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Oh and I want to fight all the Gen Z kids who are like ‘teehee, we’ll just do lavender marriages instead!’ Some of us are adults who want equal rights and protections under the law of our land.

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No, no, and NO.

AO3 does not live in “the cloud” because that is other people’s computers, and other people’s computers are vulnerable to censorship.

AO3 is on its own computers. It does still have to be housed somewhere, and I suppose a determined enough hater could try to find that place and go after it, but it’s a lot harder than sending spurious complaints to Amazon or whomever going “BadWrong things are hosted on your cloud service!”

Owning the servers is a core tenet of OTW/AO3.

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Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Proko (Free, mostly teaches anatomy and how to draw people. But does have art talks and teaches the basics.)

Marc Brunet (Free but he does have other classes for a cheap price. Use to work for Blizzard and teaches you everything)

Aaron Rutten (free, tips about art, talks about art programs and the best products for digital art)

BoroCG (free, teaches a verity of art mediums from 3D modeling to digital painting. As well as some tips that can be used across styles)

Jesse J. Jones (free, talks about animating)

Jesus Conde (free, teaches digital painting and has classes in Spanish)

Mohammed Agbadi (free, he gives some advice in some videos and talks about art)

Ross Draws (free, he does have other classes for a good price. Mostly teaching character designs and simple backgrounds.)

SamDoesArts (free, gives good advice and critiques)

Drawfee Show (free, they do give some good advice and great inspiration)

The Art of Aaron Blaise ( useful tips for digital art and animation. Was an animator for Disney. Mostly nature art)

Bobby Chiu ( useful tips and interviews with artist who are in the industry or making a living as artist)

Sinix Design (has some tips on drawing people)

Winged canvas (art school for free on a verity of mediums)

Bob Ross (just a good time, learn how to paint, as well as how too relax when doing art. "there are no mistakes only happy accidents", this channel also provides tips from another artist)

Scott Christian Sava (Inspiration and provides tips and advice)

Pikat (art advice and critiques)

Drawbox (a suggested cheap online art school, made of a community of artist)

Skillshare (A cheap learning site that has art classes ranging from traditional to digital. As well as Animation and tutorials on art programs. All under one price, in the USA it's around $34 a month)

Human anatomy for artist (not a video or teacher but the site is full of awesome refs to practice and get better at anatomy)

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

The "how to draw manga" series produced by Graphic-sha. These are for manga artist but they give great advice and information.

"Creating characters with personality" by Tom Bancroft. A great book that can help not just people who draw cartoons but also realistic ones. As it helps you with facial ques and how to make a character interesting.

"Albinus on anatomy" by Robert Beverly Hale and Terence Coyle. Great book to help someone learn basic anatomy.

"Artistic Anatomy" by Dr. Paul Richer and Robert Beverly Hale. A good book if you want to go further in-depth with anatomy.

"Directing the story" by Francis Glebas. A good book if you want to Story board or make comics.

"Animal Anatomy for Artists" by Eliot Goldfinger. A good book for if you want to draw animals or creatures.

"Constructive Anatomy: with almost 500 illustrations" by George B. Bridgman. A great book to help you block out shadows in your figures and see them in a more 3 diamantine way.

"Dynamic Anatomy: Revised and expand" by Burne Hogarth. A book that shows how to block out shapes and easily understand what you are looking out. When it comes to human subjects.

"An Atlas of animal anatomy for artist" by W. Ellenberger and H. Dittrich and H. Baum. This is another good one for people who want to draw animals or creatures.

Etherington Brothers, they make books and have a free blog with art tips.

📝As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

Clip Studio paint ( you can choose to pay once or sub and get updates. Galaxy, Windows, macOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, or Chromebook device. )

Procreate ( pay once for $9.99 usd, IPAD & IPHONE ONLY)

Blender (for 3D modules/sculpting, animation and more. Free)

PaintTool SAI (pay but has a 31 day free trail)

Krita (Free)

mypaint (free)

FireAlpaca (free)

Aseprite ($19.99 usd but has a free trail, for pixel art Windows & macOS)

Drawpile (free and for if you want to draw with others)

IbisPaint (free, phone app ONLY)

Medibang (free, IPAD, Android and PC)

NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

"also apologies for any spelling or grammar errors, I have Dyslexia and it makes my brain go XP when it comes to speech or writing"

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I keep seeing likes for an old fanart that is full of mistakes. Obvious answer? Redraw it with slightly more skill. XD

(Cue me seeing new mistakes the second I press post)

Grian climbed in his sleeping bag, threading their legs and fingers together. Fidgeting with whichever part of Scar was in reach. Scar had one of his crystals with him, and to a soundtrack of waves rhythmically rolling up the shore, he pressed the white glow in their intertwined hands. Grian's breath caught in his throat, and he said, "Is that?" "Yeah." Scar pressed his lips to Grian's fingers, the light of the crystal faint through the gaps. He said against his knuckles, "I promise you my home." "Scar." Grian said, voice wavering. "I promise you my heart." Scar said, letting his magic soak into the crystal. His gift. His vow, the Vex side of him humming pleasantly. "Scar." Grian said again, weak, like it was the only word he knew. "I promise you my soul." Scar kissed his fingers, and let the magic seal.

Flashback from chapter 2 of Closer to Another Shore by @remedymcyt

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Has anyone figured out what’s so viscerally wrong with this woman yet

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Hnngh. The Audible "hack" is making the rounds again, with people claiming you can use your Audible credit to listen to a book and then return it "for free." While I am the first among many to say "fuck Amazon and we should gullotine Jeff Bezos," I need you all to know it's not Amazon refunding you.

It's the authors.

They take that out of our royalties. And that's after they take 80% of our royalties on sales we do make.

(Note: Also, do not assume that your credit is worth the price listing that Amazon shows. Amazon does not pay us the cost of the listing. ((WHICH THEY PICK, we cannot set our own prices on audiobooks and then that forces us to use the Amazon price for the rest of the market!!)) What we get is 20% of the credit's value, so my book might appear on Audible for $20-30. However, if you received an Amazon credit for one of those $4.99 deals, I'd get 20% of $4.99. Yes, it's fucked, it's all fucked. Yes, other audio retailers do the exact same thing. This is one of the reasons authors don't make half as much money as people think they do.)

This became such a big issue that they had to make it impossible to return books after a certain point without talking to a customer service representative, because people were using Kindle/Audible and Amazon's return policy "like a library," and some authors (myself included) were getting royalty checks that showed negative income.

At this point, I don't even know if the Audible "hack" still works (Amazon has made changes to protect authors from this kind of thing at a glacial pace), but I need you to know it's not Amazon that's refunding you. This isn't a fun little "fuck Amazon" thing. The way Amazon has it set up, it's directly fucking the authors over.

So, yeah. Obviously, if you download something and can't get into it, or if something pops up on the author's side that makes you not want to support them anymore, yeah, process that return. Yeet the bitch. But please don't use it "like a library."

It's really harrowing to see your predicted income based on sales and then find out you're getting one-tenth of that because of refunds. And it's not even because people didn't like your book. They're just using the wrong place like a library and fucking over your algorithm as well, because once you get too many returns, you stop getting promoted.

Try using a library. You can access places like @queerliblib for FREE provided you have a US library account that you've hooked up to Libby. It's a little bit of work, but once you've got a card number, you're golden.

Just, y'know, throwing it out there because I don't think people realize this is how it works. You're not taking something back to Walmart, and Walmart is eating the refund before dumping the item in the garbage. Amazon takes the refund, turns to the author, and takes it off our plates.

Note: this does not affect Kindle Unlimited. Flip through the end pages to give the author maximum pages read, and then return that bad boy so the author can get paid. But also, please, maybe think about switching to a Kobo+ account instead. It offers the same subscription-based membership without demanding exclusivity, so authors aren't locked into just Amazon the way they are with KU. (Royalty rates are roughly the same, but it's a better deal in terms of allowing broader market access.)

This has been a rambling and exhausted PSA from your local peddler of weres.

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my villies ft. etho past life designs :3

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AU where Tobias is trapped as a social bird like a crow instead of a solitary predator. Bonus: Does he create the Crow Air Force by accident?

Yet another objectively excellent AU idea that has me stumped. Any fellow fandalites have suggestions about Tobias the Corvid?

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I am not even 40 and I remember how media with LGBTQ relationships got higher age ratings simply because it had LGBTQ content. Anything involving LGBTQ stuff was automatically deemed "not child-appropriate," even if it was just two people holding hands.

Furthermore, what people count as "explicit sex" can have a messed up definition. One time I was arguing with someone on twitter about banned books and got them to cough up the list of "child inappropriate books" they were using. I remember seeing Graceling by Kristin Cashore on the list, with the note "explicit sex" as the reason. The sex in that book is fade to black. I'm fairly certain the actual reason it was on that list is because it had a fantasy version of birth control, but "the characters practice safe sex" doesn't get as many people fired up to take it off bookshelves.

Any restriction against sexual content can be twisted to be used against other so-called "problematic" content.

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“Hot and bothered” in the sense that it is 90 degrees out and I am extremely annoyed

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do you guys think that when impulse and ren offered their lives to Tango for him to be cured of the boogey, he thought of Last Life? do you think he remembered the cold relentless water around his legs contrasting against the white hot pain of Bdubs's axe burying itself in his back over and over again? do you think he fears that, if he took them up on the offer, the gluten guys would eventually fall apart just like B.E.S.T did?

do you think that he looked into impulses gentle eyes and thought about Limited Life, thought back to sharing painful memories of Bdubs's axes and arrows and stolen lives as they trapped that portal?

do you think that he looked at rens easygoing smile and saw it twitch at the thought of sacrificing himself for Tango, of kneeling and letting Tango do what he must to protect the pyramid and its inhabitants?

do you think that's why he kept refusing them?

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Back during the time when it was popular to bash Twilight for both legitimate reasons (Edward being borderline abusive to Bella, the whole child grooming plot point in Breaking Dawn, etc.) and not (REAL VAMPIRES DON’T SPARKLE THATS GAY), I saw this meme on Facebook where it was Louis and Lestat from Interview With The Vampire commenting on Edward’s sparkling and making fun of him for being gay. Like… Buddy My Guy. My Fair Dude. My Dear Sweet Homophobic Idiot. Not only are the Vampires in IWTV super duper gay, you’re lying to yourself if you think Lestat wouldn’t slam dunk his entire body into a tub of glitter on any given occasion. You Fool. You Imbecile.

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Some more goofing off for the Villies and the Cabincore Crew (and the Duck Society).

Edit: also, the build (aka two different clashing styles sharing the same lot):

(This does contain cc but I don't think anyone looking at these will be interested in me linking them? Feel free to message me if I'm wrong and you want to know what cc was used.)

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on watching a parent age

i saw somebody say “what if you’re gone and i haven’t become anything yet” and basically that broke me on a random thursday evening

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Spoilers for the Animorphs series by KA Applegate.

I loved Animorphs as a kid. It was the book series that got me into reading. But I hated, still hate, and will *always* hate the ending.

Applegate went on record defending the ending, but I still feel like she missed the mark in a lot of ways. She wanted to show how broken the protagonists were after the war, but she had killed off the best character to actually show that.

Rachel is a character who was fundamentally changed by the war. Her role in the group was the brave one, the go-getter, the front line fighter. From an early point, she started feeling like she couldn't show when she was scared because her friends were depending on her to give them courage. As time goes on, she gets a reputation for being the most aggressive member of the group, with other characters speculating that she likes fighting. I am pretty sure one of the other Animorphs even says at one point that they don't know what Rachel will do when the war is over. There are multiple books that talk about the divide Rachel feels, between the regular teenage girl she wants to be and the fearless warrior she feels like she has to be.

Her love interest has a similar issue, though his has been sci-fi'd up. Fighting in the war gave him a place to be and a purpose, both things he was lacking before, but it *literally* cost him his humanity. The technology that gave the Animorphs their name leaves him stuck in the body of a hawk. He eventually gets the ability to temporarily turn human again, but if he stays human too long, he'll lose his ability to morph again and be unable to fight in the war.

His and Rachel's struggles are likened to each other a few times. One of the books dealing with the divide Rachel feels ends with him telling her, "Let's go, Rachel. The two of you and the two of me. Let's go." Even the way people talk about them is similar - characters speculate that Rachel actually loves the fight, and that Tobias *purposefully* got stuck in his hawk form.

However, that means the conflict Rachel feels also affects her relationship with Tobias. While other characters think Tobias prefers being a hawk to being a human, Rachel *wants* him to be human. At one point Tobias even wonders if she tried to get him to overstay the time limit so he would stay human. For Tobias's part, his life as a human sucked. When he gets the ability to morph back, the being who gives it to him all bit confirms he doesn't *want* to be permanently human again. The only real reason he wants to be human at all is *Rachel*.

And Rachel is the one who dies in the final battle.

We don't get to see her trying to adjust to peace. We don't get to see her struggle to be a normal girl again. We don't see her trying to reconcile with her best friend, who she parted ways with because their differing roles in the group (moral compass and aggressive warrior) drove them apart. We don't get to see her dealing with how the war changed her forever, and she can't just go back to how things were before.

Her death also kills any internal conflict for Tobias after the war. Without Rachel, he has no reason to permanently become human again, and KA Applegate wasn't interested in any of the other options he could have struggled with. Becoming a Hork-Bajir and joining the people he freed? Doesn't come up. Becoming an Andalite and joining his best friend on a world he's never been to? Doesn't come up. Becoming human and working on creating a relationship with his estranged mother? His mom isn't even mentioned in the final book. In his grief over losing Rachel, he stays a hawk, even though it's been established that he'll have a shorter lifespan as a hawk, and his friends *let him.* There's some attempts to talk to him, but even his best friend seems to quickly give up on him. His internal conflict is dead, replaced by grief and anger at the leader who ordered Rachel to go on the mission that killed her. The last time we see him human, it's so he can cry over Rachel's death - hawks can't cry, after all. After that, he has no reason to do anything except wait out the rest of his shortened life as a hawk.

By killing Rachel, at least *two* characters are deprived of the post-war internal conflicts that previous books hinted at. Living would have been harder for both of them. It would have been more interesting for the audience. And it would have demonstrated what Applegate *wanted* to with the final book a lot better - that even though the war is over, things aren't *fixed.* Rachel would still struggle to be a "normal" girl. Tobias would still be reluctant to be human and would be torn about his identity. They'd still have issues in their relationship, potentially even more than when the war was ongoing. Both of them would finally have to come to terms with who they are and who they want to be.

It would have been way, way better than what we got.

Big fan of characters realizing they don't get to die. They have to live. And grow. And be a person. And deal with shit they thought they'd never have to. And be fucked up about it. I would like more of this. Enough dying for honor or as redemption. It ain't. You're just a corpse. There is no moral value in dirt time.

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I’m just saying if Daniel Radcliffe, the literal protagonist of the Harry Potter franchise since the age of ten years old, was able to disavow JK Rowling and move on from the HP universe then actually what the fuck is anyone else’s excuse. There is no one else on the planet who can say their entire childhood was HP more than that guy and he still cared about trans people more than the average tumblr user who says “we’re protesting by making all her characters queer and trans!!” like you can do better. You should do better.