#it's more of a thing about sharing and art and community and engagement I guess

[leconcombrerit]

This thing had been rotting in my files for a year (minus three weeks but that's basically a year). It was a redraw of one of my first ever pieces for this fandom, and I still find it quite okay if a little stiff in places, so I thought I might as well share it since I don't draw that much anymore.

And then I had second thoughts, which obviously led to me posting it anyway, as you can see, but I realized I've almost made it a point not to draw anything related to Sasi anymore. As in at all. I can't, and I don't want to, and even sharing old art feels a bit 'meh'. It's too directly linked to my long going art block.

What I mean by that is that if I took all the followers I have out there and asked them what they know me or initially followed me for, you might have a fair amount of Lis 2 and the occasional Desert Bluffs afficionados, but you'd get an overwhelming majority of Sanders Sides. Sanders Sides fashion posts even. I was by no means famous for it or anything, but at my small artist scale, it was the biggest success I had.

And it makes it much harder to go back to it at all now. One, because I don't give a damn about the show anymore. Two, because I haven't been properly obsessing over anything in a while (there was a series early this year but given the actual emotional distress I get thinking about it I'm ruling it out). I haven't had real engagement from my own brain, nor real engagement from a broad audience -which makes sense, I'm not posting for anything that will reach a broad audience. But it takes its toll regardless.

Even when I finally finished writing a long fic, I couldn't help but feel 'all this for what ? Ten people or so and two hundreds have dropped it ?'. Which is a bad way to think about stuff you write for your own enjoyment but, you know, the brain gets happy with external validation even if you pretend really hard you don't care.

And so it feels tempting to go back to the golden goose just the time to get the creative juice pumping back, and I try, and I always end up frustrated and angry and feeling even less like making art that before. I'm not having fun with Sasi. Like an old friend you have nothing to say to and yet you have so much to say otherwise, so you get a bit frustrated, you know ? Not sure I'm making much sense, but that's how it feels. I want to have something like that again, but it won't be with Sanders Sides, and I somehow just want if off my radar.

It was left hanging, then lost its spark, and then I stopped caring altogether and I most likely won't even watch the finale when it does come out. I'm over it. I wish I wasn't though, because it does feel like the artistic spark won't come back all on its own this time, and the buzzing community made it so much easier to bounce back and do shit when your brain got wired all wrong.

It sounds like I'm just bawling after love and likes and stuff, and I guess that's part of it, in a way ? Like I'm in no place to do things for myself, and seeing the one thing I used to use to get back in the flow giving me a bored sense of dread doesn't feel too great.

Yet this drawing is still good ! I find it good ! I don't remember everything, but I can tell from the looks of it that I spent a while on it ! It's nice ! I should celebrate that. So I'm sharing it. I think it will be the last piece of Sasi I ever share, though. I'm not watching the finale when it comes out. I don't care about it. I'll just keep doodling my OCs and characters from cool books every once in a while. I'll write little things.

I just really, really need to stop trying to go back to it when it's clearly not working and not even for good reasons. It was a fun ride though ! So yeah. Basically. A whole ass rant for a one year old piece of art. I'm in my bi-annual depresso mood, nothing too surprising there.

[almostempty]

making this community inhospitable to racists does not mean posting another quarterly “fuck off racists” tag pls take a breath slow down and be serious for a minute instead of doing the circle jerk of performative outrage

If you have to clarify on your blog that you don’t want racists reading your fics think long and hard about that. Is that bumper sticker activism statement the ONLY thing alerting them that they’re unwelcome? Do you think they feel represented or find your blog relatable without that statement attached? It’s not about if you think you’re a good person or not

we’ve got an echo chamber of hypersensitive white women upholding the racist, colonial, patriarchal standard in their fics, in their art, in their reblogs, in their actions behaviors and the circles they cling to and strategically try to profit off of (in the form of attention bc literally what else are you getting from this???)

Who do you think is benefiting at the end of the day from the idolized trope of the small fragile quiet white coded female reader x hyper sexualized Latino ?

(Spoiler the answer isn’t even white women …it’s white men; they’re still the ones on top at the intersection of racism, imperialism, capitalism, and patriarchy.. don’t play yourself, they (systemically) want you to eat that shit up so they can keep their power)

instead of telling racists to get off your blog, stop catering to narratives that are designed to make white women feel comfy and special EVEN IF THAT MAKES YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE

if it makes it hard for you to enjoy the fandom when you actively choose not to read those fics or engage with content that perpetuates the same stereotypes and you suddenly feel starved for content that’s the point, don’t let it go over your head

making the space inhospitable to racists means doing everything with intention so they CANNOT see themselves in the fics you write AND reblog, in the art, in the tags, or as your friend

the loud hate coming from anons is NOT going to be swayed by these posts

but you can change YOUR behavior to lessen the constant barrage of microaggressions our bipoc peers get pelted with when they open this app by not contributing or promoting more of the same

It’s like the same way ‘boundaries’ have been misconstrued from therapy speak, like you don’t set boundaries by telling someone else what they can’t do ..you set boundaries through YOUR actions.

Yell that you hate racism all day I guess, but if you’re gonna keep sharing work filled with racial stereotypes and hegemonic colonial masculinity disguised as kink, or putting white women on a pedestal then you’re still providing space for racists to feel cozy and justified and I’m so serious about that

Here have more to read:

What Fandom Racism Looks Like: Racist Fanworks, Done Out of Spite

What if we improved fandom somewhat?

From the second link:

If these posts annoy you say it out loud so *I* can remove *you* from my blog bc i don’t expect y’all to leave on your own bc that would require self-awareness

[spade-12]

Spade Doodles Showcase Is Here! (100+ followers special!)

- Duration

From January 18 to TBD?? (Deadline for when I stop taking requests not when I stop drawing!)

- Details

To celebrate me reaching 100+ followers, I will be hosting a small event!

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for following & supporting me - regardless of my inactivity - and interacting with my posts ^^. Sometimes I just come off and on again and I’m still surprised when people engage with my blog. I think it’s typical of me to say that I never thought I would ever get to meet so many people that welcome me to this community. Or to have any moots at all. And I know I don’t interact much (which I want to do more, I’m just really bad at socializing >_>), but I’ve meet amazing people, from the art that they make, and to the person they are in general. To whoever’s reading this, thank you, regardless if you follow me or not, I appreciate everyone’s support :)

100 may not be a big number, but it’s still pretty amazing that 100 people (+more) enjoy my blog enough to follow me . I’m glad people like my art, and that I could share it to other people. No words and numbers can express the immense gratitude to have meet you all, and to be able to be in this community. Thank you all for listening to me blabber and thank you for the support ❤️ now on to the real stuff!

-EVENT INFO-

A request event where you can roll on this limited banner featuring my Yuusona and Grim! In this banner you get to roll for their cards, sort of like a gacha! And whatever card you roll on, will be the surprise you will get for your request! 🎉

(inspired by a gacha pulling event by @/the-rini-rush or now @/rinis-reality!)

-How to roll

Leave a comment or an ask, then if I stumble upon your request, I’ll spin a random number generator from 1-8. For example, if I rolled (1) for your request, that means you’ll receive the starsending card, and if the request asks for a drawing of Kalim with yuu, then I(♠️) will draw a fully-rendered piece! As explained below. But if there are any specific requests, it will hopefully be mentioned in the request! Like a specific pose, or idea, etc.

Note-I think I might skip on the dms, because I realized that my gacha has to be a surprise for my rollers, and responding means they’re chosen buttttt, 👀 I want it to be a secret! Orrr maybe it might be too much if it’s dms 😭 idkk But I’ll respond to any comments asking, guess that’s not so secret, but when I will get the drawing done will depend 🙇‍♂️

Rules/How to Join!

Moots & followers can only participate-but I’m always open to new followers!(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

Comment, or submit an ask about your request!

Specify any details you want incorporated, poses, ideas, details, etc.

I may dm personally if I have any questions

Requests are not “limited,” but I will take priority for first come first serve if you ever request twice! Depending if people participate at all hhh><

DOS

Only TWST related (for now?. Unless I’m in the mood..)

Limited to 2 people in a request, depending on complexity, but feel free to add more just in case!

OC/CC, OC/CC, and CC/CC allowed!

Age appropriate (SFW) please nothing suggestive 😭 I can’t draw that…

DONTS

Nothing pro ship, homophobic, or anything with ill intent, I don’t condone that here!

I might not be able to draw certain/complex things because i’m not capable enough … (complex mechas, backgrounds -depends-, furries, anthro 😭)

Additional info (Please read!! ^^)

Occasionally I might do other drawing ideas or participate in other events (just as little breaks in between!)

Drawings may take a while , but I’ll try my best!

I’ll also note they might take longer due to irl stuff, and also I’ve been coming down with the flu these daysss..

Note the drawings example below may not be the exact style you’ll be getting

Also my drawings may suck, so yea, beware!👻👻

Featured Cards ♠️

I was planning to do more refined examples but I grew lazy and I haven’t been doing well, so that adds to the surprise! Sorry everyone 🥹 also some of these are older drawings I never posted-

Hopefully my health gets a bit better!!^^

1.SSR- Starsending

A request style painting, with additional sketches, where it will be rendered, shaded, and most detailed!

2.SSR- White Rabbit Festival

A request collection of sketches, a mixture of color and tiny drawings!

Ex.

3.SSR- Liongarb

A request collection a whole page of doodles (some slightly colored with lots of different pictures!

Ex.

4.SSR- Dorm Uniform

A request special card sr, where you can get a design for a ungroovy and groovy!

5.SSR- Birthday boy

A request special card SSR where you can get a design with a ungroovy and groovy!

Ex.

6.SSR- Birthday Jacket

A request where you can get a special cover based on the official TWST manga! (By Yana’s style) + possible manga panel?

7.SSR - Bloom Broomquet Birthday

A request where you can get a special cover based on the Offical TWST manga! (By Aida Suzuka’s style) + possible manga panel?

8.SSR - Platinum Birthday

A special request where you’ve reached guaranteed! If you get this card, you get to choose which selection of other request listed above you want! This is where I’ll dm the roller and they can select their choice!

Have fun with your pulls! Thank you again!

BUT SERIOUSLY THANK YOU ALL!,! GSHSGD 😭😭😭 YOU GUYS ARE ALL AMAZING!!!!🫶💝❤️❤️💝❤️💝❤️❤️-♠️

-Additional full body ref of design and art-

[haunting-heroes-creative-games]

✨ Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About The Haunting Heroes Discord But Didn’t Want To Ask ✨

Are you looking to join this DPxDC server but don't know what it's about? Are you new to Discord and want to figure a few dynamics about it first? Then this is the post for you!

We're Super excited to share with you some of the features you can expect when you join the Haunting Heroes DPxDC Discord server.

🔷 I’m new to Discord. What is Discord?

A noble question. Discord is a messaging/private server application where you can join servers to chat, text, and video call people. Lots of fandoms have servers dedicated to their beloved show/book/comics/blorbos

It’s a popular platform because a) it’s free and b) it’s very easy to organize.

Haunting Heroes, as such, is essentially a private chat room where you can talk about DPxDC with other fans. There are other DPxDC servers, but you can never have too many!

🔷 What do you do on Haunting Heroes?

We do a lot! If you’re here, you may have seen the results of the Writing Games we’ve played, like "Who Wrote That?" as well as "Guess That Fic" (a fun way to give fic recs AND test your DPxDC fic knowledge!).

We also share updates of fanart, non fanart, and fan fics, as well as recommendations to stories we’ve read and enjoyed.

And we have plenty of ways to discuss ideas: from canon resources to headcanons that intrigue you; from prompts to workshopping your story ideas; from asking for a beta-reader to sharing your progress. Sometimes this even happens live while doing a sprint with others.

🔷 What does ‘18+ SFW’ mean?

18+ is fairly straightforward: you have to be 18 years or older to join our server. So why SFW?

We decided to emphasize the Safe For Work aspect not because no NSFW content is allowed—we have a flourishing NSFW category as well as a Dark Category with channels for people to talk about it to your hearts’ content! We welcome more mature content, but not everyone wants to engage in it, or only want to engage on their own terms. Being able to curate what you do and don't see is important to us, hence the separate categories (and having to self-select a role to see the NSFW + Dark channels)

We add SFW when talking about HH because ‘18+’ on its own has certain connotations (just like ‘adult content’ or ‘adults only’).

Why, then, are we an 18+ server? We appreciate the under 18s in our fandom, and there are lots of fandom places that are open to all ages (for example, this blog!). But there are older fans who feel more comfortable in an adult oriented space. We noted that a place for adults only in the DPxDC fandom was missing, and wanted to fill that niche.

🔷 Why Should I Join?

✏️ If you’re a writer, you can find a beta reader or ping the Ideas Helper role if you want some help with your story. You can find and share resources for various things, such as writing, art, and how to use A03.

🐱 We also share lots of pictures of our pets!

💡 We have fun emojis and stickers unique to Haunting Heroes, many made by people who are part of the server.

⭐️ We have a starboard! If someone says something you find funny, react to their post with a star emoji; if a post gets 9 stars, it gets shared to the board! It’s like the highlights reel at the end of a Mario Kart Race, but user generated. It's a good way to quickly know what's been going on in the server.

🐰 Our Bunny Hutch (AKA prompts sharing category) is always hopping. Enter at your own risk! You may go there with the intention of dropping off one prompt for someone else to adopt, and leave having adopted 4 new WIPS of your own!

And most importantly, we are a fandom community looking to share with each other the things we love doing or seeing in the fandom. You are likely to find writers, artists, and commenters you know from AO3 or Tumblr, but you might also find new friends to hang out with or be inspired by new things while lurking.

🔷 What can I expect upon joining?

☑️ Once you join, you will have to read our guidelines to make sure you agree with them and know what you can expect in terms of how we handle the server.

☑️ There are also roles to be selected so you can customize your experience. Some roles will allow you to give information to other members (such as the pronouns you select), others will give you an aesthetic (such as color roles), others are pingable and alert you for specific activities (such as movie nights ,or a new writing game being set up, or when someone wants others to bounce ideas). Some will also grant you access to specific sections in our server, such as dark or nsfw channels, which won't be visible otherwise.

☑️ Don't forget to also select the 18+ role which grants you acces to the whole server. This one is made specifically to confirm you agree with the guidelines and are 18 or older, since that's our sole requirement to join the server.

☑️ Once you define your roles, you can check our server roadmap to guide you through the many channels we have in the server with descriptions for each of them and the bots we have available to help through the experience.

☑️ Don't worry if you get a few pings upon entering: we have a welcome mat where others will greet you once you're in.

🔷 How can I join?

To join, send us an ask confirming you're 18+ and someone in our team will send you the link. You can find the ask box as "Ask us anything here" at the top of our blog or clicking here. Please make sure you check your inbox for our reply. If you sent us an ask and haven't gotten a reply in 48hrs, please let us know either replying in this post or contacting one of our mods.

We hope you have fun and fulfill your hero-haunting needs💚👻

[joyinliving]

Shit to Do So You Don't Freak The Fuck Out

are you feeling hopeless? lost? scared out of your fucking mind? there's a lot of self care stuff out there- drink tea, take a bath, meditate, etc etc. those can be nice i guess, but sometimes, when shit sucks, the only way to make it through without collapsing is to do whatever you can do to help people. to prove that you do, actually, have some control. that you can have a real impact on the world around you.

i am compiling a list of things that can be done RIGHT NOW at no (or very low) cost to yourself that have a direct and real impact on the state of the world around us. i am taking submissions as well- just send an ask or say something in the tags and i'll add it.

list under the cut (it is very long and continues to grow)

Report price-gouging in California: go onto zillow (or some other rental site), set the location to any of the affected areas in CA, sort to your choosing, and go through the price history for rentals. if it has increased by over 10% during the state of emergency time period, report for price gouging.

Drive someone for free (to vote, to get groceries, to the library, etc.)

Visit a library: that space is for you to use! loitering is okay too- you will only be asked to leave if you are disrupting the functions of the library for other visitors. while you are there...

Get a library card: libraries rely on community engagement for funding and to know what people want. check out books, movies, and games! participate in events! request more books! look into the resources your library offers! i promise there are more than you know!

Speak with a librarian: ask what resources they know about. ask what you can do to benefit your community. ask what can be done to help the library.

Get food from a food bank: they rely on numbers of participants to prove the programs are effective, plus you won't be financially supporting grocery store chains!

Volunteer: volunteer with an animal shelter, a homeless shelter, a kitchen, a community garden, park cleanup, political action (like canvasing, encouraging voters), a hospital, a church, or any other work that your area needs help with

Petition, vote, and submit testimonies for local elections: action in your city, county, or state can have massive impact!

Make art: make posters, zines, patches, bracelets, street art! make a visible mark on the world

Make art (cont): write poetry, music, fiction, non-fiction. make your voice heard

Make information accessible: share paywalled articles and academic sources for free, provide alternative text for photos online, share notes from class, post information that isn't easily available

Ride the bus: much like the library and food banks, use proves usefulness! riding the bus can encourage more funding and maintenance for them. it's also cheaper and more environmentally friendly than personal vehicles

Wear a mask: especially around vulnerable populations

Resist gentrification: keep property costs down with graffiti, protest the introduction of gentrifying businesses, support locals

Study self improvement: Read The Power of Practice By Ng’ethe Maina and Staci K. Haines, study conflict resolution, think about the ways you can improve your relationship with yourself through your relationship with others and vice versa, practice patience

Call/email your representatives: tell them what they need to do. there should be templates available. if something is happening, let them know how the people feel about it

Write a list of all the ways you can make an impact here and now.

[deathdetermineslife]

how do you manage to get any followers or friends in the selfshipping community? is it just luck?

for months i’ve been trying to interact with others and follow people, engaging with stuff like ask games and hosting reblog games, but when i try to share any artwork or i reblog an ask game myself, its radio silence. like even in small discords i get ignored so bad

i don’t say this at all to be guilt tripping /gen, it’s genuine curiosity at how this stuff even works. like am i doing something wrong or is the community just like this?

here is my comprehensive and lame guide on How To Get Selfship Followers

step 1 - posting

so a lot of my posts are either kinda general or fun. folks I will not lie to you. these are all stupid shit that come to my mind on a day to day basis. for example, today, I thought, "man I'm such a loser I'm not in college like all my friends r" and then I was like "omg wait. i could make a post out of this" so I did that.

you also kinda gotta be conistent. so i try to post at least *something* everyday. even if its a reblog, tho, I don't reblog a lot of things other than ask games.

another thing with posting is that i do try to make a lot of community based content. so idk if yall remember but in the beginning of my account, I did the "things you can do if you have xyz f/o". i did like,,, I think almost 100 of those ?????? it was a lot. then I started making templates and I made some ask games and ofc I post a lot of general like,,, imagine stuff. oh also polls. people seem to enjoy polls.

step 2 - be positive

this is the big thing. as most of yall (hopefully) know, I do not fw proshippers !! but I don't talk about discourse unless its directly brought up. not only this, I put a big focus on just,,, being nice idk. like id like to think I'm a pretty down to earth person.

if you make a template and people tag you in it, say something nice! reply to peoples art, send in asks, things like that. i try to do my part in being nice. i also just like hearing about peoples selfships.

when people post promos and have the little "rb to be moots", reblog! when you come across someone having a bad day, maybe they made a vent or something, reply with a simple "I hope you feel better <3" or "your f/o loves you <3". things like that, ya know?

step 3 - have fun

genuinely. i post as much as i do because I like it. i didn't go into this thinking "oh... yea... I'm gonna get selfship famous..." like no I just wanna ramble somewhere bc none of my close irls r selfshippers.

you wont get popular or get followers because you grind out posts. literally one of my biggest posts on this account I wrote while I was half asleep one night and wanted to test out queuing on my account.

and in that regard, it is partially luck. i don't control what posts people do and don't like. sometimes I write up imagines and no one sees them. sometimes I write up a post saying "lol go kiss your fake boyfriend ooo smoochie smoochie" and that does numbers

step 4 - interaction

im only in two servers. one server (which was the first public server I think I ever joined ???? i could be wrong tho,,, bad memory blehg) that I don't own and then my own 18+ server. i don't think being in servers does anything,,, considering I'm only in one that isn't mine. i think its more like ,,, sticking to one or two places ?? like just being consistently in an area you're comfortable in.

i guess you gotta just find the right people ??? and like I mentioned, be friendly, but ya know. also I guess tags too? idk if you look at any of my regular posts I have 8 million tags on them. idk if that actually does anything or not because its kinda hit or miss sometimes.

i was gonna say something else but i forgot. see look listen I dunno how I got here but this is what I do ,,,, effectively nothing. also with the being kind thing, maybe this is how I am bc I'm pagan but I think that if you expect kindness back you wont get anything. sometimes its just nice to be nice. eventually you gain a reputation for being a nice person. you kinda have to not want that tho? like I don't see myself as particularly like ,,, super kind ,,,??? i just do what feels right.

step 5 - uhhhh idk im just rambling now

i guess i also went into this kinda like. damn sometimes this community is a cesspool of absolute meanie pants. i don't wanna be a Meanie Pants and just post my thoughts and the things I think about. i guess how I see it too is, I kinda like ? idk I think all these things anyways why not post them? kinda feels like a waste not to.

also ive been told my posts are pretty recognizable bc of how I format them ? my dividers and such. also tagging all of my imagines and stuff with my 🥀📜 emojis. i guess that helps too? because that's how I recognize certain accounts. "like oh there's them I recognize their dividers and their tags".

also you kinda gotta like,,, not let hate get to you. like have fun with it? i know that's hard, but, that's what you gotta do. when I get printer ink (bc. a hoe does NOT like buying printer ink) im printing out that fucking 8 mile long hate message I got sent. but also that's just the kinda person I am. like people being a dick and stealing my posts and telling me to swallow a glock 9mm doesn't upset me, im more like,, confused more than anything because never in my life have I ever sent hate to anyone. also I have had this "I do not care because you're some loser on the internet and you being an ass wipe is no where near as bad as the shit people have done to me irl" attitude.

TLDR; i dont think youre doing anything wrong because I don't exactly know what I'm doing right. i just... do... and sometimes, "just doing" is enough. maybe its luck, maybe I've been blessed by the tumblr algorithm and I've somehow figured it out, or maybe the community is just genuinely that bad and they pick favorites. maybe its all of the above! who knows. i try not to worry about it. i think at the end of the day, as long as you're having fun posting about your f/os and selfshipping, that's what matters.

alright thats all see ya. if you have any more questions feel free to ask however I fear I cannot answer them </3

[aaronsrpgs]

A Worksheet Manifesto (Rough Draft)

The Worksheet Manifesto is an attempt to explain why I'm moving my game design toward something I can print for free at the public library and give away. It's not a scold or a call to action; I buy full-color zines and hardcover books, and I support people charging for their work. This is a personal manifesto—an exercise in self-exploration.

The first reason I pursue this is ACCESS. I want people to be able to find and play my games. (Accessibility is maybe a better word for this, but I don't want it confused with the process through which something is made easier to use for people with disabilities.)

Some of the main barriers I've seen are financial (someone can't afford my games), technological (lack of computers and/or printers makes it more complicated to read my games), and international (shipping to someone outside the U.S. is prohibitively expensive).

Combining these three elements, I realized I wanted my games to be cheap or free. The common "community copies" solution on itch.io is much touted, and for good reason, but as I tried explaining the process to friends who weren't familiar with the site (or who flat-out aren't tech savvy), many responses were confused or frustrated. So I've set most of my games to pay-what-you-want with a suggested price.

Going from computer tech to printer tech, my most recent games were laid out in black and white, without ink-sucking textures (although some still have large spots of black in the art--something I continue to consider). Many American libraries offer limited free printing, and I always hope people will "utilize" the printers at their jobs or schools. I want people to be able to easily print out my games and share them at the table or pass them to friends.

And more selfishly, I hate dealing with fulfillment and shipping. It's stressful for me, it requires money up front to print things, and I'm bad at it, which means shipments go out slow, or not at all if someone lives outside of the U.S. Creating a file that's easy to print hopefully encourages people to create their own copies.

These cheap print copies also hopefully contribute to a feeling of DISPOSABILITY. I grew up with comic books, magazines, newspapers, and mass market paperbacks, and I think these cheap, short slabs of culture helped them feel like someone could engage with them without having to be fancy or educated or in the know. (A lot of us gatekeep ourselves!)

Prices for RPGs, like so many nerd collectibles, have steadily risen at least since the start of the pandemic. Crowdfunders often capitalize on FOMO, encouraging people to go all in on deluxe hardcovers with fabric bookmarks or whatever. And if my experience working at a used game store is anything to go by, lots of those fancy editions go right onto the bookshelf, unread. Don't want to break the spine or get fingerprints on it!

And I guess I'm just against consumerism? If someone wants a nice thing, I hope they get it, but a culture of games as luxury items and status symbols is not something I'm interested in.

So if someone has a game of mine and they don't want it anymore, I hope they pass it on, put it in a little free library, or recycle it.

And those dirty little printouts of my games? I want people to touch them and write them. I want TACTILITY. This is partially a usability issue: 300-page hardcovers are hard to find information in, and they're heavy if you have to lug them to a friend's house.

So I try to design games where everything a player (including the GM) needs is on, at most, three sheets of paper. I want them to be able to spread a couple pages out and take in the shape of the game they're about to play. I want them to circle things and make notes in the margins. Moving a pencil around does wild things to your brain, the same way that picking at a guitar or molding clay does. It focuses attention in interesting ways.

And in the end, you hopefully have a personalized article of play. And if you spill beer on it, no one's worried about replacing that $50 hardcover.

Speaking of beer, I want my games to be available to and contribute to COMMUNITY. As the pandemic started, I retreated into lots of online spaces, and those were absolutely vital to my survival. But I lost touch with lots of my friends and acquaintances in my city. I want to reconnect with them.

One of my favorite cartoonists, Mark Connery, is known for drawing little zines and just...leaving them all over. Coffee shops, art galleries, bathrooms. And when I think of him, I think of an artist responding directly to the places around him. Is it sad that some of this work is probably "lost" to all readers other than the person that happens across the zine? A little bit. But I think that comes from a bad part of my brain, the part that wants to own things.

I certainly don't want the entirety of my own work collected and widely distributed. Some of those things were specific responses to specific times that I've moved past. Some were bad! But I want to keep responding to my specific times and my specific place. I want to give things to friends (even if they just pass them on or recycle them). I want to give a game to someone at a zine fest and have them recognize my name from a zine they read in a coffee shop bathroom. And maybe they'll give me a zine in return.

My last hangup is MODULARITY. First, similar to tactility, I want to be able to give a player only the rules that matter to them. Character creation and basic rules? Here's a page. And once you're familiar with that and we've entered a downtime phase, here's a page with those options. You want to start a farm? Here's a page. I want it to feel like printing coloring pages for kids or ripping out my favorite magazine articles. These are the parts that matter. And if they stop mattering, you can get rid of them.

But I also want modularity on a system level. I want to add a subsystem to game as I think of it. I want to throw in an adventure pamphlet when it comes to me. I can keep them all in a little box, like a care package from my past self, and when it's time to run a game, I can dig around like a verminous animal and build my nest out of the best bits.

In CONCLUSION, I want to reiterate that this is a personal practice, and I'm not criticizing people who work differently. I used to work differently, and in the future, I'll probably work differently again.

This is simply the way I've identified what's important to me, set that up against the things that cause me to stumble, taken advantage of the privileges I have, and tried my best to bring that all together in a way that keeps me excited about my own work.

[middleagedenragedmama]

AITA Harry Potter Fandom Edition

Or an etiquette guide I wish I'd have had when I started reading fanfiction two years ago. Please feel free to add to it, as I'm sure it's missing a few things.

I track the fanfiction I read on goodreads (or other book tracking app). AITA? Sorry, YTA. Fanfiction should not be tracked in the same place as books. It's not professionally published, and you should not treat it as such. Authors do not want this, most fans do not want this. Fanfiction already exists in a sticky legal area, do not put it at risk by treating it as if it were a book.

I rate the fanfiction I read on goodreads or another public site. AITA? Sorry, YTA. Fanfiction is a GIFT. Imagine you go to a picnic where everyone brings a dish. You love potato salad, so you put some on your plate. However, you take a bite, and this is the worst potato salad you've ever had in your life. What do you do? You move on right? You ignore the potato salad and eat the macaroni salad. When folks are discussing the picnic, you say you had a lovely time. You don't bitch about the potato salad, you just say to yourself "hmmm, that wasn't for me, but look, there's a whole buffet of things I do like." This is fanfiction. You try a fic, and you don't like it? Oh well. You move on. No one forced you to read it. You don't review it, you don't rate it. This was a gift to a community, and you are not the intended audience. Move on.

I bought ATYD on etsy or another website. AITA? Yes, YTA. Fanfiction cannot be sold. You can bind it yourself if the author gives permission for this. You can give it to a friend (100% free, no money/trade, a true gift). You can print it out, three hole punch it, and put it in a binder. You cannot sell it, buy it, or bind it if an author asks that it not be bound.

I asked the author if I could bind a fic for personal use, they said no, but I did it anyway. AITA. Yes, YTA. What you do when no one is watching tells a lot about who you are as a person. If an author asks that their fic not be bound, respect their wishes. They wrote the fic as a gift to the community. Don't shit on their gift by not honoring their wishes.

I steal typesets from creators and then sell my binds on Etsy, AITA? Yes, YTA. First, you put fandom at risk by doing this. It's illegal to sell fanfiction. Second, you piss off binders that share their typesets for free, and they pull their typesets which then limits access for people that ethically bind. Just don't.

I steal art from creators because they post it, and I don't give credit. AITA. Yes again, YTA. Most artists are more than happy to give permission for their art to be used in personal binds, but give them the benefit of granting permission for the gift they've given us. If they are ok with their art being used, give them credit in the typeset.

I use AI for writing prompts, help with my outline, character art creation, and help with dialogue. AITA? Yes, YTA. AI does not belong in creative spaces. All AI use involves theft and tremendous ecological burdens. There is absolutely no place for AI in this space.

I put up a patreon to release my fic (or release it early) to paid members only, AITA? YTA. Charging for fanfiction is illegal and puts all of fandom at risk. If you want to do this, write non-fandom works.

I don't read WIPS, AITA? Hmmm, this is a tough one, I guess your NTA, but if no one read WIPs, we would quickly lose all our writers. Writers thrive on engagement. Sure they are writing for themselves, but hearing from readers, knowing that people are excited to read what they've written and want to read what is coming, motivates them. Reading WIPs nutures the fandom and encourages the interaction between writers and readers that leads to amazing fics.

I don't leave comments, AITA? Yes, YTA. If someone took the time to write a fic, and you took the time to read it, you owe them a comment of at least "Thanks for this!". Writers LOVE comments. They are writing for themselves, but they are motivated by your comments. They wrote a whole fic that you devoured, you've told all your friends about, you made a tiktok video about, and you've personally bound. Tell the author how much the fic meant to you!

If an author doesn't update, I send them a message and try to pressure them to update, AITA? Yep, again, YTA. Comment on their WIP how much you love the fic, tell them all the things that made your toes curl when you read it and made your breathing speed up. Tell them what you are hoping happens or dreading what comes next. Tell them you appreciate their gift! Do not bully them. It's never ok.

I fucking hate femme Sirius, and I make a point to bitch about it every time I see him. AITA? In extra bold letters, YTA. Not every fic/art is for you. Scroll on. You want masculine Sirius? He exists, go interact with his writers and artists. Quit engaging with the content you don't like. It might be a little known fact, but the reason you keep seeing it is BECAUSE you keep engaging with it. Quit. It's that easy. Engage with the content you want to see.

I ship shame the fuck out of jegulus because I'm #TeamJilyForever, AITA. Yes, YTA. See above bullet point regarding femme Sirius. Again, quit engaging with content you don't want to see or don't like. It's not for you. I don't particularly like a lot of stuff, but that just means it's not for me. There's no ship shaming in fandom.

I post 2 sentence plot bunnies, personal head canons, or trope ideas and then accuse others of plagiarism when I find a fic with something similar in the wild, AITA. Yes, YTA. First, you did not invent the only one bed trope or the sick fic. Anyone can and should write about any trope they want. You also aren't the only person that posted a plot bunny of "Marauders Coffee Shop AU, and Remus is a chronically ill barista that serves Sirius his morning brew". Unless someone is directly lifting words from your published fic or extremely detailed plot points, let folks write their own spin. If you really have something you don't want to see others write about, don't put it out there for folks to see. (This one might be debatable, but this is my take and mine alone. I definitely do not mean it's ok to plagiarize. Just don't be an asshole on either side of this one, ok?)

Whenever I see a post/video with a personal head canon or plot bunny, I ask the creator for recs, AITA. Yes, YTA. Most of these creators have a whole playlist of recommendation videos or entire spreadsheets of recs. They are just putting out a fun idea, quit flooding the comments with "any recs bestie?"

I see creators/writers/artists as my personal service providers, so I feel entitled to ask for recs whenever I want, AITA. YTA, read the room. These are people with real feelings. There should be a give and take relationship with these people, not a continual take and take on your part. If the video is about recs, fine, ask although honestly, learning to search on your own would be best. We really need to quit burdening these creators with the labor we should be doing. But also, start seeing these creators as people with feelings, not just a service provider at your beck and call. Some of these folks are fighting for their lives daily, being slammed in comments, and are hanging on to this fandom by a thread. If a post is about something completely unrelated to "recommendations," it's probably not the time to ask. Instead really listen to what they are saying and engage with that in an appropriate manner. Show them appreciation, and if you don't enjoy their content, move on.

I don't search for fics on my own, I just ask creators, AITA? Yes. YTA. Ao3 has a robust search engine that is easy to use. Watch a TikTok to learn how to use the search feature. ffn is a lot less search friendly, but if you search reddit or tumblr, you can find what you are looking for. This is a really important skill to have, and I promise if you learn it, it'll only benefit you. I am likely twice your age and have figured this out, I promise you can do it!

I kink shame, AITA. Yes, YTA. Just don't read or engage with the fics you don't like. No one needs to know, it's just between you and your Ao3 history.

I leave public bookmarks where I rate fics and leave reviews, AITA? Yes, YTA. Again, fanfiction is a gift. No one wants your review, least of all the author. This is not a book you paid for. Mark your bookmark private and then you can leave all the info you want.

I like to make posts/videos about the fics/characterizations/art styles I don't like, AITA? Yes, YTA. Make all the videos/posts you want about the fics/characterizations/art styles you LOVE. Tell the world, we want to know! But quit slamming creators that offer their best to us just because it's not for you. You are not the intended audience, so keep it moving

I make videos/posts about fics/art that I didn't create and never encourage folks to go leave comments for the author/artist, AITA? Unfortunately, yeah, YTA. You might not intend to be, but this one is easy to change. You want your videos/posts to succeed, of course you want engagement on what you post. But it's really easy to encourage those that like what you are posting to comment on the original. A lot of authors specifically see engagement about their fic on TikTok but have very few comments on the actual fic. It really shouldn't be this way.

I only read the BIG fics, AITA? You know what, you do you, boo. I guess your NTA, but you aren't supporting fanfiction in a constructive way. Maybe you only have 2 long fics in your for the year and so yeah, you want to read the hot ones, I get that. But if no one reads the undiscovered, the hot ones will never become hot. We have a handful of great authors that get recommended 90% of the time. That recognition is well deserved, I love them too. But we have so many great authors that aren't getting recommended, and those hidden gems are undiscovered. If you have the time, use the search and try to find the next fic that makes you stay up til 3 am to finish. They are out there, and they aren't just the ones you see all the time (although read those too, because they are awesome!).

I went to Universal, did a studio tour, and keep buying official merch. AITA? YTA. There are many videos about this, but you cannot keep putting money in jkr's pocket and expect this fandom to thrive. You cannot "reclaim" something that still financially benefits jkr. Trans rights are human rights, and this fandom, specifically the Marauder's fandom, is supposed to be an inclusive place where ALL are welcomed. When you do these things, you create an unsafe environment for all. The last few months we've seen many writers and creators leave the fandom because of this behavior specifically. Do better. (If you are going to do these things, please take fuck jkr out of your bio because you don't mean it).

There are so many more unspoken etiquette rules that I've missed. This is not meant to be all inclusive, just a random list of the top issues I see and how you can become NTA in this fandom. Some of it isn't intuitive, I admit to being guilty of some of these early on. However, when you know better, you do better.

[requiesticat]

i was scrolling through the clinical trial game and i couldnt help but get caught reading your post; the one about homie. just wanted to pop in and say, as someone who's been in that circle for more than half a decade, i think it's kind of inevitable for another big thing to happen. sadly no matter how much he proves that despite the content he makes and consumes (not that it actually matters, but you know) it does not equate to real life morals, some people are just too self centered to actually understand the nuance of said content, and the reasons behind making it. because if it truly were as straightforward as "degen perv content", then clinical trial wouldn't've been anywhere near as successful as it is. puritans love to cherry pick what they consume, and to decide when it's bad or not— mostly when it's convenient for them.

the public eye just has access to whatever's public. the proship art, the discourse, the rumors. but they'll never know what goes on behind the scenes, and the things some people have had to deal with to get to that point. i guess what i'm trying to say is that when you explore as delicate and obscure horror tropes that aren't as conventional such as proship in an actual deep way, there's bound to be people that simply do not agree to their portrayal simply because they think it's immoral. and there's not much one can do, except just move forward. homie will keep working in his projects no matter what the public says or has said. if he wanted to stop, he would've done so already. i'm just really happy he's doing good now, considering everything that went down last year.

btw, feel free to just not reply. just wanted to share my grain of salt from someone who's been in the community for years and has seen and gone through the same kind of treatment he did.

Sorry for late reply. Yeah, I get what you mean. I don't really support anti ideology- it's too much like religious rhetoric for my taste, but things like that are going to happen as the fandom grows. Fiction should not be equated to real life. Art can and will be disturbing to the viewer, and it's best to try to understand where those that enjoy disturbing art are coming from rather than just judging them outright. Both sides, regarding proship and anti, should be criticized. I've been active in fandom circles for a long time, developing a "live and let live" attitude in the process.

I stated in my original post that I was following Homie's work, so I more or less saw what was happening in real time, regarding drama. Before that, though, his vent art spoke to me more than the nsfw pieces. I was going through a similar situation with my family and things weren't great at home, so it resonated in a way that's hard to describe. He drew Full Metal Alchemist fanart a lot, but there were Mob Psycho, Danganronpa, and Deltarune comics too, among other things. He was always kind to fans and regularly engaged with them, especially when the big guy, little guy comics got popular. I never saw him say a bad word about anyone, so to watch people pick apart his life was surreal, to say the least. Homie lost his leg to a disease, but rumors spread that he engaged in self harm deliberately as part of a fetish, which is... yeah. Maybe I'm wrong there. I don't know all the details, especially since he hasn't come forward to defend himself. His artwork really was harmless in the end, exploring themes like what we see in Clinical Trial (kidnappings, gore, being locked up) but never went too far with it. Adri is actually one of his older OCs. I got super excited to see her again, since he hadn't posted in more than a year. However, I don't want to speak for him, either, since we'll never know every side of the story.

To move forward is the best option. Media literacy often gets misconstrued, which leads to people developing the wrong ideas and so on. I think one of the game's strengths involves having nuances and complex topics that open the door to discussion. Unfortunately, some will look at that kind of thing and automatically equate it with degeneracy. It's unavoidable at this point.

Sorry to hear you had to deal with that kind of treatment yourself, by the way. I've dealt with that myself.

[macabr3-barbi3]

💗 ♡ Here's a new kind of Sup-port letter: Return to Sender ♡ 💗

Dear @ritualofcirice,

The ideas that you bring forth, whether smutty or sweet, are always a joy to read and are always flawlessly executed. Your writing for various fandoms draws readers in, sets the scene, and leaves us all wanting more, and to have such a way with words is a talent in and of itself.

To then use that talent to support and uplift the other members of a community is nothing short of remarkable. Your kindness and encouragement in the servers and spaces that we all share is appreciated and loved, and you deserve some of that back yourself after contributing so much to the joy of the people who have received anything from you; a heartfelt letter, a detailed and wonderful comment on a fic, a fulfilled request for characters that continue to grow on us.

You are kind and courteous, talented, and a delight to spend time with. To know you is to know the many facets of your person that makes you such an important part of our communities.

That's why this letter is for you- to let you know that your efforts to keep our fandom happy and engaged have not gone unnoticed, and to show that we all appreciate what you've done!

Wishing all the best, and sending all of our love,

The Stand In Sup-port Team xo

My first interaction with you was in the comments section of some of my fics in Ao3- I remember it was like a solid 45 minutes of email after email telling me that you and Renz were leaving these long, lovely comments on my Vox fics, and I was so flattered and happy that I almost cried. Then I got to know you when you joined the server and we started chatting, and you were even cooler than I could have possibly guessed, and I'm so glad now to be able to call you a friend. I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for all of us and to see you continue to grow ❤️

Let's see what other letters arrived for you!

From @kewpikayo ♡

"Cirice is a golden, vibrant flame. You can’t help but be drawn in by her warmth and consideration. Her care, her compassion, and her drive to help and reach out to the people around her is a monumental, sincere gift. She is a genuine, unique and extremely colorful soul with skill. Her writing hits my heart with precision every single time I read her words without fail, and her way of reading them aloud is melodic. She brings her stories alive with the vocabulary she uses and the way she breathes life into them with every utterance. It is a joy to hear her recitals! And her Art! I’ve seen a few of her creations and they are indeed a sight to behold! She is truly a great encouragement and is joy incarnate, and to know her is one of life’s greatest blessings. Thank you for giving me the continued opportunity to befriend you, my dear. You are truly one of a kind~!"

From @primsgirl89 ♡

"Cirice. There is a lot I can say about her. But the second I met her it felt as if I was falling into a well of endless ideas and creativity, that was the very second thing I had noticed about this woman. I want to talk about her creativity first since I enjoyed working with her on her project. It was a one-shot for Lucifer, and she allowed me to have my first experience writing with another author. She is such a talented person worthy of looking up to. The first? The endless amount of care and support she just radiates. CiCi is so wonderful and caring, I wish her the absolute best in her life. How much she gives herself to support others is inspiring. She deserves the post and her own personal cheer squad!"

From @fraugwinska ♡

"Ever since I met Cirice (thanks to the wonderful Renz), she quickly became one of my go-to friends - I can't describe the joy and kindness that radiates off of her. She has this sixth sense of when you aren't feeling your best, and sure as hell you'll have a dm from her asking how your day is going or that she wishes you a happy day and offers an open ear if you need it. Playing dbd with her feels like a throwback to when you met with your friends in elementary to play together - you forget that you feel bad, or that outrside problems exist: Cirice is the embodiement of unadulterated, pure fun.

To add insult to injury she is such a talented writer too - so much time and effort goes into her work. She plans her stories out diligently, invests ages in research and involves Betas to ensure that everything she puts out reflects the heart she put in. And you can feel it with every read word. She is an inspiration, a true value to both my server and my life, and I don't want to miss her friendship now that I've been lucky enough to have it."

From @redvexillum ♡

"Cici, where do I even begin? How can words possibly capture the depth of my gratitude and admiration for you? The love and generosity you pour into the people around you—it’s boundless, and it inspires me every single day. You bring so much joy, light, and warmth into the lives of everyone lucky enough to know you.

There are few people in this world who genuinely care the way you do, who go above and beyond to make others feel seen, heard, and cherished. And somehow, I get to say I’ve met someone like you. That feels like a gift in itself.

Also, let’s be real—how could I not be happy knowing you? A fellow 404 fan? That was fate in the making! But what makes you truly shine is the way you effortlessly build safe spaces and communities, creating sideblogs for so many fandoms, writing for countless characters, and curating events that bring people together. You don’t just *share* your passions—you create magic. You make people feel included, loved, and valued, and you do it with so much grace and humility.

You have this beautiful way of lending an ear to anyone in need, never making them feel like a burden. That kind of empathy is rare. It’s you. You are rare.

I could write pages upon pages, wax poetic about how incredible you are, and still never quite do it justice. But I’ll rein myself in (for now) because I know others feel the same and want to shout their praises too. Just know this: you are deeply loved and appreciated in our little corner of the world. We see you. We cherish you. And we are endlessly grateful for everything you do.

Cici, you're MY superstar! 😏"

From @redfoxwritesstuff ♡

"I haven't known Cirice for long at all but in the short time I have known her, she has been one of the kindest, most positive and supportive people I've ever been blessed to know. There are few shining lights in fandom, no matter the fandom, who make it a point to be supportive of others to the point of being willing to put in the effort to try to shift fandom culture for the better. Cirice is one of those few amazing people and I'm blessed to have gotten to meet her"

Want To Write A Personal Letter?

Cici's official Sup-port tag is #fromsup-port2ritualofcirice

♡ Is it your first time seeing a Sup-port letter on your Dash? Find out more about the lovely idea here ♡

[brotoman]

ok, i am currently watching the new hbomberguy video and i got to the part with james somerton, and this is actually painful. i cannot believe how fucking creatively bankrupt someone can be. like, does he even watch or engage with the media he makes video essays for? i can't be sure. if he just regurgitates everything, then wtf does this guy even believe? this is so insane to me. i can't imagine making all these videos copying other people's work verbatim, it's all so empty and soulless.

the thing i love about video essays is seeing what others are passionate about talking about. i guess to me, sharing that enthusiasm (especially if it features good analysis) is so satisfying! it says something about you as a person: what you like, what you notice, and what you feel from art. art that has had a strong personal effect on me is part of how i understand my identity. so i guess there's something nearly uncanny valley about a fucking human content machine spitting out videos featuring nothing but other people's thoughts, opinions and observations. it's all so cynical.

and it's made even more upsetting that this guy is, ultimately, a marginalized person standing on the backs of other marginalized people. profit in the name of "queer analysis." it fucking spits in the face of what the queer community should be - we should be looking out for each other. uplifting one another. you'd have to be a real fucking scumbag to treat others this way.

EDIT: i got further in and uh,,, my question "what is this guy even passionate about," was answered! it's hating women. he's a misogynist. wow. fuck this guy with a brick.

EDIT: WHY WOULD HE MAKE AN ATTACK ON TITAN VIDEO IF HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO SPELL "SHONEN." THAT'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY IN HIS WHEELHOUSE FFS IM INSANE \

edit: to follow up on anime not being his wheelhouse, apparently he was gonna make a neon genesis evangelion video (despite as recently as 2 weeks ago saying he'd never seen it and didn't understand the watch order) and a revolutionary girl utena video. thank you, harris, for saving us from this fate. good fucking GRIEF

[butchfemmepasture]

୨୧·༺ Intro post

Welcome to our blog! Our names are Lamby and Collie, we are a butchfemme lesbian couple sharing a blog with the goal of documenting our relationship. We're childhood best friends who have been together going on 3 years now and we're very excited to join Tumblr's lesbian community and meet more people like us.

For privacy reasons, we will never post pictures of ourselves or any personal information other than general things about our relationship and sex life. Lamby and Collie are obviously not our real names, but we will never share what they actually are. We will also not be revealing our exact ages for the same reasons, but rest assured we are adults. Thank you respecting our privacy! :)

What will we be posting? We'll mostly be blogging about stuff related to our relationship, along with lesbian-related content in general. Most of this is NS/FW, so feel free to block our NS/FW tag if you don't want to see that. We are also both writers and artists and creative works might come up, but probably not very often.

DNI minors, men, and non-sapphics. Please do not interact with this blog, because we will not be interacting with you. Thank you! Obvious DNIs also apply because we're not lunatics. No racists, homo/transphobes, TERFs, etc., which goes without saying.

Keep reading to see our individual introductions and tags we'll use for our posts! ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

୨୧·༺ Lamby

Hello, I’m Lamby ‪‪~ ‪‪❤︎ ‬I am the femme lesbian girlfriend of Collie and my pronouns are she/her. I’m also demisexual demiromantic, I’ve only recently started identifying with the label of femme but I’ve been out as a lesbian for a few years now, and Collies best friend since we were kids. Don’t tell them I told you this but I have the biggest crush on them ^3^

I enjoy writing and drawing, two things which are very important to me. Alongside that is making original characters and roleplaying, which is one of my absolute favorite pastimes. I also enjoy collecting dolls and trinkets from medias I enjoy, one of my favorites being Monster High. Otherwise I like music and browsing fanart!!

I LOVE MY SWEET COLLIE

~🐑

୨୧·༺ Collie

hallo my name is collie i am the awesome badass sexy awesome butchfriend of lamby, i am a transmasculine non-binary butch lesbian and i use they/he pronouns. i would definitely still consider myself a baby butch considering i only recently started using the label despite being out as transmasc for 6-ish years now. i'm on both the aromantic and asexual spectrums but have never really settled on any specific labels i think suit me other than demi. i use masculine and gender neutral terms but don't mind feminine ones :J that's lamby's job though

i am an artist and a writer and i play video games (buzz lightyear surrounded by shelves full of identical toys), i spend most of my free time making original characters and roleplaying. i am a furry (who would've guessed...) but haven't really engaged with the community since i was a kid, maybe that'll change with this blog though that would be nice

I LOVE MY LITTLE LAMBY!!!

~🐕

୨୧·༺ Tags

This is a list of tags we'll be using on our posts to organize :) This is subject to change and more tags will likely be added over time!

#lambyposting ~ Posted by Lamby, signed off with 🐑 (the sheep/ewe emoji)

#collieposting ~ Posted by Collie, signed off with 🐕 (the dog emoji)

#sfw post ~ SFW text/image post

#nsft post ~ NS/FW text/image post

#pasture asks ~ Answering asks

#about us ~ Posts about our actual relationship and the things we do in real life

#fantasizing ~ Fantasies/scenarios/imagines that are not indicative of our real life or relationship, will be NS/FW more often than not. Might be roleplay-adjacent since we do that a lot (teehee)

#sheepdog sonas ~ Art and other content of our sonas that represent Lamby and Collie

[alexanderwales]

How do you advertise your website for people to see it? Because I'm having trouble getting my stories out.

Oh boy am I the wrong guy to ask. Anything I say here is going to be "do as I say, not as I do".

The best way to get your stories out there is for someone to find them and love them and spread them to everyone else they know. If your stories are good, then this will keep happening, and you will accumulate a legion of followers who naturally want to share their experience with your stories, whether that's writing fanfic, making fan art, writing reviews, or having discussions.

The second best way is to have an algorithm pick them up. This also somewhat requires people to like the stories, but it's more passive, and you don't need someone literally going to a place they hang out and saying "hey, read this story". Not all websites have algorithms, but some of them do, and I used to post my stories on reddit, which is probably where a good initial chunk of my readers came from. Some websites where you post stories have algorithms of their own, but I mostly mean websites that are for other things. Being an active member of communities can help, but you have to actually want to be there, because people hate shilling by outsiders, at least in most place (it's a form of advertisement, which people also hate).

The third best way is advertisement. As stated, people hate it, but it can be effective, I guess. I don't know, I don't really do it. Find active discords for places where people read stories like yours, promote there while trying to obey the rules about self-promotion, this will probably be met with silence and someone will say "is it any good?" and maybe one of them will take the hit and read it to report back (and then hopefully it's good). This has mostly been my experience with people coming to my discord, I don't think I have ever done this myself.

The fourth best way is engagement. Answer every comment on your story you see. Talk to every reader. I hate this, it gives me cringe feelings, so I don't do it, but I'm fairly sure it does actually give some results, mostly by giving people positive social feelings about you and your stories (?). I have almost never enjoyed hearing someone talk about their characters, so I don't talk about my characters, but I think there are people on TikTok or wherever who have gotten traction by being very social and intentionally namedropping their book.

So ... I don't know. Writing on the internet is hard. It sometimes feels like people only want to talk about the same six media franchises, or the new hotness. The approach that works best is to write as much as you can, as consistently as you can, with as high of a quality as you can, and then hope that if you put out a hundred tendrils, eventually you'll get a tug on one of them. The reading communities are kind of a mess, and there's way too much self promotion, a lot of it for stuff that isn't good.

I fear this isn't helpful, and I do not actually do these things, so take all this with a big grain of salt.

[daisyofwaterdeep]

i saw another take being like "mannn the fandom is dying, how sad :(" which is a sentiment that already irks me for many reasons but this particular person was in my notes not too long ago bc they had liked (not reblogged) some of my writing. today i was feeling a little extra petty so i decided to go to their blog. you know what i saw?

in the past week or so, this person has reblogged (with no tags) only 3 or 4 things (that had 7k+ notes already) for the fandom in between general memes unrelated to anything and vague aesthetic posts. now im not saying that running a blog like that is bad, but to then bemoan the fact that 'the fandom is dying' when you aren't out here reblogging art that isn't from a bnf, when you aren't complimenting or encouraging artists in the tags, when you're reading fics and HCs but not engaging with them other than a like....yeah, you're the problem.

fandom is about community. It's about talking and sharing and spreading love-- that's what keeps it alive. and guess what? doing those things is how you make fandom friends, and how you find more fandom content!

this fandom is far from dead (it's only been a year people--we're still a fucking baby!) but to the people who don't want to support creators, or who don't talk about the fandom or share their thoughts or ideas or who don't share other's works...yeah. it probably does seem pretty dead to you.

[shinesurge]

i was talking with an art friend about how i sometimes feel REALLY weird about getting "omg me frfr" on my art but DON'T feel weird about people relating to phineas so much they cosplay as her or even took her name, and I've always had a really hard time explaining the difference but i think i cracked it. the Good Kind of reader connection feels like somebody coming up to me, relating to my work, then clasping hands with me about it; the Bad Kind feels like they're taking the work from my hands, pinning it to their own shirt and wandering away with it

like it gets complicated and nuanced no matter what, but it's easy to see in the case of straight up personal work. ANOTHER art friend struggling with this did an autobio strip that ended up triggering it for them, and I related a lot to their comic about their real life experience! In my mind the process was "wow cool, it is cool that this person feels this way and i understand it myself, they communicated an idea and i recieved it." But once it broke containment they were struggling because the response completely removed them from the equation; people were tagging their OWN oc's or saying things that indicated they had no respect for the fact that this lived experience belonged to someone else, like the art had spontaneously sprung from Social Media just for them. it seems like the internet as a whole really encourages cutting off the second half of the Art Response; you go "this is ME" without acknowledging that another human feels the same way, enough to make the thing in the first place. It feels like once you share art you aren't the artist anymore, people don't go "this art came from another human who feels the same as me" they go "this art came from Instagram and now it's mine to use how i like."

i have a lot of thoughts to sort through about this, i feel like i could explain it better but i just wanted to get it written down for now. I also don't think this is like, a thing to be fixed by Engaging More or anything? And I don't think anyone is doing this intentionally, it's very much a product of social media turning Art into Content; the human element being removed from art is just the logical outcome of removing the human element from things in general. You don't have to go out of your way to comment or contact anyone about their work, but i guess! next time you see some art that makes you feel Seen, take a second to consider that another person made it, what might have compelled them to make it? maybe even go check out their other work, if one thing spoke to you they might be saying other stuff you'll like too

[redotter]

I'm wondering something, what language do you feel most natural to write in? Cuz I swear I wanna write in Romanian but it feels so robotic despite being my native language, using it daily and reading books in it

Hello! I wouldn't say one feels more natural than the other but they do feel different from each other (most obvious example to me is that Romanian is easier to write humour in, while English is easier to write sex in). I started writing creatively in Romanian ten years earlier than in English, so I technically have more experience in that, but I don't think I'm faster or better at it - I'll share an excerpt from both below the cut to judge for yourself.

Regarding Romanian being robotic, I can see what you mean, but this has its perks. My Romanian dialogue feels more grounded and is overall less prone to get over dramatic, probably because there is no Hollywood influence whispering in my ear. This is actually a way I keep my English dialogue in line: I imagine its equivalent in Romanian and if it's cheese as hell I tone it down. That's because I want my characters to speak like people and not actors (nothing wrong with the second option, it just depends on the genre). But Romanian prose can also be purple if you want it, you just need to make sure it doesn't feel like translated English (which can be hard when you're used to thinking in English and consuming all your media in English). I guess my only advice for this is to lean into the things that are uniquely Romanian (dor și dragul de ceva, moale și fin fiind diferite feluri de soft, nebun fiind ne + bun, quirks like this), and to accept being cringed out at the beginning. The brain is less used to hearing creative writing in this language or engaging with art in this language, so it will push back a little at first, but it'll be worth it imo.

At the end of the day, writing is about communicating an idea+feeling combo. So whether you write in English or Romanian, focus on delivering that and the right words/style/method will eventually take shape.

Wendy sclipi după ea. Era o cameră destul de mică, cu un pat etajat lângă perete și perdelele trase peste geamul de lângă birou. Dormitorul era îmbibat în același miros de adineauri, doar că prea intens și murdar ca să mai fie plăcut. Wendy găsi un întrerupător și aprinse becul. Formele întunecate și neuniforme se dovediră a fi mormane de haine și altă dezordine. Lângă pat pe podea, erau patru căni murdare. Orion era în pat, nemișcat sub pătură și întors către perete. Malvina se aplecă peste el.

ー Respiră dar nu se trezește. Scutură-l!

Wendy se apropie și ea. Părea viu sănătos, judecând după sforăitul încetișor și pata de salivă de pe pernă. Puse două degete la el pe umăr și îl înghionti ușor.

ー Orion, spuse ea încetișor.

Parcă i se părea nepoliticos să treacă din prima la măsuri drastice. De peste umărul ei, zâna Malvinei își transformă capul în unul de măgar.

ー Iii-HAAAA, scoase ia un răget din răsputeri.

Wendy se trase la o parte cu mâinile pe urechi.

ー Ce zboruri faci?

ー Îmi iese sunetul de măgar numai dacă arăt ca unul, spuse Malvina prin gura ei de măgar.

Orion în schimb părea să doarmă la fel de dus. Wendy îl prinse de spate și-l scutură din plin. Reușise să scoată un mormăit din el.

ー Probabil că plutește.

ー Plutește pe dracul pământenilor, e ielat de nu mai poate, se răsti Malvina. Nu-i mai pot lua apărarea în fața tatei dacă continuă așa! Umple o cană cu apă și arunc-o pe el.

-------------------

The two men held her tight by each of her arms, so high up that her feet barely touched the ground. Leo flexed her calves and curved her toes like one of the ballerinas, arms spread out. She arched her back and closed her eyes, letting them pick her up and carry her. She wondered if Jesus had ever felt euphoria akin to hers, every breath synchronized with the world, every move weightless. Rain washed over her body.

Once in the police car, she started suspecting that something was off. At least they let Suzana sit in with her. Or maybe it was the other way around.

“Hey, are you ok?” Leo asked her, as the pretty historical buildings outside were replaced by more modern ones. “Did you, like, steal something?”

Suzana didn’t reply, her hands curled into fists above her knees and her eyes fixed on the raindrops running across the window. How could she be so calm while getting arrested?

“OMG, is it— is it because we fucked?” Leo asked, barely a whisper.

“Don’t talk to me right now, please,” Suzana said. “I need to collect my thoughts.”

When the car pulled into a parking lot, the flickering lights outside turned out to be ambulances and not other police cars. The building was gigantic and dark, as if teleported there from a dystopian novel. The policemen grabbed Leo by each side again and walked her inside. Suzana walked by, unrestricted. What the hell was going on?