#when you actually have to do shows and tell people in person your artist's statement

[blackbackedjackal]

there's cliche's and then there's intentionally leaving a piece vague but it still having meaning and assuming your audience isn't stupid so they can come to their own conclusions about how the piece makes them feel based on visual language

[kbspangler]

This is the public statement from @alepresser and myself which went up at Webtoons tonight.

Now for some ranting. Just from me, not from Ale—she's innocent of the art crimes I've committed in the past, and boy howdy have I committed art crimes.

This is the first page of my first webcomic, A Girl and Her Fed. I started this thing back in 2006. (I don't actually need a head count of those reading this who weren't yet born in 2006. I'm sure you're delightful and I wish you well in college.)

And this is the last page I drew in early 2020 before I turned art duties over to Dr. Beer. It's better, right?

Well, these days, A Girl and Her Fed has pages like this:

I drew this comic for fourteen fucking years because it's a story I wanted to tell, and I thought webcomics were the perfect format for it. I didn't know how to draw. I got better through sheer obstinate perseverance and sticking to deadlines as best I could for, again, fourteen fucking years. I sought out a replacement artist when I ran into time constraints and couldn't do art plus writing anymore; I'm a much better writer than an artist, so I had no problems whatsoever kicking art to the curb.

The first time Ale sent me art that would go up on the website—art I hadn't needed to draw myself—I literally cried in relief because I had been grinding myself down for, yet again, fourteen fucking years.

So when I read comments from people who say they want to make a webcomic but can't draw themselves and therefore need to resort to AI, that little line between my eyes gets dangerously deep.

This isn't like I'm some old dude who's bitching over student loans getting cancelled after making regular payments. This is me, someone who threw raw art onto the internet like a monkey hurling fresh poo, because I wanted to make a webcomic and the art is part of the process of storytelling via webcomics! I could've (arguably should've) hired an artist right out of the gate, and that would've been part of the process of making comics, too: a partnership between an artist and a writer is also something which grows and develops over time.

For example, after Dr. Beer and I spent two years working on AGAHF, we decided we enjoyed our partnership so much that we set out to make another webcomic! It's great! It's got wonderful art and consistent storytelling! You should read it!

But turning art duties over to unaltered images generated by AI because you want to make a webcomic but "just can't draw" is, frankly, a bullshit excuse. I'm not talking about persons who are physically unable to draw due to disability—I'm talking about people who say they want to make webcomics but simply don't wanna do the art part.

Friends, if you don't want to show your entire ass in front of God and country, you don't actually want to make a webcomic.

Do the thing yourself.

If you're scared, don't be. Take the plunge. Set a goal of twenty strips and do the thing yourself. If you can already draw but can't write? Great! Write twenty strips, write forty panels, etc. You might surprise yourself. If you can write but can't draw? Great! Draw twenty panels and see what happens.

Whatever comes out of it, it's a thing you've done yourself. It's something new you've given to the world, no matter how big or small. Be proud of that. And if you need to partner with someone else to make your comic dreams work? You can do that, too! It's still a thing you've done yourself, and many projects are stronger when done together.

...but maaaaaaaaaybe hire that partner before you've busted your own ass for fourteen fucking years. That one's on me.

[darlingofdots]

Something I encounter more and more in fiction is a specific brand of assurance to the reader that I can only ascribe to The Twitter Cop That Lives In Our Heads. There's a pervasive desire to make it clear that, see, I'm intersectional, I'm conscious of the potential problematics of this encounter, I'm one of the good ones, and it's not that I don't understand the impulse and the fear of being called out because I do! It's scary out there! But it is often so grating to be reading a novel and have a conversation be derailed by a brief and pointed exchange about accessibility when not a single character in the book is disabled, or to have a heated makeout sesh interrupted by an explanation of the traffic light system, and the sad thing about this is that it would be absolutely possible to show these things in elegant and unobtrusive ways but for various reasons we are resorting to telling instead.

I know that out here in the world, we talk about enthusiastic and informed consent a lot, and those are very important conversations and this topic should be part of comprehensive and widely accessible sex education everywhere, and if you are entering into a relationship with a new partner, you should probably sit down and lay out explicitly what you are both comfortable with and how you prefer to communicate. HOWEVER. I, the reader of a high-heat contemporary romance novel, do not need to have this discussion with the characters who are about to fuck each other blind after their first date. I do not need to sit in on the equivalent to a new employee's onboarding process where they get told how to use the company intranet. It's boring! It's so dull! Instead, how about we package the information that is actually being transmitted (we are two enthusiastic partners about to fuck each other blind and we are also sensible people who respect each other's preferences and boundaries) in a way that doesn't disrupt the narrative momentum? Maybe interject an "is this okay?" or have one character go "tell me what you want" all sexily. Reference the characters taking note of their partner's reactions. There are a lot of ways to work this kind of Statement of Ethics into your writing, whether it's about sex scenes or trans rights or whatever, and personally I find this much more compelling than a neatly-injected soundbite which always comes off as either overly anxious or performative to me.

A secondary issue here, in my opinion, is that the world (specifically social media, but social media is part of the world) increasingly demands explicit statements from artists and uses an absence of "I wholeheartedly condemn x"-type quotes as an indication that someone actively endorses x, because why wouldn't they say so otherwise? This is bad. It's a bad development. It's a really gross combination of the literacy crisis and callout culture and it gets people hurt. So I really do not and cannot blame writers who feel the need to be very explicit about what they believe in, which is why I am not suggesting that you shouldn't include those beliefs in your work; what I am saying, though, is that your work will be much more authentic and touching if you find ways to show me.

[softbutchthatlovesyou]

This post is for white people. You can like and are encouraged to reblog, but keep your mouth shut.

Don't even argue with a white person who spoke. Leave that to me. Just mind your own and pass my words if you read em and get the point

Now

It's whatever if you don't listen to Every genre of music relating to black people

It's whatever if rap isn't regularly on your stuff

You won't be hunted for fucking sport over not knowing the top ten ska artist of all time, or for having less rock in your life

The issues is that too many of you have a desperate need to explain that you don't like it and frankly just keep it to yourself. Just don't comment on whatever post hurt your white fragility and realize you don't have to be who the post is talking about if you just... even start with not explaining to use why your the Not Racist. We've all heard that one before, we need your money to be where your mouth is.

Lots of you have issues with generalizing ("Rap is too fast!" "Hip-Hop is about nothing but drugs and street crime")

You don't need to tell me your sensory issues are why you aren't racist. No One Said That. You can just Not Listen to songs that hurt your ears. We're asking for you to explore and try and find stuff that might be within your limits. There's tons of genres made by black people. Put our version in there.

Also there's no way to excuse saying that no version of black peoples various genres cant be used for music stimming. Thats bullshit talk. Methinks you've been slacking you your black history and probably don't realize that (unless you Choose to isten to only white artist which... thats IS racist) an artist you listen to is very possibly a person of color, with a good chance of one being black.

We also don't need the announcement that you don't pay attention to who you listen to. That's 1: Admitting you don't fucking care to actively seek out pur music as we beg not to be drowned out in a world thay pushes white voices to idle ears.

2: Just keep doing it wothout fanfare then at least. If you're going to be lazy about music don't be proud to tell me how you wont make space to showe you care about black voices.

Also don't try and argue about how you know all of this genre is actually bad! You're Wrong.

1. Even the "bad" ones can have all kinda of statements of all kinda of things.

Ex: ou wanna fight misogyny? do you actually understand whet causes it? do you listen when they sing that before they were a pimp they were a little kid who got hurt by a system? do you use that to remember to treat black boys like the kids they are so they don't rush to be the adult men they aren't? They are told they are Men and Men have to get women or else they're Failed Men. They chase their manhood because White Men are eager to tale ir at a moments notice and the slightest offense. Is it okay? No. But it's stoppable. And it starts at listening to how it happens, and being kind and correctional in the right places.

2. Even if we as black people condemned and hated and were in outrage at the "bad verions" that wouldn't invalidate every other version made. That's not how music fucking works for pop or for your old timey classical so why do some of you apply it to our genres so quickly 🤨🤨🤨

And for the love of god.

Don't ask for recs on post venting frustrations about white peoples treatement of our music. Leaving ones if you know good ones is fine usually, but honestly just make your own post and then go out and start searching some key words. Look up what genres have black history. Type their genres in and see what you get artist wise.

Lots of them have mixes into other genres that will fit what kind of vibe you like while still supporting the voices that keep thse alive and authentic.

Or send them ask because that's what to features for. Ask if they're okay with it and respect if they say no, but many of us would be overjoyed to share and actually have some really listening ears out there.

[cierraonline]

IT’S ABOUT CONFIDENCE

Chapter one : It’s about confidence

Warning: none

Masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY  

“Ahhh, it’s time!” Kimora walks into her booked hotel room at The Mark, the hotel synonymous with the Met Gala.

The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event and fashion show that benefits the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York City. But for Kimora West, this was like a Christmas holiday all in one day. Since she was five, Kimora dreamed of walking the carpet in a beautiful gown with grace. All eyes on her, wondering, How does she embody empowerment? What is her secret? And now, today was her day—and it meant even more to her because it was also her twentieth birthday.

“Is that my muse?” Karl Lagerfeld, German fashion designer and creative director for Chanel, calls out from the back room.

“I don’t know, are you talking about me?” Kimora smiles, greeting everyone that was present for preparation with a wave. She moves toward the bedroom, where the designer and the dress stand, both tall and beautiful in their own ways. “Stop!” Kimora pauses, staring the dress down, her eyes scanning over each inch of the masterpiece before her. “I’m not wearing that, am I?”

“Made just for you, inspired by you, darling,” Karl walks over with the help of his black designer cane, pulling the girl into an embrace.

“N-no,” Kimora shakes her head, accepting the hug. “I know we discussed and sketched out the dress with it being covered in pearls… B-but that dress right there deserves to be in a museum, not on me.” Kimora breaks away from the hold to take a few steps forward and get a closer look at the dress. “And the hat… oh my God. You’ve out done yourself. Younger me would be jealous right now.”

“Beautiful people deserve beautiful dresses,” Karl smiles. “A dress that creates a statement. A statement that lets everyone know you are here.”

“I know we need to get started, but I just can’t stop admiring it,” Kimora smiles, looking at the designer. “I feel like I need to handwrite a thank-you note to everyone on your team.”

“Just putting on the dress and shining bright like a diamond on that carpet is enough.”

“You guys,” Kimora turns to look at the camera that belongs to Vogue, as they’ve chosen her to broadcast her getting ready for the Met Gala. “Karl has always been there for me when it comes to anything custom and always manages to knock it out of the park… But this right here is just another level.”

“She’s a muse and a goddess, therefore she needs to be seen as one. And this dress right here will show that,” Karl tells the camera. “We’ve been walking together since she was fourteen, and each time we did a project, she’d say, ‘I can’t wait to see what you do when I get invited to The Met.’ And I’m like, sweetheart, it’s already planned out. Who needs a theme when you have extravagant glamour?”

“Fairy God-mother is going to die when he sees this piece,” Kimora pulls out her phone and calls her personal stylist, Law Roach, American fashion stylist or in his words image architect. Best-known for his work with artists such as Zendaya, Céline Dion, Anya Taylor-Joy and Kimora West.

“Hey, Princess!” Law answers his phone with a bright attitude, showing his comforting smile—the first thing that allowed the young woman to let down her guard when they first met.

“Hey, God-mother!” Kimora greets. “Are you around anyone? I want to show you my dress.”

“I just finished picking out Zendaya’s accessories,” the stylist informs one of his in-suite clients.

“Hey, Mora!” The mentioned Black beauty calls out from a distance.

“Hey, Z!” Kimora blows a kiss, showing love to one of the free-spirited young people in Hollywood she’s actually close with. “Okay… only you and Z can see… Look what Karl created just for me,” Kimora flips the camera on her phone, and instead of showing her face, she reveals the masterpiece that the German designer created…just for her.

“Oh my God!” The two gasped, looking at the screen.

“I want to say it’s beautiful, but it’s more than that… It’s you, like that dress was made just for you,” Law compliments the dress and the young business owner.

“Why, thank you,” Karl and Kimora take the compliment at the same time, causing them both to laugh at their dynamic, which has been built over a decade. “I’m letting you go. We have to start getting ready since I’m the last to enter.”

“Good luck. You’re going to look amazing,” Law concludes, knowing that he and Zendaya also have to get ready to leave.

“Happy Birthday, Mora!” Zendaya calls out.

“Thank you, baby,” the call ends, and the now-young woman looks to the designer. “Let’s do this.”

XXX

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART  

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK  

“For months, designers and stylists have been collaborating with our celebrated guests to achieve sectoral glory for this,” Gwendoline Christie speaks, as the actress and model Ashley Graham hosts the opening of the full production. “The first Met Gala back from lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.”

“And now, after thousands of hours of planning and fitting their creations, we are moments away from being revealed.”

“I am Gwendoline Christie, and I’ll be with Ashley Graham all night, interviewing some of the most notable figures in the world. They’ll line up here in the tunnel as they await their big moment.”

“They’ll make their way up these stairs as photographers, journalists, and even other guests shout their names and capture every detail. And once they reach the top, they’ll find our co-host, Lala Anthony.”

“That’s right,” the camera switches over to television personality Lala Anthony. “We’re here to talk with everyone from this year’s co-chairs—Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Naomi Osaka, and Amanda Gorman—to the entire guest list that’s been kept under wraps until tonight. This is the 2021 Met Gala red carpet.”

XXX

“Now the doors to The Met have officially closed, and we’re at our last guest: reality television personality, business entrepreneur, and creator of Skims, Kimora West, partnered with Chanel and creative designer Karl Lagerfeld,” Gwendoline Christie states, watching the two enter the room. Instead of the normal flashes that had been occurring all night, the room stayed a blinding white, as the flashes never stopped, wanting to capture every angle. This commotion causes the guest that were still on the staircase to look over and pause at what they were witnessing

“Kimora West is here to make a statement… and I think… nope, I know she just did with that masterpiece,” Ashley Graham gawked, looking at the influencer’s silhouette in the dress.

XXX

As the night went on, Kimora received praise and hushed whispers of compliments about her assemble from figures in different industries, some she knew and others she met that night. Long story short, the young woman knew she would be the topic of discussion and the standard when it came to the Met Gala from now on.

But just like beautiful things, there are ugly factors. And for Kimora, that would be having to use the bathroom, where she’d have to get out of the airtight dress, squat to use the toilet, make sure she doesn’t poke herself with the nails glued onto her gloves, and get the head-to-toe dress back on without damaging it—since she was already asked to donate her dress to the museum.

“Do you need help?” Georgina, invited as a plus-one since she is Kimora’s best friend and assistant, asked, standing outside the stall, holding the influencer’s personal items like her phone and makeup retouch bag. She simply waited, offering assistance if needed.

“No, I should be fine,” Kimora tells her, managing to pull the dress down off her waist and gently into a large plastic garbage bag on the floor so the dress wouldn’t touch the bathroom floor. “The event is endling in like five minutes, and then I’m getting changed in the car to head to the after-party. Can you just find the location and order me DoorDash to deliver to the next place? I think it’s just cocktail hour, and I’m starving.”

“Ooo, what are we in the mood for?” Georgina smiled, pulling out her best friend’s phone and opening the food delivery app. “Shake Shack?”

“Oh my Heavenly Pink God, yes please,” Kimora moaned at the thought of eating food from her favorite place every time she comes to the Big Apple. “This might seem fatass of me, but can you order me 3 chicken sandwiches, two order of fries, and a cookies-and-cream milkshake? I usually would follow my diet, but I haven’t eaten in like a week to make sure I fit in this dress.”

“Your fatass is beautiful,” Georgina waved off her best friend’s nonsense. “You need to start eating more. It’s unhealthy.”

“I know!” Kimora groans. “I just want everything to be perfect down to every detail, including my body… Just so no one can say I didn’t earn it and that it’s just nepotism or something… you know?”

“I don’t,” Georgina shook her head. “But I know my best friend, and I know it’s just the Kardashian in you, trying to be perfect in order to be liked by society. Which you are. In fact, you’re voted the most liked and tolerable out of everyone in your family… which weirdly includes North and Mason. I’m going to step out into the hallway since the reception in this bathroom is just terrible. Scream if you need me.” With that, Georgina walked out of the bathroom, just as up-and-rising pop star Billie Eilish walked in, with one goal in mind: make sure she didn’t look like a disaster. As the girl stared at herself in the mirror, reflecting on her appearance after the Met Gala carpet and event, she wondered what in her right mind had made her think it was okay to wear a dress and Marilyn Monroe-inspired Old Hollywood makeup. Too deep in her head, she hadn’t heard a toilet flush, letting her know she wasn’t alone, nor did she see Kimora walk out and watch the blonde stare deeply at herself.

Kimora walked forward, thinking sudden movement would snap the blonde out of her trance, but it didn’t. Even with turning on the sink to wash her hands, the noise had no effect on the girl. “You know, by now, everyone is past drunk because the food here is literal shit, so they have nothing else better to do than drink. They won’t notice what you really look like now—just a remembrance of what you looked like before,” Kimora offered a small smile.

“Huh?” The blonde finally stepped out of her trance and removed her eyes from her reflection, looking at the girl standing next to her.

“Get out of your head,” Kimora stated, before walking out of the bathroom. Watching the girl leave, Billie scoffed.

“Like you can understand, you’re a Kardashian.” She rolled her eyes, reverting her gaze back to her reflection in the mirror.

“Actually, I’m a West,” Kimora walked back into the bathroom, causing Billie’s eyes to widen, not thinking the girl had actually heard her words. “Plus, beauty isn’t actually about looks,” Kimora walked behind the girl, placing her makeup pouch on the counter, and trailed her hands on the blonde’s waist, traveling toward the back of the light pink, Old Hollywood classic-inspired dress. She untied it. “It’s about confidence,” she tightened the corset strings. “And when you have confidence, you stop worrying about whether you’re pretty enough because others tell you without asking.” She finished the tie with a bow.

“Are you saying I have low confidence?” Billie’s right eyebrow lifted.

“Yup,” Kimora emphasized, turning the girl to face her. “But it’s okay because everyone new to this level of fame has low confidence,” she said, taking out her red lip liner and beginning to mark the girl’s lips. “You’re trying to figure out your place in this new world. You’re filled with anxiety because you believe one wrong look or one word said wrong, and Hollywood will send you packing back home… News flash, it’s not about what you look like or pronounce wrong. It’s about how you treat your fans. They are the only ones who can send you packing, and by looking at how fast you got invited, I doubt that will be happening anytime soon.” She picked up the ruby red M.A.C matte lipstick and gently placed it on the girl’s baby-pink, plumped lips. “Studies show, the color red releases hidden confidence one didn’t know they had in them.” She softly turned the blonde back around to the mirror so she could see her retouched appearance. “And as a ‘Kardashian,’ I think you look absolutely beautiful and breathtaking,” Kimora smiled at the girl, watching Billie glance at herself with the light in her eyes she had at the beginning of the night. With one last feather-like touch, Kimora walked out of the bathroom, leaving the girl by herself, in which she mentally agreed with Kimora’s words.

XXX

Like many celebrities who attend the Met Gala, Kimora found herself with Georgina by her side at some random lounge surrounded by cameras… well, her for some reason, as she ate her crispy chicken sandwich. To Kimora, she didn’t see what the need for photography and video was for. But to those who had their cameras and phones in action at that moment, it was iconic. What other status beauty do they know that would sit in a popular lounge, where food is prohibited, wearing a custom ruby-red designer dress, hair and makeup meant for a goddess, pigging out on messy fast food and a milkshake, besides the world’s classic sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe, Anna Nicole Smith, and Pamela Anderson?

Especially when she’s the first young, mixed, or appearance-wise black-labeled sex symbol in American culture. That had many big figures in the industry and randoms at home ranging from men to women all waiting, itching for the day she turned eighteen years old to express their deep admiration for the young woman—just like they did with the Olsen twins…but bigger.

“That’s so weird!” Billie called out to her friend as they watched the scene people were causing with their flash photography and phones pointed at Kimora West. “All she’s doing is eating because she’s hungry. Like, you don’t need to record her. There’s no reason for all that,” Billie commented.

Little did the Grammy-award-winning singer knows, the beginning of her words were recorded by a cellphone and uploaded to social media with controversial words under it, in hopes of starting a backlash against her.

taglist @billiesrighthand @bilswildflower @bilsluckyheart @billiesgoodgirll @billsvip @billieshrry @dandelions4us @factsbybriggs @rhearipley-69 @cierraonline @amberg1998 @crystalblue88 @mercurylvd @saffsblog @ihavenoideayimhere @umadirectioner @harajukub4rb1e @sun81rise @jamiemundy7773 @cyberdreamlanddeer @steampunkprincess147 @zendayasredbottoms @efemerous @lady0ftheflowers

[ourbeloved1011]

Grow tf up. It's been 4 years since that show finished. Yibo even removed it from his bio. Theres nothing wrong with liking a show but insisting on some delusional rpf that's harming actual people??

Hi Anon,

Thanks for spending your precious time dropping by & bravely leaving your not-so-kind comments anonymously (or should I say nasty & harsh for telling me to grow tf up) when this is OBVIOUSLY a fan blog dedicated to Yizhan. It's like you're knocking someone's door uninvited & forcing yourself to rudely barge in.

Well, there must be a good reason on why I've been purposely not hashtag individual artists' names in my posts & include only related tags & mention 'this is just my personal thoughts, CPN' to STAY IN MY OWN LANE - in my own bubble & space. This is to avoid from being discovered by people who's trying to 'start something' & serve as my own effort to protect the artists from being harmed by my words. I really despise unnecessary conflicts right when I've made myself clear on my dashboard that this is a shipper blog.

In simpler words, if you don't like it, it's not my problem. No one asked for your opinion, anon. You've got the wrong place to begin with. However, since you've dropped me an ask, let me enlighten you at the very least.

Before I start, here's some of translated versions of Xiao zhan's personal statement after the incident (which I refuse to elaborate more):

"Everyone has their own choices and freedom of expression. No matter if you like me or you hate, it's your personal right. Passion should be the source of strength for everyone. I hope that this passion doesn't exhaust or harm anyone."

You can read the rest of his statement in my recent reblog or here: https://www.tumblr.com/ourbeloved1011/723921396167819264/xiao-zhans-previous-personal-statement?source=share

Here's my personal thoughts, again, CPN.

I couldn't agree more. It's crucial for everyone to take his words seriously and it's my wish to be what he wished for. I admire, respect & support both xiao zhan & yibo whole-heartedly. It's not fair for you to judge & say that this isn't fan love.

Bjyx is a fandom made up of different individuals. Not only bjyx, any fandom or group of people in this world will have the same concept.

Now, let's talk about generalization.

You can't simply generalize a group or fandom & labelling them as a whole harmful existence. Every fandom has their own good & toxic fans. You don't have any control over that. Surely, all kind of people exist in bjyx BUT same goes with solo fans. There's no exception.

It's like labelling the whole Wen clan as evil when you know very well that Wen Ning and Wen Qing aren't the same kind. In fact, they are Jiang clan's life savior. It's totally unfair.

"You should punish the people who bit you. Wen Qing & Wen Ning have never gotten their hands on anything bloody. Or do you want to execute a collective punishment?!" -The Untamed, Wei Wuxian-

Why do you need to be the exact same way as Jin's clan judgmental behavior? We never learn, we've been here before. I won't take any sides on which fandom need to be banned or which one is the 'real' supporter. Collective stereotype will never be the final answer.

I see two people in everyone. There's no point in proving this.

However, I do believe in one same group commonality. If you continuously act excessively, intentionally crossing all the boundary of morality & bring harm to others, you will belong to TOXIC FAN and ANTIs regardless of where you come from- either you are a bjyx fan or solo. I will not support any act of sexualizing & harassment behavior towards them. There's always a limit, visible lines & common sense to conduct & follow. Sadly, EXTREMISTs do exist everywhere.

Just like what xz been telling us, it's your personal right as long as your passion doesn't harm others. Joining bjyx is our right & passion to support them in our own way. Doesn't mean that you've the right to speak up or write anything that you see as 'the right way', you also have the right to blatantly disregard those who don't share the same view as yours. That's why the word RESPECT is there in life dictionary. Otherwise, human can't co-exist this long.

If you don't have anything good to say, you can just remain silent. If you can't accept & respect, just stay away & ignore. It's that simple.

I don't understand why people needlessly hurting others with their unnecessary hurtful choice of words that can leave permanent scars to others. I personally feel sorry for these people. I don't get it. I really want to understand- what's the real reason for you to be so mean & harsh & hateful? For example, telling people to grow tf up. Who are you to judge? I'm just chilling with myself without causing trouble to others.

In bjyx point of view, we just adore & admire the beautiful & deep connection that both of these guys have. It's rare to have someone that you can click so well instantly in life. We wish to support them against all the odd. That's all.

Ironically, people who freely generalize about other groups get upset & butthurt if someone generalizes about a group that they belong to. The thing is - everyone is an independent individual & fully responsible for their own actions.This is why it's important to mind our own business & stay in our own lane.

Back to your statement. Delusional fans. I'm not actually delusional. I'm very self-aware as a person. In fact, I started as someone who's neutral. It's for my own self-satisfaction to feed my curiosity. I've always been the kind that will find & dig further to know something better. It's my personal trait. I'm not blindly being a delusional fan without basis and accept every rumors I heard about them. I do observations, selectively choosing, analyzing & eventually come to a conclusion. So here I am.

If you claim us to be delusional, you can say whatever you want because your opinion doesn't represent or reflect us. Just a side note, I don't agree with those fans who are intentionally keep overanalyzing these two with every single thing they do each time. People may get annoyed by it. I can see where it's coming from. They are two different individuals with distinct originality & identity. Hence, I only believe in whatever solid reasons I personally chose & filtered to trust.

It's not my job to convince you that they're real & it's not your job to judge, raise doubts & throw hateful comments in what I believed in. No need to make others feel bad & depressed further with your painful remarks. This world is cruel enough to live in. We don't need to be liked but respecting us is not an option. Be kind.

Yes. Yibo removed it from his bio. So what? To be honest, I don't really care much about it. Friendly reminder. He removed not only the untamed but he removed ALL his dramas. Seriously, I don't see any issue. If anything, I would be grateful to Yibo for keeping the untamed there for so long.

Let me remind you of the scene where wei weixuan is forced into a situation with practicing demonic cultivation is his only option to protect himself & survive. Again, everyone is being so judgmental towards him, only to find out later- the real reason why he chose that path. My point is, don't assume something as if we know everything. Anything people put out to share is calculated. You're allowed to see things that they ONLY ALLOW you to see.

What do you mean by these shippers harming actual people? There are plenty pictures everywhere during Yuehua concert, the whole arena was mostly filled with bjyx fans led lights, yellow, green & red- all coming to support Yibo. Not only concert, they've been continuously supporting both of them in other projects and events in the past until today.

'True' fans won't bring any harm to the artist no matter how good their intention is. Boycotting isn't the answer. It brings more damaged to the artist than good.

Tell me. Who's gonna be there if it's not for them?

Credits to respective owners. I don't own anything.

Yibo. Did they really bring harm to you?

Credits to respective pic owners.

Really? What were you looking at?

Credits to respective pic owners.

Few things to ponder:

If either xiao zhan or yibo hates bjyx & don't want any fans to associate them with each other, they would've addressed this many years ago to stop. Like how they made clear stand to some of other cps & supertopics. If you ask me for proof, again, you can just find them through my reblog posts. You can easily see them right away. That is, if you really care to read & bother to know.

Let me use back your words- It's been 4 years since the show finished- but the fandom is still standing strong & able to fill in the whole arena. Just to highlight, xiao zhan & yibo have zero public interaction together since the past few years but the numbers of new bjyx fan is still continue growing until today. The irony. How is this possible? For what reason? The normal cp fandom will eventually dies down once the main actors moving to the new project in the same year. Do you ever wonder what's the reason behind this fandom to stay this long for years? Both of them don't have any same project, no collaboration together. No promotion. Literally nothing. Then how? Funny isn't it?

It still remains mystery to think of why until today, xz & yibo never clarify & make statements to clear the air that they are just close friends. They can easily shut down the fandom in one go. Doesn't it bother you to be shipped with your own close friend for years if it's not the case? Well I do.

Also, why bjyx fans were not banned from entering the venue? Why their banners & led lights were allowed to go in? This is a sign that the existence of this fandom has never been denied. Or wait. Has this bjyx fandom been acknowledged indirectly?

People may find comfort in stanning both of them. Probably, it's the only source of joy in life to some. We never know. Don't be such an asshole trying to kill it. Spread love. Not hate.

Thanks anon for giving me the opportunity to rant :)

[ceasarslegion]

My advice regarding tattoos or any kind of body mods:

-don't shirk the expense. It's a labour intensive job, so what you're paying for is the effort and time and attention to detail. It's going to be on your body forever, so you want to make sure you have the best you can get.

-if your pain tolerance is very low, reconsider any tattoos that are super big or in bony places. I'm not trying to yuck your yum, but I am saying that if you can't handle the pain of it for multiple hours over multiple settings then you should reconsider redesigning it to something you can handle. You can build up your pain tolerance over time, but never push yourself past your limit for it or you run the risk of associating a permanent mark on your body with physical trauma.

-don't get tattoos from your kinda sketchy friend who bought a tattoo gun and says they want to practice on you for free. They aren't a licensed artist and they don't know proper sanitation and health and safety procedures. That is an infection waiting to happen, not to mention it's probably gonna look like shit

-tip the artist. Budget a few hundred for them, they do an extremely hard job where one fuck up is permanently embedded into people. A good tip will be greatly appreciated and they'll be more than happy to welcome you back for any future work and put even more effort into you if you show yourself to be a good client who treats them well. A good rapport makes for better art.

-its gonna be uncomfortable. It just is, that can't be avoided. Think of it on the same level of pain as a cat scratch but spread out for a really long time, so it won't like, kill you or make you regret being born, but it will hurt. If you get it all done at once, it'll be easier but you'll be pushing your body more than if you take breaks and come back. Talk to your artist about how you want it done and let them know what your plans are. That way if you like, wanna take a break to get coffee and lunch across the street and come back they both know you didn't like, dine and dash and they'll know what to tell you to do to take care not to damage it during your breaks. If you're getting a multi session tattoo, expect it to be spread out over a long time, so it's not gonna look great the first few times. But letting it heal and recover a few times will be essential for the final product. Make sure you're willing to go through that before you decide on like, a giant dragon with spread wings across your entire back.

-just... don't get face tattoos man. You're not Post Malone who has famous public figure status, you're some guy who has to be able to get and hold down a job. Every other part of your body can be covered in professional settings and piercings can be taken out, but unless you wear a face covering of some kind, your face is always on display. This isn't a moral or a judgemental statement, it's just the reality of the world we live in. Face tattoos make your life a lot harder than it has to be and you just dont have to go through that. Before anyone pisses on the poor about this one, I am obviously not talking about cultural face tattoos like the ones the moari people have

-do not get tattoos on an impulse, especially not tattoos of media properties. I'm not telling you NOT to altogether, I actually plan on getting tattoos of the truman show and back to the future at some point because those films really shaped me as a person in ways others haven't. That's what you have to think about though: do you just really like it right now, or has this media shaped you in some way regardless of your current enjoyment of it? Because the last thing you want to do to yourself is permanently draw something into your body that in a few months you just don't care about or even dislike anymore.

-do not get tattoos to make you feel better when you're sad. See above, but with an added dollop of regret. Get them in a completely sober and level-headed state of mind so you can be objective about them and if they will bring you joy for the rest of your life, not in the moment as a response to something negative.

-LISTEN TO YOUR ARTIST WHEN THEY TELL YOU WHAT YOUR RECOVERY WILL LOOK LIKE!!! If you throw out everything else on this list but one thing make this the one thing you keep. If they say you can't put it in water, don't put it in water, they'll tell you how to bathe. If they tell you it can't be exposed to sunlight, do not expose it to sunlight. If they tell you you have to apply a certain skin disinfectant or something to it every day, I don't care if it stings, you have to apply it. If they tell you not to scratch it, suck it up if it gets itchy. You have a massive open wound on your skin that is a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses and dirt and filth and is incredibly sensitive to everything. You can do everything from ruin your tattoo to contracting flesh-eating bacteria from shirking your recovery process, the latter of which is not that uncommon, but almost always happens to people who don't listen. Do not fucking do that.

[beardedmrbean]

After a report implied many voters of color in swing states are souring on President Biden, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, sparked outrage for implying they are only doing so because they are uninformed and blinded by their feelings.

CNN's "State of the Union" host Dana Bash spoke to a panel on her show about a recent report from The New York Times, "Trump Leads in 5 Critical States as Voters Blast Biden, Times/Siena Poll Finds." The report included polling that claimed, "Black voters — long a bulwark for Democrats and for Mr. Biden — are now registering 22 percent support in these states for Mr. Trump, a level unseen in presidential politics for a Republican in modern times."

Bash addressed Crockett and read an excerpt from the report, "In a remarkable sign of a gradual racial realignment between the two parties, the more diverse the swing state, the farther Mr. Biden was behind, and he led only in the Whitest of the six."

"It’s really scary for me," Crockett replied, before going on to explain why she thinks this shift appears to be happening.

"Here’s the deal, perception is reality, and so when you look at the data that was provided in this poll, it talks about how people feel… it is all about how you feel in that moment," she said. "While the facts may not align with their feelings, their feelings are dictating their reality and their reality is that they feel better or they felt better when Trump was in office."

Crockett added that Democrats have been "trying to push back" against this, even as "some very popular African American artists out here saying things like ‘Oh I got checks when Trump was in office. I want those checks again,’ not understanding that really came from Congress."

"So we have got a couple of things, the perception issue and then we also have an issue as it relates to civics in this country and people not understanding exactly how any of this works," she concluded.

As footage of Crockett’s statement shot across the internet, commentators condemned her rhetoric on social media.

"’Voters are too stupid and they don't understand their betters’ is probably not a great campaign message for Democrats," The Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemingway wrote.

"The utter disdain these elitist lawmakers have for their own constituents is really mind-blowing," commentator Joe Concha wrote.

"Where did she get such a sense of superiority?" journalist Miranda Devine wrote.

"Pre Obama the Democrat’s stock response to dropping numbers in a demographic was, ‘we’ll go and listen, and try hard to earn that support,’" columnist David Marcus wrote. "Today it is, ‘they are wrong, and somewhat ignorant, we’ll show them why we are smart and right.’"

"Imagine being this dismissive of your voters? Democrats seem to think the people who they need to elect them are all stupid and incapable of understanding what’s actually happening," radio personality Mike Opelka wrote.

"Oh really," Fox News host Lawrence Jones III wrote.

Many commentators, especially Black conservatives, scorched Crockett for appearing to underestimate Black voters' ability to grasp politics.

"In other words, according to Democrat @RepJasmine Crockett, Blacks are too stupid to understand how much better they are under Biden," conservative commentator and former 2024 presidential hopeful Larry Elder wrote. "Not too bigoted! If Trump said this, Democrats would be drawing up another article of impeachment."

"Once again telling the Black community that we are not intelligent enough to see what’s going on and understand it," former Republican congressional nominee Jeffrey A. Dove wrote. 

"Democrats: Blacks are too emotional to think clearly. Smart pitch," HotAir associate editor David Strom wrote sarcastically.

[slaaverin]

What was it that surprised you about Muse?

I thought Jimin was clearly saying Muse was about his passion for his art. I think it again had a lot to do with performing and not doing a lot of live performances and meeting Army, he more or less says this to Namjoon, and in his letter which is on display at the exhibition. I don’t think it’s as personal he says that too Joon as well. The exhibit intro also focuses on how it was about Jimin finding his artistic vision. He said to Joon that Who was a vehicle to stop and say, wait that’s not what I was feeling, but he was talking about his art. When he said about talking to his friends and they all felt similarly flat, that doesn’t mean in love necessarily, he said it was about passion or life, and as someone who has depression that happens. He also spoke about not always liking his work all of the time. That’s what the album is about to me. In my mind he started writing in 2022, he said he spoke to the members in vegas and they told him to write his feelings, that became Face. The songs he was working on with outside producers is Muse, so essentially it became a second album. All finished in June 2023. Face needed to come first and if you listen start to finish you can hear the story he is telling. As you said Letter being a hidden track is telling, that is a very personal song. Almost too personal.

Muse then starts with Rebirth which is a beautiful song, and almost a literal rebirth from Face, I’d say it’s the only autobiographical song on the album. This is why it leads. With the interlude after it, to structurally separate it from the rest. The circus theme from face continued here, he’s putting on a show, the Smereldo garden marching band , which they tell Loco is a vehicle to help people tell their hidden truths. Loco who Jimin said they picked bc he just got married so could convey the feeling needed. SGMB and the truth untold, a focus of the album, his exhibition being named the same thing. What truth is Jimin actually trying to tell us? What does he say he wants us to misunderstand? To me the only logical explanation is the opposite of what Who is about, if that’s about finding love, maybe Jimin has already found it. The billboard being probably key in this.

However to me, because Jimin said Muse isn’t personally linked, it really is just a good, fun album for Army. Face is deep and personal, Muse is light and relatable. Again in his letter Jimin says he wants to make music for Army. That’s Muse. I think face needed to happen for him, and he didn’t probably expect its success, something he also said in his letter.

Previous anon says about him being in the studio when talking with the producer but it’s not like he’s going to tell a room full of strangers about his personal life. He said it was like they read his diary but that can mean many things, including just being put on the spot having to explain something. He found a song that gave a very universal feeling, which he also says, everyone is alone..well that is a strong statement but not what he meant imo, because not everyone is physically alone, but actually as humans we are alone in the world, we live our own experience, but we seek connection with others. Love is a universal language. When the producers said Jimin couldn’t relate to the feelings of some of the songs, to me again he has no right to divulge any personal information about Jimin, especially not in his absence.

I know full well he cannot declare a love outright, if he said he knows love or has done could you imagine what would happen? but he did say rebirth is about having a crush on someone he fell in love with. This is what I mean about it being the only autobiographical song, one he knows the experience of but couldn’t openly say. One that continues the promise from Letter. The one ft a certain someone.

Oh I was simply surprised because Muse was so different from Face that it took me a bit off-guard at first lol

I agree with your train of thoughts anon. I arrived pretty much to the same conclusions.

Thanks for sharing your view 💜

[clearwillow]

To the Morality Police: I see you, I suspect I know who you are, and it wouldn't be (sadly) the first time I see attacking writers/artists over what YOU assume is right or wrong. (A certain doujinshi, along with the original fic comes to mind) Newsflash: enjoying something on FICTION does not mean we like/support it in RL. So how about you leave artists/writers the fuck alone,l et them enjoy what they want, and shove your purity mentality up your arse.

OH NOES, A BUNCH OF PIXELS AND WORDS ARE DOING IMMORAL THINGS! MOM, HELP! How about you put the same energy into raging AND ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING about REAL LIFE PEOPLE BEING VICTIMS OF GR00MING? (yeah, your morality high horse comes from both Dark/Arshes and the HY ship you keep clutching your pearls about. Like I said, I SEE YOU)

HOW DARE YOU JUDGE SOMEONE'S CHARACTER OVER WHAT THEY ENJOY IN //FICTION//?! Grow the fuck up and learn the difference and stop demanding in your pseudo polite way for writers to stop writing their "problematic" fandoms/ships.

Carra, I for one love your Joshua/Kai and cannot wait to see what happens next 😏

Not what I expected to see when I woke up today...

I'm only publishing this ask because of the little bit at the end, and I wanna make a few things clear.

I don't care what a person ships. If they're sitting next to me with a plate of green beans and offer, I'll tell them it's not my taste. It's not that big a deal until the person tries to force feed you the green beans.

If I have ever tried to demand someone to read or view anything I've made that wasn't in their sphere of interests, I am sorry. Sometimes I reblog my stuff because my timing sucks and some fandom tags tend to get flooded at times, so it might not get seen that way.

For every fandom that you feel is "perfect", there is gonna be someone who will find a fault and that's fine. We don't all have to all like the same things all the time.

For fandoms where it is...clearly got issues...that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it still. Ignore what you don't like about it. Change it with your creations. That's what I thought fandom communities were built on.

I didn't realize my character was being called into question this weekend; shows how out of it I've been 😅

I think, as a general statement, that fandom creators have final say in what they post...and they can pull it down just as fast. I can't imagine going up to someone and telling them that their hard work was wrong because it didn't suit my tastes. My late-aunt actually did this with a meal she spent hours on. People complained, and she threw every bit of food out the front door.

If all people are going to do is complain, what is to say that fandom creators won't throw out their work as well?

[hikari-drkspc]

❅ “A Fun Show” ❅

characters: yandere! midoriya izuku, yandere! bakugou katsuki & yandere! todoroki shouto [boku no hero academia]

warning: yandere, mentions of m0rder, intentionally h0rting oneself, deep wound involved, izuku is lowkey ooc ; MINOR/AGELESS BLOGS DNI, PUT YOUR AGE IN BIO/PINNED POST TO INTERACT

words: 2.1k

a/n: this is a repost from my main blog (@/hikari-writes) so yes this writing is old + bad, i just moved them here w/o editing bc im lazy and wants to keep reminding myself how bad my writing used to be <3 this was a request and i still have no idea whatre the significance of circus au is/gen🧍🧍

Midoriya Izuku, the strongman.

Bakugou Katsuki, the knife thrower.

Todoroki Shouto, the trapeze artist.

Those three were considered to be the highlight and main star of UA Circus.

And then there’s you, one of the behind-the-scene staff, who’s stuck in their obsessive love.

~~**~~

“Oi, Todoroki! You were the one who swapped my lunch with Deku, weren’t you?!”

Katsuki yells at Shouto who stares at him without a change in his expression.

“I literally have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He continues slurping at his soba, clearly showing his disinterest in the conversation. Katsuki’s vein was about to pop off when you suddenly stepped in between them while holding out both your arms to stop the fight.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m sorry, Bakugou. I was the one who accidentally swapped your lunch box with Midoriya’s.”

You look at him with an apologetic smile. Katsuki stares at you, his eyes are still glaring but you could see it soften a bit. He lets out a frustrated sigh before turning around from you.

“Make sure to not make the same mistake again. I don’t eat the same shit as that Deku does.”

“That’s mean, Kacchan…”

You heard Izuku softly comment on Katsuki’s statement. Right after he’s out of sight, you blink in confusion with an awkward smile adorning your face.

“H-he really did repeat the same thing as before…”

You silently thought to yourself. The truth is, this is already the fifth time you “accidentally” swapped his lunch with Izuku. The first time you did it, he gave the same exact response as he did just now and you got curious as to why he gave you that kind of response when he could’ve just got real mad at you. So you did it again, just to see whether he’d get mad at you or not, to which he didn’t. And so you did it again….and again….and again….and before you knew it, it already has been the fifth time you did that yet his reaction stays the same.

A part of you was actually impressed. Even without anyone telling you, it’s pretty obvious to you that Katsuki is a sharp person. He has always shown to be a focused and sharp person, a trait he picked up from his role as a knife thrower. So it always struck you as odd that he didn’t realize the same mistake you’ve been repeating for the fifth time.

Just as you decided to shrug it off and stop pranking him, you heard Shouto talking to you in his usual calm voice.

“You’re having fun with that?”

You turn to him with a small grin.

“Kinda, yep! Rather, you noticed me doing it on purpose?”

You ask while chuckling a bit, amused at yourself. You didn’t expect Shouto of all people to realize what you had done. He’s always known to be a dense person after all.

“Well, you always have that amused smile on your face whenever you were swapping their lunch boxes, so you weren’t exactly hiding it.”

You stop chuckling and look at Shouto with an awkward smile. A bead of sweat trickles down your face, and an ominous feeling takes over your whole body.

For all you know, everytime you swapped their lunch boxes, no one was around. They weren’t even supposed to be around. They were supposed to either be performing their part of the show or be in the break room after their show had ended at the time. Even if they were around and saw what you did, you would’ve sensed their presence.

You shake off the uneasy feelings away, thinking maybe Shouto just happened to see you on accident and you were too focused on your prank to not notice his presence.

“A-anyways, he’s an interesting person, don’t you think? To think he didn’t realize what I did…”

Shouto stays silent and keeps slurping at his soba until it’s finished before turning at you.

“Interesting huh? I wonder about that…I believe it’d be more interesting if he does some trapeze acts….”

“Oh, you wish for him to do the same thing as you? That’s nice—”

“…and falls down from that height while doing so. It would be interesting if that happened. That’ll for sure teach him a lesson to not ever take what rightfully belongs to others.”

You shut your lips up and look at Shouto’s indifferent face. Either he just meant that as a joke or you misheard him. Either way, your heart is beating like crazy against your ribcage right now.

“D-did he take something of yours, perhaps? Even so, you really shouldn’t joke about that.”

You try to ask him in a calm manner but your shaking voice betrays your hidden feelings as it shows how much you’re in fear. Shouto stays indifferent. If you look closely, he almost looked…amused at your reaction. And your gut is telling you that his amusement isn’t because he was joking about what he said, but rather the opposite.

“And what if I said that that something is you?”

“L/N, can you come here for a second?”

Izuku’s voice snaps you back into reality as your conversation was cut short and you quickly leave Shouto behind after giving him a small nod of apology. Shouto stares at your back as you disappear from his sight. You could almost feel his stare digging holes on your back but you chose to ignore it.

“What’s wrong, Midoriya?”

You silently thank him for getting you out of that uncomfortable situation. Izuku gives you a wry smile and points at his bleeding arm.

You let out a loud shriek at the sight, both worried and terrified at the deep looking wound.

“I uh…accidentally cut myself when I was walking near that thing…”

Izuku awkwardly points at a sharp looking metal with a smile, as if the wound on his arm isn’t serious and his arm isn’t bleeding heavily.

“Call me earlier! Oh gosh, follow me now!”

You lead him to the treatment room in a hurry. You glanced back at the wound and saw the blood dripping on the floor, making your own face pale.

Izuku has always been careless with how he treats himself. Shota, one of the circus’s behind-the-scene staff, even once asked if he had some kind of magnetic attraction towards accidents that ended up hurting him. He just laughed it off, saying stuff like, he’s used to it, or, it wasn’t that big of an injury.

Izuku is indeed the strongman of UA Circus. Despite having a baby face and a polite and meek personality, his strength rivals even the adults. He once told you that he’s aiming to be an amazing strongman just like All Might, a legendary strongman in the history of circuses. Ever since then, he’d been training diligently to get to where he is now. While you admire that part of him, you really wish he’d stop accidentally hurting himself.

“There. Be careful next time, alright? Good thing the wound isn’t that serious. If it had been, you might need to take a break from doing circus acts and rest at home. It’s a talent at this point to keep hurting yourself like this.”

You completed the treatment and jokingly said with a light chuckle, trying to distract yourself from the wound. Izuku stares at you for a bit before opening his mouth.

“If you ask me, I don’t really feel like I’m hurting myself.”

You look at him, curious as to what he meant by that. He sends a sheepish smile and scratches the back of his neck, a small blush starts to form on his cheeks.

“Rather it feels like I’m rewarding myself. After all, I got to enjoy your beautiful self treating my wounds like this. Before I knew it, I just seemed to start getting myself hurt on purpose whenever I see you nearby.”

Izuku lets out a small giggle as if he’s a teenage girl in love. You probably wouldn’t have minded it much if he had stopped at the second sentence. You would have probably just thought of him being his usual sweet self.

But he just HAD to add that last sentence, huh?

You look at him in pure shock and fear. What he said was definitely not normal. Why would he do that, would be a stupid question to ask at this point, especially since he has clearly stated his reason before the last sentence.

You see the way his eyes are glinting dangerously as his lips curve up into a sweet smile. So sweet it’s almost sickening.

“I-I have to go. Excuse me.”

You quickly leave the treatment room behind. Your minds wander back to the one time you were talking with Shota. The older man had mentioned in passing how Izuku had gotten into accidents and hurting himself more after you had come to work at UA Circus. You just brushed it off, thinking that Shota was just overthinking things. You thought nothing of it and had almost forgotten all about what he said.

But after what just happened…you started to think there was a possibility that what Shota said…might be true.

You quicken your steps and your mind is thrown into chaos. A part of you doesn’t want to think about it anymore, hoping what had happened today was just a bad dream, but you knew better than to run away from reality. Another part of you is just so bothered by Shouto and Izuku’s weird demeanor towards you that you can’t help but to start speculating things.

You kept your eyes on the ground while walking, completely oblivious to your surroundings. Only after your face hits someone’s chest do you finally tear your eyes away from the floor. The one you bump into doesn’t seem too pleased however since you heard him scowl and curse under his breath.

You look up to see a very familiar face. Katsuki. You could’ve sworn you’ve never been more happy in your life to see the gremlin blondie. Your face completely lit up but it soon wilted into a confused frown when you saw Katsuki glaring down at you.

He was being pretty soft and kind to you just a few hours ago. What have you done in that short span of time to make him look…angry at you even though you literally didn’t even see his face during those few hours?

Well, I just hope you don’t need an explanation because he won’t be giving you any. Before you knew it, you’re already on your knees and looking up at his intimidating eyes. After all you’ve been through for today, you thought that maybe Katsuki can help comfort you, even in the most indirect way ever.

You guessed wrong.

Instead of “comforting”, his glare literally made your knees weak, resulting in you cowering before his seemingly tall figure. Instead of “comforting”, he made your fear worsen and your mind totally gave up in trying to think up any words to say, at all.

“What were you doing, talking to that half and half bastard and that loser Deku?”

He asks in a low, rumbling voice. It almost seems like he’s trying hard to hold back his anger, as if the one he’s showing isn’t enough.

You try to say something, anything, but the word never came out. Instead, you’re left gaping at him like a dumb fish. Tears started forming at the corner of your eyes and you slowly closed them, in hopes that you’d wake up from this nightmare.

Instead of waking up, you heard a loud scoff behind and shortly after that, your body was being carried by a pair of strong arms.

“Kacchan, you really don’t know how to treat your object of affection nicely, do you?”

Followed by a small, mocking chuckle, you saw Izuku carrying you bridal style. Your heart must’ve leapt out of your chest for a minute because you suddenly stop breathing out of shock. After the situation has sank in however, it beats again rapidly against your ribcage, almost making you feel like throwing up.

Not even a second after that, you’re greeted with another shock as you saw a sharp blade only an inch away from Izuku’s neck. Izuku sends a side glance to the perpetrator behind him.

“Hands. Off of her before I make you.”

Shouto calmly threatens while tightening his fingers around the blade. Izuku doesn’t seem surprised at all as he lets out a weary sigh.

Izuku finally lets you down and puts you a bit farther away before gathering back to the other two.

That night became your unlucky night and you’ll forever remember it.

Not only will you need to witness this little bloody show battle in front of your very eyes but you’ll also need to be the prize of the winner of the battle.

And it goes without saying that your opinion doesn’t matter here.

[despiterage]

@ruinaa | josephine said "some people find that strange."

Spirit and Daniel are reciprocating.

Hosting dinner and drinks in their penthouse apartment like its their turn on some sort of set, rotating schedule, and like they are the prototypical suburban couple with totally normal friends. Daniel had cooked a splendid spread, and the five of them had all sat around and made nice while they enjoyed it alongside the dessert and wines their guests had brought along.

He gets on fairly well with Shilah, he thinks. There's an art piece on the wall of the dining room they'd used that he'd bought from him, and a few more statement pieces in the entryway and kitchen that they spend some time discussing quietly, away from the others. They share enough in common, he thinks, that he'd almost prefer to spend the evening entertaining him than go back to the other two, and perhaps even Spirit.

She's not exactly a cultural or historical connoisseur, you know. Her remarks about any given piece are largely limited to her personal aesthetic tastes, and if he's lucky, an odd bit of trivia that's semi-related to an especially well-known artist that she'd picked up at some point or another. So, certainly, Shilah is a breath of fresh air; he actually wants him to like him.

Roman, he isn't sure about. Something about him-- It's harder to get a read on him than he'd anticipated. Every now and then, he thinks he gets a glimpse of who he really is.

Both of them, however, are eclipsed by Josephine's presence. Throughout the entire evening, he feels when her eyes linger on him just that little bit too long, but also when they direct themselves elsewhere--anywhere else--so very consciously. Her gaze has a heaviness to it, but a heat as well.

It's at one of these times that she's looking away, with the third bottle of wine flowing, that Daniel steps close to her side and stares at the modestly framed photograph of himself and the majority of the circus troupe. She's staring at it, and for once, he can't tell if she's only doing so to avoid his own gaze or not.

"Blackwell's Bizarre is something of a pet project of mine. Have you had the pleasure of attending?" he asks her curiously, swirling the red in his freshly poured glass to open it up. "Your children might find it especially entertaining. Educational, even."

Susanna had mentioned in one of her security briefs that someone fitting Josephine's description had lingered long after a show, once. Rhett took care of it, she'd penned at the end of the short entry, and it had been inconsequential enough that Daniel had never questioned the ringleader. He might now, though, if he can get a photograph of her to show him.

"Some people find that strange," she tells him, and he feels it before he sees her eyes swivel back in his direction. "An all mutant circus."

He thinks of Spirit's description of a night a good while before he'd met her. Thinks of ash and nothingness where flesh and bone once stood as a very real threat; of the smell she'd described while squirming in her seat, clearly uncomfortable as she retold the ordeal. Thinks of what all of that must've felt like to her victim.

"I'm a big fan of strange," he tells her, his dark eyes boring right back into hers above the rim of his long stemmed glass. "I think you might be, too, actually."

[stylesunchained]

Are we just putting all the blame on a artist who has no control over the venue being cunts and shutting of the vents and refusing to give people water, when the artist themselves was throwing water into the crowd and telling the security to do their fucking job? Or is this just a hate a certain person and feeling like a cunt so gonna blame them?

Let me perfectly clear:

Nobody is blaming Taylor Swift for the death of her fan.

The venue wasn't the issue, it was the production company who made all the mistakes you guys are seeing

NONE of you who are outside of Brazil are getting the ACTUAL facts because you guys rather believe everything that's said on the internet instead of doing actual research

And since I'm here and I'm talking about this, let me make this point so you guys can stfu and maybe listen to reason for once in your life:

Taylor Swift is not to blame. No matter my personal feelings towards this woman, she had no hand in the death of this fan. What she IS responsible for is having the good sense, the empathy and the humanity necessary to help the family who lost that 23 year old girl, who still had an entire life to live and was tragically lost.

Instead of showing herself as an empathic person, Taylor Swift chose to put out a statement so cold it's nearly clinical in which she exempts herself of all blame and of also manifesting any support towards Ana Benevides's family and friends. These are her own words:

What's the point of saying this happened before her show? WHY is she making sure everyone knows it happened before she was on stage when at no point anyone blamed her for this tragedy? This is her PR people who are trying to make her an innocent victim yet again when the VICTIM WASN'T HER and nobody is blaming her. There's another part of her statement in which she says she cannot speak about the girl's death on stage because she's in too much pain - yet another example of Taylor Swift making something tragic ABOUT HER. This is not about her, I guarantee you Taylor Swift isn't feeling more pain than the parents, the friends and the family of the girl who lost her life trying to make her dream of seeing her favorite artist live come true. She sang a song people interpreted was am homage to Ana but refused to say a word or put a picture of her fan on the screen to honor her life ... why couldn't she do that? Why couldn't she show more humanity?

Third of all: the parents have yet to get their daughter's body back because they come from a simple background and do not have the means to pay for the transportation to bring her back from Rio to their city. They have yet to receive the support of the production company, who SHOULD BE BLAMED and should be responsible for paying for all of this, but Taylor - who we all know has very deep pockets and claims to be such a phylantropist - should at the very least reach for this family, who's the one who's actually devastated, and help them pay for Ana's funeral, the transportantion of the body and EVERYTHING ELSE THEY NEED.

Again, I repeat: no one is blaming her. But she was the reason why this girl left her house alive and is going back dead. The LEAST she could do is show some kind of empathy and humanity towards the family who will probably never recover from this. Instead, she let her fans once again gather their already little money to help the family instead of doing something that would show some compassion from her part. Instead, her and her team are being criminally cold and indifferent towards the loss of a life.

All of that is also not helped by the fact that many people in the entertainment industry that I am friends with are telling me horror stories about her and her team's behavior here in Brazil. Not only are her people calling her fans "savages", they're also being xenophobic. She also requested no food from Brazil to be put in her dressing room because apparenly just like Drake she thinks we can't produce something good even though all of the fruit and vegetables she eats in the US are imported from us.

To finish it off, let me say this: nobody blames Taylor. Everyone knows circumstances led to a sad ending and that the lack of planning and structure from the production company also helped this end as badly as it did. Everyone knows they're the ones who should answer to all of this... but why is Taylor acting like this has nothing to do with her and that she can't do something when she claims to be oh so good? Why is she being so indifferent towards this? Is she afraid of a lawsuit? THIS SHOULD NOT STOP HER FROM SHOWING EMPATHY.

[xannerz]

x

this meandering post inspired by an awful take i randomly saw a few min ago lmao (do not engage, i tell myself. engaging with the bad take is the first step towards ruining your entire afternoon) - i thank god every day most of my friends aren't Online-Online™

like we're all Listening and Learning, but getting most of your opinions from the things strangers say online is bad actually (is bad too strong of a word? let's use 'unhealthy' instead then). semi-related but was talking w my best friend abt how queer indie artists get policed so disproportionally and aggressively by the Community Online. and she said it so succinctly like-- these creators are just Best Friend Stand-Ins. Yk like. on top of being put on a pedestal by people without them asking for it.

like ofc they need to have the Most Current Correct Opinions on Everything At All Times and Make a Statement Abt Everything On Demand! ofc this person you never met is suddenly beholden to your need to fret over something at all times!

if this is vague dw about it lmao this spec discussion was re: Ch*ppell R0an who yeah we also like a lot! but it also got me thinking about other creators like R. Sugar as another example - wrt the annoying and artificially generated backlash SU would get at times despite the show being a Pretty Good and a Big Deal Actually for its time.

tldr i just appreciate having ppl i can side bar w/ irl who aren't as intensely reactive and demanding wrt everything always. or annoyingly loading every conversation with as much therapyspeak or many SJ 101 buzzwords as they possibly can. esp since many of them actually go out and engage w/ others irl - thru organizing, mutual aid, etc etc etc.

it's illuminating and inspiring to get their insight on so many issues, too! but it also makes me sadder for the folks who cannot or do not do that - they get stuck in the spin cycle of constant outrage online with no healthy outlet for for that anger or discomfort. i could go on but i don't wanna be too needlessly bitchy or deprecating when i think my point's good 'n made by now.

and rambling almost helped me forget abut the bad take that got me started in the first place LMAO

[vivaciouscynner]

Welcome to tumblr

Introductions: You'll notice very quickly that tumblr has a very different vibe than most social media sites. One of the biggest differences is that no one here is really aiming to be popular or have a ton of followers.

This isn't to say you won't be super popular. That can still happen. But, unlike other sites, there's no algorithm to fight here. And honestly, there's a lot more respect at tumblr than anywhere else.

{Can't believe I said that, but when other sites dig themselves into an abyss... well, you get the idea}

Rules: Honestly, there's not really any other than:

if you intend to be garbage, do it lovingly.

If you intend to be loving, don't miss.

If you want to be fun, go loud.

if you want to be a mess, love yourself first

Do know that if you attempt useless discourse for the purpose of just causing a fight, you'll likely see this quickly fail. Tumblr is a lot LESS reactionary. And because of this, you'll be promptly ignored and freely blocked.

But also, rest assured, people generally have higher critical thinking skills here. You will not have to wrap a statement with an overwhelming, over-explained, disclosure that you didn't mean something else (especially unrelated). Example:

I like pancakes Oh, so you hate waffles?

You don't, generally, have to worry about that too much here. And if you spot it, just block it 👍

About: Do whatever you want that makes you happy. The only real way to get any form of engagement is through the tagging system. Also note, that it's a form of communication. See tagging section below.

Tumblr has a lot of benefits, one being, you are not shown any posts unless you want to see them. There's no forced "for-you" page, there IS a "for you" page, but it's not forced, and honestly, it's actually kind of good.

IF YOU'RE NEW: It's really important that, BEFORE you follow anyone, you must have AT LEAST, BARE MINIMUM, somewhere on your blog, something that says, "bear with me, I'm new, I'm not a bot, I'll have posts and reblogs soon".

::Context:: Tumblr users have recently been getting a lot of bot follows. And they're pretty easy to pick out. So easy, that if you even somewhat look like one, you'll be blocked and reported immediately. So here's what NOT to look like:

The blog is EMPTY - no posts or reblogs

The title is "Untitled"

The user avatar is the DEFAULT avatar OR a random woman (please just choose some cartoon character or something)

The Likes and Follows page are inaccessible (this is generally fine but if you hit the other bullet points, then this immediately tells us you're a bot. Seriously, if I see default icon or human face/body follow me, there's a 99% chance they're a bot.)

So please, to avoid getting blocked by possibly your favorite artists/writers/interests/whathaveyou, please do the opposite of the bulleted list there.

Basics: ::Tagging:: Unlike other sites, we don't dump the tags in the body of the post. Instead, at the very bottom - the footer, basically - there is a spot to add tags. Tags are converted to tumblr quick-links that navigate to similar posts with the same tag. As mentioned before, the tags are also used as a form of communication, usually after-thoughts or punchlines to a joke. They are also a good way to let the person you reblogged a post from know your thoughts without adding to the thread of posts.

::Likes:: "Likes" work a little differently than most sites. This acts as a bookmark, basically. It's also what tumblr uses to curate the "For You" page should you choose to use it. It does absolutely NOTHING to spread information other than you told the poster that you, indeed, liked their post - which is good!

::Reblogs:: It's pretty straight forward and acts like you think it would. It's essentially a retweet (if coming from twitter) or a retoot (if from Mastodon). Reblogs help spread the blog post. The post will show up on your follower's dash (the main timeline, if you will) as well as on your blog site (your yourusername.tumblr.com or tumblr.com/yourusername) Reblogs and tagging, help "spread the word" and allows more viewers to see the post.

::Chat/Replies:: In a blog post you can leave a comment and each one can be replied to. These replies are actually a lot LESS intrusive than twitter. They're also a lot less noticeable. Usually only the original poster will "notice" them unless you @ someone's handle (or click the triple dot and reply to the user which adds the @ automatically)

The separate, standalone chat function that tumblr has is like a private direct message. You can even start group chats like you would is most places.

::Asks:: You can set your blog to accept Anonymous or Non-Anonymous asks where they can simply shoot you a question or comment in your inbox. Do what you're comfortable with, but you'll more likely to get asks if you allow anonymity.

Final Thoughts: You really can't "screw up" here because this IS the place to screw up. This site is like that meme where it's, 🎶 "Thanks for checking in, I'm still a piece of garbage" 🎶

I think the biggest issue people have when coming here from another platform (namely bird app) is that there's a mission or competition to survive. And, that's just not what it's like here.

Take your shoes off, sit on the couch, relax.

[linklethehistorian]

I think you severely misunderstand why people are getting upset with you — that or you’re just purposefully missing the point.

There’s a thing called fucking realism in a society where literally nearly everything that isn’t coming out of an indie creator (and even some that is) is, at the end of the day, made to be sold. That doesn’t mean that some of the writers who wrote it didn’t want to tell a story or that that wasn’t their primary objective. That doesn’t mean that the story can’t be good or the primary focus of the movie when people watch it. But unfortunately anything and everything that goes out through official channels and especially that is approved by some major team is going to be “made for the money” or at the very least measured against the money it will make — even if not everyone on the team made it for that purpose, or even if the original point of it was to be made for the sake of telling story.

A decent chunk of the people here probably actually genuinely do believe that, in their eyes, there was love put into their movie and that it was made for the story, but they know that you — either you personally, or a collective you, as in most people — likely don’t, and that every time they’re asked “what’s your favorite movie?”, they’ll get obnoxious fuckwads like you who will counter that “okay, but that’s not a real movie lol, a real movie is [xyz], and yours clearly isn’t so it doesn’t count, what’s a real movie that you like?” (And, I should add, most of the time this is going to be simply because the obnoxious person making said comment doesn’t like said movie or thinks themself above it and thus just wants to a reason to have shit on it.)

Show me a fucking movie that’s “not a real movie” or a “real movie” that you can prove 1,000% the intent behind from every side of the development and every person involved in making it. No, seriously, go ahead — I’ll fucking wait. ‘Cause here’s the thing, Oh Wise and Intelligent One with the Best and Most Sublime Tastes™️: you can’t. Know why? Human beings fucking lie, that’s why. Corporations fucking lie. Every indie creator and every corporation you ever ask if they made something for the love of the craft is of course going to say “yes”, because it’s not a good look to say otherwise! And while you can point to certain members of the team who may leak that allegedly that statement wasn’t true, or you can point to circumstantial evidence which supposedly backs your claims and your personal belief that it wasn’t, you still can’t 100% prove that there wasn’t love of the craft in at least some of the teams’ minds when they made it, and likewise you can’t prove 100% that making money wasn’t the primary force behind that oh-so-passionate indie creator’s beloved creation when they made their movie. Which brings me to my final point:

Making money being the primary force behind something’s creation doesn’t necessarily devalue it completely from being “real” or meaningful. That indie creator, down on their luck — and while yes, perhaps loving of their creation and its idea — loving and desperately needing money more than anything else at this present moment in time to survive, is not any less of an artist or their creation any less valid for being popular than another indie creator who happens to be either rich enough or otherwise just in some other personal position in life to just not care about whether or not their creation makes money, so long as it is seen. Value is fucking subjective. Something that was made with no love at all in mind can still theoretically have deep and personal meaning to someone somewhere in the world. And that’s because “art” isn’t in the love of just the creator, it’s found in any human being who looks at it and assigns it meaning. Art is inherently human and can only be human, because that label is a human concept and can only be assigned by a human. Meaning can only be assigned by a human. Worth beyond potential to aid one’s personal biological survival can only be assigned by a human. But it doesn’t have to be the particular human that created it to give it such. It just has to have the potential by someone — anyone — to be read as potentially containing that intent, that meaning, that worth.

To conclude: Yes, you are, in fact, an obnoxious snob who can’t think beyond “Ha, look at these idiots just proving my point” when they see people disagreeing with them in the comments and reblogs — but only actually because you’re acting like you’re above everyone else and oh so right and smart and that “these people just can’t handle my correct opinions, they hate that I’m right”.

The sad thing is, you actually do have a decent point somewhere beneath your obnoxious argument and wording: art of any form is always going to end up crippled in some way by someone either wanting or needing to care about the money that goes in and comes out of it, and some things (*cough*endlesssequelstopopularfranchisesbybigcorporations*cough*) are always going to be more crippled than their less sanitized, monetized, broadened-demographiced, measured, shaped, and cropped peers, and on the whole, it’s not hard to tell or wrong to criticize and point out when individuals or corporations do this. It’s not wrong to personally dislike or avoid things you view as soulless. But it isn’t your right to decide universally where that bar is for people or whether or not there can be meaning and worth in something beyond the original purpose and intent of its creator, and it’s your gatekeeping, stuck-up attitude that mars and buries the point behind your post.

If you marketed your obvious base point (art can be crippled and lessened by the pursuit of money by its creators) in a less narrow-minded way and with a less know-it-all attitude, you probably wouldn’t get even a third as many people yelling at you in the comments or reblogs.

"umm what's a real movie, you obvious snob" thanks for asking. a real movie is one that was made with the primary purpose of telling a story, not investor value. okay now the world is your oyster.