#THANK YOU IN TERMS OF THE ART STYLE IT HAS BEEN FUN TO EXPERIMENT WITH

[soundscape-sandbox]

I want to study him under a microscope so badly

(OKOK JOKES ASIDE UR ART STYLE IS LITERALLY SO COOL??????? AND UR STORY??????????? I am going to practice ur style for a bit cause god it's just. It's so Pretty. And you are getting into the inspiration box right NEEOOOOWW‼️)

[miikarin]

These are the games I played this year and a rough ranking on them. I say rough ranking because even with my cobbled-together categories, it's hard to sometimes rank games against each other because they have different parts that I like and some of these are effectively tied or close rather than a clear higher ranking.

I tried to include in this list just the games that I have either finished or put in a significant amount of time for the more casual ones so that I felt that I had a fair idea in my head of what the game had on offer. Most of these I played and finished on stream though a few, most notably all of the Hidden Object category, were played purely offline. Some games I started on stream with the intent of showcasing them to then take offline and play.

Okay so starting at the top! No, I will not be taking any comments about my category choices, thank you 🙃

Metroidvania/Roguelike/Soulslike

Ranking on image (with links to game page): Grime, Afterimage, Vernal Edge, Pronty, Lone Fungus, Going Under, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Ghost Song, Faerie Afterlight

Read more under the cut

So as someone with very specific aesthetics, I would definitely choose Afterimage over Grime but yet here we are, with slightly creepy, very toothy game ranked highest in this category. Even in terms of having multiple areas to explore and backtracking, Afterimage would be my pick. However, Grime's parry system made me fall in love with the combat in the game and it was so satisfying that I actually speedran the game for a bit and then devoted time to making resources for the any% run. I still need to play the dlcs but even on base game alone this game gets my vote.

Afterimage was quite a lot of fun and the vibrant and bright art was such a treat and feast for my eyes. I also really liked the different weapons and how they changed the combat. I think the story could have been a little tighter but I just fully enjoyed the time I had in the game and getting to see the areas. I wish more games had this type of colour palette and I know the whole 'grim, and dark, and moody' bit sells but I'm slightly tired of it. The Afterimage world was post-apocalyptic (or in-game analogous) but it was presented in a different manner and there were still areas that weren't all lush, vibrant scenery.

Vernal Edge is a game that I remember feeling frustration in certain areas while playing it but also it lives in my mind and I still think about it so it's next on the list. The fighting is different than what I usually experience - it's a spectacle fighter style, and there is an interesting mechanic by which you cast 'spells' and also heal. I think the character was a bit slippery at times which led to some of the frustration in the platforming as mentioned earlier. The game has some good writing underpinning it though and travelling to different islands in the sky and exploring them was a neat way to put together the world.

Pronty is interesting that it is underwater and the art is beautiful; combat is a bit removed since you do not do the fighting but instead direct your javelin fish to do it.

Lone Fungus I wish I could like more but it was a lot more platforming and very precise platforming at that, which is not where my interests lie.

Going Under is doing the heavy lifting for including Roguelike into this category mashup and the reason for that is that it is a genre that I also do not tend to play for various reasons that I may go into in the future but not here. Still, if I had to pick a game from that genre, I'd say Going Under is a good one - there's some seriously great writing here from dev Aggro Crab and it's a quite hilarious commentary on startup culture in our current times.

Not really going to go through the rest of the games since I only want to type so much and there are a few other categories to go. However, those categories will be in a later reblog.

[kitausuret]

Just saying: it brings soo much joy seeing someone get excited by Wanda after the whole cinematic experience.

That was my first encounter with the character and it really did not give a good first impression. And it only got worse with how they treated her and her own actor's obliviousness on the character's background (I will never say 'her character', she simply does not deserve that kind of recognition from me - yes, I am spiteful).

I do not know much about her 616 storyline, nor midnight for that matter, but despite that complete lack of knowledge I enjoy seeing you post about her. I may have originally come here for the Venom stuff but really anything you decide to share is what I stay here for.

Anyways, hiding behind the anon mask, I wish you a good day!

Hi anon! Thank you for your kind words; Wanda really was one of the first characters I got into with Marvel, long long before I cared about anything arachnid-themed (unless it was Julia Carpenter, since she was one of Wanda's teammates, haha). I'm fortunate that I met her character via comics (thanks to my friend who dragged me to the LCS) so that got to be my first impression.

Wanda's an interesting character to try to get into, since she's so strongly tied to the Avengers. She didn't get a solo of any decent length until 2015... but I highly recommend checking out Scarlet Witch by James Robinson if you can. It's not perfect, but it's very good and it has a lot of nice art by different artists. It's a fun series!

A lot of people who like That™ version of the character seen in certain films and a mediocre television show will talk about "feats" and "power" and all that even in terms of the comics, but honestly I think all of that is a load of bull. Wanda's greatest moments have always been where she follows her heart, but also her head. She's a veteran Avenger, she's one of the most compassionate characters ever, she has had epic highs and some very low lows... but she always pulls through.

And when you get a good writer that really does her justice? Oh, that's just peak. That's the best.

(I also like when she just straight-up punches people - Avengers #186; Plot: Gruenwald, S. Grant, W: Michelinie, A: Byrne)

On the note of Midnight Suns, they kind of... tried? Like, it's hard to explain. It's not great, and I would prefer her hair to be several shades darker, but it could be worse, as far as adaptations go?

EDIT 8/4/2023: I previously criticized the game here for using Romanian for Wanda - this was a mistake on my part as it's been pointed out that she has spoken Romanian in the comics but it does not mean she is intended to be Romanian. I've also learned it's commonly spoken in the region Wanda is from. To my friend who pointed out my mistake, you have my thanks!

Anyways, I'm glad you've continued to stick around even as I've expanded beyond just Venom-posting. I confess, though, I've often thought about what it would be like to smash my two little interests here together... I think particularly in Midnight Suns-verse (mixed with a little 616, of course) Venom and Scarlet Witch could have an interesting conversation. (Let's be real, I'll probably write it.)

I also think about Poisoned!Scarlet Witch a lot. I think about the universe where she was Venom... what that must have been like... what their symbiosis was... many thoughts. I bet their joined form was awesome. Wanda has great style.

(Venomverse #3, #4, #5; Bunn, Coello - that last one is fine; the host and symbiote are both dead the second they get Poisoned 😔 Mania did them a favor.)

Anyways, thanks for stopping by! If you get a chance, check out @brw's Comic Scarlet Witch Week 2023! Life circumstances have kept me from participating thus far but every week is a great week to appreciate Wanda Maximoff as she was meant to be. 🥰

[cosmopoliturtle]

Hi there! Hope you're doing well! Could I ask a serious question?

Do you redesign Pokémon for fun or do you try to just "fix" original designs? Don't get me wrong I absolutely love your art, but I'm just wondering if you do so because you want to fix certain or all Pokémon designs. I'm sorry if this ask comes off as rude or anything and I'm really not trying to, I'm just curious on what you have to say. Thanks for reading and again, apologies if this comes off as too mean ^^💗💗💗

Heya! I don't mind, it doesn't sound rude at all!

I do Pokemon Redesigns entirely for fun. I have no aims at "fixing" any design. I wouldn't really see it as my place to do so and I'm generally a fan of where the Pokemon art-direction has been going in terms of character/creature design.

My aim with the Pokemon Redesigns is to take each Pokemon as a sort of drawing prompt. I view them each as a concept and I try to take the concept and reimagine it in my art style with my design sensibilities.

If anything I think mine would be considered inferior designs in terms of making a friendly, marketable series of creatures that stand the test of time that are simple and effective, but also I'm not aiming to do that so I don't really try to measure them as such. My main goal is to just have fun experimenting with character design. I don't really see my designs as something you could pick-and-choose some designs to swap in with the canon designs because I haven't really made an effort to make them appear as the canon art style since that was never the intention.

These are kinda old now but for reference here is how I would draw Articuno in my art style:

And here is my idea of Articuno redesigned:

Very different approach in how I draw them I would say!

I think if there's any confusion in what I'm doing I'm entirely to blame. I kinda regret titling the series "Redesigns" because it kinda makes it sound like a replacement. I think if I could travel back in time I would retitle to the project "Reimagining" since I feel like that sounds less judgemental but we're like, 6 years or so in and I'm too lazy to change it XD

Hopefully that clears that question up! Sorry for the long-winded answer but I do feel like I have a lot of thoughts about it.

TL;DR - I love Pokemon and this is all for funsies.

[hoperays-song]

What are Ryan's relationships with the rest of the Moon Theatre Troupe like? Anyone he's a bit closer to and would hang out with other than Johnny and Nooshy?

Thank you for the ask! I hope you enjoy!

-----------------

Buster: Ryan and Buster's relationship is very much a boss-employee relationship. They don't interact much outside of talking about work or work related things. Ryan does find his antic amusing however, with the only exceptions to said amusement being when Buster doesn't listen to what Ryan or another troupe member is trying to say.

Gunter: Out of the adults of the troupe, Gunter is clearly the one Ryan is the closest to. Gunter is a dancer and is very laid back in his teaching style and has a fun-loving personality which Ryan enjoys being around during practice. It's also nice for him to talk to another classically trained dancer at times about his experiences since Gunter can relate to them the best.

Meena: Meena reminds Ryan a lot of his sister Bella, mainly due to her shy nature and her tendency to hide behind the others. Because of this, he, like Johnny, treat her like a little sister and tend to be protective over her.

Ash: Ryan does enjoy spending time with Ash probably the most out of the other teens (besides Johnny and Nooshy). She's like a cool big sister to him and her blunt and straight-forward nature is a bit of a relief for him compared to how the adults in the troupe act at times.

Rosita: Upon meeting Rosita, Ryan's first thought was "Mom would love her." Rosita is the troupe mom and acts a lot like Ryan's own moms a fair amount of times. He has slipped up and called her mom before too. However, her role in the troupe was a bit of a relief to Ryan who had been the troupe parent within Klaus's company.

Mrs. Crawly: She's kinda more like his elderly neighbor instead of his grandmother in terms of their relationship, however, Ryan does enjoy spending time with her. She tells him lots of embarrassing stories about the rest of the troupe.

Eddie: Ryan wasn't sure whether or not to believe Johnny when he said that Mr. Moon had a fíance, but now that he's met him a few times, he likes him ok. He just really has never talked with him much.

Nana Noodleman: Growing up in the performance industry, Nana Noodleman was one of his idols growing up. He's very respectful to her because of this and admires her ambition and work in the performing arts. Her blunt nature is also appreciated, along with everything she's done to help the other troupe members.

Clay: He of course knew of Clay Calloway, and had danced to several of his songs before meeting him. The first thing he said to him was "My moms played a few of your songs at their wedding" as that was the only thing he could think of to talk to him about. Ryan does enjoy spending time with the elder performer and finds his pranks hysterical, but doesn't really truly talk to him often.

Porsha: Out of the whole troupe, Ryan's known Porsha the longest. Now, that doesn't mean she's the closest to him of the troupe (that would be Johnny) or even high on that list, but his relationship with Porsha is a lot more sympathetic. He saw her a lot on modeling or music video gigs when they were younger and knew somewhat of her complicated relationship with her father so he always was a bit more understanding of her behavior than others were.

-----------------

TL,DR: Ryan's the closest to Gunter and Ash out of the others but has known Porsha for the longest.

I hope you enjoyed! Have a great day! Thanks again for the ask!

- <3 Gooseless

[ckret2]

YO it's been so long but I just want to say i still really adore your writing style. Sometimes I'll remember your KOTM fics exist and re-read every fic in the master list again in like a day. Idk, there something intriguing about how you write language and culture differences, between humans, titans, and the different extraterrestrials.

(Honestly sometimes these fics remind me of alter-human experiences, which might explain my attachment for ur fics lol.)

Anyway, I was wondering what your plan was for the series? (And if u were just waiting for prompts, I got ideas. just wanted to make sure first lol)

Anyway thanks for tolerating my rambling 😅

Oh, thanks so much!! I'm glad you still enjoy them! :) I think that's some of my best work to date on writing inhuman/alien cultures.

Okay so, here's how writing works for me: I pour brain gasoline into my writing engine and then the words go brrr.

A huge, long-term writing project is like an SUV. I have to pour a whole lot of gasoline into the engine, but then it can go very far.

I get brain gasoline from things that mentally energize me. These things include going out to restaurants, cafes, and libraries to write; going to movie theaters and concerts; doing other art projects (like leatherworking or sewing) that require going out to craft stores or classes; getting furniture & decor to improve my home; going to festivals, conventions, or other fun events; and even just getting to walk around malls and downtown areas.

I ain't done shit since early 2020! Any writing energy I had toward the start of quarantine has gradually depleted. I know most of the planet has gone back to treating covid like it's no big deal because it's not as fatal anymore, but long covid is still a thing and my household has health conditions that would make gallivanting around in public actively self-destructive, so I still ain't doing shit.

So it's not a matter of not having ideas. I actually have a list of—let me check—twelve fics on my to-write list for the Rodorah plotline, and that's just to finish the current plot arc before launching the next phase of the plot.

But I'm just not getting the kind of brain gasoline I need to run the SUV-sized engine of a project like No Kings Only Monsters. I'm getting enough gasoline to power a moped. Right now my moped is a writing/art roleplay blog in another fandom where I'm working on an ongoing plot. For me a roleplay blog takes a lot less sustained mental energy than writing whole fics, much less a running series of fics.

So, the technical term for what I'm doing right now is "biding my time." I kind of just have to wait until I reach a more energizing period of my life, and look for opportunities to make that happen.

Within a couple months I'm going to be finishing up the most writing-intensive part of my current RP blog plot, and (fingers crossed) I'm going to be moving into a house. (I bought a house.) The new house is over twice as big as my apartment, and I actually OWN it, which means I can do a LOT to make it my own. I'm hopeful that the process of moving will energize me enough to start working on the place (painting walls, getting furniture, etc), and then the ongoing progress of fixing up my place will further energize me enough to return to fic writing.

That doesn't mean I'll immediately hop back on No Kings Only Monsters. I first want to do some more recent fic ideas that have been percolating in the back of my head. But No Kings Only Monsters is on my "by god, I'm gonna finish this" writing to-do list, so after I've gotten back in the swing of writing things I may revisit a writing strategy that served me well in 2018-2019: "write X amount of words on this project and as a reward you can spend the rest of the day writing whatever you want."

I'm hopeful for the future! But for now, I just can't focus on something that big.

(Hold on to your ideas though; flinging them at me now when I don't have any brain gasoline wouldn't do much good, but I'm not opposed to someday taking reader requests again.)

[twilightprince101]

BLASTS THE BUGSNAX FANDOM WITH MY SUPER MEGA ARTFIGHT ATTACK BEAM!!!!

BEHOLD: PANDORA'S TRIANGLE!!!

This piece is by far one of the biggest ones I've ever made, both in terms of raw size and composition. Me and my friends in a Bugsnax server took part in a gigantic RP thing together involving the Grumpinati being more involved with the expedition team, and this piece was made to memorialize that whole thing!!!

The Bugsnax fandom has, in the past year and a half, really helped improve my life. I'm trying to be more outgoing with how I approach people, I have much more fun with how I express myself and my creative drive has boosted significantly!! It's not an exaggeration to say that, if I didn't join this fandom, I likely wouldn't be who I am today. So this piece is dedicated to my friends in the fandom, and to Bugsnax at large for its overwhelming creativity!

Artfight as well this year was an experience. In terms of attacks I didn't do too many, but the fact that I managed to do more than one art piece this month is a god damn miracle. Really helped me get out of my creative rut, and I wanna continue making more even after this!!

So to everyone in the fandom and who has been making stuff alongside me, thanks for being you! You're all a blessing, and it's an honor to freak out over gay muppets with all of you <3

CHARACTER CREDITS UNDER THE CUT!!!

Crisp Busterfun (Brown grump), Maizel Mudwig (Lime green grump with brown jacket), Morfus Evenprestige (dark purple grump with labcoat and goggles) and Amberg Grandmark (orange grump with sword), alongside the fanmade bugsnax Beheamoth (ice cream cake with horns) belong to @bustersnax

Lazloo and Loola Morrowell (Hunched over grump looking at an ant farm and light blue grump with necklace) along with fanmade bugsnax Taffurm (Pink strings with squares) belongs to @basedsnax

Lazloo and Loola Morrowell (Hunched over grump looking at an ant farm and light blue grump with necklace) along with fanmade bugsnax Taffurm (Pink strings with squares) belongs to @basedsnax

Iethiko Costapese (black coated grump in the center) and Vylsia Stickdrop (light blue grump with black jacket) belongs to my friend Vyn, who does not have a tumblr account

Bamton Swansong (brown grump with jacket and large stolen lightning staff) and "Smitmore" (yellow grump with trenchcoat and sunglasses) belongs to @soulthefunnyman

Frankley Baffletap (fully snakified grump with a raspberry horn) and Aliara Witgoal (Purple grump with black coat) belongs to @emeiandstuff

Rupyne Loupdaze (Large black grump sitting cross legged), Maltah Mailstrife (green grump offering a protein bar) and Sharkley Crownshine (golden sweater grump holding a remote) belongs to @ennet

Lusile Sunnyfunny (faded pink grump that Gramble is reaching towards) belongs to @strabbyshortcake

Suey Choppingblock (red grump in a grumpinati cloak) and Jaymie Slumberlamb (light purple grump in a white T-shirt giving the bird) belongs to @vaperroreon

Seris Sadgrey (grey grump with glasses and tie, running a paw through their hair) belongs to @hyper-fixator

Mayya Copperbell (yellow grump in orange hawaiian shirt), Oliander Copperbell (Orange-yellow grump with eyepatch), Aximia Rosebuttons (Purple grump in sweater hugging Mayya), and Rodelia Rubyheart (red grump in cloak drinking wine) belongs to @mayyak

and finally…

Bonga Binglebangle (cyan grump with purple hair), Anion Scattacone (dusty purple grump with cloak), Cation Tearyeyes (dark purple grump with purple cloak in the corner), Ion Scattacone (dark purple grump with bowling alley carpet-style scarf) and Cerula Ethrel (blue ghost coming from Anion's head) belong to @icyrose-cat

whew!! Lots of OCs there, over 30 of 'em!! Highly recommend you go check these guys out, they rock and are awesome to hang with!!

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

hey frank! I was wondering if you have any tips on writing really good horror fiction and poetry. I'm a writer and these are my two main venues! Thanks :)

I don't know much about horror fiction, but I'll give you a handful of random pointers anyway:

Moral horror is more potent than gore. "Your parents have been murdered" is a pretty lame horror premise, but "you have killed your parents" is an amazingly potent one. (This principle is directly related to two of my previous recommendations: "write a story that shows how your character might get to that position," and "think about your character's concept of morality.")

Writing well is the most important part of making something scary. It's not always fun, and it's not particularly heroic, but it's one of the few skills that you can really control.

"You" and "yourself" are bad words for writing. When you're not feeling inspired, it's all too easy to just fall back on the words that are "foregrounded" because they are so familiar, and this can lead you to write in terms that are pre-packaged and familiar to every reader (but which you, as a writer, might not understand in the way that you understand, say, "purple hyacinth"). It's much more interesting if you describe what you see and feel, not in the words you are used to hearing, but in your own.

Stories are not "about" things; they are about actions. We can understand your story just fine if we fill in the vague notion of "whatever the hell that has to do with purple hyacinths" with a plausible action (or actions) by a plausible character acting in a plausible situation. We don't necessarily have to know, or care about, what purple hyacinths are.

I also don't know that much about poetry, but I'll still give a few pointers anyway:

Try to find a (metaphorical) "equivalent" of the visual imagery that you find most appealing in other, non-verbal art. There are multiple ways of doing this -- the Alice Notebooks is a good inspiration here

As for horror, moral horror is really really powerful in poetry as well

This is all assuming that you have already mastered basic craftsmanship. You know how to put words together, and you understand how to make your character's words, actions, and motivations seem real. Don't worry too much about the big picture if you have little or no experience with the actual writing part of writing; spend more time on this until you feel comfortable on that.

Finally, while there are different aspects of horror fiction, the story form is inextricably linked to the story content. That is, a story with the same subject matter will not necessarily be horrific in the same way, or horrific at all (if it's going for a different kind of effect, like "suspense," for instance). The content will govern the form, not vice versa. So, if you're writing a story about a character who experiences horror, it's probably a good idea to find a way to write it from their perspective instead of writing it from the perspective of some sort of third-party "observer." If it's from the character's perspective, you can feel their emotions and ask yourself why they feel these emotions -- rather than asking yourself why a third party would feel those emotions.

This doesn't always work -- if you're doing something more like a "horror monologue" or a "horror sequence of events" that's not about any one character in particular, that might be good -- but it's probably the best way to start. (What I call "suspense" is likely to do well in a third-party, "observer" style.)

[sixty-silver-wishes]

Hey, can you give any tips for those who are starting to draw? I really like your style, It seems to be an individual style that I haven't yet explored in myself

aw, thanks!!

for me, when developing a style, I think what helps the most is to find your inspiration. Observe art that really speaks to you, and experiment with the elements that you like. You can browse my "inspo" tag to see art that I've found here and saved to help develop my style. In terms of specific artists, I really like Junji Ito's use of detailing around the eyes, Edward Gorey's use of line, the shape language of Jhonen Vasquez' characters, the textures in Brett Helquist's illustrations, and the grotesque faces in Otto Dix's paintings. I like the sharp contrasts seen in woodblock prints, and in Expressionist art. Here are some examples of the art I like, and what I find in these styles that I have decided to adapt into my own work:

Here are some eyes by Junji Ito, compared to some eyes I've drawn. I love the fine, vertical lines he draws around the eyes, as well as inside the irises. So I adopt these elements into my own art, and focus on fine detailing inside and around the eye to add emphasis.

Here is some art by the New Objectivist painter Otto Dix, next to my own art. Here, I really like the elongated noses, geometric patterns, exaggerated facial expressions, and shapes. Note the sharp cheekbones, use of triangles, and directional lines, as well as similarities in the nose and hand shapes.

One thing I really like doing as well is drawing from a reference, then stylizing the same subject. I've been doing recent exercises where I find a reference image, then freehand a sketch with a pen. This is a step out of my comfort zone, as I'm used to drawing guidelines with a pencil before inking. However, these exercises allow me to pay closer attention to detail, which I can stylize further once I'm familiar with the piece.

Here is a ten-minute sketch I drew freehand last night, compared to the reference image I drew it from. It's not perfectly exact, but this exercise helps with observing details and prioritizing the overall "vibe" of an image- expressions, figure shapes, poses, perspective, etc. If I were to stylize this same image, I could push the boundaries even further, by exaggerating what's already there- for instance, more detail around the eyes, making the hair sharper and more defined, and possibly elongating the mouth. I really like drawing from Expressionist silent films, not just because I'm obsessed with them, but also because there are just so many good faces to study.

Overall, I'd just say to find what you love to draw, and have fun with your art. That sounds like lame advice, but I've found my best work comes from when I draw subjects that I find interesting. Don't be afraid to experiment and branch out, whether by drawing different subjects, or using different techniques and mediums- for instance, I only just started freehand inking yesterday, which has really challenged how I draw faces. And obviously, look at art. Learn a bit about art history and find styles and artists you like, or just go online and observe what the artists there are doing. My style is a mix of contemporary, 19th, and 20th-century influences, but I also like looking at art from different time periods and cultures and observing techniques I'm not as familiar with. My best growth as an artist has come from observing art that resonates with me, and using it to help me express myself.

[mishacakes]

Tomiko is adorable and I love him! Do you happen to know his Myers-Briggs personality type and his enneagram? Has Tomiko and Leo ever got into an argument?

I'm sorry for having that many questions? Tomiko is really inspiring and I wanna make an oc as fun and entertaining as him! Also, how do you draw so well? I've been struggling to find a flexible art style for a year!

Thx<3

hey thanks!!

Eh I'm not really big on mbti, but in astrology terms tomiko is a virgo sun, aquarius moon, and scorpio rising!

argument, probably, but i dont feel like writing one at the moment

and hey I really appreciate it! He's my special lil guy lol. Uh, draw a lot, experiment, and don't be afraid of being bad at it or looking dumb. Follow your bliss!

[fuh-saw-t]

I’m here to express my interest in a deep dive! Since I’m not on TikTok, I’m always fascinated by what’s going on there. I also admit that I’m skeptical of the (for-profit) writing advice industry in general, but I don’t really have a great sense of the scope of it.

Hi! Thank you so much for the ask. Since I've been doing research on mainly pre-1800s styles so far, I don't have as much information as I'd like on this in terms of real citations. Though I do promise to update this post with more information through reblogs as time goes on (to fulfill the 'deep' part of the 'deep-dive')!

This will mainly be about my observations on this new attitude to writing I am seeing on tiktok, and through other people I've interacted with. It will be focusing on ideas, 'rules', and premises that I'm seeing occur, with my qualifications to write this being that I've been a proof reader, mainly for younger or newbie writers, for a few years now, study literature and linguistics, and generally find it a lot of fun to look at trends in writing and grammar over time.

Attitudes to Writing (as a whole)

Among the younger generations, I'm seeing the concept of a 'writer' being associated, in some subcultures, as being kind of cringe. And I think that's sad, honestly. I see a lot less readers about, too. Perhaps that's why.

I think that cringe culture has definitely done its damage in dissuading young writers and new writers alike. The demonisation of fanfiction and the mockery of anyone who's just trying things out is something I see everywhere. Personally, I see things such as fanfiction and the popularity of fanfiction among young people as great in terms of fostering new writers and encouraging the growth of new talent. Shaming people for experimentation, when it comes to art, will never be helpful. And yes, writing is an art!

Mocking artistic experimentation, however, seems to be something tiktok is very good at. Whether it be a 13 year old writing their first fanfiction or piece of poetry, or a seasoned professional with three degrees and a bestseller, the writing produced will not be perfect. Because writing is an art, and perfect doesn't exist.

This, actually, leads me into my next point.

Attitudes to Writing (in terms of learning)

This section will mainly be me talking from my experience of those who I have proof read for. Though I won't be naming any names (obviously).

As per my last point, I'm seeing a growing sense of a writing perfection, specifically in the younger writing community. In tandem to that, a sort of narcissism in terms of viewing whatever you've written as perfect, and not being open to the fact that it's genuinely impossible.

I've seen people get angry and defensive over corrections or recommendations for improvements, even if they've asked for them, and people request that I don't point out certain mistakes. Then whats the point? I hear you ask. The answer is likely either a certain shame in not being perfect, or a genuine view that whatever they've written must be flawless.

I understand being nervous. I understand confidence, and encourage it. But if someone refuses to acknowledge that writing is subjective, and that if you ask for criticism you will inevitably receive it, that someone is inevitably incompatible with writing. They will not improve, and that will stagnate them drastically. Those who have asked me honestly for criticism and have been glad to receive it were the ones whom I gave the least recommendations and corrections.

I note this here because it's something I'm seeing a lot among the younger people I'm proofreading for (below twenty). I feel like this goes hand in hand with the mockery of experimentation and imperfection I'm seeing on all sides of the art world online. Either that, or my before-mentioned observation that the average person doesn't seem to read that much; maybe people just think they're the best because they haven't read much else? Who knows. This is all speculation.

I'll also note the education system (in my experience) and it's approach to fiction writing. In my case, I found that it encouraged people to cater to mark schemes rather than quality; I can often see if someone is in high school doing creative writing, since there's often empty adverbs everywhere and a useless metaphor every second sentence. Not that there's anything wrong with adverbs or metaphors though— I'll get to that later.

Moreover, I sometimes see the idea that creativity can be taught. Personally, I disagree with that. Creativity, in my view, can't be taught—execution is what is taught. And that brings me onto my final point

Attitudes to Writing (execution)

Writing, again, is an art. There is very few ways you can write 'wrong'. To me, if it conveys what you want it to convey and is engaging, you've done well.

What I'm seeing, specifically through some tiktoks and some advice being thrown around online, is the rise of this nouveau-prescriptivism. As is with a decent amount of terms in this blog, don't Google that because I pulled it out of my ass.

Prescriptivism is real, however, and has been for hundreds of years. It refers to the idea that rules of how language should be written and spoken should be prescribed and adhered to; this idea has often been the basis for disagreements concerning AAVE, slang, and neopronouns (but that's for other asks or posts, if you want).

What I'd call this 'nouveau-prescriptivism' is the rise in unnecessary corrections and nonsense recommendations: make all your sentences short, never use adverbs, only use 'said', or never use 'said', and keep things simple at all costs. Oh, and don't forget the 'never start a sentence with a conjunction'—I've broken that rule quite a few times in this post alone. And I do it out of spite.

Beyond seeing these ideas and recommendations in advice etc online, I've also seen it through the recommendations of grammar bots and editor programs. For example, one I found being recommended on tiktok today: Hemingway.

Hemingway is an editor programme that seems to check for all the things I've seen bashed to all hell in some writing circles online. Adverbs, passive voice, complex sentences, you name it. It looks for those, marks your sentences if they are 'hard to read' or 'very hard to read', and rates your work according to readability so you can improve it.

But these sentences they flag up as hard to read are only hard to read to people who likely wouldn't get far in a book anyway. These sentences aren't incorrect, and they mostly don't need improvement. Moreover, the quality of your writing is NOT determined by how easy it is to read. If it was, those baby books with the pictures in would be top literature. All the time on some areas of the online writing world (particularly among the 'aspiring' writers), I see this view that complexity and high levels of detail are bad. I highly disagree. Sure, overdescribing can be an issue, but it has it's place. Adverbs and the passive voice also have their places in writing, and no AI or programme can determine where.

Here is an extract of my own writing put into Hemingway. I don't claim myself to be a great writer, but I like to see myself as average.

Sentences in yellow are labelled hard to read. In red, very hard to read. And the words in blue are those pesky adverbs. You can share your own opinions on readability.

-

Now, here are some extracts from extremely influential novels put into Hemingway:

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter

We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin

If these novels were so terrible, they wouldn't have had such a literary impact on the world. Complexity is not bad. As with everything in writing, its use is dependent on how it is utilised. Know the rules well and you'll know how to break them—I would say, if this was a rule to begin with.

I think the promotion of programmes such as these show what I'm seeing as a rise in this view that writing has to be simple and uber-understandable in order to be good. Sure, good writing is understandable, otherwise nobody would understand it enough to see it as good. But cutting out descriptions and complexity will just hinder the creative output of the writer. The less rules, the better. That's what I think.

-

Though, all of this is just my opinion. And I'd love to hear any friendly additions or views on the matter. I will also note that this post is NOT a commentary on the writing community as a whole. It's on specific subcultures I'm seeing brewing among the younger writers, particularly on tiktok.

Thank you again for the ask :D

[inceptionart]

Today’s highlight is on the super talented Ash @mister-eames! Read on for her thoughts on art, and you can find all of her incredible artwork here!

🎨 When did you start creating art for the Inception fandom, and what is your inspiration?

August 2021 for International Arthur Appreciation Day! I'd been lurking in the fandom since late 2020 and was just so blown away by the breadth and magnitude of talent!! I say this with love: because, in the best way, I felt like I had nothing to offer. I still feel that way and, oddly, I think that is what inspires me—that there are so many brilliant minds and ideas in this fandom; we took this one movie and we created an entire ecosystem out of it, we cross-pollinated other fandoms. It's... kind of calming, I feel like I don't have to burn myself out here. I can sit, observe, feel and create at my leisure. I don't have to worry about sequels or new seasons, my imagination can go as crazy or as calm as it wants to.

🎨 Tell us about your creative process, and which part do you enjoy the most about it?

I get very stuck on a single feeling or visual. Then it pesters me for days or hours or weeks until I do something about it, haha. I'll throw on a playlist and use the music as a footpath to reach that feeling/visual, if that makes sense. What I enjoy most is finishing it lol, getting it out of my head and releasing it into the universe so it's not mine to carry anymore.

🎨 Link us to your first and latest artwork, and how your style has evolved since then?

My first artwork for fandom, in general, was when I was a young teen for the Suikoden fandom—and is lost forever haha—but my first "artwork" for inception was a moodboard for Arthur Appreciation Day and my last was a gifset here.

Mmm, in terms of evolving... I've played around with moodboards since 2019 in other fandoms and I've just recently taught myself to make gifs in the last 8-12 months, and I have recently returned to traditional art so I'd say my style is a work in progress!! But I'm having fun dabbling in different mediums and hope to get better at them all!

🎨 What is your absolute favorite piece of art that you've made, and why?

The collab I did with @finelydressedspacemen for Inception Big Bang 2022 - it was my first real venture into digital art outside of gifs and moodboards and it was a fun experience to try and dip my fingers into a different medium!

🎨 What is something about Inception that you really want to make art for someday, and why?

I'd love to make art or gifsets for others existing fics but I'm always too shy to ask!! Outside of that, I have a large blank canvas in my home that I have been meaning to start a traditional art piece that is inception inspired. Very poker-esque. But yeah, I'd really love to make gifsets for fics.

🎨 Give a shoutout to your favorite Inception artists here!

@hcnnibal @stormofsharpthings @hirunoka @halfofawhole @birdlawco @youcantsaymylastname @darlingandmreames @mizunoir @sin-repent and I'm sure there are so many I'm forgetting, the wealth of talent that has contributed to this fandom is incredible. It's made me want to be both a better artist and writer.

🎨 Anything else you'd like to talk about art and the Inception fandom in general ❤

As someone who joined this fandom late I just have all the love and respect for this everyone who has come before me, who is still here, and those yet to come. I think this is a really special place to be and everyone is so very welcoming and kind and creative. To another 12 years!! Thank you all x

[pigeonsoupforbrains]

Heyoo quick question! I know you through your TF2 Doves and Arrows series, and I was just curious… more than likely you simply write for fun which at the moment I am too, but do you happen to get swept up in the thoughts of such like… your fic isn’t as good as someone you follow, etc? Sorry I apologize it’s a loaded question and I was just curious if it bothers anyone else. I know it’s never about popularity etc but just ti have fun and pitch your own ideas! Plus I love your art and writing style, and I do secretly hope you’ll find my silly TF2 art/fic blog someday X,D for now I’m just hiding in the dark netherworld of tumblr lmfao

Very good question, and thank you so much I’m glad you like my work!

Honestly, I try not to compare my writing to others in terms of whether I’m good enough or not. Of course I have favorite authors that I don’t think I’ll ever measure up to, I think most of not all writers do. I know that there are people who write better than I do, and I’m okay with that. I try to see it as an opportunity to learn from them. But you definitely aren’t alone if you’re feeling like you aren’t good enough. I had been working on DaA for years before I even dreamed of posting it because I simply didn’t think anyone would be interested. I plan on publishing my own graphic novels someday, so what I usually get caught up in is wondering if anyone else will enjoy it. By now I have a decent confidence that I can write, but I never know if other people will like what I write. Sometimes I’ll read someone’s work and think “oh, I’ll never be able to write something that effects other people the way that this effects me.” My experience with writing Doves and Arrows has shown me that simply isn’t true.

My advice (and the advice I just got from the comic writer who works at my local gaming/nerd store) is that there is no such thing as a nonexistent audience for something. If you write for yourself and you like what you make, someone out there is gonna like it too. It’s like the cake analogy on tumbler; You might think someone else’s cake is better than yours, but the audience is just gonna be happy that there are two cakes.

[mieau]

Doing a round of asks answering

Ooh... oops. Thank you for telling me, I didn’t notice! It should work now.

Thanks!! Yes, using my art as an icon is perfectly okay! If you can credit somewhere, it’s appreciated but not obligatory. The only thing I’m asking is that no one try to make it seems like it’s their art but that’s kinda a different problem on its own.

Uhmmmm... I love looking at art that has a cute and soft style, use of colors is my fav thing to be inspired from! I also love cute stationary : stickers, washi tape, postcards, pencils... And collecting pokémon merch.  I think the part I enjoy the most in art is not only imagining a drawing as a flat 2D art but also to conceptualise it as a real life item from the start. How should I draw it if I want it to look the best as a pin or as a keychain, etc? Which material should I choose to suit it the best? It’s fun.

AAAaa... (First, thanks!) Yeah sorry, I’ve been away for some months, about half a year, but that wasn’t only on tumblr, I wasn’t really active on any of my social media accounts. It’s mostly because I wasn’t happy with my life at the moment and took the time to change a lot of things. I had to let go of long-term efforts in trying to build something for myself (both about my couple and my living place) but also started a lot of new things in 2021 and 2022 (got into a new relationship and moved in with them).  Truth is I still find Tumblr to be the most... clean and gallery-like social website around? I mostly use it for that. It’s a lot easier to just scroll on my page and see a lot of my art at once than anywhere else. I like Twitter though, it’s very active and bubbly and I see a lot of art I love there, but it’s hardly practical.  Even though it can be considered as a “clean gallery” too, I’ve never really liked Instagram because I’ve lived though Facebook pages and it’s basically this damn experience again. The ever-changing algo and the “pay if you want people to see this post” is tiring and the push on video content is... well... not my thing.  I’m surprised that there’s still some activity and interactions on Tumblr though, it’s nowhere near as active as it was but the culture of writing comments in the tags when reblogging was always something I liked. It feels a lot less intimidating than a direct interaction with a post author so I feel people are just more casually commenting this way? It’s always nice to read through them.

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

Hello, darling Crowie! 👯‍♂️📚 & 🍺please, for whichever trio you prefer! Thank you! 💕

Susie, my dear! Lovely to have you here! Thank you for dropping something in my inbox! 💕 This was fun to answer!

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👯‍♂️ - Museum, Art Gallery, Theatre

Magnolia: Museum

Given that her father worked in a museum in New York City during her childhood and how often he took her there with him, the museum became like a second home to her. As a child, she saw each section of exhibits as a new adventure for her to imagine herself in; when she got older, she grew to appreciate the seemingly never ending wealth of knowledge museums could provide.

Félicité: Art Gallery

With her being an artist herself, this one was a no-brainer. Art is such an important part of her life - always has been. I can so easily see her quietly strolling through a gallery, just appreciating all the beauty around her and intrigued by all of the different art forms and styles from so many different individuals.

Constance: Theatre

Despite some of the teachings of her ex-Quaker father growing up, when Constance finally had a chance to experience seeing a play, she found she quite liked it and saw it as a nice way to relax and decompress in the evening, after a hard day’s work.

📚 - Romance, Thriller, Drama

Magnolia: Thriller

One of the genres I’ve pulled a decent amount of inspiration from for her story, so it was only natural I assign this one to her. In-universe, while she secretly does appreciate a good romance, she loves the adrenaline rush that thrillers give her. Bonus points if the book includes a lot of unanswered questions throughout for her to try and figure out before the story is over.

Félicité: Drama

I honestly can’t really explain this one. It was the one that was left over after I assigned the other two, but in terms of her story, this choice seems to fit the best. Although, in-universe, I can’t really imagine her indulging in any sort of media that falls in the genre often, unless she’s having a few days where she’s feeling kind of low. (She's dealt with enough drama in real life, so she usually prefers to partake in things that are a bit more lighthearted and comforting.)

Constance: Romance

What can I say? She loves being in love, is super affectionate, and enjoys romance stories of all kinds. Although, the ones where things work out alright for the couple in the end are truly her favorites. (You can blame part of that on her losing her first husband, whom she adored. She just wants a relationship that will last a lifetime with someone she’s deeply in love with.)

🍺 - Wine, Beer, Vodka?

Magnolia: Beer

I kind of gave her this one more based on her personality, rather than if she partakes in it or not. In-universe, she’s honestly not a fan of it for leisurely drinking, but can tolerate it in small doses, if someone goes out of their way to buy her a pint. (Besides, with low-alcohol beer being a common alternative to water in the 1800s, it's likely that she would've had it on more than one occasion, anyway.)

Félicité: Wine

Personality-wise, she’s the sweetest of the three, so it made sense to associate her with this beverage. As for actually drinking it, though, I honestly don’t think this poor dear could handle anything stronger. lol (As stated in an older post, if she has a little too much, she will not stop giggling for the life of her. haha)

Constance: Vodka

I have no idea if this fits her personality-wise, but I think she could handle the high alcohol content, and can see her taking a couple shots of it after a long, rough day. lol

[ineffablestardust]

oh thanks :) this is gonna be fun~ (sorry I’m late!!) Thanks @flopsy-art​

favourite colour: purple!!!! kind of clear from the colour of my blog tbh lol

last song you listened to: UrbanAngel1999 by Thomas Headon (the one from heartstopper haha)

last movie you watched: UHHH not sure, haven’t been watching many of late... probably my rewatch of Into the Spiderverse?

last series you watched: Heartstopper (and it shows lol)

sweet, spicy or savoury: I tend to go for sweet (I definitely have a sweet tooth) but I love spicy and savoury just as much !!!

coffee or tea: tea all the way !!! I’m such a slut for tea I did my chemistry project in high school on the caffeine levels in tea (I also adore traditional chinese tea) tho I can drink iced coffee and the occasional caramel latte

three ships: gonna just go ahead and put the main shipping ones for now, otherwise I’ll be here all day (multi-shipper alert)

but uh, dinluke (but like. minus the toxicity y’all I’m in my own little dinluke AU bubble okay), codywan (tho I do ship obitine too, bi obi for the win), wangxian (the danmei pining got to me ok, plus I speak chinese I know exactly what those fuckers saying when they confess and so help me why is chinese such a romantic language y’all fr)

first ever ship: oh boy I’m going to be exposed here HHHHH

ok fine: Jack Frost/Elsa (yes the fucking animated characters okay) (I also now realize Elsa is a bit of a lesbian but case in point, I was like. 11, okay?)

OR Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase but idk which came first, probably Percabeth iirc (thank god)

currently working on: The Starlight Path (my dinluke prince Romeo and Juliet war AU set in the Clone Wars kinda) and possibly a Wangxian one shot who knows

favourite clothing item: uhh probably this purple pair of skirt/pant bottoms I got from Myanmar while I was there doing touristy things when the whole situation ... wasn’t as bad. but they’re flowy and fun and don’t really feel like pants when they are kinda pants? I wish I bought two tbh I only own one

comfort food: too many to count, my first ever one was Mac and cheese, and then it evolved into Laksa, and then it evolved into pineapple tarts and so like. idk currently would say all three

favourite time of year: not sure, autumn seems nice tho but this is coming from someone who had never rlly experienced Seasons until I moved out so still unsure (how do y’all do it like. you have to track the weather everyday, shit sucks y’all tf?)

favorite fic: oh boy I love so many, but this fic in particular has like. impacted my writing style and just my life in general it blew my mind and made me feel like there was so much you could really experiment with in terms of metaphor and pacing and style and like, muah

it’s Spock/Kirk and a Star Trek fic

I will warn y’all tho... TW: it gets pretty intense from around chapter 212 onwards. There are TW openings to chapters that are potentially triggering. Obviously as much as I love the fic it’s not without it’s faults and I’m more than happy to point it out if need be.

it’s: Observations by anon_j_anon on live journal and hoooo boy did I not do anything else but consume this fic for weeks y’all when I picked it up it’s 300 chapters of jaw dropping narration, like to the point that you can see Spock’s character growth from the writing style itself as it changes? just fucking delicious fr

passively tagging @ourpolestar, @merisscatteredbooknook​, @that1libra​ and anyone else who wants to join !