying to get out of paying him. He also hasn’t seen the show and has only said that Sebastian Stan’s portrayal was “perfect” so I don’t know where you got the notion he was giving out about bucky’s characterisation in the show, when that’s just plainly untrue. I do agree that he deserves financial compensation for his work, but you seemed to stray far from that point to justify your own problems by acting like they were also his.

This is about the tenth message like this I've received since making that post and since you can't be bothered to Google and verify information u see on Tumblr here's some direct quotes from Brubaker and the interview he gave about the show and his fued with Disney here:

“When I see ads for the show, it actually makes me feel sick to my stomach. It’s just weird that they're [Disney] so ungenerous to me. It’s especially weird because a lot of them are friends of mine. Or people that I thought were friends of mine.”

Another one from Brubaker from the same podcast interview both the articles were quoting:

“THERE IS A CORPORATE MENTALITY. RIGHT NOW SOMEONE INSIDE MARVEL PUBLISHING SOMEWHERE IS WATCHING THIS AND LAUGHING THAT I THINK I GOT RIPPED OFF. THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT THINK IT’S FUNNY THAT I’M UNHAPPY ABOUT IT. I KNOW FOR A FACT BECAUSE I’VE WATCHED THEM BE THAT WAY."

And one more:

"There’s nothing preventing anyone at Marvel from looking over how much the Winter Soldier has been used in all this stuff and calling me and Steve Epting and saying, ‘You know what, we’re going to try to adjust the standard thing so you guys feel good about this.” 

So because you've clearly got bad case of Disney Boot Licking Syndrome preventing you from critically thinking (a 'but it's legal' argument, seriously??), I'll spell it out for you:

Bucky Barnes was canonically dead in Marvel canon until Brubaker and Eping created the Winter Soldier in 2004. Disney used this specific version of Winter Soldier Bucky for the MCU and only paid Brubaker royalties for the one film ie. both his appearance in it and character use. But even this amount was so small he demanded more, and Disney refused. Again, he explains all this in the interview. He also explains Disney have consistently denied him royalties, despite continued use of HIS CHARACTER beyond the initial agreement. because the Winter Soldier is legally and undisputably the creation of Brubaker

Now, again clearly because ur too busy putting words in my mouth I'll lay out the extremely obvious connection between Brubakers comments, his fued and the white wolf bullshit in TFATWS.

Brubaker created The Winter Soldier and the show is fucking called the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it's not a stretch to imagine that when he says the show makes him sick to his stomach why that is. Its not because of Sebastian, and I never said it was btw, it's because he's upset about the use of the Winter Soldier CHARACTER because, and I cannot stress this enough, he as the creator of the character clearly doesn't agree with Disney's use.

Now, let's imagine for a second that I am Disney Megacorp and a writer I cheapened out of royalties keeps kicking up a fuss about their character's ongoing use. I have two options, I can either a) pay the writer or b) alter their character so if they ever try to come for me legally I can claim "oh, but see even though he's called the Winter Soldier the character is completely different so we don't owe the creator anything." GUESS WHICH OPTION THEY WENT FOR.

You're RIGHT the White Wolf has nothing to do with Brubaker because THAT'S THE POINT. THATs WHY THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY ROYALTIES FOR USING THE WINTER SOLDIER NAME.

"my own problems with the characterisation" as you put it, literally exist because Disney won't use buckynat because guess WHY!! they'd have to credit and PAY Ed Brubaker because, again, he created their run as a romance in the comics and it's clear Disney wanted to be cheap and avoid paying and fully crediting Brubaker because he has the evidence that they have. so they left out buckynat and made Bucky into the white wolf so they wouldn't have to credit OR PAY.

I'm glad you fucking agree he deserves being paid for the use of HIS WORK. Congratulations, you're not a total boot licker. But my problems are Ed Brubaker's problems because, call me crazy, but i think a show called The Falcon and the Winter Soldier should actually a) pay dues to the man who created The Winter Soldier and b) actually have The Winter Soldier and not a watered down White Wolf reimagining whose sole purpose is to make it harder for a creator to challenge the misuse of their work.

Thank you, though, for perfectly demonstrating how Disney's 'just make Bucky the White Wolf and people won't give a shit about Brubaker' strategy is so effective at making people discredit Brubaker's claims, as if Brubaker wouldn't be the expert on the use of his own character.

[sameer-pro-tech]

How Do U Make Money From Blogging-Best 5 Ways

Hey, guys welcome back to our blog Training For Blogging. In this article, I will tell you how do u make money from blogging.

I get this question at least once a week from people who want to start a blog or who have a blog and don’t know how to make money with it.

Before I present some methods that I have studied and that have given results, I want to tell you that having a blog is not difficult.

Having a constant blog with visitors is always very difficult.

A blog takes time (a lot of time), it takes passion, it takes money to make it, and it requires consistency and perseverance.

Instead, a blog can bring you a personal image (personal brand), money, partnerships, acquaintances/friends, and fulfillment.

You feel great when someone enters the blog and congratulates you on your work. For me, that matters the most and that makes me continue every day.

Returning to the questions I receive weekly, I decided to write a simple article entitled “How to make money from the blog” to answer all these questions.

I have tried to cover them all in general, and soon I will try to detail each one in separate articles.

If you want how do beginner bloggers make money? so completely read this article.

How do beginner bloggers make money?

There are many ways to monetize your blog. One of the most popular ways is through affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is simply promoting other people’s products and services on your blog. You get a commission if someone purchases them.

One of the most popular ways to promote other people’s products is through your blog posts.

If you have a blog that is focused on fashion or lifestyle, you can promote beauty products or fast food restaurants.

How do bloggers get paid?

Bloggers get paid by ad networks in one of two ways: per impression or per click. Per-impression advertisements are ads that do not require the viewer to click on the ad in order for the blogger to earn money.

They get compensated by impression or the number of times the ad is seen. These ads run on ad networks like Google Adsense and Amazon Associates.

Bloggers can get paid in the form of a check, or just in the form of the ad revenue that these networks generate.

Some bloggers choose to run per-click advertisements, which require the viewer to click on the ad in order to earn money.

These ads are run through the likes of Taboola and Outbrain. These bloggers earn money by click by click.

Read More

[jewul]

Ok well if no one else is going to do it here are my debate champion katara headcanons

so katara is an absolute beast at public speaking I mean remember that pulitzer-worthy speech she made up on the spot at that earthbender prison... ELOQUENT queen.

so are we surprised that she’s the head of her high school’s debate club. twice a week after school she’s with her club prepping motions, doing practice rounds and exercises. she spends a few weekends every month at debate tournaments, from local high school tournaments to university tournaments she has to travel for

probably specializes in IR (international relations) and policy motions. is delighted to get philosophical motions too, because she’s really good at coming up with creative cases that no one else has thought of

is subscribed to a bazillion different email newsletters from publications and news outlets of all subjects, and it’s her morning routine to read through all of them. katara can predict what topical motions will show up in upcoming tournaments with scary accuracy (her finger is ONNN the pulse. Of society)

either has a ride or die partner she knows like the back of her hand (i think it’s suki it’s gonna be suki). they dominate tournaments so often it’s almost not fair. arrogant male debaters who haven’t heard about their reputation always underestimate them and end up getting their asses handed to them. katara makes sure to give them the Deathgrip Handshake™️ at the end, with her most Scary Bitch smile

ORRR she takes turns pairing up with younger or newer members of the club, guiding them through tournaments and giving them a chance to participate in higher level rounds. one of the reasons why she makes such a good club captain is that she genuinely cares about each student’s development and wants to see them do well

“which position does katara prefer???” hi hello I’m glad u asked. this bitch always wants to have to first or last word, so if they’re opening half she’ll do PM/LO, and if they’re back half she’ll do the whip speech. katara is probably most well known for her insane whip speeches... she never leaves a single point unrefuted, always finishes with the timer, and wraps the round up in such a pretty neat bow that the judges forget why they even bought the oppositions case in the first place

honestly debate is where katara can let all her competitive energy, pettiness, and anger out, all while becoming a more well-rounded, eloquent, confident young woman. we literally have no choice but to stan

if you or a loved one has done parliamentary debate you may be entitled to compensation that shit was traumatizing amiright. but if u wanna disqus this more hmu 👁👃👁 there is literally no world where a modern hs atla au does not involve debate champion katara

[gloriousxdarkness]

W H A T   I S   Y O U R   L I F E T R A P ?

MISTRUST/ABUSE -  All 18 Lifetraps & Schemas

ABUSE - 88% You fear that other people will hurt, cheat, be violent, abuse or take advantage of you in some way. You probably don't feel confident and safe but rather you see threats in your relationships. It is usually hard for you to trust other people. You might have doubts about the intentions of others and you believe they will deceive you one way or another, sooner or later. You will not let anyone get close to you and you do not dare open up in your relationships. You are careful and you may test whether other people are worthy of trusting. Repeated emotional experiences of exploitation tend to confirm the lifetrap. This eats out your self-esteem, and you find it hard to get out of a relationship where you are mistreated.

DEFECTIVENESS - 79% Your existence is characterized by worthlessness which is based on the belief of defectiveness. You might talk about yourself with a degrading tone; you are critical, harsh and angry at yourself. As if you would have within you something shameful and disgusting, which needs to be kept hidden. Probably you hide your problems and mistakes, and avoid talking about them not to feel shame. You have to keep the real feelings and thoughts in secret, you do not want to others to see you as a sentimental or a needy human being. You present to people other than who you really are and at the same time you are afraid of the disclosure. You are sensitive to criticism and critique, which may make you angry. Maybe you attack against your feelings of inferiority by being critical and dismissive of others.

EMOTIONAL DEPRIVATION - 67% You feel that no one will or can satisfy your need for love and care, and probably you feel often that no one really listens and understands you. You might avoid love relationships, relationships tend to be short or you protect yourself by falling in love with a person who is not available. Relationships often end after high expectations with bitter disappointment. Perhaps the great desire that your partner will change and someday be able to fulfill your needs keeps you in relation with an unsatisfying partner. You might expect that the loved one should be able to read your mind and automatically satisfy your needs for affection and intimacy. You may not have ever considered expressing your needs, on the other hand you may withdraw from or be hurt if one is unable to meet your need for feeling loved. Repeated deprivation confirms the beliefs that you will never find a life partner and you will never get the love you need.

ENTITLEMENT - 58% You view yourself as special and therefore legitimate for non-standard operating procedures. Your needs are more important to you than the needs of others. You are demanding and controlling toward others, and you want to do things the way you want. You have difficulty accepting resistance when you want something. You want to make sure that you get what you want, how you want and whenever you want. You get bored easily; the routine tasks are just not for you - you should not have to do them. You may break the law or the rules because you believe that you entitled to do so. You like how you feel with this lifetrap, therefore, you may not see your own behavior as problematic, but people close to you see and feel it. Before long, however, it may get you into trouble. This lifetrap offers in many cases compensation for another lifetrap – usually defectiveness, emotional deprivation, social alienation or subjugation.

TAGGED BY: @murdcck​​ TAGGING: @thatslayer​​, @wandyrlust​​, @phdinrage​​, @timemovesonandon​​, @artificiallyimplantedmemories​​, @justifiedmuses​​, @enduringlystoic​​, @kinginhismind​​, @soulavenged​​, @nowaytoknow​​, @lukecageforhire​​, @wickedlehane, @agecfmiracles​​​