#inspired by that amazing tiktok art going around

[frownyalfred]

Jason thinking he’s unrecognizable from his former self and dick always being able to see baby Jay in grown up Jay no matter what is SO DEAR to me you have no idea

[mitamicah]

Gig repport: Allas Sea Pool, Helsinki July 5 2024

Here follows my experiences with Käärijä at Allas Sea Pool, Helsinki on July 5 2024.

Having a bit longer to the venue than with Backas two days prior I went out around 7 and met up with @jaarijani and @pianist-chan at the queue. I was genuinely surprised to learn how many people had made personalized bracelets for me including @n3ongold3n that made ‘greatful’ and ‘the bojan’ (hopefully I remember right :'3) plus Anna (a finnish fan that doesn’t have tumblr) that had made a bracelet saying sunflower ‘auringonkukka’ inspired by the original version of Cha Cha Cha and because I “shine like a sunflower”. I sticked one of my Allas stickers on the bridge next to the venue and later learned that @omppupiiras had put cornpea Kä next to it, although sadly I’ve been told that cornpea Käärijä is gone now. It was also so cool seeing my own art being printed as stickers by @krishoney <333

@hika-chachachan joined our group going to breakfast and we got to play some Uno at the café. (We later learned that had we stayed at the venue we’d seen Häärijä do random stuff behind the gate).

Back in the queue I started regretting having left my sign at home (I had made a sign asking Jere to write ‘Are You’ for a tattoo to match the one I have from Bojan, but I’d left the sign in Denmark since I’d experienced it gave me nothing but trouble when brought it to Böle). Then I noticed some empty pizza boxes so I asked the kääryle next to them if I could borrow the lid and they were more than happy to give it to me when I told them the occasion. Not long after having made my spontaneous new sign was finished, me and @teal-skull went to get some food from the market in front of Allas, where I again got reindeer this time in form of a hotdog (I was too curious).

Jesse had been very active around the queue jumping back and forth over the fence and just before 5 I noticed him standing a bit behind doing his job. I tried to sneakily gift him one of my last stickers yet the moment I had decided to try a security person called for us to form the line so instead of being subtle I ended up skipping to Jesse, giving him a smile and a nod and skipping back in line without another word.

We (me, Skull and Cass) ended up getting second row just in the middle of the stage. Waiting for the concert to start Cass commented that she heard Trafik! Everywhere so we went to Joost’s tiktok where he is known to randomly share his music sometimes out of the blue and a snippet of the song had been released to IG music. That together with Joker Out randomly confirming that Šta Bih Ja (a song we’ve waited and craved since march) would be released next week – made us over the moon excited.

Jessica was right behind us so given I had a bit better of a spot I offered to film Huhhahhei for her with her GoPro. Not far after Käärijä was done performing that song he started “Are You”ing the crowd so I immediately threw my sign in the air an he noticed and jokingly said he’d write it on my ass later. The set today was also amazing, yet it was hard to compete with Backas for me. I must admit that getting Fantastista (a song I never believed I’d be lucky to hear live) was a treat tho.

After the gig I decided to make it my goal to bring my tattoo journey to a homerun looking for Jesse or Häärijä to get my autograph book to Jere (since he had technically been promising me the tattoo now). Yet both times I was able to spot Jesse I wasn’t fast enough – one of those times I had to choose between being rude to @icbimakb that went to talk and to offer stickers or let Jesse go and I chose the latter. At the merch table I was very alert and obviously nervous which Anna (the person that gave me the sunflower bracelet) noticed. They offered to talk with security since they had experience in the tv industry so they knew how to handle security – also they could speak Finnish much better than I can. I gave Anna my book, pen and sign right before the other security started to rush us out, so for a moment I feared I’d lost my book (that already held Bojan’s Are You and cute Backas messages inside) for good. Right before we were tossed out, Anna came back with a signed book, and the people next to me thought I was going to faint (I went into semi shock). Having to calm down me and Anna said goodbye to the others and placed ourselves in front of the fence outside Allas so we were accidentally present when Jere, Häärijä, Jesse and the bodyguard came out waving goodbye at the crowd (my voice was so destroyed all I could do was cheer at him with a sound that wasn’t unlike the chicken at the end of Kot Kot). Anna and I then went together to the central station just talking (amongst other things we agreed to meet up Tuesday since Anna had a Cha Cha Cha beer can she wanted to gift me).

Trinkets from Allas v

My quickly made sign + Jere's handwriting

Official Häärijä shirt

Auringokukka bracelet from Anna (not on tumblr)

Bojere card from Elmi (not on tumblr)

Dalton sticker (not sure who so please let me know if it was you :'D)

Sticker collection from @icbimakb <3

Barry, Koppi Tulles, Rock Rock and Paidaton Riehuja bracelets (not sure who so please let me know if it was you :'D)

Piña Colada and Glöggi bracelets from @hika-chachachan

Toiset Samanleiset sticker from lov.illust (not sure about your tumblr url if you have one)

Hojan, Häärijä and Bojere bracelets (not sure who so please let me know if it was you :'D)

Pokemon card (not sure who so please let me know if it was you :'D)

Kris, Bojan (both my art - printed with permission) and Joker Out sticker by @krishoney

Are You and Are We bracelets from @carpblu

Greatful and The Bojan bracelets from @n3ongold3n (again let me know if this is wrong :'D)

[erinwantstowrite]

Aaaah, Erin!! Your tiktok got me excited about drawing again, the first thing I drew in at least 8 months was a small drawing of Peter with his jacket because I thought it was insanely cool, and now your tumblr is getting me excited about writing again, so thanks for getting me back to my hobbies i guess lol

I struggle with writing long stories (i can't remember when I last wrote something longer than 3k,,,) but honestly you inspire me to keep trying! When I first found LoF, you were only 4 chapters in but already 120k words, all that in barely a month worth of update, which was both impressive and terrifying, but now i hope one day I'll also be so passionate about a fic i manage to write 120k words in a month!

Aaahhhh!!! That's amazing!!! It's weird to think that my own art can inspire people, cause it feels like just yesterday I was the one following my fav artists and trying to be more like them? This makes me really happy to see :))

Yyyyyeahhh I'm a little bit insane. When it comes to word count, I used to really struggle to get over 500 words, which is hard to imagine now. I think it was because I had a hard time envisioning it in my head, and I also didn't understand some fundamentals of writing. The more I practiced, the easier it was to get out more words.

That, and I figured out my average writing time. I set up a "40 minute" timer 3 times, and then I did some math to see how much I wrote in those periods. The 1st 40 minutes I'd write 700 words(ish), the 2nd period I wrote 900, and the 3rd one was 1000.

So now I do a writing warm up to get my brain going (like doing art warmups or stretches before you run), then I write for LoF/whatever I'm working on that day doing a "write for 40, break for 10-20 (depends on the day), write for 40"

I set up a word count goal like "I'd like to get to 10,000 words today." I look and see that the day before, I had written to 6,000. That means I'd have to write 4,000 words. If my average time is 1,000 per 40 minutes and I take plenty of breaks, I could probably do it within a couple hours. But at the end of the day, I listen more to my brain and sometimes it's a 2,000 word day or even a 400 word. Sometimes, nothing at all. I find that listening to the time is more important than listening to my word count goal itself.

Keep in mind that this is just my average time. Always plan around for what works for you. At the end of the day, it's more important that you're having fun while you write!

[dcafanzine]

Hi everyone! We’re super excited to start introducing our contributors! Let’s let them introduce themselves!

————————————————————————

Greetings and Salutations! I am Beetle, also known as @/eldritch beetle, one of the Spot Artists for the Backstage Pass bonus zine! First time contributing to a fanzine, so it's a a huge honor to be working alongside so many amazing artists and writers I seen from this fandom! :D

Originally learned about the DCA through a couple random TikTok compilations recommended on YouTube back in early 2022 (honestly surprised to find out later on that they were from FNAF) and we've been running on a 2+ year long hype-fixation ever since. These silly dudes have had such a tremendously positive influence in my life, my artwork, and have gotten me through a lot of stuff. They literally mean the world to me. So I'm very excited for this project to come to life and hope y'all enjoy the beautiful and stunning masterpieces curated especially for both zines by everyone!! ♡

X/Twitter

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Hello hello! I'm Bubbie or @bubbiethesaur, one of the writers for the main and bonus zines. This is my first time contributing to a fanzine, and I'm over-the-moon excited to be working with so many talented people! While I've been a fan of FNAF ever since Markiplier's first ever playthrough, my DCA hyperfixation didn't start until I stumbled on Tumblr art of two silly skrunkly daycare attendants and I took a chance on a recommended fanfic—and then I was hooked. These jesters (and the fans around them) inspired me so much that they dragged me out of a 10+ year writing funk and reminded me why I love telling stories. I'm so excited for this fanzine to come out—ya'll are truly in for a real treat!

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Hi hi! I’m Kira (@ki-kosmo on Tumblr), and I’m the cover artist for the Backstage Pass bonus zine! I’ve been drawing these boys for years, and while I don’t doodle them as much, they still hold a very dear place in my heart. I’ve met so many cool people from the DCA community and I will be forever grateful for the fun times we’ve shared as a fan base.

I’d you’d like to check out my other silly drawings, I have a linktree with my other socials and sites. Go check it out!

[loveswirl]

i got tagged to share gifs of ten of my favorite movies by @october-melancholy c:

let's see~ i don't actually watch movies very much, but i'll try my best <3

firstly, this is not going to be in any particular order, just however it comes to mind!

i'm gonna start with drowning love (2016) and already i couldn't find a gif to satisfy me, so i downloaded the tiktok that made me watch it to begin with hehe

it was so whimsical and painful at times... i really enjoyed the metaphors it spoke in. if you tried to watch this with an entirely literal lens it wouldn't make much sense. and god is the soundtrack gorgeous. i even made a playlist for this movie cause i loved it so much.

next~ puella magi madoka magica the movie: rebellion (2013) cannot be forgotten. i wanted to add another edit i really loved but tumblr only allows for one video per post </3 heartbreaking.

...actually i'm too stubbornly persistent to let that slide, so i made it into a small gif

the original video is here! it's amazing c: just like rebellion... i cannot put into words my love for madoka magica. it's just perfect in every way. it's inspired me so so very much... ahhh i could so easily gush about it forever but i'm going to contain myself!

neeext, wolf children (2012)!

gosh, this movie is so precious. i watched it around when it came out, and i remember it was so tender... full of love and coziness yet i certainly cried. <3

now, this next one isn't technically a movie... but it so is.

episode 1 of oshi no ko (2023)

gosh, i fell so in love with ai and this art style and her story... i cried so much. the animation is just so gorgeous and hauntingly beautiful in certain scenes... aaaah it was just amazing.

now, it's at the point where i'm grasping at straws wondering what other movies i've watched that i could proudly say are favorites of mine... ah!

léon the professional (1994)

this movie made me cry. this is a common thread amongst my favorites ehe... but it was really good. mathilda was very relatable as a character to me... in that painful yet cathartic sort of way.

i'm gonna end early on knives out (2019)

this was the first movie i watched with my wife so i must include it. <3 it was silly. i really liked the knife wall......

and now for the tagging of mutuals... @lumi-colchicine @flutterbell @voydhymn @aprilbundoll @anotherbea @haruspexhare @headhotelmess @furrmaldehyde @critterdreams @confluence-and-drift @knifepuppyirl @dorkichiban @xnji @luna-rabbitheart @bloodbobas

as always, feel free to not do <3 love you

[kieran-shadows-books]

Intro to Me

Hello sweethearts, I just wanted to make an introduction post to not only my page but also myself. My name is Kieran Shadows, and I am an inspiring author!

Books I have planned:

MxM, a grumpy art student who needs a model for his final project, enlists the help of a broke guy who is just happy to be included.

FxM, a zombie apocalypse brings FMC, a scientist, into the care of MMC, a man just trying to stay alive.

MxM, a human accidentally summons a demon, who seems all too intent to stick around.

MxM, my take on the omegaverse, where the omega and alpha find each other under survival circumstances and might just come out of it stronger than before, together.

FxMxM, an established couple runs a B&B and comes into contact with a mafia member hiding from the law.

MxM, a classic Vampire meets Werewolf, two best friends who navigate the Werewolf’s journey into the supernatural.

MxF, a western classic where rancher FMC meets and saves MMC, a gang member captured by another rival gang.

FxMxM, a human woman, tired of the horrible life she has, tries to end it all, from beyond the veil, 2 Fae men, a couple, take it into their own hands.

MxMxMxM, a book bringing two new, and different, yet similar couples together, all to find there’s enough love to go around, and that they couldn’t be happy without one another.

FxM, a take on dark romance, FMC is being stalked, she turns to her best friend for help and support, walking right into the arms of her stalker.

FxM, an autistic FMC who works as a private vet at her own clinic comes across a hurt dog on her way home, of course, she goes to help, but much to her surprise, he’s now human and demanding to stand and her to be his.

Books I like:

 So, honestly, I read a lot more Fanfiction than books, BUT, there are a few favorites of course. I recently read Lights Out by Navessa Allen, which was amazing, sexy, and well-written. I really enjoy anime and manga, like Bleach, Naruto, and Elfen Lied. I didn’t love the Harry Potter books, but liked the movies, too bad JK is a terf piece of shit and racist though.

Hobbies and Interests:

 I love music! Pretty much anything, old country, pop, rap, alt, metal. I love animals and the outdoors. I also love the LGBTQIA+ community, respect and support POC, and will block you quicker than shit for anything BUT that, if I see it.

My Socials:

Tumblr: Kieran-Shadows-Books - https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kieran-shadows-books 

TikTok: Kieran_Shadows - https://www.tiktok.com/@kieran_shadows 

Bluesky: Kieran.Shadows.bsky.social - https://bsky.app/profile/kieran-shadows.bsky.social 

GoodReads: Kieran Shadows - https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/186654912-kieran-shadows 

Youtube: Kieran.Shadows - https://www.youtube.com/@Kieran.Shadows

[ghostieamvs]

I think my amv's are such a wonderful amalgamation of the things i've seen and loved and been inspired by, every song is something I heard from someone else's art, animatics, animations, other amv's, and just songs i've heard from those around me. I'm so thankful to everyone who's ever taken the time to make something amazing. I hope no one ever thinks i'm just stealing ideas, don't get me wrong, I adore everything I draw inspiration from. The call? Learned it from a QSMP animatic! Yaelokre? Tiktok edits! Arcade? A Helluva Boss animation! Unbroken? A fucking cool Sims 4 machinima! Saints? A Gacha Life MV! Humans? An animation meme! I could go on but I made my point. If anyone ever wants to know what inspired my amv's, i'll happily tell! Each one is very special to me!

[pixiewritesstuff]

Hii!

This is probably going to be a long ask I'm sorry 😭

I got into Undertale and the AUs when I was like nine I think and I'm like thirteen now and sans aus have been such a huge comfort to me!

I discovered your tiktok account around a year ago and you inspired me so much immediately! Your characters were so cool - Smudge was the first one I saw.

Sadly I stopped watching your account for a long time because I deleted my tiktok account but I remembered you a couple of weeks ago and was like GAHH I HAVE TO FOLLOW PIXIE!

I have been at a low - girl I'm like Ink, I have such a fear of being forgotten- I want to make an impact in this fandom and I thought I couldn't but then I was like 'wait...' and you've given me inspiration to make a blog called askbittersweet!

Maybe I won't get asks, but you gave me the inspiration and confidence to and you're just so important to me!

this was supposed to sound so much cooler but my words failed.....

also your art style is so pleasing lol! I had a lucid dream where I had your artstyle it was kinda weird but it was cool n stuff (jeez lousus i'm bad at talking)

I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY AND NIGHT AND WEEK AND YEAR YOU'RE SO COOL <333333

Awww thank you!! I got into the Undertale AUs when I was about 11/12 and now I'm turning 19 in a few hours, so I definitely relate to that sense of comfort!

And thank you for your support. :3 I've been working every day to give everyone content they can like. I love this community and honestly it's my honour to be giving everyone content that they enjoyed. Secret be told, I didn't think anyone would like my work considering my writing isn't all fluff and sunshine, but I was completely blown out of the water with support and love from such amazing individuals. I've met and made friends with so many amazing individuals, each fan interaction I have makes my absolute week because there is nothing I love more than cooking up content.

I wish you luck on your own content journey! As long as you have a passion for what you do? There is only one way for you to go and that's up. Since I'm feeling nice today, I'll give you a few tips ٩( ᐛ )و

★ Use what's trending to your advantage -

Tik tok, Tumblr, Twitter/X all follow an algorithm of sorts, if you see bunch of videos following the same pattern... Take the leap! Make sure to add your own spin on it, not only will that help you stand out but copying others makes a story so bland, bleh!

★ Be brave, be confident -

I know putting yourself out there can be scary, it's literally throwing yourself on a stage and slowly building an audience hoping you'll attract your kind of people. But you'll never get anywhere if you stand around timidly and be too scared of that attention. Sell yourself, be brave, what makes you different from everyone else? What makes you special? What makes your amazing work so amazing? What can you do to bring something different to this multi verse?

(For me? I can bring adorable characters with a horror aspect, but what makes me different? There's no one quite like our lovely princess Smudge, is there?)

★ Don't be afraid of interacting with people but withstand your boundaries.

Unless those people are total dickwads and have no life, making interactions with people is a great place to start. You'll build a solid support system, people who aren't just interested in your stories but genuinely want to see you thrive! Little side note- don't let people stand on you either. I've had many a time where people thought they could push my boundaries and got kicked to the curb. Don't be a door mat, how will anyone respect your characters if they don't respect their creator?

★ Last but certainly not least - believe in yourself!

Okay, this one is a little corny and I know what you're probably thinking. 'But Pixie, I have low self confidence and esteem. Being confident doesn't come naturally.' And I'm super sorry to hear that. You're a wonderful person with flaws, but those flaws don't undermind your best traits one bit. If you don't believe in it, believe in us to believe in you. Would there be hundreds of people lying to your face? Really? No. There would be some merit behind their words, right? I faked it till I made it. Now? I have the ability to trust my own talent. I find love in my work and in my characters. I can only hope you do too, you can do amazing things if you set your mind to it. That's something I live by.

AND YOU'RE JUST AS COOL! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOUR IDEAS AND WORK!! THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS, YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[faereina]

I intended this to just be a sketch, but i liked it so much that I ended up making a mini ref sheet of Aerine, the first dnd character I ever made. I’ve only been playing for around 2 years but out of over a dozen campaigns that ended early or fell through, she’s been the longest standing one ! So while her design and story is a bit “basic” compared to other characters I’ve made since then, she has a special place in my heart 🩷

here’s her spotify playlist and pinterest board too hehe

more random infodumping about her below !

Her campaign (Tales from Estaria) is from a homebrew world by my amazing dm! It’s very Victorian-era / steampunk inspired with lots of eldritch horror elements. The dress in her reference sheet (designed by @angeliets ) is intended to be her wedding dress! I had tried to draw her wedding dress myself before (which you can see in this tiktok i made about her ) but after seeing his design when joining his ko-fi membership, I knew I had to change it immediately. The veil is a bit different than his original design, as she would be using a veil gifted by her mother! Here are some more outfit ideas I’ve drawn (please ignore my inconsistent art style lol)

As for the quote I put on her ref sheet, it comes from something I said during a session. For context, our party visited a very religious country where magic coming from any source other than their god is illegal. We brought with us a child our party has been protecting, Peter, who who had celestial runes carved into his arms after his family was slaughtered by a cult worshipping a being known as the Lady of the Woods, one of the four eldritch beings who are trying to end the world.

While stopping in one of the towns for a rest, Peter’s scars were noticed by a civilian who thought we had kidnapped/harmed him. We tried explaining, but they were unresponsive and Peter, who has aasimar blood and is a draconic soul sorcerer without full control of his abilities yet because he’s a literal child, freaked out trying to pull away and used some magic. With that, the civilians then started calling HIM a monster and attacked him which is all it took for the entire party to go off on them.

Of course, as a party consisting of two tieflings, a hexblood, a warforged and Aerine, and with 3/5 being casters, it wasn’t a good look and the people started calling us devils. We did manage to do (mostly) non-lethal damage, and the warforged ended up crashing a carriage into the building for us to get away. Aerine said that line before slamming the carriage door shut which was honestly a badass moment for her as she’s normally very polite and gentle in her speech. She was extremely upset at the audacity of these people to use their religious beliefs to excuse hurting an innocent child, especially when moments before they were SO concerned.

She is very protective of the innocent, especially children. Which is also why her dislikes include the part about not liking when her party members giving children weapons. Several of the members have given Peter weapons or taught him how to use them. They do have good intentions, as they want him to be able to protect himself in case of the worst of they aren’t there to do so. However, she strongly believes that it isn’t a responsibility or burden that should ever be placed on a child, and that they instead should work to improve themselves and their abilities so that there is never a possibility of such a situation occurring.

NOW AS FOR THE MONSTER PART LMAO

So everyone knows the reputation bards have, and well, she’s probably the least bard of all bards in that manner (hooray strict and sheltered upbringings in a society literally inspired by the Victorian era!). I thought it would be a funny idea to roll the dice any time we encountered an NPC to see how attractive she found them, and it backs a long running joke. However, she would always roll super low for everyone ! It wasn’t until mid-battle one day when the warlock (who has a weird Venom-type situation going on) was in their monstrous form that I was like, hm, wouldn’t this count as an npc since it’s technically a different being? that I randomly decided to roll and got like an 18 or something really high like that 😂 since then, I’ve rolled for many more npcs and even monster type creatures (such as this death lich we came across) and she’s only - ONLY- rolled higher than a 14 for monsters.

Well, she did also roll very high (actually, it may have even been a Nat20) when I rolled for the tiefling ranger after he came back from 5 months(5 minutes in the material plane) of being stuck in the Feywild with a hot nymph with a beard from not being allowed to shave. It may or may not have sparked a small crush on him since then. Funnily enough, last session we encountered his human version in an alternate timeline from our own, and she did indeed roll lower in her attraction for his human version than his original version. So apparently the farther from human, the more attracted she is. A true monster lover!

Anyways this ended up , much more of a lore dump than I expected! I love talking about her and her adventures with the party, so I’ll probably be sharing more once in a while. Maybe even sharing art of the party members? Who knows !

[genstylekidz]

(INTRO POST); 😓

SOCIALS:

TIKTOK: SunnyandComicKids

INSTA: genstylekidz

ROBLOX: Blue_BunnyOME (Belen)

SKULLGIRLS: genstylekidz (had to restart my acc)

You can call me Gen, Jazzy or just my user that’s fine, I go by she/her cause I’m a female and stuff. I like fighting games and shooting games as well.

I make art but I might not post it on Tumbler so you may have to check my socials.

I like dogs and we can be Moots if you would like, I also follow you if you make art I am interesting in.

I do commissions for RHD or any items I am interested in, depending on the art (socials in bio).

I play SkullGirls and if you want to know, my favorite SkullGirls character is Annie of the Stars, just cause I like and know how to use her well, and her design is amazing lol. I also like Peacock (cause of her design), Marie (cause I know how to use her), and Umbrella (both).

_______

Anyway here are my green flags and Red flags:

GREEN FLAGS:

You post art

You like animals (like cats or dogs but any is cool)

You play SkullGirls (don’t mind if you don’t)

You aren’t toxic and support

You can get comfortable around me and be mean (just no deep sensitive stuff) as a joke if I am also comfortable around you because I get it.

Anyone that is older or younger than me is cool as long as your not creepy or anything gross/cringey.

You like Sammyfendi art or inspired art (you don’t have to)

You listen to MoKenStef, or any particular 90s Rap and 90s rap creators such as Ice Cube. (Idc abt your music taste though)

Personal Favorites:

(Anything good in general or my opinion)

__________

RED FLAGS:

Your toxic, gross, disgusting, or cringe.

Your art is disrespectful and disgusting/concerning (this is based on my opinion)

You’re purposely mean to anyone

(Anything bad in general or my opinion)

IM A MINOR!!! Pls don’t do anything weird.

[cxttlefishcxller]

OC Questions Tag!

Thank you once again to @residentdormouse for reminding me that my blog can and probably should be for more than just me throwing things I like into a mismatched pile like Labyrinth's Trash Lady >.>

Anyways, since I'm attempting to crack my way through several at least two fics, I'll do two OCs just for funzies. XD

(Rules: answer the questions and tag some people, all that fun stuff)

Piper Danielle Crain (The Stand)

5 words to physically describe your OC (do you have a drawing? even better!)

Cautious. Giving. Optimistic. Loyal. Witty.

Piper more or less contains multitudes, and those multitudes are Very Anxious All The Time. But she's got a quick mind and will lay her heart and her efforts down for anyone that asks her to, if she calls them a friend. I haven't really had a faceclaim for my characters in a long time, and no one really fits her as well as I'd like, but I have this adorable art my friend @jaiesondurantkross drew, and I also have moodboards I made!

Who inspired your OC? (can be your mum to a very famous fungi)

Honestly a lot of things! Pipes started out as a Supernatural OC that I borrowed for this one-off Stand fic I started as a silly springboard-project off of a friend's fic, and she just.......got a life of her own. And a plot. And a few AUs. I might have a problem. |D;;; But I put a lot of myself into her -- she holds a lot of my insecurities and a lot of my shortfalls, but she has much more determination and gumption and sheer "fuck you" energy.

She's also got some vibes that align with one of my favorite characters in anything ever, Shadow Moon from Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". They both have their lives torn away from their grasp before being thrown wAY over their heads into a battle much bigger and much broader than they realize. And in response they just. Keep going. Sure they'll buck and dig their heels and bitch about their lot, but they keep moving all the same because doing anything else just isn't an option in their minds. I like that about them.

Give me a song to define your OC (I will listen to it to enter in your WIP mood!)

I'll forever hear Inkpot Gods by The Amazing Devil as Piper's song. It's the thing that inspired the entire second act of her story and gave me the biggest revelation about her character. But David Bowie's Life On Mars resonates deeply with her, and is one of her favorite songs. (She also has a playlist right over here, jussayin)

If I met your OC on the street how would they greet me?

A brief smile and small wave, probably. She's not the greatest with starting conversations, but if you rope her in, she gets comfortable pretty easy. Just show her some candidness and get a bit silly and she'll open up in no time at all. (Not unlike that "oop you showed me affection, now you'll never get rid of me" thing going around tiktok forever ago)

Can your OC be your best friend? Why?

I'd think so! She's got a lot of me in her, and her biggest passions are built around some of my own interests. Though we might grate on each other real hard if our neurodivergencies decides to collide. jfkdl;safd

1 adjective and 1 noun to describe your OC

Determined. Blanket.

Percy Stone / Aurella Reyne (Game of Thrones)

5 words to physically describe your OC (do you have a drawing? even better!)

Resourseful. Shrewd. Loyal. Proud. Frank.

Percy's nothing if not a survivor. She's a little too roughly-hewn to be much of a politician and she's really bad at simpering or fawning, but she's got a quick mind and a lot of determination to do what she needs to do to stay ahead. Despite this, her heart is her Achilles Heel, and she will put much of her own self-preservation aside for the very, very few people she sees as her friends (mostly Tyrion and Podrick, though Margaery hedges that line later on down the road.)

She also doesn't have a faceclaim (celebrities are all like. Movie-star Gorgeous! All of my girls are a little on the plainer side of pretty) but she's got moodboards as well!

Who inspired your OC? (can be your mum to a very famous fungi)

Honestly I got a lot of her vibes from quite a few period pieces I love -- Reign, Merlin, Tudor-adjacent media, things like that) she's not inspired by any one person in particular, but I just wanted someone who was more or less coded to be in the background as a supporting character, making her way to some position of power through a series of ever-increasing plans and mishaps. Genuinely starting from the bottom and having to learn how to be bigger and bigger, filling roles she never dreamed of in order to survive.

Give me a song to define your OC (I will listen to it to enter in your WIP mood!)

The Rains of Castamere doesn't count probably despite her whole "I'll slip into the archives of a dead House and no one's alive to tell anyone that I was never in the family tree" plan, but this cover in particular always hits me with the heaviest Percy feels jfdk;lsafd If we're going for character-study vibes, though, I've got a soft spot in my heart for Eden Espinosa's Waiting In The Wings. She's got a lot of hope and dreams in her heart, even if it's buried under a heap of cynicism and hard life lessons.

If I met your OC on the street how would they greet me?

Realtalk......she'd probably just do the smile-nod and keep on going. She's definitely the type to not get into conversations with strangers if she could help it, but kindness begets kindness......even if she's a tougher nut to crack.

Can your OC be your best friend? Why?

I'd think she and I could be friends! Not as close as Piper, but if she got comfortable enough to relax, we'd be able to drink tea and talk shit about Westeros' major politicians in no time at all. XD

1 adjective and 1 noun to describe your OC

Driven. Dagger.

No-pressure tagging @jaiesondurantkross and @alabaster-the-crow, if y'all wanna <3

[pirateofthegramland]

So like two nights ago idk I was inspired by the Bratz dolls and the horror movie 'Jeepers Creepers' & I used the apps PicsArt and Prequel to create this amazing work of art.

Please check out the links below and make sure you guys go like, comment, share & save it would mean the world.

[demonicintegrity]

Since Welcome Home just had a speedrun record for viral bullshit, lemme key y'all in on what today's creatives think about.

For context, I'm in art school. Everyone around me including myself all have some sort of personal project(s) we wanna publish one day/are working on currently. And those specific projects are meant to make money so it means reaching a wider set of people.

I have several professors touch on what our online portfolio and presence needs, and it's led into class discussions on balancing putting ourselves/our work out there and keeping privacy. On top of learning how to deal with predatory editors and safe pitching practices, my peers are strongly voicing their distaste for any sort of proximity with any fandom they could accomplish because of rampant parasocial behaviors.

I got a roommate who wants to write a graphic novel and part of it is a sorta commentary on tiktok stardom in particular. They explained some of it to us and we all agreed the only way it would ever work is if it never went viral and prayed tiktok never got its hands on it.

Back in my wannabe youtuber days I took a good study at youtubers and realize the best fanbases were on the smaller side and that were encouraged into a specific way of engaging. (Like coming together specifically to do analysis or specifically to discuss smth, etc.) By nature of what people were attracted to what content.

I got book ideas I simply will not go through with if I'm in a peak/going viral because I know people will not handle them well. They will be shelved for another time. I also need to clean out and update my half-abandoned youtube before I start buckling down on my artistic endeavors because I know how the internet is. Never mind the fact that I'm willingly kneecapping myself by refusing to interact with instagram and pulling away from using twitter professionally. I value my tumblr circle so fucking much because it's so not insane and more on the wavelength with my bullshit. And I'm holding onto this more than any How To Market With Social Media advice.

Said roommate who's super passionate about their graphic novel idea exploring fame and what not (which I really can't wait to see happen one day) took inspiration from whatever the fuck tiktok did with Penelope Scott that one time. They explained she had the perfect amount of space away from her presence and an amazing social media balance that couldn't have been better and yet still got drag through the mud. My understanding is that watching that happened made my roommate go "what if" and want to explore some more concepts regarding fame and parasocial relationships.

I'm lucky. I have had minor "popularity" in certain circles on Tumblr (apparently) and yet have never got too dragged into discourse. Especially considering I've been here since I was twelve. The worst I've gotten is from the sociopolitical side of things, some of y'all probably remember how terfs were up my ass that one time.

My point being: Artists who are aware and in the industry and these spheres right now are hyperaware of what their presence can do. Hyperaware that their social media doesn't get to be the luxury of just a fun thing but an extension of their work life. That combined with how even traditionally published authors are more expected to be their own marketing these days, we are much more aware and even prepared than the averaged hobbyist.

And that's partly why all art is such a miserable hobby right now.

Never mind gaming algorithms and playing the luck game to even get seen, never mind the cultural idea that art is just something to be consumed and tossed out like it's a disposable napkin, but the average person is not prepared to handle what happens when lots of people start interacting with you specifically for your work. The masses simply cannot get their act together, especially in a post-covid world.

And the solutions aren't simple. Largely because the only way this is going to get better is if the people consuming learn how to behave. And you and I both can assume how likely that's going to be. Truly, I think meaningful change starts with media literacy. Just learning how to critically think about a piece. But I don't even think that's being taught in public schools, let alone to the focus it needs to have.

If we want the masses to stop harassing people unfortunately we gotta hope they have the reading comprehension to understand what's being put out there. That way they don't come out of left field with a wild accusation.

I remember being in 8th grade reading The Taming of The Shrew and the teacher have exactly zero acknowledgement on the blatant abuse that was taking place. The most we got from the class or her was "dang they didn't like women back then. Wild how she changed after being with this guy for only a short bit. anyways." and move on.

(I remember ranting to my mom borderline horrified how no one else was acknowledging the blatant abuse and horror. And how I just knew some boy my age was gonna sit in that class and read it and not see what was wrong cuz it wasn't explained. No one wanted to put effort understanding Ye Olde Speech. My mom was sorta proud of me in that moment. Said she would've never thought about those sorta things and thought I'd make a good teacher.)

I watched a Ted Ed last quarter in my philosophy class about an after school program teaching porn literacy and sex ed. The person speaking was pleasantly surprised at what was coming from the students once they were interested and encouraged. She (and our class) were horrified realizing porn was the only sex ed most teens were getting.

But my point here being: Teens were not engaging critically, not knowing how to properly get something out of media without being explicitly taught and walked through how to do that. Even though they were actively trying to learn something and intake information, they don't know how. I know my English classes were mostly just "we read this now write a paper about this from the text. Cite your sources and explain yourselves." But even I didn't know what explain yourselves meant and I did great in English.

And now attention spans seem to be on the fritz and the mob mentality is more rabid than ever.

I love making art so much. But trying to put anything out there is gonna suck because now I have to pull out ten different formulas of how do I get a big enough audience to sustain me but also curate and attract people who wont approach this/me in bad faith. All while knowing my social media will immediately become an extension of my work life instead of the stuff I do for funsies.

[jays-nook]

way back when tiktok wasnt banned here, i remember seeing multiple videos making fun of their ocs for being too much of a "mary sue" or just generally very silly. and ill admit, while i never really made fun of other peoples ocs, their presence was something i generally avoided while looking for fics-

it was only recently that my perspective changed and it was mostly cause i started creating my own and fell in love with the process.

i realized that it was all quite endearing actually when you think about it.

that we create these characters to feel closer to the source material (whatever it may be) we've become attached to. these ocs forge connections with the characters we love and we watch as their relationships unfold. we throw them into the world we loved and get to experience it from an insiders view.

we create possibilities to delve into hidden details that the creator left unaddressed and unexplored. we search for the "what ifs" and place our characters as agents of change to see what wpuld happen. we play with different possibilities and things we wish would have happened in the course of the events and use these ocs to make decisions that may often seem ooc for the existing characters.

and most of all, i realized how with every oc i create, im placing different parts of myself within them. whether its their personality, the way they talk, their interactions with others, their values and beliefs...etc. each oc represents some part of me or my experiences, and while theyre often exaggerated for the sake of drama and the fun of it, they quickly become something personal that i hold dear.

i dont have the same attachment to these ocs that others do, i go weeks without thinking of them, wips left unfinished, loose threads in their stories..but their presence, no matter how distant it sometimes is, is somewhat of a comfort - another means of escape when reality is too much.

and in the same way, i found others who practically ignited that interest in ocs within me and have become a source of inspiration. i found myself enthralled with all the different characters im being introduced to, their stories, their personalities, and even all the art that i was seeing by these amazing creators. i was overwhelmed by the sheer passion of my friends and threw myself in with them to share this experience (even though im sure theyre just a *little* tired of my forgetful self for having to repeat the same details more than once JFKFKD)

in each new fandom i join, ocs are a constant, and the creativity of all the creators is something im glad to experience again and again.

so yes, this was quite the ramble, but its just one long way of saying how i love being part of this special thing we all share as fans. i love adding art and videos to my "saved/bookmark" folders and going back to them to marvel at the love the creators have for these ocs. i love learning a little more about the creator through their characters, especially when the creator themself explores that aspect.

if you stuck around for this ramble have a vitrual cookie for your troubles 🍪

[snotsloth]

"Writers steal things. It's just a thing."

Definitely recommend this TikTok on fantasy and science fiction writers "stealing" concepts from one another, and specifically Dune. Go watch it, it's quite good and has some great insights.

At times in my life, I really struggled with world building or coming up with story mechanics because I was worried my ideas weren't "original" enough. I was also coming up in the "TV Tropes" and "Cinema Sins" era where being derivative was like the worst thing you could be as a creator. Oh you use well known tropes? People can predict how your book is going to end? You're a bad writer.

Since then it's been proven time and again that predictability is not actually as much of a story killer as we were led to believe. If you think about famously bad TV show finales like Game of Thrones or Lost, a lot of them have one thing in common. The writers' main goal was to surprise the audience. They went with what was least expected, not what was narratively satisfying.

But surprising does not always mean satisfying and in story telling, it often leads to other emotions like disappointment, confusion, frustration, or outright anger. People actually like it sometimes when they can see a particular ending coming or identify a particular trope that they like and can follow to its inevitable conclusion.

This is because people like patterns. We're hardwired to seek them out, even where they don't actually exist. It's how we interpret the chaos of the world around us. Archetypes, tropes, and foreshadowing help ground your audience in the narrative. They serve as signposts to help them find their way and understand the story you are telling them.

I took a very basic music theory class as an elective at university and I remember the professor explaining music as a constant tension between repetition and variety. A composition often consists of variations on a theme. You'll have the same note sequence but played in different key signatures, or the tempo changes, or you may modulate up and down. But ultimately, keeping the audience's interest relies on keeping a balance between repetition and deviation.

The same is true when writing a story. It's actually a good thing to take inspiration from other writers and artists that you admire. You are standing on the shoulders of giants. Centuries of narrative experimentation and tradition have come before you and abandoning all that would be a waste.

Plus, as you explore and take ideas in from other writers you will also start realizing what you don't want to "steal." No work is perfect, and as you experience more of what you like you will also discover what doesn't work. Sometimes it's obvious stuff like racist tropes that are harmful to your audience, misogyny and lack of development for female characters, or even just plot beats that you find boring. (Citation: I love The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay but I always struggle to get through the part where Joseph is stuck in Antarctica.)

Very often, your early writing will feel like you just made a collage of all the stuff you liked most in your favorite stories. It will feel derivative because you are still processing the structures, tropes, and aesthetics that you like. As you continue to write, and continue to read and explore other modes of art, those edges will start to soften and blend into one another. Like the ingredients of a stew, all your inspiration will get mixed up and brewed together into something that is uniquely your voice.

That's what is really wild about honing your craft. You have to make shitty derivative projects before you can make something truly original and great. Creating a good story usually doesn't happen by just learning what has been done before and doing not that. A good, unique, personal story comes from embracing all the influences on your work that you've stirred around in your brain, stewed for 10+ years and poured back out as something brand new.

Michael Chabon, author of aforementioned favorite book, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay once wrote, "All novels are sequels, influence is bliss." So, if you're tackling NaNoWriMo this month or just trying to get something on the page and keep getting stuck on the anxiety of "am I just stealing ideas from better writers?" Don't worry about it. You absolutely are, but so was every other writer you've ever admired. Anyone who says otherwise is a filthy liar.

Embrace your influences. Be mindful and deliberate with them in your work. Through them, you'll find a voice that is genuinely and uniquely you. And above all, keep writing!

[findinfluencer98]

The Art of Discovery: How to Find Influencers

In the motorized age, amazing powerhouse showing has arisen as a significant asset for brands to associate with their optimal vested parties. Teaming up with powerhouses can assist relationship with appearing at new clients, make brand realness, and expansion obligation. In any case, to saddle the most outrageous constraint of sturdy advancing, you should know how to view the right powers as dealt with who line up with your image's attributes and objectives. In this article, we'll explore the ways of thinking and contraptions for seeing powerhouses who can overhaul your message and drive basic outcomes.

Forces to be reckoned with are people who have fanned out authenticity and a serious happening in a specific specialty or industry. They can be found on different virtual redirection stages, web journals, YouTube, and, amazingly, in ordinary media. Rockin' rollers hold influence over their gathering's perspectives and buying choices, making them immense extras for brands.

Going before passing on the astounding stalwart hunt, you genuinely need to depict your focal objective targets. What do you need to accomplish through awe-inspiring phenomenon progressing? Commonplace goals merge developing brand care, driving site traffic, supporting plans, or further creating liability through web-based redirection. Understanding your objectives will facilitate your robust choice association.

Understanding your ideal vested party is essential to finding the right powerhouses. Consider financial aspects like age, bearing, locale, interests, and purchasing conduct. Your optimal amazing powerhouse ought to have a following that enthusiastically lines up with your vested party.

Powerhouses frequently address critical master in unambiguous qualities like arrangement, prosperity, travel, amazingness, or advancement. See the specialty that best communicates with your image, as banding alongside powerhouses in your specialty will guarantee a more critical and drawn in swarm.

Online redirection stages like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter are prepared avocation for sturdy exposure. This is how you can use them:

Use hashtags fitting to your industry to see powers as managed. Also, Instagram's Investigate page shows moving substance and prestigious records.

Look for watchwords related with your specialty on YouTube. Revolve around how much partners, perspectives, and obligation on possible sturdy records.

Twitter records and irrefutable level pursue can assist you with viewing powers as dealt with talking about centers related with your image.

Look for moving hashtags and sounds inside your specialty on TikTok. TikTok's exposure page in addition incorporates remarkable records and makers.

There are different awe-inspiring phenomenon showing stages and working environments expected to connect brands with forces to be reckoned with. These stages permit you to redirect powerhouses thinking about different guidelines, improving on it to track down the right accomplice for your principal objective. An outstanding awe-inspiring phenomenon propelling stages coordinate AspireIQ, Influencity, and Upfluence.

Take the necessary steps not to dismiss the force of bloggers and content makers. Areas stay captivating, and cooperating with bloggers in your specialty can give veritable and long-structure content that resounds with your gathering.

Go to industry occasions, get-togethers, and work displays related with your business. These gatherings sometimes integrate undeniable speakers and powerhouses who can be huge accomplices.

Use pleasant instruments and information bases intended to assist you with finding powerhouses. Devices like BuzzSumo and NinjaOutreach can perceive powerhouses thinking about articulations and subjects.

While inspecting likely forces to be reckoned with, dive into their obligation assessments. High sweetheart counts are not utilizing all possible means the principal sign of impact. Search for likes, remarks, shares, and the possibility of their gathering affiliations.

Legitimacy is chief in awe-inspiring phenomenon displaying. Guarantee that the robust's substance lines up with your image's qualities and enlightening. Legitimacy resonates with multitudes and assembles trust.

Right when you've seen possible powerhouses, contact them with an especially made pitch. Spread out a reliable relationship considering shared interests and objectives. Straightforwardness and open correspondence are significant.

Remain informed about the lawful and moral assessments of astonishing stalwart publicizing. Really get to realize publicizing endlessly governs in your ward, including receptiveness basics for maintained content.

Amazing powerhouse hoisting tries ought to be quantifiable. Depict key execution pointers (KPIs, for example, website page traffic, change rates, or electronic redirection obligation. Use appraisal contraptions to follow the headway of your missions and change your method reliant upon the circumstance.

Viewing the right powers as dealt with is a workmanship that requires a blend of structure, examination, and relationship-building. Useful awe-inspiring phenomenon showing goes past numbers; about changing your image to people truly associate with your optimal vested party and suggestion your qualities.

By portraying your objectives, figuring out your gathering, and using the different instruments and stages open, you can see powerhouses who could possibly drive goliath influence for your image. Survey that stunning peculiarity showing is a steady coordinated effort that requires supporting affiliations, evaluating results, and adapting to the dependably causing advanced situation.

Stunning peculiarity propelling, when executed really, can be serious solid areas for a for extending your image's reach, fabricate trust, and accomplish your showing targets in an obviously modernized and socially related world find micro influencers .