#tumblr should be fun not a struggle and an obligation

[tau1tvec]

I hope it's okay to talk to you here. I feel that so many people compare themselves to others and feel bad because of that, that's so awful. I have also this feeling like, I do something, it's so nice, but I feel so bad after I see other people did such a great stuff. It's sad because I even wanted to leave simblr for good. I don't even know how to fight this feeling. I'm sorry and I hope you have a nice day and feel much better than me rn. <3

I'm sorry to hear about your predicament, anon, it's tough being a dark place like this and not knowing how to get out, and tbh I don't think there's any one successful, let alone easy way of doing so.

One thing I will say for sure however, is that this is a completely regular human feeling a lot of people experience, all the time. How you're going to recognize it, and work through it is what you should be focusing on. We certainly do not want to let negative thoughts mess with how we feel when we're in a situation like this, bc it can cause us to make rash, and unproductive decisions, but sometimes the best thing we can do is accept that a lot of the negativity around the issue is probably related to something bigger we're dealing with, but also the act itself.

Removing yourself from the situation all together for a time, if it's making you that upset, is never a terrible idea. Taking some time away from online spaces, and finding something else to focus on for a time, be it catching up on your watch list, or spending time outdoors can offer you the clarity you need to find out what it is exactly that's upsetting you, and what needs to be done to help you through it in the future.

The one thing ppl tend to forget about social media is that in the end all be all, it's a communal space, whose sole purpose is prioritize clicks, and ads. You're going to have to share this space with other ppl, your content is going to have to share this space with other content, even content that might make you feel bad, you have to be willing to use the tools this site and third party tools give you to make this place safer for you, and for others, bc as much as it hurts to tell you this, the majority of ppl on here, aren’t going to know how or when they need to accommodate for you, and you'd be swimming against the current trying to get them to, and although I, and many others do our best to do what we can, ppl cannot, and should not be expected to stop posting their content, just bc it makes yours feel like it pales in comparison, especially since that's just what you see, not what others see when they consume and appreciate your content regardless of how you feel about it.

Lemme reiterate, I've been there, I still go there, but I've accepted that it's tied to my mental health, and my imposter syndrome, and my past trauma, and those are all my responsibility to contend with, and I'd be a hell of a hypocrite to say that bc myself or my content feels inferior to me or compared to someone else, that it's suddenly somehow their problem too?

It's not, bc I know without a doubt someone has felt this about me and/or my content at some point in my life too, bc this is a regular human feeling, everyone feels, at some point in their life. The only difference is how we deal with it, and whether we let it define us, and everything we do.

[simpjaes]

One of my fav enha writers elix8r on here just announced that they were leaving and it just made me so sad to see someone leave due to people not appreciating their work and it made me think of you and how you’re literally one of my only fav writers who haven’t left this site and I hope you never do cause ily so much and I was wondering how we could show you more appreciation for giving us amazing fics? Like I know you’re loved by so many people and get good numbers on notes but still like I don’t want to lose you too so lmk if there’s anything else we can do for you to make you know we appreciate everything you put out here 🥺

; - ; time for transparency, and a HUGE rant. But first, thank you so much, im so honored you said this to me <3

there are plenty of ways you can support me! For instance, i do have a patreon set up for eventual writing [which will still be posted here too for the most part], that won't happen until i have more time outside of school. I also do have cash app! Which i prefer over ko-fi because i don't like my personal information shown ;-; you can ask me for my cash app tho!

Other ways include simply telling me how my fics make you feel, or if you like them. You are never obligated to tip me money for what I write, and i will alwwwaaays want feedback and reblogs!

that being said: am i leaving tumblr?

I've been weighing my thoughts lately, and i've boiled it down that i really don't know how I feel about being here after I started writing four years ago. I don't like the way people feel entitled to access my life, and who I am. [remember that blog who posted my selfies, and other writer's selfies just so people could see it? without our consent? example number 2398749382, truly]

I don't like the cliques [even if we all end up in one whether intentional or not, some of you are just fucking mean], i don't like the moral police, i don't like the performative activism, i don't like the copying even if on a tiny level, i don't like how people treat me like a celebrity. I don't like how I can't monitor closely for underage people who should not ever be looking at my blog, let alone reading work that i did NOT write for them. the main thing though, really is the entitlement from people, and the blatant nasty intentions a lot of people have here, especially between writers.

It's unbearable sometimes.

Every day, i have to be talked out of deleting both of my blogs and writing elsewhere specifically for the freedom to stop walking on egg shells. Then again, some days, like today, i like it here.

So, while I was recently just waiting to absolutely disappear without a word here, today I feel good. Today, I feel like staying wouldn't be too awful.

I just want to make something clear to people while I'm talking about it. If i stay here, i will never care so deeply about fan fiction, or people's opinions on it outside of feedback on my work. I care about it as a creative process, and a skill to be learned, that's it. I do not care what other people read, i do not care what they write, i don't care who jerks off to what. I will never, fucking ever take fan fiction so seriously that I feel hatred towards another person. unless it involves minors/underage people, of course. that's entirely different for me personally. For the most part, i genuinely only care about what I'm doing and what i can do better.

If i stay, i need people to stop expecting me to be a spokesperson on literally anything and everything. I am a person who is genuinely struggling just to get out of bed. I am a person who is studying and doing home work more than I would be working if I had a full time job right now. I do not have time or energy to care deeply the way others do, and even if I did have that time and energy, i put it on things i love. Like writing my own fics and not giving a fuck about what anyone else is doing.

This blog is my space. It's my world. I'm sick of expectations for me to make it anything more than what it is: a goddamn kpop smut blog.

This website is excruciating to open sometimes. but on days like today, i really appreciate it and love it here.

I will stay for now, but don't be shocked if, in the future, i leave without even saying my goodbyes. I have things outside of this blog that matter to me, and I will never let myself feel unhappy doing something i love, that's more for me than any other person in this world who wants to scream their opinions.

**edit 11/20** and with the AI apocalypse apparently happening here, it really does feel like....bad to be here. i don't want people who don't write to put themselves on the same level as real writers. y'know, the ones who put love and effort into their work. It's very upsetting to see the amount of people who don't care if it's being used.

especially like....knowing those fics get hella interaction because it seems readers, even if they don't know it, seem to value false writing over very real writing. oof. anyway

as long as my writing stays fun and positive, i will be staying.

[ladyluscinia]

I'm already so sick of how the fallout of ofmd season 2 has snowballed into people on here going "fandom these days just can't handle Bad Things happening in media-- newsflash, characters have to get hurt and die, grow up!" all condescending like. First of all, in the context of Izzy, most people I've seen discuss his death agree that they would've accepted and enjoyed his death if it had just been handled appropriately, and also. "You just can't handle bad things happening to your fave!" Bruh. We were all partying it up when Izzy lost his fucking leg and was suffering physically and mentally. It can be FUN to see your blorbo suffer!

And that is just one example of a larger trend on this site-- people are really gonna come onto the "we love putting our blorbos in the blender and watching them struggle and suffer" site and say "kids these days can't handle Bad Things happening to their blorbos." Sorry, but that's just nonsense. Fandom loves their fix-its, but they also love shattering their faves. The problem has never been Bad Things happening in general, but HOW those things are framed within the narrative and how that narrative is told. The problem is when something is out of place in its genre, or when it goes against a promise the show has made, or when suffering is used flippantly and uncaringly, or when a character suffers and suffers and then just when they've finally caught a break, they're kicked down again, just for a cheap tug at your heartstrings.

Both within the context of ofmd AND in a wider fandom context, fandoms LOVE when our blorbos are hurt, as long as our blorbos are hurt RIGHT.

... And I think it sure is Something that a fandom can have a rampant issue with fans of a character being harassed and sent death threats and that's just "normal fandom being fandom" but god forbid people feel Emotions. About a Character and a Show. And dare to react by... just Offering Criticism! No, death threats are "fandom culture that comes with the territory," but if you vent post or criticize a writing decision in media, THAT'S being "hysterical" and "overly emotional" and "truly frightening behavior!" I just LOVE (big sarcasm) how back when people were getting doxxed and threatened for liking a guy, the fandom was all *cricket noises,* but NOW suddenly everyone is "terrified and exhausted by fandom's volatility" and "concerned about the fragile mental health of fans" when you simply say "damn that episode sucked and I sure am sad about it."

The OFMD fandom was toxic as fuck for a year and a half and continued to be toxic as fuck for all the airing of S2, so hardly surprising that the aftermath of S2 appears to be... toxic as fuck.

Least surprising thing in the world is that the people who hated Izzy and passively or actively supported driving his fans out of the fandom for "ruining it for everyone else" now think his fans should leave the fandom if they are so upset and stop leveraging "baseless criticism" at the show that is "ruining it for everyone else." They have normal not-at-all-parasocial relationships leading them to directly @ David Jenkins and thank him for a season that somehow managed to be both flawless and have all its flaws blamed on MAX, but those wretched Izzy stans have horrible-evil-parasocial relationships making them harass the crew by *footage not found*

If Mr. Jenkins decides to go scroll the #ofmd s2 tag on tumblr and stumbles across me - a random blog and icon - outlining how I think he fucked his show up, that's pretty clearly on him? This is tumblr. I have no relationship with this man or obligation to tailor every word I say as if he's bound to see it and going to take it personally???

I'm actually a big proponent of "Don't @ the cast and crew about pretty much anything" because the same fandom mentality that makes you think you can randomly ask him about your headcanon like you're chatting is what all these people are melting down about if someone directly goes "hey you killed my favorite character and that makes me mad!" - same fucking people, same fucking parasocial relationship. The standard of "only @ them for good things" is the flimsiest fucking line, as any ao3 writer who has received unsolicited "constructive criticism" or "advice" can tell you.

If we want to snidely get into "what this is really about" well it's the same fucking thing it was before:

People substituting subjective opinion as objective fact with zero self-awareness of doing so. "I liked this so it's good." "I didn't like this so it's bad." "I got bad vibes from that character so he was clearly written to be horrendous and unlikable." "I sympathized with this character so anyone suggesting he has flaws is demonizing him."

Or the deepest circle of fandom hell: "I think [insert identity] rep is so important and this piece of media fits into however I personally define 'good rep', therefore it is flawless and/or morally significant enough to be above criticism."

...which, yeah, leads to temper tantrum levels of fandom infighting, especially since people online express, fairly frequently, "I didn't like it because it was bad" and then present evidence for their point. And also a lot of fandom likes bad TV. Or even just mediocre TV that's entertaining.

I personally was not going to be happy about any person beyond one-offs, blatant villains, and background randoms dying because "they had to" (for their own arc or someone else's) because I fundamentally think if you believe you've written yourself into that corner in a workplace comedy that's built around a main romance arc... you're kinda stupid. Yes, even if it's pirate themed. Enough injuries have been walked off and lampshaded to confirm that part is aesthetic.

The fandom wiki for The Office lists 11 deceased characters. Three of them are fictional characters who die in an action-movie episode. Two are one-offs that get named dropped seasons later as having died offscreen. One of them is an offscreen cat, who appears to have had a more significant death plotwise and emotionally than any of the humans, and another is a woman who literally exists as a picture someone makes up a personality for and then discovers the real woman died. The most significant character on the list is a temp boss that got a four episode story arc about being a useless idiot who died in the hospital after a basketball dunking accident.

That is a show that ran for 9 seasons and over 200 episodes. It's pretty universally regarded as good, and the cringe asshole boss getting genuinely moving emotional beats is a big part of that. I think we can maybe pretty confidently say that reflecting the random realities of death is not essential to every story.

If OFMD wants to be evaluated as a hard-hitting drama or a queer story about the struggle of piracy against the Evil Empire, I will compare it to Black Sails instead of The Office. I just don't think David Jenkins is going to enjoy that comparison.

I'm not going to lower my standards because [insert rep reason the show must absolutely be a wild success here].

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

totally feel free to ignore but what are some tips you have for writing? I rlly want to write x readers soon but idk how to start

Write for yourself: write what you want, when you want, for whatever reason you want, and don't let it become an obligation. It's hard to gain traction on a site like tumblr so you don't want to get discouraged by a lack of feedback/notes: which will probably happen if you're trying to write for others instead of yourself. Gaining fame should be irrelevant to you: it'll make you happier in the long run and save you a bunch of self doubt.

Read a lot. It can be whatever you prefer: fiction, nonfiction, fanfiction, etc. It simply helps to remind you what proper grammar, sentences, and characters look like. If you ever find yourself struggling to word things, take a break and read something else.

If you're creating a new blog to write on, reblog things to it or make unimportant posts on it immediately upon creating it. They can be things you'll end up deleting in the future, it really doesn't matter, it simply helps your blog be seen in the tags you're looking to post in quicker. Tumblr; at least when I started, has a sort of authorization process (for lack of a better term) where a new blogs posts will not be seen in tags until they've made a couple posts/reblogs. It's a sort of "prove you're not a robot" process that ends quicker by doing the aforementioned things.

Tag things properly and learn proper fanfiction terms.

Rewatching/rereading is your friend. Sometimes it's necessary to watch clips back again to see the little things that you might have missed on your first viewing. Even the smallest of interactions can really help to flesh out a character when writing for them.

Watch other films. There's only so many different kinds of character archetypes out there and finding similar characters to watch can help you come up with ideas for the ones you want to write for.

Don't limit yourself. Experiment with different kinds of fanfiction and see what works for you. You might prefer one type of fanfiction over the other or you might want to write different kinds. (i.e. look into the difference between imagines, headcanons, blurbs, etc.)

Don't force yourself to finish something. If you want to write ten different things all at once, don't force yourself to complete the post you're struggling with when you could finish two different ones in the mean time.

Give credit where credit is due. Don't grab a gif from a random place and claim it as your own or steal writing from somebody else (even if it's just a small segment). Always tag or link wherever you've found something and respect peoples wishes if they don't want you to use it.

Being self indulgent is part of the fun but try not to let it cloud your judgement when writing for different characters; especially if you're trying to appeal to an audience. There's a fine line between writing fanfic and making an oc out of preexisting characters: both are fine but if you're trying to appeal to the masses and/or be accurate, don't force things to fit just because you wish they were so.

That's all I got off the top of my dome so I hope that this helps! Good luck!❤

[cunttom]

every day i kept asking when will tumblr user cunttom return from the war........

anyway. Tom unpopular opinion now

i actually returned from the war just yesterday...

LIST OF MISCELLANEOUS OPINIONS WHERE I STRUGGLE TO GAUGE WHAT IS "POPULAR" OR "UNPOPULAR"

beyond tom is absolutely excellent. while OBVIOUSLY the characters arent the real people, tomska's favoritism toward tom is literally palpable. if you touch your hand to the screen while you watch legacy it is like a beating heart. late classic > beyond > early classic > legacy.

the tom's tales are sooooo fucking good i wish people talked about them more theyre so fun and i consider them canon.he jumped in a blender. he fucked a tree. its absolutely joever.

despite edgytom distaste I LOVE HIS DEMON I LOVEEE HIS DEMON MORE PARANORMAL EDDSWORLD FUCK SHIT1! he should be fun and whimsical and silly and cruel and mean and also wacky.

its hard to take depression-angst fanon tom seriously. i try because often its venting but its so hard for me to reconcile with canon tom. to even perceive them as the same character

he should have cool gore. matt & tord get zombehs. tord gets exploded. edd gets to barf green. maybe we should have more transformation horror. matt gorewhore but someone needs to hang out with him

eddtom growing on meeeee between projection on tom and i just feel like they have a housewife4housewife thing going on. only ones with any sense of responsibility but they dont want to oblige it. theyre very "domestic" to me. tomtord hatesex? more like eddtom hatesex (due to puns)

zantom. toms cool boyfriend who occasionally whisks him off for violent adventures that edd and matt dont know about but are insanely jealous of.

his casino fit is so lame and the noir comic made no sense. people seem to just adore his casino fit. he could be so cool as a casino card dealer but edd gould just put him in a vest with a name tag. he looks like a valet. hes who patrick was mocking when he said can i take your hat sir.

thompson and tamara are hot and tom is NOT.

they took away his ass but they cant take away his canonically massive doinker.

if he was blue leader he would win. because his goal would be to take a nap and he would do it.

[magpiesmemes]

|| Magpie's Tumblr RP guide ||

So it's been a while since I made one of these but with the shut down of omegle, more people are joining the site to rp, I figured I'd explain some of the basics.

Now none of these are necessary, you can just do as you do but these are some of the 'norms' here on tumblr currently. They may change and evolve over time, they've done so countless times in my time on tumblr but here's this for now for those who might find it useful!! Please feel free to offer feedback on this, I struggle with giving instructions so I've tried to make it as clear as possible but my brain isn't the best with this kind of thing. I will correct anything that needs correcting and add things as time goes on, so please do check back if you request an explanation/addition to something as I will try to add it asap.

Last updated: 29/11/23

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BASICS

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Basic Etiquette

Don't reblog roleplays that aren't yours, often this will mess up peoples thread trackers and it's a nightmare.

Rather than reblog asks to continue them as roleplays, make a new post and link the ask in that post. This avoids blog clutter for both parties.

ALWAYS read peoples rules and about pages. No exceptions.

No one is obliged to write their character purely as they are in canon. Canon divergence, au, or just additional headcanons for canon characters is very common. Do not make issue with someone just because their writing for a character doesn't fit with how you see them. It's their character, just don't write with them if you don't like how they write them. Simple as that.

Don't godmod. This means don't take control of a persons character unless otherwise instructed by the other writer, do not assume attacks immediately hit/injure/kill their character without prior planning for such a thing. You can write the attack, just don't assume it lands. This also applies to your character being aware of things - just because YOU know something, doesn't mean your character does.

Mun does not equal muse. Many people play villains because they're fun, don't assume that these people share the viewpoints of such characters just because they're writing them. The RPC would be painfully boring without some villain muses to stir the pot!!

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xkit rewritten

The absolute saviour of tumblr rp when you're on pc, unfortunately I don't believe it's available on the phone app but it's super useful for pc users. For chrome you can find it in the chrome extensions, I'm sure it's available similarly for other browsers. The functions on xkit that specifically benefit rp are: clean feed (for blacklisting any content you don't want to see), mutual checker, tag tracking+ and trim reblogs. Any others are entirely up to your discretion whether you want to use them or not. To use 'trim reblogs' the post must be in your drafts or posted, then you can use the little scissor tool at the bottom of the post to snip off older replies and avoid posts becoming excessively long.

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Settings

So if you're like me and want a chronological timeline for those you follow? Here's how to do that. Go into account settings. Not the blog settings to edit how that looks, you want the settings that has your account info, dashboard preferences, ect. Click 'Dashboard', which should be on the right hand side menu on your screen if you're using pc. Optional: Enable 'Show timestamps' so you can see how old posts are. I find this useful as it ensures I'm not responding to something that is 5 years old lmfao. Scroll down and turn off 'Best stuff first'. This should make your 'Following' tab chronological, ensuring you see whenever people you follow are posting.

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Blog Design

Try to make sure you have a header and an icon for your blog, you can set those using the 'blog settings' tab. Even if there's no picture of your character themselves, try to use an image that captures their vibe - this advice is for both the icon and the header tbh. While not having one isn't bad, it will make people less likely to follow back or perhaps even block you! Often iconless/headerless blogs are spam bots and everyone loathes those.

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Meanings of words commonly used by RP accounts:

Mutuals - Your mutuals or 'moots' are those following you that you follow back. Private - This means that the blog only interacts with Mutuals. Selective/semi-selective - Won't roleplay with everyone, they'll rp with people based on their own preference. Thread - A single rp storyline. Verses - Different timelines of characters. Eg. Kidverse, fantasyverse, ect. Mun/Mundane - You! The writer of the blog! Muse/Muses - Character/s you're writing. Faceclaim - The 'actor' of your muse, whether canon or otherwise. Who do you imagine playing them when writing or whose icons would you use for them.

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Tagging

When writing with someone it's a good idea to put their username in the tags at the very least, this allows them to find your threads easier. ie: '#magpiesmemes' would be used by others if they were to write with this blog.

Making tags for individual threads is also useful, meaning you can find specific rps far quicker. They don't have to be fancy but some people do like to make fancy ones. A nice simple one would be 'Thread: Threadname'.

Also having tags for specific verses is a good idea, indicating to your rp partner what timeline they're writing it. Something like '#kidverse' will do the job but you also can make those fancy.

Having a tag for rp memes you've reposted is a good idea also, meaning it's easier to find if someone wants to send you something. '#memes' does the job just fine.

Lastly, if you're a multimuse then having character tags is a good idea, indicating to people what character they're writing with. Something like '#charactername' is fine but again, any tag can be fancied up to your likings.

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Pinned Post

Having a pinned post at the top of your blog has become fairly standard practice in the rp scene these days. Usually this has your important links on it (rules/muse pages) and some explanation of what kind of blog yours is. For example: 'This is a Private, selective blog for charactername from fandom/an oc. Written by mun. [Ruleslink] - [Muselink]' This would work as a simple rudimentary introduction for people checking out your blog. You can pin a post by selecting the three dots in the top right on it after it is posted, ensuring it's the first thing people see when looking at your blog. This is mine, for example but it needn't be so indepth. I just have zero chill. If you're writing on a sideblog then it's best to also have a pinned post on your main account with a link leading to your roleplay account. That way people will know that you're a roleplayer looking to write if you follow them - and also they may follow the link to check out your stuff!

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Making Rules/Muse pages

These are important to indicate to people what you will or won't write, your personal writing preferences, ect. Many people won't rp with people who don't have these as it means they can't be sure of boundaries. People often use a post to do this, linking it in their pinned post to ensure people can find it. [Tutorial on how to link posts here]. That's the simplest way. You can also make a google doc or even make a carrd instead, linking them for people to refer to for this information. Alternatively you can use your pinned post and simply list it there - though there is risk of it cluttering your page if you have many muses. To avoid that, you can use a 'read more' such as the one this post was under. Make a new paragraph and various options come up, you want the one that looks like two straight lines with a squiggly line between them. [This icon].

Things to have on your rule page:

- Things you won't roleplay/triggers. - What is your stance on shipping (do you autoship with people who rp your muses partner or do you prefer chemistry first, ect.) - Writing length preference. Do you prefer short simple threads, paragraphs or more novella style? - Do you use icons? Do you prefer your partner would use/not use icons? Same questions with text formatting. - Tagging requests. Are there things you want to avoid on your dash using xkit's blacklist?

Things to have on your muse/about page:

- Basic description of who your character is, it's best to write it as if you're explaining them to someone who hasn't seen what they're from - even if they're a popular canon character. - If they're an oc with a universe of their own, a basic explanation of that universe would be useful but isn't really necessary if you can't/don't want to. - A picture reference of some kind is also useful, if possible. - A description of the verses you write them in. For example: 'Kidverse - This verse is set when my character is aged whatever and this is a short description of what they're like in that particular verse.'

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Advertising Your Blog

One of the many ways people advertise their blogs is by posting self promos. These are usually edited images with a little blog tagline, links to important pages and a short description of your blog. Here's an example of my own. Including tags of the fandoms you write in/write with is a good way to try and draw attention your way. Alternatively, if you're limited in your image making/editing skills you can make a simple post, perhaps with an icon or gif to draw attention. Explain your blog, what you write, who you're looking to write with, ect. Make sure to include tags so people can see it!

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More To Do?

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Okay, so you've got the basics down, now what? Well, there's a lot you can do to make your blog more functional and/or appealing.

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Thread Tracking

So you've got a roleplay but you're scared you'll forget to reply? I recommend RPThreadTracker. There's a how-to use it on the site faq and it's a lifesaver in keeping track of your threads tbh.

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Icons

Though not necessary, you can find icons to use usually by searching the 'charactername icons' or 'faceclaim icons' right here on tumblr, be sure to follow peoples instructions for using them though. Some people will want a like/reblog for their use.

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Formatting

Many people, like myself, use some form of text formatting when writing. Some of the usual ones are small text, like the one I'm writing in now. That's done either by using 'ctrl+shift+-', 'ctrl+-' or you can use this:

while highlighting text. This tool also allows you to colour your text, italicise, ect. Play around with it in your own time to see what works for you. Some other useful keyboard shortcuts:

'Ctrl+b' - Bolds highlighted selection 'Ctrl+i' - Italicises highlighted selection 'Ctrl+z' - Undo, good for if you've accidentally erased text you didn't mean to erase.

[threebooksoneplot]

Question for G :)) how was your fanauthor workshop experience? I don't know if I should apply it sounds interesting but at the same time almost no reviews or whatsoever. Thank you!

well I ended up doing it a second time, so I'd say it was pretty damn good! I think the reason there are "no reviews" is mostly due to tumblr's format not really lending itself to that? @fanauthorworkshop isn't marketing itself as a product so much as a pedagogical (educational) extension of the existing fandom gift economy—an exchange where you both learn stuff and share/teach stuff!

this answer is mildly off-podcast-topic and it's gonna get super long and wordy, so it's under a cut lol you're welcome

my Fanauthor Workshop experience

personally, I found the FAW perfect for me. I was at the point in my fic writing where I was getting some lovely comments and glowing praise, but also wishing the world in general took fanfiction more seriously, as a craft to be practiced and discussed, something with both intrinsic and literary merit. @bettsfic's first episode as a guest on Fansplaining really resonated with me and kind of spoke to that desire (it's a must-listen for anyone on the fence about applying to the FAW!!)

but I had never studied creative writing at a university level, and barely knew what a crit letter was. I found the FAW was the perfect way to learn that sort of thing in a low-stress environment! I didn't struggle with feelings of burdensome obligation the way I had with schoolwork; rather I was excited to read everyone else's writing and see what it had to teach me. I also loved having an appropriate venue to air all my writing opinions, lol. I found I was so motivated that I managed to attend every FAW session even though it conflicted with family vacations two years in a row. I wrote crit letters from the lobby of a restaurant in a national park because it was the only place with wifi. I even Zoomed into one session from a random public library in Durango, where I managed to alarm everyone else in the irl vicinity with my enthusiastic discussion of fictional cannibalism (shoutout to the story we workshopped that day, it SLAPPED.)

personally, I approached the FAW with the very specific goal of Having Fun first and letting the writing stuff come second (ie, not putting too much pressure on myself when it came to choosing and polishing my own workshop pieces, and not worrying too much about how they were received.) I still ended up getting some AMAZING critiques and responses to my two (very different) pieces—I was deeply impressed by everyone's insights, how much they were able to pick up on, and how willing they were to meet me at my level. the other pieces we workshopped ranged all over the place in technical ability, from "giohvnsksbnf this writing is so good I'm gonna fucking eat glass" to "this person is clearly just starting out as a writer, but even if their prose has some technical mistakes, their story has Good Bones and their critiques and discussion observations have been spot on."

my big secondary goal was to Make Friends and there I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. I now have SO many cool FAW mutuals, a few of which I have hung out with IRL and the rest of which I totally WOULD hang out with IRL if given the opportunity. they're all uniquely creative and clever people who I probably wouldn't have met otherwise, so that's kind of the biggest Win for me. it's so cool knowing I have all these people I could DM out of the blue and be like "hey, would you mind looking over this short story/beta-ing this fic chapter?" and end up with some great insights. there's also an FAW Discord where anyone can kind of bring fandom- and writing-related questions to the floor, as well as share recs and self-promote projects (or in my case, recruit podcast guests who I know have been pre-screened for both their chill lack of pearl-clutching and their basic fiction-analyzing skills, lol.)

I would recommend the Fanauthor Workshop if:

you're a self-taught writer who's done most of your learning in the fanfiction space and you're curious about how writing is actually taught in academic settings

alternatively, you're a writer from an academic background who chafes at some of the more restrictive rules in traditional workshops/you're tired of the irl Guy in Your MFA -types who refuse to or can't engage with your work on its level

you're ok with doing some "homework" (writing two crit letters per week) on the honor system

you're down to read original work in a wide variety of genres/read fic from fandoms you're not in (maybe even fandoms/pairings/characters you don't personally like)

you like what you read in @oficmag

you wish fanfiction was taken more seriously as a craft

your favorite trad-published writers all seem to be workshop alumni (eg: I swear half of my favorite writers are Clarion grads)

you have work you'd like to publish and/or submit someday but you're not sure if it's ready/not sure where to start

you follow writing advice blogs or send them asks

you wish people would leave "concrit" (constructive criticism) on your fics

you wish people would leave concrit on your fics but you're worried they might be too mean or not "get" your work

you wish people would analyze your work and give critique without letting their personal value judgments get in the way (and you're ready to do the same in turn)

you worry your work is too niche, kinky, queer, romance-focused, or "weird" for a traditional workshop (note: but it doesn't have to be any of these things. people also workshopped gen and the equivalent of coffee shop AUs!)

you'd like to hear perspectives that don't come from cishet dudes

you enjoy Class Participation and discussions (or maybe you're no longer a student and miss that kind of thing!)

you think @bettsfic seems like a good teacher (spoiler: she REALLY is)

you like the idea of a creative writing class with no grades or possibility of "failure"

you'd like to meet people you probably wouldn't meet in any other setting, and make some cool friends from other fandoms

if even a couple of these bullet points sound like you, you'd probably get a lot out of the FAW!! I hope the next session of FAW-ers have a blast. I'll be lurkin the Discord rooting for y'all

[lumiy-a]

Usually people write their existential year review at the end of the year and not at the beginning of the new one, but hey I have a full time job life happens etc etc and so here I am, realizing two good things that happened to me last year and I think I could share on Tumblr, I'll put it under the break so nobody's obliged to read...

I mean generally for me 2024 was a very good year IRL, so I cannot complain about that, but strictly speaking of fandom experience and fanmade stuff crafting I think two very good things happened and I'm happy to share. They were very important, because I remember at the end of 2023 I was a bit sad and frustrated about my fanfic writing experience, but now I think I've grown up a little and see things from a different perspective.

The first and very surprising one was how much joining a fanfiction writers community gave me. It started with hanging out in the two biggest subs on Reddit, but then I found a specific community I like, which is about review exchanges. I don't always participate in the exchanges right now, but I met a lot of writers and saw what supporting other people regardless of the fandoms, headcanons, ships etc. means. It's really a different level of mutual understanding, I think, because we all struggle with the same things even if we write for remote fandoms and different types of fics and won't even ever read each other's works. Some of them are my mutuals on Tumblr and I love it when they appear on my dashboard.

The second one is that concerning the specific fandom where I'm active, I started to curate my online experience by only interacting with people I'm comfortable with and who (hopefully) are comfortable with me and with what I do. We already have so much stuff to do IRL, so much stress and negativity out there, that at least the hobby of gushing over a comic starring five magical teenagers should not be a toxic experience. I found supportive people whom I in turn like to support and I'm always open for more, and it makes the whole experience exactly what it should be - something where everyone has fun in their free time.

Oh and I'm rewatching "Once upon a time". Joining that fandom and learning all the cool ship names was probably peak of my 2024 online life.

[lily-orchard-gossip-blog]

at.tumblr.||com/lily-orchard/toh-fans-were-saying-luzs- || depression-arc-was/n15gs2tejahh (link broken up because tumblr and anon messages)

God the way she and that anon talk about Luz here… zero fucking compassion. “Luz doesn’t learn the lesson she’s clearly supposed to learn!” Bitch yeah she doesn’t. Because she’s a self-loathing fourteen year old girl who is still afraid everyone in her life will hate her.

They both criticize the other members of her cast for “bending over backwards for Luz” because clearly, if your loved one is pushing everyone away because she thinks she should be hated the right response is… to hate her for it? Like i get that you should not be expected to support someone else’s entire mental health, but wow. What the fuck.

It also rubs me the wrong way because of things i have personally experienced. I struggle with my mental health, and Luz’s pushing away everyone and trying to punish herself very much is realistic. I did the same thing, including trying to get out of celebrating my own birthday and considering skipping my prom because I felt like i didn’t deserve to celebrate and have fun. I’ve had a friend do something similar as well.

And i get what she’s getting at. Being shut out really fucking sucks. It makes you feel unwanted in a way that hurts deeply. And you are not obligated to put up with it. But here’s the thing: the others are choosing to combat it and put up with it. Amity tells her directly that she knows it’s hard and scary, but she wants to keep Luz in her life. And it’s not like they’re constantly up her ass trying to be her therapist like the post alludes to - they do their own thing in thanks to them. They are giving her space.

And yes, Luz is in a bad place and not being the perfect little uwu sunshine baby anymore - but that’s normal. It’s normal to not be perfect all the time. It’s normal to help your friend through a though time. It’s okay to be a burden sometimes. Lily is also referring to Luz’s other coping mechanism of “must fix this all by myself” as better than her depression, without recognizing that this is very much how Luz acts here. Yes, she’s not proactive, but in her current situation there isn’t really any way for her to be. She still takes it all upon herself and believes she must make up for it somehow - the thing is, she can’t. Her decision never to return to the demon realm is a desperate attempt to repent somehow, and in her logic even prevent further harm. Lily just refuses to engage with any of that, because having a character go through a realistic arc after experiencing an immensely traumatic event is just edgy torture porn for her.

.

[cellythefloshie]

How often do you post?

As a writer myself I feel inadequate when I see people post a ton. I’m trying to get the second chapter out on my first series but it’s taking forever the first chapter was posted a month ago. I feel bad for my readers. -🦩

I don't really have a set posting schedule anymore. If I have the content, I would try to post 2 times a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) but in the reality of it all, I rarely have that much content to push out these days.

In 2023, my muse and writing time was very inconsistent, and it can be seen in the chart below that displays my posts per month for 2023 - this includes fics and imagines (but does not include NSFW Alphabets).

As you can see, there are months where I posted less than 5 times (January, June, August, October, November and December) others more than 16 (March). Those low post months can be very discouraging, especially when you see people posting a lot of fics in a short period of time - ex this holiday season I saw a lot of people writing anthology collections for the holidays. They were posting almost daily! And here I was struggling to get 3 fics out! And that's a completely natural feeling to have. Sometimes it just takes longer to make content and that's okay!

There are so many factors that come into play when you get to write and post. Work, family, friends, wellness, motivation. They will all cut into your writing time. And please remember, that all of those thing should be a priority before a blog on Tumblr. This is a hobby, for fun, this is not a job. With that said, let me show you how those things influenced my writing in 2023 by comparing 2 months: April and December. The following are my stats for April:

I wrote 5 imagines for my 300 Follower Celebration and posted 5 fics for Road Wife and one Stand Alone Fic: Daddy Dunn. The shortest post was 528 words, the longest being 7735. The Average Word Count was: 2334 Words.

During this time, I was working 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. My job was not demanding, with a lot of downtime that allowed me to write multiple short fics during my work day.

April is also a month that is not busy for me, I have no family obligation (birthdays, anniversaries etc). which gave me more free time after working hours to write. Burn out was non existent.

The following are my stats for December:

I wrote 3 fics in December. I had no events active on my blog this month - yes, I've been avoiding finishing my 500 follower celebration posts but I swear I will get those done in 2024. ANYWAY. The Shortest fic was 826 words, the longest being 12,164. The Average Word Count was: 4753.

During this time, I was training at a new job, working 8:30am - 4:00pm. I spent many of my evenings studying. I no longer had time to write during work with the exception of the occasional work break. I also began the transition to working shift work. Burnout has been high (since October/November which also saw me writing 2 and 3 fics respectively) Which means I have also been focusing more on my self care and other hobbies that are a little less taxing.

December is also a busy month in regards to family with needing to shop for Christmas, celebrating Christmas, as well as the new year.

Now, this has been a very long and very detailed way to sum up one single statement - how often you post will be dependent on the writer and often things out of their control. But I did want to show how variable those things can be instead of just spouting off random factors without proof as to how things have influenced my ability to write and post.

Feel free to reach out again if you have any further questions!

[krikeymate]

Hi I love your work. I was just wondering if you have any advice on not feeling guilty about focusing on something else? I have a scream AU I write for a lot but recently I’ve wanted to write for another AU but I feel really guilty cause I feel like im abandoning my other AU even though that’s not my intention. I was just wondering if you’ve ever felt that way as a writer and what your advice for it is. Sorry if this doesn’t make much sense lol

Hi! I'm glad you like my work :)

Yeah, that's definitely something I struggle with myself. I mean, I've got like over a dozen AU's, and 6 or so unfinished fics on the go, and I can't possibly give attention to them all! Not only that, but I've got an inbox full of prompts, and stuff outside of Tumblr and writing. It's a lot, and it can be a little stressful.

It's important to remember that first and foremost, this is supposed to be fun. Writing and creating content is something you do because you enjoy it, it's not an obligation you need to push yourself to complete or continue with. You should go where your heart takes you. If you've got this whole new or another idea that you're excited about and want to explore, don't let your older ideas hold you back.

They aren't going anywhere! Your previous work will still be there for you to pick right back up later if you find you want to. Don't think of it as abandonment, you're not throwing it away! You're simply putting it on the shelf for a little while while you play with a different toy. And if you don't, if it remains only half a story and unfinished, that's fine! Because it's your story, and it's still wonderful that you've shared as much as you have.

It's important to follow the threads of interest to maintain your love. If you set down these narrow boundaries and only let yourself work on one AU, if you restrict yourself like that, you lose interest, it becomes work instead of play. You have gotta just let your brain go wild, don't put yourself in a cage. You need enrichment to thrive.

[dreams-and-drabbles]

hi hi!! that may be a strange question but i wanted to ask what's the thing that motivates you to write? i've been thinking about making a writing blog myself but i had one in the past and got burned out after some time so i'm a bit worried... so i wanted to get some of your insight if you don't mind!

[!!!] Oh!!! Anon, I think it would be great if you made a writing blog, so long as it’s what you want to do!! As for your question— Motivation when it comes to writing is a struggle for me quite often, as well. More times than I can count, I’ve had an idea and when I’ve finally started writing it, nothing flows. Surprisingly, that is what prompted me to make a Tumblr. Writing one shots, headcanons, and the likes come easier than writing a full blown plot, and half the time they get that creativity flowing again— That way, I can focus on something with actual chapters!!! Sadly, motivation and writer’s block are probably something that you won’t be able to fully escape from, but they are definitely things you can work to prevent. As for getting burnt out— Writing should be something that you do solely for yourself. While it can be both fun and entertaining to write for other people; it is never something you are obligated to do. If you need time, then by all means, take time!!! I hope this helped some, and I’m rooting for you!!!

[sheryl-lee]

I just read your comments on how your blog is for you and for you to express yourself. This might sound silly, but as I've gained more followers on Tumblr over the years, I've become more apprehensive to post/reblog the things that I truly like out of fear that it won't appease my followers/mutuals. This is literally just tumblr dot com, but I feel all this pressure to please and preform. I kinda just want my blog to become a messy collection of all the things I love and I want to stop caring if I lose followers/mutuals over it. Idk, your tags on that one post really made me think about this and I'm gonna try posting just for me

Also, I love your Gifs!!

hi!!! no, that’s not silly at all! i’ve definitely felt that apprehension you’re talking about many times in the past; it’s a bit of a work in progress to keep in mind that my blog should be for me first and foremost, and i shouldn’t care if people unfollow me. as a creator, i still struggle with being way too hard on myself, and giffing solely because i feel this “obligation” to do it hanging over my head. it takes the fun out of giffing and makes me feel less creative and present in what i’m doing. i should be able to post what i want, when i want, without any guilt or pressure! so trust me, you’re totally valid in feeling what you feel. it’s really frustrating, and it can be such a slippery slope once those negative thoughts start to sink in :/// but i’m really touched that my words have inspired you to focus more on posting for yourself. i think that’s awesome, and i hope you find that to be infinitely rewarding 🫶 

and thank you so much - it means so much to me that you like my gifs ❤️

[bleuberries-and-video-games]

There is a reason why we have therapists and safe spaces and support groups, and there is a reason why using websites like tumblr, twitter, and tiktok as a supplement for those things is a bad thing.

One of the most dangerous habits I have developed as a person is the idea that I need to help people, like constantly. One of the most dangerous mindsets I have ever gotten into is the belief that I have to be the Diplomatic person in every situation and to make things good for every single person involved. The last time this had a major emotional effect on me was when a breakup happened in my friend group, by the end, it exhausted me. It almost burnt the bridge of Goodwill I had with every single person involved, and in a couple of cases absolutely ruined some relationships because of what happened. I developed that because of something that happened on here, certain types of blogs and conduct that encouraged, unhealthily, the need or Obsession to do good.

Can't help everybody. I can't save everybody. It's not that I shouldn't help or try to help people, but I cannot fix everything. And everyone around you is not obligated to pick up your pieces. That's not to say that people shouldn't care or want to help or feel empathy, I'm not Ayn Rand for God's sake, and the belief that you should not help anybody is a fucking blight on our society that should be purged from the earth as quickly as the Republican Party should die. That being said, there is a difference between not helping people, and understanding your limits and because of some of the stuff that happened on this website, I don't know my own and I'm still struggling to assert and understand my own.

It led me into some fun friendships and relationships, but it also created unhealthy patterns of anxiety and Amplified some already present depression that I do need to deal with and address, on top of a realization that I'm transgender that I have been running from for the past decade and a half.

This website is Infamous for a number of bleeding heart things, and the problem with the bleeding heart is eventually you run out of blood. The problem with fighting and dying on every single hill, trying to solve every single problem, and help every single person, is eventually you run out of the ability, will, or capacity to do so, and it might be the reasoning as to why we feel so helpless right now. I'm not saying Tumblr was so essential in a lot of people's lives that it's the singular reason as to why Generation Z feels some kind of apathy towards things, but I am saying though is that it kind of encouraged a strange culture to develop within several different generations of young people, leading to a number of them becoming very unhealthy and very deeply disregarding of themselves.

As different social media sites collapsed and interacted and eventually either came to here or moved from here, that ideology spread into the online space and saturated everything, eventually creating the modern internet culture which is highly obsessive, deeply nihilistic, extremely empathetic, and extremely exhausted. People feel heated passion, so they are deeply reactionary, but they are taught or are not allowed to believe in anything or anyone singularly, because that belief will disappoint them, and the only thing they are encouraged to focus on is doing good by an arbitrary metric that is not easily measured, which makes it impossible to achieve.

We all have dissonant understandings of what good is, and I cannot stress enough some of us have trauma that warps our understanding of it. I am much more harsh and crueler to myself than other people are to me because I do not understand or I struggle to understand that I have trauma and that I need to address it. It works how I see myself and how I see others, and that's a really bad thing that we kind of need to sit with.

More importantly, the culture that has come about has created a necessity or a belief that everyone should be correct and perfect in their presumptions or actions, leading to an online culture that is just disconnected from reality and genuinely makes people extremely Reckless with their own person and their own issues. This has led to the litigiousness of a lot of people surrounding who and what they consume, but not any actual pragmatic framework to push it through, this leads to a bunch of very bad misinformation spreading, with no method to verify or check it or vet it. We commonly know this as an issue with media literacy and supposed to cancel culture, which depending upon your class position, what you believe, and what you do, pretty much dictates how it functions or reacts to you.

Even some of the stuff I shared above might be too over the line, and I totally understand and apologize for that. I want people to know that it is okay to fuck up, and make mistakes, just make sure you learn from them. Make sure that instead of just saying I'm sorry or getting mad that people are mad at you, it's probably a good idea for everyone in this situation to give each other a bit more empathy and to stop expecting others to take on burdens that you yourself cannot take on easily. More importantly, we need the ability to celebrate our wins, because we don't get to enough. We don't get to see happy gay people enough, we don't get to see obsessive posts about TV shows anymore, we don't get to see people proud of their artwork anymore, and kind of most importantly we don't get to see the happy side of news and information anymore. People feel afraid to share that because they don't want to be hopeful, because they've been told, practically beaten into submission, that this stuff will fail you and the only solution is to be a doomer.

Our current plague of Doomerism is built on the foundation of people doing digital self-harm, genuinely seeking out things that make them mad or hurting them, and accelerating their behavior towards a bad direction. And it's not specifically limited to certain demographics as other types of self harm is, every single generation has somebody who digitally self harms because it's just that easy!

A more Boomer version of digital self-harm is obvious types of manipulative and destructive political ideologies and their figureheads, as well as living Lifestyles that are genuinely harmful to other people, whereas a more younger person would do something like doomscrolling, or looking up different things that make them mad and posting tirades or attacking people who make content I don't like that is otherwise not that reprehensible.

We can and should do better, we can and will do better, but it takes time, effort, energy, and a willingness to admit that we are in fact not well. And a lot of people do not want to do that. A lot of people would much rather continue the cycle of self-destruction because it is much more comforting to them and easy for them.

Allow yourself and other people to be happy, give yourself the space and Grace to love and to love unapologetically, don't make this so much harder for yourself, you don't need to. Be happy that you see a picture of a puppy, laugh at the anecdote about some family, even if you don't relate to it or never have one, do better, you need to, you owe it to yourself.

i really dont want to come off as an asshole and act like im not sympathetic but i think the idea that it is an appropriate thing to do to respond to posts about about positive experiences made by strangers with long and graphic vents about how your own life is nothing like that really has to end. i’m very sorry you’re going through that. but it’s just. really not appropriate.

[callmethirtysomething-blog]

13 years ago I joined Tumblr because I was searching for happiness. 13 years ago this blog was "Justkok" and "Call Me Thirty" was my username; A call back to the days of yore when TRL, AOL Instant Messenger, and Xanga took up the most real estate in my mind. Laughable now. You should know why this fact tickles me so: I can see it now; a little fuzzy around the edges but the sounds are clear. Listening to Lady Gaga, twisting open a bottle of "wine" in a dimly lit Chicago apartment, and the slice of scissors cutting too close to my ears. The fact is I can barely drink wine, I am a born-again Swiftie, live in Portland, Oregon, and resist any urge to get bangs. To put it plainly getting bangs is a cry for help.

Besides the above changes, there are age-related developments afoot. For example last week my heel randomly started hurting when I got up off the couch; yesterday my back started to spasm while wiping my ass; and a few months ago I found my first gray hair. Let's see, what else? Call Me Thirty has evolved into Call Me Thirty Something. Isn't that a scream? Yes, these past few years have been oozing along; the face of time is wincing from relentless winds of change. As we age one comes to expect that, thankfully.

Does change excite you? I've always wondered about you people, if so. While doing a stint in the wonderfully horrifying world of Human Resources this question came up often during interviews. In this vein I must reveal to you a shocking revelation: everyone most people lie in these scenarios. No one Most people don't love change—particularly when it occurs in the workplace. Even the most positive changes require periods of adjustment and leaders equipped with emotional intelligence, a penchant for organized chaos, and a sense of humor.

I have met a few people whom I believed when they said change is exhilarating. Characteristically speaking these people weren't necessarily pie-in-the-sky folks. Rather, their ability to emotionally detach provided security and flexibility in the chaos: their routines don't have feelings so you can't hurt them. As I explore this thought I have come to a riveting realization in real time: I don't have routines, I have feelings. Please pause while I telepath my therapist with this bombshell. I would tell her through traditional channels but I just stopped going last month. Later: more on that. Maybe. ADHD and all that.

Is the expectation of change the same as anticipating it? I guess I had an idea of what change meant. But anticipating the changes? No one prepares you for coincidentally meeting your life partner, unexpected deaths, or sudden job offers that take you 2,000 miles away from the place you were born.

From my first post on Tumblr where I talked about happiness and change, here is a response to my younger self:

You will start to cultivate a sense of happiness from doing more fun stuff, especially after your Dad passes away. The first person to die other than a grandparent is truly awful. As a result you will make the transition to relying less on the promise of "bigger and better" things because there is nothing bigger or better than life and death. Once you realize you don't belong in an office you'll boycott all things timestamps and cubicles; you'll start asking people what they do for fun instead of what makes them happy. As a Thirty-Something you'll still struggle adjusting to most changes but you'll put on a better face; a more hopeful one content with watching the paint dry while life settles from the most recent dust up. Pausing will become second nature and asking questions will come from a place of curiosity. You'll feel shame over your discomfort with change but will no longer feel obligated to defend that which you are working on.

And please, for the love of God, stretch! You have the time and the means to do so. Most days you work in your pajamas. The last thing you want is to die from a back spasm while wiping your butt, in your pajamas, at 3pm.

[boy-that-says-hooty-hoo]

"#reminder that if you label all men as inherently cruel in nature not only are you condemning trans women" so far from the truth this hurts to read. you're the one who's falling victim to the terf ideology. a trans woman is not a man, a trans woman is a woman. You do not EVER talk about men and include "trans women" in your definition of men.

hi. im a fucking trans man by the fucking way. thought i should mention that since you clearly think its your job to dictate what i get to say on trans issues that affect me and my loved ones. i include myself in narratives about lesbians, women, men and trans women because we are all affected by the same struggles. if you had any reading comprehension you should realise that what i said means trans women are affected negatively by societal view of men, not ‘trans women are men so you should like men.’ though if you did interpret it correctly and STILL came to the conclusion that im a transphobe, i think you should shove a fucking log up your ass.

there are people iding as cis men who havent realised they are trans women or non binary. and, fun fact, you should care about those people and how your perception of men as inherently predatory affects them. viewing men as inherently predatory makes trans people question whether or not they are trans enough, that they might still be too much of a man and therefore undeserving of trans spaces. trans women are particularly affected by this and often delay realising they are trans for fear of invading trans spaces. which, mind you, is extremely significant for any trans person, and very traumatic.

the fact is that if you view the abstract definiton of ‘men’ as inherently cruel, creepy and predatory, that immediately affects trans women because they are not some separate entity from men and women, they are just as affected by gender roles and often grow up being socialised to be ‘men,’ or even end up experiencing both roles due to not conforming. trans people as a whole often have to go through a process of unlearning gender roles to even be comfortable transitioning. viewing men as inherently cruel perpetuates the gender roles that we as trans people have to constantly combat, it reinforces them for both us and cis people and divides us even more. which is not something we should want. we should want cis people to also be free of gender roles, which will lead to more trans people feeling safer, accepted and more integrated into society.

viewing men as inherently cruel and evil is also a roundabout form of gatekeeping trans spaces and reinforcing gender roles for EVERYONE. you lock out anyone who isnt trans enough because its simply ‘in their nature’ to be horrible, you affect cis people who want to unlearn their behaviours, young boys who haven’t yet experienced the full scope of cruelty that is pushed onto them, you exclude drag queens and men who are women (not trans women, men who are also women but still men, people who’s genders you cant understand but probably still have a big fat fucking stinking opinion about), you affect cis and trans lesbians who have to deal with people subscribing to the idea that masculinity is inherently predatory, you affect trans men who feel guilty in ‘betraying’ their assigned gender to horrible horrible bad disgusting men and masculinity. you lock them out, you stop caring for them.

trans women are not men. i didnt even remotely say that so dont come into my fucking inbox and ACCUSE me of being a terf behind your shitty little anon icon. this is extremely inappropriate. rather than trying to understand fully what i said you did a complete fucking tumblr and misinterpreted everything. dont get surprised and shocked that im angry, im not obligated to be kind to strangers that arent kind to me, condescending fuck. ‘you do not EVER’ do not ever what??? talk about subjects that affect me and the people i love deeply??? go fuck yourself.