#sharing out culture is a GOOD THING

[pirates-and-ninja-lover]

fuck politics btw <3

[akai-anna]

Round 8

Round: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

[cupcakesmoothie]

Sometimes I wanna draw and then I realise I can't draw

Anyway. WIP! I feel like this'll be fun if I keep going but I have a tendency to lose all motivation if I leave it so I usually do things in one shot. However, I need to go to bed.

I feel like this is a lot of research that people will never see unless they themselves are Mexican but one of the reasons I make/draw things like this is so people feel seen. I looked over a couple things for this, quite fun! This is supposed to be a chiapaneca dress, but I am not used to this more "realistic" style so the dress actually needs to spread out more. It's so pretty though! Will either be very fun or very torturous to colour

This is Paloma! I haven't started on her wings and at this point I'm not sure how to add them in. She's Mexican and was a fashion designer. I'm using that as an excuse to continue putting eyeliner on Alexis, who she is friends (?) with. She's older than him.

I have seen somewhere that Spanish Spanish and Mexican Spanish are slightly different, the two should still be able to communicate. I don't know what you call a "big sister/miss" in Spanish, or if that's even something you do. I guess Senorita would be it? I'm trying to convey that Alexis is showing respect to her though, so that feels like it's not it.

I'm debating between wing styles also. I think colourful wings (Like a parrot) would be pretty, and not as common as dove wings (Which are her namesake). Also it was while I was looking those up that I found out the Mexican flag has an eagle on it! The golden eagle wings sound pretty interesting, if a little bit drab, but having her be tied to the national bird would be fun I think. And lastly, wood pigeon wings, which are also her namesake, only in Latin.

[nohkalikai]

good evening to everyone this is your reminder that i am not a desi mutual to you, do not ever call me desi, i am a northeastern tribal and a dalit and a christian and i have never felt 'indian' my entire life. i sure as hell will not be claiming any indianness anytime soon. not when all of what is considered 'indian', 'south asian', and 'desi' is used to invisibilise the various facets of my identity. i am indian for the purpose of placing me geographically and nationally. know my place and know yours!!

[here-there-were-dragons]

as a general rule, on average, if americans consistently complain about a food being conceptually weird, gross, and scary, then it probably tastes amazing. or at least inoffensive.

this is because in my experience americans for the most part (give or take a few exceptions by region) think eating literally anything other than beef, chicken, bread, eggs, peanut butter jelly sandwitches, ketchup, and disgusting cloyingly artificial brown sludge soda is insurmountably weird, gross, and scary.

[slimeciclecock]

Forgive me for the person I'll become when Missa releases all his new music <- delusional

[beverageenthusiast]

.

[theokusgallery]

A 15+ comic would be fitting for the characters yet it's terrifying to actually think about

And yeah, the internet DEFINITELY won't be happy about it, especially knowing the characters it's based off

Which is sad because (and it's a bit weird to say it out loud) I'm...sure Nick is not just going to cherish his boyfriend.

...I don't know if it's safe to post that anon ask.

This isn't the point I was originally trying to make with those tags— but yeah you're right

The thing is I don't really give a shit about what the internet would think of me making a fancomic of OMORI, a psychological horror video game about two teenage boys committing and covering up a murder, suicide, psychosis, and other fun things, 15+. I'd argue players shouldn't be under 15 in the first place. But as we all know, the internet simply doesn't work that way — kids will be kids and they'll look at this shit anyway. That's the point I was making in those tags. I'd make it 15+, but I just wouldn't be able to ever enforce that rule.

I do still agree with your point. I'm actually surprised people like this AU. I've been sent dubious anon asks for less! I honestly wasn't expecting positivity, and certainly not the amount of it I've been receiving (which I'm extremely grateful for. I'm so glad I get to talk about Nick. I'm rotating him in my brain like a rotisserie chicken)

[sharkneto]

How do you become of the “big” writers in a fandom like TUA? It doesn’t seem like writing a lot gets me anywhere even if I do enjoy it

Luck. It's dumb luck.

My first advice is to not chase trying to be a "big writer". It genuinely is dumb luck. Focus on enjoying writing, enjoying/building the community around your fics/fandom, and try to not let yourself focus too much on those interaction stats. I know this is hard - we are all so addicted to that rush of dopamine and validation kudos and reblogs and comments give. We are all chasing it, it's part of why we share anything. But if you let that become your focus it sucks all the joy out of writing and then you have to take a break until you can get your head in a healthier spot about it and enjoy it again.

So, that disclaimer said, there are some things I think... help push luck in your favor, things I did to try and push community that translated to engagement. It's also about getting the right eyes on your fic, getting that one person to see and share it that starts a domino effect of more people seeing it (and maybe sharing it).

First is technical stuff. Get good at titles and summaries, summaries especially. You need people to want to click on your fic and to see what its about. I don't think I've talked about summaries before, and I'm not going to do it here outside of saying 1) Yes, I know they suck to write they're the worst and 2) that the goal of a summary is to let the reader know what to expect and to to pique their interest. It's the blurb on the back of the book when you're browsing, it's your shot to get someone to open it and give your story a try. Next, it's good you enjoy the writing process (that is the whole point!) because being technically good also helps keep people reading once they've opened your fic. People will read things they aren't necessarily interested in if it's well-written, and they will bail on things they like if it's too hard to read. But keep in mind that just being good isn't going to make you blow up in a fandom - some of the best fics I've read have had but a handful of kudos and comments on them.

The second is the social stuff. You have to find your crowd, your corner of the fandom, the people who will enjoy your fics. If you write Five but only Klaus stans are seeing your works, you're not going to go very far. Get good at tagging - on AO3 and when promo-ing on Tumblr. DO NOT take this as "put as many tags as possible so more people see it!". That's spam. Everyone hates spam. Don't be that person. Accurately tag your stuff so people know what your fic is. If it's what they want to read, they'll click on it - those are the people you are targeting, not every person in the fandom. Get comfortable self-reblogging posts when you post/update fics. If you're up for it, curate a community responding to comments on fics and encouraging asks on Tumblr (be careful with that and be ready to shut the inbox if people start being fucking weird - your mental health comes first).

After saying all that, my biggest point is to repeat that that "hitting it big" is dumb luck and fandom is fickle. TUA is in a lull between seasons right now and we all know the current struggle of artists and writers getting people to reblog things/interact further than a like/kudo. You're going to burn yourself out and stop having fun if your focus is on finding "fame" within the fandom, especially right now. I think the above stuff helped things take off for me, but I've been building my community for two years now and it was still luck at the end of the day. As you practice your writing skills, add to your library of fics, build your own community, things will get bigger organically.

[tim-official]

the current trend of "tumblr users embarrassing themselves by proudly announcing why they don't listen to any music made by black people" is really astounding.

i cannot help but think this is a direct result of liberal White Guilt and how people have interpreted "anti-racism" as form of cultural self-segregation - the kind of person who thinks trying to cook chicken curry is cultural appropriation, or sends white people anon hate for wearing a kimono (yes, this kind of discourse happened). like, "oh, no, i could never participate in this culture, i'd get my evil white hands all over it! it would be more Progressive if I only did White things."

if you're a poc you've seen this, i'm sure - this deer-in-the-headlights stare you can get from white people when you play music / show art / share a story / anything that is Racially Coded, this total refusal to actually engage with it out of fear that it is in some way Wrong for them to have any opinion on it. because they read somewhere that it's bad to use AAVE but the only lesson they actually learned from that is "gotcha, white people are not allowed to interact with other cultures as punishment for my White Crimes. this helps to fill up the gaping pit of my white guilt and makes me one of the Good People." this transforms their discomfort around non-white cultures (black culture, especially, i should add) into a kind of virtue

anyway if you are white and reading this. go listen to some fucking haliu mergia. ethiopian jazz. will knock your dick right off. go listen to rap or reggae or bollywood and have a genuine reaction to it - like, an actual, from-the-heart reaction. you are allowed to not like some of it. but you will definitely like at least a little. yes, you can compare it to lemon demon (or whatever) if that helps you get into it and that's your only point of reference. maybe don't say that part out loud. but don't, like, separate yourself from it, like you are seeing it in a museum and the only polite thing to do is go "ahh, huh, very interesting, so much culture here."

[dandyshucks]

im trying out a new social media website for the first time in.... uh. i think the last new website (not New but new to me) i tried to use was instagram or twitter and that was when i was 16/17 lol. i gave up on twitter after like a month of struggling to understand the etiquette and culture there, and i recently abandoned instagram bc opening the app made me angry or anxious djdkdl. but anyWAYs.... im trying out a new art sharing platform and I'll let y'all know if it goes well, it seems very fun and nice so far :]

[lasplaga]

i must be late to the compliment party but tis better late than never! you are chef kiss. i adore the way you write, the amount of depth you delve into, the tiny details you study and share ( no matter how mild or equally nasti ). you capture him perfectly--- capcom should hire you to do the writing honestly and i stand by that

「𝔖」 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! & the same goes for you. Although I don't spam likes or reblogs as much as others, when I am present on my dashboard I always read what you put out, & enjoy every post. --- However, I think ME doing the writing for Capcom is a bit of a stretch, but I understand the meaning behind your compliment. Which is probably the highest level of compliment I've gotten in a while, so it's truly, deeply appreciated.

As much as I would love to understand more of Japanese culture on my own, much of it is region locked & can only be understood by speaking with other's specifically within that culture, which is what I've been doing these past few months. ( As well as trying to learn how to read kanji outside of a fundamental level but this will probably take a while! ) I would not know what I know about Shingon Buddhism, Shintoism & Spain's historical relationship with Japan if I did not form a RE community that included very passionate fans from across the globe. Honestly, 99% of my analysis posts & headcanons would not be possible unless I had this group of very dedicated fans, most of which are from Japan, pertaining to 4 & 5, who love these games with their whole heart as much as I do. Thankfully they are extremely happy to share these aspects of their culture & what Capcom envisioned for their characters & world-building, & this I will be eternally grateful / appreciative for. It's been truly amazing to learn details & connect with people like this.

[lgbtlunaverse]

I've seen a good number of people ask a question along the lines of "why do characters like Falin and hate Laios when they're so similar?" and i've also seen good analysis on the differences in how the touden siblings carry themselves that would, despite their shared traits, make a person gravitate to one more than the other.

But i feel like we've overseen one very central thing here.

People don't like Falin

Like... the average person in dungeon meshi doesn't like Falin. She was deeply ostrasized by her home village, in magic school she had zero friends before Marcille and the others generally saw her as strange and a bit offputting.

Characters like Namari and Chilchuck like her well enough but not necessarily more than any other member of their party, including Laios. Neither Kabru nor his party think much of her. The canaries don't give a fuck about her. Toshiro's retainers don't see her as anything else than the weird foreign girl their boss has a crush on.

The reason we think everyone loves Falin is because, despite all the indifferent side characters, the 2 most important and central characters of the story are Laios and Marcille. Who are NOT representative of the average attitudes to Falin! But necromancy georg number 1 and 2 are our main eyes into the story and they love Falin so much that it colours our perspective of the whole world.

The only side character who qualifies as liking Falin and not Laios is Toshiro (at least at first, as he ends the story on much better terms with Laios) and that says a lot about his character, with him drifting to the quiet Falin precisely because of her oddness but being both uncomfortable with and deeply jealous of Laios' much more open expression of that oddness. Because he's a repressed guy from a culture where etiquette is incredibly important.

But like I said, that's a specific aspect of him, not to the world at large.

Because there's also people that click more with laios than with Falin.

Kabru, for one, who is initially distrustful of laios but clearly also deeply fascinated by him and drawn to him.

Minor spoilers, and you don't have to read too deeply into this, because I don't think Kabru particularly dislikes Falin or anything. But it's interesting that when he talks about his distrust of the toudens in ch.32 he's talking about them both. But his big friendship declaration in chapter 76 is aimed squarely at Laios, he doesn't say "you and your sister" he says "you"

And Senshi!! He instantly clicks with Laios, well before he does so with anyone else in the party– who he also becomes friends with, it just takes a bit longer– specifically because they bond over their shared special interest in monsters!! Senshi is kind towards Falin and cares for her wellbeing, but he also... doesn't know her. The reason he is even here, helping to save her, is because he and Laios bonded over monsters and he wants to help his new friends out!

Of course, the theme of neurodivergent isolation is very present in Laios' story. I'm not denying that. He does turn people off, without meaning to and unable to fully understand why! But so does Falin. And just like there are people who like her despite of or even because of those traits, there are people who do the same with him.

In conclusion: "Average person loves Falin and hates Laios" factoid actually statistical error. Average person is neutral on both Falin and Laios. Georcille, Laiorg and Geoshiro, who live in the dungeon and think over 10,000 Falin-loving thoughts a day, are statistical outliers adn should not have been counted.

[misskamelie]

Wrt the situation(tm), I managed to resolve the communication issue between us and it's been pretty chill since then. I care about them a whole lot, but there's still something I cannot quite grasp about what I feel towards them

[angstandhappiness]

AUGH also I love this guy's artstyle

here you guys can have it

[libraford]

It is possible to interact with people whom share opposing views and no this is not about pineapple on pizza. In fact, it is imperative that you learn how to be civil with some people who you may find difficult to agree with.

At work, Youngin would often tell me that the guy that trained him (Ginger) was a misogynist. I had never met Ginger, and I had very little to say on this matter. But I would ask Youngin some questions about him because I like to know the other seasonal workers a little. I ask about Ginger- first words from Youngin's mouth 'he's a misogynist.'

I asked him why he thought that. (There are many misogynists at this location, as someone that is woman-shaped I see it often, I am comparing notes.)

"We were on our way to a location and a driver was going really slowly. When he got around her he said 'fucking women drivers.' Like he was going out of his way to prove that the driver was a woman."

The last month or so, Youngin worked exclusively with me because I knew that it was a matter of time before he said something that pissed off one of the guys. He was not going to get along with people here, it just wasn't happening.

When he left, everyone wanted to know what he was like to work with. And I finally got to have a conversation with Ginger.

"I'd like to ask you something a little strange- he said that on his first day there was an issue with a driver going slowly. Can you tell me about that?"

"Oh yeah! She was going super slow and when I got around her I said 'yup- little old lady driving.' And he was like 'what's that supposed to mean?' And I just kind of dropped it, but I hear he was saying I was a misogynist over it?"

So I give Youngin some grace because he's young, he's got a social bubble that's very liberal, he has not met very many people that weren't part of that kind of scene. But he often talked about how every person here has said something that pissed him off and he seemed really surprised that I (woman-shaped queer liberal) would be okay working with all these sexist homophobes.

And I give grace to Ginger because he had no reason to think that his words would be interpreted like that. What he was saying was normal to him. This is... somewhat the culture of landscaping jobs. And its not even close to the worst thing I've heard out of these dudes mouths. (Literally had one of the dudes comment that he would like to 'motorboat' one of the pedestrians.)

It was weird for Youngin to carry that with him for the whole two months that he worked here, over a very... small comment.

Every single person I've worked with here has said something that has given me pause and I tuck it away to rant about later and then I let it go. If it gets out of hand, I talk to one of the bosses about it. I know how to contact HR. I came into this place knowing that I was going to disagree politically with most of the people that I work with because I'm coming in to a culture that is fundamentally different from my own.

If I am being frank, I find the overt bigotry somewhat better than the corporate bullshit of 'we value your contributions, but won't be granting your accommodations request out of fairness to other workers' or the glass cliff or literally being fired for my sexual orientation but phrased with 'oh you just weren't a good fit for the culture here.' I at least know what I'm getting into when I come to work. I know what not to talk about. Last time I thought I was safe to talk about something queer with my boss she blindsided me with some transphobic garbage.

Its admirable to stick up for the marginalized people in your life, but part of changing minds is knowing the time and the place to comment. I think I've changed more minds at this warehouse by being a visibly out lesbian at work than I have by making carefully crafted speeches.

That is fine. It is fine to disagree. Sometimes you have to work with racists, homophobes, and assholes. That is part of being an adult. You talk about things like... sports or TV or weather or some cool bug you saw. Finding common ground with people who are different from you in many ways is an important part of socialization and it sucks to think you have anything in common with a jackass but look- you're spending 7-ish hours with these people and at some point some of them are going to say stupid shit. You are going to say stupid shit also. I have said my fair share of stupid shit. Deal with the fact that you're all stupid shits.

And for fuck's sake, wear your hardhat.