#it can be applied to basically anything

[genericpuff]

Tbh at this point you should just make your own webcomic app/website because it would probably be 100 times better than whatever going on with webtoon right now.

hahaha it wouldn't tho, sorry 💀

Here's the fundamental issue with webcomic platforms that a lot of people just don't realize (and why they're so difficult to run successfully):

Storage costs are incredibly expensive, it's why so many sites have limitations on file sizes / page sizes / etc. because all of those images and site info have to be stored somewhere, which costs $$$.

Maintenance costs are expensive and get more so as you grow, you need people who are capable of fixing bugs ASAP and managing the servers and site itself

Financially speaking, webcomics are in a state of high supply, low demand. Loads of artists are willing to create their passion projects, but getting people to read them and pay for them is a whole other issue. Demand is high in the general sense that once people get attached to a webtoon they'll demand more, but many people aren't actually willing to go looking for new stuff to read and depend more on what sites feed them (and what they already like). There are a lot of comics to go around and thus a lot of competition with a limited audience of people willing to actually pay for them.

Trying to build a new platform from the ground up is incredibly difficult and a majority of sites fail within their first year. Not only do you have to convince artists to take a chance on your platform, you have to convince readers to come. Readers won't come if there isn't work on the platform to read, but artists won't come if they don't think the site will be worth it due to low traffic numbers. This is why the artists with large followings who are willing to take chances on the smaller sites are crucial, but that's only if you can convince them to use the site in favor of (or alongside) whatever platform they're using already where the majority of their audience lies. For many creators it's just not worth the time, energy, or risk.

Even if you find short-term success, in the long-term there are always going to be profit margins to maintain. The more users you pull in, the more storage is used by incoming artists, the more you have to spend on storage and server maintenance costs, and that means either taking the risk at crowdfunding (ex. ComicFury) or having to resort to outsider investments (ex. Tapas). Look at SmackJeeves, it used to be a titan in the independent webcomic hosting community, until it folded over to a buyout by NHN and then was pretty much immediately shuttered due to NHN basically turning it into a manwha scanlation site and driving away its entire userbase. And if you don't get bought out and try your hand at crowdfunding, you may just wind up living on a lifeline that could cut out at any moment, like what happened to Inkblazers (fun fact, the death of Inkblazers was what kicked off the cultural shift in Tapas around 2015-16 when all of IB's users migrated over and brought their work with them which was more aimed towards the BL and romancee drama community, rather than the comedy / gag-a-day culture that Tapas had made itself known for... now you deadass can't tell Tapas apart from a lot of scanlation sites because it got bought out by Kakao and kept putting all of its eggs into the isekai/romance drama basket.)

Right now the mindset in which artists and readers are operating is that they're trying way, way too hard to find a "one size fits all" site. Readers want a place where they can find all their favorite webtoons without much effort, artists wants a place where they can post to an audience of thousands, and both sides want a community that will feel tight-knit. But the reality is that you can't really have all three of those things, not on one site. Something always winds up having to be sacrificed - if a site grows big enough, it'll have to start seeking more funding while also cutting costs which will result in features becoming paywall'd, intrusive ads, creators losing their freedom, and/or outsider support which often results in the platform losing its core identity and alienating its tight-knit community.

If I had to describe what I'm talking about in a "pick one" graphic, it would look something like this:

(*note: this is mostly based on my own observations from using all of these sites at some point or another, they're not necessarily entirely accurate to the statistical performance of each site, I can only glean so much from experience and traffic trackers LMAO that said I did ask some comic pals for input and they were very helpful in helping me adjust it with their own takes <3).

The homogenization of the Internet has really whipped people into submission for the "big sites" that offer "everything", but that's never been the Internet, it relies on being multi-faceted and offering different spaces for different purposes. And we're seeing that ideology falter through the enshittification of sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. where users are at odds with the platforms because the platforms are gutting features in an attempt to satisfy shareholders whom without the platforms would not exist. Like, most of us aren't paying money to use social media sites / comic platform sites, so where else are they gonna make the necessary funds to keep these sites running? Selling ad space and locking features behind paywalls.

And this is especially true for a lot of budding sites that don't have the audience to support them via crowdfunding but also don't have the leverage to ask for investments - so unless they get really REALLY lucky in EITHER of those departments, they're gonna be operating at a loss, and even once they do achieve either of those things there are gonna be issues in the site's longevity, whether it be dying from lack of growing crowdfunding support or dying from shareholder meddling.

So what can we do?

We can learn how to take our independence back. We don't have to stop using these big platforms altogether as they do have things to offer in their own way, particularly their large audience sizes and dipping into other demographics that might not be reachable from certain sites - but we gotta learn that no single site is going to satisfy every wish we have and we have to be willing to learn the skills necessary to running our own spaces again. Pick up HTML/CSS, get to know other people who know HTML/CSS if you can't grasp it (it's me, I can't grasp it LOL), be willing to take a chance on those "smaller sites" and don't write them off entirely as spaces that can be beneficial to you just because they don't have large numbers or because they don't offer rewards programs. And if you have a really polished piece of work in your hands, look into agencies and publishing houses that specialize in indie comics / graphic novels, don't settle for the first Originals contract that gets sent your way.

For the last decade corporations have been convincing us that our worth is tied to the eyes we can bring to them. Instead of serving ourselves, we've begun serving the big guys, insisting that it has to be worth something eventually and that it'll "payoff" simply by the virtue of gambler's fallacy. Ask yourself what site is right for you and your work rather than asking yourself if your work is good enough for them. Most of us are broke trying to make it work on these sites anyways, may as well be broke and fulfilled by posting in places that actually suit us and our work if we can. Don't define your success by what sites like Webtoons are enforcing - that definition only benefits them, not you.

[jinxedshapeshifter]

An analysis of film and tv show adaptations of video games because I can or something

Alright, so I've seen a lot of people say stuff like "oh, the Mario movie is better than the Sonic movies because the Mario movies use the video games' soundtracks more!" and it honestly kinda bothers me, and not just because I'm more a fan of Sonic than Mario. A massive chunk of "this is so fucking annoying can people please stop" for me is the Mario movie -- and honestly most video game movies -- went for a completely different vibe from the Sonic movies.

I've only seen a few video game film/TV show adaptations in my 19 years on this planet, those being The Angry Birds Movie, both Sonic movies, Sonic Boom, Sonic Prime, Sonic X, and Detective Pikachu. As a result, I will mainly be discussing those.

For the sake of this post, I'm gonna be splitting video game adaptations into two very basic categories:

A movie/TV show that aims to stick as closely to the video game universe is possible

A movie/TV show that aims to make its own universe, usually done in live-action but not always

The second category is much, much more common. I'll also go ahead and expand on what I specifically mean with those two categories.

Category 1: Adaptations that stick to the video game canon directly

So this specifically means movies and TV shows where it's either implied, explicitly stated, or mentioned via Word of God that an adaptation is meant to take place in the same universe as the game(s) the adaptation is based on. Examples of this include The Angry Birds Movie (which feels sort of like a prequel to the Angry Birds mobile games), Sonic Boom (which is tied to a spinoff game for the main Sonic games, so Sonic Boom is in a weird place between both categories honestly), Sonic Prime (which has been directly mentioned by people working on it to take place in the video games' continuity), and Detective Pikachu (although to be completely fair all Pokemon media takes place in the same universe as far as I'm aware).

Category 2: Adaptations that are loosely based on video game canon, and build their own canon instead

This basically means a movie takes characters and certain aspects of the video games' lore and puts it into its canon, but is overall its own universe. The most notable example of this one is the Sonic movies, which takes the characters and certain aspects of the video games, such as the Master Emerald, Chaos Emeralds, and the different zones, and makes them its own; the Master Emerald was initially created from the merging of the Chaos Emeralds and each zone is a different planet in the galaxy, which doesn't just make the movies' universe feel bigger than the games', but also makes it feel unique and like its own thing.

From what I've seen of the trailers/clips/heard about the Mario movie, it fits into the first category.

It's important to note that the categories will absolutely affect the goal of the movie/TV show. In most cases, media that fits into the first category is more likely to use music from the source material, while media that fits the second category is more likely to use its own music. Most media in the first category will be animated, while (usually) media in the second category won't. It's two different categories with two different goals.

The fact that people don't acknowledge that is super bizarre to me. Media based on a game is going to be different depending on the goal of the people making it, which makes it incredibly unfair to claim a movie from one category is objectively/inherently better than something from the other.

So next time you go to compare the Mario movie and the Sonic movies just remember that they're two completely different movies with completely different goals.

[leo-artista]

If you think about it, Vi and Jinx from arcane are kinda like Stanley and Stanford if their roles were reversed

[book-lover85]

Stay at home dad and artist on commission Keefe

[dykedvonte]

Mini rant below and in the tags, the only time I’ll talk about this and my personal take on it.

The way people talk about hypothetical male Anya on Twitter and the idea of how Mouthwashing would play out if the genders were swapped makes me remember how people still don’t take sexual assault and rape with male victims with the same gravity, especially when the perpetrator is female.

[aropride]

i really dont understand studying at all like genuinely i don't know what it is . i know about "taking notes" and "reading the textbook" and that's it . quizlet doesn't do shit for me because i don't know what to. do. with the cards. look at them ? am i supposed to just look at them . No one bothered teaching me actual skills bc i got good grades when i was 8 and now i am so hopelessly lost . why did no one think to teach me this for when stuff got harder than four plus three

[not-poignant]

Why is it that only peak alphas can buy super expensive anal sex lube? Why is there a rule to show peak alpha's ID before buying? If alpha, omega and beta don't require special lube, then they have no need to buy super expensive unique lube?

Why is it that only peak alphas can buy super expensive anal sex lube?

Because it's difficult and costly to manufacture, it's a medical chemical and not a regular lubricant, and because it's extremely dangerous to use. It can only be handled with gloves, it has particular rules around its use and the timing around its use. It can cause organ failure and blindness when used incorrectly (something as simple as having some on your finger and then touching your eye means that's it, pretty much.)

It causes the cells to become lax, that's...not great! There's a reason any chemical/s that do this are highly regulated even in our world, and we don't actually have a lubricant that can do this, in the way that Stretch can.

It can't be trusted as something widely available to the public, and it was only made specifically for peak alphas. It was made specifically for peak alphas which is why only peak alphas can buy it.

Why is there a rule to show peak alpha's ID before buying?

See above. It was only made/developed for peak alphas. :D

[luthifer]

sometimes it think of like doing adult things like get a credit card to slowly work up a credit score that would maybe be beneficial and then i look at any guide on how credit works and every basic info and i'm like. i would rather just die instead

[countess-of-edessa]

the thing about taking advice from anyone on tiktok or instagram including catholic and christian type influencers, parenting advice, relationship advice, etc, or internalizing any stories of horrible relationships and betrayal people tell on those platforms, or reading about all the ways interpersonal relationships can end horribly and be cycled through extremely quickly on those platforms is that you are necessarily then consuming the thoughts and experiences of someone who is willing to put their face and name on a public social media platform to talk at you. and like 1% of those people have a good reason for doing so and the other 99% are completely unhinged. so everything you’re consuming has first gone through the filter of "is this person weird and insane enough to make Instagram reels of themselves crying?" and if the answer is yes maybe their advice doesn’t apply to your life because you’re a normal person who would not do that.

[the-greek-mythos-project]

The Greek Mythos Project: What We Accept Within Submissions

Hello everyone, it is once again Camila here and I am writing this post because I decided I should probably clarify things sooner than later. I know I and quite a few other lovely people can struggle with open barriers within things, especially in such a large and "imposing" project, so I decided to write down the general specifics of things to lessen everyone's anxiety. This can and will definitely be improved if we are given more information/questions/asked for clarification so feel free to check every once in a while or reach out if you don't see a specific question you have answered. This is once again here to promote better communication within things and break down this large project to more manageable things. So, let's get into it!

[Note: This post will go from the broader, more unspecific, topics to the smaller, more specific ones so feel free to scroll down or up as you please :)]

The Biggest Thing First! One Singular POV. This is something that I, Camila, want for the project and therefore, it will be the most enforced thing within here. Don't worry, though! We will be releasing a Second Work alongside this main project consisting of things that didn't quite fit into the original project, such as works that aren't exactly (or at all) one POV but still want to be recognized or OC pieces that are like reincarnations of various gods/mortals/characters which I'll get into later. So you work has a place with us, I promise you <3.

Anyway, back to the One Singular POV thing. It genuinely does not matter whether the piece is First Person, Second Person, Third Person, or something within those parameters as long as the setting, scene, thoughts, and work are being described in that one character's thoughts/experiences. A great example of this in Third Person is in the Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan, a popular YA Book Series centering around Greek Mythology in a Modern Setting told by their Demigod Children, where the narrative is in Third Person POV but it only ever follows whoever's POV it's in. Such as we do see the character's actual name and "he/she/they" instead of "I" but we're not privy to anything other than what the character is experiencing.

That is what I am asking for, and I am asking for this mostly for myself!) As we all may know by now, this project was created because I--Camila--took one look at my goal to rewrite the entirety of Greek Mythology in my search to learn more about the Greek Myths, was like "yeah... no," and then proceeded to make this public with the intent to bring out those niche writers, gain a community, make friends, and generally learn more about the various communities and ideas surrounding such a vast and deep thing such as Greek Mythology (remember, people not only know this across the globe, but across centuries. It's not just our ideas and the original texts, it's the Roman Empire's thoughts, the Rise of Christianity, all of our forefathers, and even those who we have read dissecting these things and creating academic papers or other works. It's just so interesting how much character and change and even how much influence various things have had on our modern perceptions). But, this is also a Project, this is also mine, and so I am very politely asking for it to be One POV of a Greek Mythological Character--However Niche They May Be--Only.

Thank you so much for understanding and, again, I will be hosting a Secondary Fic for all the things that don't quite fit under this Main Project but may still want to have the recognition/community that this comes with <3.

Note!! Because this post ended up being a little long and would be hard to properly organize going further, the rest of it will be comprised in reblogs <33

[bitchfitch]

idk. My like. Actual day job involves a lot of needing to know how copyright laws relate to the use of stock images and reference images in art. Like, That is an entire part of the studio I work fors legal teams monthly emails about like documenting sources and such.

And I just saw a post that had a stock model who linked his ToC. I feel so bad for this dude bc like. I prefer to respect folks wishes when it comes to how their images are being used, but he was going Full legal jargon with warnings about contacting lawyers and what not.

and basically none of his ToC was actually legally enforcable. Some of it was Actually Extremely Illegal as it would be classed as like discrimination under relavant laws. Some of it was absolute nonsense, you like need signed contracts for some of this stuff not a DA page that says them, and like. Idk. It's clear he was coming from a place of self protection and I will not fault him for it or use his images but I Desperately hope he never actually tries to go to court over any of it because he Will lose, and he will be loosing Hard.

[bikananjarrus]

just had the most bizarre conversation with our hr manager. like bizarre doesn't feel like a strong enough word because what the actual fuck but yeah. call me baffled. call me flabbergasted.

[mephiestophyl]

hey so umm if you post AI generated content of any fictional character please stop! 😁😁😁😁 you could've drawn them yourself or commissioned an artist to do it or you could've literally just used a screenshot of them from the game/whatever form of media they're from but instead you purposefully chose to produce content of them using the most harmful tool that is discouraging current/potential artists from having a stable career as they are being out right replaced by robots as we speak! please grow a conscience and pick up a fucking pencil! you are doing absolutely no one any favours by doing this!

[team-skull-unova]

Magic anon: your team skull outfit is now dyed pink after being removed from the dryer

WHAT FUCK NO YOU CAN'T DO THAT ITS SUPPOSED TO BE SOMETHING FUNNY I

[daz4i]

how and why is there discourse about whether or not certain queer identities exist/if people should be allowed(???) to use them. why is "people know their own identity better than you ever could, and they're the only one who get a say on what they are" such a tough concept to grasp

i think if you find yourself offended by the label someone uses (especially if they're a stranger) or think it invalidates your own, it's a good idea to look inside yourself and question why that may be. more often than not, it's a result of insecurity or uncertainty of your own identity (or many other things, but i won't make a whole list here). whatever reason it is, until you resolve it, you shouldn't take it out on people for having an identity you don't understand

many have said it before but it's worth saying over and over. infighting only helps our oppressors. conservatives don't care if you're a cis gay or a xenogender aegosexual aplatonic lesbian, they hate all of us either way. trying to fit in by going for people who are easier targets for them isn't gonna help you, it'll just alienate you from your own community, and you're never gonna please them. the momentary rush you get from hearing you're not like "one of /those/ gay people" is not worth it and is gonna do more harm in the long run, i assure you

also, it is important to me to say this, but having some less than nice kneejerk reaction caused by confusion about an identity you don't understand doesn't mean you're a bad person or anything. as long as you aren't mean to that person, and you take a second to think smth along the lines of "wait a minute, this isn't any of my business" after having said reaction, you're good 👍 a lot of reflexive reactions we have to things are ingrained into us simply by. well. living in a society 🤡 and you're not terrible for having those thoughts. it's your actions that matter, and your second thought (the "wait, why did i just think that?") is more defining of your actual character and morals than your reflex. i know that having thoughts like this, even tho they're unwanted, can very easily make one spiral, so it's important to me that whoever needs to hear this knows this doesn't make you a bad person 🙏 you're good, keep taking actions to be good, accept other people even if you don't understand them, and you're on the right track :)

[neotibicen-linnei]

probably a long shot but I'm desperate at this point- my account's overdrawn, I can't afford rent this month and now have major car repairs to pay (in the range of $2400-2600, waiting on the shop to confirm a full amount). it's undrivable until they fix the issues like oil leaks and a busted intake manifold, which are causing most of the cost.

recently got a full time job but until I get my car back, I'll be paying about $50 for rides to work and home every day, basically if anyone has even a few dollars to spare it'd really help right now.

can verify my expenses if needed.

https://cash.app/$deadnettle98