#BUT !!! AND HEY THIS IS IMPORTANT !!! the start of preserving & POSTING this media for the masses >:^D

[basementmethcookr]

the way i have “spend $70 to preserve special interest media on the verge of being lost” type of autism 😭

[the-rad1o-demon]

[Image ID (sorta, basically just the text from it):

GET KOSA TRENDING.

STOP SCROLLING NOW!

AS OF FEBRUARY 21ST, 2024, WE GOT FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE DAY OF DECISION OF THE KOSA BILL, WHICH WILL CAUSE MASS CENSORSHIP ROUND THE INTERNET IF PASSED. OR DOOMSDAY. WE NEED EVERYONE TO KNOW ABOUT THIS AND CONTRIBUTE. I'M NOT GIVING UP ON YOU ALL.

WE'RE DOWN TO THE WIRE BUT WE CAN'T GIVE UP YET. IF WE GIVE UP, EVERYTHING IS OVER. IF WE DON'T, AT LEAST WE HAVE A CHANCE.

I'M THE ONE WHO SOUNDED THE ALARM, AND I'M NOT GOING TO CURL UP AND DIE YET.

Reblog this post in every LEGAL way you can under the Tumblr guidelines with the appropriate tags. TELL AND TAG EVERYONE YOU KNOW, then add the tags to see below... and more if you can think of any complying.

Visit badinternetbills.com if you want to find a way to defeat KOSA. It WILL NOT take much of your time. Reblog with any other information or sources, too-- but make sure to reblog if you can.

Reblog if you support lgbtq+ content.

Reblog if you support questioning queer youth and/or abused youth getting the information they need.

Reblog if you support Ao3 and/or other sites that wholeheartedly preserve talentedly made media.

Reblog if you're going to repost this on other sites than Tumblr and spread the word across Twitter, Tik Tok, Pinterest, or elsewhere, alongside the link to badinternetbills.com.

END image ID]

Hey, everyone. So yeah, this is happening. We're still fighting this battle. And we can't give up now. We can't. We can't stand idly by while one of the most important resources that helped us all wake up, or at least start to question things, is being threatened by the government.

We can't stand idly by when kids, teens, and adults just like us still trapped inside might lose access to the resource that could help them wake up. We can't stand idly by when they might lose access to their non JW friends and family. We CAN'T stand idly by when we can do something to stop this bill from passing.

I am sick and tired of this same old song, where conservative fuckers higher up think they can oppress everyone. I am FUCKING SICK of it.

Please, reblog both this post and the original post linked above what I've written, and do what you can to stop KOSA, please. We are running out of time.

I suggest that if it is within your power to do so, that you do more than simply reblog and assume someone else will do something. DON'T assume that. Please do more than just reblogging if you are able to, because that's not really enough at this point.

Call/email representatives in the House and tell them to oppose KOSA (you may want to list different reasons depending on who you're calling, some House representatives are anti-LGBTQ+, so it may be best to tell them to oppose because it violates people's privacy, safety, and anonymity online). Print posters and put them up where legal if you can.

Sharing all this information to other social media sites (Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, the bird app) to reach more people can really help too. The wider the reach, the better.

Thank you. Now let's fucking rip that bill apart like we rip apart Watchtower magazines and eat it for fucking breakfast. (In a "we're eating it and the politicians who are sponsoring it are looking on in horror" kind of way)

[friendlyfaded]

Hey Miles!

I had a question, completely out of curiosity, that I wanted to run past ya, just to pick your brain on it tehe

So I went and saw the newest Avatar movie last night, which was awesome! But as I was watching it I kinda started thinking about some of the art forms and things mentioned in the movie. They talked about songwriting, painting, and even further beyond to mathematics and philosophy, and so obviously they’d have forms of media and entertainment! I was wondering about media and culture and specifically in regards to culture, because this movie is about an indigenous community of people living on a planet separate from ours.

Anyway, I started thinking about how we talked forever ago about how media, folklore, art, and entertainment can be a great way to teach stories and can be great methods of escapism and other things. Do you ever wonder though at what point, either for an individual or for a community as a whole, things stop being cultural and begin being a distraction?

I mean surely there are types of entertainment that are simply and only to serve as a distraction, right? Do you have any thoughts/examples of this and what it could mean?

Sorry for the long post lol I was just curious and wanted to pick your brain hehe

hi saya!! see, the thing about the lore and entertainment that a culture engages in is that it’s almost never just a distraction. there’s always something that the folk are getting out of it, and that something rarely stops at entertainment.

a prime example could be movies, or more specifically, super hero movies. at first glance, they seem like a good way to pass the time. some people find them entertaining, and they keep your attention. what lies just below the surface, though, is the way that these movies perpetuate cultural values that americans tend to hold. they valorize characters that seek to make good change in the world and work hard for the benefit of the others in their community. if you look closely at most american media, no matter the type, there’s generally underlying ideals woven into the media just by nature of it having been created by people who hold those ideals. in that way, if we look at the function of the lore through william bascom’s lens (his article on the four functions of folklore is excellent and i highly recommend it), the lore in this example is both entertaining and serves to solidify cultural ideals that those creating the movies want to promote or preserve. it’s the same kind of idea as telling children fairy tales with a moral, just more intricately hidden, i suppose.

even the simplest methods of entertainment are often cultural in origin. for example, i interviewed a man who was part of a sharecropper family in north louisiana back in the 1900s. the children of that family, and of other families who worked the plantations, used scrap wire to make toys out of necessity. not only was this simple form of play cultural in that it was unique to their culture, but it was also inspired by african cultural practices.

most things that people do can, in one way or another, be drawn back to their culture. people don’t do things if they don’t get anything out of it, after all. people write fanfiction and post it on the internet because they gain fulfillment in their internet culture. parents tell their children stories about characters with good morals to teach them those morals. people learn to play guitar because they have come to see it as a valued skill in their society and want to invest their energy into it. people play roleplaying games to experience things that may be either frowned upon or impossible in their actual lives, whether due to their culture or to natural limitations. i would be hard pressed to come up with an entertaining/distracting practice that doesn’t have some kind of tie to one’s culture, whichever culture that may be.

it’s also important to remember that a person’s culture is drawn from all of the folk groups they’re part of. fan groups are folk groups, as are families, clubs, communities, cities, people who use certain online communication forums, people who have certain occupations, anything like that in which people with a common interest or practice come together to create something relating to that interest or practice.

what i was taught is that practices within a culture that no longer have any actual use for the culture are often either abandoned or changed to suit the group’s needs. entertainment follows that principle closely. even the most asanine, mind-numbing things you can read have something they do for you, otherwise you won’t read them. like, the little books they make for kids just learning how to read, they’re meant to help kids learn to read. they have a deeper purpose than just telling the kid about how much a mother rabbit loves her baby. survivals, things that no longer hold any use for the culture but are still used, tend to be rare, and they often take on new uses and forms within the culture.

sorry for the long post lol. you raise an excellent question, and i think it’s interesting to consider lore used exclusively as distraction with no other purpose, but i think that’s extremely rare in most groups. i hope that answers your question!

[mbti-notes]

hey mbti-notes! a question about one of your posts on politics/conservatism. you say that conservatism at its best is needed for society. the way conservatism has existed in my mind thus far is: using religion to justify prejudice, ignoring science (like climate change), racism, etc. i live in the US so maybe part of the media hellscape is why i have these associations, but im curious about how conservatism can actually be good to a society. infj and want to be more open minded/knowledgeable

I appreciate the willingness to learn. The political media in the US is dominated by “talking heads” (as they are commonly called) with hidden/ulterior motives. They’re there to push an agenda, to persuade and push people to emotional extremes, for the sake of making money and/or to support a cause that they’re personally invested in. The most important point is that they’re not really there to educate or help viewers be more learned, so they have no reason to be intellectually honest or care about other viewpoints. They’re certainly not the best sources to learn politics from. 

When you get emotionally captured by talking heads, you’re buying in and essentially joining their agenda, either as a vocal supporter or their vocal “enemy”, and helping them spread their narrow/distorted worldview. It’s no coincidence that the spread of talking heads in the news media has been accompanied by a spread of conspiratorial thinking in society. 

Learning about society and politics through talking heads makes it easy to turn various groups into abstractions. This enables dehumanization and polarization, hence, the endless battle between the “cons” and “libs”, as though everything in the entire world is split along this stark line. Whether you think there’s a fundamental difference between the two “teams” (partisan) or no substantial difference at all (apathetic/cynical), you’re missing the point that the false dichotomy was invented to mislead you and erode your political power. The first step to stopping this problematic trend is to stop it within yourself. When you’re aware of what’s happening, then you have the power to take a different path and encourage others to as well. 

To be an intellectually honest person means being careful about the claims that you are making. When you make a claim: 1) you have to define your terms and use them properly, 2) you have to support the claim properly with factual evidence or logical argument, and 3) you have to prove the legitimacy of your claim by properly answering the relevant rebuttals to your claim. 

Addressing the claims that you’ve made, for example:

Only conservatives are prejudiced? Only religious people are prejudiced? A prejudiced person is going to use any justification available. Someone who uses religion to justify prejudice is perhaps better called prejudiced, bigoted, racist, xenophobic, sexist, intolerant, fundamentalist, hypocritical, self-interested, disingenuous, etc, depending on the situation. 

Only conservatives ignore science? Have you ever met an anti-vaxxer? Most of them aren’t conservative. Someone who ignores/denies/devalues scientific facts is perhaps better called irrational, uneducated, ignorant, willfully ignorant, skeptical, antiscience, denier, a luddite, etc, depending on their particular beliefs and reasons for mistrust. 

Are most/all conservatives religious? There are many atheist conservatives that believe only in economic conservatism. 

Are most/all conservatives bigots? There are many moderate conservatives that support equal rights and civil rights movements. 

Are most/all conservatives antiscience? There are conservatives that love science and are even scientists themselves. 

The point is that your claims are not objective, precise, nuanced, or well-informed. By making careless criticisms, you’re being unfair. And you’re destroying any chance of winning over people that might be sympathetic to your position. The fact of the matter is that the majority of people are relatively moderate, even uncertain or weakly committed, in their political beliefs, though they may lean conservative or progressive based on their upbringing or past experiences. This is a good thing because it allows space for people to learn new ideas, find common ground, and tackle sociopolitical problems in a balanced way. You don’t want most of the population to exist at political extremes because that’s how you get a dysfunctional and even violent society, yet that is where the talking heads lead people. When you’re dealing with an extreme person, you can’t help but become more extreme to make yourself heard, which starts up a vicious cycle that leads to more and more extreme positions. You see this happening between political opponents in the media or social media, until the extreme voices drown out everyone else.

Did you learn these ideas/associations from media talking heads? You sound just like them. You misapply words, make extreme generalizations, use questionable logic, and inject (emotional) bias. You’re using the word “conservative” without really knowing its meaning, though it seems central to your political beliefs. It’s not just you. A lot of people misuse political terminology, e.g., conservatism, liberalism, fascism, communism, socialism, etc. Study political theory or political philosophy and you will start to understand how these words have been abused. 

To live in a democracy, you raise your voice, you engage in debate, and you criticize those you disagree with - quite normal. But if you want to debate well and launch a serious criticism, make your claims verbally precise, identify the right source of the problem, and be factually objective, as opposed to carelessly lumping all the people you dislike into one abstract group to label, demonize, and hate. There is constructive vs destructive criticism - which do you prefer? Constructive criticism is intelligent and boringly focused on getting proper solutions; destructive criticism is gratifying but makes problems worse.

By definition, a conservative is a traditionalist, meaning that they respect tradition and aim to preserve tradition for the good that it contributes to a well-functioning society. Therefore, conservatives, as a group, are as diverse and varied as the many possible human traditions that are out there to be upheld. Are you really going to claim that no tradition is ever good or that all traditions should be abolished? If you make this claim, you will be wiping out some very important structures and institutions that keep society alive and well, and you will be removing some very important mental health supports from individuals. If you call yourself a “progressive”, are you really going to claim that continuous “progress”, growth, expansion, or change doesn’t have any downsides whatsoever? If you make this claim, then you are ignoring legitimate criticism from conservatives about your blindness.

There are always going to be conservative and progressive forces in every society because these forces exist in every human mind. The question is how they relate to each other. It is the job of a good conservative to make sure that society doesn’t erode, doesn’t change too quickly to be destructive, doesn’t descend into chaos - to cherish what is already good in society. Similarly, it is the job of a good progressive to make sure that society doesn’t stagnate, doesn’t perpetuate negative beliefs and values, doesn’t resign itself to entrenched problems - to improve upon society’s flaws and faults. 

Conservatism and progressivism are opposing forces that need each other to be at their best. It is when they act as enemies and retreat into their respective corners that you see the extremes which dominate US politics today. Politics is actually a circle rather than a spectrum, in that the extremes on both ends eventually come together to agree on mutual destruction. If you aren’t able to understand this principle of mutually determined fate, then you are in danger of becoming just as biased or extreme as those “conservatives” you criticize.

[garthups]

the maze, part I

Part One of the story! Very excited to post this. -Leslie

I kept the car running in park while the shitty vents sputtered, trying my hands warm. Your Love by that band from the eighties was playing in the distance. I have a love-hate relationship with these roped off grassy parking lots, where there aren't actual spaces, just car anarchy. Take any spot you can find and let’s all hope that some semblance of a parking lot comes together. Sure there’s something inherently egalitarian about it, but they remind me of being scared to park when I was learning to drive. I was always positive that my Camry was too far over, and I’d brace myself for the crunch of metal on metal. 

The familiarity of coming to the maze made parking in the lot easier, and I didn’t have to reverse and drive into the same spot over and over again to be satisfied. My friends and I came to Hudler Farm every October for the autumn corn maze. Sometimes we’d take caramel apples in and chaunk through them while meandering.

 Fuck, that was always so fun. High school seems like a lifetime ago though. All it takes are a few hundred miles, and staggered midterms, and suddenly you talk to the guy in the dorm next to yours who gets drunk on natty seltzer more than the people who got you through your mcr phase.

 None of us got together last year, which was a bummer, but out of the blue Lottie messaged Sam and me. I watched the shadowy families walk by in the dark, my hands weren’t getting any warmer though. The idle LEDs were dim enough that I could see outside. A little boy running after his parents tripped and fell in the mud. I stifled a chuckle, because kids falling down is hilarious, and tried to screw with the vents, but they were already all open. Piece of shit car. When I looked up, the boy was still splayed out on the ground, shivering. Both his parents kept walking though. I scrunched my brow. I started fidgeting with my seatbelt, but my hands didn’t have much feeling in them. People were just walking around him, like he wasn’t there. 

“WHAT’S up dog!” My door exploded open.

“JESUS fucking god Lottie, I--” She took her spot in the passenger seat, laughing her ass off.

“Sorry sorry sorry, wow Phoebs I got you pretty good huh?”

“I mean yeah I’m just so ready to get killed in this parking lot. Hey I think that kid hurt himself out there pretty bad.” I breathed, still shaken.

“What kid?”

“That one.”

“Oh that one, sorry it’s dark, so it took me a sec. Yeah let’s go help.” Honestly, I could never stay mad at Lottie. Seeing her new dreads in person made me miss the big buns she wore in high school. We slammed the doors shut, and stepped onto the ground covered in too-damp leaves. Two guys beat us to him though, and they were helping him up.

“Oh wait, is that the kid you meant?”

“Lottie, why would I be talking about a kid that isn’t sprawled out on the ground.”

“I thought this one was playing snake or something. Anyway, let’s go meet Sam’s friend!”

We walked over to the boys, Sam’s friend was getting the kid back on his feet. Sam’s friend was a good head taller than he was, which wasn’t saying too much. The guy gave off an eagle scout vibe though, so his height was probably pretty important to him. Maybe camp counselor would have been closer. He was gently reassuring the kid.

“Feeling better? Okay, better go catch your folks, and make sure not to stay too far behind them, bud, okay?”

“Good call man, I thought he was just playing snake.” Sam glowed.

“Sup fuckers!” Lottie sang. The boy turned around, he looked about nine, so Lotties curse made him bust a grin. From the looks of it he scraped his cheek pretty bad. He dashed off. Sam’s friend laughed nervously since Lottie broke the unspoken rule of swearing in front of kids.

“Hey dudes! It’s so awesome to see you!” Sam laughed. “I told Matrix everything about you, so there’s no need to divulge any information to him. Don’t trust this guy with any more embarrassing stories about yourselves.” Matrix waved shyly, and I rolled my eyes.

“That’s cool. You know we called Sam “Shrimpy” all of sophomore year because his hair got all curly and he dyed it red?”

“Thanks Phoebe, that is something I like people to know about me.” Sam said while subconsciously making sure his hair was still a tight buzz cut. Matrix smiled a little.

“You must be Lottie?”

“It’s great to meet you! Lets get some apples.” 

The four of us were waved through by the teen collecting tickets. The entrance to the maze had a little banner raised up on two poles and a chair with an admissions person. Next to the entrance was a main pavilion with a tiny shop and some picnic tables out under the roof. Lots of families were congregating there, buying souvenirs and farm t-shirts. Thankfully this wasn’t one of the maze theme nights according to a big promotional calendar that outlined all the dates. Lottie groaned when she saw that they added alien night and we hadn’t bought tickets.

“Like what does that even mean though. Are there aliens in the maze? Do they scare us?” Sam said eyeing the kettle corn buckets.

“Yeah I mean, it’s probably just like zombie night and mermaid night where you just get like jumpscared by teens in costumes. Freakin aliens though! Imagine!”

“Uhh did you say they do a mermaid night here?” Matrix said.

“Dude I never told you about that! You’re looking at the three scariest volunteer mermaid teens that Hudler farms has ever known. We were unholy legends flopping after scared families.”

Sam and Lottie were wide eyed crowding around Matrix, telling him all about the glory days. Made me pity him, his bud probably had a whole different energy at college.

“They’re fucking with you! Why in god’s name would a corn maze have a mermaid night.” I finally shouted. Lottie pouted.

“Boooooo Phoebe! How dare you!” I wrapped my face up in my scarf to escape guilt. 

We all mostly ate our caramel apples under the pavilion just so we could give Matrix the rundown of the maze. The Hudler farm maze has these eight checkpoints which give you special tickets. 

“We don’t leave without all eight. Got it? Dee oh en tee. I don’t give a fuck if we die trying.” Lottie said through a mouth of caramel and nuts. It felt surreal having my friends here again. After all, the limited exposure I had to them was social media. I lived vicariously through the photos they posted of new friends.

There was a sign in the pavilion that gave us a rough idea of where all the checkpoints in the maze were. I resisted the urge to take a photo in order to preserve the challenge that the maze posed. Probably didn’t need it to beat our best time. I was the only one who hadn’t finished their apple for traditions sake. Hopefully the caramel wouldn’t freeze though.

“Ok so let's remember to hit that cluster of checkpoints in the northern corner first. We're gonna take a lot of rights and then keep going on that long stretch forward.” I strategized.

“I’ll eat that apple if you’re not going to Phoeb, you know I’m psyched that they got pink ladies this year instead of grannies smiths.” Begged Sam.

“I did a few youth group trips to corn mazes, so this isn’t my first rodeo guys don’t worry!” Matrix added.

“That’s cool.” Phoebe said straight faced. I wanted to laugh, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Before I could respond, I saw it. I inhaled slowly as I took in the scene before us. The moon was thin and most of the lights were under the pavilion itself, but I felt like I should’ve noticed something so wrong before.

“Why is the all corn so fucking tall.” The question, er -- statement hung in the air for a few seconds while the maze came into view for everyone else. Corn stalks get surprisingly tall late in autumn, maybe like ten feet. This stuff though. It was like, way way way too tall. And not irregular. So, regular. The maze looked like it could have been a trimmed hedge. All the stalks stretched up and up, reaching out for the sky, each of them trying to escape from the ground. I suddenly was at a loss, something so ordinary was wrong in such an obvious way. Finally, Lottie broke our silence.

“Shit.” Great. I mean, she wasn’t wrong.

“That’s amazing. God is it this tall every year? That’s the tallest corn I’ve ever seen, must be 30 feet! Maybe more.” Finally Matrix had found something to be upbeat about.

“Ahh no man. It’s like normal usually. Lottie are you feeling alright? Do you want to take a sec before we head in.”

Matrix jumped in. “Nothing to be worried about. I’m sure it’s just like GMO’s or something. Gotta up the yield. They should seriously lead with that in the advertising though. Corn jungle! Towering Corn! Feast your eyes ladies and gentlemen on the worlds first corn metropolis!” He broke the spell on Lottie with his campy broadcaster voice. She joined in: “Keep your dame close as you delve into the mysterious corn caverns, where the CORN DRAGON DWELLS.”

Matrix Chuckled. “Well I don’t know about that. Hard to deliver on a corn dragon. But look I’m sure it’s fine, everyone else doesn’t seem to mind.” It was true, the usual fare of families and teen groups were venturing into the maze without concern. I watched the family from the parking lot get a safety flashlight from the teen working the entrance. I breathed in through my teeth.

“For a second I thought you actually made jokes, scooter. You’re right, it’s probably just a good year for tall corn. We can go.”

“Phoebster, you good?” Sam nudged me. It honestly took me a second longer than Lottie to take in all the explanations. It was such a weird thing to be off in such a significant way. Must have been some primal instinct of being afraid of the dark. The corn stalks were darker than the night sky around them; I tried to catch glimpses through the stalks but they blanketed out the stars. 

“Yeah sorry about that guys. I’ll remember more of the strategy once we’re in the maze. Let’s blow through this thing!” 

We went into the maze.

[dailyaudiobible]

03/13/2021 DAB Transcript

Numbers 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Psalms 56:1-13, Proverbs 11:8

Today is the 13th day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we…yeah…as we sort of put a bow on the end of another week, which puts us at the end of the ninth full week of this year, ninth week and some change, a couple days. And there is only one way to go and that way is forward. So, that's what we'll do. It's a…it's a day of transition here. When we get to the New Testament, we will be entering the third of the four Gospels. This is known as the book of Luke. We concluded the book of Mark yesterday. So, we'll talk about Luke when we get there. But first, Numbers chapters 19 and 20.

Introduction to the gospel of Luke:

Okay. As we said at the beginning, that now that we’re in entering the New Testament portion of our day together we’re moving into some new territory, the third gospel known as the gospel of Luke. And the gospel of Luke is probably the most well put together, the best written of the Gospels, the most concise of the Gospels. And the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are more of a two-volume set. Like Luke/Acts written by the same person to the same recipient with the gospel of Luke chronicling…chronicling the life of Jesus and His ministry and then the book of acts, essentially chronicling the early church formation, and specifically the lives of the apostle Peter, and then the apostle Paul, who we have yet to get to know. So, Matthew, Mark, and now Luke ,these three Gospels are known as the synoptic Gospels, largely because they share a lot of the same material and cover a lot of the same ground with just about all scholars believing that Mark is the first gospel that was ever written about Jesus that has been preserved and that Matthew and Luke used Mark in their construction because they cover the same territory but in many cases they are Word for Word. But then there's many deviations as well. A lot more detail is inserted into the gospel of Luke, for example, then the book of Mark, filling out those stories. It's because these Gospels, they were written to different audiences to fulfill different purposes. So, for example, in the case of Matthew, we've already read this, so we can think back and we can remember that Matthew is a very Hebrew centric gospel of Jesus where Jesus is shown to fulfill many Hebrew prophecies all along the way. In fact, like I said, you can’t hardly read a page in the book of Matthew without Jesus fulfilling a prophecy. It's very front and center. The gospel that we’re about to read, the gospel of Luke, is likely more written primarily to a Gentile audience or a seeking audience, the story of Jesus revealing that the gospel of Christ includes the whole world and…and not just those of the…of the Jewish faith. So, let's settle into the gospel of Luke here. Like I said, it's in narrative form probably the best constructed of the Gospels to read. And we’ll be covering some familiar territory as we do that. So, today Luke chapter 1 verses 1 to 25.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You for the passing of time that has brought us to this day. We thank You for Your faithfulness during all of that time. We thank You for what You are speaking in the time that we know as this year and we are grateful that You have brought us to the threshold and now we have entered the gospel of Luke. Come Holy Spirit we pray. Continue to lead us deeper into Jesus. Continue to lead us on the narrow path that leads to life. Continue we pray to lead us into all truth. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is always home base, it's always been home base and that's where the Global Campfire is, that's where we come together around that apparatus that's on the Internet. And, so, be aware of that.

Be aware of, as I mention often, of the Community section because that is where to begin to get connected. That's where different links are on the social media channels that we’re…that we’re…that we use. It's also the home of the Prayer Wall which is a constant. We can always go there to pray. We can always go there to ask for prayer. So, stay connected. It's important to stay connected in the journey that we’re on as we continue through the year because it's just nice to know we’re not alone as we take the journey. It's nice to know that when those things come up that are too heavy for us to carry, we don't have to carry them alone. And, so, be aware of the Community section.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage and my heart is full of gratitude and in awe out a daily basis that…well that we’re even here. And the truth is we’re here because we’re in this together. And, so, if…if what we are as a community matters and brings life to you than thank you for being life-giving. So, there’s a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that’s your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Show Me God's Love Ephesians chapter 3 verse 20 and 21 and Matthew chapter 18 verses 19 and 20. I just wanted to give a shout out to Peter and God’s Smile for the song that they played on her tummy. We need more tummy drums. I haven't laughed and smiled so much, and I was having a really bad day until I heard that so I want you guys to know you are responsible for giving me my first laughs and smiles of the day and perhaps that week. So, thank you for that. Slave of Jesus it's good to hear your voice. Mark Street good to hear your voice. And there's so many others that I can't even get into it now, I guess but Candace from Oregon it's good to hear your voice and hope that you're doing well. Well, that's it for now. Show me God's love.

Hello this is Steve from Pennsylvania my moniker is Face Like Flint from Isaiah 50 verse 7. And I'm calling to ask for partnership with the world-wide body of believers that is listening to this podcast. I'd like you to pray for my sister Catalina who is entered in a hospital behavioral health ward for the ninth time in the last 30 years. She's been struggling with schizoaffective bipolar. It’s a very difficult diagnosis and it's cyclical. And I want you to ask that the Lord would give her some supernatural revelation into her own condition and that the Lord would deliver her from any spiritual aspect of this illness, this brain disorder, and that she would be able to read a letter I'm about ready to deliver to the hospital from my sisters and I as we're trying to get her to cooperate with the professionals and to help us in rescuing her stuff from her apartment, her cats, and be ready to move into my mother's, the homestead where we grew up. My mother passed in November and the children have inherited the household. So, I'd like you to join me in that. We really need Jesus to break through here. There's just a lot of anger and darkness inside that comes out during these periods. Otherwise, she's perfectly normal and just a wonderful sister and very intelligent. But she needs Jesus and I pray that you would join me and pray for Catalina. Thank you.

Hey DAB family this is beautifully broken. I just was thinking today as I was listening to people call in and as I've listened to people call in and I hear people say I've been listening for 10 years, I've been listening for five years, I've been listening for the whole time all 15 years. Personally, I myself this is my 4th year going through, but it really struck me today how amazing it is that there is a troop, an army of people reading the Bible from start to finish year after year after year. And what is God raising us up for? I just think that is amazing. There is no other format that I know of that allows this and that lets people interact in the way that we interact in going through the Bible together. It is such a unique community. And we are a Facebook post away, a telephone call away, a prayer away from each other the majority of the time. I think God has something really wonderful planned for this community. It’s just amazing to be a part of it.

Hey guys this is Mary calling in. I'm 19 years old. I just wanted to comment and…and just give a praise report about this community. Over these past few months, I've been learning about community and how important it is especially during times like these and I just…I thank God every day for the community I'm surrounded by, my church community and, you know, the things I like community and just, yeah, I just want to say I'm so grateful and you all inspire me so much every day to just be a servant, to be more humble and be aware and just give my all. So, I thank you. I really hope you guys all have a blessed week and weekend. God is so good. Yeah. Thank you. Bye.

[spring-emerald]

say cheese!

Tetsurou has a foolproof way of making Daichi smile for the camera.

Happy Birthday, Daichi!!! Happy New Year, everyone! :D

-----

It’s no secret that Tetsurou is a knack for photography. It’s a skill that comes naturally to him, especially belonging to the generation of people where stories of their daily lives are shared in social media in the form of short thread of words or series of pictures that paint more than words ever can. It’s a skill he’d honed, thanks to his friends who pooled together some money and unknowingly enrolled him in a short photography class, going as far as getting his dad to buy him his own professional camera, for his coming-of-age present.

And judging from the numerous likes and comments he gets, it’s not a stretch to say that he’s good and can probably make a living out of it. Though for him, it largely remains a hobby, something to do to relax and take his mind off university related stressors and responsibilities. He shares his photos because he wants to share how he sees the world, how beautiful he thinks the world is.

His portfolio range from everyday objects, food and sceneries, but by far, his ultimate favorite subject and forever muse is his husband, Officer Sawamura Daichi.

In the interest of full disclosure, Tetsurou would like to state that he has an album on his phone and folders within a folder on his laptop dedicated to Daichi, full of photos and attached memories, both stolen and otherwise, meticulously sorted and labeled. And it outnumbers the other subjects combined.

Some of his favorite photos of Daichi range from a stolen shot of his side profile, while looking out the train window, during their trip to Tokyo, the first time Daichi meet his Dad; a surprise picture of him, mid-slurp of his favorite ramen during their first unofficial date; a Sawamura siblings picture, with Daichi’s arms thrown over Haruki and Harumi’s shoulders, pulling them close, where he’s tearful but immensely proud during the twin’s graduation; a selfie of them, with him kissing Daichi’s cheeks, the tall and bright Christmas tree behind them, their first Christmas as an official couple; and a private photo of Daichi, sleepy, soft, tangled with the sheets, during their honeymoon.

Suffice to say, and as cheesy as it is, Daichi is the beauty he sees in the world. And it’s only fitting that he shares it.

Though, fairly recently, because of a picture of Daichi in his uniform Tetsurou had taken and shared on his public account, he had become internet famous and had been dubbed as the ‘Cutie Officer from Miyagi’. His photo went viral, a local television network did a scoop about him and his life as a police officer. It boosted the morale of the police force in Miyagi, especially Daichi’s department, though it’s not exactly the way they want to get the people’s attention to their causes. Either way, any publicity is still publicity.

The downside however, because of the incident, Daichi had publicly recognizable, and thus have become wary of Tetsurou taking pictures of him. Whenever he sense that Tetsurou’s angling his camera, pointing it at his direction, he would be quick to cover his face or carefully push the camera or phone away, and Tetsurou had to resort to sneakily taking photos of him, for some time just so he could add more pictures on his growing album and folder. They eventually reached a compromise though. Daichi lets him take pictures again, but with the steadfast promise of not sharing it anywhere. And while Tetsurou was disappointed with not being able to flex his husband on social media, it’s an infinitely better alternative to not being able to take proper pictures at all.

Thankfully, the hype’s already passed and died down. Daichi isn’t being accosted or waited by fangirls in the precinct anymore, those who didn’t stop even after knowing he’s already taken and happily married, and more importantly, the number of juvenile delinquencies have dropped, much to the relief of the community. The only reminder they have of the incident is the said viral photo of Daichi along a screenshot of his brief interview, still pinned to the precinct’s bulletin board, and the occasional, good-natured teasing from his fellow police officers.

“Daichi, honey, my love,” Tetsurou says, rubbing his gloved hands together in front of his face, his camera hanging around his neck. “Just one picture, please?”

Daichi sighs and it comes out as a thick huff. “Tetsu, we talked about this.” He adjusts his scarf closer to cover his neck.

“I know! But it’s your birthday! And it’s the end of the decade. I want us to commemorate. Please? Just one picture.” Tetsurou nearly prostrates on the ground with the way he’s pleading.

“We already took selfies. Isn’t that enough?”

It’s enough, if Tetsurou’s going to be honest. They have photos in front of the shrine, and he’s also taken a cheesy photo of their hands intertwined and showing their rings. But those are to commemorate the coming New Year, and their relationship. He doesn’t have one that celebrates Daichi’s birthday.

He tells Daichi so. “Please?”

Daichi bites his lips. He doesn’t actually mind having his photo taken to commemorate his birthday. He knows about Tetsurou and his thorough and near obsessive hobby of taking pictures especially of those that celebrates something in his and their lives. And he appreciates it a lot that Tetsurou is always keen to celebrate the moments they share. He sees the pleading look on Tetsurou’s face and sees how important it is for him to have this.

“Alright,” he concedes with a soft smile. It is something to celebrate after all and he’s more than willing to do it for Tetsurou. “You can take as many as you like but you just post one, alright?”

Tetsurou fist-pumps the air, jostling his camera, before bringing a hand on his chest. “I swear.”

Daichi shakes his head, smiling at his husband’s antics. “Where and how do you want me?”

Tetsurou grins and takes them back to the well-lighted section where they took selfies before, as snow starts falling softly. He asks Daichi to pull his scarf down, so his whole face is visible. Daichi for his part, fixes up his appearance and pats down on the fur lining his coat and pressed over them to straighten any creases that it might have.

“Hey Daichi,” Tetsurou calls out and Daichi looks up instinctively. Tetsurou’s poised to take the picture, the lens reflecting the lights overhead. “I love you,” he says behind the camera.

Daichi is surprised at first, but eventually a wide smile bloomed on his face. Tetsurou expertly captures the moment, preserving it in time.

The resulting photo shows how the snowflakes are suspended in the air around Daichi, the light coming from the food stalls and hanging lanterns lent the much needed illumination, casting Daichi in soft glow, making the flush on his cheeks and his incredible happiness shine through that Tetsurou is sure that anyone who looks at the picture would find themselves unconsciously smiling too.

Tetsurou treasures it the most, and in his humble opinion, is his best one. Not only because of how beautiful it ended up being, but because he knows that he’s the one that brought the undeniable look of love from Daichi.

(It’s a bonus that it ends up his most liked photo to date.)

[sygaming751]

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[echodrops]

Kicking the Hornet’s Nest...

I’m procrastinating hard on other tasks, but in chit-chatting (both on tumblr and on Discord) about my stance on criticism of fanfiction, I realized that there’s a very low-hanging analogy I can make to explain my thoughts on this, so…

Uh first, please remember this is my personal blog and just my personal opinion. If you think that giving unsolicited concrit is the worst, I promise I’m not here to grab you individually, shake you by the shoulders, and try to change your minds. We can agree to disagree; I’m fully aware my opinion is unpopular on tumblr but also fully aware of the irony of people giving unsolicited criticism on a post about why unsolicited criticism is a good thing.

And second, please note that the analogy used below is only an analogy and not meant to be a one-to-one comparison–obviously the issue of vaccination is a far more critical, serious, and solemn issue and the topic of criticism on fanfiction (of all things) is not equal to a global health crisis that has cost real people’s lives. I’m drawing radical comparisons to thought processes because it’s shocking, not genuinely comparing fanfiction comments to moral and ethical world health decisions because I think those two things are equitable in importance.

Uh and third, please don’t respond unless you’re going to read it all. I'm happy to take your constructive criticism after you're finished with the whole thing. I get so tired of people rushing to my inbox after only getting half way through my arguments–90% of the time, I already addressed the thing you wanted to come yell at me about and you just didn’t make it there, promise.

So, at the risk of pissing off just about everyone who thought they respected me before this:

The current anti-concrit mindset stems from a similar logic to the one used by anti-vaxxers.

(This analogy lasts a grand total of five paragraphs or something, don’t get your jimmies too rustled.)

Most people on tumblr are happy–downright gleeful–to mock anti-vaxxers. The average anti-vaxxer is considered close-minded, self-centered, and under-educated. Although the issue of anti-vaxxing is probably more complicated than we paint it here on this website (to be fair, I wouldn’t know if it’s more complicated, since I agree that anti-vaxxers are generally stupid and don’t look into their arguments very often), almost no one on tumblr has any issue with anti-vaxxers being dragged up and down the block for their bad choices.

Usually, the logic of anti-vaxxers is understood to work something like this:

Anti-vaxxer: I don’t want to expose my child to something potentially harmful, so I am not going to vaccinate them.

Literally everyone else: You’re exposing your child to far greater risk in the long-term by not vaccinating.

Or:

Anti-vaxxer: My child doesn’t need to be vaccinated; they’re fine as they are. Those diseases aren’t a big deal anymore.

Literally everyone else: This mindset will make those diseases a big deal again.

On paper, sometimes anti-vaxxer logic works out–it is true that some children suffer very painful and awful reactions to vaccinations. It IS true that poorly made or contaminated vaccinations have killed children and will continue to do in the future. It IS true that vaccinations are painful and stressful for children in general and can even–depending on how the children respond to pain and how their doctors/nurses treat them–result in long-term phobias and health care aversion. There can be serious lasting consequences from vaccinating.

But most of us laugh in the face of anti-vaxxers. Why? Because we know that in comparison to the number of benefits, the risks are minimal. In the long-term, the number of people helped by vaccines far, far exceeds the number of people hurt.

I hope you can see where I’m going. At its core, the issue of giving unsolicited constructive criticism follows a similar pattern of short-term risk aversion. Authors who don’t want constructive criticism and choose to actively refuse it are following a similar thought process to anti-vaxxer parents:

Author: I don’t want any constructive criticism. Criticism can be painful, and my writing doesn’t need to be exposed to that.

Or:

Author: I don’t need any constructive criticism because my writing is fine as it is and I’m just doing it for fun anyway.

The general attitude seems to be that exposing fanfiction authors to unsolicited constructive criticism carries more risk than it does reward. And please be aware that I’m talking about genuinely constructive criticism here, well-intentioned and polite comments (the vaccine in this analogy), not troll comments deliberately designed to hurt people’s feelings (which would be equivalent to say, an injected contaminated drug in this analogy–no one should be okay with those).

But like anti-vaxxers who insist that the short-term risks of vaccines are more dangerous than the long-term risks of major diseases… is there really any evidence that genuinely constructive criticism, even when unsolicited, really does discourage and upset a large number of fanfiction authors? Or, more to the point of the analogy–is the number of people who would be entirely discouraged from writing ever again by some constructive criticism really greater than the number of people who would benefit from getting some (again, polite) tips for improving their writing? Which is the greater risk–being hurt in the short-term or losing out on the opportunity for growth in the long-term?

Clearly there are different opinions on this and I suspect that my opinion is heavily colored by the fact that I am older than the average tumblr user and therefore have many more years to look back on to weigh on the scales of this debate.

But I will always, always argue that the long-term benefits of helping other writers where you can far, far, far outweigh the short-term risks, for a couple reasons.

1) The world is a shitty, disappointing, stressful, and painful place. We encounter harsh criticisms every single day. Your teachers will give you poor grades. Your bosses will tell you your work isn’t up-to-par. Your friends will tell you the new top you bought and absolutely love… actually makes you look like you’re wearing a potato sack. If you’re into relationships, you’ll probably experience at least one break-up in which you hear that it’s YOU, not them, who is the problem. Your feelings will be hurt by callous comments from others an uncountable number of times. Your confidence will be shaken, if not actively crushed. I’m sorry to say it, but for almost all of us, having some miserable, anxiety-inducing and extremely discouraging moments in life is part of the unavoidable human experience. (And this is doubly, maybe triply true when we are starting out new hobbies or first entering a new field. Anyone who has ever tried to learn how to skateboard and gotten laughed at by experienced skateboarders knows exactly what I’m talking about.)

The world is full of truly awful things. And I’m not the kind of person who thinks we should just be exposed to all of them right from the get-go and fuck you and your snowflake feelings or things like that. I highly urge people to tag for triggering content and am on the record again and again telling people to block characters or ships that make them uncomfortable.

But many fanfiction authors are young authors, some of whom are posting work for public consumption for the very first time. Still more have no positive experiences with constructive criticism in the first place, and the extent of their literary criticism knowledge comes from really awful and boring high school English classes. When budding writers encounter a sudden explosion of access to readers–from having maybe one or two friends read their work to suddenly having their words in front of the eyes of thousands of strangers on the internet:

It’s disingenuous to give starting writers nothing but positive feedback. Only hearing positives about your work actively discourages change and self-reflection. It gives writers an unrealistic picture of their work that can result in far more serious disappointment and embarrassment later. When someone is awful at singing and they’re only told how nice their voice is, eventually when they sing for a more serious group of strangers, they’re going to be in for a very, very miserable time.

It’s a terrible missed opportunity for young writers to get a glimpse of what “professional” writing is like. Everyone benefits from genuinely constructive criticism–both the person getting it and the person giving it. We create young writers who are passionate about improving their writing by inducting them into the culture of planning, drafting, bouncing ideas off each other, finding beta readers, and taking others’ advice to grow their abilities, and oftentimes, one of the first experiences a person has with that process is someone spontaneously going “Hey, what if you tried this instead?” People often become inspired to become doctors and nurses after witnessing a family member experience a medical crisis–people often become inspired to become writers after receiving thorough feedback on things they have written. It’s impossible to really know whether or not you want a piece of constructive criticism until after you have heard what the criticism is, and adopting a “no unsolicited constructive criticism” policy as a whole creates an entire generation of fan writers who would miss out on opportunities for growth and inspiration.

This is waxing REALLY philosophical, but bear with me here, because this is also a well-documented concern of mine: we are entering an age in which people are no longer responsible for the media choices they make, where the internet is no longer viewed as a the equivalent of yelling into a crowd of (potentially dangerous) strangers, and the onus for protection is shifting away from self-preservation “I need to not put myself near upsetting things” to “other people have the responsibility not to expose me to upsetting things.” I’ve seen a lot of people say “If authors want constructive criticism on their fics, they can just say that in a note!” My ladies. My guys. My non-binary buddies. This is the utter opposite of how the internet functions. When you put anything on the internet, you are literally putting it before a crowd of an absolutely uncountable number of strangers and there are no rules (barring the laws of their home countries) dictating how they can respond to the things you put out there. Posting your writing on the internet is explicit consent to receive constructive criticism from anyone at any time unless you take actions to prevent that in advance. Sites like AO3 actively grant you the power to dictate who can SEE your work, comment on your work, give you the power to remove messages, screen comments before they appear, block comments entirely, or simply write in any of your notes sections that you do not want constructive criticism. (If it’s that easy to write “I want constructive criticism!” why is not seen as equally easy to write “I do not want constructive criticism!”?)

Public spaces on the internet are opt out, not opt in.

Why do many (though lord knows, not all) tumblr users easily agree to the idea of “If you don’t like a ship, you should just block it” or “If you see properly tagged content you don’t like on AO3 and you click it, that’s your own fault for not reading the tags,” but have the complete opposite mindset when it comes to constructive criticism? “I’m submitting my work in a public place where anyone can express their opinion on it… But even though there are multiple tools at my disposal for discouraging and blocking opinions I don’t agree with, it’s actually other people’s responsibility not to say anything that might upset me.”

As I said, waxing philosophical here, but this is kind of a scary mindset. The ability to enter a public space–and the internet is the MOST public space in the world–and then declare that you simply don’t want to listen to dissenting opinions is scary. I mean, this is how we get a common anti-vaxxer mindset–I don’t want to listen to your opinion because I have my source telling me I’m right and that’s all I need. “I put my work out in a public place and left it accessible to everyone, but I don’t want to listen to what everyone says about it.” I don’t mean to jump off the slippery slope, but this issue is a slippery slope in and of itself. Down this way lies a dark future. “It’s other people’s responsibility to curate my social experience for me.”

But really, after all this… I just flat out think it’s important to give genuinely constructive criticism to each other without people needing to ask for it because it just kind of sucks to see a fellow writer struggling with something and not say something about it. It’s not about feeling superior or thinking you know better than someone else; we all have our own strengths and weaknesses, and spotting something that could use a bit of work in someone else’s writing doesn’t make you a better writer, it just means that’s not your particular weakness. When someone is struggling to learn to swim, you don’t just leave them to their own devices and assume they’ll figure it out–even if they swear they’ve got it. When someone is learning to sew and you, who has sewed that exact thing before, don’t offer any advice, that’s not encouragement, it’s apathy. There will be many, many, many times in your life where you did not know you needed advice. Where you did not know HOW to ask for advice. Where you might have known you needed advice but not really wanted to admit that. Where you might have known you needed advice and been too shy to ask for help. Where a piece of advice completely from the blue changes the course of your life. Fandom as a whole–fan creators as a whole–cannot become a culture that closes the door to that vital form of communication, rejects willingness to not only uplift but also help each other grow even when we least expect it.

Anyway, I’m literally just writing this to avoid real responsibilities, but the point I’m trying to make is:

Most writers, even very young writers, will not be discouraged by polite, well-intentioned criticism. They may not like it. They may not take any of the criticism to heart, but most people, even young people, are far more resilient than tumblr (which on the best of days is a negative feedback loop that can romanticize a victim mindset because having the saddest backstory makes you immune to cancellation) wants to give them credit for, and a vast majority of writers will not be traumatized or scared away from writing by people trying to offer them genuine advice. Remember, no one here is advocating for asshole trolls who post comments like “Your writing sucks and you should delete your account.” A majority of writers, even very young writers, will be able to weather the storms and tosses of even really rudely-worded advice and recover. Sometimes it might take a while, but human beings have survived as a species because we’re really, really persevering.

(But some people aren’t! you might say. Some people really will give up writing if they’re criticized! And you’d be correct. There are people who will give up, even if all they are faced with is a single gentle, well-intentioned piece of criticism. But the truth is… People give up on hobbies for all kinds of reasons! Not every hobby is for every person! Every hobby carries with it its own challenges, its own share of risks, and its own pains. Learning a new hobby consistently requires putting yourself out of your comfort zone. Wanna learn how to ride a snowboard? You will get bruised. Wanna learn how to play chess? You will lose. Wanna learn to draw? Someone will make fun of your early drawings. You will make fun of your own early drawings. Wanna post your writing on a public platform? Someday, someone is going to say they’re not a fan.

And that leads me to address the point that just keeps coming up and coming up in this issue: People aren’t always posting their fics to improve as writers! A lot of times people are posting for just fun or for personal reasons.

Yeahhhhh bullshit. No, no, hang on–I don’t mean that people don’t have fun writing and posting fics, or that fics can’t help you through traumatic experiences because everything I’ve ever posted is basically me dealing with my own personal shit–what I mean is that there’s always an additional dimension to posting your fics on large-scale public websites. People write stories and share them with their friend groups for fun. People write characters overcoming trauma and share them with their therapists (or the friends who help to fill that role) for healing. People post their stories publicly, where anyone can respond, for validation on top of their fun and healing. There are ways to hide your fics entirely on many sites. You can leave things in drafts. If a fic is appearing as unmoderated and open to the public on a major fic site such as AO3, Wattpad, ff.net, etc., it’s because that fic’s author wants responses from others! They want views. They want subscribes. They want kudos. They want comments. There’s literally no reason to post publicly except for your work to be viewed by the public.

The fun one has writing a fic is often tied directly to the thrill of seeing a comment or kudos notification pop-up in your inbox. We love seeing people enjoy our fics–it absolutely makes my day when someone sends me a message telling me they re-read my fic for the third time.

It’s NOT fun to write something and get no response.

Writing something and getting no response is actively discouraging, actually.

So whenever someone says “They’re not writing fics to improve as writers; they’re just doing it for fun!” I have to laugh a bit–because when the concept of “fun with fanfiction” is tied so closely to the experience of having your work viewed and enjoyed by others, the fastest and surest way to increase the fun you have with your fanfics… is to improve as a writer. The more you write, the more you improve. The more you improve, the more loyal readers you gain. The more loyal readers you gain, the more excited people you have to gush about your fics with. Want a Discord server full of people willing to help you brainstorm ideas for your favorite AU? Write well, attract followers. Want fanart of your writing, probably the most fun and exciting thing I can think of as an author? Write well. Just plain old want more friends in the fandom to talk about your favorite characters and fic ideas with? Make writer friends.

People have fun writing about their favorite characters and post publicly to receive responses and validation for their creations… Responses increase the fun writers have because they make the hard work of writing worth it and give you people to keep writing for and with… Improving your writing increases the number of people attracted to your works and the number of people willing to spend time responding to them… The bigger the response you get, the more invested you become in your fics, the more fandom friends you make, and the more you want to write–it’s a process that is self-fulfilling, but also one that exposes you to criticism by its very nature. The very act of seeking responses from readers means that you’re open to responses that you don’t necessarily want to hear.

And I actually don’t mean this in the way of “If you can’t handle the heat, don’t jump into the fire.” What I mean is that it is impossible to create a world in which everyone who starts writing sticks with the hobby and keeps churning out works for us to enjoy forever. It is impossible to create a world in which no young writer will ever feel discouraged and give up. The writer you decided not to give constructive criticism to might just as easily become discouraged and quit writing because they didn’t receive enough response.

The first time you give your child a new vaccine, you cannot predict the results. Your child might suffer an allergic reaction. They might die. Every year, numerous severe reactions to vaccines do occur. But the majority of people don’t question the effectiveness of vaccines because we understand that the number of people who have severe reactions is very low in comparison to the number of people who benefit from the vaccine. The number of people who will be discouraged from writing by genuine, polite, constructive criticism is minuscule in comparison to the number of people who will either 1) benefit from it directly and be thankful you gave it, 2) not benefit but not be upset by it, 3) be mildly upset by it but then benefit, or 4) just be mildly upset by itself and then move on with life unharmed because sometimes people say things we don’t like but that doesn’t ruin our lives every single time it happens.

I’m not saying that providing polite constructive criticism doesn’t have risks, just that its risks are smaller than its benefits.

And I’ve successfully whittled enough time away with this now that I can go to sleep without guilt over the things I didn’t finish, but I started this by saying the long-term benefits outweighed the short-term risks and I feel obligated to defend that…

The long-term benefits of well-placed constructive criticism are enormous. Sometimes people need ego checks. Sometimes we need wake-up calls. Sometimes we need a gentle helping hand and didn’t even realize other people could be the help we needed. Sometimes we need a reason to get fired up–even if that reason is spite, trying to prove a critic wrong! Sometimes the answer is glaring us in the face and we don’t notice until someone else points it out. Sometimes we just plain out make mistakes. Sometimes we need a teacher because the ones in school let us down. Sometimes (oftentimes) other people bring incredibly unique perspectives to our stories that we would never have been open to on our own. Sometimes we write something unintentionally hurtful and need some gentle correction. Sometimes we could be having a lot more fun if we knew the tips and tricks others had to offer. Sometimes improving ourselves is hard but worth it. Sometimes bitter medicine is the only thing that will cure an ailment.

Shots hurt. People avoid them because they aren’t fun–what parent wants to expose their child to the painful, stressful situation of getting stabbed with needles? (What parent looks forward to the yearly flu shot themselves?)

We naturally flinch back from criticism. There are many times when we swear we don’t want it, don’t need it, can’t bear it! In the moment, it is incredibly difficult to be confronted with someone basically implying that you should change something integral to yourself–your art. No one likes to feel like they’re being picked apart for weaknesses, definitely not.

But sometimes a single comment can make a massive difference in your life–even when you didn’t want it at first.

All my life, I have been helped along by teachers, family, and friends who refused to settle for patting me on the back. The people who mean the most to me, who I most credit with getting me where I am today, are not the people who just told me I was good at things. They’re the people who told me I was good at things BUT. They people who challenged me to not just sail through life or even coast in my hobbies, content with the level I entered on–they’re the people who had faith in me and trust that I could refine my skills, could have even more fun IF I took that next step, challenged myself to go a bit harder… They’re the people who took the time not just to skim over my writing and slap a thumbs up on it, but the people who thought hard enough about it go: “This story was good, but have you thought about…”

Today, I’m a professor of English because I started writing fanfiction when I was 11 years old. Because I started posting fanfiction when I was 13. Because at 14 years old, someone–without being asked–taught me the correct way to format dialogue and how to strengthen my dialogue tags. Because at 15, someone flat out laughed to tears at a cliche metaphor I’d extended too far and I was ashamed, but they taught me something else to try instead. Because by 18, I’d received–and taken–enough unsolicited writing advice to land myself the highest paying on-campus tutoring job my university offered. Because by 19, someone challenged me to write something I told them was impossible for me. Because by 20, that impossible writing became the sample that got me accepted to grad school. Because by 21, I was furious enough at the criticism I received from my creative writing masters classmates to write a thesis so feverishly overwhelming that it inspired one of the foremost postmodern poets in the country. Because by 27, it was brutally honest criticism that gave me the gall to finally leave an abusive job and apply for a teaching position. Because by 30, I got to sit at a public literary journal volume launch and watch an entire class of my creative writing students become published authors.

And even though I joked about why I was writing this, and even though I’m really not, at the heart of it, trying to persuade any one person over to my side, I hope it’s clear how much of a labor of love this post is. How passionate I am about this topic.

This whole thing is a drawn-out plea: Please, do not let fandom creation sites become a place where no one offers advice unless it is begged for. Do not miss your chance to help someone else improve. Do not close the door to criticism that could change your life. Do not let fear of short-term discouragement prevent you from seeking long-term growth. Do not let the immediate side effects cloud your view of the global benefits.

Inoculate yourselves with good advice as a shield against the very hard future.

A dearth of criticism will not make fandom a better place. It will just make it a quieter one.

[emma-nation]

Bloodline - KamilahxMC Fanfiction (Chapter 3)

Summary: A Feral attack, a mysterious serum and a big mistake… what consequences will it bring to Kamilah’s life and her relationship with Amy?

Rating: T

KamilahxMC Tag List: @iam-the-fuckin-queen, @annabellewerecorgi, @voltos9, @scorpistraub, @leavemeandmyshipsalone, @jen825, @andreear17, @spacecarrousel, @justejuste727, @aureliaxj, @graceschoices, @sleeping-with-her06, @supersphynxsworld, @gavryllo, @galaxyside-0, @msuhailey, @zoe6111, @ptxgirwaffles, @tigerbryn11, @shanuuh, @ilovetaylor13m, @honorablebicycle, @ilovekamilahsayeed, @fal-carrington, @begging-for-kamilah, @kennaxval

Notes: 

- Thank you so much for the positive feedback on my post-finale fic, Till Death Do Us Part. I never imagined getting over 100 notes lol. Your likes/reblogs/reviews are deeply appreciated.

- When I wrote this chapter I had no idea of Chapter 16 yet, so I beg your apologies for putting Kamilah through more angst.

The Changes - 1 month later, 9:30 AM

Kamilah woke up in the morning with strange activity coming from her kitchen. At distance, she also heard music. A modern song she wasn't very familiar with. At first it appeared strange, but it didn't take long for her to remember she no longer lived by herself. She smiled fondly.

After finding out about her pregnancy, Amy didn't want to spend a minute away from her. Kamilah invited her to move in to her penthouse. It was the first step into this crazy family journey ahead of them. The female vampire thought she'd have a hard time getting used to the idea, but she was enjoying it more than she could ever imagine. Amy was working hard into giving her a lot of extra attention and care, and Kamilah loved rewarding her for that.

Actually she felt like doing that right now, the smell coming from the kitchen suggested Amy was preparing them an delicious breakfast.

"Oh no," looking at the digital watch on her bedside table, she realized how late she was for work.

"Amy, I missed the alarm," she complained, by the kitchen table.

"It happens, Kamilah. To all of us."

"It had never happened to me before."

"I've read many women will experience excessive sleepiness during pregnancy."

Kamilah rolled her eyes. That was a brand new symptom, aside from the intense hunger and mood swings.

"You're too obsessed with these books," she mocked Amy. The girl would invest long hours into reading pregnancy books and websites.

"I know," Amy winked and smiled.

Kamilah embraced her from behind, placing a trail of kisses all over her neck.

"What are you doing?"

"Thanking you for cooking such a delicious breakfast?"

Amy turned around to face her and the female vampire kissed her long and passionately, while pressing their bodies together against the kitchen counter. Increased sex drive was another thing Kamilah was experiencing with her pregnancy, and apparently Amy did too.

"Aren't we... late?" Amy asked, between moans.

"We can make ourselves a little bit later," Kamilah told, nibbling on her lower lip. "Perks of being the CEO."

They left together to Ahmanet Financial. Amy never returned to her job at Raines Corporation after the argument with Adrian. She was doing a good job at Kamilah's company as Junior Executive. She didn't know yet, but part of Kamilah's shares were now hers. Since they were going to become a family, Kamilah wanted her future wife to have part of her assets.

She and Amy agreed to wait until the baby was born to decide if they were ready for marriage. Kamilah didn't want her to feel any pressure.

From the bigger fridge she installed inside her office, Kamilah took a blood bag. She had improvements with sickness, but her hunger had never been so intense.

"Kamilah," Amy entered the office, carrying some papers. "They loved the idea of building a space for children before school age inside the company. We've got... 100% of the votes."

"Great job, Amy," Kamilah responded with a smile. "Not only your idea encourage women to keep pursuing a carreer after giving birth, but the space is very educational too, preparing children for the school years. Congratulations."

"Thank you so much for giving me a chance. I mean, I didn't want to be an assistant forever, but I wasn't sure I was capable of something so big yet."

"Amy, you're capable of so much more. I trust you, this is why I've given you this job."

Kamilah placed a kiss on her lips. Amy placed her hands on her waist, then caressed her stomach.

"How long until it starts to show?" She asked, with some frustration. "I just can't wait."

"Not too long, I assume."

When her belly started to show, Kamilah would publicly announce to the media she was going to be a mother. Before, Amy would tell her family and introduce Kamilah to them.

Kamilah still wasn't fond of the idea of being pregnant. But Amy did everything to make her feel better about it. In the previous night, they went out together and the girl suggested they should buy an item for the baby. Kamilah thought it was too early, but she eventually agreed. She bought a beautiful navy-blue bodysuit with a little crown embroidered on it. Amy bought a pair of Converse shoes for infants.

"How are you feeling today?" Amy asked, noticing the empty blood bag on her desk.

"The same," Kamilah told. "No sickness, but the hunger is still extreme. Nobody can say this boy isn't your son, after all."

"Hey!"

----------

The Invitation - 1 month later, 12 PM

Kamilah was surprised when Lily Spencer wanted to see her in the middle of the day. Being such a young vampire, it should be more difficult for her to be out in the sunlight, even only for a few minutes.

"She said it's important," Erin told.

"Let her in."

Minutes later, Lily entered Kamilah's office in a hurry, joining her and Amy.

"Lil, what brings you here so early?" Amy asked, noticing she looked a little affected by the sun.

"I... I received this last night," Lily told between pants. "As well as... everyone else in the Shadow Den. I needed to ask Kamilah what it's about... people are panicking."

Kamilah took the envelope Lily handed her. It was a formal invitation for a Vampire Assembly, to discuss matters that could compromise the safety of the entire community, as well as the human race. Hosted by Adrian Raines.

"What?!" Kamilah shouted when she finished reading.

Amy grabbed the invitaton and read it too.

"Do you think..."

"I'm very sure of it. After all, I'm the only Vampire in New York who hasn't been invited."

Kamilah confirmed with Erin. She hadn't received any mail from Adrian in the last couple of days.

"Guys," Lily looked at them confused. "What's going on? What are you talking about?"

Kamilah let out a long sigh.

"Tell her," she told Amy.

"Just like that?" Amy asked. "Lil, Kamilah is pregnant. With my baby."

Lily laughed for five minutes straight, before realizing they were serious. It was only when Amy explained in details, that she was finally convinced.

"Wait, so you're telling me this crazy experiment Adrian made, impregnated Kamilah with your child. Who could be not only the heir of Ahmanet Financial, but the most powerful living vampire?"

Amy nodded in response. Lily immediately broke down in tears and hugged her best friend as tight as her mortal body could handle.

"I'm going to be his aunt, right?"

"Of course, Lil," Amy started crying too. "In my mind you've been his aunt since the moment I found out."

"That's it," Lily sniffed and wiped off her tears, "we need to celebrate. Kamilah, where's the booze?"

Kamilah wasn't paying any attention. Her eyes were red in pure anger again. Adrian was hosting an assembly to convince the Vampire community of New York that her son was a hazard, and ask them to sign a petition in favor of interrupting Kamilah's pregnancy. That shoudn’t be allowed to happen.

"Kamilah," Amy placed a hand on her shoulder. "We should go to this assembly. We have the right to expose our version of the facts too."

"After what Gaius has done, Amy? They'll hunt us alive to preserve their safety."

"We can't just stay here with our arms crossed while they make this decision for us! It's our son."

"The best we can do is to leave New York," Kamilah lamented. "One of my major offices is in Los Angeles. We'll be safer in West Coast."

----------

The Assembly - 1 month later, 10 PM

After much pondering, Kamilah decided Amy was right. They couldn't simply run away from their own home. The life of their child was their decision to make. No petition would make her change her mind about keeping her son.

When they arrived, the largest conference room in Raines Corporation was crowded. Every vampire in New York was watching as he presented a slide show, explaining his experiment and the mistake he had done.

"This baby was generated from blood of the Tree Of Eternal Life, as did Gaius, Xenocrates and Rheya, the First Vampire. He will be carrying the very same power in his veins. A power that will control him and transform him into a ruthless monster."

Kamilah crossed her arms, wondering when would be the most appropriate moment to interrupt. By her side, Amy couldn't hold herself anymore.

"Kamilah is not only being irresponsible," Adrian continued, "but extremely selfish. After everything this city went through with Gaius, are we ready for another bloodshed, another war?"

When Kamilah noticed, Amy was already standing by his side in front of the room. The Vampires started to yell all kinds of insults and offenses.

"Good, Adrian told his version of the facts," she started. "As you know, every story has two sides and now I'm here to tell you mine."

They weren't willing to listen, but Amy proceeded with her speech. Kamilah was admired by her bravery and determination to fight for their starting family.

"You couldn't have picked a better mom," she thought, placing a hand on her belly. It was the first time she actually did that. Amy spoke to their baby all the time, telling stories and assuring him of how much he was loved.

"The blood from the tree was only part of this child's conception. He's the result of Kamilah's DNA mixed with mine and most of all, he's resulted from our love."

Amy glanced in Kamilah's direction and the female vampire responded with an approving nod.

"I understand you are all scared, after everything we went through with Gaius. But I promise you, that if we have one chance to raise our son, we'll make him a good man."

"I'm not risking my existance again," a vampire yelled from the middle of the crowd.

"Neither will I!" Another one added. "Death to the Third Son!"

The rest of the crowd joined him. All repeating the same words.

"Death to the Third Son!"

Upset, Amy returned to Kamilah's side. Kamilah wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

"You tried," she attempted to comfort her. "But there's no problem, okay? We're going to Los Angeles, where nobody will ever touch our boy."

"Okay," Amy muttered, "it's still unfair. He's being judged and sentenced even before he's born. New York should be his home too."

As they left the room, Kamilah exchanged one last look with Adrian, who passed his petition to the crowd. There was something different about his face, instead of darkness, Kamilah detected a hint of sorrow and sadness.

----------

The Promise - 1 month later, 1 AM

Despite the exhaustive day she had, Kamilah couldn't force herself to get any sleep. Amy was sleeping by her side, like a rock. She wished she had this same ability of resting her mind so easily and get a deep night of sleep.

She closed her eyes, trying to relax, when she heard the bell ringing. Who could it be, so late at night? Before opening the door, she looked at the video security system.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she sighed, opening the door. "What do you want, Adrian?"

"I wanna talk to you," he answered.

"We have nothing to talk about. I've made my decision."

"Please."

Kamilah guided Adrian to the living room. She acommodated herself on the couch, next to him.

"Only Lily refused to sign the petition. Jax isn't willing to risk the safety of his clan again," Adrian told.

"Who cares about their opinion?" Kamilah scowled. "It's my son and I'll kill whoever tries to hurt him."

There was a moment of silence between them, until Adrian crumpled the petition and threw it in the fireplace.

"I know. And I completely understand you."

"What?"

"I'm so sorry, Kamilah," he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "There were a lot of things going through my mind. I failed my company when I made such a big mistake. I failed you too. You've told me you never desired to have children, not even as mortal."

"I'm still not very fond of the idea, but..." Kamilah's lips curled up in a smile. "Amy makes it look so easy and amazing. I want to try. I want to start a family with her, the woman I love."

"I've been there. I still remember when Eleanor told me I was going to be a dad. I was happy, but at the same time I was scared, insecure. In the end, I failed them both too."

"Adrian..."

"But I won't fail again," Adrian fought a smile. "Kamilah, do you forgive me for all I've done? I was so consumed by my own feelings that I never considered yours. Deep down, I think I was jealous of what you and Amy have, and of your child. I'd do anything to..."

"You stil can," Kamilah placed her hand on top of his. "You can have a family again."

"Would you give me the honor of being this kid's uncle? I promise to protect him with my life, if I have to."

"Of course. After all, if it wasn't for you he'd never exist."

Adrian wiped off a few tears from his face before hugging Kamilah and stroking her stomach.

"Thank you, Kamilah. So, have you picked a name for this little guy yet?"

"I may have something in mind."

----------

The Betrayal - 1 month later, 6 PM

After some effort, Kamilah and Adrian managed to convince the vampire community to trust they'd keep them safe, and raise that child with caution, watching for any possible signs of danger.

With that, she was free to live in New York with Amy by her side. There was still one thing she'd like to do though, make their commitment official. Inside her secret drawer, she grabbed a small box containing a ring and smiled. That night, after taking Amy for a special dinner, was the perfect opportunity to propose her.

"Ms. Sayeed," Erin knocked on the door. "The blood bags you ordered have arrived."

"It was about time. I'm starving."

Kamilah took a blood bag and stocked the rest in her fridge. Erin watched her in silence.

"Anything wrong, Erin?" She raised an eyebrow, while she drank.

"Nothing, Ms. Sayeed. I'd like to know if you'll need anything else before my shift ends."

"Actually," Kamilah grinned. "You can go home earlier. I have a special dinner tonight."

"Really? What's the occasion?"

"I'm officially asking Amy to marry me."

"Such good news, Ms. Sayeed," her assistant prepared to leave her office. "I wish you all the luck in the world."

"Wait," Kamilah told her, "could you do me one last favor? Would you hire a..."

A sharp pain in her lower abdomen made her wince. The pain started to grow stronger, becoming more and more unbearable. Something Kamilah had never experienced before.

"Erin..." she groaned. "Call Adrian... I think I'm... I'm losing my baby."

Erin stared at her with a cold gaze. It was obvious she had put something in Kamilah's blood bag. Some abortive substance.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Sayeed. I've heard the news. I'm not willing to risk the future of my kind to preserve your child. Have a good night."

She closed the door and locked it from outside. Leaving Kamilah and her baby at their own fate.

[itsclydebitches]

This may be a serious question, but do you think it's possible to truly be 100% ethical living in a first world country? Tons of chocolate and bananas are made using slaves and child labor. Who knows how many devices we use daily use conflict minerals. Media gets our attention to these issues (like Amazon fires), but most can't do anything and still go about our lives as normal. Should we feel guilty or just be happy we weren't born in those poor circumstances?

This ask made me immediately think of The Good Place’s (SPOILERS) latest thesis, namely that truly ethical living is impossible when you’re just one small cog in the machine. A man buys flowers for his mom. What a nice gesture! Surely that has earned him Good Person points. Except that the flowers were harvested by slave labor, transported by corrupt corporations, doused in chemicals to preserve them… the good behind giving the flowers as a gift doesn’t come close to outweighing—or even equaling—the bad ripple-effect produced by buying the flowers in the first place. 

This is, sadly, the world we live in so no, I don’t think it’s possible to live a life where every choice you make has nothing but good effects attached to it. The ripples are too complex and, for the most part, too hidden. As you say, anon, we still need to live our lives. If you become so caught up in doing everything “perfectly” then you’ll end up paralyzed because I personally don’t think that perfection exists. Everything from buying a food to watching a show has the potential (and even the likelihood) to hurt someone else some way down the line, and often you don’t even realize it. 

Two things to keep in mind though: 1. The blame for certain world problems does not rest equally on every individual and 2. We should still combat ignorance because that can help in the long run. 

An example for point #1: the recent ‘ban plastic straws’ movement. We’re hardwired with a need for action, to feel like we’re doing something to fix a perceived problem, but sometimes that leads to us getting caught up in a “solution” because it’s easy and straight-forward, not because it actually makes a difference. That’s what we have here. Individual people using straws in their drinks are not the cause of our plastic problem; huge corporations producing and dumping unimaginable amounts of non-biodegradable plastics are. Will getting everyone to stop using straws help? Sure, but it’s the kind of help equivalent to a person getting water out of a sinking boat by using a spoon. The person on the other end using a galleon bucket to dump water back into the boat is the real problem and the spoon guy’s efforts are next to useless while bucket guy continues on as he is. Major changes need to be made on his end, not spoon guy’s. 

Just as important, banning straws has a huge repercussion: many disabled people need plastic straws in order to drink easily and safely. Banning them has a very large, negative impact on our community and a very small, positive impact on the problem we’re trying to fix. The danger of such “solutions” is that they’re not real solutions at all, but they feel like one. Doing something like banning plastic straws puts people and corporations into the position of going, “Yay! I did my part. Guess I’m done now” and wiping their hands of the situation, when in reality little—if anything—has been solved and they’ve actually created a new problem for a minority group. So when we think about such ripple effects we need to keep in mind that while individual changes may help to a certain degree and while they certainly make us feel better… they’re not the root problem. We can’t go blaming people for eating a banana when their lack of a purchase—I’m boycotting bananas. Look at the difference I’ve made—isn’t going to change the underlying system. Boycotting can certainly work for some things, but not all. And even if you do boycott—I’m going to eat apples instead of bananas—you’ll probably find that you’re now supporting another problem entirely. Oh. I’ve avoided the child labor but now I just supported a corporation that still treats its employees like shit. Apples aren’t safe either. Few (if any) things are. 

So what in the world do we do?? Point #2: which is where your documentary example comes in, anon. No, watching that probably won’t lead to direct action from you, but by educating yourself you’re setting up your own, more positive ripple effect. Maybe I watch a documentary about a Problem I didn’t know was a Problem before. But now I do. So I tell my friends about it. They watch too. I assign it in a class. I post to my followers. Everyone else is doing the same, spreading information where before there was ignorance. Now yes, most people are going to go on with their lives, making no true changes thanks to the documentary, but they passed the information on, setting up the possibility that a few—a minuscule, but very significant few out of the whole—might be in a position to make a difference. The millionaire who decides to donate. The scientist who thinks, “Hey, I could invent a Thing to help deal with that Problem.” Perhaps more importantly, spreading information helps the decision making process, which in turn impacts the shape of those who can make true change: the government. I, personally, may not be able to do much to solve the Problem, but by watching the documentary I’m now a) informed that it IS a problem and b) have some sense of how structures need to change in order to combat it. A year later I’m researching candidates and encounter one in support of fixing this issue. So I vote for them. And (hopefully) the thousands of other people who saw the documentary—as well as the thousands of other pieces of media we share and comment on—will vote for them too. The information keeps spreading, the information is passed down to kids… change takes time, but it needs to start with something as simple as, “Hey. How about you watch this thing that contains a perspective you never considered before?” To dumb down a very complex example: we can’t solve climate change so long as this many people, particularly people in power, believe that climate change doesn’t even exist. 

Ultimately it comes down to a balancing act: determining what good you want to do while acknowledging that, yes, something else bad will probably happen along the way. Maybe someone wants to support a film because it has a trans director, but the trade-off is supporting a corporation you detest. Maybe someone wants to switch to soy for health and environmental reasons, but the trade-off is hurting the farmers that depend on milk sales. Maybe someone makes an ignorant choice, like boycotting honey because they believe it hurts the bees, so education has to come into play. No, it doesn’t hurt them and beekeepers are now necessary to the health of the colonies, which in turn effects bee numbers, which effects pollination, which impacts literally all the flora and fauna around us. Everything is interconnected. All you can really do is be vocal, combat ignorance, vote for/demand change at the structural level, and try to choose day-to-day changes that do more good than harm. Maybe you’re a small store owner who says nah, we’re going to keep our straws because you’re donating to organizations working to help corporations establish better recyclable materials. And you’re passing on this education wherever you can. And you’re being vocal as a consumer about what changes you want to see. And, and, and. You’re still living your life with all those downsides—buying the chocolate, eating the banana, watching that Bad movie—but you have to. That’s life. Other choices though? Times when there are choices? You can work to make a difference there. 

[artswaps]

💕✨ the Untamed!

From this ask game, send me questions abt my media hyperfixations <3

I went on a massive spiel and probably got off-topic here but that’s pretty appropriate for a hyperfixation meme huh?? lol

💕 tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them! 

Honestly Wei Wuxian is my Big Fav but I’m gonna talk about Wen Qing instead bcos I’m SAD and I LOVE her. Huge spoilers of course for anyone who hasn’t seen the show yet.

The running theme of WWX and the Wen siblings constantly sacrificing everything for each other really gets to me! They have no real obligation to one another aside from a perceived debt that keeps shifting back and forth, and even then both parties keep risking retaliation from their own clans in protecting each other. That obviously extended into a sense of loyalty towards WWX that Wen Qing can’t walk away from.

She tries so hard to stay clinical and prioritise her brother’s safety, and her debt is arguably repaid after she stopped the wolf from killing WWX when he was locked in that dungeon- but then the Yunmeng siblings show up at her doorstep bedraggled and grieving, and as a doctor she just can’t turn them away.

Fine, so she’ll wait until Jiang Cheng is healed and then send them off again before Wen Chao thinks to look for them there and finds them harboring fugitives.

But then she watches WWX pushing himself past his limits trying to find a way to restore his brother’s core and she watches as he and his sister break down from all their loss while Jiang Cheng is practically comatose, and she tries to tell herself that she can’t keep helping them, it’s putting Wen Ning in danger. But she’s a doctor, and she’s meant to help people, screw the world and its politics, even if the answer doesn’t lie in medicine she still cares too much to keep watching this tragedy.

And they keep helping each other. They turn their backs on the world because it wants them dead and they just want to be safe but the other clans won’t let them. She helps WWX create life in the Burial Mounds and whenever he falls into a slump she bullies him out of it, and tells him there’s no way he can make lotus flowers grow here because she knows he’ll prove her wrong, and she argues with him about turnips vs potatoes and other stupid domestic things, and Wei Wuxian promises to bring her brother back and he does it, and this tiny shitty village in the mountains is all they're allowed but it’s a place where Wen Qing and her brother can exist.

WWX gave them that, so when things go bad and the world decided it was going to come and take that from them too, she knew there was one more debt she had to repay. She was a doctor, taught to preserve lives. And damn it, she cared.

Wen Qing died thinking she was keeping Wei Wuxian safe, and that fucks me up!! I love her for her loyalty, her capability, and her careful way of loving. She knew exactly who her loyalty belonged to and never faltered in her dedication to protecting the people she cared about. I’m Big Sad about her always <3

✨ what draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it? 

I adore the characters. I have to admit a lot of the lore and mechanics of this series goes over my head, and a fair amount of the time I have no idea what's actually going on w the plot lmao. But the characters’ emotional arcs have always been clear and strongly presented and they really carry the series. I feel so much for all of them.

Like, there’s this ever-present tone of melancholy through the entire series. You go into it from the start knowing that all of this is going to end in tragedy and we’re about to watch some of these characters go to to their deaths or destroy their relationships with each other, and then once you hit ep33 and we reach the other side there’s just this regret hanging over it all. No one can go back. Some damage is permanent. And despite all that it’s probably the softest the story gets since its very beginning back in Gusu Lan because all these people are trying so hard to reconnect with what is still important to them. Lan WangJi is suddenly very sure about the path he wants to walk, and he’s not about to lose WWX and his protectiveness and support is so soft and determined and aaah. Probably one of my favourite scenes is when they’re fleeing the Jin sect after the treasure room and Wei Wuxian tries to tell the mob that yes, he’s definitely tricked Lan Wangji, he didn’t know it was the Yiling Patriarch; and Lan Wangji steps forward and says “hey no fuck that, I’ve known it was Wei Wuxian the entire time,” like it’s such a deliberate and public declaration that he’s at WWX’s side and isn’t leaving and I adore it. You just kinda go “finally!” because this person is unfaltering in his love and loyalty and you’ve waited so long for someone who will not just concede to WWX’s choices but also trust them and back him up. Plus there was so much tenderness and familiarity between them in the post-resurrection arc I spent half the time just grinning like an idiot. They’re so sweet.

And then there’s Lan Sizhui reconnecting with Wen Ning (and later WWX too!) which was my other favourite scene like it’s so hilarious and a little bit sad that this terrifying black-veined “Ghost General” who is feared by many and can cut down mobs and is a literal walking corpse is the sweetest, most awkward and hesitant person ever. He’s so excited to be talking to Lan Sizhui again and finding that he’s not the last of his clan after all, even if the other doesn’t know it. “Can I call you A-Yao?” fuckin killed me. It’s so tender. Lan Sizhui being maybe a little nervous but otherwise very happy to be having such an innocent conversation with Wen Ning... keeping him company while waiting outside of Lotus Pier....... helping him with his plan to do something that commemorates his clan.... this connection is so important to me it’s so hopeful and soft and it kills me!! I love them sm.

I went on a tangent here but yeah I just really love how much the characters’ emotional arcs resonated with me, they’re all so complex and it’s a testament to how well-written they are that I could follow them clearly even when I couldn’t quite follow the external plot.

[checanty]

Hey there!Not to be too corny or over the top, but you are like my favorite contemporary artist and your work is so very inspiring to me! You probably get this question a lot, but are there any tips or things you would tell someone who is currently early in their artistic career(and facing graduating art school soon)? Anything you wish you had heard or been told? Additionally~what's your favorite ghost story? Have you stumbled across any interesting myths or fairytales lately? Thanks! Peace out~

Oh my, you’re being too kind!! You know, the thing with artists just starting out is that there’s no real blanket advice to give as everybody’s in a different situation with different ambitions, personalities and so on. Like there’s some advice good for one person which might devastate another. So my first piece of advice is to take all advice with a grain of salt. Do you feel it applies to you? If it does, great! If it doesn’t, well it’s for somebody else. Don’t fret about people claiming you have to do/be one thing or another to be successful as an artist. (Apart from ‘Don’t be a dick’ which is always helpful.)The second piece of advice is to find your community! Find the places on the internet (or locally if there are any) where the people who are in your situation or are doing the job you want to do hang out. Find the places designed to help you out. (You already know @dearartdirector, right?)Nowadays that’s mostly Facebook groups, some of them secret, so maybe you’ll have to ask somebody if they know a place. There’s a bunch of stuff for children’s book illustrators (also on Twitter!), but there’s e.g. a group especially for female (and non-binary & transgender) illustrators working in the fantasy genre. It’s an amazingly helpful even to read what everybody else deals with, pros and beginners alike and a safe place to ask questions and find support. I’m also in a group for German illustrators which is good for keeping up with changes in laws or the postal system (I KNOW, boring but important and confusing!). Third piece of advice: Be prepared for the paperwork. Seriously, there’s going to be way too much paperwork. I’m sorry. One of my art school teachers told me the hard thing is to find the clients and you can always figure out the paperwork later and I don’t agree. Figure out the paperwork. Get help to figure out the paperwork. But maybe I’m just very easily stressed out about this stuff.Fourth piece of advice: Try everything once and feel free to fail, quit and dislike. I don’t need to tell you that being and artist/illustrator isn’t a particular secure or straight forward path. You can only find yours if you figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. Don’t limit yourself to an idea of what you want to be doing. Chances are you don’t even quite know everything out there. Chances are you might not even like the realities of your dream job. E.g. I’ve come to the realization that I’m a good commercial artist but would make a shitty fine artist. I love freelance illustration but dislike the whole ‘artist as an entrepreneur’ thing. I don’t like Patreon. Streaming is bad for me and my process. Exhibiting in galleries is a waste of time for me. But I had to try that stuff out first, didn’t I? There are artists doing work in a similar vein as me who are successful doing just those things, but they are different people with different paths. Number five: Don’t write e-mails or make decisions when you feel super emotional.

Number six: Get all the sleep you need and take care of yourself. I don’t have to say that ‘making it’ (whatever that means) as an artist requires much hard work and discipline and so on. But. Your hard work is much better spent when your brain is actually capable of functioning. Spending less hours doing good work is better than grinding for days feeling listless and distracted, no? Think long term.  I know there’s somewhat of an expectation to have everything now and be young and successful and so on. But. No use being young and successful if you’re burnt out and unhappy. Your job isn’t you, art isn’t everything and the important part is that you’re okay. Take time to change and grow as a person. You know, all that stuff. I’m sure I’ll remember some seventh piece of advise which is of utmost important as soon as I post this.I mean there are also the classics: Make good work and show it to the right people. (It’s true! It’s this easy! Seriously, though. It’s good advice. I like it because sometimes the mind gets messy and you see other folks do great things and do shiny projects and such and then it’s nice to remember this and just keep your head down and do the work.)The whole ‘Finished, not perfect’ thing. It is also true. Don’t be effing precious with your work. You’re going to make a lot of it. Some will suck, some will be great. Some will just do the job and that’s fine. I mean, you should try for great, but realize it probably won’t happen. Most people won’t be as critical with your work as you are.Now I’m done, I think.Oh yes, ghost story. I don’t really read many of those. You’ll find I’m actually consuming very little horror related media. I have a favourite ghost story movie though, which is ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ (good old GDT!).I have no interesting folklore for you either! I recently went through an Arthurian Legends phase, mostly because it’s so fascinating how the whole thing is basically fanfiction of fanfiction and there might actually never have been canon. (At least non that is reliably preserved) So everything is kind of valid. (And it’s interesting to see when different characters and aspects started to pop up and how they changed and so on!)I hope that helps!

[twentyghosts]

Earlier @fourteenacross wrote this post about our experience of getting to see the dress rehearsal for Rent Live (which I guess turns out to mostly mean that we saw the actual performance of Rent Not-Live) and I wrote this mess of feelings about my 20 year history with Rent the musical as well as the online and IRL community surrounding the musical. I’m depositing it here beneath a cut. (If you’re friends with me on Facebook: it’s the same thing I posted there.)

I've lost count of how many times I've had to awkwardly explain to someone, "I used to be into the musical Rent. No, like….REALLY into it?" Just in case I've never had to explain it to you: I used to be REALLY into the musical Rent. My junior high school chorus sang "Seasons of Love;" I adored it and eventually purchased the 2-disc CD set at Best Buy. I listened to it, oh, let's say 525,600 times. I convinced my mom to take me to see the tour for my 14th birthday. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, a 6-hour drive from our home. I loved it; I spent hours hogging our dialup internet connection to talk about the show with strangers. My friends at school didn't get the obsession. I'm not entirely sure I get the obsession; I was a 14-year-old straight cis white girl from the Midwest hung up on mostly-queer starving artists in New York. (I note this because I know for a lot of Rent fans, part of the excitement was seeing themselves represented in a way that they weren’t often repsented in the media in general/musical theater in specific; I know that wasn’t my situation.) The closest I can come to identifying the source of my obsession might be the line "connection in an isolating age." Loving Rent brought me into a whole community of people who, in some way or another, didn't quite fit in a lot of places. I met new friends waiting overnight in rush ticket lines to see the tour (bless my parents for indulging my quest to sleep outside of every theater in the Midwest; I think my mom in particular understood that something about this was giving me a place to fit in).

But mostly I talked to my Rent friends online. We talked about the musical, our favorite songs and actors and characters, but we also talked about our lives. At first I was one of the younger ones on the boards and mailing lists, and in retrospect I'm pretty sure I was a monster, but I felt so empowered to talk to cool adults who were like, IN COLLEGE and stuff. I learned about their lives and what was possible outside of my rural hometown.

As I got older, I grew apart from Rent. I stopped listening to the cast recording so much, then entirely. I got embarrassed about how obsessed I'd been. I knew the general consensus was that Rent was cheesy and overwrought. Ha ha, yes, of course, Mark and Roger should just get jobs. Benny's just trying to follow his dreams of real estate ownership. Ha, right, what even IS a "season of love"?

Then in 2009, my best friend Megan, who I'd met through Rent--who co-ran a Rent website with me, who waited in Rent lines with me, who had simply the stupidest inside jokes in the world with me….died suddenly. I was devastated, obviously, and for a long time after that, Rent was just ruined for me, simply too emotionally overwhelming on every level. Some department store started using "Seasons of Love" in their commercials and it was like a kick in the face every time I heard even a few seconds of it.

In 2012 I took a trip to New York and decided to go see the Off-Broadway production of Rent. I went by myself and wasn't sure what to expect--I knew the staging was different from what I was familiar with. I honestly don't remember a fucking thing about that production except that I cried for pretty much two hours straight, at varying levels of intensity, from the very first opening note through the finale. It was emotionally overwhelming and really just a reboot to my system.

2016 marked the TWENTY YEAR anniversary of Rent, and with it, a new tour. I saw it in 2017 with another dear friend I'd made through Rent fandom. Again: I remember nothing of this experience except crying. Well--and talking to people in the lobby while waiting for lotto to be drawn; other people with very fond memories of having seen Rent years and years ago, people who remembered the message boards and the drama.

Last year, they announced one of the upcoming live TV musicals would be Rent. "That's wild," I thought. Rent was now mainstream enough to be broadcast on network television, like Grease. But hey--I'd watch it.

At the beginning of this year--2019, 10 years (5,256,000 minutes) since Megan died--I saw a posting for an online raffle to win a trip to see the dress rehearsal for Rent Live. I entered it of course, not thinking anything of it.

And then 2 weeks ago I got an apparently legit email--I'd WON this drawing. It didn't seem possible--so many people must have entered, how on earth would I win? (Like: I'm not saying that the ghost/angel of my Rent-obsessed best friend somehow rigged this online contest for me, but I can't prove that she DIDN'T.)

The rules of the contest didn't allow me to publicly announce it, and I was scared to talk about it anyway because I was not fully convinced that it was real. Still, I asked Kait, one of my other best friends--who I also met because of Rent, twenty years ago, and who remains a hugely integral part of my life to this day--if she'd want to be my guest on this trip, proving it turned out to be real.

It was real. We went. I felt very stressed and uncertain about it all, but on Saturday, January 26th we turned up at Fox Studios and they accepted my paperwork and gave us paper wristbands and made us wait in a long line and eventually? They let us sit down on chairs in a big studio, and some actors performed Rent in that studio. It was an amazing experience; there were 1300 other fans in there with us, all so excited to see this show that must have meant something to us--it wasn't easy to get tickets to be there, everyone there wanted to be there. While we were waiting for the show, all around us we heard people reminiscing about seeing it on Broadway, meeting the cast, hating the movie version.

There were changes made to the script and staging--of course we noticed, of course we all of us had the entire full text of the original show preserved in amber in our brains. For the most part, I didn't mind--most of the changes I thought were good, or at least okay. A few annoyed me but mostly...it was Rent! I cried, of course, the minute the lights went up and Mark began his familiar monologue. Eventually I stopped crying and I laughed and screamed and just enjoyed the songs; enough time had passed that I could experience the show in a new way. It felt like coming home.

(Years on Broadway message boards have made me aware of how unprepared I am to actually discuss theatrical performances; I don't know musical or theatrical terms, I can't tell if things are off-key unless it's very drastic. I am overall a very forgiving audience member; I want to like shows and performers and generally I do, though of course sometimes I have critiques. As I type this it's been a day since Rent "Live"--which turned out to mostly actually be the dress rehearsal that I saw, due to Brennin Hunt's injury--and plenty of people have plenty to say about how low energy it was, how so and so couldn't hit the appropriate notes...and I don't know about any of that. I just know that when I was there, watching it, I felt every moment and fell in love with every character, even though yeah they should totally try to get actual jobs or whatever.)

And then--we'd already known, from the internet, from some of our old Rent friends, that the Original Broadway cast was there that night too. We suspected they'd make an appearance for us; surely they wouldn't be there just to observe. And indeed...after the finale, they bounded out on stage and sang a reprise of "Seasons of Love." If that had happened to me when I was 16, I think I might have literally passed out. I'd listened to them on the cast recording so so many times, but of course they'd all left the show by 1999, when I got into Rent. (I've been lucky enough to see original actors in other projects since then, but not Rent.) Seeing them, hearing them...honestly I felt like I had full-on Beatlemania, I was literally shaking. I couldn't believe I was so lucky to see that and hear that and feel that.

And then the next day, I got home from LA in time to watch 2/3 of the show on TV. I livetweeted it and chatted in a group chat with a bunch of my Rent friends, people from all around the country. And that's what Rent is about, really--it's about the power and importance of community, and I'm so grateful to be a part of this one. #CompulsiveBowlers #FriendshipIsThickerThanBlood #NDBT

Anyway that's why I was in LA last weekend.

[raven-whisperer]

Personal

I kinda just wanted to write some stuff down, so feel free to ignore (Suicide + Depression Trigger Warning). 

Last year I was suffering under some seriously bad depression. I posted one in a while about wanting to die and got very close to actually killing myself. Thankfully a good friend of mine saw me (legit as I was about to order sleeping pills) and she took me out to Dutch Bros. It was the first time in so long I felt human, I was laughing and it was like waking up from the worst dream. However, as we started back toward school I realized it was going to end as it always did when I felt I had woken up. I knew the moment we got back to school, she’d go back to her dorm, I’d go back to my dark room and I’d get in my bed and cry myself to sleep. However, this didn’t happen. My friend stopped her truck and asked me if I wanted to watch a movie and the excitement I felt could have fueled a country. I started to look for Studio Ghibli movies she hadn’t seen and wouldn’t bring about an episode (I was super sensitive to media at this time, something that had never been a problem before). We drove to Little Caesars, got a deep dish pizza and went back to her dorm. It was what I needed after five months of isolation. I was talking with her dorm-mates and laughing and I felt good.  

That night was so important, because without it, I wouldn’t be here. It was like being thrown a life preserver after drowning in the ocean. 

Its been almost a year since I came out of my depression and I haven’t had an episode. To be clear, I mean I haven’t gone back to that dark place where I let self deprecating thoughts assault my conscious until I beg for death. So I’ve had periods of doubt where those nasty thoughts nip for attention, but I’ve been able to hold them at bay or push them away. Whenever I think of my depression I can feel those thoughts locked away and it would be very easy to let them back in. Obviously, I don’t want to and I’ve been doing my best to stay afloat. 

Recently I’ve been noticing that I’m isolating myself from some of the few people who do actually want to spend time with me. This isn’t the first time its happened, this was a reoccurring thing I did as a child. I always sought after people who didn’t give me the same kind of attention/affection I gave them. I’ve never dated, but I imagine this would be a problem there as well. 

I want to be able to understand “Hey, that person doesn’t want to be friends with you the same way you want to be friends with them” and just let it be instead of putting energy into something that will only ever be nothing. I can always feel when it happens, the dissapoint and “Oh...” feeling that sinks into the bottom of my stomach. These feelings are what usually causes my depressive episodes. Normally they don’t last more than a few hours, but the constant rejection I felt from my then closest friend caused a five month long episode (it could be categorized as a Major Depressive Episode, but its not because I don’t have clinical depression). 

I had this problem last year as well with my depression. I misjudged my relationship with my roommate/then best friend which lead to my isolation. She didn’t care for me as much as I did her and despite knowing that, I still was desperate to cling to her and her friendship. I’m not friends with her anymore, and its because of her that I’ve actively decided not to put energy into people who won’t give back. I sometimes feel this is selfish, after all, what if I’m misreading them? (I try to trust my gut on these things). 

The reason I’m making this post is because of something recent. Another good friend of mine has been distant, and I highly doubt she’s even aware of it (ADHD, choir involved, psych major) because of how busy she is or how much time she spends her best friend (my ex-best friend). I keep trying to make plans on the weekend but she always has an excuse or is overstimulated from something. It hurts to be rejected so often and I want to respect her boundaries but I’m starting to feel like I’m putting my energy into nothing again. I only really see her at night when we’re both in the bathroom. 

I don’t have much room to complain about loneliness when I’m not talking to my current roommate much, which I don’t know why??? I’ve suddenly become irritated when she wants my attention and I feel bad about it - like why the fuck am I being a bitch for no reason? Maybe I’m just mad about the smell and the snoring thing and its coming out in passive aggressive ways? I dislike the thought of that. 

Uhhh, I think that’s it. I want to cry a little bit tbh, but I think a shower and singing loudly to the Heathers will help a bit. 

[purvitatiya]

APRIL: FOURTH WEEK

Hey guys! Just like the previous week, we again started this one with an interesting activity: Storytelling.

We made a table which had several different types of characters, objects, location and genres written in it. After that, all of us were asked to pick one thing from two of the categories and from the other two, our teacher chose and gave us. All of us had very weird combinations. My combinations were: a bus driver, a gun, forest and comedy, respectively.Then we were supposed to weave a story using our combinations. The criteria for marking the story were ‘creativity’.

  Post that, we covered a large topic i.e. Technological Convergence. The term convergence means combining of different forms of media in order to make a single form of media. E.g. mobile phone.

Technological convergence is the tendency that as technology changes, different technological system sometimes evolve toward performing similar tasks.

An example of technological convergence is smartphones, which combine the functionality of a telephone, a camera, a music player, and a digital personal  assistant into one device.

Earlier, reels were used to record a film and to edit them they had to be literally cut. Also, preserving reels was very costly. But when the digital cameras and new editing soft wares came into picture, the cost for making a film came down significantly. as a result of which the producers of the film used that budget for other important things, like marketing, etc.

Due to technological convergence, today’s time is a milestone in the ever evolving road of marketing. The ways we promote our films have been changing fast and today the cheapest yet most effective way of promoting or marketing a film is Social media platforms like instagram, facebook, youtube, twitter, etc, all credits to technological convergence.

Not just from the side of institution but also from the perspective of  audience, technological convergence has been a real game changer. It is now not only in cinemas that an audience is able to view a new film but also through streaming on online platforms. With emerging new platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar Premium and with people getting access to more and more global content, the demand pattern has been changed. Now the criteria for a good movie is not just a famous or good looking face rather, the content matters more. 

later this week, we had a research project about the Indian cinema History. We collected a few facts about the history of cinema India.

Our next activity was also based on research. We did three case studies; Mughl-e-azam, Avatar and Titanic. All three films were the highest grossing films of their time (Mughl-e-azam only in India, whereas the other two held this record worldwide).

That’s all for this week!!