#personal improvement suggestions

[markantonys]

it continues to baffle me how many readers advocate for the show entirely cutting the andoran succession arc, aka elayne's ONE big Main Character storyline that she leads herself (vs. being a sidekick in nynaeve's storylines). what would you do if i started advocating for cutting mat forming the band of the red hand? you wouldn't be so happy about that, would you? well, that's the equivalent of what you're suggesting for elayne, just gutting her entire arc and reducing her to a secondary character.

some readers really need to learn that "i don't like this storyline" doesn't automatically equal "this storyline is just unimportant filler that can and should be cut from the show" (and that "i like this storyline" doesn't automatically equal "this storyline is crucial to the series as a whole and the show will be unwatchable if it's cut")

[bakerstreetdoctor]

Found this poem about Max... it's honestly kinda ass. I'll translate it anyways.

Oh don't lament the early wilted blossom, Even if just for twenty summers seen! It yet felt the storm of battles blow, At the ray of glory burned up its young heart!

The twelfth Karl saw him stand by his side, The boy fought, an age of temper (?); Where sword and bullet spread their ruin, There he was and picked himself trophies.

Oh at Poltava clawed Max so angry at the enemy's hoard for nought! The superior forces finally broke his wings.

The own sword gave him the Tsar, But honour can't defeat such bitter grief, The young heart - at it it had to shatter!

[thedreadvampy]

Re some family happenings over Christmas: there is not a single situation where it's a Not Evil thing to do to keep dragging a dog towards you to hit it. It's maybe particularly egregious if the dog doesn't belong to you and its owner is telling you to stop doing that, but there's literally no excuse anyway. If you're in your late 60s and underweight and the dog is an energetic young boxer-bulldog cross it could also be a terminally stupid thing to do, unless you actually want to get maimed and have your son's dog put down.

anyway this winter I'm feeling particularly validated in my division not to offer my dad an olive branch because in the 4 1/2 years since I cut contact with him it doesn't sound like he's become any less unpleasant to be around.

[cluescorner]

Randomized Robins AU - Ages + Worst Trait Exercise:

Steph (25):

Says her worst trait is her murderous rages (she is exaggerating for dramatic/comedic effect, she’s killed 3 people tops and for very good reason)

Thinks her worst trait is her spitefulness (one of the few traits she definitely got from her father + one that prevents her from fixing her relationships and living her best possible life. She’ll refuse to interact with someone she dearly loves after an argument (happens significantly less after Tim’s death) or will say things she knows are hurtful just for the sake of having the last word. This trait will worsen in some ways as the list of people who have wronged her and those she loves grows, but will also ease up as she matures and realizes the harm it’s doing to her relationships with those she loves most.)

Her worst trait really is her spitefulness

Cass (26)

Says her worst trait is her self-righteousness (she believes that her goals are righteous and, as a result, she is righteous. Cass becomes very defensive whenever someone questions the mission and often does not second-guess herself. This is a trait she only develops later in life as she grows closer to Bruce/learns to understand herself more/starts to love herself more. But she knows she isn’t perfect and when somebody she trusts criticizes something she is doing she is willing to listen. She just usually isn’t the one to START the introspection.) 

Thinks her worst trait is her self-righteousness. 

Her worst trait actually is her obsessiveness (she gets it from Bruce and, while not as bad as him, she will easily become preoccupied with her night-life and the mission if someone isn’t there to pull her back. She will do this to the point of self-destruction and it hurts her relationships with the people she loves, especially Steph.)

Tim (24)

Says his worst trait is his spitefulness (he actively rejects the idea of mending his relationships with the older members of the family and this causes him to also lack good relationships with the younger ones)

Thinks his worst trait is his obsessiveness (similar to Cass, if he gets fixated on a task or idea he will neglect everything else in his life in order to dedicate more time to it. Unlike Cass, he will almost never be dragged away from it unless Pierrot snatches control of the body and forces them to take care of themself.)

His worst trait actually is how manipulative he is (the KING of guilt-tripping and using people’s emotions against them. He’ll do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants, he’s not above crocodile tears. And he will do it to whoever he needs (or wants) to with little care for how his actions impact others.)

Pierrot (Insists: “Age doesn’t apply to me! And even if it did, I'd probably be the oldest. Or the youngest! I’d never be a middle child, though.” Mental assessments by the Bats have put him around 21, with a margin of error of 3 years. Pierrot has called this “blatant character assassination by my eternal rival!”)

Says his worst trait is that he is an irredeemable psychopath without any regard for the wellbeing of others (this is a lie and everyone who's important to him understands this). 

Thinks his worst trait is his parasitic nature (he literally would not exist had Tim not suffered the way he did. Plus he is a living reminder of one of the worst things that happened to many of his loved ones. He is a parasite injected into a functional person's body and contributes to his continued suffering. This is also a largely incorrect judgement of himself, caused by his actual worst trait.)

His worst trait actually is his limited sense of self (he doesn’t really know who he is outside of ‘inheritor to the legacy of the Joker (a man he despises yet also views as a father)’ and ‘chip in Tim’s brain that became sentient’. He slowly develops an identity over the course of his life and relationships with other people, but he lacks the foundations of identity that most people have. Pierrot will often almost become a caricature of himself and what others perceive him to be because it's the only person he knows how to be. This causes wild swings in how he behaves and relates to others, sometimes to the detriment of himself and others.)

Dick (17) 

Says his worst trait is his clinginess (he is a very extraverted person who likes to be around others, which mixed with his fear of abandonment after his parents died means that if he goes a few days without seeing/talking to a friend he will get very anxious.)

Thinks his worst trait is his anger issues (he gets ticked off very easily and will explode on people. He’s kind at his core and is usually very nice, but he has a temper that can escalate significantly. Spoiler (and later Twist) help him channel this anger into something positive.)

His worst trait actually is his anger issues.

Barbara (18)

Says her worst trait is her disability (internalized ableism, she thinks of herself as less valuable than the other Bats because she cannot be out there in the capes like they can. She will grow out of this as she matures and as she learns how invaluable her support for the team is.)  

Thinks her worst trait is her disability 

Her worst trait actually is her overly-independent nature (In an attempt to overcompensate for everything she can no longer do, she has resolved to do literally everything that she possibly can without any help from others. This results in many instances where she either takes on too much and winds up not being able to fully realize any of her tasks or where she makes her life and the lives of others significantly harder by refusing help when offered/not asking for it when she needs it.)

Damian (16)

Says his worst trait is his perfectionism (he is overly critical of both himself and others, taking any flaw or problem and amplifying it to an absurd degree. This is due in part to his life with the LoA (where even a brief misstep could lead to death), in part to how others treated him initially as Spoiler (any flaw was fixated on and used as a reason to either mistrust him or portray him as unworthy of the mantle), and in part due to the fact that he is Bruce’s son (the only person with worse perfectionism problems than Damian). Gradually, Damian has improved in this regard but it’s still a massive barrier to both his own happiness and his relationships with others.)

Thinks his worst trait is his perfectionism 

His worst trait actually is his perfectionism

Duke (16)

Says his worst trait is his definitely-real secret evil side (says this as a ‘my dad is a villain so who knows??’ joke)

Thinks his worst trait is his impulsivity in his words (Sometimes he will crack a joke or say a remark without thinking it through, leading to a LOT of hurt feelings and drama. He’ll say something without thinking it through and wind up seeming insensitive. This isn’t done because of malice, rather because Duke is someone who’s quick to act and speak. But while the mantle of Insight and his awakening powers have helped him with his actions, they do not always help with his loose tongue. As such, Duke gains an unfair reputation in the media as an instigator and will accidentally cause family drama through what he says.)

His worst trait actually is his impulsivity in his words

Jason (14)

Says his worst trait is his bad manners (he grew up on the streets and has no idea how rich-people society works, which he’s pretty insecure about considering he’s now the youngest kid of Bruce freaking Wayne). 

Thinks his worst trait is his reactiveness (Jason never got the privilege of planning ahead for various events in his life, so he instead needed to rely on being swift and harsh in how he could react to situations. It’s saved his life on multiple occasions and helps significantly in his role as Spoiler, but it can also lead to extreme overreactions (accidentally causing kidnapping scare after Jason ran away following a fight with Dick) and a struggle to plan things out ahead of time. As he grows more secure in his place in the family and in life, this trait will lessen but never fully dissipate.)

His worst trait actually is his reactiveness

[onewingedangels]

can't play any other game anymore. I just want traod remastered all day every day

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

This took half an hour at most, including sourcing and formatting the quotes. It's a combination of verses from both Old and New Testaments, and while the background was nothing like what I intended, as a hasty job I think it looks decent. I know there are a lot of things I could improve on, but for now I rather like it.

[cosmermaid]

I really hate the criticism of the "hurt people hurt people" trope.

I feel like it's denying that cycles of abuse exist. It's denying that prolonged abuse can warp your perception of reality and morality. It denies that after enduring the idea that your pain doesn't matter for so long, it's so easy to internalize that pain itself doesn't matter, whether or not it is yours or someone else's. It denies entire generations of people claiming "My parents hit me as a kid and I turned out just fine!" when in fact they are not just fine. It denies that mental health services are insufficient throughout most of the world still, and a lot of people carrying trauma or mental illnesses caused by trauma are still undiagnosed.

If you went through abuse for literal decades and didn't come out the other end with an enraged monster in your heart that genuinely believed that if your pain didn't matter, then nobody's pain mattered, then count yourself fucking lucky.

Because a lot of people who hurt others are hurt themselves. It doesn't excuse their actions, but it's foolish to try to erase it.

And you know, maybe let's not try to erase the voices of people who worked very hard to overcome their own internal monsters grown from abuse, who decided they wanted to be better than how they were taught to exist.

[impostorsshow]

I would never have thought that playing Disney: Dreamlight Valley would make me ship Merlin and Ursula but here we are they're definitely a divorced couple you cannot change my mind

[kinokoshoujoart]

wait why is that option getting so many votes??

[spiltlove]

december wants me dead

[age-of-moonknight]

Hellooo

I dont wanna bother you, but would you wappen to know what that concept art of old marc was for?

Also i love your blog, makes me happy to read the tags too

Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by; I’m glad you’re enjoying this blog! :D And please, never wonder about bothering me, as I always love having a reason to go down a Moon Knight-related research rabbit hole hahaha

Nonetheless,,,,I know y’all can’t see me, so just imagine some vaguely human-shaped entity, head in hands. When I tell you I spent hours going through my posts and spinning up some increasingly bonkers boolean searches for this 🤣 and don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely a labor of love, but I’m still not entirely sure I found the exact concept art you’re referring to.

Closest thing I could find was the concept art for an aged Marc Spector in Battleworld: Secret Wars Journal (Vol. 1/2015), #1 by Luca Pizzari (which objectively I think is dope as all get out and I’m glad I found it, but I’m still not sure exactly if it’s what you’re looking for).

Hope this is of some use to someone out there! Sorry if I’m off-base; I completely respect the desire to remain anonymous, so please feel free to send another ask or perhaps a DM with any more possible details or the exact image you would like to learn more about (as again, I don’t need much of a reason to keep researching Moon Knight things :D).

[worstloki]

Thinking about how GOW is the only mainstream (i.e. not an indie novel like GONAA) Norse-inspired media where Loki and Jotnar are not the antagonist or villains. And that is so refreshing.

I have a very unpopular opinion on Netflix Ragnarok:

I tried watching Netflix Ragnarok series, per recommendations, but it just seemed too slow and like the characters came out of textbook stock images (maybe it's a cultural divide with me). I gave up on it quite fast. And the Jotnar were the Antagonists despite them being representative of nature in the original myth. Who else better to be AGAINST pollution than embodiments of nature?! I also found it questionable to focus on Thor on supposed anti-establishment messaging. I didn't like Laurits from what I saw, they just felt unnecessarily cruel to their autistic brother (but the gf portrayal was actually good). And I don't know if it's just me and I am just making this up, because it reminds me of something I hate in Loki portrayals. But why are they always having Laurits bring up the Nazis? Is it a way to frame them as a bit of a fascist? And like heard they do help against Jutul Industries sometimes, but him bringing the Nazis up just felt off and weird.

The framing of queer deity Loki as a fascist is something that GRINDS MY GEARS that for some reason I keep seeing in media (*cough* that dumbass comparison to Nazis in the Avengers). If you want an anti-establishment message, the protagonist should be Loki/ or Loki-adjacent or a Jotnar. This annoys me because Loki is a deity despised by the White Supremacist Norse Heathens. They never STFU about how Loki's not a "Real god" . "Norse devil", and is what "a viking man should not be."

I don't have much to add here, but I think in Ragnarok's case at least that it's not meant to be accurate and has made its own narrative out of the modern aspect. Though it is common practice to associate Loki and giants with demons because of uhhmm biases existing in the version of the myths that were recorded, so I do agree that he's often on the 'villain'/'morally bad'/'fascist' side even if that's... not exactly how the myths told it.

[shame-kink]

my sympathy for vegans getting a flood of “DEBATE MEEEE” comments versus my frustration that their explanations and reasoning for vegan-ness still being fucking shit

[katyspersonal]

Yeah... Finally finished Season 5 of Miraculous Ladybug...

I honestly don't know what I expected. It just feels very bitter, but at the same time I understand why it could not have ended any other way. Since Gabriel giving his own life was able to recover both Nathalie and Emilie, then for sure Emilie qualified as 'alive' so I concur he could have instead done equal exchange by giving away Emilie so she'd pass away peacefuly already and instead him and Nathalie heal. Like, all three of these people were dying, so clearly this logic would've worked with any pair.

It makes sense that he realized he went too far and offering his own life was the only acceptable way to fix all the mess he started. It is just kind of.. idk, a very sore topic for me - when a character who has gone mad is "beyond help" so they themselves first of all think they should just die. I get the window of sanity kind of thing and guilt over having been abusive father, allowing Nathalie to get terminally ill helping his insane plan and tormenting so many people, often frail teens and children emotionally by turning them into villains under their negative emotions, like yeah sure. But like.... why not do something he should have done from the start (let Emilie go and hold onto what he still has left, like his son did) and wish for him and Nathalie to heal at the expence of cutting her life for good? And yeeeah YEEEEAH I know Emilie was innocent and he was "beyond help" and sure after all he has done he could not also choose himself over her, but she herself already accepted her fate and just wanted him to go on without her!! They never listen to the woman they love, do they

I feel like I probably have missed something crucial and it was not the option.. but maybe I didn't. I'd just rather have him live, even if with guilt and consequences of his actions. I am developing fatigue with the trope of self-sacrifice as the way to fix things.

[asleepinawell]

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

uh oh the post-psych mood crash