#and also i just like to curate my own online experience<3

[eff-plays]

ALSO TO BE CLEAR: I don't actually think you're like cringe or a bad person or have bad taste if you romance Astarion with elves. I don't actually care, because it's a video game and I, like, have homework. It's all just hyperbole for the hahas. Yes I do genuinely find the dynamic less interesting, but that's because I don't generally play elves if there's more fucked up guys on offer, so I would just naturally have a harder time making it interesting. So if you can come up with an amazing story for your elf romancing Astarion, great! More power to you! I love you etc etc.

[amelie-sama-blog]

homegirl. bffr.

chawty over there made an essay of 31 minutes talking about the "ROMANTICISATION" OF VIOLENCE in a popular BL manhwa.

looking into the comments also almost made me have an aneurysm. "romanticisation" and "normalisation" of xyz gotta be the most popular buzzword in the anti world, cause i saw it at least 20 times and i barely scrolled. what i also saw is them shaming the author for making such a vile, disgusting, morally unacceptable story, "normalising and romanticising" violence, toxic relationships and rape, and that "fEmAlE BL aUtHoRs nOrmAliSiNg rApE sHoUlD bE a WhOle cAtEgOrY oN iTs oWn aT tHis pOiNt".

girl. be for reeeeaaaal for a second. i read BL manga, lots of it. and i didn't even know about this manhwa until i saw this in my feed. i knew the name cause i saw it somewhere, but uhm, in which world are you living? is someone actively forcing you to go on the internet, go on a BL manga site, search "jinx", click on the link, click on the first chapter, read for a bit, DISLIKE IT, and then CONTINUE TO READ EVERY CHAPTER OF THE WHOLE THING?

i doubt it. i doubt it very much. "if you don't like it, drop it" ALWAYS WORKS. anything else is you admitting that you read shit you don't like just to get mad about it.

uhm, wake up call girlie, fiction is exactly *THE* TOOL to "have fun" with toxic relationships or other dark themes. imo, she BETTER have fun with it if she's creating fiction! and i also bet that the author knows damn well what she's doing.

if this "actually terrifies" you, you shouldn't be on the internet. there i said it. I SAID IT.

if the reality that fiction is on a separate plane from reality and thus it can be anything you want, terrifies you, then respectfully, go on youtube kids and age restrict your own device. because your media literacy is literally in the gutter, and your ability to curate your online experience, is non-existant, as well as the basic understanding that people can like shit you hate.

hmm... i wonder why that is... hmmm.... i wonder why people are soooo adamant about avoiding terms such as "rape" "toxic" "noncon" "dark". now hear me out, MAYBE... just MAYBE, it's because liking dark themes in fiction has become completely unacceptable these days, and every single piece of media one consumes must be inspected thoroughly by the anti-police to be approved for consumption. and thus, people make loopings in their own heads to justify their media consumption and trick their minds into believing that what they're reading isn't "that bad".

because... if it IS bad... then boy do i have bad news for you: it means you're a filthy filthy human that just "promoted rape culture", "anti-victim mentality", and "propaganda for sexual violence", and is thus deserving of death threats and equal to an offending rapist or pedophile.

their words, not mine:

but noooo, that has nothing to do with it.

all jokes aside, the way anti culture and censoring is becoming the default, and heavily policed and enforced under fear of ostracisation, THAT truly makes me sad. remember everyone:

thought crime is not real.

thank you for reading all of this, i didn't plan for this to reach essay size but here i am. i hope this was a good read and soothed your proship heart <3

[justsomeectoplasm]

Hhhuugh so the reddit incident came and went but I know there's going to be a handful of twitter users that don't know jackshit about tumblr and are migrating here. Honestly it's valid that you all jumped ship because there's only going to be two outcomes to this:

-Muskratatouille is going to realise he fucked up and remove the rate limit.

- He refuses to admit his mistake and kills twitter.

So welcome! I hope you like my blog. Here's a revamp of some things you need to know before interacting with me and some general notes you need to know:

Massive porn bot problem here that can actually harass you and other users by sending porn through dm's and asks. Also shares malicious links to sites which is a big no-no. Therefore, PUT A DAMN PFP AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR BLOG, AND REBLOG POSTS. That's the only way to let people know that you're not a bot and that you're 100% a living breathing human. Lurking only works through reblogging without adding tags. (Side note: irl Hot lady pfps are not that great. Bots use them all the time. Anime hot lady is fine.)

Likes do jackshit. Tumblr is more of a blogging website than a social media platform. The way it circulates and brings attention to posts is by a sharing system called reblogging. If you really want to support artists, writers, game devs or just wanting your friends to see some funny posts, reblog it. (Reblogging artists work is not the same as reposting on this site. It helps us.)

Tags are your friends in this site. You can use them to navigate through content of your favorite subjects or you can add your thoughts to them. They can also help sort out your own original posts on your blog. (for example I use 'I ramble' on posts that have nothing to do with my fandoms.)

If you censor a word I will personally break your computer. You can say whatever the hell you want on this website and you won't get in trouble (unless it's hate speech, which you can report.)

Pt 2 of the above point: The reason why I'm so adamant on this point is because tumblr has a filter system. Users use this system to filter out content and tags that they don't want to see. This helps a lot for people with triggers and over all curating your online experience. By censoring words, you are bypassing these filters and doing more harm then good. Don't censor your words. If you want to use this feature go to settings and click on "content you see".

Pt 3. With that said, please please tag your posts if they have triggers or upsetting material. Whether you do dark content or not, it is important to tag your posts if they have a well known trigger.

There is no algorithm. You create it using tags. Your post going viral is a 50/50 gamble and you better hope it's a post that's actually great.

You can block anonymous askers since you need to use an account to send asks. Have fun.

Blocking users is much more effective. You can't see or interact with their posts and vice versa. Go wild.

[em-dash-press]

Drafting Your Creative Time: Your Guide to Planning a Year of Creative Writing

2024 is about to start. You’re going to venture into another year of writing incredible stories, but what will that practically look like? I feel more in charge of my creativity by planning rough writing schedules. Here’s how you can do the same without locking yourself into a too-strict calendar that leaves your writing spirit depleted.

Set One Writing Goal

Twelve months is a lot of time, but anyone can handle a single goal. Make the next year easy on yourself by picking one thing you want to accomplish (and let’s not make it “publish my novel” if you’re just starting the manuscript on January 1, given how it takes roughly 18 months of work after you get an agent) (and that can take a few weeks to a few years, depending on your querying experience!). 

Try picking a manageable writing goal like these:

I will write 10 chapters of my novel.

I will make a collection of 5 short stories I write this year.

I will submit a short story to at least 3 contests this year.

I will publish one new work of fanfiction in the next 12 months.

I will write one short story in a new genre.

Publishing a book can be a long-term goal, but your 2024 goal should be easy to break down into manageable steps you can accomplish by yourself. You’ll be more likely to reach the finish line and work toward another goal.

Establish a Stress-Free Writing Schedule

Creativity comes and goes, but your writing will never get done if you don’t form some kind of schedule. Your upcoming year could look something like this:

I’ll write every Wednesday night between 7-7:30 p.m.

I’ll use voice-to-text to get my story-related thoughts on virtual paper for five minutes every morning before school.

I’ll do freestyle writing for five minutes on Mondays and Saturdays to keep my thoughts flowing, even if I don’t find more time to work on my story that week.

Your schedule should be realistic, which means it shouldn’t stress you out. Make it match your weekly and daily routine. When do you naturally feel most energized? When can you carve out ten minutes for your craft? 

Remember, you can always (and should!) adjust this set schedule as time goes on. Your non-creative schedule most likely won’t look the same on January 1 as it will on December 31.

Save a Few Writing Prompts

You might have a few weeks here or there when you’re juggling life’s responsibilities and can’t get to your WIP. It happens to all of us!

When you’re busy, try answering a writing prompt in three sentences or less. Use your phone, a sticky pad, or whatever’s nearby. You never know if it’ll inspire you later when you’re free to write.

In the meantime, you’ll keep using the creative side of your brain so your writing abilities don’t feel so distant.

Check out these prompt apps if getting online isn’t your thing or takes too much time from your busy schedule!

Find a Writing Community

There are so many ways to build a writing community. Start a tumblr about it (guilty as charged) or join a Facebook group. Find an active Reddit thread about your favorite genre or join a Discord server with writers. 

You don’t even need to start talking to others and making friends if it makes you anxious. Read what people are saying to get inspired by everyone. You’ll naturally join in when you get excited about something they’re discussing and keep creative writing at the front of your mind.

Read Lots of Books

I always feel more connected to my writing when I’m actively reading. Artists of any kind need a source of inspiration to keep their creativity flowing. Keep an actively growing To Be Read list with apps like Story Graph (a Goodreads-type app that isn’t owned by Amazon and gives so much more information about your curated reading history!).

Visit your local library if you don’t have the money for new books all the time (who does?). As you get inspired by what you read, you’ll also pick up skills from authors you admire or note things you don’t want to recreate. Study each story’s structure and character development. You’ll return to your WIPs with renewed passion.

Embrace the Scary Editing Stage

Your first draft is your thoughts and dreams poured out on paper. The editing stage is where you refine and re-write your work until it shines. Set aside specific time for editing after completing a first draft of any story. Even if your editing phase doesn’t take very long, working on line edits and developmental edits will make your work so much better.

It’s also a normal form of frustration for writers, but one that happens no matter where your writing goes (on fanfiction websites, short story contests, a literary agent’s desk, etc.).

Schedule Your Rest

Writing might feel like a natural hobby, but your brain and body still need to rest after periods of intense focus/work. Schedule rest periods into your daily or weekly calendar. It’s time to recharge in whatever ways best suit your body, like:

Sitting outside

Walking in a park

Reading

Sitting in a hot bath

Going to the movies

Sleeping in

Keep in mind that sometimes you’ll need more rest than others. Extend some self-compassion by checking in with your physical and mental energy frequently during the next year. If you take time to rest, you’ll be less likely to burn out creatively.

-----

This next year will be full of growth, challenges, and joys in your writing life. Embrace every second by resting and writing in new ways.

[littledesertfox]

intro, I guess?

hii! I figured I should make a post like this even though I have a feeling it will be like super messy xD

I've had an interest in history, specifically World War II basically since I was a kid. It was only recently though that I found out that there's a community for it! I've always had a thing with expressing my interests in ways that may seem slightly odd to other people, so it feels nice to see that there are others who seem to experience this in similar ways :3

I want to make it very clear that I am NOT a nazi or rightwing in any way, and I don't want actual (neo-)nazis to interact with my blog, get the fuck out! Similarly, I don't want racists, lgbtq-phobes, ableists, religious extremists, pedos & zoos or people of similarly disgusting kind to interact! I'm literally queer and neurodivergent (undiagnosed/suspected bc getting a therapy place is hard :/), this is not a place for you!

+++

I've been a fan of the Downfall parodies on youtube when I was younger and recently relapsed into this fixation😭 I don't know if this fandom even really exists at this point since it seems that many creators have left in the meantime, but I'd love to talk about it, maybe I'll even get to write fanfics at some point. Also a short disclaimer that when I talk about historical figures that play a major role in the Downfall parody universe (such as Fegelein, Krebs, Burgdorf etc), it will usually be about their parody selves, not the real people! I'll try to clarify that individually if needed though.

I've also started lurking a little in the reichblr tag with a feeling that I'd describe as "indimidated fascination". Currently I'm mostly interested in some members of the Wehrmacht, but other historical figures that I had or have an interest in might come up as well. Overall any stuff that I post will probably go more into the lighthearted and humorous direction, but I'd love to bring in some more educational stuff as well.

My inbox is always open if you want to gush or ramble about your favourite historical figures or Downfall characters (both from the parodies and the movie itself) and such! Please talk to me about our shared faves😭🫶

+++

I get crushes on fictional characters and sometimes historical figures too, but that doesn't mean I support, condone or defend their worldviews or actions in any way (this applies especially to real people of course)! These "crushes" usually stem from a place of fascination with who they were behind their public appearance, I want to know more about them as a private person, like their hobbies, favourite food and other mundane things like that. Often it's also simply that I feel physically attracted to their appearance because I think they're handsome, either that or they give me massive gender envy (or both lmao). I don't really control on who I fixate like that, it just happens, but I hope that this will be a place for me to express those feelings in some way and find like-minded people. Though I also want to point out that not all my fixations are automatically also crushes! Usually I will mention whether they are or not, or you'll probably notice based on what kind of posts I make about them lol.

Current main historical fixations:

Erwin Rommel (I can't help it I just think he's cute ._.)

Fritz Bayerlein (he's the dude in my pfp lol, there's barely info about him but idk I just think he's kinda interesting😭 also yes he was actually bi)

Current main Downfall fixations:

Hans Krebs & Wilhelm Burgdorf (the otp ever)

Wilhelm Mohnke (ngl Downfall!Mohnke is kinda fine❤️‍🔥 ... idk maybe I'm just finding the actor hot though😭)

+++

If I encounter things that make me uncomfortable I follow common fandom courtesy and block tags or blogs accordingly. This is nothing personal, I'm just curating my own online space. I don't want to see any harassment here, neither towards myself nor to others!

Anyway I guess that's it for now? Idk if this is any good as an intro post but for now it'll have to do I guess😂 I'm generally not really sure yet in which direction to go with this blog (should it be more Downfall or reichblr focused? is there a lot of overlap between the fandoms? do they even get along? help😭). I also don't know how active I'll be in general, I'm also constantly jumping between thoughts like "yee this is gonna be fun" and "dafuq am I doing here I should feel ashamed about myself" but I hope to meet people who share my interests :3

[maxcuntstappen]

heyoheyo quick question i just started getting into f1. this race is the first i watched live while lurking on the tag here and is it always like this? the amount of hateful posts and anti this anti that stuff I've seen is crazy. i know it's sport and everythings competitive but im in other sport fandoms here and the atmosphere is much nicer when cheering for and respecting all athletes with the mutuals.

so yeah i guess i just wanna know if this is always the vibe before getting involved further. which would be sad cause the athletes and racing is very fun

hi anon <3 first of all, i'm so fucking sorry that this was ur first experience live blogging during a race. yest was a toxic whirlwind and i, despite having been part of f1blr for a bit, was quite downtrodden and mad about it.

i will say this. i personally believe it's not as bad as it was yesterday.

there are many reasons for this i think. to begin with, it was the first race of the season effect. everyone's been waiting n dying to see their fav on track and to have a good result and we also didn't really know how the teams would perform. so a lot of expectation -> a lot of disappointment -> mean things on tumblr.

people often find it easier to blame another driver than a whole ass team cause it's easier to direct the anger at a person than a concept which i think is what happened yesterday with multiple drivers.

it's not usually this bad.

but.

it is often quite bad. definitely worse than other fandoms.

i do think the racing makes up for it and that's why i've still stuck around.

ella and i were talking about it and the takes are definitely at its worse during the race and two hours after it.

once we pass that wave, things tend to calm down and we enter the funny text posts territory.

but if you do want to live post/scroll through it, i would stick to my own dash and avoid the main tags.

tumblr gives us the privilege of careful curation and i use that shit everyday. like i will check the bio and do a quick scroll thru each blog i follow.

i also have multiple tags (n blogs) blocked.

there are several people on f1blr who post amazing content and are so on top of updates. but they can be really mean in their phrasing. i don't follow them or block them cause i know that their content will reach my dash through my mutuals but their hot takes won't (especially the text posts where people rant in their tags, those tend to be the meanest).

despite all this, yesterday i spent a good amount of time unfollowing some mutuals. but as i said, i really do believe that f1blr was at its worst then.

there are definitely some blogs that are neutral/nice about the drivers/teams they don't support. these are some of my favourites;

@epylonia @cooali @liamlawsonlesbian @jussst-lurking

i know i have answered ur simple yes/no question with a WikiHow article but i really do hope that bits of it can be helpful to u and that if ur online n scrolling thru jeddah, u see more fun takes than hurtful ones

[hot-take-tournament]

Omg the reblog person is so real for that. I understand that Tumblr doesn't have an algorithm so liking doesn't functionally do anything but I get extremely anxious about reblogging so the guilt trips are really awful for me (and I assume it's the same for others with similar issues.)

Uh- bit of a tangent/rant below. For context I'm an "Audhd-er" (I think that's the term people use, it means I'm autistic and I have ADHD)

I understand most of the time they are over-exaggerating their feelings on the matter. In posts about reblogging stuff from writers and artists it's always kind of a "LIKES DO NOTHING SHOW YOUR LOVE WITH REBLOGS LIKES MEAN NOTHING"

I've always found that a bit odd. As someone with two mutuals (one of whom is rarely online) and 1 normal follower my reblogs really aren't gonna do much so I mostly reblog stuff my mutuals might like and occasionally make my own posts. (Keeping everything else private for the most part) When I get a like it always brings a warm fuzzy feeling because it means someone enjoyed my reblog or post enough to share with me that they liked it.

I've only had one post that breached containment and it was a fun weekend of checking out the blogs of people who liked it! All in all I think maybe people are just unaware of the anxieties that come with being online and the people who experience those anxieties are too anxious to really speak up about it. I mean look at me I'm chilling behind an anon mask rn (I rarely send an off anon ask lol.)

For a website dubbed by its users as the neurodivergent website, some people forget to consider that learning and working within the culture of a social media platform can be extremely stressful for many types of people, let alone an autistic person such as myself (the ADHD doesn't help either). Some of us would prefer to lurk in our private blogs, only coming out of our comfort zone when we feel ok to do so.

All in all, a reminder to reblog is perfectly fine, but please refrain from the guilt-tripping and social obligation type of thing— or at least be aware of it and try not to be offended if one of your mutuals struggles to reblog.

Now this is all my personal perspective, other people will likely have completely different experiences but I wanted to share in case people were confused on why it's an issue for some people. Thanks for reading this whole thing and I hope you have a lovely day <3

I think I get what you're saying -

For a lot of people it genuinely takes a surprising amount of guts to put themselves out there on the internet in any way, even if it's anonymously, and that includes things as simple as reblogging a post.

It's not just Tumblr either. You also see it on Reddit and Twitter, and in online games where people just want to keep to themselves and not interact with strangers. Some people just want to lurk, maybe liking or upvoting, but not commenting or reblogging, because that feels like making yourself more "visible" somehow, in a way simply liking posts doesn't.

It's difficult to put into words, but I feel it's kind of like being in a university lecture with 50+ strangers. Liking is sitting in the back quietly taking notes. Reblogging is like putting your hand up and giving an opinion when the professor asks for one.

It's true that only reblogging actually contributes anything functionally, but there are plenty of people, especially neurodivergent people, who might struggle with that kind of thing, but still want to show some appreciation, or just save it as a bookmark.

So, I think that's partly why that kind of guilt-tripping or threatening reblog bait can be so stressful. Tumblr is a comfort app for a lot of people, who just want to curate their own little private space. Reblog baits are like someone banging on your door, telling you that you're actively doing something wrong by keeping to yourself, and (in the case of "I'll block/unfollow you if you like/read but don't reblog" baits) people will hate you for doing it.

It also implicitly takes away the sense of control you have over your own personal online space. Ideally, you should be able to do whatever you want with your own blog - no one should dictate your own online experience. So, if you just want to reblog things you like or want to share, at whatever pace you feel comfortable with, there shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

But reblog baits seem to suggest that you shouldn't have that control, and there are certain things that you have no choice but to put on your blog, and it has to be right now. And I feel that sense of having control suddenly snatched away from you without warning could also be a major source of anxiety for a lot of people who see Tumblr as a source of comfort.

With all that in mind, while I do believe that it's not quite this simple, considering artists and writers, and especially those who rely on commissions, do need exposure from reblogs, I also feel it's difficult to blame people for finding very aggressive reblog baits stressful, especially when you're suddenly blindsided with them.

At least, those are just my initial thoughts based on what you said, but absolutely let me know if you disagree with any of this or feel I misrepresented what you meant <3

[khaopybara]

tag game ✨

@mbjw saved me from saturday boredom and tagged me in this, so thank you jubs, i enjoyed these a lot.

1. why did you choose your url?

i love khaotung. khaotung was obsessed with the capybara song last year before i even knew who he was. capybaras happen to be a very common animal in the region i live. i was very happy they were getting the recognition they deserved. put them together, we have lovely khao + capybaras = khaopybara (i'm also super sure i've seen people here and on tw use this and i just stole it. i'm not creative especially when it comes to usernames).

2. any sideblogs? if you have them name them and why you have them.

i have two other sideblogs. @tuseryoo for all of the gifs i make so i can have all of them in one blog just because, so i feel like i'm not losing track of the things i create (even though i haven't updated that one in a while), and @captain-xandis that some moots might have noticed in their notifications bc i recently created that one to post gifs about critical role, but i always forget to check which blog appears on top of the thingy, so i'm constantly deleting and reblogging things in the right blog these days.

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

as of july 3rd, i've been here for 11 years now, so since 2013? which tracks with my super strong k-pop phase tbh.

4. do you have a queue tag?

nah, i have a queue going for gifs that are requests or for episodes that already aired, but usually i just post things whenever.

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

ha, i was into super junior. and i was experimenting with fandom for the first time at the time. that's it. i felt like tumblr was a lot more creative and pretty than twitter or facebook, so i stayed.

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

i am a mook defender and apologist. i also think aya is super cute and super pretty. i change icons so often though, i blame all the pretty women in qls these days for making me change it all the time.

7. why did you choose your header?

i am breathing and living for the heart killers and kantbison and unfortunately i'm dying from lack of content. the tattoo table kiss is going to change lives i think, so until we don't get the official version, i'll have this masterpiece displayed there somehow.

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

as of now, it's a 23.5 official trailer gifset of sun being jealous of ongsa with amazing 939 notes, but the gifset of lada protecting earn from hitting her head on the table is quickly catching up with 877.

9. how many mutuals do you have?

17 mutuals? i think that's right.

10. how many followers do you have?

843 if you count the main blog + side-blogs.

11. how many people do you follow?

... 27 blogs.

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

i mean, sure? i do get embarrassed by my own shitposts sometimes and i delete them tho.

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

all the time. it's my favorite social media for sure. i get to see pretty things and my dash is much better curated than other apps. it's great.

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

i don't think i ever fought online. i block people with remarkable expedience tbh if i don't like their vibe or their tone or the shit they post, and i also make use of the filtered tags, so you know, no reason to fight.

15. how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts

these exist? good for them. you shouldn't tell people what to do.

16. do you like tag games?

sure! i only started being part of them now, so sometimes i forget them, or i just don't see i was tagged, but i do enjoy them.

17. do you like ask games?

i don't think i've ever done an ask game but that's mainly bc i think people won't want to know and won't send any asks, and i'd rather spare my ego from that humiliation.

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

i think many of my mutuals are famous in our ql bubble which makes it a little crazy that some are my mutuals tbh. that's most of them actually.

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

i do have people that make me kick my feet when they interact with my posts like, twirling my hair, silly smile, giggling because they've noticed me. but actually crushing, imagining our lives in the countryside, with a kitchen facing the meadow in a fine spring morning, with two dogs and three cats, no.

20. tags?

i'm tagging @namtanfilm, @aylinaliens, @sollucets and @sherrymagic, @ayansukkhaphisit and whoever feels like doing it, and to those i've tagged, just ignore this if you want, too, no pressure.

[tsukimefuku]

— THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. I’m here to have fun and make friends.

2. My kindness is not an invitation to treat me poorly.

3. I’m from the global south, bisexual, anarchist, polyamorous, autistic, person of color, married to a trans woman and vocally pro-palestine.

INSTABLOCK: Racism, Ableism, LGBTQIAphobia, Zionism, Naz*sm, Alt-Right Takes, and overall serious insults.

Update: disturbing content or things adjacent to that might render an instablock too. I’m currently curating my online experience and 100% avoiding anything that might be upsetting to me. It’s nothing personal.

— LIST OF RULES

- Minors, do not interact. Apart from the written porn, I have works on the way about drug abuse, su*cide, and other things that I will treat with my own foul sense of humor. They are wildly inappropriate for minors, so please, leave. Come back when you’re 18.

- TERFs and radfems are unwelcome. Leave immediately.

- if I’ve missed something you asked/commented etc., feel free to send me an inbox. I usually reply on the same day.

- Do not spam my inbox harassing me for any reason. You will be ignored or blocked, depending on how severe it was. I have a life away from the internet.

- I only take on requests I feel like I can write/have enough inspiration for writing. It’s nothing personal, I promise.

- If you feel offended or bothered by something I’ve said/posted, you can come and talk to me privately for us to sort it out. Also, be polite about it. I treat everyone respectfully and expect the same treatment.

- The fact we’re mutuals is not a silent agreement to reblog each other. I will not demand anyone to reblog anything from my blog, and I expect people to not demand it from me either.

- Hate inboxes will not be answered. To anyone who sends me one, the answer will always be “seek some therapy instead of hating on a porn writer online”. The only exception to this rule will be if I think my answer might help other people that have received the same type of thing.

- Writing is a hobby for me, and I will talk about my opinions and takes on writing here. These are simply my opinions, keep that in mind. I’m not a literary acclaimed critic, just someone who reads and writes stuff.

- don’t copy anything I write. As this is all fanfiction, it obviously isn’t copyright protected, but come on. If you want to use the very same approach or concept to something I’ve written, just send me an inbox. I most likely won’t mind if you credit me. 

- my credentials for any discussion (apart from criminal law) are “I’m three mental illnesses in a trench coat and horny for fictional dick/pussy”. This is tumblr, not a ***** measuring contest. 

In the end, we’re all on the same horny boat to simp on fictional characters together.

Be kind, have some sense, and have fun. Following this, we probably won’t have any problems (: 

[northern-passage]

honestly same...I also only stick to reading the same ifs I've been reading since like 2 years ago + as a disabled lgbt person this community has gotten to toxic to interact wth tbh

hmmm putting this under a read more but here's some ramblings about my personal experience as well as some advice if anyone wants it

before i started writing tnp, when i was just a reader, it was very easy to curate my space and avoid a lot of the nastier people (especially back when the forums were the main space for people to talk about IF. i didn't go on the forums at all) and i was very much outside of the fandom and followed only like one artist whose recommendations i started off with before finding more stuff on my own.

once i became an author though it is impossible to avoid certain groups of people and it's really hard to hold on to that comfortable space. over the last like 3 years now my audience has definitely changed and dwindled a lot due to my.... Big personality but before that i had to endure a lot of harassment, people stalking me, people harassing my friends just for being my friend, almost constant transphobia and racism, and even now i still have people that seem to just camp in my inbox waiting for any opportunity to try and hurt me/get a reaction out of me.

i've been pretty open about all of this stuff happening too which most people also don't like, though that seems to be pretty standard across any fandom when you try to talk about how bad they are. i'm never really surprised when other authors delete without any warning or they just slowly stop posting and never come back. it's definitely something i've wanted to do more than once and still think about sometimes. even now after finally seeming to find my "niche" and a more understanding audience, it's really hard and i struggle with finding inspiration and motivation because of how people have treated me.

unfortunately i think it's always been this way, it's the nature of sharing work online and especially with IF feeling so "collaborative" people really feel entitled to it. and i also see readers facing this same kind of harassment, too, so it's definitely not just an author problem.

my advice is to just block and ignore people as best you can and just stay in your own little bubble with your friends or at least people that you trust. if you're an author going through any of the things i mentioned then just know there are a lot of other authors that have had to go through it, too, and that you should also just block and ignore to the best of your ability. just because you're an author doesn't mean you have to tolerate it. i used to respond to a lot of messages which is why i feel that a lot of my harassment lasted for so long, because they thought it was "funny" to upset me, but the more you respond and give them attention the more they'll keep doing it. so just block anons and move on (i know i make it sound so simple. trust me i used to be really bad about it, now i try to take at least a day or two before responding and usually by that time i realize how stupid it is and i just delete it without any fanfare)

at the end of the day though it's your decision, and your well-being comes first before anything else. i say this to both authors and readers, there's no reason to force yourself to stay in a place that makes you uncomfortable or is triggering. sometimes it's better to just let go and move on, though i know that's easier said than done. i'm a prime example as someone who still logs into tumblr daily despite trying really hard not to do that.

and i'm not saying to give up on your work, but rather that writing privately is always an option, and it's what i've been doing now with my other projects ever since i took siren's call down. i know the desire for outside validation can be overwhelming but i think it's important to remember that you should be writing this for yourself first and that there's no harm in keeping your work private until you're ready. tumblr is fun but there's also a lot of problems that can be difficult to deal with while you're also trying to keep motivation and creativity up to write your story, and it can be really discouraging.

like i said, your first priority should be yourself, and if you have to step back away from tumblr/fandom then you should & you shouldn't feel guilty about it.

all of that to say that there are nice people out there, too, i've made really good friends here and i really value their friendship and their understanding, especially when i was going through the worst of it. and there are a lot of readers who have been very kind to me and that have sent me very nice messages and drawn lovely art over the years and i always try to focus on that over everything else.

it can be really easy to get overwhelmed by all the negativity and hostility which is why it's so important to find your people and be supportive of each other.

[felassan]

Some snippets of interest and insight from Mark Darrah, from an older Mark Darrah on Games YouTube video where he was livestreaming playing Dragon Age II some months ago -

Chat asked "Are you devs (former devs as well) hyped and excited about entire lore and world of DA like we are?''. Mark replied that the devs do get into the lore but that they actually often lean into the community to make sure that they aren't violating their own lore (because there's so much of it). "You guys have done a much better job of curating it than we have to be honest".

A comment in chat said "I think it's important to know that as DA4 ramps up, the fandom is going to change". Mark replied "for sure, definitely, as the marketing picks up for a game you draw in more people. Also, BioWare is carrying some Anthem people that picked up that never left, that have definitely changed the tenor of the fandom to some degree".

For dialogue, the reason why the paraphrase is different to what Hawke actually says is that they found in ME1 that if they just made them the same, it felt like everything you as the PC said was being repeated because you had already read it in your head and then it got said out loud. This does sometimes lead to disconnect as sometimes what Hawke ends up saying isn't really what was implied by the paraphase. Mark said "that's why we've been experimenting with different tonal stuff in different games, to give you hints as to more clarity as to what will actually be said".

Chat asked ''what is you opinion on the rewrite/corrections of a lot of the lore from DA2 in subsequent media?'. Mark replied "My opinion is that you should try to be respectful of everything that came before as much as possible. I don't like that some of the comics and things have enforced sort've standard canon so strongly. I recognize that, especially coming out of DA:O, there's not much choice, but I feel like we could have done a bit of a better job there".

[source]

He also talked more generally about DAII and the previous games in general. These bits are collected under a cut due to length:

The messages that appear at the bottom of the DAII start screen must be hard-coded as opposed to live updates received from online, as some of them still refer to long-past things

On Varric's embellished prologue scene, where Bethany's chest size is exaggerated, he mentioned that Varric was more of a pig in DAII than he is in DA:I. "Men writing men writing women"

First impressions have an impact on players' opinions of the companions. Mark mentioned that he thinks that might be one of the reasons why players tend to stick with the first 3 companions that they get in the game, because those are the ones they're used to and are forced to get a bit more context on because they're there with you for the duration of the prologue/introduction

One of the problems with DAII is that because the followers are so locked down in terms of their abilities, gameplay and roleplay are in conflict more than they are in DA:O and DA:I

Combat in DAII is essentially the combat of DA:O (the same systems underneath) if someone took the 'knobs' and cranked them in the opposite direction really far. So the same systems underneath, but just with very different numbers in them

In DA:I, lighting (what time of day it is) was created such that the best looking lighting/time of day for each area was chosen

In DAII Kirkwall, because it was essentially such a central character in the game, actually got a lot more attention than cities usually do in DA games

The design of Kirkwall's city map actually kind of discourages you from going out into the wilderness, which Mark doesn't think was the intention

He mentioned that accents are tricky and that you want replicable accents. This was a problem Mass Effect had, e.g. with Tali. Tali's accent was one her VA could do, but no-one else could do it, so they ended up with an un-replicable accent for this character

"I forgot how many redheads there are in DAII"

Adding in some of the 'this is physically impossible irl' moves and skills to warriors and rogues in DAII helped to better balance those classes with mages, which were sort've overpowered relatively speaking in DA:O

DAII tried really hard to establish an art direction. So for example, there was a strong effort to make elves not look like 'humans with pointy ears', hence they're very angular. They then backed away from this a bit in DA:I

Chat asked ''Do you guys prefer the strongest loot to be crafted or found?'". Mark replied that crafting is a dangerous thing because some players don't engage in it, so if you require crafting for the best loot you run into the problem of players who don't engage in crafting not being able to play the game. Usually the best loot is crafted, but you need to be able to play the game without using it

In DAII they were trying to control the game economy a bit better than it was done in DA:O, as especially in the first act you're supposed to be someone who has just fled the Blight, so it wouldn't make sense to have a sack of money

On the repeating cave environment in DAII, it was a very specific hole in the cave ceiling with a shaft of sunlight hitting the ground that was so identifiable/distinctive that was what showed that the cave was being reused. "That specific spot is the main reason there was backlash about and people noticing the reused cave". Chat asked whether Mark thought that a simple texture swap-out would have helped mitigate the repeating dungeons complaint and he replied that some texture swaps could have helped, but the reason why they didn't do more clever tricks to conceal it was lack of time

Another major thing that caused the noticeable repeating environments problem is that they had the same area map, as they didn't have the ability in the engine to have specialized area maps, "so what happens is you actually get lots of times where parts of the level look accessible when in fact it isn't" (blocked off doors and not making it look like that on the minimap), and that just draws even further attention to how repetitive it is. DA:O comparatively did better at disguising or effectively reusing content

Also, chat asked ''Development wise, was crunch much worse for DA: Exodus versus DA:O or DA:I since it had a year or two development period??'". Mark replied that "Crunch-wise, yeah, DAII was arguably the worst but because the game was short in terms of dev time it was less total time I guess. But it was kind've for the entire development process so that was not great. We decided to do it in December in 2009 and shipped in March of 2011, so total time from the day we decided to do it until the day it was on shelves was about 15 months." This is why the game relies so much on the followers, because they are faster to write, usually require less revisions and you can go with the first drafts a little bit more. "If Jason Schreier says it was 2 years dev time for DAII in his book Blood, Sweat and Pixels, he's incorrect". More development time for DAII would have helped but it would have needed to have been added to the timeline in just the right way. If it had been added at the end and the release date had shifted really late in development, that would have been the biggest way to help, "because you could take the game as it was and patched over the biggest shaky bits". If it had just started with a 2 year dev cycle "I think you would have ended up with weaknesses because you would have just filled up the bucket with more content and I think the solution would've been to not do that, to keep it super tight, keep the focus on the characters and then patch over the worse of the glaring things". Also, "I have slept under my desk, yes".

(pls note that in places there is a bit of paraphrasing of the info, the best source is always the primary source with full quotes in their original context. and also that this vid is from 11 months ago)

[source]

[loveydoveylex]

what on earth is people's problem oh my god, i have over 100+ accts blocked across every social media i have, i never even knew people took it personally??? WHAT WHY....... ?? HUGS YOU PPL ARE SUCH JERKS and have too much free time to fixate on this tf

I'M ALSO KIND OF CONCERNED TO SEE PEOPLE TAKE IT SO PERSONALLY. on their behalf, not mine - of course it sucks getting harrassed, but I feel like there's something to be said here about how you really view the concept of boundaries if someone pressing a button on your profile to hide your account is enough to make you start publically humiliating that person. has it always been like this? surely it hasn't, right? I feel like we're getting worse and worse at Being Nice To Each Other Online. it worries me.

but yeah, I feel you - I definitely have hundreds of people blocked as well. no issue with that! it's just curating your own online experience.

thank you for checking in, I appreciate it <3

[sailorstarr-chan4]

40 Day Anime Challenge 2023 Edition - Day 40: Anime that changed you the most

Inuyasha

Okay this is like..... suuuuuuper late, but I have a Lot of Thoughts jsdbfkdsfbsd

Most of my followers on here know that for a hot minute, Inuyasha was my #1 fandom. On ff.net, it still has the highest number of fic faves on my account, and the majority of the fics I've written are for, you guessed it, Inu-freaking-yasha.

The more anime and manga I consume, the more apparent Inuyasha's flaws become, but I still look back on it fondly. The characters are memorable, the music is top-notch, and the story, though a mess, is still entertaining and a fantastic premise. There are so many gems in the series, both the manga and anime.

There are a LOT of anime and manga series that stuck with me over the years, and though Vampire Knight is probably the better fit because it introduced me to the world of anime/manga as a whole (while ALSO remaining my #1 favorite manga series), I ultimately chose Inuyasha this time around solely for one reason: THE FANDOM.

I credit two major fandoms for getting me into fanfiction: Frozen and Inuyasha. Honorable Mention is Harry Potter, but that one barely counts because it took me YEARS to accept HP fanfic as a whole, whereas I fell down the Frozen and Inuyasha rabbit holes fairly easily.

Frozen got the ball rolling, but Inuyasha became the avalanche.

The longest fics I ever read are for Inuyasha, the longest being over a MILLION WORDS. The first fics I wrote were for Inuyasha. Nearly HALF of all my 1,134 favorited fics on ff.net are for Inuyasha.

When I officially started writing more fics in 2017 and "joined" the fandom, I learned how to "be in a fandom" for the first time. I learned about balancing my ship opinions versus others, I learned about my own internalized Purity Culture tendencies, I wrote soooo much InuKag smut and was inspired to write/read more, but I also learned, eventually, to have boundaries and to curate my own experience, regardless of what "the masses" wanted.

I made friends, and even though we don't talk as much anymore, I still fondly remember the madness of the early Discord days lol XD @keichanz, @eternalnight8806-3, @thunderpot, @clearwillow, @dawnrider, @meggz0rz, @britonell, @mamabearcat, @cammysansstuff, @morikothehalfangel, @amostsovereignlady, etc (plus many others that I cannot find their blogs anymore) just know this: I remember our chaotic chats fondly and hope y'all are doing well ❤

This series was one of my earliest and more intense "SQUEEEEE"ing over my ship, my frustrating yet fulfilling journey of loving and hating the anime simultaneously lmao, and my biggest and most influential foray into online fandom. I would have not have returned to it if it wasn't so dearly important to me, flaws and all. ❤

I FINALLY FINISHED THIS DAMN CHALLENGE, @risingfire17-the-weeb-trash!!!! I'M FREEEEEEEE!!!

[eirian]

had a talk w ruby tonight and im realizing im gradually becoming like..more chill/less caring about certain things. in this case the discussion was about proshipping/nasty shit in fiction

its not necessarily that i support it now or condone it or anything but i dont want to get into discourse about it anymore. i want to simply block and move on now lol.

like yeah it grosses me out and i dont like it and i will not interact with you at all if youre into it/support it. but im not going to attack you or get vocal about it anymore, im just gonna block and not allow you to have a voice in my presence <3 i curate my own online experience and also just. theres bigger things to worry about in the world, i do not have the time or energy to be getting into discourse about disgusting fictional shit

again i am still against it 100%. but im not gonna actively get into shit with people about it anymore. im tired and i wanna worry about other things now im getting closer to 30 i dont have Time to be getting into this with people on fucking tumblr of all places

[nytehavyn-circle]

A few OOC things people should be aware of with me. Some good, some bad, some that explain stuff, etc...

I have a very bad memory. I have PTSD, severe social/generalized anxiety, bipolar depression with psychosis (meaning I have hallucinations; mine are not bad and not even invasive... I see bugs around my peripheral vision a lot, but I know they're not really there), and I'm on two mood stabilizers/antidepressants, Xanax for my anxiety. and a medication that helps reduce my PTSD nightmares. Not to mention the fact that last September, I spent about 2-3 weeks in a small coma thanks to pneumonia that put me on a ventilator.

All of these things together have left my memory shoddy, full of holes, swiss cheesed, and given me brain fog. There's a lot of shit I remember, but a lot of shit I don't.

This includes RP. Some threads from a while back I remember what happened, some I've completely forgotten, some ships I remember, and others don't ring a bell...

So, where that's concerned, if I ask you about a plot, or something about what's happening, any of that, and it's something I should remember because it's happened before, please don't be upset. Gently remind me and if I still don't remember, we can always do it again.

Where I am concerned OOC...

I have a very strong personality. For a very long time, I pushed myself, my spirit, down to accommodate other people in the RPC, and walked on eggshells so as to hopefully not offend or upset anybody.

That's stops.

Now, while I still don't want to offend anyone, and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, chances are that's it's going to happen. As stated before, I have a very strong personality, and I'm tired of pretending to be meek. I will probably say and do things OOC that will offend and upset, and I will probably do things in RP that offend and upset...

I can get very sexual on the dash and such OOC - there are days I am hypersexual, and there are days that I have no interest in it AT ALL - which is due to my meds. I get very friendly OOC in messages - I will bother you a lot, even if you don't message me back for a while, I'll still bug your IMs a lot, just because that's how I am. I don't do it expecting you to message me back instantly, I do it because I just do. You can read/respond to the messages as you see fit. I will flail/rave/yell about our muses, our threads, and our ships an awful lot. I will also lovebomb you because that's how I am. I like to let my mutuals know I care, I like to make friends, etc. That's who I am, and I can't apologize for being me. Sometimes I can try to curb it, but that won't happen often. And whether it's OOC or IC, I will TRY to remember to tag the threads.TRY! There's no guarantee I will, because, as I said, my mind is in an almost constant brain fog.

I will definitely lose followers for this because it happens every day. However, this is me asking you to PLEASE let me know SOMETHING about why you want to unfollow/block me to last least give me a chance to apologize and correct the offending behavior.

Yes, yes, I know you "don't owe anyone anything." This has given way, given permission, for people in the RPC to treat their mutuals like garbage, like shit, and toss them aside whenever they see fit, no matter how long they've been RP partners, and no matter if they're actively RPing and threading. It's cowardly to do this.

Yes, you curate your own online experience but give your mutuals a chance to explain themselves. The unfortunate thing is that people on here seem to think if someone does something inappropriate OOC, or other muses do something inappropriate IC, then that person is s horrible person regardless and must be blocked. This is a cowardly way when you can't even tell your mutual, "Look, this made me uncomfortable," and give them a chance to apologize and possibly curb their behavior - because I can promise, 8 times out of 10, they might not even realize they're doing something wrong.

No one in the RPC here wants to communicate and it makes RPing difficult. And it makes it difficult if you refuse to even chat OOC to your RP partners. No wonder a lot of new RPers here don't want to reach out, and it's starting to happen even with veteran RPers here where they've just stopped reaching out because they're tired of the bullshit.

I - and I know of a few others - who have difficulty RPing with someone they never talk to OOC. Most likely, if we don't chat OOC, I will probably end up dropping our thread(s) and letting you know.

It's gotten to the point where RPers don't even want to TRY to have respect for even their RP Partners. People on here love to go on and on about respect, but no one ever wants to give it.

This really has to stop and change for the better. WE need to be better, as a whole.

To wit: I am 48 years of age. And a lot of muns in the RPC are significantly younger. I will not be offended if someone comes to me and tells me my age bothers them and they feel uncomfortable RPing with me. If this does apply to you, please come tell me. I can't change it, but I can at least understand why you're unfollowing and wish you well. But this is also why I prefer to RP with anyone under 21.

Also, as I've stated in another post... if you don't like what one of my muses does in an RP, come to me, talk to me, and we'll see if there's a compromise - we can even try new muses. I have quite a few, with more being added all the time. Don't come to me blaming me and yelling at me for what my muse does IC.

I refuse to nerf my muses for any reason, UNLESS it needs to be done as a plot point, to fit the story. I will not diminish their abilities, and I will not turn my jerk muses into suddenly decent people unless it's part of a whole character arc. I won't turn my powerful muses into weak kittens just to satisfy another RPer's desire or because they don't like RPing with strong muses. I don't expect ANYONE to nerf their muses for me, I don't want anyone to expect it from me.

Mun =/= muse, and muse =/= mun. Now, a lot of beliefs and thoughts overlap OOC, but this does not mean we condone the behavior or most of the behavior and thoughts of our muses. If you've been in the RPC long enough, you'll come to realize that the muses have developed a mind of their own and will do WTF-ever they want. lol

I didn't make this post to upset or offend, I made this post for understanding and explanation. I am not going to speak for everyone, but I do know there are a handful who agree with me on what I've stated above.

Please, just communicate. Talk to each other. Talk OOC, and make friends. Make a found family. Stop ignoring each other.

[jakexneytiri]

It’s honestly wild to me how these three have dwelled on that ONE ask you received, for so long, just to start blocking you and sending anonymous asks, to get an answer they are happy with.

What I take from this, is that they know deep-down, the choice to age-up these characters suggests some questionable morals. So to see somebody they interacted with on here, decide they no longer engage with or have an opinion on it- they felt threatened because that’s one less person who will “defend” them, when somebody comes along saying “those characters are underage, you’re gross!”

I really don’t think it’s about you at the root of this. Those creators are in some kind of drama every other month, and they are determined to crush anybody who doesn’t see eye-to-eye with their decisions.

What you have done is the most responsible out of any of them. You have curated your own online experience, you never bullied them for differing opinions, you just went on with life. I honestly can’t believe these are adults you are dealing with. There are hundreds, if not thousands of creators out there who write for things that these 3 put in their bios/rules, stating they will not write for or even disagree with… so why out of everything, you having no opinion on ageing up characters is the biggest issue here? Sounds like they just want to stir something up because they’ve been irrelevant since the last girl deleted her blog.

Side note, they claim that you have contradicted yourself at some point in time, but so what? They are happy to hate on you and others for disagreeing with them, so I don’t really see how they could be any less “hypocritical” IF what they claim is even true, which we have yet to see evidence of. I mean look around, who are the top 3 users you think of when you hear there is drama in this fandom? 🧐 I bet we are all thinking the same 3, and for good reason.

Anyways, I’m sorry this was so long but I support you fully, I’m also sorry that people you considered friends have turned out to be so rotten, maybe for the sake of your own sanity, avoiding their nonsense would be the best route to take. Eventually they’ll move on to somebody else (not that I condone their behaviour towards anybody though) I hope things get better for you, lovely! 🩷

it’s just sad they had this issue since april and never came to me personally. just big miscommunication but everyone’s minds are made up it seems. not sure why my opinion of not caring about aging up/not aging up warrants this reaction.

thank you for your support 💕