#me: i need to stop reblogging memes and do drafts

[pathos-logical]

How to Keep Doing Descriptions (from someone who does a fuckton)

Plain text: How to Keep Doing Descriptions (from someone who does a fuckton)

This is a list aimed mostly at helping people who already write IDs; for guides at learning how to do them yourself, check my accessibility and image description tags! I write this with close to two years of experience with IDs and chronic pain :)

Get used to writing some IDs by using both your phone and your computer, if you can! I find it easier to type long-form on my laptop, so I set up videos and long comics on my phone, which I then prop up against my laptop screen so I can easily reference the post without constantly scrolling or turning my head

I will never stop plugging onlineocr.net. I use it to ID everything from six-word tags to screenshots of long posts to even comic dialogue! On that last note, convertcase.net can convert text between all-caps, lowercase, sentence case, and title case, which is super helpful

Limit the number of drafts/posts-to-be-described you save. No, seriously. I never go above 10 undescribed drafts on any of my four blogs. It doesn’t have to be that low, but this has done wonders (italics: wonders) for my productivity and willingness to write IDs. If I ever get above that limit, even if it’s two or three more, I immediately either describe the lowest-effort post or purge some, and if I can't do that then I stop saving things to drafts no matter what. No exceptions! Sticking to this will make your life so much easier and less stressful

My pinned post has a link to a community doc of meme description templates!

Ask! For! Help! Please welcome to the stage the People’s Accessibility Server! It’s full of lovely people and organized into channels where you can request/volunteer descriptions and ask/answer questions

I make great use of voice-to-text and glide typing on my phone to save my hands some effort!

Something is always better than nothing!!! A short two-sentence or one-sentence ID is better than no ID at all. Take it easy :)

If you feel guilty about being unable to reblog amazing but undescribed art, try getting into the habit of replying to OP’s post to let them know you liked it! This makes me feel less pressured to ID absolutely everything I see

This is a sillier one, but I tag posts I describe as "described" and "described by me." When saving to drafts, I never preemptively tag with "described by me," since for some reason that always makes me feel extra pressure and extra stress. Consider doing something similar for yourself if that applies!

I frequently find myself looking at pieces of art which feel like they need to be considered for a bit before I can write an ID for them, and those usually get thrown into drafts, where the dread for writing a comprehensive ID just builds. Don’t do that! Instead, try just staying in the reblog field for a bit and focus on the most relevant aspects of the piece. Marinate on them for a little; don’t rush, but don’t spend more than a handful of seconds either. I find after that the art becomes way easier to describe than it initially seemed!

On that note, look for shortcuts that make IDs less taxing for you to do! For example, I only ever describe clothes in art if they're relevant to the piece; not doing that every time saves a lot of time and energy for me personally

Building off of that, consider excusing yourself from a particular kind of ID if you want to. Give yourself a free pass for 4chan posts, or fanart by an artist who does really good but really complex comics, whatever. Let it be someone else's responsibility and feel twice as proud about the work that you can now allot more energy to!

As always, make an effort to find and follow fellow describers! It’s always encouraging to get described posts on your dash, and I find that sometimes I'm happier to ID an undescribed post when the person who put it on my dash is a friend who tagged it with "no ID"

TL;DR: To make ID-writing less stressful and more low-effort, use different devices and software like onlineocr.net and voice-to-text, limit the amount of work you expect yourself to do, and reach out to artists and other describers!

[soulrph]

good morning my beloveds! this is a bit of a surprise post, but i'm thinking it makes more sense to say this in a post now rather than copy and paste it for the heartbreaking number of people asking abt this in my inbox!

allow me to paraphrase the overall message of, at present, fifteen nearly identical messages in my inbox:

"hi blue. i'm wondering if you have any advice on how to deal with people not interacting with you anymore. i make all these posts and starter calls, i post memes, i answer drafts, i do everything in my power to make my dash a nice, happy place for people to feel comfortable enough to approach me for interactions and conversations, but nobody is doing anything. nobody is liking my posts, or commenting, or reblogging. my notifs are empty, and i feel really awful about it."

that's actually, word for word, what has been in my inbox for three days now. and i didn't know how to respond, because quite honestly, i have no advice for you. none except for this:

please, please, please start interacting with your mutuals some more.

i'm guilty of it myself. i go silent a lot, i've no idea why. however, i still make a good effort of trying to comment on people's posts, because that's what this place is. tumblr is a social media platform. we socialize on this platform. if we stop doing that, it ceases to be a social media platform.

but a single like can do so much for a person. sending a DM to do some plots, commenting on a post about how to make a grilled cheese REALLY special (i like to add pesto to mine!) or sending unprompted asks to a new mutual! it doesn't have to be massive. but we have stopped interacting with one another, and it really, really sucks. it's so disheartening, it really is, and if that happens to one person, they'll stop sending out notifs as well. and it'll expand, like ripples in a puddle.

it breaks my heart to see so many people facing this challenge. and i'm so sorry that i've been unable to provide a solid answer or suggestion. but the issue here is the community itself. it's a classic example of an individual issue expanding into a social one. if we stop communicating, if we stop socializing, on a SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM, then it's no longer a social media platform. we're no longer a community. we're just a bunch of people who like to write, and we're all on tumblr.

let's make it a resolution. in fact, a challenge. let's all agree to like a few posts each day. or comment on a friend's post, or send in a few memes, or randomly tag people in starters. it's not a massive effort, it's not a huge energetic loss. if we all did a small bit each day, i can guarantee that the dash would transform almost overnight into the community we all knew and loved and deserve! but we all need to be making that conscious choice to interact and communicate more often.

[askbohemiancompany]

A Honest Update

Hello,

It has been a while since I have posted any kind of content. That has been for a number of reasons I want to be honest about what’s going on with me.

To get the lighter stuff out of the way, I’m not leaving blog as I still want to finish my final 2 arcs. Then, as a prelude to the final arc, I have something where all of the sides of a conflict will be available for a specific set of questions and then it may lead to a recruitment event where people can join multiple sides. You can ask me questions on this.

To get to that. I will be answering the one plot ask, one meme and reblog a bunch of stuff in the drafts.

On the Bio Ska I will start posting short stories of varying lengths. So please follow me over on @the-bio-ska

Now to the serious stuff.

So I will be putting a content warning here for the bottom half of the post. I know I do not put them on my posts because I mention in the pinned post what to expect on the blog, but this an update regarding where I have been lately and I do not want to blindside anyone in a non-plot post.

(CW Death, Suicidal Ideation)

From least severe to most severe I started ADHD medicine due to an inability to focus on non-work tasks. Any writing has been glacial due to both this and insane imposter syndrome.

I have ideas that I have but I never follow through on. I need to stop thinking it is okay for me not to write when due to not feeling it. To quote Dan Olson:

“…ambitions without actions are just fantasies.”

Having a constant state of paralysis has kept me from following through, getting further with either this blog or Bio-Ska short stories. Not helped by work crushing me down.

Going to more severe topics, my martial arts instructor, whom I have know since I was 6, was killed by a drunk driver out of nowhere. The week it happened everything was hell. While some anxieties I will not elaborate on were resolved, it was emotionally taxing and left me burnt out.

Finally, I have had constant bouts of suicidal thoughts for years and they only got worse this year.

Thankfully it has never ended with any violence against myself, however I describe my state as the thought cabinet ‘finger on the eject button’. It is miserable because it never stops, but there is enough self control that I cannot go through with it.

This is the state me. I’m going to push myself to write whenever possible. If I can write this long update, need to put that towards the many projects. Thank you for your patience and for those behind the scenes I have spoken some of these topics, but not all of them.

[monstersandmaw]

Hello Monsters and Maw. I want to post like you. How do I get recognition like you?

I'm not sure I know how to answer this, but if you're trying to get notes for the sake of notes on your posts, stop. I'd say you need to re-evaluate why you feel that way, because it's not a healthy attitude to have.

Social media can be an awful place even at the best of times, but posting things just because you want 'recognition' can be very damaging to your mental health, regardless whether you get attention or not.

If you're a writer (since that's what I do on here mostly), make sure your work is the best quality it can be. Here are some of my top tips for writers on Tumblr, after having had this particular writing blog up and running for five years now(!):

Edit your work at least twice before you post it, and don't start editing until your first draft has sat for at least a day (so that your brain can recognise the mistakes after some time has passed).

INCLUDE A 'KEEP READING' for the love of all the gods. No one will reblog a post that's five miles long.

Create a masterlist of all your work and link it at the end of each of your stories so people can read more immediately after finishing something they enjoyed.

Make sure your grammar is tight. People stop reading things that are hard work to read.

Make sure you're writing from your heart. People can tell when you're not enjoying it.

Engage with other people as 'yourself' (not on Anon), so that people have the chance to see your username and click through to your blog.

If you're a writer just starting out on here, do ask memes and free prompts for people to get your stuff seen. I did that and it worked wonders for me.

Have patience. Recognition of any kind doesn't happen overnight, and people are hardly reblogging anything these days so the chances of your stuff getting seen by anyone else is shrinking by the day.

Reblog other writers' work and engage positively with people in your community.

Learn to detach your sense of self-worth from your notifications/likes/reblogs. I cannot stress this one enough.Your value is not determined by the number of followers you have or the number of reblogs you get (and with people seemingly refusing to reblog stuff (even when they claim to enjoy it!!!) on here these days, that's especially important).

Hope that helps a bit. Don't give up, and equally don't throw everything you have at it just because you want to get noticed.

[im-a-king-baby]

Hi!

I'm done with my re-reading of ELYN, and THE line I will keep with me is this one :

“I don’t want anything from you.”

Simon pulls back to look at him. He’s applied concealer to the bags under his eyes, this close Wilhelm can see the streaks of it on his skin as he gives a weak smile. “You want the most of anyone.” Which isn’t fair and isn’t true. Except that it is. “I just want you to be happy.”

“Yeah,” Simon says. “That.”

This is sooo powerful ! The weight of the expectations of your loved one... 😭❤😭❤

And I would love to know why Simon gave Wille a key for his room... What was he expecting ?

And if it's not too much, what do you think made August get clean and turn his back to royalty ?

Again, thank you so much for this story ! ❤

Hiii, sorry this took so long. Can't believe I am expected to work a job instead of just having fanfic related feelings on tumblr all day every day. Very rude. None stars.

(if your ask is in my inbox I promise I am getting to it! If you still want to submit questions for any of the memes I reblogged, I will happily ramble all day every day so the ask box is always open <3 )

"I just want you to be happy."

(I need you all to know that doing this meme is really reinforcing the 'a first draft does not have to be perfect or even good' mantra because guess what was also not in draft 1! All of this!)

There is a side of Simon's character that I think is justified in canon which is that he doesn't like letting people down. He switches schools to support Sara, he agrees to date Marcus even though he clearly doesn't want to because Marcus asks. So this moment starts with Simon talking about how he started on coke because he didn't want to let the fans down by being exhausted. Originally there was another step in the middle where he talks about how Candace wanted him to get clean but also be the superstar (and do a documentary!) and he couldn't see a way to have both. And then that his breakthrough was hiring Joseph, and Keira and realising that having money means you can pay people to care about you in very specific ways.

Wilhelm swallows. “Sometimes people help you just because they want to.” Simon’s mouth quirks slightly off to the side, like Wilhelm’s said something amusing. “That’s what they tell you. But they always want something from you, you just don’t realise what until it’s too late.” “I don’t want anything.”

Wilhelm I think genuinely believes that he's telling the truth here, but Simon has had to become a lot more aware of how he is perceived and the expectations of him from having this very public career. Like, for all Wilhelm saying 'you can take time, the fans won't disappear if it takes you more than 2 months to make an album', Simon has also seen the fan tweets complaining when the tour skips certain cities/countries, when they have to wait for the album, when they don't release a tour vlog. (One of the big reasons he doesn't have a phone is to stop him from reading all of that because at a certain point you can't satisfy everyone and Candace is like 'this is not helping you so let's put a stop to it.')

So in this moment Wilhelm is saying 'I don't want anything' but also he wants them to be together and happy and Simon is very aware that the easiest way for him to be happy is by drinking and taking the drugs. He's spent the last week and a half in coke withdrawal which is basically just being miserable all the time and going into rehab is going to be more of that. And then, the Simon who comes out of rehab is going to be very different from Simme-the-popstar and different to Simon-from-high-school and current-Simon has no idea what that person will look like or if it will even be someone Wilhelm likes.

So for Simon getting clean means getting away from anyone else's idea of who he should be. And that's hard. And sometimes you hit on the perfect line to articulate what would otherwise be 5 paragraphs of rambling tumblr post and those moments are the best part of writing for all that they come so rarely <3 (and also they do not always come in draft 1 and that's okay)

2. Why does Simon invite Wilhelm to the hotel room

I think SImon's base logic is the same as why Wilhelm went, this sense of 'if we can get away from the cameras we can be Us instead of Simme and Crown Prince Wilhelm and things will make sense again.' But on top of that is this thing that Simon is doing where he is attempting to use sex to solve his problems (arguably this desire is coming from the same place as the drinking and the coke. It's the 'I don't know how to feel good when I'm not performing, but if I invite someone up they'll tell me I'm amazing and then we can have orgasms and that'll feel good for a little while').

So Simon is thinking 'I need to see him in private' but then he doesn't have any plan beyond that so it's back to the usual plan of sex=feeling good, with a side line in 'if I give him a good enough time he won't notice anything weird or ask any questions and everything will be fine.'

(I do have a while Simon POV scene of the hotel after Wilhelm leaves that will probably be posted somewhere at some point so here is a teaser:

Wilhelm must have left by now. And if part of Simon was hoping that he’d still be there when Simon opened the door - so SImon could say what, he doesn’t know - that part is quiet enough not to show surprise when there’s just Gareth in the hallway in his perfectly pressed suit with his perfectly neutral gaze. Does Gareth feel emotion? Nobody knows. He has all of one facial expression so if he’s judging Simon for bringing the prince of Sweden up to his rooms or judging him for failing to keep the prince of Sweden there for longer than an hour, or not judging him at all because he has full respect for the whore lifestyle, Simon never has to know.

3. August

Oh hey! I thought this choice might get me more hate so thanks to everyone for coming on board with me for the off-screen August redemption arc 😅

So fundamentally ELYN (and, yknow, YR) is a story about legacy and inheritance. Both the big glaringly obvious thing of the crown, but also the other things: the secrets, the class culture, and the genetic predisposition to addiction. (I can't remember right now if August's father's suicide was drug-related in the show, but for the fic I definitely had that in my mind).

So August functions as a parallel for both Simon and Wilhelm. The obvious 'was taking drugs to cope with stress, stress kept increasing, ultimately broke under it' . But also on Wilhelm's side, August is desperately trying to live up to the legacy of a dead man. He's idolising his father, wanting to make him proud and unable to acknowledge that this culture of appearing perfect and not talking about problems is what killed him.

The way I always pictured August's arc was that he hit rock bottom somewhere in the military - he'd been relying on pills to get him through stress, this was infinitely more stress than high school, plus the fallout from Sara's confession (which had been covered up by the court, but was still impacting him). I never had a concrete idea of what the exact rock bottom was (maybe stealing pills?), but he was dishonorably discharged and checked himself into rehab where he basically got a big dose of Welcome to Real Life. Meeting normal people. Realising they're not so different. 'There's a whole world out there that's not our careful circle of cultivated Heirs and Heiresses and people have problems but they also have whole entire lives where none of these things you're so worried about matter at all.'

And he did the work. He re-evaluated his biases. He grew up. He met a girl, who I think was class-adjacent but more practical than the Hillerska-royalty types (I like to think she was maybe an art assessor who came to help him auction off large parts of the estate holdings) and they got talking. Their relationship seems to have moved pretty fast, but hey August took some pride in the elements of being prefect that involved taking care of people so maybe he's ready for a family. (Originally there were going to be 8 years between the show and the fic so I gave him 3 kids, and then when I cut it down to 6years it felt mean to delete a baby so that's why he has twins.)

The 12 step program has a step for 'making amends', I think August probably got in touch with Wilhelm and was like 'I owe you an apology and amends, and I understand if you don't want to talk to me but if I can ever help you or Simon, I'm here.' And that went ignored until Wilhelm called him from basic training, and then five years later when he got a call from Simon in hospital like 'So Malin gave me your number...'

One other bonus August ELYN headcanon I have is that Wilhelm phoned August from the car on his way to the debate and was like:

"I think if I do it now I can bring it all down, but if I can't they're going to come after you, and then the children. I'm sorry I can't protect them anymore." "It's my job to look after my family," August says. "And I promise I will not let any of this shit touch them. You have my full support, go do what you have to do."

(there is a whole other tumblr post about how I don't believe in writing bad people just people who sometimes make bad choices but this is already Very Long and I'm not sure if I actually answered the questions so we'll leave it there 😅)

[wot-tidbits]

10 Years Anniversary

PART 9

What is the future?

It has been 10 years. 10 years is a long time. I wondered several times through the years when it is gonna be the end of my journey? Because the end is inevitable after all. I cannot do it forever.

And right now on the mark of 10 years, I think is the right time to stop.

Well, not full stop but something needs to change.

The exhausting mentality of craving every single piece of WoT content must stop.

The mentality to make posts every day must stop. The mentality to say that it is OK and the world won’t end if I miss something in the WoT tag must stop. It is not sustainable for my health to keep doing it with such level of intensity.

Do not fear, I will never delete this blog and I still has the wish to log in.

But change is inevitable.

At the first weeks probably you won't notice it. I want to keep some routines - I still enjoy checking for the memes so that won't change. I will post sometimes new art or reblog stuff. But not with the same regularity.

While I decrease my attention in one detail, I want to go back in time and start bringing back forgotten emeralds from the archives. Here are newcomers who probably will enjoy the old unseen content as brand new.

I also want to dedicate more focus on the Bulgarian community - where I still have more positive reputation and reaction for what I do.

I want to take time and finally sit down to write my own meta. I keep some posts in the drafts which never got my full attention. Most of it probably you won't like it as it is mostly asking stupid questions about the TV show.

This is mostly lost cause on Tumblr so no more wondering whether I should poke the TV show and the fandom. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become the asshole. And I have been the Asshole since the early days. I have been canceled dozen times on Tumblr. One more time won't make a change. Do not worry. I won't write these ideas to change anyone's mind. Your mind is already made up. The division did a great job to establish it. I just want to write for the freedom and for the peace of my own mind.

We will see what the new turning of the Wheel will bring for this blog.

Maybe nothing will change or maybe I will end it for good.

In either case for me it was an honor to be called Wheel of Time fan and to share my nerdiness with you.

Let the Light keep you safe

LightOne

[sphnyspinspin]

[About Blog]

- This is my Transformers fan blog! I usually just draw and write and that’s about it. Considering I have trouble getting new ideas in my noggin I decided to open REQUESTS and ASKS. But I’ll only be taking a few at time—you know the whole OPEN and CLOSED signs will be very prominent. This’ll go for both drawing and writing stuff.

There’s probably going to be more stuff to add on to this so make sure to see if I updated anything important on here like DNI or ASKS and REQUESTS.

— — —

[DNI]

- Homophobic -

- Transphobic -

- TERFs -

- Sexist -

- Racist -

- NSFW -

- Proshipper -

- Ableist -

— — —

[ASKS]

1) Can Accept

- Pretty much anything that doesn’t make me uncomfortable. And I can be slow when it comes to checking my inbox so if you like what I do here, you might have to be a little patient. I like it when people just come by to say hi or compliment my work, so don’t be afraid to do so. You don’t need to feel obligated to spare my feelings too, I can take criticism when I need it.

2) Won’t Accept

- AGAIN! NOTHING CREEPY! Don’t ask me about personal stuff please, I’ll update small bits on how I’m doing, don’t be pushy. And don’t send me random links without context or at least a small description, it gives off creepy vibes.

— — —

[Fandoms]

- Transformers: Rescue Bots : Good God, this show was like the very first layer of my TF hyper fixation—not my biggest fixation just my first.

- Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy : THIS SHOW is my biggest fixation it’s so cute and wholesome and clever and fun it is such a good show I love the characters so much.

- Transformers: Cyberverse : PLEASE—this show is AWESOME, I praise it for the characters, the story, the character designs, the animation, the EVERYTHING(this is where I personally think Soundrod first originated).

- Transformers: Robots In Disguise 2015 : Hear me out, this show is actually kinda funny in a non-ironic way I promise, and the designs aren’t half bad.

- Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye : I have read zero TF MTMTE and I never plan to because I would actually die from dehydration after crying so long; but the fandom makes me laugh and I like the art.

- Transformers: Lost Light : Again I have read zero Lost Light comics and I don’t plan on it; because I feel like I know enough just from the memes.

- Transformers: Animated : This show SHOULD be more popular, and it’s the main reason I have my artstyle today (and please don’t bully me but when I found out my fave characters dies I stopped watching….. like immediately………. I didn’t finish season one).

- Transformers: Earthspark : This show, oh my god, I have a love-dread relationship with it; it has so much care-free positivity, an adorable group of characters, nice designs with world-building being amazing so far, but I know for a fact it will destroy me sooner or later. P.S. it already has

- Transformers: Botbots : This. This…. Where do I begin; oh right, literally the TF fandom parody—like I know for a fact that 85% of the characters’ personalities are inspired by random TF tumblr posts, you can’t deny that.

— — —

[Side-Blogs]

1) @transformers-bold-bright-brisk

- My blog for my TF fan Continuity project. Right now it’s mostly drafts and concept art and writings,

— — —

[Communication]

1) Follower Interactions

- I will do my best to answer ASKS because I am terrible at checking my inbox. Also, I’m going to try and reply to comments, but if I stop doing that—it’s not because I don’t like you guys, it’s cause I’m lazy and I usually don’t have anything interesting to reply back with. And please read my DNI, ASKS, and REQUESTS boxes before interacting, thanks. Also ask stuff will be tagged as either #sphny asks (𖦹////𖦹)•*°⊹ or #sphny answers (𖦹0 𖦹)•*°⊹

2) Mutual Interactions

- Hey! If you followed me and I followed you back and somehow we were able to become regular chit chat buddies from either in the tags, reblog games, DMing, and etc. then you probably know me enough to understand my thought process when I talk to people. And if you’re a new mutual and actually want to interact with each other more than same goes for you—read my DNI, ASKS, and REQUESTS boxes. I respect your boundaries, you respect mine—win win. I would honestly be very excited to talk to me people on this platform, I just get a little bit shy/anxious sometimes

— — —

[Posting]

1) Art

- When I post my art I’ll usually tag it under #sphny arts (𖦹w𖦹)•*°⊹. And right now I’ve been posting A LOT of RBA fanart. But if I feel really motivated to draw requests I’ll do my best to draw TF characters from other continuities in my style too.

2) Writing

- What I write consists of drabbles, headcannons, one shots, short-reviews, and other opinions I have that I like to share with the world. And I’ll give an itty bitty irl update just to notify I’m still alive. And they’re going to be tagged under #sphny speaks (𖦹<𖦹)•*°⊹ #sphny alternates universe (𖦹ㅁ𖦹)•*°⊹ #sphny originates character (𖦹▿𖦹)•*°⊹

3) Reblogging

- Oh boy. I reblog a very random assortment of posts. I reblog from mutes, followers, and strangers all the time. I’ll partake in reblog games I tag under #reblog shenanigans which would always be a new uquiz or for picrew challenges it would be #picrew shenanigans. When I reblog art or literally anything I COMPLIMENT THEM IN TAGS! And in the actual text part if I’m super eccentric about it too. And they’ll be tagged under #sphny reblogs (𖦹Q𖦹)•*°⊹

— — —

[Social Media]

- TikTok : sphnyspinspin2006 (There’s literally only three posts to my name)

- Instagram : sphnyspinspin (Barely Active)

- DeviantArt : sphnyspun (I never use this)

- Discord : sphnyspinspin (I’m VERY shy)

- AO3 : sphnyspinspin (I write very little on here)

[cursivebloodlines]

today is proof that i hoard all the inbox memes LMAO. it's pretty funny sifting through so many google docs realising you've 75% written a few and i just dunno how to wrap them up because i ramble for shti!!! so yeah. i got distracted from drafts and messages but at least you know if you send an ask meme, i will hoard it and then suddenly one day it pops out and am like surpriseeeeee. i love them all! and i will do them eventually! and yes, i'll always ask for more!! (and no matter how long it's been since i've reblogged them, you're all always more than welcome to send more - as long as you specify muse!)

i could probably have continued writing but alas, i need to sleep. not sure how that's gonna work because i'm sweaty again, it's too hot :( but i'm gonna try anyway! so annoying because i feel so much like a night owl when i have work. then the minute i don't have work, i'm dozing off stupidly early :( ANYWAY

more rambles! i shall stop! i will try and proceed with some more drafts tomorrow! sorry for all the chaos from me lmfao

[novinare]

As winter draws closer, a lot of us in the roleplay community find our mental health suffering.

Between the cold, and the short days, and school or work-- well, things just seem a bit harder. And that's when we turn to our hobbies...

So what happens when logging into your blog makes you feel stressed and anxious? Or posting memes and starter calls results in nothing but silence? How do you cope when it feels like everyone is having a great time, and you're collecting dust in the corner?

If you need advice, click the read more. If you have advice, or things that have helped you, leave it in the comments and I'll add it to the list.

Like or reblog if you want to keep a copy, or think other writers could use it.

And remember: all advice is given in good faith. You get to decide what might work for you, and what you're going to ignore.

Happy writing, everyone!

Send yourself memes. This doesn't work with every meme, but if you have the choice between having fun and answering memes you sent yourself, or feeling invisible and waiting on people to send them? (Especially if your followers rarely or never do?) Choose the fun. (I have a multimuse meme that's good for sending yourself. If you have any others, message me and I'll create another post with the list.)

Stop writing starters. If someone has asked for a bunch of starters, but has never replied to any of them, it's time to stop. You aren't obligated to feed another writer's draft hoard. I personally use a 3-strike rule, but your mileage may vary.

Don't hoard drafts. Controversial option, I know! But if you have a ton of drafts, and looking at them makes you anxious? The solution isn't to avoid them and put up a starter call, or ask for people to send you memes to add to the hoard. If you find yourself consistently making a new blog, hoarding drafts, and then making a new blog to escape it? It might be time to examine why.

Take a night off. Go watch a movie, take a walk, do something that doesn't involve staring at your dash feeling invisible and unhappy.

Put up an rp ad. There are a ton of 'searching for rp' blogs on Tumblr, and they can help connect you to new writing partners. These are especially good if you're looking for something specific. Most of them have the option to submit anonymously, which is fantastic for us anxious, awkward beans.

Walk away. If someone tries to cut down your writing, or your graphics (or lack thereof!), you aren't obligated to keep writing with them. Lately I've heard of a few multimuse blogs being told "you shouldn't write (character) because everyone knows my version is the best". This isn't a competition, and you don't need to put up with that.

That's all so far! But I'll be adding advice from the comments onto the list, so leave a note if you have anything that's helped you!

[ladyluscinia]

So in true Tumblr fashion, my Year in Review post won't, well, post. So you guys get the bootleg I'm copy / pasting myself lol 😆

With commentary!

I posted 3,406 times in 2022

That's 1,092 more posts than 2021! (Here's my 2021 Year in Review for comparison! It's much less impressive.)

362 posts created (11%)

3,044 posts reblogged (89%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@autisticandroids

@altarofrowena

@ladyluscinia

@billiewena

@treesofgreen

I tagged 3,404 of my posts in 2022

(wait which fucking two did I NOT tag???)

#spn - 1,391 posts

#our flag means death - 668 posts

#ladyluscinia - 541 posts

#izzy hands ofmd - 486 posts

#blackbeard ofmd - 333 posts

#dean - 324 posts

#destiel - 302 posts

#gifset - 216 posts

#fanart - 216 posts

#castiel - 200 posts

(I'm still a Supernatural blog in 2022, and I will be one in 2023 😘🥂)

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#but i thought their initial posting was pretty interesting until one day i realized i stopped seeing it because i was blocked for crimes 😆

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I actually love that Vane is Mr. "What's in it for Me?" and openly philosophically inclined to, like, the simplest and most tangible desires, because in any other show he would be SO easy to get on your side, but in THIS show everyone is a 10 year plan double or nothing idealist so the conversations go:

Flint: "I can't give you money. I need the money for a convoluted scheme that will eventually offer all of us safety and self-governance and ideological superiority. Let me persuade you I know what I'm doing."

Vane: "No, I think I want money. Like, good luck with the rest of that, but I've got it covered. With a ship. And money."

Flint: "But what if the Navy comes for us?"

Vane: "That's tomorrow-Vane's problem, and he'll probably appreciate being richer than today-Vane if it comes up. Pay me."

Link - 493 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

#4

The lack of new Supernatural drama today despite the mass resignation of the British government is proof that Supernatural is tied specifically to American political upheaval, and now I'm wondering what is coming for us on October 11

Link - 658 notes - Posted July 7, 2022

#3

[This is where I discovered that adding any images other than the header that started the post caused the draft to immediately become unsaveable, so if you want to see my dumb joke you have to click on the link]

.

You ever think of a stupid joke you just HAVE to see visualized?

Link - 859 notes - Posted April 11, 2022

#2

Edward Teach Meta - Remember Edward Hasn't Always Been a Muppet...

...and honestly he's still just mostly faking it.

I see a lot of posts about the whole dichotomy of Ed vs Blackbeard, and - because I live in the Izzy Hands tag for this show - a lot of it takes a very... simplistic (?) approach. Mostly along the lines of Ed is a traumatized real guy who just wants love and softness while Blackbeard is the violent persona he puts up because he thinks he has to (and Izzy makes the situation worse with a fixation on a fake person).

This... does not really make sense to me. For one, if we're going to acknowledge "Blackbeard" is a persona then we should probably acknowledge "Ed" is equally fake. The dichotomy is two wildly different masks, and the same real Edward is behind them both. And I want to talk about that guy.

Warning - this got insanely long

---

Link - 884 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Ryan Reynolds having staff hype up his new tumblr account to users and then realizing that a shitty CW show that ended almost two years ago is trending over him in anticipation of the 5th

[Insert math lady meme]

Link - 19,855 notes - Posted November 4, 2022

---

Of course that fucking meme got first. Well it's technically Nov 5th posting so I suppose it could be worse. Good luck everyone with getting your own Year in Reviews to work if they haven't yet!

See you next year!

[that-was-anticlimactic]

X, Y, & Z!

lol hey just remembered that i had these from dec 19th lol i think i was just so mentally unwell at the time that i couldn't actually process the fact that i had asks and was capable of answering them even tho i literally reblogged the ask game lol anyways was going through my drafts and saw this and i'm MUCH better now so i went through and found the game and imma do it now <3

x - a trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

hahhaahhaha character with an inferiority complex learning/being told that they're enough on their own/when those characters get in character content made of them ijuhygtfguiouygf because a lot of times they get misinterpreted or ignored </3 also. hanahaki <3

y - what are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

OH! my number one secondhand fandom is wwdts thanks to @chasvchalilah <3 i have my Guy (colin robinson) and i feel like i basically know the whole plot thanks to shira and her incredible patience for all my questions and her kindness in telling me like. literally everything lol actually this reminds me i think the colin post shira tagged me in is in my drafts and that i actually forgot to reblog it. hm. gonna go find it after i post this lol also csm because grace watched it and i know it's not really a show that i'd like so i'm living it vicariously through them and moth and the other csm moots <3

z - just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

ah this is dangerous omg okay oh gosh okay what do i choose okay so this is a very random thing to rant about, but it's fan-related so. but i lowkey hate in chatfics how writers always give characters different contact names. more often than not, i look at them and say "they would never choose that name" / "they would never name that person that" / "they would throw a fit if their name got changed to that" and like. it's just so irritating. i honestly think most blorbos would just call each other by their names in their contacts like. and if you're going to give them "silly" names (bc most times they just... aren't even funny to me personally), they don't even specify who is who! most of the time, i see them say something MAYBE at either the beginning or end of the first chapter and then usually never again even if the characters start changing each other's names! so it's just hard to keep up. i actually love chatfics and think they're such a cool idea and a great creative writing exercise, but they HAVE to be done right because they can go poorly/ooc SO quickly. not all characters use correct grammar, but some do. some will use capitalization and punctuation while others don't. some characters will use emojis or send memes and recite memes, OTHERS WON'T and you NEED to be able to figure this stuff out. also it is SO unrealistic for all the characters to constantly trauma dump because half these characters refuse to "show weakness" or don't know How to talk to people about what's wrong. oH AND ALSO not all characters are so unhinged in chatfics my God the way people write certain characters in how they text and what they text is so icky because it's just too unhinged we gotta stop giving characters that treatment ugh uh anyways also kenji is underused in the show and underrated by fans. there should be more kenji content. also unpopular opinion, but kenji is a more interesting character than chuuya and how does chuuya have like... 20k more fics in the chuuya tag than kenji has in his own tag? nothing against chuuya - i like him! i do! but why is he treated more like a main character than kenji:( maybe i'm just sad bc kenji is my favorite and barely has ANY content. there are SO few kenji-centric fics out there and a lot of them also are kenji & chuuya friendship which... admittedly, i LOVE but i feel like there's more kenji & chuuya than kenji & the ada members which is so sad??? also he deserves better in the show! smh he wasn't even in the s5 trailer (neither were junichiro and naomi ugh so upset about that) like pls. let everyone treat kenji more like an important member of the team bC HE IS😭

[corruptedforce]

🙄 ; What are your biggest pet peeves when it comes to tumblr?

Munday Meme // Accepting!

The obsession with graphics and aesthetics in posts. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have all the things and post banners too, but sometimes, I hate that I do because it's a massive pain in the ass, to constantly have to use them. I also spend more time picking an icon, than I do writing a reply, which defeats the purpose. I honestly am fine with no graphics, because it's about the writing and I hate the word aesthetic.

The stupid answer asks replier. I hate having to go through the effort of drafting, to reopen and get a decent text editor, because the new one is stupid.

The 'my writing is so bad, I'm going to delete, no one will miss me' attitude. Your writing isn't bad. It's an insult to your followers to say no one will miss you and it's attention seeking and toxic.

People who decide if one person doesn't like you, they must be the expert. Some people just have different views on things. Some people don't take the time to see some things are a joke and overreact.

The soft blocking trend. Tumblr is an asshole and it's so hard to know if you've been soft blocked or tumblr unfollowed. I am happy with the people who enjoy writing with me, and I really don't care that people have blocked and soft blocked me over something that was blown stupidly out of proportion, or possibly my baseball rants. You want me at my Anakin, you have to deal with Vader and baseball too. My baseball buddy died last year.

Telling people what is IC/OOC for a character. Everyone has different takes. People are going to like and not like different things. That's why different adaptations are good to read. You really don't have to get that upset if I don't agree with you over a headcanon.

The whole fact that editable reblogs isn't working that great anymore, and how incompatible with mobile, tumblr is. So many times, I would reply but if I'm not on my laptop and can't cut, I won't do it.

People who don't move asks to a new post. I hate that whole ask box thing, at the top.

Social justice trends. Not everyone is going to fight for what you do. Stop demonizing people, for it.

I'm just going to say it, the obsession with artsy tags. Tumblr doesn't like them, y'all. Your tags will break and then you'll delete your blog for the 400th time, trying to fix them. Just keep it simple. There doesn't need to be 90 symbols and letters and numbers.

Callout Culture. Don't get me wrong. If it's a predator, it's different, but I don't care if this person just made you mad. Keep it between you and your friends.

PEOPLE WHO DON’T TAG IN A WAY THAT SOMEONE CAN BLOCK THEIR DISGUSTING SHIP, ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE INSULTING. IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO TAG SOMETHING, SO PEOPLE CAN BLOG SOMETHING THAT IS JUST REPULSIVE AND NOT EVEN BEING A GROSS SHIP OR ANYTHING. IT’S JUST BENEATH ONE OF THE CHARACTERS AND ONE OF THEM TAGS IT, BUT THE OTHER PERSON HAS 0 RESPECT.

[rebelquilled]

hey what if I came in here anyway? i love how much you love xayah. every single headcanon you post, I eat it up so ravenously. you go into so much detail about her it inspires me to think about my own muse so much too. you and amber are such a fun presence on my dash and I love seeing you interact. ty for bringing the birb to our dashes, she is so much fun to read about because of you!

i didn't reblog that meme... so i'm allowed to respond... whoever you are.... no. i don't deserve this i am le Dumbass. but. i enjoy doing this too much to stop. so your kind words warm my heart. thank you... so much. i'm glad my obnoxious bird-loving presence is appreciated. i only apologize i am slower than a snail. staring at the eight drafts i need to respond to but haven't. again just. thank you for the love and support. this was very kind of you, i hope you're having an absolutely lovely night !!!

[tamedstray]

1 through 5 for the munday memeeeee <3

Munday questions ☼

How do you feel about reblog karma?

Ok so, I see its value as good practice, but I personally don't practice it or enforce it. It's good for the ecosystem, the economy, but I also don't want anyone to feel pressured to send things, even encouraging certain memes to be stolen; my tag #ask. please steal means I want to send some ok please 👀       Ultimately, I only send things I can see Vigor saying or doing, whilst also being careful not to send asks when I'm overwhelmed with drafts (though of course if I have too many drafts I won't outright steal the meme, though might put it on a side blog to consider later sshhh.) That's actually the main reason I'm bad at reblog karma: I want to sending things but draft anxiety is stopping me, then occasionally posting the meme a week or two later.

Is it hard for you to write with characters you don’t know/don’t know well?

Yes if we're talking ocs, no if we're talking canons. I am happy to learn more about ocs as time goes on, but the more I know, the easier it is to write !! In contrast, I actually prefer canon characters I know less about, I think as part of my preference for ocs lol.

Whose writing has impacted your writing style the most? (you can choose anyone! famous writer or not.)

I don't read I'm sorry like I'm into audiobooks rn because I can listen to them on my opening shifts at work but otherwise I can't claim any clear influence 💀 Most of my reading and writing has been through roleplay and fanfiction when I was literally a child. I just hope to improve slowly through listening to audiobooks and writing here idk idk 🥲 Since this is where I read, it's my partners who influence me the most ♡

Which muse of yours is your all time favorite? if you stopped writing them: why?

Vigor my son 💞 I've been writing him on-and-off since 2016 and I'm so glad I revamped him for bg3 on a whim. He was originally a Skyrim oc but he works so much better here 😭 the brain worm was good for him, actually.

Is there a muse you really want to try? if yes: what’s stopping you?

My favourite d&d character of all time: Russel Tumblebrush. In fact, I did briefly make a blog for him, only to realise not many people want to write with an acearo time-travelling mole who talks like a pyromaniac Winnie the Pooh. Still, I might try it again, or just write him on discord one day. If anyone wants to send their muses through time-travel therapy with a lovable but unhinged moleman hmu ✌️       I also occasionally think about writing Wyll simply because he needs more love, Larian >:( which isn't a great reason, since I do prefer writing ocs (less pressure omg) and I barely have time as it is. Also, Solas or Cole from dai, just because I love both them boys so much 😭😭 I think writing Cole would be healing for me fr. Solas? He's in my brain 24/7 so I might as well lmao.

[lukas-wrld]

Welcome to my world!

In which I almost have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm learning and trying and writing and writing and writing!

You can call me Luka; she/her

I'm an aspiring Malawian writer that supposedly has too many story ideas for her own good, lol. But I'm trying to actually finish some of my WIPs and learn how to actually go about this whole writing business

I'm legal, so minors, take caution. Although anything NSFW will be explicitly stated, otherwise this blog should be pretty safe. I'm trusting that you go only where it is safe for you to

pfp from nellseto's character maker!

I like writing romantic subplots despite having never been in a romantic relationship, lol

I have Wattpad, Quotev and AO3 accounts, but they're kinda lame

I'm a sucker for fantasy worlds and YA novels

my story ideas to wordcount ratio is embarrassing and will not be mentioned

I'm pretty shy, although I would love to make some writer friends here!

Undertale brainrot since 2018

I'm joining writeblr to put myself out there, join the writing community, make friends, and learn more about writing!

I'm under the false assumption that I'm hilarious

maybe I'll update this on occasion

In this particular world,

you'll be seeing a lot of reblogs to do with advice, memes and some prompts and resources. I'm also open to participating in tag and ask games, and writeblr events! And I guess I'll post some original content on occasion too, I guess

Although, fair warning; I'm terrible at being consistent with things, and if I'm here, I'm probably procrastinating something else, lol. And half the time I even forget this thing exists, oops

about my writing;

I'm honestly just exploring writing styles and genres at this point. I mainly write fanfiction 'cause it's less daunting to work with pre-existing worlds, lol.

An Escort

Completed! Being rewritten. (Link to tumblr post here) An Undertale au (Underlust) focusing on the (mostly platonic) relationship between Sans and the reader. NSFW, although it's not the case with the entire story. TW: substance (ab)use, allusions to depression and eating disorders, and reckless behaviours

Blood, Dust & Honey

Planning/drafting; main WIP Another Undertale au (Underswap) following a newly appointed detective in training as she tries to figure out where all the disappearing monsters have been going. Romance, mystery, she needs to learn to ask for help, and plenty of shenanigans

Plain Jane

Planning/drafting An original story following Jane, who just wants to finish her final year of high school in peace, but has to stop a potentially world threatening ploy by her headmaster since no one else seems concerned about it. Romance, mythical creatures and the tempting call of senioritis.

How to be the Perfect Daughter

Planning; barely a vague idea that yearns to be written An original story written in a self help format that details the expectations an eldest daughter must meet in a culture she doesn't completely agree with. Coming of age, questioning tradition, cathartic.

I think that's about it. And if you saw something that caught your eye, why not stick around, or send me an ask? I would seriously love to make some friends here even though I'm really shy, lol

[laxchra-archive]

*sweats nervously*