#i hope this helps anon

[the-cimmerians]

For the anon who asked for my take on/more info on body neutrality. Please be advised this is just my take on it:

Body neutrality is a fundamental part of intersectional feminism: because beauty standards are rooted in white supremacist culture/ableist culture/heteropatriarchal oppression and capitalist oppression, body neutrality reappropriates and recenters our bodies as OUR vessels/part of us, rather than a site of violence visited on us.

The concept of body neutrality came out of the lived experiences of people with marginalized bodies, who found much of the prevalent discourse about bodies (including body positivity) to be traumatizing.

Bodies are marginalized when they are NOT cis, white, young, able, pain-free, thin, and conforming. This means that almost all bodies are marginalized.

‘So what’s the problem with body positivity?’—the problem is that body positivity focuses on ‘every body is beautiful, every body deserves to be loved’. This is predicated on the idea of expanding existing standards of beauty, rather than striking at the core of how fucked up beauty standards are (see #1 above). It also burdens the body’s owner with the responsibility for loving their body—something that is often difficult to do for people with disabilities, chronic pain, or various forms of dysmorphia.

‘So what IS body neutrality?’ It’s this:

If you’re a human and you’re alive, you have the experience of having a body.

The body that you inhabit is where you live.

The body you inhabit IS NOT a measure of your worth.

The people in your life, and the parts of our society that suggest that your body = your worth are incorrect, and operating from some very terrible and misinformed beliefs (see #1)

It’s okay to love, or not love, the body you live in, or do both at different times. If you’re existing in it, your body is sufficient.

[candyheartedchy]

Drawings and comic set up please, sorry I should've specified. Thank you for answering though! ^^

It’s okay!! Now I’m not an expert when it comes to comics since I’m mostly winging it, but I’ll try to help! I believe the size of the canvas is important, depending on how many layers there’s allowed due to size and all. Most write dialogue first before drawing out panels, I do the opposite (which I’m pretty sure isn’t the best way but it’s how I do it anyways). And I usually start off with a grid since it helps with backgrounds, especially for perspectives and angles, so here’s examples below from my IZ “Neighbors Among Us” fan comic before and after,

Now for my other fan comic, for backgrounds anyways, I use edited screenshots from the show, but here’s an example video of how I sketch out panels, outline and color.

[peytonsawyers]

per anon request, this very quick tutorial will go over how to add a ripped paper effect to images

ripped paper resources for this tutorial: (x)

give this tutorial a like/reblog if it helped you out

if questions should arise, feel free to send a message!

more tutorials 

Chapters:  

There are a few methods but I´ll be quickly going over only two.

easy png method

brush method

What you´ll need:

any version of photoshop (I use CS6, mine is in german because I bought it years ago in germany)

very basic photoshop knowledge

i.  png method

Open the image you want to use and choose a ripped paper png, one of the transparent ones, like these ones I made.  

Either drag the png over to the other window, or copy and paste it. Adjust it to the width of your image by pressting ctrl + T or strg + T. 

Once you´re done hit enter.

If your blog has any other color than white, you´d have to adjust the paper stripe to the color of your blog so it blends seamlessly

ii. brush method

find brushes you like, like these ones.

load the brushes you want to use into photoshop (as always google is your friend if you don´t know how to do it) Choose the color you want to use for the paper effect (preferably the one you use on your blog)

add a new layer to your document, and use the brush as big as you need it so it fits the whole width of your image. 

Click once on the new layer as high or low as you want the paper effect to be. And that´s it!

[gemgirl28]

How do you make friends in zutara fandom? It’s been really hard for me because I seem to find myself in bigger discords where it feels like everyone is in a clique and it’s hard to connect, and they talk so badly about people they don’t like to the point I’m afraid to say anything because I don’t want them to do that to me too. I don’t know if it’s gotten worse lately or if I’m just looking in the wrong place

Hello anon! First off I'm sorry you've struggled to connect with other people in the fandom. It definitely can be difficult when we are all interacting with each other online, but I hope you do make some genuine connections 🫂

I will say, making fandom friends in 2023 feels VERY different from 2020/2021 when I first got into fandom, and that is very much due to shutdown vs things opening back up. When I started engaging with the zutara fandom in August/September 2020 I was working full time from home doing a job that was often dead (read: I was online during working hours) and a part time job on the weekends that was soooo slow it allowed the brainrot to really sink in as I daydreamed about zk while working. Now I work in office a minimum of 3 days a week and while we are in our slower season, we still have a ton of work to do to prep for our busy season.

And that's just me! I know people who are engaging in other fandoms, have also had work ramp back up, have had family stuff that pulls them offline, etc. It's a different space than it was when I was first making connections with people (and I would be curious to see if anyone who was already online pre-Covid has written a dissertation about the waves of online engagement due to shutdown).

Also, I do struggle to make connections in larger servers, mostly because I get overwhelmed at the nonstop activity and end up muting them. I do think they are great places to keep up with fandom activity, like events, fanart, fanfics, etc, but for initially making friends I find it tough.

So all that to say, here is my personal method for making fandom friends (results may vary):

Engage with the same person over and over. Like their posts, comment on them, reblog with commentary/additional tags, just over and over engage with them.

They slowly start to engage back (liking your posts, responding to comments, reblogging your reblogs, etc.).

Slide into their dms and ask them how they are doing, then tell them what about them made you slide into their dms (I legit messaged someone that their vibes seemed nice and it worked).

Talk about fandom stuff but also about your interests outside of fandom (IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: DON'T SHARE IDENTIFYING INFO. I'm talking about things like fave foods and music, not where you live or your mother's maiden name).

Be friends forever.

Now that I'm reading that back it sort of reads like instructions for getting to know someone on a dating app. But also, if you aren't trying to fall a little in love with all your mutuals, what's the point?

tl;dr: It can be tricky making friends now that real life has ramped back up, but if you give it a little time and effort, you can make some great connections in fandom.

[meroaw]

I'd love to hear some of your music recs, if you've got any to share

my music tastes are extremely varied so i feel its HARD AS for me to recommend artists Q___Q i also just listen to ONE of an artists song and nothing else of theirs LMAO. im actually surprisingly NOT that fussy with music but my style as been described as mostly liking indie punk bands and folk but some of my fave artists are AJJ, the crane wives, mountain goats, marina, kate miller-hiedke, mother-mother, orla gartland, paramore, half-alive, glass animals, lemon demon, jack stauber ( i actually went out of my way in the USA to see AJJ in person as they went to australia A really long time ago and i dont know when they'll be back! im seeing paramore and half-alive soon too!! ) I am one of those guys that finds music via warrior cats vids too so i use that as a way to find songs! all my ocs & dnd pcs have theme songs and playlists too

[peachteaships]

what is comship, if i may ask? i know what proship is, but that first term i haven’t seen before

Well, it stands for "complex/ complicated shi.pping," and from what I've seen, it's usually used by people who ship with characters that are really taboo like, let's say, a n/azi character like Red Skull or that blonde man from the most recent Lupin the Third movie or a character that has been known to prey on children in cannon like what they did with Freddy in the reboot Nightmare On Elm Street. I believe it's also used by people who either age up their much younger f/os or age down their inserts with said f/os.

I'm not an expert in this, so my explanation might be wrong in this, but what I do know is I'd like to be separated from them and would like them to keep their distance from me cause people like that make me uncomfortable. So I ask they respect my boundaries and stay away.

[mooncoloureddemon]

Hi, what did Sasuke mean by "That's probably just .. chains of a failed past that shes feeling" about Sakuras worse "confession". We also don't see his face when he's saying that.

https://www.novelcool.com/chapter/Chapter-693/2530493-10-2.html

Given that right before he says that, we see a panel of Sasuke remembering his family from before the massacre. The “chains of a failed past” are his connection to his murdered parents and rogue brother. That line isn’t really about Sakura. That’s not who or what Sasuke was thinking about when he said it. He was thinking about his family.

[buttertrait-old]

Hi! I really want to get into recoloring and I was just wondering, what programs do you use? and do you know any helpful tutorials?

hi hi anon! personally i use photopea for my recolours as it’s free and you can use it on your browser, however i’ve also heard gimp is pretty good as well (and it’s also free) so i guess it’s just down to whatever you find easiest!

as for any tutorials i don’t know any off the top of my head, so if anyone does know any feel free to leave them in the comments! honestly i taught myself how to recolour stuff, and i just kinda went through a process of trial and error and seeing what stuff worked. i’m probably not the best person to ask as i am still a beginner myself (honestly my recolours are wonky and goofy at the best of time) however if you would like me to provide a tutorial on how to just make a basic recolour (just changing the colour of something for example) i would be more than happy to!

[beachbabey]

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to other writers?

Screw you, you’re getting several because I love you 🧡

Never compare your work to others, especially not people you know, you’re not trying to write like them, your style is unique to you and if you try and force yourself to write “like everybody else” you’ll see that it won’t look or feel right to you.

Don’t force yourself to write, write as slow or as fast as you want, write at a pace that feels natural to you. Don’t feel pressured by anybody, even yourself to complete things as if they have a deadline. Writing is supposed to be fun

It’s completely okay to ask for some help, can’t find a right word?? Ask someone!! Want someone to proofread something? Ask. Need someone to help you write some dialogue. That’s absolutely normal and completely fine to do!

Don’t get discouraged by the reception you get. Tumblr is infamous for its likes - reblogs imbalance and at the end of the day, it doesn’t reflect the quality of your writing. Some of my favourite pieces have less than 100 notes on them.

I hope this helps you and any other writers out there that have doubts. It can be hard sometimes but I love you all so much!! 🧡🧡

[majikdog]

For the beginning of the new gideo I was like “omg this is so hilarious and cute, the fam out on a road trip” and I was SO certain that maybe, just maybe, Copia would have a retirement and just live on the beach or something. Then boom. He’s probably gonna die at the end of this tour 😭😭

Ough yeah, the impending doom is very real with this one. Which is why we gotta love and squeeze on Copia while we’ve got him! Give Papa all the extra love we can give! Also think about this- if I can offer any solace rn- maybe he won’t “die” die. Maybe he will retire. So much death has occurred already and idk Tobias isn’t about repetition, hence why he keeps changing things up. Perhaps killing Copia off is too repetitive for him and Copia will leave in a different way! But enough fixating on that, let’s not take Copia for granted! If not, he’ll be gone before we can blink.

Or be like me, completely ignore it and fixate heavily on the toilet humor like a child 💀

[pearl-blue-musings]

i’m feeling really really bad about myself. how do you convince your brain to stop hating yourself and that you deserve to be happy? it’s been 2 decades and i still wonder if i’m better off dead most days. it sucks even more because i have nothing to be sad about. objectively my life is great. but realistically i can’t help but feel like the world is better off without me.

i apologize if this is trauma dumping. i know you struggle with self-image sometimes too, so i was just wondering if you have any tricks or healthy coping mechanisms to sorta reset your mindset. seeing you on my dash makes my day most times, though. even when your sad, you always have such a community rallying around you, and i don’t. if i disappeared tomorrow i can guarantee no one would notice lol. not even my partner. he’d probably be relieved he didn’t have to deal with my mood swings. this is too much and i’m sorry, i am. pls delete, i kinda just needed to tell someone how i was feeling without being scared of someone being mean about it, like all the “friends” who can’t be bothered to text back or whatever. and with how kind and thoughtful and nice you always are, i didn’t think you would be mean like that, or make me feel like i deserve to be this sad. thank you for being a reason i smile these days, i’m sorry if this is a reason to frown. you deserve only happiness, and i really hope you’re happy now and for all of your days.

Hey anon,

Take a deep breath for me alright? Apologies for the late response but I wanna make sure I get this right. Please don’t disappear okay? I can relate to feeling like no one would care cause I still feel like that, but the truth is your family and friends would care. Sometimes it takes reaching out to others to have them help and asking for help isn’t always easy. I have to tell myself sometimes that I matter in this world and it’s hard to take but it’s something that I have to do. I have an affirmation app that sends me things once or twice an hour because I know my mental state can be fickle. And two decades is barely scraping the surface of life, and I’ve gotta tell myself that as I’m heading into turning 30.

And I’m absolutely lucky and blessed to have people even notice when I shit post about being sad. I’ll post and I doubt anyone will listen to me or even sympathize. I know my feelings and emotions can be heavy and a lot so I also understand if people don’t wanna interact if it’s too much. And if those “friends” aren’t responding then maybe they’re not the support system you need. Go where you’re loved and wanted. Go where people want to see you succeed and want to see you alive and well. No one deserves to be sad or to feel this way okay? Not you, not me, not your family, not your friends, no one alright? And remember to breath for me okay?

I know talking to people helps but I also write fanfics to help me. If you’re into journaling you could try that out too. Find something to get your feelings out in a healthy way, I know doing art is helpful and for some it’s physical activity (but not me cause I tried that and it doesn’t do much lol) but find something you love and take some time out of each day to do it. Always do some self care and check in with your physical, mental, and emotional health. Your tumblr community, if anything else, will be here for you 💜

[critical-thinking-is-mandatory]

hey, so i'm really into miraculous and wanted to write fic for it but some things held me back. while trying to figure it out, i read a lot of good criticism and salt online regarding the show's problematic writing. i'm tired of getting into media written badly enough that my brain wants me to slave over a fix-it fic. i guess i'm asking two things: do you think it's worth writing fic and where would you start? cuz the show's writing issues are present from the beginning and feel impossible to write around.

Well, it kinda depends on you and your circumstances. Like, I don't have a heap of time for my writing but I have heaps of ideas. Most of my ideas, I write up a quick post about, maybe expand on it a bit, but then it's done with. It's there if I want to come back to it, but it's out of my head. Like, sometimes you get those little scenarios you want to write but it has no skeleton? Write it down, keep it, and if later you decide you want to keep going with it it's still there.

As for actual fic, I try to stick to Aus or character studies. AUs give me plenty of room to ignore most of the problems within canon and only acknowledge what I feel I need to.

Character studies can be as long or as short as you want and they let you address exactly what you want to address about that character.

But to really answer your question, it depends what you want from fic. Like, if it's something for you to express yourself creatively and stretch your skills, go for it. If it's motivated by spite? I can't judge but I think you need to decide if spite fic is what you want and need.

But honestly it's just fanfic. Like, just, do what makes you happy. If you think you'll be happier having written your fic? Do that. If you think you'll be happier not writing it? Embrace it.

[candyheartedchy]

hi chy! u dont know me, but i follow u. i really love your content and your art, it has inspired me to branch out with my own art style and be a bit looser with my line work! your ships are always so cute and i love your energy. which is why im sad to say i might have to block you :( spongebob is a huge comfort f/o for me and it makes me sad to see others shipping with him. nothing against you! hes very lovable! do you happen to have a tag for him, or something? id love to keep following you

thanks :)

Hey anon, I’m sorry to hear that, and I’m gonna make a ship tag right now for you to block! I honestly didn’t have a ship tag picked out yet but for now it’s gonna be “❤️ coralbob ❤️”

[letterstoear]

Hii can I clarify something with you about the Octavinelle packages? if I get a Floyd themed set, is it just one bracelet and one Floyd plush? Or is the jewelry interchangeable between the bracelet or necklace? So sorry to ask but it wasn't very clear to me 🙏. And thank you in advance if you do answer!

Thank you for asking! The Floyd themed set comes with 1 Floyd plush, 1 bracelet for yourself and 1 matching necklace for the plush. I hope this helps!

[tombraiderrocker]

Looking for some advice from a fellow spoonie, yesterday my geneticist got in touch and is pretty sure I have a rare disorder which would explain a lot of the issues I have and gave me the option to find out if I have it or not….would you want to know or not? Knowing that *knowing* doesn’t change anything? But also having a diagnosis may make the healthcare you receive easier? I don’t know what to do. I’m not rushing into any decisions x I just don’t know x

Hi Anon,

That is a real tough decision you have make. It's kinda weird timing with this ask. I actually just got diagnosed with a rare genetic disease a couple weeks ago. My situation was pretty different from yours. My doctors were at a complete loss until this test came back with something. I decided to do genetic testing just because I wasn't getting anywhere with the medical tests I had already done.

With your situation of already knowing what is most likely, I don't know if I would go forward with testing. Like you said it might be good to have the 100% diagnosis in your records. It could help you with access to accommodations and maybe help with getting treatment/diagnosis of common probelms caused by your disorder. It might be a good thing to have it in record if you and up in the ER for it or some other problem. But having on file might make things worse. Some doctors/medical professionals might not know what it is and/or refuse to treat you.

Before I got tested my doctor warned me that there are some laws (that exist now or are being made) that discriminate againist people with genetic diseases. He also told me that there are people advocating for genetic disease rights and fighting againist these laws. But it is something to consider and maybe look into...

Would you be able to get back in at pretty much anytime to get this testing done? Or is this like the only opportunity? Because if it won't change your treatment/management plan maybe hold off if you can always get it done in the future. You can't go back if you decide to go though with it. But you can change your mind later if you decide not to get tested right now.

Really it is up to you. You don't know what medical professionals you could run into in the future. For some it would help to have it 100% and for others they might treat you worse because of it. This is a really difficult decision. Sending love to you, Anon. ❤️ I hope no matter what you decide, you get the medical care you need! ❤️

[raemeh]

Whats your favorite fic length to read, a few hundred words 1k-5k 5k-10k 10k-15k etc?

Oh uh it honestly depends what I’m in the mood for cause I usually like reading long ones but my adhd often leads to those being unfinished.

I’d say it also depends on the spacing. If there’s like a 5-7 sentence paragraph for each and every thing I most likely might have a hard time reading it. I usually have an easier time reading 1-3 sentence things. I also try to incorporate that into my own writing as well.

For a fic I’d say i like writing around 3k-7k words. Like there’s enough story for me to want to come back and reread but i can still finish it in one sitting.

that being said I do also like smaller fics as well. Infact I barely write over 3k myself. Small word count fics will always be dear to my heart but if we’re talking about preference then yea 3k-7k