#this isn’t even really about my own stuff because I know I’m niche and I’m having fun with the people who care so whatever

[woundlingus]

Being a bitch on main and I’m sorry but if you collect likes and never reblog, and especially those who take the extra steps of even then hiding the likes too so they have an entirely dead blog then you’re not even in the fandom you’re passive floating by the community. You need to reblog things. You need to reblog that art, that fic, that stupid text post joke. “I don’t even have any followers” because you’re boring and you refuse to engage with the community, maybe you could try reblogging (with comment too sometimes) and maybe people might want to engage with you too. You do. You need to reblog. You need to follow people. 90% of the population here doesn’t use the for you page, there is actually a culture here and the “me me me” attitude of Twitter and tiktok doesn’t carry here and the entitlement of acting like it should is making you a pariah instead of a member. You have to interact with the community. Reblog my post, boy.

[c0ffinrehearsal]

I LOVE you YWLM and all of your trans marauders fic but it does sort of rub me the wrong way that sirius bottoms in all of them. There’s nothing wrong with being a bottom it’s just disappointing that trans male characters are always defaulted to that. Trans men can top too and it sucks to keep seeing really incredible fics that fall into that stereotype.

i don’t even know where to start with this but like first of all, did you even read ywlm? bc it seems like you missed the part where they talked about switching and both of them were into it.

idk what to tell you - i’m a trans person. this is how i’ve chosen to write trans characters so far bc it’s a direct reflection of my own preferences and experience. it’s what feels affirming and comfortable for me right now, and maybe that’ll change and i’ll write a 50K fic where they switch every single time they fuck but i don’t have to, and just because i haven’t doesn’t mean i’m not supportive of it or into it.

something i can’t stand about this fandom is how many people just assume ill-intent of writers and artists. how y’all treat us like we’re supposed to just cater to every single person’s exact preferences like that isn’t an insane set of standards to shove onto people who do this for free and for fun.

do you have any idea how exhausting it is to get constant criticism for everything you do in a fandom space? it feels like i can’t post any work without someone popping in to tell me what’s wrong with it, or ask me to write them like this or whatever and like it’s not fun. this isn’t fun for me.

either write the kind of fic you want to see or go find it somewhere else because i promise you it exists, and instead of being fucking weird and rude in my ask box you could be talking to those writers and making friends who like the same stuff as you do. find your niche and hang out there and be happy instead of making me miserable xx

[poppitron360]

tbh i find you annoying but thats just my opinion. you're allowed to do whatever the fuck you want. good for you. my own opinion - based on petty standards and prejudice and a bit of jealousy - is not a reflection of reality and should not affect you. keep having fun.

also please don't block me because you're posting about something i like and it's not very well known and i just needed to get this out because id explode

… Okay?

This ask is fascinating to me and I have SO MANY QUESTIONS. Imma disect your comment like a lil bug real quick, if that’s okay with you?

If it doesn’t affect me why did you tell me? Like what was the purpose of telling me that you find me annoying? What validation does that give you?

Like you took all that time and effort to 1) seek out my blog 2) read enough of my posts to come up with a REALLY REALLY GOOD BURN LIKE WOW THAT IS SO CLEVER 3) Click on the ask button 4) write this comment 5) CHANGE THE FREAKING FONT- Like you went through the whole process of highlighting that line of text, clicking the “minimise” AND the “strikethrough” buttons and THEN 6) pressing send and you didn’t stop to think ONCE “hey… why the hell am I doing this?”

It always baffles me when people tell me these things like they think I’m not already painfully aware of it. Like I know that I’m annoying to some people THAT’S WHY I’M HERE!!! I have found the one community of people that find what I’m saying interesting!

I’m not posting for YOU I’m posting for THEM. You think I give a shit what you think about me? Are you THAT self-centred? Maybe my posts aren’t tailored to you, and that’s fine! Not everyone is making content specifically for your consumption, and might just be marketing to a different audience. If you’re not pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down, that’s okay. Maybe I’m just not putting it down for your specific needs.

You know, before I joined Tumblr, a comment like this would have sent me SPIRALLING. But now I’ve realised that there is actually a place and a people to whom I am entertaining. I just gotta find the right audience.

One of my favourite inspirational quotes ever is by Einstein and it’s that “everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by it’s ability to climb a tree, it would think itself an idiot” or words to that effect. Yeah- my talent for spinning Leo Valdez round my brain like a candy-floss machine until it eventually turns into content isn’t necessarily “fun at parties” or useful for getting a job or good for… y’know… anything applicable to the Real World™️ but here I’ve found where I CAN put it to good use! And a year ago I didn’t have that.

Before Tumblr, my lil fishy body was struggling ‘er way up that tree. Here, I’ve found my ocean!

Not sure where this metaphor is going in relation to the topic of you finding me annoying… I guess fish me doesn’t feel like such an “idiot” now that I’ve found where I belong? Like I know that my talents are niche but SOMEONE likes ‘em. Actually quite a lot of people like ‘em, judging by my follower count. And I didn’t get this far by just having a cute cat pic as my pfp, but by actually building my skill and working hard! And I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. SO FUCK YOU!!! HUZZAH!!!

I’m aware of how much of an asshole I sound like, but honestly? I am proud of myself. And my girl deserves her moment.

I feel a little bad responding guns-ablaze bc your hate comment was legitimately kinda nice and considerate?

But Also- how weird is this as a hate comment? Like you’re being insulting but you’re also saying you like my stuff? Geez, it says a lot about you that you can’t even send anon hate correctly.

If you wanna keep reading my stuff, go ahead! You just either gotta power through whatever weird complex you have about me, or just don’t read it. I don’t really see what good sending me this ask will do. Whatever gripe you have, put it aside. Like how I put aside your lack of capital letters in that comment, knowing that my stupid obsessive thing with Grammar shouldn’t affect how I treat other people, and that that is my OWN problem to deal with.

I’m being silly here. I’ve just never had the confidence to roast my haters before. I’ve never had haters to roast (online, anyway) so forgive my overzealousness. If you couldn’t tell- I was a theatre kid and still am…

In all seriousness, I like how self-aware you are that you’re being prejudiced and jealous. And I’m kinda curious as to what specifically you’re jealous of? But that’s just to boost my own ego.

I’m aware that I can be a little intimidating sometimes, particularly in a written form of socialisation. I like grammar, okay? I like rules and guidelines and careful, creative choices to show emotion and how you can break the rules in certain ways to give depth and nuance to the character and find the pattern of letters and characters to communicate what you’re feeling over a written format and-

If you couldn’t tell by all the fanfics I write- I also have a passion for writing.

Also, what specific prejudices? I’m genuinely intrigued. Is it specifically based off of one of the protective characteristics (under the 2011 Equality Act)? Or is it more just the way I behave? Or is it something I said? Like don’t be shy I don’t want vague I want DETAILS!!

And I realise that me writing a whole freaking dissertation on your comment just PROVES your point that I’m annoying but I. Don’t. Care. I’m having fun. I can’t help that I have a lot of Thoughts And Feelings about things. It’s just how my brain works. Also, it is currently 1:23am where I live, so brain go brrr. If you made it this far, anon, I salute you! Thank you for taking the time to hear me out even though you think I’m annoying. That’s honestly a good quality to have. Here, have a sweet 🍬

And I know that that was… intense, to say the least. Oh BOY do I know that I can be intense. But genuinely- GENUINELY- I’d love to sit down and have a discussion with you on this because it truly fascinates me how other people perceive me. And, if you’re comfortable coming out of anon (if not, that’s fine) I’d like to learn more about why you think these things. Not necessarily so that I can change- but it’d be a great opportunity to see what I can learn about myself through what you think at me. I know it seems like I’m mad- I’m really not! I’m just captivated by the world and how others look at me.

Anyway, thanks for hearing me out, and I hope to have good conversations with legitimate constructive criticism in many posts to come! Never stop being passionate. Just maybe direct your passion to something more positive. Thank you so much for the ask, this was a really good thought experiment for me.

[bubblyernie]

I’m going to say something so outta nowhere but the one line that’s prevailed in making me a more accepting person to myself and others came from a teen titans episode I watched when I was like. 10. Maybe 9? Where Raven says (to BB) “I respect the fact that you don’t eat meat. Please respect the fact I don’t eat /fake/ meat.” (Yknow cuz he’s a vegetarian)

And to put it in context as someone who’s aromantic but allosexual in a lot of niche kink circles and a very queer friendly place IRL (the school and city I’m living in) it really helped me to come to terms with 1. YKINMK ATOK as well as 2. getting over the “sex = impurity” culture that I grew up with. Like I hung around a lot of people who were also aro or ace or both around very, for lack of a better term, horny communities which had allo people too, and that’s all cool for them but then pretending Im “above” attraction or that it’s like ‘alt’ to not be into sex to be part of this inner circle was smth I had to get over. And it wasn’t anyone else’s fault but my own, and ofc we were all like fresh adults and stuff and having to learn this stuff of course comes with bumps in the road.

To reel it back to my point, it made me learn to be comfortable as someone who wants to be intimate by saying like “I respect the fact that you don’t want to have sex. Please respect the fact that I do”. Like to me this was a way I could avoid being dismissive or disrespectful, because that’s not what I want, what I wanted was to say like I’m not comfortable with this kinda tone, I’m going to excuse myself if that’s the case, but I still respect you speaking about your relationship with your identity

This is all personal experience ofc, I was raised religious too so that was a part of it. And this isn’t to compare myself to others who are aro/ace/both or put them down, and I’m especially not saying (to make this abundantly clear) that asexual/aromanticism and religious/purity/chastity ideologies are the same, that sort of thing can affect ANYBODY. Me overcoming purity culture was not a result of stepping over others.

As a side, most of the kinkiest circles I’m in are made up of ace spec people with the brightest personalities ever and even if you aren’t into kink that’s 100% cool!! again, personal experience, this is the only lens I’ve connected through which is why I bring it up, not bc it’s the only community for queerness. Im still learning, trying to get out there and that means not knowing everything. and I can’t speak for everyone in one post either ofc

ALL THAT TO SAY every time this comes up and I think about accidentally offending people I care about by establishing my comfort and boundaries, I think of “I respect that you don’t do (thing), please respect the fact that I do” from teen titans and it’s really helped as a way to frame what I’m trying to say

ANYWAY I was going to post this during pride month but I forgot so I’m saying it now bc every month that I’m queer is pride month lmao happy July 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 there’s parts I forgot to explain bc this is all stream of consciousness but I hope my point is clear.

Ps If you misinterpret this as a way to bash ace OR allo people, then I’ll literally saw off your teeth

[queenimmadolla]

ooh, we are social this week, which i’m digging! please note this isn’t an attack on anyone, this is just me adding to the conversation. so on the status of the fandom being dead. it is. (and this is a lot, cause i can’t shut up when i get going)

we can like sugar coat it all we want and say people don’t venture out to read or maybe they’ve lost interest in writing, but fandoms usually go dead—and this term doesn’t necessarily mean like absolutely NO FICS—it just means it wasn’t as hype as it was when the last season dropped, and that’s a literal fact. it’s been two years lol. summer of ‘22, i could refresh the eddie munson x reader tag and like 16 new fics and blurbs and posts would load every time, there was just so much fucking content—it was glorious and positive because there was so many people, way too many for people to start whatever bullshit ended up happening (that occurred during the first phase of people losing interest).

now if i refresh when i dare venture out to the tags (and we’ll get to that next), it’s not as frequent. plain and simple. it’ll pick back up when the next season drops, it’ll be all hype, and then it’ll die down again as the years go by. hell, even the supernatural fandom isn’t as wild as it used to be, and they were around for YEARS.

this is coming from someone who’s been here and read (and when i was just a reader, i lived in those tags) a specific steve fic for like 5 years because there wasn’t a ton of stuff being produced, yes some, but not even to the amount that’s coming out now. and that’s again because of the YEARS long gap. and the proof of that is in stonathan. we all know the gay ships are some of the most popular amongst fandoms, and while stonathan was replaced with steddie essentially, it’s been a hot minute since stonathan owned the stranger things fandom because again, it died down. people moved onto other ships from other shows or outgrew fanfiction for the fandom. that ship was like the stranger things equivalent to destiel at one point and now it’s a literal ghost, proof that this fandom does die down and that’s fine. it’ll pick back up one last time, it’s not the end of the world.

now onto the tags, a lot of people here—i’ve noticed more so sexually explicit writers (and i love your work, thank you for your service) just think people are like lazy or something. but really? it’s because a lot of people don’t tag their fics correctly.

some people have dark kinks, some people have more niche kinks, more innocent, etc., that’s inevitable, people have their own tastes. but they won’t tag it. and that’s when people get vocal about kinks and not letting people post what they want and stuff. do you, just make sure you do your due diligence, because when you intentionally don’t, people are gonna speak up. you and i know very well all tumblr users have opinions.

and when they do tag their work, it’s usually after it’s caused a stir or several hours after its been up (this is a tactic for engagement purposes, it’s not tagged for a couple of hours and then magically it appears hours after people have seen it and spread it and it happens pretty routinely). this is also applies to REBLOGS. i’m not sure if people think that because the original was tagged, it’ll be the same when they reblog, but it’s not! in fact, a lot of people just slap the eddie x reader tag on it and send it out again.

i get it, whatever it is may be your thing, my thing, but that’s just irresponsible and it sucks the joy out of whatever moment people were in when they went into the general tag. i don’t think it may have triggered them to the point of a mental breakdown, though i guess that could happen, but it definitely could put them in a man, fuck this shit i’m gonna go do something else or read something else from some other fandom, blah blah blah, and that’s valid, too. running into something you filtered out through the tags because someone didn’t want to tag their work so they could get more engagement kills vibes.

it’s happened a ton of times with me and so now i don’t go searching, because i’ve encountered waaaaaaaay too many dead doves with no proper tags other than “smut”.

i don’t ever really leave the three tab thingies on tumblr mobile home screen, so now i just get whatever i see my mutuals reblog, or something with a tag i follow (another neat feature to utilize), but again, because some people dont care to tag their stuff appropriately, it’s not always something i can read or something i feel mentally safe reading.

i doubt, like i seriously doubt, people only want to read their mutuals’ stuff. like me, i will support my mutuals and i appreciate them dearly but like….its not enough lol, i LOVE to read and i’m not tryna use them to farm a bunch of writing i can read for myself, that’s just fucked so i’m always looking (as best as i can while trying to avoid other people’s hidden landmines so to speak, because if i happen to like someone’s fic to read, i go back and check to see the blog is now just ‘???’ for me 💀) for new stuff from new writers, writers i don’t know, etc. that fits what i want to read (please, no more white character sibling!reader recs for me, i think you guys are so sweet for tryna plug me with something you think i’ll like but that immediately takes me out of the reader insert, like i can’t imagine myself or someone that looks like me)

yes, you can say there are cliques here who only support each other, and we haven’t been blind to drama and whatever, but people can say the same about you and your group of friends here. it’s all viewpoint. everyone is a part of a clique or group unless they literally don’t talk to anyone.

that aside, i dont know how many times ive gotten on here and like begged for recs and have been desperate enough to jump back into the general x reader tag to search for something to read only to encounter those dead doves. i hate not being able to venture out of my little cave, but it’s what i have to limit myself to. after this last dead dove with no warning, its gonna be a hot damn minute til i try again but i guess the whole point of this is

PLEASE TAG YOUR STUFF APPROPRIATELY AT THE TIME OF POSTING IF YOU ALREADY KNOW BETTER.

[junowritings]

Hi! I heard your requests are open and I know you don’t know me very well but I thought I’d send an ask 💛 my first ever 🤭

I’m a 24 year old woman, 5’3, brown hair to my shoulders, brown eyes and glasses. I can be a little introverted at times but when I’m comfortable with someone I tend to come out of my shell. I’m an only child 😔 I love all things creative and I have a love for all things supernatural and nerdy (80s vibes)

For my ideal partner I’m not very specific really I’ve got a vague idea.

My first ideal partner would be someone who’s always willing to challenge me and humour my constant ramblings, taking in even the smallest detail and adding their own spin on what I have to say. An animal lover for sure who can do their own thing but would come home at the end of the day and just sit together and exist. Someone I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life with even if he isn’t over his crusty dusty musty ex who’s got something in common with drake (and it’s not rap)

My other ideal partner is a little vague so please forgive me.

Male, 6’1 Half-Elf paladin who has a tumultuous relationship with being alive. Grey hair, beard, fuelled by grief - possible dead family. Slight homicidal tendencies (I can fix him) previous dalliances in governance. Girth 15cm, length 16cm, Tip #c88d94

Thank you can’t wait to hear your thoughts your stuff is amazing!! 🥰🤭💛

The way I immediately knew who this is I SWEAR-

I had to go a lot off my own knowledge for this one (also I need to brush up on BG3 a bit bc I think I need a better grasp on the characters.) so hopefully this is a fun to read as it was to write lmao

You know what ask and ye shall receive you joked about him but y'know who I'm gonna match you with...

Let’s just start this off with the obvious. It’s a miracle in itself that you’re still alive after an initial interaction with Ketheric. Anyone who remains in the tower are either prisoners, loyal worshippers of the absolute, or whatever poor souls have somehow managed to survive the shadow lands just to get here. And then there’s you, who exists as what is essentially the weird third party in this whole scenario. 

It’s not as though you intended to be here (or maybe you had who knows), but here you are,   Perhaps those first hours of quiet was what kept you out of sight, keeping to yourself and merely watching as each of the cogs in this plan moved and shifted as though little more than puppets. But once Ketheric takes notice of you he watches. You stand out like a sore thumb afterwards, if only because of how noticeably alive you are compared to everyone around you. Yes there are many there who are alive in a sense (unlike him), but you’ve got a gung-ho way about you that feels like you’d be better suited to be literally anywhere else than here.

Ketheric is heavily involved, as the general of the absolute’s army it is an unspoken must. When he’s not at Moonrise’s peak he is working across every inch of the tower, ever present as the time to strike grows ever closer. Because of this there are plenty of times where you cross paths, with you always throwing an over dramatic abbreviation of his name in greeting as you dart off to hells knows where before he can decide if today is the day he’s had enough. 

You always somehow manage to toe the line of the wrong word at the wrong time, but if that line exists none of the out of pocket commentary have pushed past it yet. Were it anyone else, it’s unlikely that Ketheric would have humored them long enough to finish a joke before making an example of them for anyone foolish enough to get the same idea. And yet you seem to walk away unscathed all the time, whether it’s rattling off a niche fun fact about something so out of the blue, or being straight up sat on his desk or on the floor beside his throne picking apart his war strategies with an eyeroll worthy pun at the end of each one.

You’re a walking anomaly - no one at the tower knows how you showed up or when, and any attempts that his followers have made to ascertain your origins only returns little to nothing that gives a definitive answer. Not to mention the few times that followers wishing to prove themselves have make an example of you somehow seem to always end up the fool. 

In regards to your penchant for any and all things supernatural, it’s safe to say that an undead general, dwelling within the shadowlands where a single wrong misstep out of the tower’s perimeter could lead to your unfortunate end, counts as something that’s right up your alley. There’s not a single inch that he hasn’t caught you hemming or hawing at. With undead creatures roaming the halls, anyone within their right mind would feel but a shred of terror; and yet all he sees upon your face is awe, watching you trail after ghouls where others would deign to keep fair distance.

That fascination extends to Ketheric. He’s already aware that you know of his undead disposition - the tales themselves paint a pretty picture of the dead man walking before you every day - but the true invincibility is new to you. The first time you experienced it firsthand, Ketheric had taken an arrow or two to the jugular from fools wasting what little remained of their lives. Where others' faces were grim at the sight and others horrified, Kethric still remembers the distinctive “HOLY SHIT!” you so eloquently shouted as he’d plucked the arrows from his throat like splinters. After that it’s a miracle if he doesn’t hear you ask about it. Ketheric waves off any attempts of concern for these injuries - they’re but mottles on dead flesh that will knit back together with time. But if you express fascination? That’s…new, and he won’t outright refuse to indulge your curiosity. Feel free to rattle off questions about the limits of his invincibility - just don’t ask how he does it, for your own safety and sanity.

Your habit to lurk and wander doesn’t go unnoticed - not even locked doors can stop that curious nature from getting the better of you and more than once Ketheric has caught wind of his followers’ latest gossip of your whereabouts. He sees it for himself firsthand, even when you haven’t actively been caught red handed. He’s seen you slide through corridors with armfuls of books and blood still dripping from your clothes after an unfortunate slip in Balthazar’s room; has seen the occasional ball roll out from the doorway to his old chambers from your attempts to coax squire into a game of fetch. And he has seen how you worm your way out of trouble you’ve caused - whether it’s being chased from the kitchens for trying to pet the gnolls or somehow convincing the traders for freebies whenever new wares come in. All the while laughing as you do so, grinning as though these foolish little acts mean such a great deal to you.

When had Ketheric last heard the ring of such laughter in the tower’s halls? A century at least. It almost feels out of place here, within the old bones of a place that holds so many memories for such a vengeful man. It should be nipped in the bud; should not be tolerated from a man who’s every waking moment is consumed by his loyalty for the one thing able to bring the only things he had cared for back from death itself. And yet he never stops you, never once cuts that laughter and smile short. Instead he pauses, for but a moment, and listens to you as you disappear into the safety of the chaos on the lower floors for a place to hide away and savor your spoils. It’s only until you’re from sight that he continues on as though nothing occurred, but even after your laughter has died down it persists, nagging in the corner of his mind at fond memories.

For whatever reason you seem content to exist within this abysmal place, and should you prove yourself competent enough to not hinder the big three’s goal with the netherbrain, Ketheric decides that having you here around him till that time comes isn’t the worst thing in the world.

[the-mspfa-200-favourites-project]

DEADMEAT

Okay, now we’re back to familiar, intriguing territory. A weird purple guy in the logo that doesn’t look like any Homestuck species…a really cool splash page that proclaims that this is “ISSUE #1,” thus telling me that probably the author likes comic books…a warning that this comic is not for those under 18+ range, and saying there’s going to be gore and nudity…well, okay, that last element doesn’t necessarily entices me the same way the other elements do, but it’s worth keeping in mind going into this, is my thought. Also worth keeping in mind, and a much more repulsive element, is knowing there’s going to be excrement/body fluids in this. Which is. Listen I’ve not had the best track record for authors being able to do that in a classy way, in a personally-pleasing way, let’s just say. Anyways. Here we go. DEAD MEAT.

OH. There’s an explanation at the bottom of this frankly impressive long intro page (there’s even some sweet dialogue formatting with it looking like a bunch of text messages, that’s cool) about how the command system to MSPFA works, and that’s interesting. Because it tells me that this is probably meant to be enjoyed by people not just within the niche community of MSPFA, but also the wider Webcomics sphere as a whole. In other words…this comic has some ambition behind it, it wants to have some weight outside of just the MSPFA world in general, or at least it wants to be a relatively beginner friendly comic. Again, see the warnings above. Or maybe I’m just reading too much into this.

This comic’s certainly different than most. Mainly because it’s prose style isn’t…traditional adventure-game prose? Like, when somebody in a typical Sleuthlike would pull up their inventory, they might comment on certain objects. They would not just type in “I got stuff” and refuse to elaborate. Not that I’m not, like, hating that. I’m also…hmm. I don’t know if I’m into that? That’s kind of how I’m currently feeling about this whole thing. But I do have to commemorate this Fanadventure for atleast going against the grain and making bold choices.

Okay so I’ve read enough to know that I’m not…really vibing with the style of this specific Fanadventure, BUT I will say that probably the people who WOULD vibe with this style would REALLY REALLY ENJOY IT. It’s doing some interesting stuff with panel composition and framing the action, all that jazz, but I’m not really, you know, vibing with it’s own style. Personal taste and all that. Still, I would recommend everybody go read a little portion of it to see whether or not it’s for you, and you might be pleasantly surprised!

[ijichi-nijika]

i just find it really fucking annoying when people can’t have media literacy and presume so much about something due to just its fanbase and their past experiences and it makes them say stuff that likens something i really enjoy and love to being their version of “bad” like seriously it’s so annoying. also it’s really fucking annoying that i somehow always like popular things that are popular because they are good and then somehow all my friends enter it late and come out of the woodwork just hating on it and it feels like it happens everytime with anything popular. like sorry i don’t enjoy random niche game series or anime #7; i gave it a shot but it wasn’t for me, is fine, but to completely devoid yourself of giving something a chance simply because “oh it could be like something that made me upset” without even giving it a chance is so backwards to me. i just don’t get it

like if you watch or read or play or anything something, and you don’t like it, sure more power to you. if you watch something and you have to turn it off early because you learn that it’s gonna cause you to be upset, also fucking valid. but give the fucking thing a chance to prove itself instead of just not! like i thought one piece was the dumbest shit for so long and thought i would hate it, but i started it and it’s really good, because i gave it a chance. if a friend likes something i am more than willing to give it a chance, regardless of my own feelings and priorities, because a friend will understand if i’m the middle of it i say “yeah this ain’t my thing” or “sorry this is causing bad feelings i need to stop” (maybe i’m just an idiot but i am making it clear that i do not mean “put up with things for your friends” or “clearly watch something that you KNOW has content you won’t enjoy/can’t watch”, just ask fricking questions instead of presuming like, “is it like this specific scenario?”)

and like being contrarian isn’t fun just enjoy whimsy and learn to just say “yeah i read it, and it was good!” instead of “yeah i read it, and i don’t get how everyone goes insane over this, like it was good but like calm down”. what’s even the point of that, when a person talking about it clearly enjoys it a lot! it does nothing but make them go from :3 to “oh…”

[loderlied]

Hey- I sometimes see you on my dash and I see you express that patches are gonna make you have to change stuff about your fic. I don't know you and it's not my business, but I think it would be a shame if you did that. Stranger's opinion, but if you've been working on this before whatever hypothetical content was patched in, then it seems like your thing is like. Super canon valid because it's based in what was canon at the time a lot of the work was planned, right? Like, people write fic predicting the future of serial works all the time, and if Larian is going to fiddle like this, you deserve to give yourself the grace possessed by an ff.net writer going absolutely fucking ham predicting the end of Naruto. Cringe example but like. You know what I mean? Your thing is valid and fun and meaningful to you and even if it branches from canon in the future nothing ever can adhere perfectly anyway, that's just the nature of transformative works, that they transform. I mean this as super gently as possible, but I think you kinda got that BG3 fan thing where you're scared if Larian doesn't sign off on your fan work it's not valid and you have to trash it, and like. That's not a thought that's good for anyone. You deserve to treat yourself better than that. I know it's hard with niche works but you gotta murder the creator approval guy in your head with hammers and stuff. I will psychically murder that guy for you as best as I can too. Anyway wishing you the best and hope you can find a way to take the edge off the anxiety and stuff 💕💕💕

i super appreciate this!! but i don’t really need larian to sign off on my fan work (in fact i would hate my story becoming canon just as vehemently as i do this.), what i need is for my interpretation (key word here) to just. make sense within the lore/story/plot/canon presented, y’know? it has to plausible, believable. i don’t need larian’s or anyone’s stamp of approval (except my own of course) but i do want people to look at my work & be able to go ‘i see where your interpretation is coming from’ basically. which is obviously not possible if that ship were to become canon in some way. but again, i super appreciate the kind words anon, and those from everyone that are similar, but the kind of person i am cannot enjoy creating fanwork if it derives from canon that much. like enaza is genuinely my absolute limit—they were only created so i didn’t have to change zeke’s character to be more charismatic and all, their role in the grand scheme of things is still tiny but squashed into the plot in a way that every event in canon can still perfectly occur, and it still irks me a lot every day since i made them. even if it was at one point making sense and isn’t anymore, it’s the now that’s most important in the end. i’m sorry! that’s simply the kind of person i am.

[noxexistant]

I'd be so interested to know what it's really like to live in a group youth home. Do you feel any kind of way when you read people's fic that gets it wildly wrong?

i’m honoured i got such a big response from people expressing interest in me actually making the list :’) i have started work on it!

honestly, i’m usually very understanding of people totally misrepresenting or misinterpreting the whole experience of, y’know, being parentless, living in a group setting with other kids, navigating trauma in that setting, etc etc. it’s a niche experience, and even beyond the fact that it’s pretty difficult to research it because it’s so experience-based and also varies wildly, it’s one of those things that you just honestly cannot understand unless you experienced it firsthand. the broad strokes of it are easy enough, but the specific nature of living in a home populated with traumatised and volatile teenagers is. a lot.

at worst, i just get kind of frustrated seeing how much people can miss the mark, which of course isn’t their fault, but it’s just this feeling of disconnect being exacerbated once again. a major thing is just the type of expectations people have for how hopeful or generally positive the whole situation can be, particularly for how well-adjusted and kind people who are in these scenarios would be. i hate to give a specific example, but it’s one i think about a lot - i read a lil piece about davey expressing his feelings about his place in his own family to the newsies, who were all very concerned and sympathetic, and it was like davey’s problems kind of became the centre of their universe once he expressed them. and that is just. not how it ever goes down.

“a mother and a father? oh, ain’t we the hoi-polloi,” spat as unkindly as race says it in uksies, is honestly one of the realest lines in the show - which, as a whole, really does do a good job of portraying the experience of being parentless and/or homeless, with just the right amount of bitterness and joking about it and not being able to bring yourself to care as anyone who’s in that position in real life feels and experiences. there’s a lot of bitterness and jealousy in it, even for the other kids in the same position, because everyone has or had something that someone else didn’t. we had a few kids that did have both, decent parents - they were the ones who came to us as a sort of day programme, usually for mental health and socialisation - and they learnt not to talk about their parents, because nobody ever wanted to hear it. and on the other side of things, nobody was ever affected by any awful story from anyone because we’d all experienced the same sort of stuff. you know that one atla scene, “my last girlfriend turned into the moon.” “that’s rough, buddy.” that’s the vibe of the absolute most sympathy you could hope for after talking about something terrible.

generally, it’s just a lot…worse than people tend to think. but it’s also human. those are the two extremes i see: people either unintentionally sanitise it to be at most a step away from normality, or they totally fictionalise it into horror. usually, it’s just lonely.

[9w1ft]

ever since the jaylor break up, i've been seeing a lot of swifties become receptive to gaylorism subtly — for instance, they're more willing to accept when songs radiate queer vibes and they're hopping on the "boyfriend taylor" trend even though that's kind of our joke 🤣 as much as it annoys me a little to see swifties act like they're the pioneers of something us gaylors, kaylors, and related sub communities have come up for years now, i would hate to gatekeep it as that'd create an obstacle in their path to actual gaylorism, you know?

oh dear im sorry anon i went on a free-form tangent that i’m pretty sure isn’t aligned with your ask but i’m gonna keep it anyway because i wrote a lot 😆

i know what you mean about the attitudes and i do agree that sometimes it can feel annoying to see people lift things from tumblr, for example, and then these people get credited for the idea by their peers and they don’t correct or cite sources, which can be awkward

and sometimes i will see people reinvent the wheel when the answers are already available and written better here by all of us.. and i want to be like! come here!! there are some incredible things for you to find here!! you know? i know these feelings can often come off as gatekeeping, and, because i don’t really have any big issue with things spreading like folklore because that can become a haze to hide in, i do agree with you that it’s best not to try to micromanage things in general.

here’s the tangent… your ask made me think about how there were similar patterns to this in spring-early summer 2019, as lover promo was rolling out and it (the promo) was markedly optically gayer than rep. i remember seeing an incredible heel turn from some otherwise notoriously hostile swifties, where suddenly they were like yeah maybe taylor is bi, etc. i also remember there being a whole new generation of wide eyed gaylors on tumblr at the time—because taylor was still here—and so many were in my inbox and my friends inboxes asking and researching and it was all good and fun for the most part..

so i will say this from the perspective of someone that has experienced mass onboarding in the past and has seen how it can and cannot work

contemporarily speaking, kaylors can’t really gatekeep gaylorism. because we’re kinda already gatekept from gaylorism by Gaylorism tastemakers. lowercase g gaylorism exists in concept but i think that as it currently stands, it’s actually a pretty on-rails ride that is curated by some that would seek to influence their own worldview onto gaylorism subtly, that positions an onboarding to their benefit. and i don’t think it’s something always done with strategic intentions.. humans tend to want to tell and guide others to what they believe is right, and strive for an environment that works for them as opposed to against them, it’s human nature in a way.. still, Gaylorism presents gaylorism as something objective but, it’s actually done pretty subjectively, imo.

and i haven’t minded standing on the periphery as a kaylor because, one, i think that it’s better in some cases to gatekeep (or keep niche) parts of kaylor because, given it is true, taylor and karlie probably don’t want it going full-on mainstream. at least not right now. so i might see rumors or theories that make up stuff or use incorrect dates or just in general takes that feel so wrong and needing correction but i try to accept it existing as a way for lots of otherwise clever people to be distracted from seeing what kaylors see.

and also, i think it’s best for people interested in kaylor to come to conclusions on the basis of their own research, and at times be incorrect, yes, but for it to be first and foremost something people come to believe of their own volition. because if it’s directed under one tent pole then weird interpersonal dynamics can happen, as is the nature of fandom.. id rather a thousand people have all different slightly incorrect understandings of kaylor but an understanding that is unified by and grounded in love for taylor and karlie, than a thousand people have the same understanding of kaylor but for people’s feelings to be defined by one single source.

and separately, i worry about trying to make kaylor too approachable or to not gatekeep (maybe the word isn’t “not gatekeep” maybe the word is “overshare”) certain ideas because of the sensitivity of the subject matter. if kaylor gets too mainstream then you get a huge wave of people and statistically some of them will inevitably be people that are into kaylor not for the girls but because its the trendy thing to do. that can lead to a disconnect wherein people engage with kaylor as an endeavor for us to analyze and not an idea that is grounded in the lives of real people. and that disconnect can produce frenzied behavior…

sorry i don’t have a good way to tie these feelings together into one conclusion but basically, i don’t think we as kaylors can really gatekeep gaylorism but i think that’s fine and i also think that at times kaylor might benefit from holding back a little and maybe that difference is because of what each thing has as an end game, maybe. if that makes sense.. yeah.

i think what i mean to point out is, i think there has been an influx in people who see gaylorism as a concept without orchestrators, for better or for worse. the word gaylorism didn’t exist even three years ago, and nobody new seems to know why or think about it. for better or for worse.

[beryroll]

the controversy with android and iOS

yes, I’m really going to express an opinion here 💀

DISCLAIMER: I don’t mean to offend, or insult anyone preferring Android or iOS. I am simply expressing my personal opinion on this matter, and use this as a caution in case you do not like what you see. Thank you for reading.

So, we’re finally talking about the biggest debate. Is Android better or iOS?

I hate to be another bummer just like the other reviewers, but it really does depend on the person.

Android has the best features, functionality and customisation. It has a lot of design options (thus appealing to me) and is quite popular too, mostly amongst geeks as well.

To most of the public, iPhone is the one. This is almost always because of its popularity and the symbol it represents.

“You have an iPhone? You’re rich. You’re part of a niche crowd.”

That sort of thing. I hate that motive the most because that means they don’t care about the little details and UI stuff that Apple looks out for. The little emojis. The little functionalities within each app. The little UI things it watches out for in its own apps.

In my opinion, I’d like a hybrid of iOS and Android — iOS bringing its design qualities, and Android bringing its customisation and functionality.

Not all Android buyers are always functionality-focused or geeks, and not all iOS buyers are paying for the status symbol. Sometimes iOS buyers might be looking for the minimalism the product brings, and Android users might be buying it for the variety of apps it offers.

There are plenty of motives and reasons why people buy which product which isn’t always expressed in the demographic, or the graphs, or the surveys.

Honestly, I was the worst indecisive tech geek you would’ve ever seen (still am). Before I got a new phone, I had two, working hand-me-downs: my dad’s Oneplus 3T and my mom’s iPhone SE (1st gen). These were like 2015 vintage antiques, to the bustling, big-phone-loving 2019-2023. I still survived, though.

I would switch between them so fast, it would span within three months to a day (yes). I took my time studying, deciding, and operating an Android and iOS device to reach the conclusion I boast today.

I now have a Samsung, and it’s the best. The temptation of an iPhone has haunted me to this day to (because of its minimalism and UI), so much so that I dug out my old hand-me-down iPhone, just to feel it working again.

Android phones and iOS phones still do have a long way to go, many improvements to inculcate, and a lot to start (especially iOS when we talk about system functionalities*), even if you might think this is the furthest we could go.

*With the addition of a customisable lock screen, iOS fans were on top of the world, with thousands and thousands of reviews popping up each second immediately after its release. Android was the clear winner from the start, just like Android fans said, because (as usual) Android already allowed users to customise their lock screens long before Apple did.

So yeah, today I pick Android.

Who knows what each company may unveil in the future?

[inexchangeforyoursoul]

time for some actual blogging bc why not

So anyway, I read that gay Chinese zombie book. I have not read an actual book since forever and was doomed, when originally writing this, to wait out the arrival of the rest of the series that I've promptly ordered, and you know what? Let's write a review is what.

For the dry tl;dr we are talking about a strong 8.5 for the first volume, and even that is because of display A, me not being interested in 80% of the school flashback chapter, and display B, the kajillions of similar names that get spiced up with the 2-4 fancy titles of the big shots which get used interchangeably as per demand. Not my demands, but probably good manners' which I'm a stranger to. The short bios of people in the front are a blessing if you want to follow who's who early on; obviously, I didn't savor it as if it was some holy scripture, but for the first chapter you also don't even need it.

Speaking of content, this was not something I expected with my main previous information source being random osmosis via internet. In fact, all I knew is that a main character comes back from the dead, there's other dead people, everyone is wearing pretty much traditional clothes and it's allegedly some good gay shit.

But this wasn't much of a preparation. See, that info was out of context mumbo-jumbo, much like what I'm trying to tap together right now to avoid spoilers. This isn't a fantasyfied period piece or a love story despite one of the main characters working a whole ass pine plantation. (Wonder how long it will take Wei Wuxian till the yuan drops, really. Current gayness rating is 3/10 btw as apart from his body having belonged to an outed twenty-something year old and him playing it up for either giggles or strategy, there's not much else to it.) What I'm trying to say is that man, when I bought the paperback seeing it was 50% off for roughly 5 'Murrican bucks I certainly wasn't expecting a supernatural action detective story with an enjoyable cast and a cliffhanger I wanted to punch a wall over. Color me intrigued. But there's another point I'd like to make.

The point being that the book is funny as hell. Of course this doesn't say much as my sense of humor is pretty niche, but I digress.

Wei Wuxian is a feral gremlin. A very professional and kind-hearted one, but a menace nonetheless. The number of times he's willingly done something irresponsible or stupid followed by regret .5 seconds later is on par with the number typos I've found in my translation. Which isn't a whole whole lot, but it's weird it happened as many times as it did. I'd ask how he's still alive, but, y'know…

The straight man to his antics (lol), Lan Wangji, is usually as interesting as a freshly whitened wall but when he isn't he's amazing. Also has the best scene in the whole volume, hands down. I was reassured there's more of the same to come and I'm filled with giddy anticipation because it had me thriving.

The Lan boys are sweethearts, I hope they'll stick around. They have their own little shenanigans and even if you aren't big on them you'll still look forward to their unexpected appearances once you realize that they are an indicator of shit hitting the whirling device and whipping up a whole entire storm in the very foreseeable future.

Wuxian's uh… nephew? I think it's his nephew. (He's called Jin Ling. I recognize it already, but haven't memorized it yet.) He is very punchable but obviously also a kid and I'm starting to worry for him, man. Either way, he has a demonic hellhound. Name's Fairy. Nuff said.

Then this new Xiao dude is fascinating me for a number of reasons, but even if he wasn't he had the funniest line in the book about 5 pages before things became wild and I was slapped across space-time and jail bars on the face with a to be continued.

The fact that this is a longer story that allows you to dwell on and theorize about stuff is also something I greatly appreciate as a One Piece and Homestuck fan. Theory crafting for an ongoing series is half of the fun, really!! (Ok, it's not ongoing, but I'm forced to treat it as such.) How will we get rid of Wen Ning's shackles? What even is he like when conscious? How long will it take for people other than Wei Wuxian's contemporaries to realize who he is? Will he drop the act himself seeing it's only a question of time until the info spreads? How close is Jin Ling to realizing that his uncle was right? Will he turn on Wuxian entirely or is he invested enough to stick around? Will he turn out to be a respectable cultivator later or be sacrificed for an especially tragic plot twist? What about Wei Wuxian's chances of survival in his current position? For that matter, will all the Lan boys live till the very end? Was the blind man pulling the strings all along or was he tricked into the murder and turned to the forbidden arts in desperation?? Are we fighting for our very lives or merely being tested right now?! Either way, the overpowered zombie talisman is nearby, the plot thickens!!!

So much to think about, I love it!

And although the whys and hows of the logistics are a total question mark, since about halfway through the volume, I have been about 80% convinced of who the unalive person we're on a quest to reassemble is. It's low-key worrying for a number of reasons, but whatever. But this is just a theory. A literary theory.

…

The next volumes can't arrive soon enough, man. (Before I posted this, they already did. Brb I need to rehydrate.)

[strattonxpressions]

Ella Gamboa

1. Name, Year, Major, and Hometown

Ella Gamboa, 2nd Year, International Relations, Woodland CA

2. What is your earliest childhood memory? 

My earliest childhood memory is going to the Charlie Brown museum with my family and pooping my pants while they were all ice skating.

3. What’s stopping you?

I’m really lazy and unmotivated.

4. What is something about yourself that you’re proud of?

I’m proud that I’m able to say I’m still friends with people I met in elementary school/preschool, and that I have the ability to lock in and complete tasks even when it’s super last minute.

5. If you could have any one question answered truthfully, what would it be?

“Are you telling the truth?”

6. Who is your celebrity/fictional crush? 

Probably Jungkook from BTS or Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender.

7. How would you spend your ideal birthday? 

I’d throw a big party with everyone that I love.

8. What food that starts with the first letter of your name would you only eat for the rest of your life?

Empanadas!

9. What’s one niche interest you have that you must share with the world?

I really love ugly/obscure looking dogs. My favorites at the moment are @ elly__1206 and @ thehandsomebean on Instagram.

10. What is a memory with your closest friend and how does it exemplify your friendship together and how you value friendship as a whole (250 words minimum)

When my best friend and her boyfriend broke up, she called me and told me what had happened. I didn’t drive at the time, so I immediately had my parents drop me off at her house to console and comfort her. We were sitting in her room, talking about the entire situation and planning out what her next steps would be to hopefully get over this awful man. We collected all the stuff that reminded her of the relationship, put it in a plastic bag, and removed pictures and other recollections of the relationship from her phone, as I ended up staying the night at her house. I think this memory exemplifies our friendship together, because I know she’s always going to be there for me as I’m always going to be there for her. We aren’t attached at the hip nor would we describe ourselves as a high maintenance friendship, but we know that ultimately, we can call on each other for anything. Nowadays, we only see each other about twice a month and barely text each other, but we are on the same page about how healthy this is and how we like this stage of our friendship. We know that we have our own lives but have the opportunities to regroup and pick right up where we left off. I think our friendship is a prime example of how I value friendship as a whole, because to me, friendship isn’t something transactional and it doesn’t obligate anyone to act a certain way as long as you support each other.

[catcake24]

I think people are manufacturing their own discontent here - the original post OP showed was about how in queer spaces, SOME people call gender non confirming cis people that they’re eggs and accidentally invalidate that gender experience.

However, other people interpret this post as one trying to say that society as a whole is pressuring cis gender non conforming people to be trans which… no one but transphobes are claiming. It’s confusing a post about a specific experience in the queer community for one about larger society.

I have experienced people in the queer call me he/him or a trans man without my consent, even though I tell them I’m they/them, because they either don’t see nonbinary as valid, or they see it as a stepping stone to being truly trans. It’s not common, I wouldn’t say it’s an experience people have had often, but it still happened and it still felt awful.

And a lot of people who are cis gender non-conforming feel this way, that SOME queer people, in an effort to affirm them, are looking past their own consent and desires on what they want to be called.

Just look at cases like f1nn5ter, who has openly wanted to be called He/Him, but people call him an egg or a trans woman because he isn’t conforming to the general queer idea of what a man is. In queer spaces, a man has much more freedom to be nonconforming, but at a certain point they start getting misgendered or their pronouns completely ignored because some people decided they know other people’s gender than the person himself.

This isn’t a regular experience, it’s a very niche one actually within the trans community, but people should be able to talk or complain about it on their own terms and not be called transphobic because their experience was taken out of the queer context.

HOWEVER, I totally agree with this post stating that trans women are usually not accepted by wider society, and this can get lost in gender discourse stuff. Trans women, unless they are completely passing, are often characterized by transphobes as predators, as “not really trans”, and misgendered more often. This issue of nonconforming cis men is very localized to queer spaces and online spaces where queerness is expected to the point of overcompensating, while trans women have to deal with way more shit than anyone else in real life.

Honestly This whole reblog is mostly inner queer community discourse which I am trying to explain to say why some queer people say this stuff about nonconformity. Trans women deal with way worse stuff than this, I just don’t want the queer community to constantly attack itself out of misunderstandings.

What trans girls hear in conversion therapy lol

[thisaintascenereviews]

Cory Wells - Harboring The Hurt I’ve Caused

I don’t know if I’m the only one who remembers this, but back in the early 2010s, there was a period of acoustic emo / spoken-word artists that would sing and then randomly scream towards the bridge to make it a little more emotional. It was such a niche sound, but it got popular for a bit. The main ones I can think of are the long since “canceled” Front Porch Step, and This Wild Life (I think they’re still around, and I may have listened to their last album, actually), but bands like Hotel Books and Being As An Ocean also come to mind, especially for being on the “heavier” spectrum from time to time, as well as using screaming in their music to emphasize emotion. Being As An Ocean dropped a new album earlier this year, and it was okay, but it took me back to a decade ago when I really liked that kind of music.

I’m reminded of that stuff again, thanks to this new Cory Wells record, Harboring The Hate I’ve Caused. I don’t know much about this guy, but Wells dropped an album in 2019, then kind of disappeared. I just noticed he dropped a new record this past weekend, so I thought I’d check it out. I never listened to his debut, despite remembering it come out, so I didn’t quite know what I’d be in for with this record. I was surprised when I heard acoustic / folksy emo, but it took me to 2014 when I heard Wells start to scream in the bridge, so that’s why I opened up this review the way I did.

I’ve made it known that I’m very picky when it comes to acoustic and folk music, and I even mentioned that apprehension on my review of the new Kacey Musgraves album, Deeper Well. A lot of this type of music is reliant on the vocals and lyrics, so if they’re not up to par, the album can suffer for it. The instrumentation matters, too, but not quite as much. As for Wells’ new album, I’m not sure how I feel about it, because there are things I really like, but also things that make me cringe. Not in the sense that it’s bad, but this album feels weirdly dated and it just takes me back to 2014 in a way I don’t like.

The sound itself feels a bit dated, because the emo singer-songwriter thing was huge back a decade ago, and you don’t see it much now, but it’s when Wells does that sing-scream thing towards the bridge that takes me back to that time. That’s not inherently bad in itself that he does that, it just feels melodramatic for the sake of it, and I remember when bands did that back then and I just don’t care for it now. That’s my own personal bias showing up there, so you may not listen to that and cringe a little, but I don’t want to say it’s bad.

I’m getting ahead of myself, because Harboring The Hurt I’ve Caused is a good album. Wells has a really good voice, and alongside having an impressive range, he has that “emo” sound to his voice, too. He sounds like a good pop-punk singer, but with a lot of range. His lyrics are also rather interesting, but like how he sing-screams to emphasize the emotion in his voice, his lyrics are kind of melodramatic. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, so I don’t know how I feel about it. They’re not bad, and there’s a lot of vulnerability in them, so I really applaud that, but they can get a little too melodramatic.

I think the biggest thing is that the songs all kind of sound the same, and you even hear that sing-scream part that I’ve alluded to a few times throughout the album. It isn’t on every song, thankfully, but it does show up enough where it gets old. The third time it happened, I was like, “Okay, the first couple times are okay, but we don’t need to keep doing this.” Thankfully, Wells lets some of the songs speak for themselves. The instrumentation of this record is its weakest point, as this is very forgettable and by-the-numbers acoustic / singer-songwriter fare, but it’s not bad. Some of the hooks are fine, but this album is kind of forgettable.

If you listened to any acoustic or folksy emo that has lyricism that vocal work that has some things in common with pop-punk and post-hardcore, especially a bit of light screaming, you’ve already listened to this album. That isn’t really a slight against it, because I’ve listened to tons of generic albums that are really good, but the key is that those albums offer something more interesting, whether it’s in its lyricism or vocals. Wells is a solid lyricist, even if his lyrics aren’t anything I haven’t heard before, and his voice is actually quite good, so there’s a reason to check it out. I just don’t know if it makes a huge lasting impression aside from being pleasant, and having an emotional weight behind it.