#how do you think artists get into fandoms and get ideas and a fixation on a character to the point they want to draw them

[ineffabildaddy]

i know this may be obvious to a lot of people, but i thought it was worth saying anyway: i love the good omens fandom because it encourages contribution more than any other popular fandom i've been in.

i'm incapable of being a casual fan of anything. it's just not in my nature. i've been in fandom spaces just over a decade - fandoms related to musicians, books, films and tv shows - and yet i've never been in a fandom that captures, creates, analyses, jokes, and just talks more than this one.

in most of the fandoms i've been in, there's a lot of passive consumption of fan content, which is obviously great and we all do it, but in the good omens fandom, that doesn't seem to make up the majority of our behaviour. in fact, when i got back on tumblr for the first time in 7 years after watching season 2, i had a look around at what the fandom was doing for a day or two and my first thought was: oh god, what if i've got nothing to say? what if i've got nothing to add that hasn't already been added? i immediately felt that i wouldn't truly be part of things if i didn't get stuck in.

if i'm fixated on something or particularly enjoying it at one time, i might wake up in the morning or pick up my phone/laptop thinking, i want to see more, hear more, learn more about this thing. that's still the case with good omens, but with the addition of, how can i contribute today? how can i bring something to the fandom, how can i connect with it, how can i consistently encourage and support the people in it? and that's all because of how artistic, analytical, poetic, humorous but above all enthusiastic all of you are.

the truth is, i'm not at all a confident person. i've got a film degree, i've done stand-up comedy and i've written comedy sketches, i was a popular fanfiction writer for years (hi supernatural fans), and i've shared poetry, too. so, i have got experience in things that could make my contributions to fandom spaces worthwhile (not that you need any particular achievements under your belt). yet usually, the fact that people are doing things that i'm doing infinitely better than me puts me off the idea of doing them at all. so, oftentimes i don't do them, or if i do i put them down immediately and keep them private.

i'm still very much experiencing that feeling since becoming active in the good omens fandom, precisely because there's so much talent and dedication here, but i'm trying to ignore it because it feels like everyone who wants to say something is genuinely valued - especially since people who think differently about aspects of the book and show aren't actually fighting with each other or obsessed with proving they're right, which is quite rare in my experiences of fandoms.

it's been really really refreshing to become an active part of this fandom and i do hope it remains that way as more time elapses since season 2 was released. i have a feeling it will because we've all chosen one of the most wonderful stories of our time to engage with, and the fans' love for it was and is taken more seriously by terry, neil, david and michael than we ever could've hoped for.<3

[theepisceswriter]

WELCOME TO CLUB RENAISSANCE !

(Aka Stallion's return event)

ＣＵＮＴ ＴＯ ＴＨＥ ＦＥＭＩＮＩＥ ＷＨＡＴ， ＰＯＷ ！

OMGGGG, lovies I am SAUR excited to be back and share my creativity and world with you all and build off of the equally amazing ideas you have as supporters of my work. As an artist, having the inspiration and drive to write after not having ANY for so long means the world to me! So come help me spew out more content for yall!! And what better way to do it than a Beyonce themed event?

MASTERLIST (TBA once requests start rolling in)

HOW THIS EVENT WILL WORK

♡ Underneath the readmore tag there is an assortment of characters, tropes/situations (both sfw and nsfw), and even reader specifics to choose from annnnddd even wildcard options for you if there's anything I left out!

♡ You’ll choose a Drink (character), Beyonce Song (situations/tropes), and your favorite Yonce (reader specific).

♡ The characters listed are not the only ones available, all characters from the fandoms I have listed on my page are available! The ones listed are just the ones I get requests for the most or ones I’ve been having brainrots for lately 

♡ You can send in all sorts of combinations and be as vague or descriptive as you want to be. You can list multiple characters, multiple situations, etc, etc.

♡ For example: "Can I have a Long Island Iced tea, Cuff It & Energy, with Femyonce?", "Can I request Zeke Jaeger with the fwb trope and nb!Reader?" and even, "Can I have One night stand trope with Gojo after he comes home after being locked away for so long?" Whatever you want baby I got you!

♡ Enjoy grandma's babies !!!

♡ CMON AND GRAB YOU A DRINK BABY ! (Characters) ♡

Long Island: Reiner Braun

Margarita: Toji Fushiguro

Martini: Gojo Satoru

Old Fashion: Nanami Kento

Mimosa: Jotaro Kujo

Cosmopolitan: Dio Brando

Bloody Mary: Geto Suguru

Whiskey Sour: Jean Kirchstein

White Russain: Eren Jaeger

Daiquiri: Zeke Jaeger

Negroni: Gutts

Gin Fizz: Shigure Sohma

Manhattan: Levi Ackerman

Mojito: Erwin Smith

Lemon Drop: Shuu Tsukiyama

Sangria: Benimaru

Screwdriver: Leonard Burns

Mai Tai: Character of your choice!

♡ CHOOSE A JAM TO BOOGIE TO! (Scenarios/Tropes)♡

♡ CENSORED (SFW) ♡

ALL UP IN YOUR MIND: Yandere

KITTY KAT: Sidechick-type beat

NO ANGEL: Troubled!Reader

PRAY YOU CATCH ME: Cheating

JEALOUS: Jealousy

ALL NIGHT: Domestic themes (marriage, children, etc)

SORRY: Reconciling

ON THE RUN: Criminal!Reader x Criminal!Character

HEAVEN: Death

LOVE ON TOP: Fluff

MINES: Any trope to lovers

BEST THING I NEVER HAD: AU (coffee shop, modern, organized crime, etc, etc)

LOVE DROUGHT: Angst

HELLO: First date

BREAK MY SOUL: wildcard! A theme you think of that might not be listed

♡ UNCENSORED (NSFW) ♡

COZY: Cockwarming

ALIEN SUPERSTAR: Monsterfucking

CUFF IT: Overstimulation

CHURCH GIRL: Religion kink

PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA: Aftercare (can be sfw)

VIRGOS GROOVE: Friends with benefits

MOVE: Dominatrix

THIIQUE: Body worship (can be sfw)

PURE/HONEY: Onlyfans!Reader

SUMMER RENAISSANCE: One-Night Stand

VIDEO PHONE: Phone sex

IF I WERE A BOY: Pegging

6-INCH: Sex worker!Reader

SANDCASTLES: Hate sex

UPGRADE U: Sugar Daddy/Mommy

HAUNTED: BDSM

BLOW: Oral fixation

PARTITION: Car sex

DANCE FOR YOU: Striptease

ENERGY: Mutual masturbation

ROCKET: wildcard! A theme you think of that might not be listed

♡ CHOOSE YOUR FAVORITE YONCE ! ♡

Femyonce: F!Reader

Thugga Bey: M!Reader

Themyonce: Nb!Reader

Diversce (I thought of this one real hard): POC!Reader (you specify)

[ryemackerel]

HALLO i was wondering how you get out of art block?? your art is very expressive and i absolutely adore all your colour choices and designs. ive been having trouble with art block for a very long time now so i’m just trying to ask other artists how they get outta it <3 i hope u have a niceday yesyes

OUGHH HELLO!!! holy crap, art block is the WORST. everytime i encounter it, its always hard to beat it D: theres days where i feel like i WANT to draw something so badly but my brain just. cant function

i dont have a definitive solution for art block, but whenever i do, i have a few ways to cope with it. sometimes they work, sometimes they dont? but whenever the time comes and im just sitting at a brick wall, i got some survival tips

1. come up with random silly ideas,, it could be anything: random words, phrases, scenarios. they can be as nonsensical as you want them to be. during art blocks, my mind is completely dry with ideas, so i always try to compile a list of ideas from the past so i can come back to them later on. i try to come up with random duos or something as simple as “mcdonalds date”. i might not work on these now, but maybe some random lil word can spark that creativity in me

heres my art ideas list… i have some ideas that are like 8 months old in there BGAHSGA, but i save em there till i feel like working on them

2. STRUGGLE DOODLES!! i like to make a bunch of doodles of random scenes that i think about in my head. doodle practically anything. your favorite person, favorite animal, something you see outside your window, frogs?

heres a few of mine. most of the time, i NEVER get to finishing them. however, during art blocks sometimes i like to go back to really old, incomplete guidelines and add some new, random addition to it. sometimes i forget what my sketches were exactly meant to be? and i guess thats the fun about interpreting stuff and giving things a new spin to them. during art blocks, i HATE trying to come up with new drawings from a blank canvas (since i dont even have any ideas to begin with). but working on old wips, or completely revising them? sometimes these can be super fun :]

[and bonus tip!! and this is like, a golden tip that everyone loves: going back to super old drawings and redrawing them!! its my favorite. i absolutely love seeing the improvement ive made over the years. its also pretty easy to work with since you dont have to stress about coming up with completely new ideas from a blank slate! GAHH i should do that more often.]

3. search up your favorite fanart, go on pinterest, anything. i love this one.

search up some really cool photos of outfits, aesthetic backgrounds?? i find myself searching up a lot of fanart of fandoms im in, any word with “aesthetic” at the end, casino aesthetic, anything! pinterest has always been my go-to platform to find ideas. i go on the app and not even a second in, im blown with all of this cool art n character designs. i have a problem saving almost everything i find into my boards, but at least i saved a chock-full of ideas i can work with. :)

a thing about me: ive never been the type to try and force my art block out. whenever im facing a block, its extremely difficult for me to come up with things on my own. sometimes i let it wait for a while, but that tends to take a REALLY long time. D: if i dont feel like drawing, or doodling, or really doing anything? i always like scrolling through really pretty photos. that tends to spark a small idea in me i can work with, and sometimes i manage to get out of art block from there. it starts out small, then over time it gets even better.

these photos especially gave me WAY more motivation than i ever had to draw wilbur during an art block moment. i started off making small random doodles of him in a neon city and over time it kinda turned into a fixation for neon cities. i LOVE imagining characters in random photos i find on pinterest.

wishing you the bestest in your art journey!! this crap’s tough but i know you can break it yo. thank you so much for the ask!

feel free to reblog and add your own ideas below :] i was only able to come up with a few, but if youd like to add on, go right ahead! /noforce

[mazyb0i]

Other RnM fans?

Rick n Morty fan creator/artist here, trying to make friend brohs with ppl who are also obsessed with the show. I have a hard time reaching out due to my anxiety. (proshippers DNI)

tldr; you're also a neurodivergent queer artist nutjob that makes crackpipe art an shitposts, heavily kins a character at one point or another, and we should be friends because we can be insane together LMFAO

Fav show ships: BP x Rick all day, (I love flesh curtains, and their dynamic is just so yes... I...) Morty x Alaska (i named the vat of acid gf Alaska because the Alaska trip..) Summer x that one girl... Morticia X Jessica, Rickcest/ Rick selfcest is aight, I obsess over Miamicop. I think selfcest in cloning / multiuniverse theory is harmless, but don't come at me with any of that proshipper/inc3st/rickorty shit. I will block you, report you, and put you on a DNI beware list; this is a threat & a warning. That shit is never EVER ok.

if we become friends/wanna know about;

I'm diagnosed Audhd, I'm a transmasc demiboy, I like to be referred to as nonbinary and a transgender male with He/They pronouns. Panromantic Demisexual.

I'm a rick kinnie, just means I identify with rick, in another universe I could be him XD, I relate to him, we share the same personality literally (ENTP 7w8); he's my self identifying comfort character. But my big interest with this show/comic is probably due to some kind of autistic hyper fixation and imprintation.

Hobbies: Crafting, Digital illustration, Fursuit /Costume making, Youtube, 3D designing, Making silly video skits, Writing, Character design, Shit posting, Creating ai voice bots for fun n fandom purposes (will make le memes), Trying to be a youtuber like Imbrandonfarris and Britany Broski, collecting stuff, VRchat, Collecting fluffy soft shit like stuffies, pillows, blankets, and hoodies. I SLEEP IN A NEST OF ALL OF THESE

Personality?: Chaotic, Unhinged, Tired and fed up with this shit, All the Energy AND NO ENERGY, I'm so tired please god help me, i'm an enigma. Ambiverted. If ur looking for a cool crazy cat dude broh who draws weird ass digital art and is always tired but jacked on coffe, adderall, and Naproxen i'm your guy.... :'}

I do alot of art and have alot of burnouts due to my adhd- I've been told I'm  innovative, clever, and expressive. I can jury-rig your glasses easily with a paperclip if you're screw comes out and loose frames causes the lens to pop. I'm very detail and idea-oriented, i come up with thousands of ideas, questions, and theories. Because of this, I tend to come up with one idea after another without actually going forward with plans and actions because i get so overwhelmed with my massive brain XD

Even tho I'm socially awkward, I love people, I want to make friends. I like being alone a lot but I hate feeling lonely. :C When I get to know you I'm very very chatty; as long as I'm not too tired or piled with heaps of assignments. I would say I'm pretty laid-back and easy to get along with, I get so stuck up in my personal world up in my head that I lose sight of important things around me, I blame the adhd. I'm an observer, I like to watch and see how things happen, I am a very hands on person.

I'm constantly learning, i love science with a passion. I got hyperfixated on evolution of different animal clades a while back. I am immensely curious and focused on understanding how the world operates and functions. I'm looking for mental and intellectual stimulation, lettuce skip casual conversation about wheather- whats your favorite dinosaur? (fuck ignore my dyslexia) and before you say a pterodactyl let me stop you right there- they aren't dinosaurs. if you like understanding the world through learning various things about science, technology, or culture, I'm your guy. but I'm also just a silly hoo hoo aah smart ass.

god this is finally done... I've been writing this for an hour......

[hazbean-hotel-imagines]

hey! i’m an INFP bisexual transman here for a matchup:) i can be kind of awkward at first, but after a bit i love opening up and talking about my special interests and getting to know people; talking about music and media, showing them my art or writings, and just sharing a space. i like to make people laugh and am down to hit the club or just chill with a comfortable night in. i have my own share of trauma and anxieties that im trying to work through. i’d say i have a grunge aesthetic but im also definitely a nerd, too. just a dude who’s vibin’ and trying to get by. thanks for doing these matchups, they’re so fun!

Matchup

I pair you with…

~ I’m glad you like these matchups!! They’re feeding my hyperfixation and I reallyyy missed writing!! Anyway!

~ Okay, I can see you and Ozzie being so compatible.

~ Firstly, he really appreciates art. The best person to be a proofreader, or see a finished art piece. He’s not only so appreciative, he’ll give specifics on what he likes. “This was super successful here,” is a common phrase he’ll use before going on to elaborate. Anyway, he doesn’t just say he likes something, he says what he likes and why in great detail.

~ Ozzie helps you navigate your traumas and anxieties healthily. He really puts work into understanding this part of you, removing all triggers as best he can, and he’s super open to listening to you vent.

~ You understand his energy. You’re seen going to clubs and public outings with him, while also domestic enough to appreciate simple dates at home, like making a nice dinner and starting a new tv series. Ozzie just digs that you’re able to understand both sides of him; his party side, and his domestic side.

~ This all makes me think you guys would make a great friends to lovers trope. You understand Ozzie, and he shows that he understands you.

I pair you with…

~ I’m not sure why. But you know that one trope where’s there’s a dude whose special interest is their partner?? Cherri Bomb to you. I won’t elaborate on this, because I don’t know how, but I’m confident in this trope here. I’m not sure how but I am.

~ I feel like Cherri’s one of those people to be really into like having art in her apartment. You make anything? It’s on her fridge or wall. She loves everything you make.

~ Loves hearing about your special interests, and will get into them too so she understands you better. You mention a fandom? She’s googling ships while you talk. “Ohhh these ones look hot, who are these two?”

~ I feel like while she’s definitely a partier, I’ve said this before, she loves being all domestic and winding down at the end of the night. Cuddle pile with a blanket and pillow nest!!

~ Loves taking you out so she can show you off.

~ Definitely someone who appreciates music and media. Keeps up to date with popular things and her own niches. Cherri would love not only hearing you talk about your interests, but bring her own into play and be just super excited to talk about music. She’s someone who loves not only music and media, but appreciates the artists behind it, I bet she’s the type to have notifications set for news outlets that regularly cover updates on her favourites.

I pair you with…

~ Introvert adopted by extrovert trope!!

~ Vortex loves awkward. Will listen to you talk about your hyper fixations and be genuinely invested. Will also hit you with questions to elaborate so he can really get an idea of what you’re putting out. Pleasantly surprised when you begin to open up.

~ Will take you to parties, outings with friends, etc. He’s more a casual boyfriend, less sweep you off your feet and more peaceful coexistence. Love language is definitely quality time.

~ Regarding traumas and anxieties, Vortex is the best person to help you practically forget about them. If he notices you’re having a bad day and need a pick me up, he effortlessly cheers you up so well it’s hard to even realize he’s doing it. Distracts you with all of your favourite things, drinks, snacks, movies or shows, you name it.

~ Vortex lets you choose when you’re ready to vent or need to share, but until then, he effortlessly ensures that you’re always happy. Despite his casual demeanour, he’s always someone who just takes to people really well, especially you.

Alternate pairing…

Charlie

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hey Bpp! Heads up for incoming rant.

I have been army for 2 years now and this is my very first experience of being in a fandom. It’s extremely overwhelming at times. This fandom is way too emotional. While I strongly feel that what we see is genuine (excluding lives which I believe are totally genuine), it also seems very obviously strategic. They know the pulse of army and know what they would respond to. I feel played at times but that is also something I should work on personally. Sometimes I do feel like I was better of not getting so involved, just listening to their music and be on my way, not wait to hear how they are personally doing etc. I do know why I got so intensely invested in BTS, especially Jimin, coz I was a 33 yo woman living alone away from friends and family and they filled a void I didn’t realize there was, and Jimin is a source of great comfort and calmness to me. But it’s a struggle to keep emotions out of it and just appreciate them as artists. They are not my friends or family, we would never meet or cross paths, but I find myself thinking and worrying about them. I wish I can reprogram my mind to be a bit detached emotionally, but maybes that will come with time.

I applaud your efforts to be a voice of reason among the overly emotional folks or extreme fanatics. Thanks for everything you do.

Rant over :-D

***

I'm not actually trying to be a voice of reason. Just FYI. I'm not trying to persuade or convince anyone here.

My thing is, my entry into k-pop was more incidental/benign so I didn't 'fall down the rabbit hole' the way most people do these days, but I have seen most people get into the genre via that way and after a while, after seeing this happen over and over for almost 20 years, it's become clear to me that there's a very predictable pattern for what people become after they enter fandom. People who become OT7 were always going to be that, same with akgaes, and it has nothing to do with Jimin, Jung Kook, how the fandom treats either of them, or HYBE (BigHit)... though these people would swear some external force is the reason they were once jikookers but no longer are. They might believe the reasons they give, but based on the sorts of questions someone asks, the sorts of things they fixate on, I can predict 9 times out of 10 what they are, and it's only a matter of time before they confirm it.

In your case Anon, I enjoyed reading your ask but I suggest you go with your gut. Take very frequent breaks from this space.. This doesn't necessarily apply to you but some people shouldn't be in k-pop fandoms; just as it's fine for some people to drink but for a subset of people it can become a fatal weakness, and just as some people can use cannabis recreationally but for a subset of people it becomes a destructive dependency/addiction. You already have the right idea in rationing your k-pop fandom exposure. Most of the people here, really shouldn't be. I hope you find a balance that works for you soon.

[jittyjames]

so late to this, but! for the ask game!! 5, 13 (bc i need to read more fics in both hamilton and jcs lmao), and 16!

5. i think my writing has improved a lot since i first posted mine to subdue. i think i've grown more confident with knowing what i want to say and how i want to say it. i might be wrong, but i think i've developed a style that is consistent which i'm very proud of. i basically improved on the smoothness of writing, too, i think (i could be so wrong). i basically improved all of this just by working nonstop, and writing every chance i get. i do want to write different things every now and again. i feel like my works can get repetitive very quickly, and often that's what stops me from posting if i think a fic is too similar to something i've already done, or someone else has written something under the same premise. so that's kind of what i'm working on. i want to be able to bring something fresh and unique, so i'm trying to work on expanding my vocabulary a bit more and think of new ideas.

13. oooo this is so good. first and foremost i will say, i believe fic writers (And fan artists naturally) are what keep fandoms and my fixations on them alive, so these fics have greatly impacted me in that way, and the excellence of them inspires me to keep writing and keep going. for hamilton, i have read the fics for years. i've been on ao3, fanfiction.net, and wattpad since practically the beginning. i remember when there was <100 posted on ao3. like it goes so far back. sons of libertea by fihli was my favorite fic when i was thirteen and what really got me into reading hardcore for hamilton. i haven't read it in a long time so i don't know if it holds up, but i'm sure it does. so that one is really iconic for me, and i know it was really popular at the time. i've talked about it before but the monticello furlough was a game changer for me. anything by holograms is brilliant and i die every time. and it's not just bc y'all are my pallys and kiddos, but @youreverydaydemikid @cecescomposition @fireballdance, the fics y'all write literally have me dropping whatever i'm doing to read what you post. it's so so good. like it's genuinely consistently good work that i squeal over every time. also @binch-i-might-be is an absolute icon that has kept the fandom fed for a good few years. there have also been numerous fanfics that have been deleted over the years that i adored, so we will have a moment of silence for them, but alas, it's the price i have to pay for being in a fandom that became "cringe culture" and made everyone delete their work even if it was really good.

NOW FOR JCS. it is such a small fandom, but that does not mean there is any lack of wonderful content. OBVIOUSLY, i will start by recommending anything by @solarflicker. their work is genuinely jaw dropping and i die every time. their characterizations are so good, and their stories are so well written. i could not recommend them enough. if i had to choose one, though, it would have to be judecca. like that one is one i reread practically every week. but as i said, all of them are so good. you would be doing yourself a disfavor by skipping any of them. @ohsoldier is so so good too. their good omens au is chef's kiss. picking up the palm fronds by @hobgoblinns is also very very good. beserk's jcs fics are also golden little au's that are so so good!! they have like a reincarnation au that i adore. another good reincarnation au that i love is that's what you had (but you don't have it anymore) by zartbitterpoetin. this one is so unique and well written. like it's so creativeeee. those are all a bit angsty BUT there's a really cute coffee shop fic (i think it has smut in it so be careful youngins) but it's the fic that all the people not in the fandom find and it blows their minds that people ship jesus/judas lmaooo. but it's called i'm falling for brew by framblebee. NOW I'VE RAMBLED ON THIS QUESTION FOR FAR TOO LONG SO I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH ONE MORE. you have to have an account to view it, but it is the 2012 revival fic (once again i think it had a tad bit of smut so watch for that) but so tonight that i might see by altzfic is amazing. like honestly there are so many good fics out there. it's crazy how talented people are in both of these fandoms. i could go on for ages, but i will end the rant here.

(i could genuinely make a long post of just fic recommendations for both fandoms and it would be longer that this. it's just so good.) (lemme know if y'all want that. it would take a while to collect all the links, but i would gladly boost the fics i love)

16. the worst writing advice i've ever been given was to delete everything and start over if you get stuck. my storage might hate me, but i've learned i regret very much if i delete my work. even if i don't use something in the fic i originally wrote it for, i could always use it somewhere else or expand on it and make it it's own thing. another bad piece of advice i got was never use flowery language. i resent that. i loathe that. i am a writing maximalist, my dears. i will make my writing as longwinded and drawn out as possible.

[streaminn]

just wanted to show appreciation to you! you’re genuinely so insanely talented and I really enjoy your art or the writing snippets you give us! so many of your au ideas have become some of my fav little stories and if you were to ever develop them into bigger stories, know I would be hyping you up 💯

idk I just appreciate there being someone who gives Enid love and puts her in all these diff scenarios. she became one of my fav characters & tbh idk how but I think that’s just Emma Myers power tbr!!

wish there were more Enid centric creators just because I have all these hcs of Enid & I really do love her character. I’m not a writer much less an artist but I think I might slowly try my hand at my own ideas one day. there is just so much potential that Enid has but not too many see it or at least not the way I do.

Sorry for the ramble but I needed to give you props and show love for all that you do on your blogs! hopefully we get to keep you in the fandom for a good while because you feed my Enid agenda like no other. Good luck w everything, school is definitely draining. so I hope your taking your breaks and eating well ☺️

MATE?? 🥹 YOU DIDNT GOTTA BE SO SWEET YKNOW BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH, I DIDNT EXPECT THIS MUCH SUPPORT WHEN I DECIDED TO INDULGE IN MY CRACK SO THIS IS ALL REALLY NEAT!!!

anyways, im glad someone is just like me. I honestly got no idea what drew me to enid but i read one fanfic and my brain was like "thats the one, that's the one you're fixating on now" and here we are!

But oo? im always open to hearing thoughts and hcs of enid!! do send them over if you got some, always willing to explore more of her character after all

so no worries about the rambles, long asks are appreciated and its always a joy to hear yalls thoughts! I too hope i stay in the fandom for a while because its genuinely really fun to fuck around and see what else my mind can think off

thanks for the goodluck bud, i hope your days go well and that you eat and have breaks too!

[tunapesto]

whos ur art inspo, if u have one? And what inspires you to draw in general? :3

WOWWW 1st one is a bit difficult to answer so I'll get the 2nd one out of the way. Long answers ahead I like to ramble

I honestly don't have like, a clear cut inspiration to draw. it's just a skill I've known all my life and thought, "might as well" whenever I have any interests. it's an important one to me though, it helps me express my thoughts and feelings and interests, and has helped me connect with many people over the years that I don't know what I'd do if I never met them. The internet has helped in that greatly, and it's also another source of income which is nice. I'm a very simple person, art and drawing is one of my ways to live not just financially but socially. it's a big part of myself and that's why I keep going- who am I if I didn't, you know?

as for artists that inspire me... I'm not really one to look at classical artists hahaha, of I'm sorry if that disappoints. I probably should but it's never piqued my interest aside from my general opinion that classical artists are cool and I like to study them every now and then, no specific piece is a favorite though.

I just get inspired by anything I locally come by, i.e the internet most of the time. It also depends on whatever media I currently fixate on. Before, I usually focused on one media at a time because of neurodivergency I think, but now I'm on the complete opposite end of that where I consume multiple media at once to prevent a single thought. It's cool to have ideas and concepts and inspirations crossover each other, it's fun

anyhow, I find my fave artists through fandom and just general socmed algorithms . I'll start w the ones on tumblr (note that some are also on twitter lol) a lot of artists inspire me but I'll be listing out the big ones for the most part

daneesoro has just. very good linework and it inspires me a lot. knows how to put weight on the right parts of drawing and good animations. kny mostly, fem giyuu afficionado. very swag!

ohrsoh I found through mp100 but draws a lot of other stuff like drhdr iirc. similar to daneesoro in how they inspire me, just good drawings all around

taffypointby is a Big inspo in terms of art style and colors. good ideas and incredible execution that really scratches ur brain u know. variety content as well but I found through jjk and wha I believe

twitter time

elodeas is mainly genshin, Incredible color and renderwork it's insane. she just has good stuff all in all

diinnple yet Another big inspo ahhhh, variety content. really cute art style and I learned a few tricks on ibis from. just gorgeous works w lovely drawings

samzalong has an upcoming comic which I highly recommend following up on if you're interested in horror elements. mostly oc stuff. colors are soooo good and art style is very charming and I adore it

galoogamelady , mostly ocs I believe. art is just very humorous and I adore how facial expressions are done in their art

tunneisnakes... mostly horror , sometimes oc sometimes not. found through resident evil stuff. facial expressions, details, color, texture, concepts, everything... just good stuff all around!!! if u like horror and creepy stuff they're an incredible artist for it

pomsteak , a mutual of mine hehehe . really pretty linework and drawings and colors are amazing too . gives me a lot of anime nostalgia w their art style but it's got its own spin on it, very charming and lovely. mostly fandom, found through genshin but they do jjba too iirc! please check em out o7

nymria has very gorgeous art with a mostly warm color palette I enjoy, and they are mostly of women (I love women!) cutesy art style and it makes me feel like I just got shot by cupid and I'm flying in circles. good stuff

there are many others but I'm also largely inspired by a lot of artists that are on the r18 side haha , stylization of anatomy and colors are hard. but I cannot recommend those since this blog isn't really focused on that age range and I wouldn't want to send people who aren't their target audience on their way

[autisticempathydaemon]

This is for the matchups! :D

I’m sorry in advance for how much I typed personality quizzes/questionaires are my weakness. Thank you sm in advance if you decide to do this!!

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

song ✧.*

Fragile by Laufey! I wont call myself a hopeless romantic but listening to her songs makes me want that romance like oh my god?? It’s also really fun to sing (the only times i sing is either in the shower or if im screaming songs in the car w/ my sister)

My fav lines are:

Grew up in a case of fragile glass

But hammer away it's time to crash

And as it shatters let me shatter into you

(also the whole chorus 100%)

enneagram ✧.*

9w1! Very accurate since I hate any form of conflict and I’m a huge people pleaser in general. Also my MBTI is ISFJ!

video essays ✧.*

YES. My main form of entertainment now since I cannot find the brain capacity to get invested into a show. My go-tos are usually j aubrey (random social media scandals) or Wendigoon (horror, disturbing content icebergs)! Sometimes I watch social commentary like Jordan Theresa and Shansphere for funsies too. And if this counts I watch reviews/summaries of random books or games I’m really curious about but don’t have enough motivation to start?? Also media analysis (my current favorites are Night In The Woods and Midsommar essays). 

childhood imaginary friend ✧.*

I didn’t have one sadly but I was super into Undertale as a child LMAO

falling asleep ✧.*

It used to be random YouTubers (mostly storytime animators) or clip montages of shows I was fixated on but ever since I’ve discovered Redacted it’s only been sleep aids. My fave is the Milo one it knocks me out everytime. I’m always either holding my green dinosaur plushie or my bee plushie that’s shaped really wonky. 

name change ✧.*

Iris! I’m personally a sucker for flower names and flowers in general (I fucking love flowers oh my god). 

fave audio ✧.*

Bowling with the bois! I love the DAMN squad with all my heart and Gavin messing w/ Lasko is the funniest shit ever.

least favorite char (kinda) ✧.*

I’m really new to this fandom so I haven’t gotten the chance to listen to alot of characters (also thank you for your ‘new to the fandom post’ I’m so well fed now). There might be a chance I don’t know the character you pair me with but if I don’t know him I’ll definetely listen to his playlist! But if I had to choose I’d choose Ivan?? I’m only going off of the very brief time he was in Freelancer S1 so I know nothing

word for word ✧.*

Inside Job!!! Everyday I get sad over the fact Netflix cancelled it. 

platonic ✧.*

Asher! He’s just so sweet (the way he comforted babe on the elevator when they first met oh my god) and we’d definetely be gossip buddies. It’s funny because I got into the fandom for Asher and immedietely got sidetracked.

tired rambling ✧.*

I don’t ramble but I will laugh at almost anything. Like my humor gets 100x more broken.

gas station ✧.*

Starbux mocha coffee in those little glass bottles. I also get sour gummy worms and Haribo.

favorite playlist ✧.*

either my laufey playlist or fem rock artists playlist (destroy boys, sir chloe, etc!)

guilty pleasure ✧.*

Redacted. Fanfics too but I’m not that guilty abt those

anything else ✧.*

☆ Super introverted but if I’m with another introvert I’m able to be outgoing to a degree. All of my friendships consist of extroverts adopting me

☆ I prefer listening way more than talking

☆ I’m either thinking of 1920213 things per second or cannot think for the life of me

☆ Airheaded?? Lacking common sense in general

☆ I draw and play the guitar!

☆ I have too many plushies

☆ At first impression I’m super reserved but as time goes on I get more unhinged 

☆ Very easily distracted

☆ Sensitive but I don't outwardly show it

Hmmmm… I like you. I think you could work well with a lot of people and make them quite happy. However, something in my gut likes best the idea of you with Anton.

Your MBTI, Enneagram, and self-description give me the impression of a really sweet person inclined to fairness, introversion, mediation, and good vibes in general. Maybe that’s why you fit so well with Anton; he also has this chill, no-drama vibe of just trying to live a good life being himself, being with you, and being happy. Lowkey, I’m assuming you went with the pacifist route in Undertale first and maybe only. That’s fitting given I think Anton would take the same route (if he were a video game person which I don’t think he is. If anything, he’s a Tetris man.)

I think you have a really peaceful, stable life together- at least, once he gets back from his secluded, secret lab, of course. It’s a sweet life of Anton bringing you flowers randomly because he drove by the store or farmer’s market and wanted you to know he was thinking of you. He marvels constantly at your creativity, always loving watching you draw and play guitar, getting your favorite songs to play stuck in his head. Maybe he has you record some so he can listen to them when he misses you; that’d be really sweet.

Song:

I was just guessing at numbers and figures/ Pulling the puzzles apart/ Questions of science, science and progress/ Do not speak as loud as my heart/ But tell me you love me, come back and haunt me/ Oh and I rush to the start

This is such a “gimme” song and yet I don’t care! One, this is a super singable, sweet song that I can imagine translates well to a guitar. (I say imagine because I know nothing about guitar, please forgive me.) Two, scientist. Technician. I need not say more. Three, it’s a lovely, mournful song that, I think, is kind of about a break up but could also reasonably be about long distance and forced separation. It’s perfect.

Runner-ups:

Your runner-ups are really fun because you could make fun couples or a throuple! I like Damien for you because he’s a Type Six in my opinion, and they’re supposed to make really lovely matches with Type Nines. (This is me and my best friend so confirmed.) I also like Huxley for you because he has a lot of similar traits to you but just more extroverted. Also, plants. Together, you could make a beautiful triangle.

note: Thank you so much for waiting! October was a dickhead to me that delayed yours and the ones after you a lot, so you are so much appreciated~! If you haven’t listened to Anton yet, I highly recommend him, he’s so sweet

Read this post and send me an ask if you’d like a match-up of your own! 💌

[oksullen]

I SAW U ON MY NOTIFS OMG ITS BEEN SO LONG HOW ARE YOU??

I don’t know why I just saw this omg!! I’ve been good :) I’ve been working a lot and busy with classes and just everything else life has to offer 😂

Willow is almost 2 years old now!! and she’s gotten so big and she’s been much more well behaved too!!

I’ve been on and off Tumblr and usually just go on to read some stuff on my favorite fandoms which surprisingly there isn’t a lot of the things im looking for!! I’ve really taking a liking to My Hero Academia but specifically 3 characters- Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and Stain which there is like NO new content on them!! I haven’t finished the anime yet since im more of a manga reader than an anime watcher 😔

but more on Best Jeanist- I have become addicted to his character 😭 I’ve rebranded some of my usernames to him and I have a collection of merchandise of him on my shelf!! It started as a joke but it’s not a joke anymore!! same with Stain and Edgeshot, but most of my money has gone to Best Jeanist. I’m so sad there’s not much content on him, I say I’ll just write my own but that isn’t true- LOL but that’s ok, I can just use my free time to think of silly little scenarios of him in my head!!

Here’s a picture of my current anime collection, it’s slightly outdated but you get the idea:

Not pictured is a couple One Piece things since I’ve really started to like One Piece again and a couple plushies including a plushie of Shinsuke Kita from Haikyuu because he will always be my favorite (and Tsukishima too!! remember when my user was kaleshima!!)

I’ve always been taking a liking to making an OC and just my oc overall!! She’s mainly a MHA oc with a freaky blood/guts/gore manipulation power (it’s kind dark but I think it’s cool) and omg she’s taken up so much of my time and brain space, I feel like I’ve done more in depth creation of her than of myself 😂 I’ve also been buying a lot of art commissions of her!! I’ll attach a few images below, but I like talking about her so much that if I end up coming back here I might do some writing for her since I’d love someone or some place to talk about her :) all credits to the locket artists, I don’t think any of them have Tumblr though-: (the first image is her with Best Jeanist and the last is her with Stain!!)

I also have gotten into JJK but im still new to it, only watching the first couple episodes and reading the leaks 😭 which is a GREAT way to start omg

Also, don’t you love it when old hyper fixations come back??!??! yeah, that’s me right now with Mortal Kombat!! I’ve been a fan for almost 10 years now and the new game is so good!! and the characters omg… they made them so good 😍 thankfully Tumblr has a lot on them!!

but other than some things coming and going there hasn’t been a lot of new stuff in my life but compared to last year my mood and health has been so much better which is a win in my eyes, plus im starting to like a new guy which is good because I got my heart absolutely shattered little over a year ago and I swear I thought I was never going to recover, but recovery is possible and I give myself a lot of credit for the things I’ve done despite life seemingly staying the same.

I hope to move out of my parents house soon and continue my education further and my social life and all that but ik that won’t happen until a few years which seems like forever but seeing how 2023 has gone by so fast, I have a feeling it’s going to come quicker than it seems

I always say I want to come back to writing on this app and honestly I am in need of a new hobby because yeah listening to music is great but it doesn’t get you far!! which by the way, also a hyper fixation, bands and music and all that- I am really big into Nirvana right now and plan on dressing up as the lead singer Kurt Cobain for Halloween- which is funny I am dressing up because for the first time I have no plans for Halloween!! I’ll probably just bake some goodies and watch scary movies. How is Halloween celebrated where you are, if at all? American culture is so funny- and it’s funny because America doesn’t have much culture, it’s just one big melting pot which makes it unique

Speaking of music, my favorite artists are probably Nirvana (which is a band) and so is Radiohead, Weezer, The Smiths, Ghost, and Korn (which are rock/metal bands, I really recommend them if you’re into that!!) but I also really like Melanie Martinez, Lana Del Rey, Mitski, Alex G, and a couple other solo artists (fun fact, I went to many concerts over the summer including Melanie and Weezer- they were so good!!) what kind of music do you listen to? any you recommend?!

Half way typing this too, I thought of the idea of coming back to Tumblr to write not just drabbles on my current hyper fixations but maybe some life advice and psychology stuff, I have a way with words and advice and all that even though I am considered “to young to know all this” but I see it as both good and bad having an old soul at a young age- and not to say I am a little child either, but I haven’t even been on this earth for 20 years yet, soon enough though

That all being said, I feel like a huge chapter of my life is coming to a wrap up soon and I am excited to start the new one!! I’ve been on this app forever even though I technically shouldn’t have had Tumblr as a pre-teen but hey, we all start somewhere!!

How have you been? Anything new and exciting? Or maybe something you’ve learned? I’ve been trying to learn new hobbies and I’ve started to really dig into what I want to do as a career since I have to really decided soon (I am doing community college right now which is a free 2-3 year schooling opportunity to earn credits before you go off and study a minor or major- not sure if you have that where you live and if you do it’s still probably different)

Anyways I want to study business and business management since I have taken a liking to running/leading an organization/group and coming up with marketing ideas for various groups I spend my time in- including theatre!! I have a local theatre group I work in backstage and I am the stage manager this year which is great since I want to going into management

It’s “late” where I am- actually it’s just 9:30 but I go to bed early especially when I have things to do the next day 😔 I’ll probably just use the excuse I am tired to run to Starbucks and spend my money like I always do. I really have become addicted to Starbucks and it’s only going to worsen as “Capitalism Christmas” comes next

Holidays are so silly to me too, I don’t really enjoy them because they’ve always seemed to cheesy and not like they “advertise” but I hope to make the best of it this year, even if it just ends up being me working that day and then coming home to my dog. What Holidays do you enjoy? Any certain traditions or events you’re looking forward to?

I’ve written down most of my thoughts and this has been the most I’ve written in ages!! Maybe I should answer more asks from now on to get myself into the writing kick!! 😂

I hope you’ve been well and I hope we can talk more soon!! I totally just remembered we have each other on discord too!! I changed my user to @bestkaleist (Best Jeanist reference) so if you’re confused as to who that is, it’s me!!

wishing you all the well!! 🥬

[x-authorship-x]

Hi Torship 💛 you have ficd for Tokoyami (mha) and Shisui, assuming they're your series favs... What other favs do you have? I don't know if you love any character like you love shisui tho? ;D hard to imagine

Have a good day/night!

Hey, Anon!

I have a lot of series that I like, fandoms that I browse over like popping your head in a gallery to admire the view and not read the labels, but only a few characters I am pretty hardcore for...!

Shisui

We been knew. I don't really know how I found myself quietly determined to dominate his character tag but life works in mysterious ways. He was a possible love interest for my SIOC back in the day and then... We spiralled, massively. I liked his character so much that I turned to my Beta one day and said 'why isn't there a Shisui time travel fic, one thats simple but impactful?' and she shrugged and told me why I didn't try my hand at it myself, and that's how In The Eye of the Beholder started. The first of...many. I think we're at around 20 Shisui-centric fics posted? And endless ideas 🤡 The OG blorbo

Obi (Akagami no Shirayuki/AnS)

Oh my god Obi. You guys don't realise everything I have bottled up inside of me, but Obi gets me almost at the same level as Shisui, I just never posted much. The AnS fandom is smaller and idk in a weird way I'd feel more out of place there because, with Naruto fics, you're kinda sheltered by the crowd? We all deal with self consciousness, I guess. Obi unlocks something in me. Like with Shisui, I can ship him with almost anyone because I'm ace and romance is nice to read but not the end of the world, you know? It's always going to be a platonic relationship that rules my fics, I can't help it. But Obi? His love for Shirayuki just turns me into this puddle of emotionally complicated goo 😵

For Bnha....

You're not wrong that there's a reason that Tokoyami ended up as my first character-centric foray into this fandom, but it's not at all the same as the previous two. I have a lot of loves in BnHa. Ochako, Momo, Kirishima, Todoroki, Dabi, Hawks, Mirko, Best Jeanist, Ingenium (Tensei), and I have a protective streak a mile wide for Tamaki (I have a lot of thoughts, on...all of it tbh) but I'm very happy to rotate across basically the whole cast from BnHA because a good fic is a damn good fic! And the artists are also extremely talented~

Narutoverse

I want to swing by Narutoverse again, just to reiterate that I may be welded to Shisui but I do love a massive number of characters, mainly the idea/potential of them than canon reality (as in most cases, I'm not a "love letter to canon" author) but it's a love all the same. Tobirama, Gai, Lee, Tsunade, Kakashi (squad 2 tbh, i picked my favs for that group), and I've grown so much fonder of other characters that I never paid much mind to (mainly Uchiha or Akatsuki etc) as just a reader!

Other fandoms

I'm... I'm a binge reader without much in the way of pickiness for a lot of fandoms. Les Mis, MCU, HP, LotR/Hobbit (I'm not even loyal to Aragorn/Arwen, this is how flexible I am in the face of good fandom content).

I have a huge preference for BAMF Din, I had to stop watching season three of the mandalorian because it was frustrating me so much lol

My favorite PJO character by a long long shot is Percy

I get annoyed when I remember that they didn't make the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movies a polytriad

I'm Merlin trash in the year 2023

I'm too scared to start One Piece 🥴

If I had the time, memory space, and energy to swallow Star Wars lore, I would write a huge fic where Finn is the protagonist. No hate to any character but I want what I want

I think I'm running out of fandoms and, therefore, character fixations 😂 you're right tho, Anon, that I don't exactly have a designated 'Shisui' level of love in each fandom!

Thank you! Have a good day/night too✨

[plumbus-central]

How did you develop your art style? Like how did you find your own voice in your art?

Oh what an interesting question, I never expected to asked abt my art!

Honestly i took a while to think abt this question, and I think a lot i've done about developing my own art style came from seeing things i liked in other people's art and copying it lol.

For instance when i was in the [REDACTED] fandom when i was a young teen there was a very popular artist who used gradients in their work to add depth and color and i liked it a lot, so i started doing it in my work too.

A few years ago i started following an artist and really liked their work bc they had such a strong grasp of color, shape, gesture, and line. And they used these strong, thick lines to fill out the form of their work, but i noticed that the lines often didn't touch and that it didn't matter bc you could still understand and make out the form of whatever they drew just fine. So i decided to stop worrying abt MY lines touching either lol. which is how i ended up with those sort of ghost constructions of figures and shapes i do sometimes.

I can vividly remember seeing a comic on tumblr ONCE where i saw a character have just a line for a mouth that went off their face and i just stared at that panel for a while trying to figure out why i liked it so much lol until i realized it was their expression that i liked. So i kept that in my head, and a few years later i realized that i had started using it in my art too.

Another aspect that has influenced my art is exploring other media and being challenged by my own interests. Like when i was a teen i was very into steven universe and my own ocs. which was fine but didn't challenge me too much artistically. Then in college i got into bojack horseman, and specifically my favorite character was herb kazzaz, a short, fat man with a beard. Completely out of my comfort zone to draw, but i wanted to draw him so bad! so i figured it out!

(some of u might actually be familiar w/ my boajck horseman sideblog @hambone-fakenameington , it hasnt been updated in a while cause im on that rick and morty shit right now lol). But now i have to skills to draw these things by way of my interests in the character.

My fixation with rick and morty was actually so strong at first that i was drawing like crazy, which eventually taught me to focus on and hone my skills with gesture, thumbnailing, and composition bc i wanted to draw so many ideas at once that i couldn't spend too long on each one. (and it also gave me lots of practice). Thanks to my interest in R&M ive also developed skills in drawing very skinny bodies lol, but also on pushing expressions and gestures to extremes that i never used to!

Hell even just trying to figure out how to take features and details from characters in something and translate them into YOUR style can be a big learning and growing experience. (u can see in my old art it took me a while to get rick to look right)

So i guess the overall is that seeking out and consuming media is always important bc you can take a lot of inspiration from something without even realizing it. (honestly if ur feeling stagnant in ur art watching/reading something new can be a good way to jog ur brain). And taking a good look at the art you enjoy and trying to figure out WHY u like it, and what elements are stick out to u. Then seeing if you can bring those elements into ur own art and see if it's successful to u to explore it.

as far as voice goes um.... i guess what's become important to me is that u gotta know when to cut corners lol. like a hand doesn't ALWAYS need to be perfectly formed, like it can be a squiggle and it might even look better for it. sometimes loose and sloppy looks good for what ur doing and sometimes heavily defined and carefully lined work is necessary but i gotta remember that the clean art is built on the back of the sloppy studies. and stray lines, warped perspective, and unaligned facial elements can give a lot of character to a work that might otherwise seem bland and stiff.

thank you so much for the question it was fun to take a look at my work and reflect on how i got to what i have as a style now! R&M has honestly done A TON for my art style and drawing abilities that i didn't realize till now.

Also worth mentioning bc i forget how much of my life i share w/ you guys but i also have BFA in Illustration with a focus in Animation Arts and Sequential Art.

[the-pale-goddess]

Can you suggest ways to make friends in a fandom? Especially if someone is new to the fandom experience.

Sincere apologies for the delayed response, lovely Anon! I haven’t been contributing much to the fandom for quite some time, so I was very surprised and equally as touched by this ask. My heart is full whenever someone acknowledges my inconsistent presence on this hellsite, and I’m greatly honored that you came to me for advice 🥰

When I think of my beginnings in any fandom I have ever been in, I remember how overwhelmed I was at first—everyone seemed to be besties with each other, I didn’t know how to fit into this cool bunch of people. But that’s just a false impression! Tumbroke is a magical place where time and distance don’t exist, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a fandom granny or have just joined the fun. You’re always welcome here and making friends is much easier than it seems (and this is coming from an anxious mess of an awkward introvert kshkdhdkbd) All of us have the same purpose here: to have fun and obsess over *insert whatever you fixate on* ✨

The easiest way to make friends is simply interacting with others. Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts, everyone is eager to hear from you, I promise! Just be yourself and try to reach out to others in any way you feel comfortable with ❤️ Reblog/comment on the works you loved, reply to posts or make your own, send asks to those like-minded people you’d like to be friends with, engage in reblog games, etc. There are so many opportunities to start a conversation! Don’t get discouraged when you don’t get an immediate response—fandom is just a side gig, something we do when time and energy allow, everyone is busy with real life these days and most would never ignore you on purpose.

To me, the most efficient and wholesome way to bond with people is getting to know them personally through DMs. You may find something more than just a fandom friend to exchange blorbo ideas with. I was lucky to befriend some of the most wonderful individuals through DMs, so I wholeheartedly recommend this option ❤️

I’m not sure if you’re a creator or just vibing, but I cannot stress this enough: you don’t have to create content to make friends here, and writers/artists aren’t fandom celebrities. Everyone should be equal in the fandom. So try to find some genuine souls with a similar energy or shared HCs and make that first move. You won’t regret it ❤️

I hope that my response is going to be somewhat helpful and you’ll find your happy place in this little corner 🥰 I may rarely be here, but my DMs are always open for you!

[nightcolorz]

🦚🏳️‍⚧️🌈

Thank you for sending an ask!! Hoping and praying that this time my answers aren’t as long 😅

🦚 - Are there any queer books/shows/etc. that you would suggest?

Oh God, so many. Not going to state the obvious since we’re both Vampire Chronicles + Interview with the vampire focused blogs, lol. I’m going to narrow it down to two

Popular rec: Our Flag Means Death. genuinely everything I could want from a tv show hhhh. Perfect blend of comedy and genuine emotion and angst. This show fucks so hard! But everyone on tumblr’s watched it by now lol, so here’s smth nobody knows about.

Obscure rec: Everything’s going to be ok. I haven’t watched this show in a while but I remember after I did I was so mad about the lack of fandom or online attention haha. Extremely sweet and lighthearted, gives you all the warm and fuzzy feels. I remember the casual rep of lgbt ppl and autistic ppl blew my mind lol, might be the only show I’ve ever seen with multiple (canonical) queer autistic ppl in it.

🏳️‍⚧️ - What Flag do you think has the best color scheme?

Mmm, I’m gonna say the lesbian pride flag, gay man pride flag, and bi-gender pride flag have the nicest color schemes. I like the flags that look like an artist’s color palette.

🌈 - What's a Queer Identity, Experience or a piece of History you feel deserves more recognition? I hyper-fixated on researching the Hays Code for a while, and don’t see it referenced nearly enough when it comes to online debates about what is and isn’t acceptable to be portrayed in media, so imma go with that. If you don’t know the Hays Code was a list enforced from 1934-1968 that restricted what could be portrayed in Hollywood movies based on Catholic moral principles. There’s a lot of banned topics and I’m not going to go into them all, but the general gist of it was violence, profanity, sexuality, and any type of crime should never be portrayed in movies unless non ambiguously condemned. The belief behind it was that media had the power to make people do Bad Things so they need to be very careful in spelling out morals to audiences unless they get ideas. (Fun fact: the Hays code is why in old sitcoms couples often slept in separate beds. That’s how strict it was!) The reason I’m talking about this as “queer history” is bcus queerness of any kind was also forbidden under the Hayes code, “sexual perversions” weren’t allowed. Of course, unless, the queer person was the villain, and punished for their crimes. This is where queer coding originated from, particularly queer coded villains. Queer artists wanted to portray themselves and their communities in their work, and the only way to do that oftentimes was by “coding”. I think looking into the Hays code would be beneficial for some ppl online, bcus I oftentimes see ppl use actual Hays Code talking points on tumblr.com in the year 2023 sincerely and without self awareness and it’s hilarious.

thanks again!! These were fun to answer

[dereksmcgrath]

I think whining about black bars is silly–but removing them is necessary, along with other changes Square Enix can make for ease of use and payment, as well as diversifying reading options and catering beyond the gross fanservice crowd.

Manga Up is available for download on Android devices.

With so much manga already available, free or by subscription, on the Viz app, Square Enix has released recently their own app to read their collection of manga, old classics and newer works: Fullmetal Alchemist, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, My Dress-Up Darling, Soul Eater, The Case Study of Vanitas, and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon? 

The short version of my thoughts is summarized above: you get legal digital access, mostly for free, to some excellent reading options, across a range of age groups and genres, translated well into English. But when Viz has such a hold on current digital manga reading options with their mostly well-designed app, it’s hard not to see where Manga Up pales in comparison: the pricing on Viz is clearer while Square Enix’s app is a range of different and confusing options; chapters in the Viz app are organized as entire and complete chapters, while Square Enix breaks up some chapters into two or three parts. And, what has upset the silliest of people in this fandom the most, there are black bars everywhere to hide even the hint of nudity. 

I think I had heard earlier about Manga Up being available in Japan, but I had little idea it was going to be announced for United States access at San Diego Comic Con. I wasn’t in a rush to check it out–until I saw the first online reactions to the app, with users fixated on the silliest thing: the silly black censor bars that silly people obsess about in their silly reading. 

Is this all you’re reading the manga for? To see nudity? To ogle at naked characters? And, not to overlook how silly all of that is, some of what is on Manga Up is old enough that you probably already bought the volume, or can still buy it used, or can get it easily as an ebook–or, hell, you’re going to find a scanlation online, deprive Square Enix of their money out of some silly attempt to stick it to the big corporation, all in the name of keeping access to your pervy reading material. 

Yet, even as I whine about this silliness, I can’t ignore that, yeah, those black bars shouldn’t be there, because they are perpetuating sexism, misogyny, fetishizing, violence, and subpar crappy writing. 

Here at this link is the release Manga Up posted on July 27, 2022, in response to their “censorship”: 

In consideration of each mobile platform’s policies, some modifications were unavoidable to release the app to the whole world outside of Japan (this is not limited to only English-speaking countries). 

We are still in the early exploratory stages and will strive to improve while listening to your feedback. 

In the meanwhile, some of the content is available uncensored through other official streams, so please continue supporting the artists. 

Thank you for your patience. 

And if you saw the reactions online, yeah, the so-called fans were not happy, as they share image after image of silly black bars getting in the way of some manga panels. 

Seeing the screencaps people made from the app (and, for some reason, I couldn’t make those myself–the app says I don’t have permission to do so), the solution Square Enix came up with for obscuring nudity, or even just cleavage, were silly black bars. They stick out. They make the supposedly offensive material more obvious. They police primarily girls’ and women’s bodies, defeating the purpose of getting readers not to be titillated and only reinforcing a typical hetero male gaze (not ignoring any women-loving-women gaze or other gazes as well), while shaming primarily girls and women for having bodies rather than condemning the gaze itself. The bars obstruct artwork and get in the way of the narrative. 

And, hardly the most important detail, but one worth mentioning, they just feed the ego of those same red-hat rightwing fascist jackasses online in the replies to Manga Up’s statement, those fools who were red pilled by the same worst parts of anime fan communities, the ones who tapped into dumbasses who wrongly think Japan is monocultural, who accept that lie to justify their similar white ethnocentrism to justify the worst of rightwing politics seeking to turn the United States into a white nation, a misogynistic nation, one that said the white woman nominated by the Democratic Party shouldn’t be in the White House in large part because they fucking hate women and instead lets some alleged sexual assaulting bigot walk his way into the White House in 2016 without the popular vote–before he leads a fucking insurrection to try to hold onto power and is ready to steal the 2024 election to let the Republican Party still deny us protections from guns, from pollution, from this goddamn death drive this fucking world is on. 

But enough about politics: let’s get back to silly black bars again. 

So, when I read these complaints about silly censor bars, all I can think is, spare me, you’re whining about something as silly as this when this country is fucking banning abortion, trying to remove gay, bi, and trans people from public spaces, trying to get rid of conception, get rid of same marriage, have deprived voting rights for people on the basis of their skin, who in any good manga would be the villains that the heroes would be trying to stop. To summarize my point, those people whining about the censor bars in Manga Up are silly people–and almost all of them can go fuck themselves. 

The black bars are silly–as silly as complaining about them. The Manga Up app is primarily free, limited by the number of chapters you can read for free per day and how much in-app currency you have. These are mostly older manga you have read a lot. You can find them used for cheap, as ebooks on sale typically–and, not to talk myself out of any industry job, Square Enix’s decision is going to drive people to piracy and scanlations and out of money. This is a silly decision on their part, but it’s the one they have made, and complaining about it is foolish. 

But, even as I dismiss the complaints by people as silly, I need to emphasize that there is a larger problem to all of this. And while addressing this larger problem can be partially solved by improving Manga Up, it is a systematic problem that infects all paths from readers to books, including editorial, writers, illustrators, audiences, politics, governments, cultures, and societies. That all sounds obnoxiously pseudo-intellectual, so bear with me. 

Why is Manga Up putting black bars over nudity but not violence? Why is Manga Up putting black bars over clothed breasts and cleavage but not men’s crotches? Why is Manga Up acting like girls’ and women’s bodies are the only details sexualized, fetishized, and worthy of censorship? Why is there still this control over girls’ and women’s bodies? 

This is what I mean by the larger systematic problems. Right now the United States is restricting access to reproductive health, especially for women and people who can become pregnant, for trans people, for gay and bi people, for cisgender and straight people, for men–for all of us. As long as we are fixated on this control, as long as we make girls and women feel like they need to cover up, and be aware of how the male gaze diminishes their humanity, we’re not fixing the Manga Up problem. 

This goes beyond some black bars. 

Why is this content like this? Why do these creators fixate on humor built out of embarrassing girls and women? Why engage in this behavior to titillate readers attracted to such characters? This isn’t representing real moments of people’s engagement with sex, their own sexuality, or living with trauma from sexual assault: it’s played for gags, for voyeurism, for sexual thrills. These are the choices of what publishers and corporations want to pursue; it’s what an audience wants; it’s what a creator wants to create. I’m not saying you’re ever going to stop those desires for pursuing money off of such content, pursuing such content to read, pursuing such content to create–but, damn it, you can make more than this. You can make money off of other content, you can read other content, you can create other content. And as I said, you can have this content that is sexy, is about sex, is about the trauma of sexual assault, is any or all of this without having creators and readers treating characters as objects to reinforce the same cliches, to see these people, even fictional ones, as just bodies. I’m not saying sexuality is not part of life–it is, including asexuality–but to reduce it to just this does violence to that sexuality, and to misrepresent does violence as well. 

What makes this all difficult to write about is that I’m really trying not to “both sides” or triangulate on this. I don’t want to write to appeal to that camp of the rightwing dipshits who think feminism is somehow ruining their sexy content: it’s not, this content can exist, you aren’t ruining anything by asking for better content. And I don’t want to suggest that sex has no place in these stories: it does, I just want creators to have a deeper purpose for it beyond just titillating the audience, or at least be creative with your output. 

(And don’t even get me started on one clown online attacking the black bars by invoking, of all things, Fire Force and its “fanservice of underage characters is needed to keep the human population going”: gross.)

I don’t want to burn any industry bridges I could have–although, I have next to zero industry connections and haven’t had much luck on building them. I have applied or interviewed to manga and anime distributors with little luck working in sales, marketing, or promotions. So I don’t like criticizing Square Enix’s app for what I personally don’t like about it. And I hope my remarks are taken as either my own personal whim or constructive criticism. 

So, what would I change, if things were ideal? Well, if I may again rip off Jeff Harris again (seriously, read Jeff’s stuff at this link), aside from getting rid of the black bars…

Separate apps by region. Yes, it sucks that Viz and Funimation restrict which manga you can read and which anime you can watch by where you live. But as with piracy and scanlations, there is little more to be done, especially when there are customers willing to use a VPN and pay to read and watch what you provide. So, Square Enix is going to have to put in that time to separate Manga Up by region, clearing rights for additional content by area, and following any legal guidelines, whether that means age-based content warnings, restricting content by age, or, yes, the silly black bars. You’ll be able to keep the black bars where the national laws require them and remove them where they’re not. 

Clarify the pricing system. I’m less likely to use the Manga Up app daily or even weekly and monthly because I don’t want to spend time intuiting which currency I need to use for which item. Maybe I’m being a luddite, but I don’t want to tap the wrong chapter and suddenly owe money for reading something I thought was free. Keep this simple, using the Viz and Crunchyroll models: you have chapters you read for free, you have chapters that you can read with a monthly or yearly subscription or that you can buy and own outright. 

Update your translations. Despite my tirade against Fire Force above, I’m a huge Soul Eater fan, so it is bizarre finding Square Enix using an older release of the series, one that has less inclusive gender language for the gender-unconfirmed character Crona. I imagine Square Enix is using the translation from when they had Yen Press sell the manga (and the app even promotes that you can buy the manga from Yen Press: more on that in a moment), rather than the newer translation that Square Enix commissioned to publish themselves in-house. Maybe Square Enix is trying to entice you to buy that newer translation, as it has additional improvements, including a hard cover and new artwork included. But that just proves what I said in the previous bullet point–use this app to entice readers, use it to sell that manga to readers, make it part of a subscription model or something you can buy and own as an ebook outright through the app. 

Contract additional series from Yen and other publishers. Yen Press has published quite a number of Square Enix’s works: Soul Eater, Fullmetal Alchemist, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. It’s good to see that cross-corporate collaboration. So let’s see some more. Viz has a strong hold on its own properties, but they still farm out some of their other properties, especially the more pervy ones outside of their corporate image and age group, to Seven Seas and other publishers. Square Enix and Yen are both distributed in the United States by the Hachette Group, so why not pursue this coordination more in Manga Up? Let’s see some of Yen’s non-Square Enix properties included in Square Enix’s app. I know this will take some negotiations with publishers in Japan: Bungo Stray Dogs is distributed in the United States by Yen but is not a Square Enix property, it’s a Kadokawa property, so have Square Enix and Yen Press negotiate with Kadokawa to get the manga included in the app. Bungo Stray Dogs has a two-week or so delay on simulpublishing to buy from Amazon and elsewhere, so imagine if those new chapters could be available early by paying a subscription to Manga Up before you can buy to own those chapters elsewhere? 

Coordinate with anime streaming services. This may be harder than I imagine, and maybe Square Enix is already doing so, seeing as Manga Up did get a mention by Crunchyroll’s news service at this link. But I would be talking with Crunchyroll, HiDive, Amazon, Netflix, Retro Crush, and any other streaming service to get prominent Manga Up links that take you from that anime to its original manga. You like watching Black Butler on Crunchyroll, so click this link to read the original on Manga Up. You like watching Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun on HiDive, so read on Manga Up. 

Stop separating the chapters. I don’t get it–why are chapters divided into two or three parts? Is it to keep each “chapter” to be the same page length, because some may be just a few pages while some go up to 20 or 40 pages? If you get eight free chapters per day, why should I use up two or three of those to read one entire chapters? There has to be an easier way. Don’t count the shorter chapters towards those eight. Or count longer chapters as more than one. And adjust pricing for chapters, so that you are paying per page. But get rid of this start-and-stop approach, where pulling up Chapter 7 means first reading Chapter 7.1, then Chapter 7.2, and finally Chapter 7.3. This is not just about ease of navigation but sticking as close to narrative and publishing structure: try to keep the chapter structure as close as possible as if reading weekly in each copy of Gangan Comics or in a collected volume.

And finally, let people screencap. Netflix is already having that problem, where people can’t take screen captures of what they are watching to share what they like, review, or ironic-watch with an audience that may be interested in paying for a subscription to watch as well. Maybe it was just my device, Square Enix prevented me from using Manga Up to take a screencap of the silly censor bars. I appreciate how hesitant manga publishers are, thanks to scanlations eating into readership and profits. However, preventing people from taking images for research, reviews, writing, social media posts, or sharing with a friend is limiting the fan-based marketing that is free and helps spread the popularity of older and new franchises. How are new fans to discover what has come before, and what is still coming, if a friend can’t show it to them? If you really don’t want to let people screencap an entire chapter, limit the number of images taken from each chapter, or figure out how to program the app to screencap only the first three pages for any chapters less than a month old.