#I don’t know if anyone on tumblr particularly cares about this but I’m posting it anyway because I might reference back to it if I ever fil

[oneknightlight]

Facepaint cosplay makeup tips from someone who’s been doing it for 7 years because fuck it why not:

(Keep in mind I work with primarily water based facepaints because they operate best with my skin type)

You will be blowing out (whatever color) facepaint snot out of your nose for 48 hours after wearing the facepaint. Do not be alarmed, happens to all of us, don’t ask me how.

Please do not do more then 2-3 layers the facepaint will begin cracking (far more then usual!) Depending on what brand, that number may vary slightly but not by much. Better a thin and patchy layer then a thick and crackly one. I usually do 2 coats max

If by the time you’ve done two layers there’s still a mistake, just leave it. Leave it alone. You will regret trying to add more paint to fix it, just trust me on that one.(If you really can’t help but fix the error then let the rest of the paint on your face dry before you do it, it’ll still result in a cracky finish but it’ll be less severe.)

Mehron paradise paints are excellent once you learn how to use them, but they’re a bit finicky and not as beginner friendly as people say they are imo. Try snazzaroo if it’s your first time working with facepaint ever! I’ve heard oil based facepaints work excellent on the right skin types, unfortunately mine is not, I have very oily skin, and the paint melted right off me within 30 minutes. It was great when it was first applied though! If you have average-to-dry skin, oil based paint might be an excellent option for you! Check it out, I can’t speak on it.

Facial hair, regardless how thick or thin it is, might make your facepaint do weird things in your jaw area. It reaaaallly varies person to person, for me its something I have to/want to shave.

Setting powder is a MUST after you’ve applied your even base layer before you start contouring. My life changed when I figured that out, and my facepaint started looking “professional” and actually lasting more then 2 hours. I can’t express how much I recommend mehron setting powder.

When you’re contouring or using any powder do not expect it to blend on water-based facepaint like it would on skin. The powder sticks very quickly to the paint and doesn’t want to budge, so it’s better to do thin layers until you’re satisfied, and blend quickly.

Expect it to be uncomfortable, especially your first time wearing it. Your entire face, neck, and maybe more are covered in paint, it’s gonna suck lmao. The good news is, once you’re used to it, you’re USED to it. I wore facepaint for 3 days straight 11 hours a day the other weekend, and forgot it was there almost immediately. However, if it burns or hurts, remove it immediately, that’s not the facepaint for you!

Don’t be afraid to make expressions! If your facepaint isn’t applied too thickly, it should move with you for a good amount of time before expressions begin to crack into it. (And even when it begins to inevitably wear down, your fun is more important then your facepaint.)

Your teeth might look yellow as fuck! Like gold yellow! It’s ok! First and foremost, yellow teeth are natural, secondly, the contrast between tooth color and the different colors of facepaint tend to make your tooth color appear differently then you’re used to.!

Put your contacts in BEFORE you paint your face and thank me later. :)

If you get paint stuck in your eyelashes, dampen your finger tips and gently strain it out of the lash between your thumb and index finger.

To avoid chapped lips, either find a lipstick in a color you can use, or mix a bit of eyeshadow and chapstick.

There’s no easy way to eat in facepaint, but the best advice I got for you is do not be afraid of eating weird. If you have to unhinge your jaw and clamp into a sandwhich to avoid fucking up your paint, just do it. I stopped caring what people thought of my facepaint eating ritual a long time ago. However, if you can opt for it, popcorn, m&ms, grapes, walnuts, and stuff like that are good to just throw in your mouth. (And of course, touch up paint is never bad to have on hand.)

Drink stuff through a straw! I repeat! If you can! Drink stuff through a straw!

And to conclude: Facepaint. Looks. Bad. Inherently. Facepaint will never look like skin up close. It will look like skin to someone over 5 feet away, and on a camera, but it will never look like actual skin. Expect small cracks even if you did your damndest with the base coat, expect your sweat to create a ring around your nose and eyelid. ESPECIALLY if you plan on wearing the paint for more then a couple hours. It’s inevitable, and it’s perfectly ok!! Even those of us who have been facepainting for years still have our sweat stain and forehead cracking days, it’s just in the business. Don’t let the internet fool you with filters!

Facepaint unfortunately takes a good couple attempts to get the hang of. Your first couple attempts might suck! They might! But please don’t let that stop you from filming videos or going to a convention. It’s a part of the learning curve, and before perfection, cosplay is SUPPOSED to be about fun, and any facepaint is good enough to have fun in.❤️

And ahhh don’t forget to take it off before bed!

Happy cosplaying!

[cerise-on-top]

Taking Care of a Drunk Valeria and Laswell

Somehow, Tumblr botched this upon me having posted it, so I'm posting it again. I'm genuinely sorry about this, I really don't know why it happened!

Valeria: Valeria isn’t exactly a lightweight, but she certainly can’t outdrink everyone either, meaning it’s not too hard to find her drunk when she’s out with you. While she can normally drink quite a bit, if it’s good and expensive wine she’s drinking, she’s a goner fairly quickly. Despite normally already having quite the temperament, she gets fairly aggressive when drunk, picking fights with just about anyone who looks at her the wrong way. Most people don’t expect someone so pretty and cute to get this mad when drunk, much less expecting them to be able to suplex them into the ground as well. It becomes evident quickly enough that she’s had enough, with someone, pretty much always you, needing to drag her away from the bar and the booze lest she actually just kills someone. It wouldn’t be her first time, but you were hoping last time won��t be repeated like that. And thus, you put your hand on her shoulder, telling her that it’s finally time to go home.

“Don’t fucking touch me, pendejo, I’m married!”

“I know, I am your wife!”

Upon hearing that, she’d be quiet for a moment, and that’s about the best chance you have to drag her away. It’s sweet that she’s that loyal to you, especially when she’s as drunk as she is, but she really needed to stop. Putting her in the car, you drove as you had had much less alcohol than she did, but Valeria, having “regained” her composure, wouldn’t shut up, questioning you about things only her wife would know. Naturally, you knew the answers to all of her questions. Why wouldn’t you know about her love for the stuffie you gave her all those years ago? Again, she’s stunned a bit, but won’t shut up either, starting to flirt with you instead. If you can speak Spanish, congratulations, you’ll hear the worst pickup lines in existence that aren’t standard. Most of them won’t even make sense since she comes up with them herself and she isn’t exactly the most creative person. If you don’t speak Spanish and tell her such, she’ll try to speak English with you, but fails horribly and either speaks Spanglish, or simply reverts back to her native tongue. Her accent, too, becomes very thick when she’s drunk.

Once you’re out of the car and back home she’ll be more inclined to touch you. Putting her arms over your shoulders, trapping you between her and the wall while stumbling over both her feet and her words, looking for the worst excuses to simply touch your hand. If you wear your ring, then you can be certain she’ll be looking for and at it. Still can’t believe she’s your wife.

If you wanna take care of her, now’s your chance. You can put her head in your lap without her protesting, but she will have to leave fairly often for the bathroom, so the joy isn’t very long lived. But she will always come back to you and demand you run your fingers through her hair. Actually thinks she’s 0.5% weaker than she actually is while drunk, giving her enough of an opportunity to want to be spoiled rotten by you. Give her the princess treatment and she’ll return it tenfold. And yes, she will remember, she’s never forgotten anything just because she was drunk at the time. Draw her a bath and help with washing her. If you gently rub in the shampoo she’ll go very quiet, simply wanting to enjoy your presence. While she does want to tease you still, it’s not nearly as mean and venomous as it usually is. Her words are slurred, so there’s a chance you can’t understand everything anyway. I know they say “in vino veritas”, but I think she also gets a bit more cuddly. Not particularly emotional still, just slightly more mad than she usually is, but definitely more cuddly. Yes, she hates PDA, yes, she wants to hold you close so you won’t run away from her anymore.

While she will lay down for a few hours, she won’t be able to sleep all that well after drinking a lot of alcohol, so if you’re down for an all nighter, she’ll appreciate it once she’s sobered up enough after those few hours. Doesn’t need to be taken care of in the sense that you need to hold her hair back while she throws up, she rarely ever does after an intense night, but if you make her some toast she’ll definitely show her appreciation. Get her some aspirin while you’re at it too. Valeria might not be the most traditionally affectionate person normally, but she’d fight tooth and nail for you if you ever got drunk like she did.

Laswell: Laswell isn’t a lightweight in the slightest, she can hold her liquor quite well due to larger alcohol consumption when she was a lot younger. While she still wouldn’t be able to outdrink someone like Nikolai, it takes quite a bit to get her drunk. She’s a classy woman as well, but she does like stronger things such as tequila or some cocktails. Not one for too much vodka, but not above drinking the good and expensive kind upon being offered. As mentioned, she can take quite a lot, but she only really drinks the strong stuff, so it doesn’t take too long for her to properly get drunk either if she’s had a few too many drinks. Most of the time you couldn’t even tell she was drunk in the first place since she acts just about the same. Aside from her breath, it’s hard for just about anyone to tell she’s drunk, so if she ever wears a mask, no one would know she even drank anything in the first place. Yes, her judgment is just a bit clouded, but she can still make some good decisions. However, she loosens up a bit more while drunk. It’s not too often she tells jokes while sober, but you’ll hear one pretty much every other hour when she’s not. Laughs at them a bit too, she thinks she’s a comedic genius. Her jokes are just what you’d expect from someone of her age. They don’t always make sense, but she likes them. A guy walks around the corner and the bus is gone. The bus drives around the corner and the guy is gone. Both round the corner and the corner is gone. It’s a real knee slapper to her and she’ll laugh every time. Don’t ask me what it means, though, I couldn’t tell you.

While usually not a very touchy person either, she’ll keep her hands on you just the tiniest bit more. A hand on your thigh, a hand on your shoulder, a hand on your arm. She’s not touch starved, but getting to feel you, getting the reassurance that you’re there, it’s a good feeling to her. Unlike Valeria, Laswell is usually the first one to suggest you leave when she’s had a few drinks, but when she’s with Price and Nikolai and having a very good time, she might forget about her drunken state and needs to be reminded of how she’s going to get home. And thus you tug at her arm.

“I am a happily married woman, stop trying to get my attention.”

“Kate, my love, I’m your wife, please let’s just go home.”

It’s the first time something like this has ever happened, but you couldn’t help but chuckle a little bit. She’s so cute when she’s drunk. It takes a bit more convincing to get to her, but eventually she’ll remember you and agree to go home with you, begrudgingly. Saying her goodbyes to Nikolai and Price, she’ll trot alongside you, her hand in yours. I know, she’s not a fan of PDA either, but there’s nothing wrong with holding hands while it’s pitch black outside. Most of your time driving back home is spent just chatting over this and that. How nice it was to see her old friends again, how she hoped you and them would get along as well, that sort of stuff. As well as thanking you for taking one for the team and driving home.

Once home, the first thing she always does is ask you for a glass of water. She’s thirsty, alcohol doesn’t hydrate as much as it dehydrates. But other than that she’s really just content playing UNO or Sorry! with you. Despite her being very drunk, she can keep her cool, she’s just very low maintenance in that regard. In fact, you could leave her as she is and she’ll be just fine. However, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t want your company. When it’s very late and you’re both still up, Kate opens up a lot more about herself than she usually does, regardless of whether you’re having an impromptu therapy session among yourselves or you're wiping the dishes. Those are things she genuinely doesn’t tell anyone aside from the people closest to her, the things that, from time to time, do weigh on her. She knows she can’t particularly tell you everything she does at work, but nothing prevents her from telling you personal anecdotes she thought she’d take with her to her grave. You don’t need to always respond to her, simply listening is more than enough. Usually, she remembers your late night deep talks, but sometimes she does forget about a topic or two you talked about. But she’ll always remember you giving her the time of your day to listen to her. And for that she’s truly grateful.

[ffc1cb]

new art blog

the short version:

1. i made a new art blog: @cbge;

2. @ffc1cb will stay up as an archive.

the long version:

hi everyone. this announcement is somewhat late, since the blog in question has been up for a few months now, and i’ve already started posting art on it. the reason it took me so long to “reveal” it is because i’ve been trying to figure out whether a new blog is something i actually want, or if it's just me throwing darts at a board, trying to make myself feel better somehow.

i don’t know when precisely it all started, but ever since sometime last year i’ve been going through a hard time, both emotionally and creatively. i’m not sure whether being depressed is what made art harder, or art becoming harder is what made me depressed (a bit of both, i think), but lately, drawing has been a struggle. 

i’ve found myself having less and less energy for art, and this lack of energy resulted in poorer quality of drawings, which resulted in me feeling like i’m getting worse at it, despite my efforts. i knew i could make good art, art that i’m proud of - i’ve done so countless times before, - but somehow it felt like i just couldn’t anymore, like my hands forgot how to. nothing looked right. 

i’ve been trying to experiment. i’ve learned some new things, tried this and that - it was enlightening, to say the least, and even though i kind of liked how it looked, it made me feel a sense of displacement. i was at odds with myself, my art, and how i felt about it, when previously i was always in sync. i was making art, yes, and it looked nice, but it felt like it wasn’t mine.

i suppose part of it was also the growing lack of engagement, and i don’t mean likes and reblogs - i never particularly cared about those. they are all just numbers to me; dry and impersonal. what i’m talking about is actual, human interactions: personal thoughts in tags, asks, replies, etc. a conversation. 

i don’t mean to sound “old” or anything, but i remember when talking to artists online was more commonplace. my wife tells me it’s because the internet culture has changed over the years, that people have become more reclusive, less willing to be open with their thoughts, and she's probably right, but in my slump i find it hard to believe. somehow it feels like it’s my fault for being less “engaging”, for seeming unapproachable or perhaps intimidating. maybe it’s “just a skill issue”, maybe it’s because i have stopped churning out fanart for popular fandoms, maybe it’s because i refuse to torture myself emotionally by having an art account on twitter (i can’t fucking stand the place anymore; i still post nsfw art there, but only because it’s literally one of the only places on the internet that allows you to do so. i miss when you could post female presenting tits on tumblr).

i have always, ever since i started posting art on the internet back in 2012, done it for human connection. i wanted to talk to people, and have people talk to me. i wanted to inspire people with my art, and i wanted to bring them comfort. i wanted to elicit an emotional response, and have people tell me about it. it was one of the main reasons i drew in the first place; having lost that, i’ve been struggling to stay passionate about making art.

i miss being a small artist on the internet during the 2010s. i remember when i could make a post going, “hey everyone, how are you all doing today?” and it would not seem weird to people in the slightest. it is just me? does anyone else feel that way? am i too deep in my own head? the internet feels so unwelcoming nowadays, especially to artists. we are all just content machines; people scroll by our stuff, or maybe look at it for half a second and leave a like before scrolling away. i know it’s unfair to demand people’s attention, especially now when our lives are already so overwhelmed by everything - no one has the energy to pay closer attention; i myself am not immune to mindless scrolling. but it feels bad. i wish we were all sincere and enthusiastic again.

anyway (sorry for rambling. i hope i haven’t bored you to death), you might want to say, okay, but how is making a new art blog on a “dying” social platform going to help with any of that? the truth is, i don’t know. i just felt like i needed a change. 

i’ve been running this blog since 2016 (that’s almost 8 full years!). i feel incredibly attached to it, but at the same time, i feel it weighing me down. 

there are people who followed me years ago for one specific thing, still expecting me to post about said thing (i still find it mindboggling that some people follow artists for a specific fandom only, but that is a whole other matter for a whole other post that i will never write). a third, if not half, of my following are probably dead blogs. and with my current struggle with trying to regain the joy i once felt for making art, looking back at all the art i’ve done over the years makes me feel tired. i still love it all; it’s all very dear to me. i’m proud of it; looking at it makes me mourn my younger and more passionate self.

so i’ve decided to make a new blog, where i will let myself post whatever i want, in whatever stage of donness i feel like. maybe it will help me, somehow. maybe it won’t. but if you care about my art, if you want to keep following me on my artistic journey, i welcome you to join me there. similarly, feel free not to - no hard feelings.

thank you everyone for your support over the years; it matters a lot to me. i’m not planning to delete or private this blog; it will stay up, and i will still be reachable on here. i will still answer asks, if there will be any. i’m just not planning to post any art here anymore. this is it for my dear old friend ffc1cb.

i can be found in other places:

@cbge, as mentioned earlier,

@k0nstanta, an art blog dedicated solely to my wife and i’s ocs,

@inquisimail, a dragon age ask blog that has become my dragon age sideblog in general,

and multiple other blogs, none of which are art related, but feel free to ask, if you’re curious.

thank you very much for reading all of this. i hope you have a wonderful day.

[evangelinesbible]

I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT

I’m writing this before I hit 3,000 followers. Which is getting close and I’m very thankful but I have to be honest with you all. I’m not happy with what I do on here or in life in general.

I would like to think that majority of you care specifically about me or what I have to say/create but it’s quite literally the opposite. Unless it’s astrology majority of you don’t really care. Which is completely fair. I understand you followed me for astrology but I just don’t think I’m interested in posting about it anymore. And I’m not very interested in the community anymore. I would like an audience and a community that cares more about me and the stuff I actually want to create. I don’t care how selfish that sounds, it’s what I want.

Anyone who’s been paying attention can see that my true passion belongs to the entertainment side of things. And it’s harder to build an audience when what you’re offering is yourself. I’ve enjoyed being faceless and under a fake- ish name but now I’m no longer that, which means a new chapter for me. I’ve had this account for almost a year now and I’m extremely unhappy in life. I used to come here to escape but it doesn’t work for me anymore. Posting feels more like a chore instead of what I used to enjoy. Especially when I know that some of you mostly only care about astrology stuff and not who’s making the post for you.

So yeah, I’m quitting this side of tumblr. I won’t be deleting this account but don’t expect anything new from me after My Astrological Beauty post once I hit 3,000. I’m not particularly happy to do this but I know I need to. It’s a distraction that’s lasted too long. I’m so unhappy, dissatisfied and on the verge of breakdowns everyday it’s not even funny anymore and it’s sad is that nobody could really tell. I have a lot to process and to plan but I know eliminating what doesn’t fulfill me anymore is a good start.

So sorry to those expecting more from me here but Evangelinesbible is no longer interested in this chapter in her life. It’s your choice if you want to stay on this chapter or move on with Sydney Mykah instead. But know I’ll never forget who was supporting me from the very beginning.💋

- ⚜️💫⚜️

[kindlingkeen]

Heyo Keen, I have come to pester you once again. Your post about the Jason amnesia thing got me thinking about young justice (I started watching it recently, it’s very good) and the whole red hooded ninja plot (rip)

I have no clue if you’ve seen the clips (if you haven’t then: spoilers below)

-

Particularly the bit where he’s fighting Nightwing and there’s this whole moment where he says “Gray…son” and he’s told “your memories are returning”.

Anywho. personally I really loved that whole scene/idea even though it was real small. (Also the red hooded ninja design is banger imo) Just the idea of brothers so close yet not even realizing it & the whole amnesia/catatonic thing where seeing Nightwing helps him remember. Also iirc in this he takes care of Damien? (I’m not that far in the show yet so not 100% on that) which is really sweet. Super looking forward to where it goes if anyone picks up the show again.

Do you prefer the whole amnesia/ninja plot or the pit/Red Hood one? I love both and don’t really have a favourite, but I know some people lean pretty strong towards one or the other.

Hey friend! Please pester away! If it takes me a while to answer your asks, it’s only because I’m giving them serious consideration.

I haven’t seen Young Justice, but I’m vaguely familiar with the red hooded ninja story line via art I’ve come across on tumblr and a few fanfics. There’s one in particular that comes to mind where Ra’s contracts Slade to take over the LoA, and Slade interacts with Jay (I can’t remember the title or author, so if anyone knows what I’m talking about, drop a link so I can tag it properly). The first time I read one of these (without noticing the YJ tag listed in the fandoms), I was like ‘what tf is going on here—ohh, Jay with sword, yeah, okay, let’s do this.’

I am deeply and unhealthily attached to the pit/Red Hood story arc for Jason. It’s the storyline I know best in both the comics, dc alt media, and fandom worlds, and it’s the clearest characterization I have of Jay in my head. Part of my process for writing is to set certain ground truths for myself/the story based on comics canon, and then I build outward from there.

That said, the red hooded ninja concept pushes so many of my buttons, namely Jason being under Talia’s wing, Jason and Damian meeting in the League, Jason as a ninja assassin, Jason with a sword (errghhh it’s all sooo good). I also like the younger Dami/older Jay dynamic. Although, technically one of the alt endings to the A Death in the Family movie was Talia giving Jason baby Damian, so I suppose you could wrap that into a Red Hood storyline.

I’m working my way through the 90s Batman: The Animated Series (it’s my fav ‘it’s 10 pm and I’m too tired to do anything productive so I’m just gonna watch comfort TV’ pick right now). Maybe once I get through that, I’ll move on to YJ. 🙂

Thanks so much for the ask! 💙

[lov3-lik3-ghosts]

Request Guidelines:

Main Masterlist

My Request Rules:

I don’t write smut, but I have no problem with suggestive content and innuendos.

As much as I enjoy writing romantic relationships, platonic ones deserve more love than they’re getting, so don’t hesitate to send requests in if you have them.

An age range for characters isn’t required but would be extremely helpful, particularly for Harry Potter during Hogwarts years.

I will write the following: genderbent characters, queer relationships, monster/mythical au’s, polyamorous relationships, plus size characters and any other conservatively different universe.

I have no issue with trying my hand at transgender and non-binary characters but there’s really only so much I can do as a cisgendered woman; of course, if I offend anyone or mis-concept the matter at hand, let me know and I’ll try my best to fix it with your help.

That being said, I’ll mostly take requests for fem!reader to avoid completely mischaracterising and, therefore, taking the magic out of self-inserting.

I’m posting on Tumblr to gain confidence and push myself out of my comfort zone in the hopes of publishing my own original book series sometime in the future — just for background info!

Not all requests are doable, requests are exactly as said, requested — not a required meet. An idea that gets your mind churning won’t always get mine. However, I’ll always let you know if that’s case. You’re welcome to send it in again with a note to put it on the back burner in case it inspires me down the line.

I’m not a robot. I have work, hobbies, myself and other people to care about outside of Tumblr and writing. Your requests won’t always be done quickly and it’s likely they won’t always turn out the way you’d imagined, that doesn’t give you the right to take it out on me — be kind or leave.

Formats: Headcanons. Extended Headcanons. Drabbles. One-shots.

Requests are open for:

| x reader |

Addams Family 1991/Addams Family Values 1993. ⤸

• Poly!Morticia x Gomez

Harry Potter. ⤸

• Neville Longbottom

• Luna Lovegood

• Pansy Parkinson

• Poly!Draco Malfoy x Harry Potter

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. ⤸

• Enoch O’Connor (Movie.)

• Olive Abroholos Elephanta (Movie.)

• Jacob Portman (Movie/Book One.)

Twilight. ⤸

• Alice Cullen

• Rosalie Hale

• Jasper Hale

• Emmet Cullen

• Poly!Rosalie x Emmet

• Poly!Alice x Jasper

| character x character |

Addams Family 1991/Addams Family Values 1993. ⤸

• Wednesday Addams x Joel Glicker (any age)

• Morticia Addams x Gomez Addams (any age)

Harry Potter. ⤸

• Neville Longbottom x Luna Lovegood

• Severus Snape x Wolfstar (any era)

• Seamus Finnigan x Dean Thomas

| If you don’t have a request and would like to talk fandom lore, headcanons, or about your day, please do! It’d be lovely to talk with you guys.

If you wanted to request something that wasn’t on my list but you were wondering if I’d ever write for the character(s)/fandom you’re fixating on, don’t hesitate to send in some questions through the ask box.

[cherpot]

Hey Tumblr!! I’m looking to start up some new rp threads with folks. I casted a few lines out in rp finder forums, but I’ll throw a post out into the void here too, just in case.

Hey all! I’m looking to start up some new rp threads with folks. To start with a bit about me, I’m 24 y/o and non-binary. I don’t care who hits me up, but please be over 18! I don’t feel comfortable rping with folks who are a lot younger than me, y’know how it is. I usually rp over Discord, but I’m flexible!

So, in terms of fandoms I like, I’m very into the Amazing Digital Circus at the moment, and that’s mainly why I’m here. I’m down to main any of the characters and I’m super flexible with any scenarios. But my fave is Pomni, so I’m really itching to try my hand at writing for her! I like canon and AUs, particularly college, room mate, or workplace AUs.

I love Pomni x Ragatha, so if anyone is interested in writing a Rags against my Pomni, I would be so excited!! Yeah, yeah, cringe, I know. Come be cringe with me bro 🤘🏻

I write in third person POV, usually 2-3 paragraphs per response. Literate, but nothing super fancy. If anyone wants writing samples, just ask for my ao3! I work full-time so my response time won’t be quick, but ideally I’ll get in at least one reply a day Lastly, I’m not opposed to NSFW, but I’d like plot to go with it.

A few other fandoms I like are Resident Evil, Harry Potter, The Raven Cycle, and Trigun. If you’re interested in those, I can’t make any promises, but I’ll see if I can work something out!

So yeah! Shoot me a message if you’re interested. I do chat outside of writing, too, so don’t be shy!

Byeee!

[theme-park-concepts]

I know this blog has been pretty quiet lately, and reflecting on it there’s a lot of reasons for it.

One is that this whole account started as a place to chart my journey from being obsessed fan to actually doing theme park design as a career…a journey that has for the most part run it’s course for now and has led to interesting unexpected places, and - mostly a good thing - quite a bit too busy to consistently post things.

But also during that journey, partially as a consequence of it, and even more so a consequence of how the industry has changed since I fell in love with it, and maybe just a bit of how things change over time…I find myself a bit less interested with theme parks, certainly as compared to my relationship with them most of my life.

I’m not uninterested, I still follow all the news, still actively planning to visit new ones, still think it would be fun to participate in designing one…but I just feel less invested. I think partially this is because I’ve had the platform to be able to say a lot of the things I’ve wanted to say, and now having said them, I simply have less on my mind. And maybe realized how few people in the field wanted to hear them.

Having had the chance to go to school for themed design, meet and get to know many of the people involved in it…it’s satisfied my curiosity and questions in many cases, and frankly been a bit dispiriting and disillusioning in others. Meeting your heroes is a very mixed bag.

I think ultimately though one of the reasons I find myself less interested in them, is they keep getting less interesting. It’s not just that I’m not thinking about them as much as I once did, I’m not going to them either, or even wanting to go. I’m finding myself much more interested in theatre, independent immersive events, traveling, exploring local hideaways etc.

The world of themed entertainment, at least in theme parks, has just been getting less and less interesting overall. There’s some really great stuff every now and then, but so many new attractions, parks, coasters seem interchangeable, formulaic, paint by numbers, more product-like than anything anyone actually cared about or had an opinion on. And I don’t say this to diminish the work the creatives, engineers, project managers, etc are doing…the work they do continues to be stellar…just in service of or stifled by strategies, philosophies, visions that I largely don’t find inspiring. Tbh a lot of the industry very much operates that way….you get a recycled master plan, and you get a recycled masterplan, you’re all getting the same masterplan!

And the stuff that genuinely is interesting and different ends up being placed behind enormous paywalls or placed in countries that aren’t safe for me to visit largely for the glorification of a couple investors…and that’s not particularly interesting either. Meanwhile touring musical theatre shows these days you can get great tickets for like $40. And most of those shows, despite being big business enterprises, still manage to say something worth saying.

There’s a whole ass brand new theme park being built by the 2nd biggest player in the industry and I can’t be bothered to do much other than glance at construction photos…and despite knowing many people who’ve been a part of it, I can’t say any of them seem particularly excited either. Though I can’t decide if it’s the fact the park is uninteresting, or that it’s just hard to care about when the governor of the state is banning ap psychology because kids might learn about gay people.

Suffice to say, this blog isn’t going away, I’ll be on tumblr until it literally stops functioning, but I just have less to say these days.

[tyrianluda]

(Context: This is part of the Narrator essay I'm writing but I think this section was broad to taken outside of the essay. Take this as a little PSA)

(A Short Word about Boundaries and Parasocial Relationships: This is a Serious Section; FINISHED)

(Also a quick note: If you see a post or person that does something similar to what I'm writing about, please do not harass them. Especially when it's people having parasocial relationships. They just need to be careful to not have a unhealthy attachment over people since it hurts them mentally in the long-term. I chose to not name anyone or use specific pronouns for the sake of anonymity; not for any malicious attempt.)

For people in the fandom who are wondering, I have unfortunately seen people border on the line of sexualizing the Narrator’s VA, Kevan Brighting. More specifically, disregards his boundaries for how he wants his voice to be used and not used; especially in context to…not safe for work uses of his voice. I want to say this now before this escalates into people genuinely crossing this line and I feel like it’s a good reminder. We should care about making Kevan Brighting as comfortable as possible when engaging in the fandom, as he now knows what we say about him. As funny as his “sexiest man in Britain” tweet was, he knows. We should care because he does connect himself quite often in fan-made and Stanley Parable-inspired projects. He has always absorbed himself in the fanbase when he didn’t absolutely need to since the original game came out, and it’s best to have him stay comfortable doing this. Since his level of involvement in the fandom is not very common, to begin with, it’s not wise to give him a reason to stop. Also, more generally because it’s not okay at all to disregard anyone’s expressed boundaries and it shouldn’t be a normal thing to do. Actually, in this case, it’s really creepy and disrespectful and did I mention creepy?

For context, a Tumblr user by the name of @/shinakazami1 contacted Brighting to ask for his thoughts on his voice being used for AI. This was his response;

“...Regarding AI - I hate everything about it. The idea that someone could use my voice for something I don’t agree with is abhorrent. A voice artist must have artistic control over the work he/she does…” - Excerpt of his response

Tumblr Post; for Context: https://www.tumblr.com/vega-482/711812424798535680/kevan-brightings-opinion-on-voice-ai?source=share

You must be wondering about the connection between AI and the sexualization of the voice actor. See, the reason the user contacted Brighting, to begin with, was because another person on a Stanley Parable Discord server posted an NSFW audio of the Narrator. Using the AI of Brighting’s voice to do so. Pain. Agony, if you will.

There are a lot of ethical issues behind this action. Aside from the reason Brighting stated directly, this could also affect him financially; as he is a voice actor and general voiceover artist. AI audios of his voice would certainly impede his career. As an artist, this is a genuine thing he would probably worry about; and rightfully so. In the case of NSFW audio, this may also overstep a potential boundary he may have. Especially when it is NSFW without his permission. Even if he had no issue over NSFW audios particularly, he would have an issue about being in audio where he didn’t even get the chance to accept/deny. Even if you’re embarrassed, just ask him about his boundaries. Like, he should at least have a choice to say ‘no, fuck off’ and take requests on his own terms. Hopefully for obvious reasons. …but people kinda suck.

Unfortunately, it’s not just that one Discord user. Bro, I’m at my limit. I’m gonna have to talk about TikTok. God damnit. I said TikTok was its own beast about the Narrator for a reason. TikTok as well as Instagram, are mostly known in fandom spaces for containing edits of whatever character in whatever media. There’s a lot of work and effort that is put into making edits, and many are rewarded by people barking in the comment sections. As someone who has seen edits from different fandoms for about three to four years, I respect many editors and I understand why some would edit certain characters. Of course there are going to be edits of the Narrator; especially if you include Sad-ist’s Clock 0ut animations that are inspired by the Stanley Parable. It’s a hot old guy with a hot voice; I’m not exactly shocked by that in itself. By extension, of course some of those edits are suggestive or lean into NSFW territory. It’s understandable and it can be fine to make those edits if it doesn’t impede on real people’s boundaries or if the involved people openly say ‘It’s good, bro’. Now here’s where the problems start. 

At least a few TikTok edits have used AI of Brighting’s voice for parts that have NSFW. Whether it’s having the AI say NSFW things, having it be implied or even having it whimper, the main gist is that his voice is used for NSFW; despite the voice actor not directly consenting to a part of it. I’m so done with you people. Many potential problems would occur because of the decision of doing such. I already brought up how Brighting’s career of voicework could be affected financially by the use of AI but there’s another potential issue. It could probably also affect him socially and his involvement in future projects. The fact that these edits featuring AI don’t get that popular, is kind of a miracle. If those edits ever went outside of the fandom and into a more professional setting, it would be unnecessarily difficult for him to explain that he wasn’t even a part of those edits. I say ‘unnecessarily’ because you don’t even need AI to hear him in that context. 

You could’ve used a scene from one of his audiobooks. They work for their intended purpose and you don’t even have to buy the books. I understand not doing some things because of money problems but… NSFW audios aren’t a necessity and the audiobooks are free! If it’s because of convenience, then how is AI any more convenient? It’s not hard to find the audiobooks at all! Some of the audio files are on Tumblr for fuck’s sake. There’s no logical sense of why the decision of using AI is okay because it’s not okay. It is very disrespectful to disregard his boundaries and if I really wanted to go there, this borders on harassment. It’s not difficult to respect open boundaries that are openly stated with absolutely no ambiguity. Look, at least for the audiobooks, Brighting did them willingly. You did not need AI; you really didn’t. 

Some people even go as far as to say his tweet about him being the sexiest man in Britain was indicative that he’s fine with the sexualization of the Narrator and by extension, NSFW edits featuring AI. Well, that’s a fucking reach if I ever saw one. Even though the sexualization of the Narrator wasn’t even the issue stated, Brighting responded in an email stating how much he hated AI. The AI is the issue; not the Narrator simping. Kevan Brighting can think the sexualization of the Narrator is funny because the Narrator isn’t real. But Brighting is real. He’s a living, breathing, voice-acting guy with boundaries. You couldn’t be bothered to have the NSFW audios be from the audiobooks he agreed to be a part of and consented to do? If you could put enough effort into making a TikTok edit, you could put enough effort into not being a smooth brain. You don’t need a fictional character’s consent, but you do need consent from real-life people who are affected if you don’t respect their consent. If you can’t understand the difference between a fictional character and a real person to where it affects real people in reality, you shouldn’t be trusted to post anything of that nature.

It’s one thing to not know and later to apologize for your mistake. But, it’s another thing to hear his response that he doesn’t like AI of his voice period…like at all and it’s just…one ear and out the other. The people who make these edits with AI did not understand why he said this and should have apologized or deleted them after being disclosed of his boundaries. It won’t kill you to have basic courtesy. I assume most people don’t know of his thoughts on AI before making the edits because if they knew already, it would make the situation so much worse. Still, it’s worth an apology. (See Also: Hanlon's razor)

(Parasocial Relationship Part)

AI is not the only issue since TikTok also blurs the line when talking about the Narrator and Kevan Brighting in some unrelated cases. Some people forget that Brighting is a real guy and they think of him as like a fictional character.  

I saw a TikTok post that wondered why Brighting was wearing women’s frames for his glasses in one image and half the comments were like ‘bully him’. First of all, I don’t care about what kind of glasses he’s wearing so the post already feels a bit weird to me but outside of that. If these are jokes and I hope these are jokes, they are jokes that you would make for a fictional character. Similar to “I wanna stick this fictional character in a blender”; but that’s obviously a joke because the character can’t actually get hurt. There’s no tangible effect if you shoved a fictional character in a blender. Except these are jokes about a real person; not a fictional character. There would be a tangible effect if someone were to actually bully Brighting for wearing women’s frames. Which is also stupid because even if he did wear mainly women’s frames, why does it matter? Is that really something that would make you feel less about a person? Hopefully not, because it really doesn't matter and I can't think of a way where it would. Also men can wear women’s frames as long as the frame size is right for his proportions, and most frames are labeled as ‘unisex’ so it matters even less. Imagining genuinely having the want to bully an older guy because he doesn't present himself in a completely masculine way, despite him wearing different frames in every other photo and not even wearing glasses in some. This is why I’m dead set on these being jokes because if they aren’t, as a gender-non-conforming person, I would be so mad. This is a weird thing to fixate on because glasses frames are unisex; so not even people who are weird about gender roles give a shit. Even my 70+ year old grandpa didn’t care when I was trying out new glasses. It really doesn’t fucking matter. Though on the plus side, the other half of the comments were like ‘Leave him alone. He just wants to and he can do what he wants”. Though there were a few people that called him ‘girly pop’ in Brighting’s defense, I'll get to that. It does show how easy it is for people on TikTok to think of reality similar to fiction; which makes some users say stupid shit about the real person. 

Some people are also way too comfortable when talking about Brighting, thinking of him as a best friend or an ‘icon’. That one person who called Brighting “girly pop” is a good example of how comfortable people can get when talking about him, despite not even sharing the same air as him. Like I see people respond to his tweets with “bestie” and “I love you”. It could be just me but it takes years for me to be best friends with someone and to tell them “I love you” is even longer. So the words and phrases I associate with long-lasting friendships are being used for someone who hasn’t even talked to you. If that isn’t parasocial, I don’t know what is. In one case I particularly remember, I saw a TikTok of someone thinking about Brighting as like an adoptive father figure. Basically wanting Brighting to adopt them. Which…I'm not gonna completely disregard the entire idea. I understand the want for a respectable father figure in your life; hell, the relationship with my dad is nonexistent. I can see how people think of him in a parental way and in most other positive ways. However, I worry for the people who attach themselves to Brighting in this one-sided way if they aren't careful. Especially if they perceive him as such a personal figure, like a best friend or family member. Because when you perceive someone in this regard, you're going to feel the same emotions that you would with actual friends or family members. This goes for positive  emotions, and unfortunately, this also goes for negative emotions. And don’t even get me started on perceiving him romantically or… suggestively because those emotions are even stronger. I’ve even seen people on TikTok openly say they’re “simps” for Kevan Brighting; the real guy that can easily see your comment and understand what you’re talking about by looking it up. 

The emotions towards the person are increased to such a strong and personal level, simply put. So when he disappoints you or does what you perceive as disappointing, it’s going to be more difficult to brush it off than if you thought of him as just a guy. As someone who had parasocial relationships like that at a young age, it’s very difficult to get over it and it’s even more difficult to recognize that you’re doing it. So the one thing I just need to say that you have to know is the famous person of your attachment  doesn't know you exist. Kevan Brighting is not your friend. That’s not his fault and that’s not your fault. He’s just not reasonably going to know every person that knows him, and he’s probably not gonna be on-board with every person’s perception of him. If I was in his position, I would not feel comfortable being regarded as a parental figure or a best friend by people that I don’t even know. But I’m saying this to myself as much as I’m saying this to other people because I make this mistake as well. I get too comfortable talking about people I know nothing about. I’m not innocent in this regard. I get too fixated over real life people sometimes. Despite me knowing about Brighting’s career in voicework and broadcasting, I really don’t know him personally. I don’t know his age, his height, his favorite fucking color and I certainly don’t know how he is as a person. I can make guesses but they are just guesses. Just because I have the opportunity to acknowledge him doesn’t mean he has the opportunity to acknowledge me, and that’s fine.

It’s fine to talk about how talented his voice acting is, or even how attractive/hot his voice is. Because he’s indeed talented and his voice does sound very attractive. But there’s gotta be a limit. I also understand thinking positively about him because he seems like a genuinely friendly and down-to-earth person. But notice how I said ‘seem’? That’s because, to reiterate, I don’t know him personally. He could be eating souls and I would be none the wiser (THAT IS A JOKE). Kevan Brighting is a real-life person with thoughts and feelings and his bounds should be respected. Don’t be like the people I just talked about. He’s talented as hell in voice acting, and that is enough for the community to talk about. It definitely was for me; like look at my “Narrator’s Voice” section again. Straight up 10 pages. Hell, I’m planning on writing something else about his other performances because his voice is just…too good. Yeah, that’s right! I’M NOT DONE!

(We Are Experiencing Some Technical Difficulties)

TL;DR: Don't be weird over real people

[lunanoc]

Is there a dmbj fandom space of sort that's... Not focused on Liu Chang characters? Or to put a positive angle on it, I'd love to talk about dmbj canon and its characters and their on page/screen interactions or how the books and sites compare but I'm not really sure where to do that? Do you have a discord or tumblr tag or blog suggestions? (Or if that doesn't exist, this is a marker of interest if you make one. I think there's actually if nothing else a lot of people in this fandom who are interested in pingxie who don't know where to go to talk to each other because it seems like most of the fandom spaces apart from the yucun discord are pretty dead)

hi anon! i’m both glad and sad you asked because i get that feeling and i’m sorry to say there’s… not really much of a good answer i can give you 🫠 though i can offer the start of one at least

a lot of the problem is the people you’re talking about, for reasons i don’t fully understand myself, have come to take up most of the visibility in the public fandom spaces to almost the exclusion of anyone and everything else. this is definitely a hot and likely unpopular take, but it’s gotten to the point where ironically (as far as the english speaking fandom goes at least, the chinese fandom is very different) in some respects, pingxie has become something of a “rarer” pair these days by comparison to ships involving more minor characters, particularly ones involving the characters you mentioned, and i find wu xie and xiaoge themselves are less talked about outside of the context of those ships than the characters you mentioned as a whole. and this isn’t a post meant to dunk on those particular interests, just my opinion on what the dmbj fandom is like at this point in time. the issue is, like you said, it leaves the people who aren't interested in that lost and with no one to talk to despite i'm sure there being a lot of us that would love a place to actively engage with each other

as far as places to talk about pingxie and the dmbj canon in general outside of that, in my experience tumblr doesn’t have all that much to offer apart from a few isolated people unfortunately. just checking the main tags tells you as much, but there are a few people. but i also know tumblr isn’t necessarily the best space for genuine conversations as i get the feeling that’s more what you’re looking for (correct me if i’m wrong). there’s a bit more going on on twitter, but it’s also fairly marginal and it also depends on what it is you want to talk about (and also, it’s twitter).

for discord servers, i can suggest 3 options, two of which i’m sure you’ve probably heard of:

the “dmbj (盗墓笔记)” server (https://discord.gg/xjTSVdUP), which was the original server created before the yucun one was and is technically the largest one (the yucun discord server actually broke off from it in part to be a space more dedicated to liu sang and liu chang characters and eventually became the fandom’s most active hub). fair warning, it’s pretty dead in the sense most of the minimal talk that goes on there isn’t really about dmbj at all, and is more generally drama-oriented. it’s also not strictly dedicated to pingxie

the “dmbj book-centric fun times” server (https://discord.com/invite/z7ZNNEbv3P), which as its name suggests, is book-oriented rather than drama-oriented. it’s also pretty dead apart from one or two sporadic posts from time to time, which i see as partly the consequence of a good chunk of the dmbj fandom either not having read the books or not particularly caring about them by comparison to other things. that being said, if enough people went there, i’m sure it could be more active. this one is also not strictly dedicated to pingxie

the “盗墓笔记 - changbai mountain” server, which is going to be my biased suggestion as it’s a tiny server started somewhat recently by myself and a couple of other friends who felt the same and wanted to try and create a safe space to talk about pingxie (and other ships if relevant, though by this i mostly mean heihua for now) and the dmbj canon and its characters as a whole. it’s very small atm and as active as it can be given that, and while it’s open to anyone interested, because of previous experiences with some people in the fandom, i would need you to get off anon and dm me if you (or anyone else reading this) is interested (as long as you’re comfortable with that ofc) as i don’t necessarily feel comfortable posting a public invite. for the record, anyone interested is very welcome to dm, we really do need more alternative fandom spaces

i’m sorry i can’t help more anon, but i hope this is something of an ok answer even if it’s not the best one

[stranger-rants]

(1) I hate how the Duffers and no one im the ST fandom allows Nancy to be flawed and how she's now shapped as this person incapable of making mistakes. With that mentioned, all these anons around Billy Tumblr finding genuine joy when she's bullied by Carol and Tommy (which i admittedly like how they embrace their mean energy), even after she's concerned about finding Barb, saying that her hitting Steve was wrong and that she shouldn't have reacted like that, making "nancy wheeler slander" party posts, the whole sex shaming situation that a lot of fans still feed into these days, blame her for Barb's death, claiming that all those moments that she was ridiculized weren't a big deal, pretty much laughing and saying that she deserves all that treatment just because she is annoying and entitled its something that pretty much makes my stomach churn in ways that i can hardly describe...

(2) This is coming from someone that stopped caring about her after S3, bur also from someone who has been in same slut shaming bullying situations and that possessive jealosy treatment Steve (i'm not saying he's bad either) gave her on S1 just because he thought she was cheating on him with Jonathan

I’ve only gotten a couple negative anons about Nancy, and they’re usually about Nancy and Steve. Otherwise, I don’t get these posts on my dash nor do I see them in the tags because I don’t follow anyone doing these things and I generally stick to the Billy Hargrove tag only. I think a possible reason for the antagonism in “Billy fandom” have to do with how many vocal Nancy fans are Antis, but at the same time there’s prominent Steve fans who are Antis as well and Steve does tend to avoid criticism for a lot of things. It just reads to me like two characters being pit against each other for the nice guy love interest Steve which is a tale as old as time in fandom spaces.

I do think Nancy and Steve come with an entitled attitude to certain situations, but that’s because of class. I am also critical of the way that the Duffers use her as a “girl boss” while also positioning her and her family as conservative. There’s something about how they’re not just trying to capture the pop culture nostalgia of the 80s, but the political nostalgia of the 80s through their most popular characters that really bothers me… but again Nancy is ultimately a teenage girl with her own flaws just like any other character on the show. I wish fans of the character and fans who hate the character alike would spend less time making it our problem.

I’m not particularly interested in The Wheelers, so I don’t spend a lot of time willingly talking about them unless something comes up that I want to address. I’m ambivalent to Nancy, but I will get defensive if fans pull unfair criticisms of just plain hate against her on my blog but really this isn’t a Billy fandom problem exclusively. I know post season two and three, there was a lot of discourse among Steve fans about her and what she “owed” or didn’t owe Steve. That pissed me off and I’ve spoken up about that in the past on my main blog, but really she is not the character I care to spend the majority of my time talking about outside of that.

I understand the discomfort this brings, but it also makes me uncomfortable how a wedge has been purposefully driven between Nancy fans and Billy fans despite the characters hardly interacting. The amount of hate comments I’ve seen from Nancy fans in the Billy tag is astounding and I’ve blocked many of their accounts, which might be why I don’t see this particular fandom discourse all the time. I don’t go into the Nancy tag, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they get similar hate posts. I just don’t see any of my mutuals doing that, nor giving love and support to hateful anons. I think it’s worthwhile to look at the wider fandom for criticism on this one.

[vknq]

hello everybody.

i realise i accidentally went on a bit of an impromptu hiatus. oops.

a lot of things happened in my personal life that have greatly affected me emotionally and it catapulted me into a depressive state that i have since come out of again. expectedly so, it stripped me of motivation and inspiration, and forced me to just take a break and tend to my wounds.

while i was off taking care of my mental health and prioritising emotional healing, i’ve also had time to think about my blog and more specifically my experience in the fic community.

NOTE: i’m not here to take a jab at readers or mindlessly complain about notes. that’s not at all what this is. i think enough people have talked about overall reader engagement and the lack of it. i see no reason to repeat their words, nor is it where the issue lies for me personally.

during the 6 or so months i’ve been here, i’ve experienced very empty support from fellow writers (no i ain’t gonna single anyone out bc it’s been a general issue of mine). i’ve had my upcoming works hyped up, my released fics supposedly saved to people’s tbr lists, i’ve had people ping me saying they’re totally gonna read my fics, whether that be on tumblr or discord, however less than half of said fellow writers went through with reading less than half of what they claimed to have very great interest in. and it’s not like they haven’t had the time. it’s been sitting there for months.

but okay, hear me out: i wanna make it very clear that i have absolutely no problem with people not reading my fics. i’d never force anyone to, i’d never expect my fics to be for everyone. if it’s not for you, then it’s not for you, and honestly it’s all good bro. but the thing that makes me feel great disappointment is when i’m being told to expect engagement... and then to not get any. expecting to hear from all the people that expressed to me they were gonna read my fics, only to hear nothing for months on end.. i don’t think it’s shocking that it left me feeling very disappointed. and the support and interest just feels empty, fleeting, and not genuine.

it has puzzled me ‘cause it comes from fellow writers who are very aware of the importance of engagement, even if it’s just a little. i am of course okay with someone not reading my fics and showing no interest in them. like i said; if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. it’s all good bro i’d never force it down anyone’s throat.

but don’t tell me you’re gonna read ‘em, if you’re not gonna read ‘em. it builds up expectation that is then never met. it’s a set-up with no pay-off.. and it has been particularly bad with my fic series, astral combat.

speaking of astral combat, it’s officially dropped. i have no desire to continue it. both for the reasons mentioned above, but also simply because of my own mistake of putting months of work into a fic that little to none will care about. that one is my own fault, like i shouldn’t have put my all into it, i was definitely doing too much. i know. the amount of effort and work i had to do on it... gosh, it’s just not worth it when the engagement is barely there. the imbalance is too harsh for me to continue it.

anyway, all these things have drained me of motivation, inspiration, and honestly it’s drained me of a wish to continue writing. ‘cause of empty support, fleeting interest, and a massively lacklustre sense of community.. even from fellow writers.

you are more than welcome to disagree and disregard this post, shrug it off, and keep scrolling. you have every right to do so. it’s 100 percent valid if your experience on this platform has been different from mine. this is simply me voicing how my experience has been. i think it’s very telling that i got tired after only 6 months lol

if you do disagree and feel the need to voice your opinion, i won’t stop you, you are free to do that, however i will ask of you to please not be rude, dismissive, or disrespectful about it. this post was not made to spark debate, but rather to just convey my reasoning as to why i’m gonna take a step back from writing fics... for now.

vsualitae is officially on a semi-hiatus.

i might write, i might not. i don’t know yet. i just know that right now i can’t be assed. excuse my french. i’d rather focus my energy on other goals i have in my life. i am a bit sad, ‘cause i have so many ideas for fics, however time will tell if i decide to write them or not. i guess you’ll know if i randomly pop in and jumpscare you with a release lmao

i do wanna say thank you to all of you that have read my published fics, especially those of you who have reblogged with reviews, i am beyond thankful for your kind support <3 know that i’ve taken it to heart and i really, really appreciate it!

[ophernelia]

I’m not trying to be rude or anything, and I know a lot of you all are new to tumblr, but why does everyone want to all of a sudden give credit to people? I mean the people that everyone look up to don’t do it. It’s great that you all are doing it, don’t get me wrong, I just think it can be a lot when people think you’ve been influenced by someone and you haven’t. So what happens when people start to accuse you of copying someone that you’ve never copied? Do you get evidence and then begin to defend yourself among people who really don’t care but just want to be messy? I’m just trying to take a deep dive at things, don’t take this personal.

This is going to be long.

I'm not new. I've had a tumblr account since 2012. Had a TS3 simblr. Credit isn't a new concept in the slightest in the sims community. It is merely a form of acknowledgment. Which has long been a thing in this community. Take a peek at storytelling simblrs, particularly black ones, and many of them with tell you about Mochasims. I have seen so many of them credit Mocha with being their inspiration for getting into storytelling using the sims on this platform. Though Mocha receives no benefit from this as they have passed (May she rest.), it is still a good thing to do. It is how we pay our respects to others, their work, and their impact. CC creators regularly give credit to each other whenever they use certain assets or whatever. Be it a mesh, hair base, or color palette. Giving credit is built into the Sims 4 gallery. The original creator is always acknowledged. You can see comments on some posts stating "Hey! You stole this from this creator!" dating back to the launch of the gallery in the game.

This isn't a new practice at all. It's simply good online etiquette. Particularly in the creator space. We've seen what impact things like this have had. Hence, the entire dance credit debacle on Tik Tok when the renegade was popular. In this current age of social media, you know the importance of reach. For those who are here simply for fun, this isn't important. Those of you with other socials, be it YouTube, Tik Tok, etc. and are looking to grow your audience: this is how you grow. It is also the etiquette you should maintain as a creator which would help mitigate some of those copying comments. Additionally, it is how you foster better relationships with other creators and the community as a whole. Apart of community is celebrating and recognizes the wins and the movements of others. Though we all have access to the same content, we don't all use it in the same way. Certain creators are known for how they use certain things. No one's saying you can't use it at all, but be mindful in the way that you do. You gotta know how to navigate the space you're in.

What do you do when someone accuses you of copying someone else? Firstly, if it's in a harassing manner, block them. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone and you shouldn't be subjected to that behavior even if you were copying someone to a T. You don't need to pull out receipts. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone. Whether they were asking nicely or not. Certainly not if you suspect they're trying to be messy. Why expend the energy on them anyway? You get to tailor your online experience. (I said it before but it's a dictatorship over here. If I don't like, block, delete, remove. You'll be talking to yourself.) Hoes talk, let them. Understand though, that this isn't something that's avoidable as a content creator. It may pop up here and there. Especially within a certain niche of the community. (I.e. neutral simmers. They get accused of copying each other all the time. Though there's only so many neutral colors in a palette. It happens.) Handle your shit. Gracefully though. I get it's annoying and grating, but flying off the handle won't help. Keep it kind, make a statement to your audience and keep it pushing.

And to directly address that one comment: I don't care what other people do. I'll govern myself and my platform accordingly. Regardless of what another large creator may do, it is my responsibility to myself and to the community that I am fostering to handle myself (and my platform) with integrity. Larger creators do grimy stuff all the time. That's not my issue. I don't need them to lead. You've gotta conduct yourself to your standards, baby. What kind of community do YOU wanna create?

That's just my two cents though. You have free reign to do whatever you feel is best and brings you the most peace, boo.

[ilovedthestars]

ok so I've had a Tumblr for like....five days now? wow that's longer than I thought.

some vague thoughts so far:

this is fun! Tumblr is shiny and I can save all the posts I want to look at later and see more stuff than I could before and also leave comments on things which is FUN

I am apparently incapable of reblogging things without tag commentary. especially cool art. I think at least half of my reblogs so far are just cool art with me rambling in the tags for a million years about how cool I think the art is. (you all should let me know if I'm doing that right lol. do I leave too many tags? is there a point at which I should make tag commentary into an actual reblog?should I be using replies, which I have NO idea what to do with lol? right now I've been sticking with tags because they seem like the safest option)

At some point I will work up the courage to make original posts but I haven’t figured out what I want to talk about yet. besides maybe rambling about fics I have written slash am writing, but I have no idea if anyone particularly cares about that. consider this an open invitation to send me asks (or reblogs or however people do this lol) about literally anything if you feel inclined, because I’m not being quiet out of shyness, mostly just because I don’t know what to talk about. But regardless I will figure it out eventually and probably be very wordy when I do :)

polls are fun! I like clicking buttons. we should all keep making polls. (the vanilla extract thing got old very fast though)

please let me know if I'm doing this whole Tumblr thing right so far lol. There is a lot about what is going on here that I don’t understand, but I am participating anyway!!

[fieri-sentio-et-excrucior]

@10holmes Thanks for the 'Get to know your fic writer!' ask! :) As my answer got lengthy (of course), I thought best to make a separate post. Answers are under the cut.

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

I like both, but I tend to lean more towards one-shots. When I get a bug for a story, I’m kinda desperate to get it down asap so multi-chaptered fics are harder as they take more time and planning and, especially, patience. That said, I really enjoyed writing The Prisoner of Jinlintai and The Tamed and was really surprised I managed to write – and finish! – such long, multi-chaptered stories. I hope I can do so again in the future 😊

Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

All over the place! From the original canon, from memes and gifs online, from meta and headcanons other fans share, from songs, from dreams… Sometimes ideas just spring unexpectedly but fully formed into my head. That moment of inspiration is always exciting – but then it’s got to be transferred to paper, which is harder :D

how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

I think emotional scenes are ones I struggle with a bit. I often feel my writing ends up a bit clunky and melodramatic! But I try to put myself in the characters’ shoes and imagine how they would feel in that situation, their reactions to other characters’ words and actions. I think though, however unintentionally, my own personality probably seeps into the characters to a certain extent, which I know is not ideal! Particularly when I write Xue Yang, I often think I hold him back too much when he would probably fly wild 😉

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Hmm, probably either Priceless or Life Imitates Art, as they’re both a bit taboo!

How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

Hmm, it varies from time to time. Sometimes I binge fics and don’t read anything for ages, sometimes I’m so caught up in the stories in my head that I don’t read anything at all. But probably on balance, I’m primarily a reader. There have certainly been long periods of time in the past when I’ve barely written anything at all but have devoured loads of fics. It just happens that more recently I’ve developed an obsession with The Untamed and have had the time, energy and inspiration to indulge in writing again (which has been a joy!).

Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

Only a very small group of irl friends know I write fic. I discovered fanfic in my teens, started writing it myself in 2012 and never told anyone about it until last year. Sometimes I see on tumblr people saying their mum or their sister etc read their fics and I’m always amazed – I think that’s wonderful! I can’t imagine telling anyone in my family about the things I write – let alone allowing them to read it! Esp the explicit stuff :O I’d die of embarrassment lol. And they’d probably die of shock!

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from The Prisoner of Jinlintai story/chapter?

Ooh, difficult question! I think there are lots of parts I really like from TPOJ, I’m pretty proud of that story (if I may say so!). I think chapters 25 & 29 are particular favourites, probably for similar reasons – ch25 is the first time XXC stays overnight in XY’s room, they’ve got frisky before but this time there’s more emotion behind it, and it’s preceded by XY actually being concerned about XXC and taking care of him. And in ch29 we get a glimpse of XXC being concerned about XY when he’s late back from his work, and then the scene when XY arrives back and finds XXC asleep in his bed, all calm and peaceful and beautiful. And XY is kind of struck dumb, surprised to find him there, unsure of his own reaction, but in the end just crawls into bed and falls asleep with him in his arms. I envisaged that scene so clearly in my mind, saw XY walk slowly and cautiously through the darkness, all alert, and then suddenly stop at the sight of his bed, his eyes widening, his body frozen, his fingers twitching, wanting to touch… And then I really like the last paragraph of that scene:

The room was so quiet and still. Xiao Xingchen was warm in his arms. Xue Yang held him carefully, as though Xiao Xingchen was some fragile thing that would break if he wasn't careful enough. He felt strange; his heart was still doing some weird fluttering thing that made it slightly hard to breathe. Maybe he was just overtired. He brushed his lips against Xiao Xingchen's neck and closed his eyes.

Now I've waffled on way too much about myself lol :D But it was fun, thank you! <3

[surgefairy]

(my fiancé helped me revise this introduction post bc i over explain things lulz)

hi!! meet the artist!

•dahlia (aka dolly)

•early twenties

•freelance artist

•queer/trans

•legally disabled (neuropsyche dxed with autism spectrum disorder / severe ptsd)

•DNI - i don’t have a dni, i just want everyone to have fun and be NICE to each other! fandom arguments and drama are extremely tiring and i do not wish for hostility on my blog. if i see something i don’t feel comfortable with, i’ll simply ignore or block, and i’d encourage everyone else to do the same! you’re responsible for catering to your own internet experience and bringing others down because they post something you don’t particularly like isn’t what i’m all about! the older i get, the less i care about what people are arguing about in fictional fandom spaces in the internet. (i will say though, this blog may or may not contain at some point some suggestive content /i am an avid scudworth freak so who knows where my mind will take me/ so i strongly encourage minors to *NOT* interact with those for that reason, thank you! pls respect this for both of our sakes!)

•this is a side blog for clone high art ( so i cannot follow back unfortunately :< )

if u wanna know more press that button! ☟︎

other than that, i just came here to have a good time and make art of silly little clones and their silly little teachers/faculty :3

thanks for reading and i hope you all have as good as a time on clone high tumblr as i have been having! my ask box will most likely stay open just in case anyone has any art requests, i may or may not choose to do them, it just depends on how my attention span is towards the subject! (autism be killer)

don’t be afraid to interact! this is a friendly space!

-dolly xx