#the more i think about how the internet and interacting with people with similar interests had affected me the more thankful i am that im

[emperornero]

if we are mutuals and think we would get along or you just want to send me posts or whatever you can always message me or send an ask whatever i love interacting with people who share interests with me. and please dont be intimidated or feel bad if you dont talk frequently i sometimes get messages from mutuals i havent talked with for a year and its awesome to see each other again this is what this place if for . if you sometimes reach out to me i love you thank you for being here

[bunybunn]

Alright the drama continues and somehow it got worse. I'm glad I found a transcript of Dream's video on twitter (by @/NORsevvy here it is if anyone wants to read it) and I want to annalise it a little because I can.

Let's start with the part where he apologised for r-word and if you think about if he did that right after he posted that stupid meme we wouldn't have this drama but that wouldn't be his style.

What icked me immediately what the way he used Tubbo's stream as if through all of it he was agreeing with Dream. Especially since Tubbo actually shared very similar sentiment to Tommy when he talk about how, sure he does agree with the dumb jokes their friends group makes but he still stands by them. Besides using Tubbo as a gotcha didn't sit right with me because let's be honest as much as he is one of Tommy's best mates so is Jack and that guy wasn't as nice when it came to Dream.

After that Dreams moves to Tommy talking about Dream and his friend group being sexist and immediately he skips over the context, which in this case was the George situation and no matter how you saw it they way they talk about the situation by immediately downplaying the accusations didn't make them look good. To add to the irony we learned thanks to Ludwig that, yeah actually Dream did called two different women "whore" and only defended (and not apologise mind you) himself about one of those.

Something that I found interesting is how Dream has tendency to got on the sarcastic rants about "what if there were bad rumours/jokes about you Tommy" as if that was actual genuine argument. All of this only to then to hold the fact Tommy interacted with Dream's friends after the accusations. All of this to then pull the Logan Paul messages to prove how insincere Tommy is... As if it wasn't a case of him losing respect to content creator he looked up.

Another funny bit in my personal opinion is how he showed clip of Tommy say Dream was holding his help over his head and Dream immediately proceeded to do just that by pointing out how they called for hours talking about YouTube with no exceptions(!!! 😮😮😮) and how Tommy at the age of 16 was grateful for it. He is trying very hard to make it seems like the good guy but just by looking at the way he puts is as arguments why Tommy couldn't criticise him or express how Dream made him feel back then very much is giving holding his kindness over other people's head. What makes it worse is the way he takes Tommy owning the fact that he was one of the people who were behind the success of the dream smp because he was the one who started the idea of making stream that have roleplay and plot. Having Dream use it as another gotcha to call Tommy egoistic for it was very dishonest.

Then you have the merch part of the argument and I will be so real there is no argument that wouldn't make selling yours baby photos to fans sound fucking weird. Funny enough Tommy never mentioned Dream's merch company scamming people he simply shared an opinion that he thinks Dream's merch designs are lazy. Additionally notice how Dream took Tommy's words out of context as he was comparing his work on writing a book, doing standup the legit way not relying on his internet popularity and making a proper podcast to Dream just putting out simple standard merch and using very weird ideas to make profits from it. Tommy has been growing and trying new things which yeah I would say are bit more impressive then making the exact same type of videos for years. Perhaps that's why Dream didn't like the video where Tommy was talking about how Internet in fact got worse because that's the Internet Dream is enjoying being stuck in.

Dream still not getting that massaging someone's mom is crossing a boundar despite being told that that's the case by more then one person feels so dishonest especially when he is framing it as if every one are unreasonable... He brought fucking c!Dream reference to prove it and one more clip of younger Tommy praising him as if that somehow made his point more valid.

All that to say that what Tommy felt about the way Dream treated him and how he acted was somehow not as valid as Dream using his response to do a very similar thing. There was a lot of me, me, me in Dream's video without even acknowledging that perhaps he was making other people dislike him with his own actions.

[canmom]

speaking of line rider, I decided to poke my head back into the Line Rider Review channel, which you may remember for going viral in 2017 with Rabid Squirrel's review of the top 10 tracks of the previous year on artistic grounds...

at the time, Line Rider was around ten years old; the baroque jargon and the complexity of the techniques really got people (in much the same way as pannenkoek's half a press video), so Squirrel ended up making a followup video on the jargon, a charming slice of "this person was definitely gonna transition" which serves as a good intro to what the scene was about back then...

since then there have been many developments: more complex musical sync, elaborate animation techniques, etc etc.; it's only grown. so what does line rider fandom look like in 2024?

well... everyone is trans now of course. it's gotten a lot more interested in political and emotional themes, too. the top video is an hour long feature about the author's partner's experience of figuring out they're plural, learning Japanese, as well as the grief of friends they've lost along the way, through the lens of line rider tracks they grew up with - and that's not just one person's thing either, a whooole lot of the tracks on this list are painfully sincere short film dioramas about trauma, dysphoria, abuse and similar topics. Not all of them mind - you've also got experiments that blend between line rider and stop motion, and a recreation of a classic Touhou video from the Chinese line rider scene on bilibili (there's a Chinese line rider scene on bilibili now), but it's very clear how much the taste of this subculture has shifted. I don't mean this to be too cynical - while it's easy to be a bit 'ehh' at the activist-speak of the channel, these videos are incredibly sincere and (sigh, yes, i know it's a cliche) heartfelt expressions.

i think the fascinating thing to me is that all that technical stuff in Line Rider hasn't gone away - you're still doing crazy complicated shit to fling Bosh around the screen, stop and start them, take them on and off the sled, interact with other riders, stage frame by frame animation, etc. Everything is still meticulously synced to music. But now this passes without comment for the most part! That's just the toolbox! Just as reviews of music rarely go into the specific music theory tools - chords, scales, etc. - unless they're aimed at teaching or analysing it for musicians. Line Rider videos have in a sense matured into a whole medium.

It's definitely a fascinating illustration of the ways Being Very Autistic On The Internet is changing. godspeed you guys.

[eternalwanderer-stories]

Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion, but still.

Many are afraid that the second season will not meet their expectations. It's logical that the authors won't follow what the fans want. I know the rules of this game well: you don't build any expectations – you don't end up with any disappointments. But despite this, I myself have two expectations – the interaction of Viktor and Jinx (seriously, Vi and Jayce got a whole scene with a cool soundtrack in the first season, and my beloved babygirl and my beloved boy did not get any scenes together, where is justice?) and scenes where Viktor would work on creating a Blitzcrank (I want it so much, you can't even imagine). But judging by the trailer that came out, I'm unlikely to get any of this.

But actually, more than all this, I'm afraid that the authors will just confirm some of the ideas of the fans. You know, those same ideas, similar to tropes from fanfiction like: Silco suddenly rises from the dead, Ekko begins to travel through time and in parallel universes because everyone eventually died and he tries to turn back time, Vander is actually the real father of Vi and Jinx and by the power of his daughters' love from Warwick turns back into human again, Victor resurrects Skye, and Jinx and Ekko arrange a lavish wedding in the end, everyone lived together and happily as one big family and all that sort of thing.

Is it cool in fan fiction? Yes, why not, that's what they're made for.

Is it cool in the show? I do not think so.

Arcane in the first season maintains a very good tone and a very good narrative atmosphere. It would be a shame if this tone suddenly changed unexpectedly in the second season.

I don't want Arcane to repeat Voltron's fate. Whoever was or is still in Voltron's fandom understands what I'm talking about. For those who do not know, I will tell you briefly: Voltron: Legendary Defender was released in 2016 and immediately fell in love with a huge number of people, receiving an unprecedented number of laudatory reviews. Cool characters, an interesting and well-developed plot, the series instantly became an audience favorite (it was not elevated to the rank of masterpieces, like Arcane, but it was very close to it). Almost everyone heard about him, talked about him, wrote about him, praised him. However, closer to the final season, everything changed. And then there was a leak (a familiar situation, right?) – footage of some plot twists from the final season has been leaked to the Internet. Not as big as Arcane's, but critical for those who didn't want to know in advance how it would end. Most of them, of course, refused to watch them. But there were also those who looked, and they instantly turned into those annoying people who whined all the time about how bad everything was going to be. And then the final season came out and it was very bad. A number of absolutely catastrophic decisions that the screenwriters made were more like it was written either in a drunken delirium, or the creators sat all night and read fan fiction on the Wattpad, drawing ideas from there. The characters' characters were strange, their actions were illogical, the whole narrative was madly in a hurry, on the contrary it was too long where it was not required, attention was not paid to really important storylines – simply put, there was no trace of the good early seasons, and the ending absolutely did not work as it should. Comparing the initial seasons and the final one, it was hard to imagine that this was the same series, it differed so much in quality (although, to be fair, there are many who accepted all this and liked it – no kidding, I'm glad for you, but I remember too vividly how much I was disappointed).

So, I don't want Arcane to go the same way. There is SO MUCH going on in the new trailer that the question comes to mind by itself – how can you adequately fit all this into 9 episodes? Maybe it's really just pointless and stupid worries, but the first season was so good that it's doubly scary now.

I don't want the story to suddenly turn into fanfiction in Wattpad.

(I remind you that this is a leak-free zone. Please, if you have watched the leaks, no need to spoiler in the comments or in reblogs).

[prettyboykatsuki]

tw for very very brief mentions of rape and incest and other taboo subject matter - only brought up for discussion.

i feel like it is kind of beating a dead horse when i bring up the relationship between fiction, reality, and the exploration of dark/taboo. given the nature of my blog and the change it's made over time—it's brought up repeatedly many times and in many context in which im forced to defend.

outside of that though, i have never really taken a moment to thoroughly break down the reason (or one of them) i find the it important which is the idea of fictional exploration as a sort of third space of processing and development.

there are many arguments surrounding the exploration of taboo relationships, ideas, and incidents in fiction built on the basis of morals. our greater, societal infrastructure relies on the idea of morality to justify any and all material violence. whether that violence be physical harm, systemic injustice, or psychological / verbal abuse etc.

there's a quote by frank bidart that goes "you can convince human beings to do anything if you convince them it is moral" that i think of often when we debate about what is moral and why. all people are equally capable of committing great material harm to other people if they are under the impression they are in the moral right.

so you examine morality as a mechanism for forming social contracts. it is largely debated whether or not morality is subjective or objective - but regardless of either thing, it is a fundamental part of creating a social circle. big or small.

human beings are also naturally social creatures. we want the approval and attention of our peers and we want community. and it will cause us to act in ways, whether that be conscious or unconscious, that are unsavory. whether that be passivitiy to maintain the status quo or othering another person in order to gain social status or favor.

a lot of the people who are staunchly against any forms of taboo in the exploration of fiction are people engaging with this kind of social behavior. at the core of there reasoning, they are seeking solace with peers over a sense of moral superiority all while not contributing anything materially—except often the verbal abuse and harassment of the opposite party.

none of this is very novel for me to point out. there are also plenty of other things that contribute to why this kind of debate happens online so frequently, particularly a strong taboo towards any all sexual content stemming from old-school religious conservatism and other fascist ideas etc.

but i bring it up because of how it relates to my feelings about the concept of fiction as a sort of third space in the same way the internet is a sort of third space.

engaging in this kind of moral crusading online is done by people who are seeking out social spaces that connect them to other people. this is especially true online as the internet has become a third space for people to interact with others that share similar interest and views. they do this to have a space to reaffirm themselves and their morality.

most importantly, they do this because the internet is an easily accessible space to like-mindedness and self-assurance. it's unreliability is overshadowed by the fact that young people engaging in this kind of critique can get ahold of their peers easily this way. humans are social. they seek companionship and our real life third spaces have become more and more sparse over the years.

so, online spaces have become a place for people to process their social development and their emotions with their peers.

now there's an understanding—that people need a way to process their internal world, concepts and ideas somehow.

but there are social contracts that can't be broken in these online spaces. though they are meant to be an escape from the constraints of real life, you are still subject to scrutiny and at risk of becoming a bad actor that is shunned by their own online community and circle of friends.

on top of that, if human beings are capable of committing horrific acts of violence, they are just as capable and if not more, of experiencing that violence in their lives. this also requires processing similar to the normal, everyday social processing people do online.

this much is obvious, even to many people who oppose the idea that fiction doesn't equal reality. you'll often hear them utter words about seeking counseling / therapy underneath posts involving dark subject matter.

but then, there are social contracts of acceptability and palatability. and more, there is inaccessibility.

all human beings are subject to some form of violence or some other type of struggle. whether that be in their class, race, or sexuality - the average person has material conditions and complex emotions that can't be neatly resolved nor shared comfortably with their peers.

everyone needs space to air these aspects of themselves out healthily. you are automatically going to experience a specific amount of negativity in your life that requires an outlet and there is no real way to find a universal solution to answering those feelings. unresolved, it can lead to substance abuse or suicidal thoughts/

and there is no universal, easy to access place for people to unilaterally express and process their feelings and thoughts.

but there is writing fiction.

this, to me, is the one argument that i think is important to bring it up but rarely does. because there are many angles to approach this discourse and this is just one of them.

writing is also a kind of third space. a place to communicate that isn't home or work. a third space in to connect with and break down these emotions—somewhere that can be shared to find camaraderie. it can also be shielded to hide away from the scrutiny of your peers. it is a place where you can inadvertently process these great, overbearing emotions that is neutral and welcome to all.

and it's not that fiction can't cause harm at all. because it certainly can and has

but the very presence of taboo is not the sole cause of harm in what makes something fictional hurtful. propaganda and insensitive messaging and all the ways fiction can hurt people exist with in a predefined context and social climate. that kind of harm spreads through massive scales of government and print and makes its way onto shelves.

more than that, human beings have a sense of morality. it is agreed upon that rape, incest, violence and murder are materially harmful. in the misplaced desire for censorship, it seems people are attempting to affirm this by monitoring works of fiction that have this subject matter at all.

but in that monitoring, you are taking away what makes these kinds of spaces comfortable - which is a lack of hostility.

if you believe this to be the most optimum solution, i implore you to critically examine whether or not you think it morally correct to take away from someone the means to process their emotions. and if you believe still, that it's the best thing to do for all parties i next ask, how will you then make space for them? what space will replace this one?

what are the other solutions have the same level of access to all? can you implement a space for someone with no other healthy outlets, to vent and untangle and smooth out these feelings, without requiring the hypothetical labor of someone else? can you promise you will be able to provide something that offers a similar catharsis for the often deeply complicated feelings being addressed (whether that be directly or indirectly) through the presence of themes like incest, rape, or abuse? can you provide another alternative to the repetitive behaviors of trauma that insist on recreating / imagining these harms in a controlled environment over and over again?

to be clear, it is unnecessary and against my beliefs that you must have experience those things directly to write about them. in fact my point is the opposite.

the thematic concepts that come along with the taboos are the catharsis themselves. a person with a disconnected trauma about neglect or abandonment finding healing in the themes of incest about forbidden love or love that goes against all. a person with no trauma at all, who longs to be free from the daily life stresses of work may find catharsis in the writing of rape which strips autonomy and choice.

human beings are complicated. these examples may feel extreme to you. you are welcome to view them that way. that is your right.

but for other people it is a good solution, one of the best solutions - to strip down these desires bare and explore them where no one is being hurt. where they do not hurt themselves materially or anyone else. art is one of the few spaces you have for yourself. you can argue that distribution is the problem—but if you are able to identify when it is wrong, does your moral superiority extend so far as to believe that that's something only you can do?

and most importantly - are you prepared to take that space from them and provide other outlets? do you think it fair to prevent people from safely having access to something that you, yourself, depend on heavily for social and emotional affirmation?

are you willing to hold space for them when no one else can or no one else will?

[pomefioredove]

reread the wiki so here's everything idia and my boyfriend have in common. for fun

(gonna put a ✩ by ones also relevant to me. for solidarity!!)

birthday near the end of the year, almost exactly a month apart

has a nice brother who he's very close with

gamer ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

likes sweets

dislikes fish/meat

autism/depression combo ✩

struggles with and dislikes socializing ✩

a little bit of a shut-in ✩

otaku ☆

pale, dark circles, had/has electric blue hair

self conscious about his looks (I think my bf is the most beautiful person ever but I digress)

similar sense of style. goth... emo esque? I remember when we were teens he used to say he dressed goth on wednesdays or something like that

cynical ✩

internetpilled ✩

knows things about computers/tech... (bf taught himself how to code, program, and make his own bots/video games methinks? which is really cool)

withdrawn, anxious in public, avoids interacting w other people ✩

self-deprecation ⋆˙⟡ ✩

VERY SMART!!!

he apologizes for rambling about his interests but I love it when he does,,, it's cute and he's genuinely one of the smartest people I know, especially when it comes to his passions

connection to greek mythology

uses gaming/otaku/internet jargon in his speech ✩

poor sleep schedule ✩

family nepotism. and he had a like/hate relationship with the job. not elaborating on that it's secret

is famous in his respective internet circle and has fans

loves kitties and ouppies (but can't stand dog people) ✩

GOOD AT DRAWING!!

big fan of an idol trio

cyberstalker (lore learner) ✩ and REALLY GOOD AT IT

very observant and thoughtful

association with the color blue

likes dark and cold places

there's more probably I'm just going down the wiki

is this a lot

[tainted-sweet-meats]

You know what I miss........ Community. I really miss it. Back when I came online in 1998 (active in communities with my art in the 2000's on the dot) back when art forums, people having personal websites, and archives were a thing. You would think building a community, and finding folks who share similar interests would be hard considering the lack of social media. But it was so easy and so much fun to just babble about art in emails, talk ocs , world building and talking about art in general, what bands you were into, and what new DIY fashion you did to wear to school the next day. Simple times. I feel I took it for granted compared to what the internet is now with art. Hell how the internet treats artists. How it kinda makes it seems like we are just here to be consumed...like we aren't people behind a screen. I feel if it wasn't for the community that is tumblr I would not post socially beyond my website. There is something about tumblr that still has a glimmer of that artist community, communication, and more for me at least , that keeps me here compared to sites I have left. I still yearn for a dead past.. so many claim to want community but tend to only want stepping stones and its deathly sad to see it play out. So many claim to want old internet community and yet it was about participation for the hell of it. It was about commenting, sharing art with friends talking to the artist.. the artist talking back. ( of course we all have lives and not everyone has time) so minus that. Lets just think in when we have time yuh know. but man the yearning for that sense of community what an adrenaline rush it was....it inspired me to do art trades and random gift arts of peoples ocs..... I miss genuine artistic friendships. Where folks would ping me on msn and go hey pal look at this new thing I drew :') MISS IT sometimes I really really want to make a discord fostering that community, so god damn badly so folks have a place to relax away from social media and actually interact. Hell Id love it too. I mean if there is an interest for it Id make it since it would be nice....

[homestuckreplay]

If WV And PM Have No Fans I Must Be Dead

(page 1032-1039)

The mirroring of Jade (Prospit; dreaming) and Jade (Earth; robot) has been expanded to also mirror PM (Earth; years in the future) and PM??? (Prospit; now) with more identically-composed panels. It is actually a really smooth transition, and I do think that having time to sit between updates makes it easy to keep track of different versions of the same character, where and when they are, and how they can interact. I’ve seen in forum threads that some people have blasted through the first 1000 pages in a day as they discover the story which must feel like a very steep and confusing learning curve (even if it’s technically more accurate for representing the kids’ story, which for them is still a single day).

The imps in John’s house all look similar enough that this could be a fakeout, and this Prospit white chess piece is not PM, but they have the same build and eyes (see above from pages 723, 844 and 1033). Whether or not this is PM, I love their design. The blue/green stripes hippie two piece with matching hat feels like something I would see on a middle aged woman at a music festival who turns out to be the loveliest person I’ve ever met. But back in Homestuck the angle on page 1033 makes it look like PM(?) has boobs which, cmon, they are a bug/chess piece and I’ve never seen a busty chess piece and this is the laziest possible way to indicate a character is female.

I really do love these futuretime folks like WV and PM, I think their story is so interesting. They’re aliens, they’re bugs, they’re chess pieces, they’re video game NPCs, they’re time travelers, they’re irresolute wanderers through the wasteland, they’re the fabric of freedom and democracy and they’re carrying out the orders of a mysterious thirteen year old girl from a different species who lived centuries ago. That’s fascinating, and all their quirks and strangenesses put them in contrast to the kids who – while pretty weird themselves – are fundamentally just humans on the internet, and so are more grounded much easier to relate to then WV and PM.

I don’t know if they are fulfilling time loops or trying to actively change the past, but they seem naturally drawn towards these bunkers, like they instinctively still interface with the video game world after leaving it.

The narrator also talks directly to WV again on page 1036, something they did a lot while WV was commanding John in Act 2 (p.258, for example), though this hasn’t really happened with PM (yet). In fact it better parallels Jade, the character who most often speaks to the player. Today she actually tries to command WV, using several ==> commands in her note – I wonder if he is programmed to respond to these in any context, not just via computer terminal.

But for real, it must be so hard for WV not to eat those tasty greentext envelopes Jade has made him. And Jade absolutely called this right down to the position of the clouds and the fact that PM would be wearing the postal hat. (I guess Jade doesn’t need to feel guilty about causing the bunker to explode if she knows PM will survive, and that has interesting implications for her perspective, if she thinks it’s okay to cause harm in the moment because she definitively knows it won’t have a major, long term impact). But her predictions are eerily specific, not only in their detail, but also in her knowing exactly what guidance WV (Mister Mayor!!) will need to carry out this plan. Her ‘the freedom of your people depends on it’ is a really good way to manipulate WV, as I’m sure she knows he would never neglect his critical mayoral business no matter how tasty the letter is.

So, there’s going to be an important gift exchange, and it might be relevant that this page drops six days before Christmas. These two were on different sides of the Prospit vs Ominous Planet war, but the hearts and spirit of giving in the note suggest a peaceful exchange, two sides transcending a former antagonism. PM reaching for their sword on page 1039 isn’t a good sign, but I’m sure that as soon as they see the mail, the critical mail business will take precedence.

A more dangerous antagonism comes from the mysterious Aimless Renegade, whose gun remains pointed at the other two. I don’t think either WV or PM has noticed them yet. More importantly, has Jade seen them? They’re not mentioned – or warned about – in Jade’s note, and so could be somehow invisible to her powers. This isn’t unheard of; Jade has ‘never had any sort of feeling about [the trolls] or what they want’ (p.1000) and says that ‘if [Bec] wants to be found, he will find [her]’ (p.942), so the trolls and Bec both have some defenses against her. AR could be associated with either the trolls or Bec, or immune for a secret third reason.

Either way, I’m nervous. I like this beautiful WV-PM friendship predicted by Jade’s note, and I don’t want either of them to get blasted with an assault rifle. So whether or not this element has been accounted for by Jade, I’m hoping for some sort of holiday miracle.

> PM: Draw sword; look upwards.

[littleplantman]

Hermitcraft/Bnha crossover alright, so, I’m not sure if anyone has thought of this before, but what if the hermitcraft/life series participants existed in the bnha/mha universe? Of course not actually IN the universe and influencing the plot. But just imagine if their persona’s had quirks and interacted with some of the characters on an off chance. This is just a random idea for an au that was festering in my brain, but it sounds almost exciting. So I was thinking, how about I make a list of their theoretical quirks and show some random strangers on the internet for my first post? That sounds like a great idea! So, without further ado! The crossover absolutely nobody was asking for (and since I can’t draw I can’t put it into an actual comic or anything) here’s some of the hermits and their quirks!

Grian- I was thinking of giving him a quirk similar to fierce wings, considering most of the internet, (myself included) pictures him with wings. But, the evolution of Grian and his Minecraft skins lead me to give him a transformation quirk, something similar to Toga’s. Although I’ll probably end up giving him a bird quirk anyway, since he also looks quite similar to Hawks too. Those two would probably fly around the city, annoying people all day.

Scar- personally, I like the idea that he would get the “anivoice” quirk, so he could actually communicate with Jellie or the other cats in neighbourhood. Either that or he could have a cat related quirk, but I think it would be funny to have someone like Shinso or Aizawa meet this guy, probably after finding him with an army of stray cats, and just sit there going, “what the heck…?” Because they’re talking to a large and slightly intimidating guy, in a wheelchair, who is really friendly, and surrounded by cats that would likely commit crimes for their dad.

Tango- his quirk would end up being something like the secret lovechild of Endeavour and Burnin. He would have flaming hair, which would make sense, but his manipulation of fire wouldn’t be that strong. Similar to how Kaminari’s quirk works, he would be able to cover his hands, or other parts of his body if you’d rather, in fire. But that would be basically the extent of it. He can’t shoot the fire out all over the place, sadly. It would be cool if he ran, or was a part of a large support company that made support items or costumes for people with fire or heat related quirks.

I’m going to make a few more of these posts, since I know it’s already starting to get quite long as it is. You can probably see a recurring theme about their quirks being based off already existing powers, but I’m mostly taking inspiration from those abilities because they’re so good, and it might make it easier for those characters to interact since they’ve got quirks similar to each other. But seriously, this is how wacky my crossover au’s could get since I have such a vast range of interests.

[americas1suiteheart]

Had this idea a little while back and decided to go on with it! Tell me how you guys feel about it.

Kleptomaniacs

[Tangerine x Kleptomaniac! Reader]

[Summary; You've been working with the twins for a good while now, and all whilst knowing them you've bonded with them through similar interests. For Lemon, Thomas the Tank Engine, and on the other hand as for Tangerine and you - kleptomania..]

[Notes; You've got a code name, so there's no use of Y/n but know that your "Citron," (When I tried to post this after finishing it up, tumblr gave out on me and deleted it completely off the face of the internet so I had to write it again. Thanks Tumblr)]

[Warnings; Swearing, Stealing, it's a Bullet Train fanfic what do you expect?]

"God are you guys seriously fuckin' doing this shit again? You guys are gonna get caught one day doing that and you two are gonna be fucked y'know that right?" Lemon groans.

You and Tangerine made a game to see how much shit you could steal before chickening out. You can't do anything worse than killing people for money so you two figured, why the hell not?

"Fuck off Lem," You and Tangerine say at the same time dismissing him.

"Citron, I think you've officially spent too much time with Tan."

"Hey you can't say shit Lem, you've brainwashed Citron here into thinking of people in terms of fuckin' Thomas the Train characters you twat," Tangerine says, sneaking a pack of sweets into his suit jacket.

"Don't say shit about Thomas the Tank Engine, and dont call me a twat, you're the right fuckin' twat you ass," Lemon says, pointing a finger at Tangerine.

"Will you two stop acting like children? I spend too much time with the both of you, and you've both got qualities that are fuckin' annoying, the both of you are twats." You groan, taking multiple trinkets and small toys and shoving them into your pocket.

"Fucks sake mate, your taking the fuckin' children's toys?"

"I can take what I want Lem, piss off," You hiss.

This is typically how you three interacted with eachother. Lots of bickering and cussing at eachother, almost like teenagers that just learned a new cuss word

You'd figured with the boys it was just how they talked being that they were siblings and grew up together. I mean, you had siblings too but you never talked that way with them. Maybe it was just the way they were raised.

But with you, maybe you started acting like them and having the same behaviour after knowing them for so long. You hadn't acted like this before you met them.

You and Tangerine had finally gotten your rush from taking things and you three left the store, walking to your car given to you guys for the mission.

"Alright, start countin' everything you have," You say, getting everything out of all of your pockets and such.

"You guys have a fuckin' problem, I've said it multiple times and I'll say it again. You need to fuckin' see someone about that shit." Lemon shakes his head disappointingly at you two.

You and Tangerine ignore him as to not loose count of your stolen items.

The two of you finally finish, then looking at eacother and saying what you had in total. "32," You smirk, overly confident you had more.

But you already know you've lost when a cheeky smile appears on Tangerine's face, "47."

Your mouth hangs agape, staying quiet for at least 20 seconds. That's the most either of you had ever taken the four years you've known eachother so far.

"The worst part is that most of that shit is just sweets," Lemon says breaking the silence.

"Fuck off Lem," Tangerine hisses.

"Got a sweet tooth eh?" You chuckle, poking fun at him.

"I aint got no fuckin' sweet tooth, the sweets just so happened to be the easiest and least childish things to steal." Tangerine says, turning on the car.

Tan always liked to uphold this "tough manly guy," sort of figure. For example, when you're at a petrol station market and you and Lemon are over getting sugary drinks such as pop or juice, you best believe Tan would be getting water or a black coffee calling you two children.

"And sweets aren't childish?" Lemon raises his eyebrow.

"I didn't even get them for me you fuckin' bellend, I know you two like that sugary shit." Tangerine says.

"Wow, when did Gordon become an Edward," You say, giving Tangerine a cheeky grin.

Tangerine just sighs in defeat, knowing you and Lemon will end up teasing him just to mess with him the rest of the time regardless.

The ride back to the hotel was fairly calm, you and Lemon eating the stolen sweets and showing off the small toys you took as well, when you suddenly remembered something else you'd gotten for the both of them at another shop.

"Lemon, can you hand me that bag right there please?" You say, pointing to the small, blue bag next to him.

Lemon nods and hands you the bag from the back, you reaching over to grab it from his hands.

You take out a small plastic wrapped Thomas The Tank Engine phone charm and hand it to Lemon.

Lemon's face immediately lights up as he takes it out of its packaging, putting it on his phone and fiddling with it.

"Got this for you too, Tan," You say, turning to him and handing him a small satin bag.

"You steal this too?" Tangerine says, glancing at the bag before returning his eyes to the road.

"No, no. I actually bought that, I don't steal sentimental gifts I give, I'm not a fuckin' monster," You say, putting your hand on your chest in fake offense.

Tangerine gives you a judgemental glance.

"What is it?" He asks, still holding the small bag in his hand.

"Open it,"

Tangerine smiles and opens the bag with one hand, taking out a silver and blue colored star engraved ring.

"Its a promise ring. I saw it in a shop and figured we should get matching ones. I hope its your size, I kinda just guessed," You say, showing him your right hand that the ring was on.

"This is lovely, darling. Thank you.." Tangerine says with a loving smile, quickly putting it on his right hand with all of his other rings.

"You two are just right fuckin' sops for eachother it's sickeningly sweet," Lemon says, a cheeky grin on his face.

Tangerine mumbles something both you and Lemon couldn't hear, though by the tone it was very clearly not anything nice.

After a while longer, you three finally make it back to the hotel, Lemon checks all of you in and you all walk up to your hotel room.

As soon as you get in Lemon sets his stuff down and heads to the restroom for a shower, leaving you and Tangerine alone with eachother as you two unpack your bags.

"Tangerine?" You speak out, turning to look at Tangerine who was putting his clothes into the bottom drawer of the hotel room dresser.

"Yes, love?" Tangerine says.

"Thank you. For staying with me even when we go through all this shit. It's stressful and keeping relationships has never been easy for me with this job, you're the only one that's stayed this long and I want to let you know how grateful I am for it." You say, putting what you were doing aside so you could talk to him without any distractions.

Tangerine's head perks up a bit, then turning to look at you.

He smiles sweetly and walks over to you, pulling you into a bone crushing hug.

"Darling, you have no clue how happy I am that you've stayed with me the same. I know I can be difficult at times as well," Tangerine said, voice barely above a whisper.

You rarely ever get to see a softer side of Tan, but when you do you try to savor it as much as possible.

"You guys, are fuckin' disgusting. What I just saw there was right fucking nasty." Lemon says, standing in front of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Fuck off Lem."

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

[Quick Authors Note! Sorry I haven't gotten to these requests and other stuff these past few months, I've been busy and have had other stuff get in the way. I know this isn't much but I'm trying to clean up my drafts.

[ceratedfish24]

Communication skills are not my best thing too, and I definitely get over the board sometimes. My biggest problem is bouncing from topic to topic and not having a clear segment to flow into another thought, so I hope you give me a spec of doubt, if something sounds out of nowhere.

The most important thing that I implied, but might have not worded, so you missed it. Is you maintagging: 1) anyone who is a more relaxed fan will think there is some drama, or just get a sour feeling over being called fake fans. They're the people I meant, when I said to create a safe space, not trolls. Most CC's are very welcoming of the people who aren't as crazy in the fandom, as you and I. But your actions constuct an idea of some toxic Scott or Joel fans. 2) You are bringing attention to hate. As in to create your a post about something hateful, you have to repeat all the unfavorable things said. It's like coming into CC's chat and saying "It's so horrible that everyone hates you and says these mean things about you". Even if you will add that you support them, the hateful comments that you repeat will stick to them, as before they might have not seen them. (This example is not exact, but Scott is on Tumblr and if you maintag, he could see it) 3) You just said that the person is convinced they're right, and that you're stubborn. The three people that will see this post are people who like, indifferent or hate Scott, and by your own words the post won't do anything. Internet fight are most often just talking to a wall. Even me saying all of this won't change anything about what you think, this is just an english workout for me, so thank you for humoring me.

I get that people are homophobic, you don't have to say this every single paragraph. I am queer, as many other people on Tumblr and in MCYT fandom in general. Gem got a lot of hate in Secret Life for being a bi woman. If I take a moment out of her stream and give that line to her character, if I analyze it on my own blog, see how her character interacts with other people. Will you say that I'm a biphobic misogynist? If I just simply didn't like her character arc or actions and critizied them in a manner of looking at life series as a story? You're trying to connect outright homophobic people to people who are invested in the fandom to the point of spending hours thinking and analyzing characters.

And why is analyzing CC's bad? The CC's know that they're playing characters and these characters aren't words in a book. Every individual CC approaches their character differently, they're all storytellers, and thinking about how the actions CC choose affect their character is extremely interesting. If we wanted to read a book, we would have, but Life Series and similar concepts are a completely unique thing, which is somewhat comparable to dnd.

To add. Being critical of CC's is okay. They are not a god. People thinking that them being mean to each other is real and not a roleplay is the same as trying to be a knight in shining armor for them, it's all parasocial. They have flaws and we're allowed to look into them, being a content creator comes with that as well as a certain power (By power I mean CCs can send mobs of people to bully one person, sometimes not even intentionally, and other things I'm too lazy to go into). We should not dismiss someone's behavior, if they are gay or a woman or neurogivergent, but it feels like you are unintentionally promoting this thinking that gay people can't be bad. And I think Scott is a good person, who made some mistakes as any person can do (I'm not implying or saying any particular things, mistakes are a thing that everyone does). But you don't actually know him or any CCs. With the most recent example in this community, it's impossible to know if someone is shitty. Being that fixated on protecting a person only to realize that they aren't the perfect human being is painful. I'm just advising for you to take a step back from investing yourself too much into a CCs life. (I'm saying this as a person who can be quite parasocial, which I am working on).

I do not wish any harm on you or others, I am not threatening or trying to make mean comments. I'm just putting my net zero into this conversation, as a common internet dweller.

Hi! Your ask was not destroyed at all. Tumblr delivered it just fine!

Addressing your first point, I understand that being called a fake fan can feel rough, but I genuinely cannot imagine criticizing someone who is close to someone you care about for being cruel to the person you care about if the person you're criticizing didn't do anything cruel, especially if you're taking a mutual moment of teasing between friends out of context and targeting one person for a harmless act that both people committed.

I am bringing attention to hate. I don't think anyone should do it all of the time, but I still think that it's important, especially if the hate was unintentionally awful, to address when people are being really awful to one person who hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. The post has been tagged with discourse. If someone does not want to see fandom critical posts, they can filter out the tag. If you disagree with my approach to dealing with hate, that's perfectly valid and I respect that.

Scott, unfortunately, already knows about the hate. He has replied to some of the posts himself, and he has acted on some posts himself.

My post has done something. Not necessarily done something life changing, but I did see that it brought comfort to some people. It's fine if I argue with a wall, but I looked at the points that the other person was making, decided what I agreed with, and made changes and apologies accordingly. When I was not met with similar respect and the other person instead moved the topic to be critical of me and refusing to respond when I inquired about what I felt they did wrong, that's when I became a wall too. When the points that I made were dismissed in favor of an argument that drifted from the problem and the reasoning that I felt was justified - and it's fine if other's disagree, but, again, that doesn't mean I'm changing anything - that's when I stopped taking the conversation too seriously.

Gem getting hate for being bi is different from Gem getting hate for a specific thing she did unless the thing is something that most if not all of the other players did. If someone picked Scott apart for something that was specific for Scott, I wouldn't be so disturbed by it. The problem is when people try to tear Scott apart for things that everyone else or at least many other people on the server have also done and have never received half as much backlash - if any- for. For example, if you were upset with Gem because she teases Jimmy, but you think it's fine or even hilarious when Grian, Martyn, Scott, Joel, fWhip, etc. do it, then it would come off as biphobia or misogyny because the other people, all men who aren't bi, aren't being treated with the same seriousness despite having done the same thing. If you were mad at Gem for teasing Jimmy, but you were equally upset with other people for teasing Jimmy, then that's a different situation where no one is being targeted. If you were mad at Gem for, I don't know, screaming at someone (This is a hypothetical. She did not seriously scream at anyone), then that would also be different because that would be unique to Gem. If you were to be misogynistic or biphobic in your criticism of her for something unique to her, then that would only be able to be observed in specific relevant points in your criticism as opposed to who you were critical of, seeing as there would be no one else to be critical of to compare your reaction to. However, the Scott situation is not at all unique to Scott; Scott is being scrutinized for things that many other people - all straight that I can think of, but please do correct me if I'm forgetting something - have also done and are not being nearly as disliked for. That's why it feels like the argument that Scott is awful tends to come from a place of homophobia.

As for deciding a line is for a character, if you respect that everyone else who did or said something similar for the same reasons and in the same context are equally guilty, then that's fine. If you are taking something that someone said and criticizing it, but you are not criticizing everyone else who did or said something similar in the same context, then saying that you were referring to the character isn't relevant to the discrimination between that CC/character and other CCs/characters who have done the same thing and are not being criticized.

The reason why I feel that homophobia is linked to a lot of Scott criticism that could be used against almost every other creator but often isn't is because a lot of people are specifically accusing Scott of being "manipulative" and "toxic", which are harmful queer stereotypes that Scott doesn't fit into the box of as far as we know. He may fit a lot of gay man stereotypes, but that doesn't mean that people should lump him in with harmful stereotypes that he doesn't actually fall under. We don't have a reason to believe that Scott has some evil ulterior motive to being friendly.

Analyzing a CC is... iffy. That's a real person. Most people are pretty uncomfortable being analyzed, especially if you are analyzing them for something they did while playing a character in a silly game with their friends (cough the Martyn situation cough). Of course, it's more than okay to recognize and appreciate the good things that someone does, but it's really none of the audience's business to scrutinize someone for something they said playfully to a friend who they have a long standing close relationship to and who hasn't shown signs of feeling hurt or disrespected. The main problem with the argument I was in was the inequality between how Joel was being treated and how Scott was being treated. I also think that it's important to be able to differentiate between when a CC is making a decision based on the rules of the game and the lore of their character and when a CC is just having a laugh with their friends. Not every CC cares so much about characters and lore. There's a big difference between when someone is playing an aggressive character and when someone is just being themselves in a competitive environment.

Being critical of CCs is okay. Accusing CCs of things they haven't done is not okay. You could ruin an innocent person's livelihood. I wouldn't defend Scott if I feel like he genuinely did something awful. It just kills me to see people accusing him of things or arguing that Scott is crueler than other Life Series players who have all done or said much of the same things that Scott is being scrutinized for and yet they are treated normally, as they all, including Scott, should be. If someone feels like Scott teasing his friends is a flaw, then they should also address when his friends tease each other in ways that are equally or even more (playfully) mean. I don't feel as if that is fair to the CCs, seeing as it is their relationships alone and their responsibility to handle when they are uncomfortable with something that their friend(s) said and they have proven that they will handle that discomfort with maturity and efficiency and therefore it's not our job to accuse them of being cruel to each other, but at least that way doesn't target just one person or just certain people.

It's not that I think that gay people can't be bad. I think that this one gay person didn't do what he's being accused of doing and that, if someone is going to accuse him, then they should at least acknowledge the equally guilty other parties, who were straight. It may have been complete coincidence, but it seems strange to me to accuse a gay person of being horrible while defending a straight person who is equally guilty, hence why it came off as homophobia to me. I would like to note that I have used the word "guilty" pretty often, but I do not feel like any actual guilt should be involved. The thing that everyone involved is "guilty" of is a lighthearted thing. I only mean that everyone did the same thing.

If Scott had seriously done something wrong, obviously I would not defend him. However, it does frustrate me when people accuse him of things that haven't happened or at least that we have no reason to believe has happened. For example, I wouldn't defend someone who burned down a house if someone accused them of burning down a house. I would defend someone who burned down a house if someone accused them of slashing someone's tires, which they did not do. If Scott did something terrible that was completely unrelated to the accusations that I've argued against, then I wouldn't really feel guilty. I would be very sad, of course, because I find him to be a great creator, and I would hold him accountable for whatever he did do, but that doesn't mean that he should be accused of things he didn't do, similar to how the Hermits did have to clear up some assumptions about what happened recently before more information was released. I don't think Scott's perfect. I do think he's being treated unfairly.

Thank you for being so thorough about your thoughts! That was very helpful in understanding how to appropriately answer you. Additionally, thank you for being understanding about the tardiness of this response. I was going through a life transition that wasn't going very smoothly, and this was a VERY long ask (which is not at all a burden! I invite long asks!) that I wanted to be very thoughtful in response to. I hope that I didn't miss anything and made some sense, and I hope that you're well!

[sadisticfervor]

Something that's been on my mind a lot recently (to the surprise of no one) has been domming, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about it that's more informative than sexy in nature. I wanted to make a post for both subs and doms out there about something I see that kinda worries me, not just on here but on the internet as a whole.

I'm not gonna cover a lot of things covered better by other people/posts/sources, things like how to be a good dom/sub or how to establish communication and consent - those are extremely important things, but I think other people have said it better already.

The big thing on my mind is how a lot of queer folks entering the world of kink haven't really done any critical analysis on their preferences and roles. From a dominant perspective, you really /really/ need to put in the time to introspect about the role and why you desire that role, and how you will keep yourself and your partner safe, secure, and happy. From a submissive perspective, there's a bulk of thought to be done on how you expect to be treated - in and out of scene - and precisely where your boundaries and borders are.

If you're new to kink (or even if you're experienced, it's a good check-up) and you think you're wanting to try a dominant role, please ask yourself the following questions:

Why is this something I prefer?

What is the most I'm willing to do for my sub?

Are there means of communication (in and out of the bedroom) that I prefer?

Am I capable of exiting the dom mindset if needed?

What do I expect from my sub? Think about communication, but also how to meet each others' needs, protect from triggering situations, and what /you/ need to be happy.

Do I have the proper knowledge to safely attempt what I want to attempt? If not, how do I intend to get that knowledge before trying it?

Think these over! These are not meant to scare away anyone from kink, nor are they a comprehensive list of things you need to consider. Domming is a responsibility first and foremost, and it should be treated like one. Kink is a lot of fun, but like with anything (if not moreso), you need to put in the work to make sure you're doing it as safely and thoughtfully as possible for your sake and your sub's sake.

I wanted to write this because being a dom, especially a transfem dom/top, is stigmatized here and on the larger internet. A dominant mindset is often quickly written off as predatory, and I've seen very little content for doms - it's a beautiful role that requires a lot of work and responsibility, but its worth it in the scenes and art you can create. I want to do my part to educate and spread awareness as much as I can.

Feel free to reblog to spread the word, whether you're a dom, sub, vers, or just an interested bystander. Minors do not interact, as with all my content from this blog. Others are welcome to add more thoughts regarding domming and power exchange, and I'd happily welcome other perspectives onto this post - a similar guide to introspection for subs especially.

[mielwriting]

Would I enjoy Honkai: Starrail?

So I was just thinking how between Genshin and HSR, it's a shame that I don't see of the dragons being women (Genshin has Apep, but she's not playable and we don't even know what she looks like when she's not covered by a sandstorm so I'm not sure she counts) and then I find out Hsr is getting a new character, Lingsha, and she's a dragon!

Maybe this is what finally convinces me to sign up. But as interesting as the lore is, I'm not convinced. Below are some things I'm concerned about, and would like answers to before I get sucked into another gacha game:

I didn't play Honkai Impact or any of the previous games. I'm vaguely aware of some white-haired (robot? I think?) lady named Kiana who vaguely resembles Genshin's Unkown God and ascends to be some sort of cosmic deity herself. I'm also aware of some red-haired lady who died in some sort of tragic sacrifice, and I think there's an item of hers on display somewhere in hsr as an easter egg. And the Herscherr of the Wind (whatever that is) Wendy, Venti's counterpart, died too. But besides that, I have no context. Without having played previous Honkai games, would I be incredibly lost, even if I got caught up on the limited-time events that I missed?

I've heard Hoyo favors Hsr, and it's better in storytelling: for example, the Trailblazer is more plot-relevant than the Traveler, and unlike Genshin, hsr playable characters are actually standing around the map as npcs, and the player can interact with them, even when there's not some quest that just finished. And that the map feels more alive because of that. Is that true?

I love open-world games. Never before have I played something like Genshin. In a lot of games I'm used to playing, you have to stay on the specific path that's relevant to the main story. You cannot climb on top of that house. You cannot even walk into the forest off the path. Genshin, however, lets you go everywhere. Who cares if it's relevant to the plot? You can climb on top of that house, you can go to the top of that mountain. Most of the time, there's a chest up there or an achievement for making it that high up. I'm told hsr is not like that at all. The Trailblazer can't even jump. Would I still enjoy it? How limited is the exploration exactly?

I also love Genshin's representation of queer and disabled people, both in npcs and in playable characters (admittedly some of it is subtext). There's Arlecchino and Zhongli with their gender fluidity, there's Wanderer with his trans allegory, there's Venti who was described as non binary to the voice actor, there's Lyney and Gorou and Furina and many others who wear a bit of the opposite gender's clothes, there's eimiko and kavetham and beiguang with all of their subtext. There's Dunyarazard and Collei and Baizhu who are chronically ill, there's Chiori and Albedo and Alhaitham who are probably autistic. Etc. I've heard Firefly is disabled (chronically ill with a curse or something?) and I know Ratiorine is a popular ship (I'm attached already). But how close to canon is all that? Are there lots of queer and disabled characters?

I also love secret identities as a trope. My favorite archons are the ones who spend their time pretending to not be archons. I love Kaeya's angst about secretly having been sent as a spy, and Albedo secretly being not-human who may be forced to kill everyone he loves, and how both of them may or may not be scared of the Archon, and yet the archon in question seems to like them. Love that drama. Are there characters with similar Secret Identity drama in hsr?

I love the religious themes and how one theme central to Genshin's story is how gods (and god-adjacent non-human characters) are still people, with flaws and fears and basic social needs. It's sweet. Does hsr have similar themes of divine beings being human at heart?

I also love the escapism of Genshin -it's bright and colorful, both in marketing and in the open-world itself. Also, there's no internet or cell phones or anything. I know that if you pause hsr, whatever character you're currently playing as pulls out their phone. I've heard Penacony compared to the tourist areas of Las Vegas (derogatory). It looks so grey. Is hsr truly so much more grey and modern compared to Genshin? Is it just as escapist?

I feel a similar amount of freedom in Genshin's combat system. I'm told Hsr's system is turn-based, and you the player barely have to press any buttons during those moments. Would I find that fun?

I don't need another gacha game, and I definitely don't have the same amount of time to devote to hsr and I already do genshin. But still, I'm hoping for people to prove my misconceptions wrong.

[al-the-remix]

Random fandom thoughts/feelings

The reblog button is turned off on this post but I think it's another incredibly important one to be thinking about. I enjoy their framing of how the profit economy of other social media sites has been bleeding into fandom spaces on both tumblr, and like this post focuses on, Ao3. It's something that I've been noticing more and more and it really rubs me the wrong way and I feel like OP's post words it perfectly in a way I've been struggling to express.

This sort of connects the previous post I reblogged on the topic talking about how fandom is not a good in road for becoming internet famous.

A facet of this that's really bamboozled me recently is that I feel like i've been seeing more and more of is the idea that a singular person has a right to call "dibs" on a specific piece of media. Which is honestly totally fucking wild to me and if I'm being totally frank kind of dumb.

Every single one of us who interacts with fandom and by extent and IP is flirting with copy right law, the consequences of which everyone should be extremely familiar with by now with the fall of LJ and various lawsuits by authors, dmca notices, etc.

We have all heard the adage "there's no such thing as an original idea"; the idea that everything we create is the amalgamation of all the things that influence us, good and bad.

This is totally normal and good, actually.

For example, if I and another person both watch a TV show, see a production photograph that we really like and decide to draw it and post them one after the other it would be considered extremely bad behaviour to then turn around and make a big stink about how someone else had the gall to turn around and draw the same thing that I did. We can all look at a picture, video, lyrics to a song, become inspired and create something wildly different based on our tastes and influences--but we also are equally, if not more so, likely to create something nearly identical to our peers, especially in a fandom space where ideas are concentrated and we are all consuming each other's thoughts, opinions, and creations. More than once I've come up with an idea for a fic or a drawing that someone else had had a nearly identical execution of without us communicating or viewing each other's work. That's just the way the human brain works, we're hard wired to make connections in a fairly similar way.

You do not have a right to call dibs on any one photograph, clip of video, song lyrics or any other bit of media you might consume.

This stands for artists, writers, gif makers, AMV creators, and any other way you choose to express your love of fandom creatively.

If you are really hard pressed to focus on the numbers and work at being ~influential~ the burden is on you to distinguish yourself creatively.

There's a reason why not being able to see follower counts is so important to the way fandom and tumblr functions. The concept of ~small creators~ and ~big creators~ or BNF or whatever are all burdens you place on yourselves. No one is taking anything away from you by engaging with the same bit of media you are in a similar way. We all have a right to express ourselves creatively and emotionally through any snippet of media that sparks our interest. You do not get to "own it" just because you happened to pump something out first. There are no creative "dibs". This isn't even some sort of "fandom" etiquette thing that has gone thus unspoken. It's a strange possessive thing that I've seen crop up more and more as the idea of being a capital "C" Creator brain rots people's minds and atrophies their ability to be creative.

Sort of on a tangent, but I have a bunch of other personal random thoughts about how this push to be prolific stagnates fandom, but these are more complicated for me and I'm not as clear on how I want to express them. On one had I am completely on board with the "there is no such thing as cringe" mindset and that everyone has a right to create whatever super indulgent thing they want to without having to suffer people being snobby about it. But, on the other hand I feel very strongly that the cycle of people seeing one trope or characterization being repeated repeated over and over and gaining popularity, reading only that--writing only that--leading others to also only consume that, really stymies creativity and makes it harder to grow the fandom if people that are trying to enter aren't into That One Thing, while also ostracizing people who are already in the fandom that aren't into That One Thing. I strongly believe that people's tastes are at least 70% just what they're exposed to, and obviously not everyone is going to be into whatever weird niche concept they're exposed to through fandom, but the more they are the more opportunity they have to expand that horizon. I don't know how many times I've gotten a version of the "I wasn't sure I would like this but I gave it a shot and it turns out I really love it!" and how good that feels and how much I wish other people were emboldened to do the same instead of being so wrapped up in how their work may or may not be received.

This is mostly a subjective thing though, so it's less cut and dry. Like for example, I really struggle with engaging with transgender fic despite being transgender myself because of the way most AFAB fic is written to the point where I avoid it now almost entirely. Which, frankly, really fucking sucks but also I will be the first person to fight for other's ability to write transgender characters wether they appeal my personal feelings and taste or not.

Anyway, this is one of the reasons I'm so protective of fandom community events, especially ones that employ aspects of the fandom gift economy such as exchanges. There are one of the few wholly un self-centred places left where the focus is on gifting someone something they will love and giving back to the fandom at large by flooding it with art and opportunities appreciation and engagement with each other. It is not supposed to be an opportunity for you to think about yourself and "getting something good" in return or using it a convenient deadline. It also offers you an opportunity to engage with fic tropes and genres that you've never considered writing or reading before.

TL;DR if you've found yourself recently squabbling over how many notes your gifs, art, writing, etc. has been getting compared to other people instead of focusing on forging community ties and your own creative expression, I'm sorry to say you're doing it wrong.

[basement-buddy]

i have a similar question to the posting art online anon, how long did it take before you really started to see results posting online? ive been doing it for um about a year? or so and havent had a lot of traction! and it can be a little disheartening to have stuff you work hard on end up with 0-1 likes 😞😞😞 im just curious if there is more i can be doing or if im doing something wrong !

Honestly it works out differently for everyone! I have been posting my art online for 10 years next year, and I only really started getting decent attention on my stuff about 5 years ago, and it only actually really turned into huge traction on my IG about say, 3 or 4 years ago now?

Based on that experience alone I think the biggest thing to take away from this is that the hard part is just getting the ball rolling because once it’s going, it snowballs gradually on its own. I can tell you how I personally grew any of my accounts but I can’t guarantee that it’ll work for everyone!

1- Consistent posting, this is especially big if you’re starting out. You don’t have to share big finished pieces daily. Post a 2 minute doodle from your phone! A WIP of a painting you’re doing for school, do a zoomed in sneak peek of that real nice drawing you’re doing in your personal sketchbook. It doesn’t matter, just try and post a little snippet like once every 2-3 days. Never feel pressured to finish a drawing every single day, just share your art journey even if in fragments.

2- interacting with others!!! I’m going to be so honest with you, internet users are very nosy people. Very curious. If you frequently comment, interact with online users you want to be lumped with (in your case, artists), then people will see your account appearing alongside the people they’re following and start checking you out. Leave comments on your favorite artists’ post, ask questions on a post regarding your favorite fandom, etc! At one point in 2022, I got a huge influx of followers simply because I shared a headcanon regarding Princess Jellyfish, and the other commenters that saw it checked my profile and saw that at the time, I had Princess jellyfish fanart on my profile!

3- there’s a lot of people that tell you to follow art trends, while others say only to draw exactly what you want, and in my opinion, only do art trends if you can combine them with your interests and art. Don’t force a trend if you don’t really want to. In my personal experience, engaging in art trends only really works for me if I draw my favorite fandom in place of the meme, or a silly picture of my ocs. Don’t feel pressured to overperform in art trends, either. Just be yourself, do what you do best, and the boost of a trend will push you to people who will actually stick around because they like what you do!

And finally, something to keep in mind, is that LOTS of great artists go under the radar. A follower count does not determine your skill, your worth or your value. You can have beautiful art and very few people will notice for years. Just do what you love, and have fun.

[contentloadingandstuff]

Hi I know it was a vent post and you probably don't want anyone to i guess give advice/support (idk what to call this) but!! As a person who consumes content, especially written, i can tell you for sure that writing is a great skill to have! Like in school, people would pay me to write/help them with essays. But that's not important - what is important is that you are a great writer! And I don't know how long it's been since you started trying things outside of tumblr, but things take time. Unless you are super famous or have connections, you're not going to get involved in things right away. And that's okay!!! That doesn't mean you suck. It allows you to build a name for yourself as you continue doing great work that will get you recognized eventually!

But seriously, writing is NOT a skill that EVERYONE can just do. I've read work from people who could be a great artist as you said, but their writing reads as if it was written by a child. Or even a decent enough story that is better than a child's level, but still flows horrible and makes me try to skip parts to get to what I'm interested in. And I see this very prominently in the nsfw spaces, although there are some great writers like you, there are just as many (and im not trying to be rude) subpar writers. There's just no way I can stress enough that writing, especially being able to write things of a good quality, is a skill that is very important and i know you'll get to where you hope to be in time, and am grateful you continue to make content!

Like literally i am obsessed with your blog and I check at least every 2 days or so if not every day at least once. Please continue the great work you do, and continue growing in your craft and i knowyou will achieve your goals and i will personally look forward to everything you'll write!

-an experienced fanfic reader!

It's perfectly okay to write as you did here - posting my thoughts on a public blog means that I'm alright with people seeing it and commenting on it. Hm... Now that I think of it, I may be over sharing on the blog in general, but, honestly? It's my corner of the internet, and it's an important place to me - so it's probably alright. Anyway...

I wasn't expecting anybody to put this level of thought into any sort of interaction with me, if I am to be honest. I'm positively taken aback.

First of all, thank you. Reading this was very uplifting, and I will hold onto your ask, returning to it in moments of doubt. I can't stress how wholesome it felt... So just... Thank you.

The amusing thing is that I was never a great student at school, and essays that I created (both in my native language, Polish, and English) were usually mediocre. But I definitely had a better time, enjoyment wise, with Polish essays since those in English were always absurd. Very general, require certain hard words or phrases, and the damned word limit. On my highschool finals in C1 English I had to write an essay about the risks and opportunities AI provides (if I had a penny for every time I wrote about something like this, I would have a lot of them, but I wouldn't be able to buy more than a pack of gum)... in under 800 words. I'm a simple guy - either do it properly, or don't do it at all. These kinds of restrictions are the bane of my writing. Still, I got an 88%. Polish is similar, but there's no arbitrary word limit and the formal requirements go on for pages of rules and regulations. Brr. Never want to do it again. But I will. Since I'm studying law and all. The point is, I wasn't good at writing in the official sense - which doesn't give me a solid base of confidence in myself, and it's visible in the frequency of me doubting myself here.

Tsk. Pathetic. I'm making a clown of myself in front of hundreds of people, am I not? Typical of me.

In general, having my own blog killed most of my interest in reading and watching what others are doing, though I still occasionally read up. And when I do - comparisons. Okay, so this fic is short, not much attention paid to pacing and style, quite generic in topic, written with the most stereotypical words for this kind of content, but it's nice... Oh? Oh. It has over two thousand likes, reblogs and comments. Cool. What does it do that I don't? Am I writing too long fics? I do think so, because short form tends to get more attention. That's perfectly reasonable, but sad nonetheless. I can't fully enjoy the stuff of other people for another reason as well - my mind screams a question at me every short moment - "and what have YOU done that measures up to this?". This doesn't only apply to fics. Kinkymation, a nsfw comic creator for genshin, zzz and a few others that's quite famous, has it all seemingly - very characteristic and memorable style, good, wholesome content, lots of it too, and can write a good enough narrative. I even heard that he does animations now. The only minor shortcoming is I think the lack of variation in his stuff - everything is vanilla ice cream, wholesome-romantic and slightly cheesy at times. But he's still a great cc.

He has everything one could dream of in this "field", and I constantly compare myself to him. And the conclusion? I am nothing. I am a flounder, a bottom feeder in comparison to him.

It's not that I want to earn money - as you surely noticed, I never ever prompted my Kofi since I made it in spring of 2024. I just want to make something that I can be proud of, especially if it includes joining forces with those that make up for my lack of artistic skills. It would be very nice, for sure.

Alas, the reality is what it is, as the saying goes.

Never mind. On a final note, if you're checking contentloadingandstuff this frequently, I really need to kick myself into high(er) gear. You wish me well, and I should show some basic gratitude.

Again, thank you. So much.