sylveonnesmuses

[sylveonnesmuses]

I think about pokemon in non-battle situations a lot. Like pokemon who have been trained/raised to be helpers and assistants than to be battle partners.

Pokemon visiting hospitals to cheer patients up like dogs and cats do. Or ones that help kids learn to read, speak, swim, go through therapy?! Even pokemon who’s abilities help owners with specific disabilities?!

I love thinking of pokemon outside of battle situations.

[sylveonnesmuses]

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.

[sylveonnesmuses]

How to Stop Being A Shitty White Ally

Soooo, I wasn’t really going to do this because I’m black and tired and not obligated to have to do this, but I’m going to. I’m absolutely sick of seeing so many communities on this site have BLATANT RACISM ALL OVER IT AND NOBODY DOES ANYTHING. As a result, I’m just going to quickly list some things that CAN and SHOULD be done when racist shit happens. 

Agian, my word is NOT law. I’m speaking MERELY from my experiences as a black person who experiences racism in real life AND on here. If you guys think of anything to add, feel free to add in a reblog.

1) For fuck’s sake, STOP DEBATING WITH POCs HOW THEY SHOULD FEEL ABOUT RACISM. If you’re white, then I’m sorry: you do NOT get it, and you do NOT get the right to lecture, talk down to, or even try to fucking gaslight POCs into feeling like they’re wrong or pushing people away for how they feel about something. Yes, I’m mentioning gaslighting because that HAS happened to me in this RPC over me simply pointing out that racism is bad and that the RPC NEEDS to fight it better. It’s awful, degrading, and genuinely made me feel like I  was in the wrong for not wanting to deal with racism AND that what I experienced WASN’T a big deal.

2) Stop writing POCs without doing your research. I’m not saying you can’t write who you want. Please do! However, is it too much to ask that you do at least SOME research before doing so? Like, the amount of times I’ve seen racist or racially ignorant people in the RPC write POCs is actually staggering. It’s not funny, it’s not cute, and it just makes you look WAY worse than you would if you wrote a white muse.

3) Please understand that this isn’t just about YOUR escape. Do you not think that POCs want to escape to? We do! That’s why we write! Make art! Make music! Escape is healthy and good, but it ISN’T good when our ability to escape gets crushed by racism and than our WHITE FRIENDS AND PEERS COMPLETELY IGNORE IT. It’s such a terrible look to bitch and moan about your comfort when you essentially said FUCK your fellow community members.

4) Understand that the RPC seems to be a largely white-dominated place. What does this mean? It means that when muns who are POCs join, please don’t just ignore them when/if they confide in you about a racial issue. The amount of times people in Discord calls JUST GO SILENT AND TRY TO CHANGE A TOPIC EVEN WHEN I’M EXPLICITLY ASKED HOW I FEEL ABOUT A RACIAL ISSUE IS SO EMBARRASSING. It should NOT be like this and it’s so very tiring.

5) Don’t excuse or forgive racist behavior. Listen. I get it – if the person who said something racist or offensive is your friend, it’s natural to want to support them – but if you are WHITE and trying to forgive and/or excuse racist behavior on the behalf of POCs, you are NOT HELPING. You are making the situation WORSE. You are only going to escalate an issue. Yes, there are instances where someone said something racist and GENUINELY LEARNED FROM THEIR MISTAKES, but it is NOT ON WHITE PEOPLE TO BE THE ONES PARDONING AND FORGIVING THEM. You’re utterly fucking delusional if you think otherwise.

6) STOP GETTING MAD AT POCs FOR HAVING FEELINGS WHEN RACIAL ISSUES HAPPEN IN THE RPC. We are ALLOWED to be upset! We are ALLOWED to be sad! We are ALLOWED to distance ourselves to recover if need be! We are NOT pushing people away! We are simply recovering from something you will NEVER understand, and we do NOT need to be grandstanded about how we should or shouldn’t process something. If I’m super upset because I got called a slur repeatedly and nobody did anything, I’M ALLOWED TO BE UPSET AND PUT AS MUCH TIME TO MYSELF AS NEEDED.

There’s so much more I could put here, but I’m tired. The Tumblr RPC has someone being racist so often and while I’m glad people HAVE been less lenient with that shit, I’m seeing the same mistakes be made. Even some of my really close friends have made these mistakes. 

Please, please, PLEASE just keep trying to do better. I don’t care if you think I’m on my high horse or not. The life of a POC often means eating a lot of shit in real life when it comes to racism. It is NOT elitist to ask for our white peers to DO BETTER IN WHAT IS MEANT TO BE A COMMUNITY.

[sylveonnesmuses]

CALLOUT FOR LEE / KIER  ( @ pcstwick / flygontm / eternahop / faeriefound )

WARNINGS FOR: SUICIDE THREATS, ABUSE, MANIPULATION, GUILT TRIPPING, GASLIGHTING

This is the sequel I know nobody wanted to see, but this was something I needed to do. But, as a disclaimer, I know that things between Kier and the parties behind the first KierCallout blog have been ultimately settled. THIS IS MOSTLY UNRELATED TO THAT, AND THOSE PARTIES DO NOT WANT TO BE INVOLVED ANY LONGER.

But I wanted to show that Kier’s problematic behavior didn’t begin and end with that debacle. I wanted to say definitively that I felt like I was being mistreated as their friend for the majority of the time we were friends. That’s not to say I haven’t made my own mistakes or that we didn’t have good times and good memories together. But the quality of friendships aren’t only based on the GOOD times. If the good times are good, and the bad times are abusive, that’s an abusive relationship, plain and simple.

By the end of our friendship, I was literally afraid of them. I was afraid to change my status from Invisible, afraid to speak, afraid to do anything that might get on their bad side. I was made to think that anything that I said that hurt their feelings was because I was a bad friend or a bad person. I was prepared to let sleeping dogs lie, but enough was enough when I found they block-evaded me using their positivity blog. NO CONTACT MEANS NO CONTACT. PERIOD. 

Thus, I made a summary of the two events that ended our friendship. Keep in mind that this comes on the back of multiple months of abusive, gaslighting behavior that I didn’t have time to show. As a result, the tone is pretty bitter and angry in a few places. My own terrible experiences have left me jaded, cynical, and distrustful about Kier as a person.

That being said, DO NOT TRY TO USE THIS AS AN EXCUSE TO SEND KIER ABUSE AND ANON HATE! I do not condone that in any way, and if you’re really going to send anonymous hate because of internet drama, reconsider your life choices. This document is meant to serve as an archive of prior abusive behavior and a warning to the community in case Kier falls back on old habits, not an internet hit job.

Also, so that a certain someone doesn’t get any funny ideas that he can capitalize off of the pain of MY experiences, here is the Callout Kier made of Mick / Juicy, who is apparently still after them. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and while I’m clearly upset about the treatment I was subjected to, that doesn’t mean I think what Mick did was justified. He utterly disgusts me. 

That said, I refused to be kept silent about my experiences because of the threat of him coming back. I’m not aiming to get them “cancelled” or trying to make them delete everything. But after months of walking on eggshells and blaming myself for every tiny thing that ever went wrong between us, I will not be cowed or told to shut up for their benefit any longer. For any reason. I deserve to be heard and to tell my story. And, most of all, I deserve closure after months of being treated terribly. 

HERE’S THE LINK OF THE FULL CALLOUT.

– Mittens

[sylveonnesmuses]

Heads up!

If you try editing an already saved draft and try to save it again to come back to it later: TUMBLR WILL AUTO POST IT. 

To avoid this, I recommend finishing the reply immediately (sorry) OR taking your reply to a gdoc or something until you’re ready to post it.

[sylveonnesmuses]

“i complain about tumblr but i refuse to leave unless the site itself deactivates” squad

[sylveonnesmuses]

Munday question: What's your opinion on roleplay and its relation to the real world? In other words, do you consider RP an "escape" from real life, or do you consider them more connected?

I woooould consider it an escape from the real world, but I don't exactly have a life in the real world to escape from rn, with college being out and me not having IRL friends up here. X"D

[sylveonnesmuses]

what to avoid || a trans/nb guide

this is a guide to all the character tropes that cis muns should avoid when writing non-binary or trans characters! this is just my opinion, feel free to consult other nb and trans rpers as opinions may vary.

the tragic figure: they have nobody, nowhere to turn. they’ve been shunned by their family and have no chance at a happy ending - also known as: the character with no family & no friends. not being cis doesn’t mean being a tragedy, non-cis characters can & should have happy endings or at least a fair shot.

the caged animal: they are a walking pride flag, every conversation seems to revolve around their gender identity. this is so boring - characters are more than their gender identity and while their experiences as a non-cis person might influence their personality - it shouldn’t define them.

the invisible: the opposite extreme of the caged animal - they never mention their gender identity despite being out. this just isn’t realistic, while being non-cis shouldn’t define a character they also shouldn’t never mention it. it should have some sort of impact even if it’s just them clarifying pronouns when meeting new people.

the joke: a throwaway character, a mockery of what you think of “tumblr genders” - while i haven’t seen this one done, i would like to keep it that way. there’s a thin line between your character being proud of their gender identity and you being an asshole, so explore new labels carefully and consult as many nb & trans people as possible.

additional tips:

explore pronouns outside of they/them. there are non-binary & trans people who use neopronouns or who are comfortable with binary pronouns.

if you are cis, i would highly recommend not writing a closeted character.

explore their relationships with family and understand that for many non-cis people familial relationships are a struggle and a journey but that doesn’t mean you can’t find acceptance.

have your characters be involved in pride & similar organizations: if it fits their personality.

if someone misgenders your character, correct them.

if a nb / trans mun approaches you about issues with your portrayal, use their feedback to learn and grow as a writer.

remember that there is discourse within the trans community and there are trans people who don’t believe in non-binary identities - when looking for information on nb / trans people, i would recommend not trusting information from anyone who identifies as a transmed or truscum.

[sylveonnesmuses]

If I make a Team Rocket tech support grunt, should I put her here or on annoying-blood-orange? I don't quite wanna commit to giving her her own eternal WIP blog yet.

[sylveonnesmuses]

So with learning about how only the first word of a tag counts toward filtering, from here on out, I'm changing the way I tag things.

Old: "tw: thing"

New: "thing tw"

I don't have the time and energy to go back and edit every post on my blogs to reflect this, but new posts will. (Is the xkit mass post editor working? I heard a while back it wasn't or else I'd use that)

Please let me know if I autopilot and tag something the old way and I'll fix it!

[sylveonnesmuses]

I'm aware that a lot of my content is just repetitive memes, so I've wanted to change things up. I'm thinking having temporary blog events, such as my muses travelling to a new region, would mix things up but in an organized manner. Any suggestions for events? Anything y'all really wanna see?

[sylveonnesmuses]

I'm gonna check myself too, but y'all let me know whether this stays proper size or not. I'm using @rocketsecretary's guide!

[sylveonnesmuses]

"Yeah, Christmas's long over but Stantler plushes're still cute eh? May leaves a Stantler plush with a red hat and nose on Serena's table. A tag on its rear stays that its limited edition

"Ah! It's adorable, thank you! I bet a smaller plushie can ride on it!"

Serena smiled and hugged the plush close.

"Ah, ah! If I made a sleigh I bet even more could ride in it!"

[sylveonnesmuses]

Semi-Hiatus

(that I forgot to announce yesterday OOF)

So I'm going to be down visiting family this week and I won't have WiFi. To conserve my data and to ensure that I'm emotionally present, I'm only letting myself on Tumblr in the mornings and late night. No threads or asks will be dropped, per se, replies will just be at a snail's pace.

Mutuals that I've talked to on here before can reach me on discord though! In fact, that's the ideal way to reach me 90% of the time because it's much more data efficient and cooperative than Tumblr, and I simply prefer it.

Thank you for understanding.

[sylveonnesmuses]

so funny how some of yall on here are like milfs 😍 and then write paragraphs on how you hate children like do you think any milf would ever come for you??? you love milfs you have to let their children into your heart too. package deal. this is law

[sylveonnesmuses]

HCs - Volcana’s Key Stone

Volcana found her Key Stone on her way to a site where Gyaradosite was rumored to be found. Wanting to keep this power all to herself, Volcana never told Lysandre, or anyone in Flare, that she found it. This is also why she hasn’t actually Mega Evolved her Pinsir yet - she doesn’t want to give away the fact that she has a Key Stone.

Volcana had her Key Stone fashioned into a decoration on her pocket watch, which she keeps hidden in the inner pocket of her blazer at all times.

Since Volcana has never Mega Evolved her Pokemon before, she has no idea of the exertion it takes on both of them. Not being used to it, she and/or her Pinsir might faint in the middle of a battle, allowing Serena or another loyalist to Lysandre to kill her once and for all.

[sylveonnesmuses]

this little bear is here to remind you that you’re fantastic! in lieu of a two thumbs up from a little bear with no opposable thumbs but only paws, please accept a snowball.

Aaaaa thank you! A precious bear!