#other constructive critique is ok too

[whimsal-sketches]

some sketches i did figuring out how to draw kit and jade :D

I did the first one immediately after watching Episode 1 LOL. it got to me, alright

[cateluna]

how to critique and not to critique an artist: a guide to online etiquette for non-artists

what non-artists really misunderstand about artists is that we are showing you our old vs new art, usually with a redraw, we aren't asking for a comparison or for you to give unwarranted criticism. we are simply showing you our progress and how much we have improved over a given amount of time. for context, this is what my 2024 vs 2020 redraw looks like:

i genuinely don't mind other people not liking my art. art is a subjective matter and i understand that people have art styles they prefer. HOWEVER, to outright tell an artist you much preferred their old art is rude, especially when they are not asking for your opinion or criticism. we aren't asking for your "honest opinion" unless we directly asked for it -- if you have something to say about someone's art, better ask the artist first if they are fine with receiving comments, and even then, give the artist constructive criticism in terms of anatomy, colors, values, cohesiveness, contrast, etc. instead of just telling them your preferences.

this is the only time i asked for an opinion, and even then, i was only asking this specific person. however, saying stuff like "the colors in the new one is uncanny" is NEITHER helpful nor constructive

i want to focus on this comment for a bit. there's nothing wrong in not liking someone else's art, but saying that "he looks like he is wearing blush and the lips are so red he looks like he's wearing heavy makeup" is not constructive criticism, and it sounds like you're just stating your preference on what styles you like instead of actually giving advice on how to improve their work.

also, what's wrong with men wearing makeup? what's wrong with blush and lipstick? if the problem is "the colors are too bright", just say that, instead of saying "he looks like he's wearing makeup", because obviously, the colors are a stylistic choice

"you have very dark shadows" ok, then what do you suggest i do to improve it? elaborate on your comment instead of just stating your preferences.

"the expression looks way too exaggerated" and "the simplicity of the older one; looks cleaner, has a less cartoonish expression" is outright just telling your preferences and not constructive at all. do you dislike the way the artist rendered the work? do you dislike the linework and the detailing? be specific instead of just leaving it at "the old one looks cleaner" or "the eyelashes are too thick, looks uncanny"

and the expression is exaggerated because... i have a cartoonish art style. this is on purpose. there is nothing wrong with cartoonish expressions... on a cartoonish art style...

again i didn't ask for criticism on this work, but this time it's constructive and actually gives me advice on the anatomy, colors, etc. so i don't mind. if you are wondering how to critique an artist, this is the better way to do it.

this is how to PROPERLY critique an artist: tell them what they did wrong, and how to improve. don't just tell them your preferences, because again, that's not constructive. instead of just telling them "your shadows are too dark" or "the expression is too cartoonish", actually give them pointers on how to improve their anatomy, colors, shading, values, rendering, etc. etc. (although the comment saying that my line work was way too thick and how the femininity "should" be conveyed through experience and not features sounds more like personal preference)

^ these are more examples on how properly to give critique:

the shading: is it flat or overdone? does the shading convey the contours of the subject well? what can the artist do to improve on their rendering, values, and colors?

lighting: is it fine or is it way too sharp and bright? does the lighting convey the shape of the subject properly? does it suit the subject well? what can the artist do to improve it?

colors: are the colors way too flat and desaturated? or too bright and saturated? does the work have enough contrast or not? how can the artist improve their coloring?

anatomy: are the limbs too long? are the proportions off? is anything way oversized or way too small? did the artist convey the personality and character design well, or not? how can it be improved?

these are all i can think of for now, but hopefully you get the point!

conclusion: when commenting, provide constructive criticism instead of just telling your preferences. tell the artist how they can improve their work and style. and even then, make sure that the artist actually asked for criticism -- if not, ask politely if they accept criticism or if they don't mind receiving it, then actually provide constructive feedback. if you don't have anything constructive to say, then it's better to not say anything at all.

but once again, please be polite. everyone you encounter on the internet is another human being (unless proven to be a bot or an actual troll or something). treat them how you would treat people in real life. be considerate and respectful. it is easy to forget that random strangers are still human because of internet anonymity, but please, remember the human.

[teeth-cable]

Why Lucifer being a good person is fucking stupid:

So in the show canon Lucifer and Lilith were kicked out because they were dreamers and gave Eve the fruit of knowledge. Based off the lore of Helluva Boss Lucifer 99% is the sin of Pride. In the show Lucifer is just a quirky theatre major who just wants to reconnect with his daughter...

Ok so lets analyze why this does not make sense in the worldbuilding. Lucifer is the King of Hell, a.k.a. a place full of homicidal maniacs and various other people. And since angelic weapons can harm angels (which is stupid btw) and sinners have been stealing weapons left behind by angels... Lucifer logistically cannot be a good person because these people could just decide to try to murder him if he was too weak. He needs the sinners and populace to fear him or respect him. Since Helluva takes place in the same setting Lucifer must have put in the social hierarchy of hell, approved it or doesn't do anything about it. Which means he plays some part in Stolas and Stella being forced to wed and the imps plus hellhounds being treated like garbage.

Then we get into story construction problems. Like if Charlie and Lucifer have a good relationship instantly then almost all the problems in the show can be solved at a snap of a finger because of Lucifer's power level. Its a similar problem with Alastor but worse because Lucifer is stronger. Like Alastor tho is implied to be weakened and forced to do this so there is intrigue storywise and limits on his personality and power. Lucifer is angel and can just like idk zap the Vees. Theres no threat, risk or anything now.

Also this Lucifer may have slept with Eve which either implies he cheated on Lilith or Adam was cheated on twice and Lucifer also agreed with genocide

And what wouldve been better is Lucifer being a shitty dad or person WHICH WE HAD IN THE PILOT. Like Lucifer being awful is actually better for the previous reasons and Charlie's own character. Like Charlie is supposed to be an underdog despite being princess and has an impossible task and if her father doesnt believe in her theres another personal level to then and maybe some of the audience could connect with her. And if Charlie's dad hates her or something you could easily write in and make Charlie struggle more by having him cut off her resources. Heck if her dad is awful then you can write in how Charlie feels about being so morally different. Then slowly build up to when we see Lucifer for the first time and actually have it feel special

This just makes me missed the pilot even more. While it did have it's own problems with the worldbuilding and characters, a majority of its ideas were still believable.

A better angle for Lucifer would be if he was a morally grey character. He can still be a decent father but a terrible ruler. Of course, that angle wouldn't work because everything in this show has to be black and white, where it literally tells you in a song, "Cause the rules are black and white" despite the same show critiquing its Heaven for the same black and white thinking.

I'm not against the idea of Lucifer being a decent father because there are still other ways the show can create conflict between him and Charlie. For example, he does get her the meeting into Heaven but it's at a cost. If she's unable to convinced Heaven, she has to abandon the hotel. Or maybe he is skeptical of Charlie's idea so he makes her overcome the hotel's problems, like the Vees, alone, to prove how strong and passionate she is. Of course, if they hurt Charlie, he can easily kill them, but it can serve as a great character moment for the both of them. Charlie learning Hell is brutal, Lucifer now hating the hotel because it will hurt Charlie, and create a new conflict where Charlie and Lucifer are against each other. Or the fact Lucifer was the one who allowed the exterminations to happened and Charlie has to undo her father's actions.

I'm only focusing on Lucifer being a "good" person through parenting because almost everything else, he's a bad guy. Not only was this the same man who allowed the yearly genocide of the sinners but also he created the classist, racist social hierarchy and system in Hell, and let the pride ring become so awful, the overlords, a group of powerful sinners, are taking advantage of regular sinners daily.

[raginglesbian2006]

hii! could u headcanons of Vox and/or Alastor x Male! Reader who loves to write (poems, novels) and draws most of the time? like, maybe Vox/Alastor is distracted talking to someone else and or doing something and reader is in the back, drawing them?

This is such a good idea! Honestly, I have been meaning to write something for Vox but I love Alastor as well, so why not both?

RadioStatic (separate) with an artistic male! s/o

Alastor:

Alastor has a love for anything creative and artistic and the fact that his boyfriend shared a love for that too? Well, it makes him quite happy

He usually sits with you, sipping on his coffee as jazz plays in the background, enjoying the serenity of it all while you work on your writing or sketches

He also loves reading/reviewing your work. You seeking his advice feeds into his ego, ya know?

Alastor is a great person to go to for honest, yet constructive criticism

I mean, he is an asshole but not that much, ya know? (not me tryna defend this sociopath. The readers and I can change him I swear-)

He was surprised when he stumbled upon your sketchbook, opening to see quite a few drawings of himself.

Some featured him talking to people around the hotel and others captured him hosting his tamer broadcasts.

He'd tease you about it when he finds out, but deep down, he'd be appreciative that you took so much time and effort to draw his likeness

He'd quite sneakily take a page off to keep it for himself

He would advertise your work to Charlie or to other overlords he deemed worthy enough to bask in your expertise, only if you were comfy with it, of course.

If you are shy about showcasing your work to everyone, Alastor would be proud that he is the only one you feel comfortable showing your talents.

He is a total sweetheart behind closed doors. (Don't tell anyone!)

Vox:

He initially didn't care for you or your talents

But hooo boy, when he caught a glimpse at what you could do, you bet this man is all over you.

He likes watching you work when he's free

Since he's in the media biz, he provides surprisingly good critiques on your writing/art. He knows what sells and what doesn't after all.

If you are the shy kind, he'd try to convince you to broadcast your work for all his viewers to see but eventually, he'd settle on being one of the only people with the luxury of seeing your talents.

If you are comfy with showcasing your work to others, you bet he's spending the big bucks on making sure your talents are seen far and wide.

He'd even encourage you to write scripts for the movies he's making, only if you're absolutely ok with it

Vox's screen had glitched slightly when he stumbled upon your drawings of him.

His boyfriend...had drawn...him???

This man is lowkey tearing up, please hold him

The other Vees are kinda fed up with him just chattering on about you and your wonderful writing and drawing skills

You're his pride and joy, after all <3

A/N: Sooo sorry for the late response. I hope this is to your liking! :)

[soapyoapy]

thoughts on dnp's new video

hey y'all. no one asked for it but here's a review of dip and pip's outfits from their new video from a costume design student's perspective.

*disclaimer: this is all for fun and totally my opinion, everyone has a different style, i’m just working with what they’ve worn before and what they seem to like wearing*

Category 1: Y2Gay

Phil:

🤔 i don’t know how to feel about this one… it’s not horrendous but dare i say he didn’t go far enough. i’m an ARMY so i can see j-hope wearing this but perhaps the reason why is would work is because he’d add like a white bucket hat, some sunglasses, and some colorful jewelry to fully commit to the maximalist style. also phil doesn’t really suit the baggy style imo. correct me if im wrong.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (add some accessories)

Dan:

honestly, i love the sweater. i saw it in the photocards and loved it. this is how dan should wear color tbh. my only critiques would be: a. what are the straps for??? and b. i wonder how it’d look with a dark colored tank top underneath it instead of a black one 🤷🤷

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Category 2: Americore

Dan:

umm…keep the jacket on. i’m sorry, the shirt is too much 😅😅 also i’m so confused by the pants. that’s it. maybe instead of that shirt have just like a nice white shirt. or maybe phil’s out of date gaming console shirt. the eagles are just a lot to look at. also ditch the crocs. again, sorry. a good black chonky sneaker would fit the look better.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Phil:

i agree with phil that the blue shoes don’t really fit. but i have a solution. wear some white sneakers and the blue mesh top from the q&a video or just a matpat-style blue jacket. other than that, this outfit works. especially with the blonde hair.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Category 3: Stranger Materials

Phil:

phil, please please please get that jacket fitted. it looks ever so slightly too big on him. hot take: the pants aren’t terrible. it’s just terrible with the jacket. the lines are not going in the same direction and it’s really distracting. i think they’d both have the effect he wanted just on their own. not together.

rating: ⭐️⭐️

Phil pt2:

i agree with dan. the pants are the issue. they aren’t the right shade of blue or the same pattern. major clash and if they were performing, it’d be very distracting.

rating: ⭐️

Dan:

ok. at least it matches 😝 considering he bought is from an ✨adults only website✨ not bad. would probably make too much noise to be an actual outfit he’d wear onstage with mics and all that but for fashion…kinda slays

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Category 4: Serving Shorts

Phil:

🫢 umm…ok so, how did he not know the shorts were see through?? perhaps it did show on the website but if it was from the same place as the vest and the vest was mesh then you’d assume the shorts were too?? idk anyways. its giving backup dancer construction worker if that makes sense. i’d say go all the way add some fingerless gloves and some design to the shirt and/or vest. go full jojo siwa with it. i do also love the color coordination.

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Dan:

eh…that’s it. it’s not awful it’s not great. maybe it he coordinated the blue with the top. it just looks like a dude headed to the gym. i like the shoes. they do look like the cover of a 90s boy band album. nothing amazing. if the star was blue and silver i’d like it more

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bonus Round:

Dan:

honestly…as a neurodivergent person, this is just a good item 🤣🤣 it looks so soft. not even from a designer perspective but a sensory perspective. i’d buy it. maybe in a different color but still. (also if it’s like an ✨adults website✨ thing plz let me know idk anything im aroace 😅)

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (for the goofs)

Phil:

question. where would you wear this other than a disco/party? this outfit looks really fun. the only thing i'd add to this would be some white boots or sneakers with rainbow laces.

rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for the goofs)

thank you for reading the ramblings of a junior costume design student who is using this video as procrastination from doing their lighting design homework. I hope you all have a good rest of your day! ✌️✌️ go ahead and tell me if any of the things I said were wrong i don't know anything 😊😊

[gingerylangylang1979]

Can we not be so hostile about how people write their fics?

This is partly a love letter to A03 which is being maliciously attacked.

Constructive criticism is good. But I have to say one of the things I love most about A03 is that it is such a supportive space for writers to write and share without pressure. I was a bit taken aback that there generally isn’t negative feedback. At first, I thought the glowing praise was maybe coddling and not helpful in pushing people to be better. But I was thinking from my perspective as someone who does professional writing in another capacity and is in an information science field.

But then, I realized fanfic isn’t that type of environment and A03 is the warm embrace of safety and encouragement for people to create at whatever level they are at and readers will meet them there. No, I’m not going to get the structured critique of an editor or a writing workshop instructor. But it isn’t the platform for that. And now I appreciate that. I do writing workshops when I want to fine tune a skill or learn a new approach and want the insights of other writers. But I like that my writing in social media spaces doesn’t have to be polished and perfect. I misspell things. My grammar is bad. Sometimes my flow and continuity is off. But it also yields great work because my mind is free to play without rules.

But one thing I’m noticing not on A03, but on Tumblr, is criticism of how people are writing fic for The Bear. Whether it be who are the main characters in the fic, how aligned characterizations are to canon, how people choose to describe characters emotionally or physically, what perspective someone expresses desire from, fantasizing about a character, living through a character, etc., etc.

Now, I’m not going to say some writers may not know things that are sensitive to others. Correction may be ok, but can the knowledge sharing please be less hostile? If someone is trying to write for your fave from an earnest, positive place, it’s a bit unkind to then scold about them not getting something right. Teach but don’t reprimand. Show examples of alternatives. Or hey, write from your perspective, your lived experience. That’s the best example.

For example, I got tired of never reading Sydney give a blowjob (she’s not too precious), and her never teasing Carmy about being white, and no other characters ever bringing up race aside from a side comment. I also wanted to explore Carmy’s faith tradition since we share it. But, instead of chastising other writers for not doing that, I fucking wrote it.

A03 is pretty low stakes. So there is a lot of material to read. Not all of it is going to be high quality, TO YOU. But guess what, you can read something else, you can write something else. Just try to be kind. Kindness builds community.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Can I ask a question about AO3 because I feel like I just got hit by a truck called "culture shock?" Recently, there are many posts on r/AO3 discussing "Is it OK to leave any constructive criticism when the authors do not for it." And I am the only one thinking "It's absolutely fine to do so, duh" so when I realized I am the minority, I panicked, I felt like I would forever be deemed as a jerk on the site, when I all want to do is to share my own thoughts with the writers without any ill intentions.

Ok, I did not grow up in America/Europe. So we have some fics platform in my nation. Beta readers are not a thing on the said platform, instead, we have guilds and the guilds have a few "senior critics" who you can submit your works to senior critiques for more constructive criticism feedback. Also, members (even if you're not one of senior critics) of the same guilds are encouraged to learn how to give constructive criticism of others' works, and it's usually done in public comment sessions. You might say "Oh, dear Anon, what you said it's just beta readers here," but I think on AO3, beta readers are usually done in private? I don't know why people are so against constructive criticism even if they come with good faith--I really want to know why. At worst, you could just agree to disagree them. The most mind-blowing comment in the discussion posts on r/AO3 is the one that said "For criticism to be constructive, you have to know the author's intentions, something you don't know as a casual reader." It's just...huh??? Then what does my own reading experience mean if I HAVE TO know the author's intentions in great detail in order to BE QUALIFIED to have my own opinions? Also, as a writer, I thought it was on the writers' end to make sure they convey what they intended. And if I really don't like the work, I could just leave. If I leave constructive criticism as my comment, for me, it at least means: 1. I love this work to some extent. 2. It's done with feedback sandwiches. Thank you once again, I am just too shocked. I really don't want to be seen as a jerk on AO3, so I am curious about what you think about the subject of constructive criticism.

When did I become the subject matter expert on Ao3 and fandom?

But how to summarize...

Essentially, yes, it would be considered a grave faux pas to start dropping constructive criticism on a fic without prompting. Some writers are fine with it (and if they desire it, will denote as much in notes), most are not.

This is because many, arguably most, people writing on Ao3 are here because they want escapism and wish fulfilment. They're here to enjoy themselves, and may be very emotionally attached to their writing, so when some internet stranger comes along criticizing what they've made they see it as that stranger ruining their fun or telling them they lack the craftsmanship to build the world they want.

[leportraitducadavre]

Naruto

Related content on my blog for cellphone users

Disclaimer

I’m not a shipper of any of the problematic four. I analyze canon and enjoy some crack-ships. Shipper to none.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING LINK IMAGES: The images provided in each post are subjected to manga4life's domain, the site modifies the server where the images are stored to keep them online if the prior server is threatened by anti-piracy attacks.

If you see that one of the images doesn't take you to the image and you have an "error" pop-up, try changing the prior link for this one: https://hot.leanbox.us/ [followed by manga/naruto/xxxx-xxx.jpg]

Naruto re-read

#posts - if this doesn't work, try searching the hashtag that follows: #naruto re read (spaces necessary)

Feminism

About feminism and my female characters critiques.

Inclusivity: The woke fandom's drug.

Female empowerment in the Naruto fandom and Feminism without feminists (a companion piece).

Fictional works vs. real historical events. Is it ok to use parallels?

The infinite “who’s strongest Kunoichi” debate and the sexist erasure/degradation of female characters. And a response to it.

Contradictory traits in a character = Bad writing?

Political review

Revolution! Is Internal Reform possible for the Shinobi System? Or is too corrupt to be changed from within?

The Curse of Hatred - or a poorly constructed theory based on bias.

The Chunin Exams -and their actual purpose

Naruhina/Hinata Hyuuga

Hinata’s suicide or why her intention to fight Pain wasn’t to save Naruto.

Hinata endorses slavery. A quick explanation of why.

NaruHina A full analysis of their relationship. Plus, could The Last have worked if it didn't reduce Naruto's character?

NejiHina or the possibilities of the pairing.

The Hyuga clan. And the Caged Bird Seal.

Sorry, no, Hinata never hit Pain.

SasuSaku/Sakura Haruno

Debunking the idea that Sakura was born into a “clanless” family.

SasuSaku a full analysis of their relationship, part one.

Sakura isn’t stronger than most characters. And a small addition. 

Sakura and Ino, an analysis of their relationship.

Sakura and Naruto, an analysis of their relationship. Part 1

Sakura as Orochimaru's apprentice and Sasuke as a Medic AU.

Sakura's personality. A defense of Kishimoto's writing. Additionally

Other pairings

ShikaIno. Why this ship has problems.

My opinion about the idea that Kishimoto "planned SNS".

Uchiha clan

How the Uchiha are perceived, a short exploration through Kishimoto's writing.

Were the Uchiha truly oppressed?

Minorities using violence, is it ok?

Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke and Kakashi’s relationship. What went wrong?

How Sasuke and Obito surpassed their role in the manga (meta).

Sasuke as a Medic AU and Sakura as Orochimaru's aprentice.

Itachi Uchiha

About Itachi, his fandom, and moral standpoints.

Can Itachi's character be fixed? Spoiler alert: It's the fandom's perception of him that should change, not his character.

Debunking an Itachi stan

Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha and sexism.

Madara Uchiha’s characterization.

Obito Uchiha

Obito Uchiha. A character ruined by the fandom and his relationship with Minato.

Obito’s redeemers. A small debunk of their arguments.

Shisui Uchiha

Shisui Uchiha. A quick analysis of his participation in the manga.

Fugaku Uchiha

Fugaku Uchiha, the neglectful father.

Naruto Uzumaki/Naruto the series

The white boy, the hero. Parallelisms between Santiago Maratea and Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto Uzumaki, an underdog or a genius?

Naruto Uzumaki and the hero concept

Other characters

Team Taka. Their relevance.

Kakashi of the Sharingan.

Shikamaru‘s Sexism. Analyzing Sasuke Retrieval Arc.

Minato. A fandom-perceived hero that might not be such.

Jiraiya. My thoughts against the fandom’s obsession with calling him a hypocrite.

Neji vs. Kidomaru. An analysis of their fight.

Yamanaka clan techniques. and a quick rambling of the clan.

Rock Lee.

Hiruzen Sarutobi

Tobirama Senju

Tobirama. The Scientist. An exploration of Tobirama’s academic status and a debunking of his COH theory.

Does Tobirama defy masculinity? No, he doesn't.

Fear and Racism - an analysis of Tobirama’s advocates.

Boruto

Sarada Uchiha and the non-importance of her MS. A small rant about why the quote "she awoke her MS out of love, unlike the others" is false.

[softboynick]

ok I was already able to talk about this to someone but now I’m starting to fully understand why I felt so bad these past couple of days (I may have also forgotten to take my meds but that’s neither here nor there)

but long story short: I was getting anxious about my big bang fic so I decided to reach out on the discord to see if anyone was willing to beta read for me and I just agreed to the very first person who reached out to me without really vetting them

so I give them access to my doc and as I’m heading home from work I start getting email notifications from google docs with all the comments they’ve left (I probably shouldn’t be reading them while I was driving but whatever. Lecture me about proper drivers safety some other day)

I don’t know what other way to put it but I felt….attacked? which is dumb considering I asked for someone to critique my writing but for some reason I just read it all as aggressive and intense and it just made start spiraling because I’m already fragile and self-conscious about my own writing as it is. I find myself a very descriptive person when I write, and yet it’s “too cliche” and I’m being questioned about my plot and characters choices

I don’t know - I asked for criticism but it just wasn’t all that constructive and I got it in my head that I was a bad writer and I just wanted to disappear and I couldn’t get my hands to work or get any proper writing done that wasn’t for school/work obligations. I avoided my big bang fic like the plague and I’ve only looked at my other wips because they don’t cause me so much stress.

but I think I’m ok now though. spent most of the day just laying in bed and having to force myself to eat and shower. but I’m ok.

[plantinghobbies]

Growing Pains

Two: Sure I’d Never Be Found

Author’s Note: Back from some traveling and finally had dedicated time to write. I’ve been overwhelmed by the support for the first chapter. Thank you so much, revisiting your notes kept me motivated when I struggled to focus or hit a block. The incredible @solipsisticno1 also helped keep my ass in gear. This’ll be a fast and slow burn (I’m a Gemini so cannot escape my love for duality). Welcome all constructive critique, favorite parts, questions, etc - so grateful for any and all feedback. Ok, here’s more of Tess and Matty.

It’s the longest he’s spent near mountains since he left home. Growing up, the idea of vastness had scared him; he doesn’t like to be reminded of how small and microscopic his existence is in the very grand scheme of things. Sometimes, he’ll lie awake at night fixated on just how tenuous life is, how quickly something outside of his control could end it. He wonders what he’d be remembered for – his art or his infamy? On particularly bad days, he wonders if he’d be remembered for long at all.

But the panoramic views of the peaks from the house the label rented him have the opposite effect. After years of touring in cramped bunks and living in packed cities, he feels the space around him palpably, like he’s been curled into a ball for too long and is finally able to stretch out.

When he’d announced his plans to spend the band’s hiatus working on some solo material with Jack in the States, he’d been most nervous about telling his band mates. Even though they’d always been supportive of each other branching out in various ways, this felt different somehow. It was one thing for George to work on remixing the odd single or producing with other artists, it was quite another to put out a whole solo record as Matty was planning, with a potential tour as well. But, as they had for the last twenty years, the guys had his back one hundred percent.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the call from his mum that came in the night before he left. She’d seemed antsy when he’d seen her for a bon voyage dinner two nights ago, but he chalked it up to her not wanting to say goodbye.

“Matthew, I’m still not sure if I should even be telling you this, had to really talk myself up to it. But I know I’d be kicking myself later if something happened.” There’s a tremor in her voice that he hasn’t heard in years.

Oh God, he thinks, she’s sick. Worse, she’s dying. His mind already flashing to her funeral, him attempting to perform a song for her before he breaks down in tears, failing her in this final act.

“You know I am so proud of you, and I wouldn’t ever dream of questioning your sobriety. But you’ve never been on your own like this without your support system – and lord knows neither have I – but it’s not easy. So I just need to say be careful, be vigilant, ask for help when you need it. I’m a plane ride away.”

The indignation that reared up at him was visceral. 34 years old, several years in recovery, and she still didn’t trust him. Looking back, he knows he could have handled it better. He’s proud of himself for not blowing up at her, something a younger version of him would have absolutely done. But he knows he was curt, wanting to punish her, inflict hurt like what had welled up in him at the thought that his own mum doubted him.

After the first few days of wandering his house, un-showered and aimless, he’d begun to see what his mother meant. The process of writing and recording is inherently unstructured, at least for him, filled with days where he does nothing and nights of manic activity. It’s him, sitting around with his own thoughts, picking at the scabs and scar tissue of his past. He didn’t realize how much he relied on the rhythm of others - the band, the tour - to provide structure for him. For the first time in his life, he is without those things, and the space that it creates feels like a blessing and a curse.

In the couple of weeks since, he’s settled in a bit more, has found a gym and can now navigate to Jack’s studio and back without relying on his phone. The word routine has always rubbed him the wrong way, evoking images and associations that make him uneasy. Boring. Pedestrian. Old. When he left rehab, they’d armed him with a written routine to help ease his transition back to his “everyday life.” It was cookie cutter shit that he hadn’t even done in rehab, let alone out of it – daily meditation, making his bed, a gratitude journal. One glance at the word and the list of to-dos had him pulling up his dealer’s number before the plane had even landed.

When he finally got clean for good, a new therapist suggested he develop a structure in lieu of a routine. At first, Matty didn’t understand the difference, and he’d worried that he’d once again sunk a ton of time into bettering himself only for the system to fail him.

“What do you like to do for fun?” His therapist, David, asked. The question caught him off guard, he was expecting the beginnings of a diatribe on the benefits of eating healthy.

“You mean, besides heroin?” Matty often tried to get a rise out of David but had yet to succeed, his shit-eating grin met with nothing more than a stoic quiet. Sometimes, when he was bored or couldn’t focus during their session, he’d imagine what David’s home life was like. What does this guy do for fun? Is he a Saturday golfer and Sunday churchgoer like he looks? Or does David leave the prim façade at work, shedding his tweed jacket on his way to a BDSM club or an after-hours rave?

Finally, David indulges him. “Yes, besides heroin.”

That was easy. “Music.”

“Ok, but music is also your job, which can be a source of stress. What do you like to do besides making music?”

He’s embarrassed to admit he’s a bit stumped. Over the years, he’s amassed a laundry list of abandoned hobbies – some lasting for a few days, others a few months. But only one has ever lasted long-term. Well, social media but that’s more of a habit he’s adopted to avoid other, worse vices.

“Umm, honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t really ever been able to keep up with one long-term besides writing songs.”

“Ok” David smiled “let’s start there.”

In the end, he was glad that he stuck with it. Nowadays, Matty had a simple list of things that he liked to do that help him feel his best – he isn’t regimented about doing them, which he thinks is how he’s been able to stick with it for so long. They didn’t cure his addictive cravings but they kept them at bay. He still resented the amount of effort that was required for him to have a “normal” day - but it was better than the alternative.

Given how late he got in from the studio the night before, he should still be in bed. He and Jack had been holed up for almost two days straight, capitalizing on a burst of creative energy that had them laying down the rough cuts of three songs and the outlines of a fourth. When Jack had finally gone home to Margaret, he’d kicked Matty out of the studio as well, demanding that he shower, eat and sleep – in that order. He’d caught a few hours of shut eye but the chord progression he’s stuck on has him unable to quiet his mind enough to rest. What’s new? Unable to even muster the focus needed to make tea, he settles for coffee instead. The expensive coffee machine gurgles next to him as he stares out the window, realizing that he can’t remember the last time he’d been outside. Maybe “touching grass” (he refuses to admit that he might be too old for certain phrases) would help unstick it?

It’s the first time the front porch has seen any action since his arrival and he takes a minute to get situated, shifting his chair this way and that. Finally satisfied, he looks up just in time to catch the vaguely familiar side profile of a woman walking by with her dog. Before the image registers in his brain, she’s gone. He finishes his coffee then heads out to jui jitsui before meeting Jack.

That afternoon is one of the most productive days in the studio so far, he feels like they’re getting somewhere. He’s desperate to sustain the momentum, to try to quell the intrusive, insecure thoughts that he can’t do this on his own. No amount of encouragement from Jack has helped, he needs to see it for himself.

He’s not above relying on superstition and decides to do everything the same the next day, including watching the sunrise on the porch, staring at the coffee as he swirls his mug. The jingling of a leash has him tilting his head up, eyes journeying up long legs, tracing an hourglass figure that had been hidden by the bar, meeting her piercing eyes – yep, that’s her. He leans forward in his seat, casting about for a witty comment to put her on her heels the way she had put him on his with that story the other night. But he doesn’t get a chance, her eyes seeming to look right through him as she passes by.

At first, he convinces himself that she just didn’t see him, unable to accept that he hadn’t left any impression on this woman. The next few days find him inching his chair closer and closer to the sidewalk each morning, but her and her dog just sail past without a second glance, seemingly immune to his presence. And listen, he’s not a dickhead - it’s not like she owes him any acknowledgement. He understands more than most how rare uninterrupted time to yourself can be in this day and age. But he hears her daily greeting to the older man who sits on his porch reading the paper a few doors down! So, it feels like she’s ignoring him specifically and intentionally – and the question of why is driving him mad. It scratches at sensitive scar tissue where his admittedly oversized ego meets a more fragile self-esteem, seizes on feelings of being unremarkable and weaponizes them. Has his overactive mind casting about for various reasons for her silence, most of them bad. She doesn’t recognize him, not even from the other night. Or worse, she does.

The rest of the week in the studio is a bit of a wash.

Saturday finds him bored and antsy, with little to do and even less motivation. Trying to occupy himself, he sets his sights more firmly on getting a rise out of her, any acknowledgement really. Just to get her to crack once, he tells himself, and then he’ll leave it be. He doesn’t dwell on why he gets so bothered by apathy, physically shakes away memories that surface uninvited in his mind - his mother’s glazed expressions, his exhaustive attempts to garner her attention. Getting a reaction from people was his coping mechanism long before it was his job.

Pulling the Adirondack chair - so cliche but also so bloody comfortable – right up to the fence, he positions it at an angle in clear view of the sidewalk. Sure enough, as she approaches, her eyes land on him from behind her sunglasses. He only knows this because her step falters slightly, head dipping into the barest of nods as she passes. The thrill that Matty gets from even this subtlest reaction is a welcome change from the monotony of the last few weeks. He can imagine what George would say if he saw this “Christ mate, you’ve got to get out more.” But George isn’t here, none of them are – and that’s the problem isn’t it?

The next day, it becomes clear that she is, in fact, fucking with him. She’s walking toward him, her mouth opens to speak – Matty slides forward in his chair at the sight, ready to declare victory – and then curls it into a smirk at his earnest reaction. It’s obvious enough that it had to be intentional. Oh, game on.

His tendency to hyper-fixate is a blessing and a curse, making him a better artist but an occasionally insufferable human. He’s determined to not let her get the best of him this time around, spending downtime in the studio brainstorming how to get her to break first. The answer comes to him as he’s standing outside, having a cigarette between writing sessions. The sign hanging in the window across the street is just too cringe, too cliche, too absolutely perfect to ignore and Matty strolls out of the store with it not two minutes later.

The next morning, he’s giddy with anticipation. As she turns the corner her head is down, almost as if she’s determined not to see or been seen. At the last second though, she glances up and clocks the sign leaning against the outside of the fence right, him seated next to it with a sly smirk on his face. She stops, stares, and then - right as he’s certain she’s going to maintain their silent standoff - she barks out a laugh. It is loud and raucous and feels like a well-won prize after two weeks of continuous effort.

“Oh my god, where did you get that?” She seems surprised to hear the sound of her own voice. If she’s disappointed that she’s “lost,” it doesn’t show. He begins to tell her, in his trademark roundabout way, a winding story about the fucking writing block that him and Jack ran into which led to him being outside, to seeing the store but then back around to the song that he was working on. She is nodding along but glances at her watch twice, the dog trying to pull her to keep moving, bored of him. She opens her mouth to interrupt him, a split-second pause where she huffs and seems to question herself, before rushing out with “Listen, I gotta get this guy to the park or he’ll have a meltdown, you can tell me the rest as we walk.”

She walks on, not giving him a chance to respond as he hustles to catch up with them. He meets her on the sidewalk the next morning, not giving her a chance to pass him by again.

[rollercoasterwords]

also something that's been bugging me about queerness in barbie is that the only kind of gnc barbie we have is literally called Weird Barbie™, and is the butt of the joke the whole time. like you cannot tell me that when her looks change towards the middle of the movie she is not meant to look like a butch

ok yeah i have more time this morning to. try and talk through some of thoughts re:queerness + barbie lol

i def agree the "weird barbie" aspect was one thing that did rub me the wrong way. i get that it's a sillyfun joke or whatever but at the end of the day she really is the only representation of visible gender nonconformity in barbieland and that gender nonconformity is portrayed not as a choice or something which others might aspire to, but rather a fate to be avoided at all costs, and that's never really questioned or pushed back against aside from the barbies later apologizing for calling her "weird barbie," which...doesn't really change the way her gender is viewed in barbieland, just says the barbies will maybe stop actively making fun of her for it lol. i had to look up a pic of her second look because it's been a few weeks since i saw the barbie movie and like--yeah i guess her second look is supposed to be barbie butch lol she's got the dykey boots and the awful gay haircut so. guess i spoke too soon it's not that there are no masculine women in barbieland it's just that the only masculine woman in barbieland is a clownish caricature whose appearance is meant to be one big joke!

anyway aside from weird barbie there simply is an absence of masculine + gender nonconforming women in the movie and a complete lack of any lesbian representation. and like--this is not to say that i expected the barbie movie to have representations of like, butch lesbians lol nor do i think the barbie movie had any sort of responsibility to provide those representations. it's just that i think it is very telling when observing the rhetoric surrounding barbie's critical reception which absences + omissions can be overlooked for those who still praise the film for capturing some kind of universally relatable experience of 'womanhood'. i also do think that had the creators of the barbie movie wanted to make any sort of incisive critique about the cages constructed by gender roles, it's kind of impossible to make that deep of a critique without even acknowledging the fact that masculine women exist (by their own choice, not the mistakes of children "playing too hard"). so, again, it's not necessarily that i think the movie had to have masculine women (it's barbie; i wasn't expecting it to), more that it's interesting to see it get praised for its feminism while, again, completely omitting any discussion or even acknowledgment of gender nonconformity in women.

and like. i have seen people talk about how barbie was "lesbian-coded" or headcanon her as a lesbian, etc, and while that's all nice and fun for those people, i think it is very clear that barbie was not intended by the filmmakers or actors to be read as a lesbian. there is no indication of any sort of romantic or sexual desire towards her fellow barbies, no chemistry between her and america ferrera. it's fine to have fun hc'ing her as a lesbian etc, but i'm not going to give the movie any sort of credit for making her "lesbian-coded" just because she rejected ken. i see absolutely none of my experience with lesbianism reflected in barbie or her story; it's nice enough if some lesbians do, but to claim that barbie provides any sort of sweeping representation for lesbians is again a form of rhetoric that tellingly omits the experiences of any lesbians who aren't, like. hyperfemme women with no interest in sex or romance. and quite honestly the typical representation of lesbians in media is already femme women who are either rendered sexless or objectified in their sexuality, so even if barbie did express some sort of lesbian desire, i still wouldn't be particularly impressed with her as a form of lesbian representation.

and i suppose someone could say i shouldn't make that critique because all the barbies are sexless, but quite honestly i think the film implies quite a bit that kens experience sexuality. in ken's big song he moans about "being a virgin" forever, and there are jokes scattered throughout that imply the kens have some ability to experience at least romantic, if not sexual, attraction (such as the barbies flirting with other kens to make them jealous of each other, etc). i think it is interesting that this ability to experience attraction is relegated solely to men in the movie; sure, people could use the "it's just the way kids play" excuse, except you're delusional if you think there are kids out there who aren't making their barbies kiss + fuck + date each other. in fact, we'd arguably see more barbies experiencing some form of attraction as opposed to kens, considering that kids tend to play with barbies more often than ken. yet attraction remains firmly relegated to the kens throughout the film, and oftentimes is portrayed as a negative thing; it makes the kens pushy, shallow, jealous, etc, while the barbies are above anything so trivial as attraction, valuing first and foremost their pure and sisterly bonds of female friendship. like, i think it's a perfectly valid critique to say that the barbie movie implies that there is no place for lesbian sexuality in feminism--at the very least, it overlooks any place that lesbian sexuality might hold.

anyway. going back to the kens. as opposed to the barbies, who are visually gender-conforming both within barbieland and the real world, the kens are portrayed as distinctly more feminine than real-world men or real-life masculinity. i don't think this is inherently a bad thing; i think portrayals of feminine men can be great when it's not done as a punchline. but i did feel pretty frequently throughout the film as though that femininity was played up mostly for laughs, and it made me a little skeptical about, like. the tone the film is taking overall towards gender nonconformity in men.

like. jokes like "beach you off" (which i thought was funny! i laughed!) are specifically playing into the audience's implicit understandings about homosexuality. the joke here is that the men are arguing, but in arguing they sound as though they are threatening to perform a homosexual sex act. homosexuality here is referenced for comedic effect--how silly that these men sound as though they want to give each other handjobs! of course, part of the comedy comes from the contrast between emotion + action (it's funny to imagine someone angrily giving a handjob, an activity that is usually not angry), but whether intentional or not i also think part of the comedic effect is coming from the contrast between like....the fact that these are two masculine, ostensibly 'straight' men who are threatening to give each other handjobs, an action that the film expects an audience to view as implicitly 'feminine' due to its homosexuality. there are similar implications in other instances of homosociality between the kens (and of course there's allan haunting the fringes of all this implied homoeroticism), where i feel as though part of the silliness is meant to be coming from this contrast between the kens' masculinity and their 'feminine' behavior. and like....i think the fact that gayness is largely used to make the kens 'funny' is supported by the fact that kens all very much fit the same kind of masculine stereotype visually. where the barbies have at least some body diversity, the kens are all pretty uniformly muscular + thin, because there has to be that contrast between their visual masculinity + their feminine behavior in order for it to be comedic, y'know? and i become skeptical when the film seems to draw on gay implications for its comedy, yet refuses to actually include gay characters itself. yeah, yeah, the barbies are all sexless--except they are also very, very heterosexual and specifically paired off into barbies and kens, despite the fact that uniform heterosexuality does not reflect the way that all children play with barbies. like, i don't think it would have broken the whole "it's the kids playing!" idea to have some barbies with barbies and some kens with kens. so either it just did not occur to the filmmakers to do so because they genuinely think all kids make their barbies straight, or (what's more likely, in my opinion) they didn't want to include any gay relationships in barbieland. and, again--not saying i expected them to or that they had to. but when i see people talking about how "queer" the movie was, i'm just like....huh. the gestures towards queerness feel similar to the gestures towards body positivity, where the film casts fat women to play barbies + has fatness exist in barbieland but then still has barbie freak out over getting cellulite. like, sure, the film includes a lot of queer subtext, but what work is that queer subtext doing? and why was it left only as subtext? this is why i sometimes feel as though the film is laughing at queer people more than with us. i don't necessarily think it intends to be mean-spirited, but the queerness of barbie feels more like window-dressing than real representation to me. and i feel like anytime i see people voicing these sorts of critiques there tends to be a backlash of "it's a hollywood movie made by mattel!! it had to work within those limitations!! you have to let it be what it is!!" which i find confusing because i'm like....i...am letting it be what it is? that's why i'm not calling it particularly queer or feminist lol.

[butchyeons]

Love the 3mix au, any spare headcannons sfw or nsfw it’s up to u? keep up the good writing love ur work :D

omg tysm!! i’ve got other fic ideas so i’m sure you’ll see more from them. but for now here’s some stuff i accidentally left out of the original post/other stuff i’ve thought about! these are all sfw lmao

every night nayeon makes jeongyeon’s lunch. she also meal preps for jihyo, too. jeongyeon is more of a snacker due to her being outside and on her feet all the time- she just doesn’t have a big appetite. so nayeon makes sure to pack her lighter, protein/nutrient packed snacks + a few refillable water bottles. meanwhile with jihyo, she needs to eat bigger meals- she doesn’t get time to snack throughout the day due to the nature of her job. she also leaves for work for a few days at a time before coming back home for a few days. so nayeon does her best to meal prep things that she knows jihyo likes and will actually eat. both of them also get handwritten notes every single time bc of course they do (jeongyeon’s construction crew always makes fun of them, but she doesn’t care one bit)

since jeongyeon’s getting older, and bc she’s so clumsy and loves to just not lift things correctly, her back hurts a lot. lmao. so jihyo often gives her massages before they go to bed, so long as she has the energy for it

jihyo rlly wants a cat but jeongyeon rlly wants a dog, which is why they haven’t made a decision on getting a pet still

jihyo also rlly loves frogs. like they’re probably a special interest of hers. she rlly wants a pet frog but nayeon is terrified of them 😭 so she has settled with a tiny frog plushie that she keeps on the dashboard in her car. nayeon gave it to her for her first birthday they got to celebrate together after getting together

she also has a set of scrubs that are covered in pictures of frogs. the kids really love them. she also has a set of scrubs with unicorns, tigers, and cats. often times she’ll keep little toys and pieces of candy in her pockets for the really young kids she works with. more than once they’ve found toy cars in the washing machine from where she forgot to take them out of her pockets

jeongyeon and nayeon were actually next door neighbors growing up. nayeon’s mom always told her to stay away from jeongyeon- “she’s a troublemaker” “she’s one of those”. but we all see how that turned out

one of their favorite things to do all together is having a movie night once a month. they all pick of movie (which is so hard bc they all have different tastes) and then afterwards they will critique the ever loving hell out of it. they keep a list of the movies they watched over the year and have an awards ceremony at the end of the year in the damn living room 😭 they all get dressed up for it!! nayeon picks all the winners, much to jeonghyo’s dismay

jeongyeon loves to bicker with both of them. she’s always teasing them. najeong have argued like an old married couple since they were kids, and nayeon swears up and down that’s a love language all of its own. jeongyeon always has to find some way to get under jihyo’s skin. but they both love it so much. meanwhile, nahyo fully never left the honeymoon phase. they’re always so sappy with each other!! they’re each other’s babies fr- emotional support futch/femme + their big dumb loser idiot butch

ok that’s all for now. i rlly love this au so bad if y’all can’t tell. i’m gonna try to write more for them soon!!

[echosong971]

any ideas on how to get more confident in your art or just things you make in general? I struggle a lot with my thoughts and always talk myself out of trying to get better at art because of stuff so was just curious if you had any thoughts on the subject? thanks !

HI HELLO! I'm always up for hyping up fellow artists!

So, I used to struggle a lot with being confident in my art to the point where I solely relied on other people's opinions of my art to validate my self-esteem. It really sucked and dampened my enjoyment of drawing quite a bit. But one thing that helped shift my focus that I eventually realized was this:

I wasn't letting myself be proud of my own work.

It is not self-aggrandizing or wrong to simply be happy about something you have created, to look at it and go "Y'know what? I really like the way I drew that nose. And those flowers look AMAZING, actually." It's perfectly normal and healthy to hype yourself up and in fact, I encourage it! Be your own hype-man! Look at an old drawing you made and instead of only focusing on what you think looks bad, just focus on what you think you did well! Give your art three compliments today, I promise you it will make you feel better about your art skills.

Of course, that's not to say you can't critique your own work, or that you should blind yourself to what you can improve on. But you are your own worst critic, and often times people fail to remember that proper critiques and constructive criticism include mentioning things you enjoyed about the work alongside the potential improvements.

Bullying yourself or beating yourself up is not constructive, it is destructive. And thoughts that don't have your best interests in mind are not thoughts worth listening to.

And another thing, you need to accept yourself where you are. You cannot do better than your best and that is ok. With time and study and practice, you will improve. But if you don't let yourself draw in the first place, then how are you going to get better? Like a very helpful person once said: "bad art is good art because you made art."

And one final note: Art as a general, overarching concept is not something to "get right," it is not something with cut and dry rules that must be followed to the letter of the law. It's a form of expression. It is a product of passion that is tailored to the individual. And it is beautiful. When you let yourself pour your heart and soul into a piece and share it with the world, people will see that; even with any technical mistakes that you may have made, what people are going to notice and latch onto first is the love you have for art and the passion you carry for the craft that shines through what you make. So when you love what you do, other people will too :)

Like my mom always tells me: seek to express, not to impress.

I hope this advice helped ya out my dude and I want you to know that I'm rootin' for ya in your artistic journey! Art can be tough and really frustrating at times and I'm proud of ya for makin' it this far and seeking ways to improve!

I hope you have a good morning, good day and a goodnight, wherever you are Anon! ♥️

[aipilosse]

unpopular opinion on fics (as a writer OR reader!)?

ahaha ok so this one is a MEGA unpopular opinion, but I really believe that just as the old ff.net style of 'constructive' criticism and flaming was terrible, our current paradigm of 'you can only say nice things' is also bad. I truly believe it's a major reason for the drop off in commenting, and if there was a culture shift such that it was acceptable to say things like 'loved X but Y didn't really work for me' there'd be more comments and less isolation.

I mean, we live in the 'only say nice things' era, and yet authors still find ways to get hurt feelings over everything and nothing (*coughcough* reading the comments on other people's fics and being hurt that your fics don't get the same enthusiasm coughcough*.) And I'm very aware that people still get stupid comments bashing pairings, characterization critiques, nitpicking, but a) I'm not actually bothered by comments like these (selfish I know, because other people are bothered) because b) I still believe authors can and should mock, ignore, and/or chastise entitled commenters if they so wish. And if readers didn't feel like they had to tip-toe around, could just genuinely react to works that they enjoyed, but maybe didn't enjoy every bit of, there might be more 'ummm you wrote Maglor wrong' comments, but there might also be more 'I loved this' as well genuinely helpful comments like 'this fight scene didn't really work for me because I couldn't understand what was going on.'

the old, entitled reader attitude where every comment should be treated as a gift and bullying authors about grammar is fine and good is obnoxious, but we've swung too far in the other direction imo 🤷‍♀️

[elibean]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

no need to apologize! this is a great question, thank you for asking! i think i'll go with anime just 'cause it's easiest (i have a MAL and rank every series i watch from 1-10). i originally had movies in here but i think i'm gonna cut them out and just keep it to series and ovas. and "why do you love them" is an AWESOME question I never get! i don't know if i'll be able to explain myself well, but I'll try!

fullmetal alchemist ('03). why? this was pretty much my gateway anime. it's been over 10 years I believe since I've last seen any of it, so it's entirely possible that my opinion has since changed. but i definitely have nostalgia goggles on for it, and i know it is actually good, too haha

2. natsume yuujinchou (specifically seasons 6, 5, 4, and 3). why? some seasons of natsume i have rated higher than others, apparently. natsume is a special show. due to the nature of how long it is, there is the drawback that sometimes it feels like it repeats itself and tells similar stories. but even then it is just such a good story of found family and finding love after a life of strife, and it's just. very good. (i do think it should end soon though before it feels like it's just recycling old stories)

3. made in abyss. why? season 1 still stands out to me above the movie and 2. it was such a special experience. the art, the animation, the background art, the music, it all comes together to create such a fascinating world. the weak point would definitely be its characters, but even then everything else comes together so well that it doesn't really matter. it has one of the best first episodes of any anime (when the sun came up over orth and the music cued in I knew I was hooked) and I also adore season 1's ending; if the show never got a continuation, it could have ended right there and I would have been content (not a lot of other anime can say the same about their endings!).

4. steins; gate. why? it's also been a very long time since i've seen this one, so possible my opinion has changed. still, I remember being super interested after the first episode, and the following 12 that people tend to critique as being "slow" or a "slog" never really felt that way for me. there was always something fun and interesting going on. i compare this one with link click a lot, just because people tend to go the magica route and i firmly believe steins;gate is the better time travel show (though lc isn't over yet so maybe an unfair comparison. still it'd take a LOT for lc to reach anywhere near the heights of steins;gate to me). when okabe goes back over and over to try and save mayuri, i just remember being absolutely floored. really good stuff.

5. vinald saga. why? it's just such a well constructed story. and the author's comments about not wanting a world with war is so interesting, given how violent the first season is. it's really interesting to watch thorfinn grow and change (and i never understood the hate that he was too violent or annoying or a brat? he's just a kid who's lost everything, cut him some slack jeez). i love the last shot of season 1, corny as it is-- all the memories reflected on the dropping knife was great. and askeladd was one of the best villains i've ever seen. he's not even ~morally grey~ or anything; he's pretty strongly in the wrong, but his thinking and motivations and everything are so interesting and compelling. i don't think it's perfect; there are flaws for sure (i wasn't the biggest fan of how in s2 canute just. decides to turn his ships back after a small conversation with thorfinn lol) but it is very good.

6. this boy cuaght a merman. why? ok this one objectively does not deserve a 10. it's a 30minute ova about a boy falling in love with a merman. that's it. it's not incredible or amazing or ground breaking. buuuuuut it's my favorite soubi yamamoto ova and i adore soubi yamamoto and so she's getting a place on this list. she is responsible for animating, storyboarding, backgrounds, directing, etc etc everything in here, it's incredible (and she was only like 25, or something when she did it. fucking bananas). i love her please go check out her works (besides crystallization)

7. noragami. why? ok again probably not objectively THAT good, but this is one of the first anime that got me to read the manga, and here I am some 10 years later (ok a little less than 10 years because I didn't start reading the manga the year it started publishing, I think). noragami's MANGA is incredible and amazing and wonderful. but I do believe (much against the popular opinion amongst noragami manga readers) that the anime is also amazing, and YES that includes season 1. the crew behind it really loved the manga I feel (at least the director did, and there's proof for that) and adapted it faithfully and well. noragami is a story of found family and of turning your life and fate around, and it's very good.

8. she and her cat: everything flows. why? this one is only 4 episodes, 8 minutes each. it tells a story of a 20-something (actually she's still in college iirc) who lives on her own with her cat, and is trying to be an adult. but it's told from the cat's perspective. it's so sweet; the cat comments on how she "grooms herself" (brushes her hair, puts on her interview clothes) and "looks pretty" and things and it is just so great. i love the line (not a direct quote) "she opens that heavy door again today and heads out. on the other side of that door is a somewhat unforgiving, somewhat cruel world. but she's doing her best to learn to love that world. and i love her for that." just....so good (also the show made me cry)

9. yuru camp. why? second iyashikei on this list! SOL/iyashikei is actually my favorite genre of anime, generally speaking, but it can be hard to do it well. yuru camp ABSOLUTELY does it well. i read a commentary once ages ago, about how one of the great things about yuru camp is that the girls are allowed to just... be girls, and it always stuck with me. there's no fanservice, and these girls really feel like real characters who exist. there was another commentary (maybe same one?) about how rin is this introverted, more lonesome character, but she enjoys the solitude. but what's cool about yuru camp is she is never forced to change or become more extroverted; her friends accept her for who she is, nadeshiko will invite her out but not push her, and then sometimes she does go out! and she changes and becomes a bit more social, but never gives up solo camping. AND the more extroverted, outgoing character INSTEAD comes to embrace solo camping! what a cool idea, executed amazingly! so the characters are a strong point here, but the banter and camping is a lot of fun too. i still haven't watched the movie, but i'll get there eventually!

10. odd taxi. why? this one is 100% on the writing. it is so clever and quick-witted, it's a ton of fun to watch. i've never watched any other anime like it. the mystery/thriller aspects are a lot of fun too, and i remember reading reddit threads and theories on this one as it was airing. what was so cool is that they plant subtle hints that you can ABSOLUTELY catch if you have sharp eyes (i likely wouldn't have if it weren't for reading others' theories) and you can know things before characters do. lot of fun.

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wow this was so much fun to write up! thank you so much for the question!

[chainofclovers]

For the fic writer thingy 💥

💥 How do you feel about criticism?

I feel good!

(OK, my real answer is a bit more complicated than that. But I spent a few years in grad school in workshops getting very used to being critiqued both in writing and verbally in a live setting, and while it wasn't always easy, it was so necessary for my growth. There were absolutely some people whose comments I gave less credence to than others, but you start to figure out the people whose critiques really, really help you and challenge you, and that helped me establish the kinds of relationships where I could ask for and give feedback, and I still share work with some of those friends even years later.

In terms of fanfic, I tend to feel that a commenter should not leave unsolicited criticism. It's a public venue of people sharing their work free of charge, and unsolicited feedback can feel at best tone deaf and at worst truly painful. I sometimes put at the end of my stories that I'm open to concrit, and I actually want to put that more frequently. I'm open to concrit on anything I posted on the internet. I am VERY aware that this is not how many people in fandom feel.

I've received some minor criticism on various stories that has allowed me to fix an inaccuracy, a mechanical error, etc. I've really appreciated getting a DM with stuff like that. It's not in the public space, it's not embarrassing, and it lets me get better. When it comes to more content-driven feedback, like questioning if someone would really do something that way, it occasionally makes me feel a bit "huh" but I don't generally mind it. I actually enjoy replying and maybe explaining why I made the choice I made, and I've never had a bad experience attempting to have that conversation. Occasionally it might shake me a bit, but overall it's interesting to hear those types of responses.

This makes it sound like I receive criticism on every story I post; I do not.

To me, receiving a request for "more" that doesn't engage with what I've already posted is far more hurtful than receiving constructive criticism in good faith.

As a reader, I do not post unsolicited criticism. I tend not to critique even if there's space for it. I have DM'd friends over the years about typos I knew they'd want to know about. And in a couple of cases, I've called something out as racist [I'm not talking about a story in which racism exists feeling upsetting to my sensibilities, but rather about someone taking a racist approach to their participation in fandom]. Those two ends of the spectrum--a harmless typo, an egregiously gross thing--are my exceptions. Otherwise, I get all my editing fun out on stories I actually get to edit and work on with friends!)

@mrgaretcarter I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on criticism too!