a-curious-aquarius - Tumblr blog

[a-curious-aquarius]

When Camille apprenticed with Julian, they may have uh... well, relationships *blossom* in the thick of stressful situations. Smooches after a long shift at the clinic, with drinks from the Rowdy Raven after.

It was a short-lived but happy time together.

[a-curious-aquarius]

so. FUN FACT

tumblr is apparently rolling out a beta for a new post editor that essentially makes it so there are no longer post “types” (text post, audio post, photo post, etc.), and instead all types of content are better integrated into a single post. pretty neat, right?

…until you read the fine print.

The maximum number of total content blocks allowed in a single post is 250.

i emailed support and asked whether each paragraph counts as a content block. i received this reply:

SO. each paragraph counts as a content block, and i’m only allowed 250 content blocks in one post. the solution provided was to reformat my fics by using shift+enter after every paragraph instead of simply enter. which is already unnecessarily annoying in of itself, but then you come to the second hurdle: 

The maximum character length of a single text block is 4096 characters.

so–what?? besides spending my time writing thousands upon thousands of words, i’m expected to copy-paste it and then reformat everything, counting every single one of those words to make sure they fit within the restrictions? or i’m supposed to chop my fics up into multiple parts, even when i don’t want to? how exactly are writers supposed to write on this platform?? as you all know, my style tends to run pretty dialogue-heavy, so i start new paragraphs (and, thus, content blocks!!!) pretty damn often. i did a quick check, and let it snow, at almost 19k, is 550 paragraphs. with this new system, i would be forced to upload it in three (3!!!!!) posts! even my shortest chapter of ego, at 8.8k, is 350 paragraphs, and i’d have to split it in two.

this is honestly a formatting nightmare as a writer, and this is a decision that is liable to drive content creators away from the site and change fandom culture as a whole. 

please. if you enjoy reading content on this site and want to continue enjoying content on this site, please don’t let tumblr make things harder for writers! since the tumblr team is supposedly eager to hear what everyone thinks, it would really help if you could message support and share your concern about the issue–maybe we can stop this disaster before it starts.

[a-curious-aquarius]

[a-curious-aquarius]

Help me....

[a-curious-aquarius]

Nikolai Season 7 Mini CGs

[a-curious-aquarius]

another xenia/mc piece based on one of the heart scenes in season 2  (￣▽+￣*) i can’t stop drawing them…. @@ —— instagram

[a-curious-aquarius]

finally managed to finish this xenia/mc i started last year (＾▽＾) it has been very long since i last posted but school is officially over, and i have more time for personal works.

now.. time to catch up on everything (TヮT) —— instagram

[a-curious-aquarius]

[a-curious-aquarius]

commission pages for @leatherandsaltybitters! 💕

[a-curious-aquarius]

All Writers for Romance and LGBTQ Stories App ‘Lovestruck’ Appear to be Fired After Unionization Attempt

Lovestruck is a romance story app by Voltage Entertainment USA Inc., a subsidiary of Voltage Inc. The app contains numerous visual novel style romance stories with a variety of settings and love interests. It is known for its inclusion of LGBTQ characters, featuring multiple lesbian and non-binary routes that cater to its diverse fanbase.

While Voltage USA has “around 24 employees” that work in-house, it relies heavily on contracted freelancers for writing, art, and programming. The various storylines regularly updated with new content added to the app almost every single day. However, the massive amount of material appears to put undue stress on the writers, which is one of many reasons that on July 16, the freelance writers announced they had banded together under the name “Voltage Organized Workers” and demanded better wages and conditions.

According to the initial statement made by Voltage Organized Workers (VOW), all the writers are members of marginalized gender and sexual identities. While YuriMother was unable to verify the exact numbers, rumors state that Voltage USA contacted as many as 21 writers, all of whom joined the VOW. The initial statement outlined that the writers had approached Voltage USA to ask for “better working conditions, greater transparency, and increased protections.” They go on to detail that the writers are paid “less than half the industry-standard rate,” do not get benefits, and have to produce a large amount of content with tight deadlines. Because Voltage USA refused to meet their demands, they began to strike.

On July 20. VOW released another statement on social media thanking fans for their support and appearing hopeful, saying, “right now, the strike is ongoing, but management has agreed to negotiate with us.” They encouraged fans to reach out to Voltage USA and not to boycott the app as it would only harm their efforts. However, approximately five hours later, Voltage USA released a public statement, entitled Official Statement about Writers regarding the strike.

The statement is rather long and somewhat vague, but there are a few key points that are important to know. Voltage USA says that all the members of VOW, as independent contractors, have the right to refuse any assignment, as it is all based on an “at-will” agreement if the task does not meet their expectations. However, their freelancer contracts do not guarantee work or assignments. The statement also alleges that false and harmful statements were made by VOW on social media.

Before the strike publicly began, on July 15, Voltage USA attempted to negotiate with each writer individually, however, the writers refused, saying “on the subject of individual negotiations, we respectfully but firmly decline.” The members of VOW were interested in so-called “collective bargaining,” a negotiation method used by unions where the employer sets terms and rates with an organization as a whole rather than with individual members.

Keep reading

[a-curious-aquarius]

yeah, no. this is bullshit. they’re skirting around so many issues with vague non-answers, and I’m not buying it. altogether garbage response, lovestruck.

Please see our official statement regarding writers: https://www.lovestruckgame.com/officialstatement

[a-curious-aquarius]

Hi everyone! We are the Voltage Organized Workers!

The writers of Lovestruck have come together to unanimously demand better working conditions, greater transparency, and increased protections. To that end, we asked the management of Voltage USA to recognize us and meet our demands - and since management has refused, we will be going on strike.

All of the Lovestruck writers are members of marginalized genders and/or sexualities. We have been given an invaluable foot in the door to the industry and a platform to tell stories that represent our voices, our passion, and our experiences. We are also all fans of the app, and we care deeply about the stories we tell.

However, not only are we paid less than half the industry standard rate, we are asked to meet extremely tight deadlines and produce enormous amounts of content without protections or benefits.

We want to see our hard work and commitment to authentic storytelling given the value it deserves.

Want to help us? Well first off–thanks!

The best thing you can do is send messages to Lovestruck contact asking them to recognize us.

All our fans are important to us. You’re the people supporting us, and we hope that you will help us improve our situation. We know that you have your own concerns, and we’re confident that this move will help to address those as well.

While our strike won’t immediately affect content in the app, it will certainly delay stories that you’re eager to see. There is a contact field on the Voltage website, and the more they hear from fans, the more likely they are to want to talk to us.

Above all, please do NOT boycott the game. We’re counting on you still being there and reading the stories you love.

Please also do not send anyone any harassment, on our behalf or otherwise. We do not condone such behavior. Keep your messages respectful. At the end of the day, the people you’re messaging are still our coworkers, and we want to get back to work as quickly as possible.

Message us with questions here or on any of the social media accounts listed below!

(Just bear in mind that there are some questions we can’t answer without breaking our NDAs.)

We’re hoping to have good news for you within a few days, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated of any developments.

<3

Voltage Organized Workers

Twitter: @VOW_Together

Reddit: VOWTogether

Instagram: vowtogether

Amino: vowtogether

[a-curious-aquarius]

Fanfic Writer Friday

Alright fellow fanfic friends, it’s Friday, the best day of the week, and it’s about to get a lot more fun. Ya know why?

Reblog this post if you want people to send you asks about your writing process, wip/fics, or headcanons today! For each ask you get, try and send one back in return!

This is a weekly event, to be held every Friday (obviously) and is open to all fanfic writers in any fandom! Don’t be shy about sending asks to blogs you don’t know—this is a great way for writers to get to know different blogs and fics, and make new friends!

(in case you feel like you’ve seen something like this before, this is based of of writeblr’s Storyteller Saturday, aka STS!)

[a-curious-aquarius]

oh my god your asra as a parent drawings are so fucking cute oh my god !!! he would be such a good parent ;w; god, my heart is melting imagining julian in the same way (*´꒳`*)

And Dad Julian !

Dad Muriel and Dad Lucio are on my to-draw-list (as well as the Dragon Age AU) ^^

Thank you so much for all the likes, messages and sweet comments, you are all a huge support to me (╥﹏╥) ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

[a-curious-aquarius]

Happy Pride Month everyone! 🌈

Drawing Process on my Patreon.

[a-curious-aquarius]

Been a while since I drew my boo so I did a quick piece

[a-curious-aquarius]

This MC is so relatable oml 😂