#i know im guilty of just believing things i see on the internet

[avibero]

You ever see someone on tumblr who clearly just reblogs every PSA or news blurb that crosses their dash, even if there are no sources and it's just someone's straight text post or highlighted screenshot of some unknown origin? And then every so often they reblog a post that's claiming another post they reblogged earlier is actually false/dangerous and warning people not to believe it?

Anyway this is your friendly reminder to actually look at sources before spreading information. And put sources in your informational posts so people can verify what you're saying.

[rottenr0ckets]

hi! im a sss, but i think other sss can learn a thing or two.

first of all, dont fucking send death threats or wishes of death, sss. its fucking weird??? second, dont be such a stuck up bitch if people support wilbur. there has literally been no proof yet (im supporting shelby because i go by support victims until proven wrong, but you guys do you!:3) third, dont post nsfw of TEEN WILBUR or wilbur at all?? thats fucking gross. dehumanizing a man for alleged abuse is gross and makes you just as bad if hes guilty. fourth, sending hate and rape threats is also gross. what the fuck?? so apparently its okay if you do it but not when wss do it back? hows that make any sense. fifth, and i know this one is hard to understand guys, BUT PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. crazee ik. sixth, if you are mad about someone listening to lovejoy and saying "their music sucks" save it. because didnt you like it not even a year ago? are you admitting you were a fake ass fan? like, im a shelby supporter but even i still listen to lovejoy because their music is good. just because i dont particularly like the guy who is the lead singer for his actions, A; theyre in the past and hes getting therapy. B; i still like the music. and C; as much as i dont like to admit it, their music and his streams saved my fucking life. so quit being stuck up assholes about this. the sss is honestly looking worse than wss because of how blatantly toxic it is here. if you have even the slightest doubt for even one fragment of shelbys story youre told you are a fake supporter and told to kys. if you believe it all, youre told you are so easily gaslighted and told that you shouldnt trust everything on the internet. if you dont believe any of her story, youre told to kys, support victims, and that they wish you were raped.

SHELBY SUPPORT SQUAD, YOU GUYS ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. YOU ARE NOT HELPING, YOU ARE CAUSING MORE UNNESSASARY HARM. DO BETTER. SHELBY WOULDNT WANT THIS.

anyways, i hope you guys (wss) have long and happy lives even if i dont agree with supporting him:) btw can i be 🍊🦢 anon?:3

-🍊🦢

THANK YOU OH MY GOD

They need to be sat down and told this in loop so they understand this shit. Most wss I've seen also used to support shebly or be sss until they were given reason to turn to wss (which is our case) I wish they'd realize as a fandom they represent shebly and her as a CC and that their actions can have effects on shebly. From how people view her to how in some places its by law, ccs gave to take responsibility for their fans' behavior if it gets out of hand and they haven't done anything to try and stop it. I barely see any sss actually supporting her. Barely any veiws, no happy birthday wishes no nothing. They just either made caput edits then tell tell wss to kys

It's always nice to have nice sss come on every now and then feels refreshing^^

[stewpid-soup]

VENT CW!! STAY SAFE!!

anyone else find it exhausting to just enjoy things?

I don’t want to support people or companies that are actively doing things that are bad (racism, homophobia, defending SA, etc etc). but it’s so mentally draining to look through all of this terrible shit and not be able to enjoy things bc of their creators or ppl associated with it

i mean, i don’t support dream. i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. I don’t support dream or the dteam as a whole - but the dsmp was such a big comfort to me through quarantine, and even now i still love the storyline and the characters.

HP, well that’s self explanatory. JKR is just a shit person and i’m not gonna give her my money bc i enjoy the plot of HP. I just take fanon on its own for the most part. I own the books and the films already (my family loves HP and has for a long time, since before JKR was outed as a transphobe) so i don’t need to buy anything from her. HP was a huge part of my childhood and the thought of not interacting with any content related to it makes me so sad, because i still love it even now.

and as controversial as it may be, i’ve enjoyed hazbin and helluva boss for years now. it was another comfort during quarantine, and i watched it with friends and got to bond over it. i do not like vivziepop or support her, and it’s exhausting to see all this back and forth about her online bc it’s so confusing. I love these shows and it makes me so happy that I get to see hazbin come together after waiting so long, and the same goes for helluva boss. of course there can be improvements to the way vivziepop writes some characters, but i still love these shows so much. it hurts my heart to feel like i can’t enjoy the content because the creator is such a bad person.

and then the number of musicians i’ve had to stop listening to because they turned out to be shitty people. or actors i avoided watching content of because they’re bad people (especially when the list of ppl who support Israel came out- of course im not supporting anyone on there, but some of the ppl on there just rlly hurt my heart because ive enjoyed their content for so long)

i know there’s not really any way to avoid this, as people are complex and can be an asshole w/o you knowing. funding people like this isn’t something i want or care to do, so of course i actively avoid it. but I just don’t know what to do when it comes to this.

a friend told me that it’s sort’ve about picking and choosing things, because you never know what people are really like. they said that with the state of the world, it’s important to stay educated but don’t let shitty people get in the way of things you enjoy. i’m just at the point where i feel like i can’t enjoy anything because anytime i get stuck in a rabbit hole of content, i see people going back and forth about who should be cancelled and who actually isn’t a bad person. cancel culture is one of the worst things about the internet, and it just makes interacting with fandoms even more toxic than it already is.

ig this is just a rant talking about comforts i have that i feel like i can’t enjoy anymore because of cancel culture and just like..people being people? i’m just so tired of finding something i enjoy and then learning out that they are or possibly could be doing/supporting something bad and just— it makes me feel so guilty because i don’t want to indirectly/directly hurt anyone. i know what i believe in and what i do and don’t support, at least for the most part (still learning everyday atp), but it doesn’t make it any easier to part with things i hold so dearly in my heart.

does anyone else feel similarly? if so, what have you found that helps or at least is a comfortable middle ground?

idk bro, my life is so exhausting with everything i deal with in real life- so to feel like i can’t even find comfort in my silly little shows anymore is really depressing. my mental health is not doing well lmfaooo

[icarusredwings]

TW: Mentions of SA

Not my usual content.

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Me: *Wakes up* Ah what a wonderful day! Surely nothing bad will happen today!

The news: Did you hear about Neil Gaiman?

Me: Oh, What about Neil? I love Ne-

The news: He's been accused of SA

Me: ....

The news: Twice.

Me: WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!? SINCE WHEN!? WHY!? HOW!?

In all seriousness, SA is NOT a joke, and I suggest you do your own research on the case. This being said, as someone who is a victim of SA, this is not something to be taken lightly. It's all just so unfortunate, especially seeing as I looked up to him greatly as many people did.

It's okay if you are in shock, it's okay if you still enjoy his work (You can be a bad person and still write well), you can know that the author has done wrong and still enjoy fictional charaters. You can not know how to react and decide to leave a community. It's okay if you decide to wait for more information. It's okay if you take time off social media.

It's okay if you want this all to be fake. Its okay if you want this to be all some sort of fucked up political sham. You are allowed to be sad, you can feel guilty, you can feel pissed and you can feel betrayed.

That is all okay.

What's not okay is attacking those who aren't sure how to feel on the matter or those who are waiting for further information.

What's not okay is attacking those who will continue to enjoy his work (because contrary to popular belief, much like the music community you can watch/read without directly supporting the writer, such as libraries who probably already have his discs and books)

What's not okay is thinking "he would never do anything wrong" because no matter how famous someone is, they are capable of wrong.

What's not okay is shoving REAL VICTIMS under a rug and choosing to be blissfully ignorant because of a show you like. (While I haven't seen it, I have a feeling there's going to be people out there that will want this to go away for the sake of his shows alone)

And whats not okay is demanding his friends make a statement or immediately accusing them of sidding with an accused rapist. They do not owe us anything. For all we know, they had no clue. They are people, too. They deserve time to process and possibly grieve their friendship just like anyone else.

My personal take:

(not that it matters) is that, while it IS a little suspicious that this is being released right after the beef with the prime minister and David Tennant, as well as the same time as UK voting, and the fact that this wouldnt be the first time the goverment has used trans activitsts as pawns during election, This does NOT mean that i'm defending anyone!! I personally am right on the fence. If this had happened any other time then election time I would believe it right off the bat, but this is the part that's making me feel on the fence. There's an uneasy feeling in my stomach about the whole thing because in the US I've watched so many people be accused of all sorts of things during elections and 2 weeks later the same people who accused, admitted they lied for elections. So personally, I'm sitting this one out for now. Im waiting for more information. For now i'm sitting with ultimate betrayal and disgust at the thought of him doing something like this, because I've been in the spot where no one believed me. It's rough. Especially when you are young and the other person is much older. Even if this does turn out to be false, I still don't think ill be able to look at him the same way I did before.

General PSA disregarding the case:

In the US, there are politican ads on how a local senator "hates hospitals," which clearly isn't true. No one in their right mind would "want to defund hospitals".

This being pointed out, try not to immediately believe everything you see on the internet (especially around election times), and don't let them win. We know a lot of politicians' goals right now is to hurt thriving LGBT+ spaces.

Unfortunately, Neil has greated several of them with Good omens and Sandman, being in the top 100 influence writers list, our fandoms are huge and seeing how happy we all are makes the torys and many other transphobes MISERABLE.

If we are making them this upset by just drawing angel and demon pride art, that means we are extremely powerful as a fandom. It means we have a voice. Use this voice for good. Don't let these bigots tear us down just because they can't stomach the amount of happiness we have.

TL;DR: I stand with the victims, period.

If this is true, Fuck Neil, i feel guilty for ever looking up to him as a writer. If not, it's unfortunate (but not suprising) that they're targeting David's friends. Your feelings are valid, You can hate the creator and still have a loving community. They hate a loving community because all they have is hate ❤️

[nanamiscocksleeve]

confession...im quite a 'big blog' as such and controversially do not block ageless blogs etc.

i dont care about follower numbers, i just know that 1. i read smut when i was under 18, 2. there's certainly countless under 18s on here that simply lie about their age, so what's the point anyway, and 3. if i block them they'll almost certainly just make another account, then lie about their age and follow me anyway, and 4. with all the 'mdni' being treated as some sort of legal protection, as if we'd be prosecuted as smut writers for not telling minors to not read it? Get outta town!

no shade to the blogs who do block ageless blogs of course! absolute respect for it. it's just part of the Tumblr fandom game i don't wanna play.

love your writing, v v excited for the next natural fertility clinic part!

xxxxx

Hello there!

That's an interesting confession to make, but I'm sure we're all guilty of it. It's impossible to check every blog that follows us and all your points are certainly valid. It's funny because what I've noticed is the minor/ageless blogs kind of out themselves when they comment because you can see the naivety and lack of maturity in them and those are the ones I usually block.

For me, adding MDNI warnings to my blog or posts is usually more of a precaution than anything else. Like there are people who will read something then vent in the inbox saying they didn't want to read that and there should be a label on it. So for me it's more like hey I told you what this is, it's your fault if you read it lol.

It's kind of like why warnings and instructions are added on things that should be common sense, like knives. Warning! Sharp! Can cut! There are simply some people who are that unaware and believe the internet needs to cater to them. Adding MDNI is my version of these instructions.

Thank you for reading the Fertility Clinic! Glad you enjoyed it! Much love.

[quillkiller]

🤍 anon here. saw ur post about lesbian effiemonty. im obsessed. i need to know; how does all of this affect james and his relationship with queerness? I feel like growing up with parents who are "not like the other queers" could really affect him, especially since his entire friendgroup is queer and express it in different ways and some of his friends ARE "the other queers" and are walking stereotypes of queer people.

im obsessed with you…

so!! my james potter is bisexual but heavily leaning towards women.. 🤍 i also love him being raised by lesbian effiemonty because i just know for a fact that he’d genuinely be a feminist (<- does NOT mean i think women he knows or meets should trust him more than other women. but what i love about him is that he Also knows this). i have a dyke friend with two brothers that she basically raised and they’re literally the only men i dare to almost say i trust. one of her brothers used to date a bisexual girl and then broke up with her because he genuinely felt like she woule be happier dating women/was dating him for comp-het reasons. which turned out to be true and they’re still friends!!!! her other brother was at a party once and said yes when a girl asked if he was a feminist. the girl then continued to flirt with him and said things like ’there’s nothing sexier than feminist men’ and he was TURNED OFF because he wanted BETTER for her. so he politely said he wasn’t interested lmao. both her brothers know that they’re doomed to always date feminist bisexual women and will always feel just a little bit guilty about it because they believe queer women would be happier dating other women. they’re so funny to me. <- that’s how i see james potter being raised by lesbian effiemonty

and the whole ’not like other queers’ is really interesting to me, because like. society is always evolving and changing and i think effiemonty considers that something very beautiful. and that they’re very openminded about it. they’re very on-paper lesbians, stereotypical and super dykey. whereas several of james’ friends are a lot of different flavors of queer. some of them being lesbians, some of them being gay, some being bi, some being nonbinary, trans women or trans men, etc etc etc. i think effiemonty thinks that’s a very beautiful thing, that james has a group of friends where they can openly queer and openly explore and not have to ’hide’ in the same way they had to do in the 80s. their son has a safe space to explore his. own identity, and he goes through a lot of silly phases, and it’s a very sweet and lovely journey that effiemonty are very supportive of <- which is very important to me because some or james’ friends don’t have that kind or support system in their own homes

i imagine that the potter home becomes a safe space for a lot of young people, people that james’ knows. and it also adds a lot to when sirius is disowned, because then maybe he’d also be disowned because he’s gay. and lesbian effiemonty obviously take him in without question. PRECIOUS to me. sirius losing his parents and gaining two lesbian moms …….,,,,,

i rememeber growing up in a small town and i was genuinely the only gay person that i knew of when i started ’high school’. i was the only other gay person i knew of until i reached adulthood, but when my sister who’s three years younger than me started high school there were several queer people in her class. society changes and evolves !!!!!! in just 3 years sometimes !!!!!!!!! i was so so so alone growing up, turning to the internet and having a long distance relationship on tumblr and MOVING COUNTRIES for her as soon as i graduated. i dont regret any of it, but i was miserable and lonely and in therapy and distancing myself from friends and family for the (lovely) community i had online. those two things couldnt co-exist when i was a teenager in a small town and now they can. for a lot of people. and i think it’s very beautiful that people have a safe space to explore. and i think lesbian effiemonty would think so too. they’d probably not understand everything and be confused a lot, but i don’t think they’d ever rob a young queer person of their exploration of identity. and i think a lot of james’ friends would feel comfortable seeking their support… 🤍

[hyunjinswifeee]

I know you don't want to hear from me. But I'm having problems submitting asks right now because this account im using under security check rn because it's new.

Unfortunately. I read an article.

This one https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict

And I need to apologize. I want to apologize for making that joke about Palestinians victims. It was disgusting, violent and totally harmful. And not funny at all. I need to apologize for saying I was uneducated and I want to apologize for the stalking. I did make a few accounts to see what was going down on some blogs.

And I just found out Palestine has been victims for years! 75 to be exact. The death rate between Israel and Palestine is so unnecessary! Have you seen it. During the last couple years you only a couple hundred Israels die and a massive thousand of Palestinians die. And I realized how unfair they are. Not only that. But Israel really wants to be victim. They attacked an Egypt airport (I think it was an airport) in 1957 I believe and I knew it has nothing to do with this. But I was really into this research.

This is not an excuse. But I need to explain my actions. I'm 17. I live with my mother. She is 100% Republican and she is super racist. One day she sat me down and asked if I knew what was happening between Israel and Palestine. I said no. And she explained.

She said Palestine is hurting Israel and Hamas is being sent over to kill Israels people. Something about suicide bombing and such. she said women are getting raped by Hamas and so on.

I thought I was educated because of what the one person, whom I am supposed to trust. Basically lied to me. And I was an absolute dick on the Internet because of my so called knowledge. And I want to apologize to you. I'm sorry and I hope this reaches you. And no, you don't need to stop talking shit about me. I'm down with Tumblr. And I understand your anger towards me. I understand crybabychims anger. And I hope this reaches you. Because I've been feeling super guilty. In fact. I've been going to church. It's ridiculous I know. But I need to get this out of my head. It's haunting me.

My mom has change over the years. She was never always like this. Still not an excuse. But it's odd to me now that I know what she did. And now she's upset that I support Palestinians.

Anywho. Please read this and have some thought. If not. That's totally your choice.

You are correct on the very last part i didn’t have to answer you but because I’m nice i’mma gonna say something to you..

what you have done here was inexcusable having your followers attack @crybabychims @joonberriess @aft3rhrs because you got called out for how you talk to people and not only that but want to be an ignorant and not listen to people when they are LITERALLY giving you information about what’s going on in Palestine

First you said you didn’t support neither Palestine or Israel but when anons were jumping your ass for that first answer that you made on your last blog all of a sudden it’s “Free Palestine”? You weren’t educated enough but there’s evidence right in your face? you had all this time to talk about Palestine you had all this time to be reblogging post about Palestine but you chose to stay silent.. and you said “stop talking about politics and genocide on writers blog unless given permission” since when did we have to have permission to talk about this genocide on a writers blog when other writers themselves are talking about it

And some other things i want to say you said you’re 17 right? It doesn’t matter how old you are you are you can still do your research about Palestine and what they’ve been going through for 75 years!! your mother telling you other things doesn’t make it any better instead of you doing your research you’ve decided to listen to what your mother had to say and stick with it now that’s a problem.

You’ve consistently kept harassing @crybabychims when she said she did not want you on her blog anymore after the things you have done and she has been getting harassed by people because of you but not only is she getting harassed but @joonberriess has been getting anons too harassing her for YOUR doings it’s disgusting and it’s not okay whatsoever and making multiple blogs won’t do you any justice because people are still gonna know who you are and if you’ve been blocked then just accept that and move on no need to keep making other blogs just to stalk other people don’t you think?

You also called someone “ghetto” for how they were talking and yes I’ve seen the conversations you had with that person and let me tell you that shit was not cute of you calling them ghetto black or not that is something that should not be coming out of your mouth period.

And one last thing before i end this conversation is be careful how you say things to people on the internet because it will come back to you how you treat people they will treat you the same way but you shouldn’t be apologizing to me you should be apologizing to the three people that I’ve mentioned that’s IF they want to hear your apology.

[inloveforevr]

how do i forgive myself for ignoring my friends' texts and reaching out to check on me, when i was very depressed and dealing with multiple crisis? I stayed away and didnt ask for support and then ghost them. I also didnt connect with other people or post on social media where they could see it and get hurt by me ignoring them.

I just laid low and licked my wounds in private. My issues were not things they could help with (like my marriage having huge fights, unemployment , being sick, my mom being hospitalized)

But i dont know if i deserve to be their friend still?

I feel so overwhelmed with guilt that i dont know how to reconnect with them or how to reply.

Especially when i read posts that say "cut out people who disappear on you" or "its time to drop ppl who dont make an effort to meet u halfway " when i read stuff like this i feel stricken with panic and i afraid that my friends will buy into this narrative or be convinced that i deserve to be cut out.

I feel ashamed and lonely.

More info: the last time we were in touch i used to be there for them and listen to them a lot and host them and take them out when i could. So im not a very useless friend (i think). But im just very bad at keeping in touch when im overwhelmed n hurt by my own life.

Please will you or your followers give me some peace? If you were in my friends' shoes, would you forgive someone like me ? Would you be okay with me reappearing after 2 months?

(Btw me and these friends all reside in different cities so these are all long distance friendships based solely on texting).

I feel so guilty i could die

Hey love, sorry to hear you’re going through all of this. And i’m sorry to hear ab all the difficulties you’re facing.

I know some people like to lay low and deal w their issues first before going to others for support. (i do the same thing!) and as a result, distancing yourself from relationships can make sense.

It’s totally understandable to feel guilty and lonely as a result of all of this.

And regarding the internet’s thinking on relationships & cutting people off - it’s so false. I think it makes sense to end a relationship when it’s abusive/unhealthy - that’s real yknow. But it’s such black and white thinking. Don’t listen to the internet. And i certainly don’t think it applies in this scenario.

You clearly value your friendships and i’m sure they value you and care ab you. Honestly? Shoot them a message, explain what’s been going on. Don’t hold back. Arrange a dedicated time to talk if you can.

We all need friends. And yeah you may feel ashamed and guilty but don’t let it prevent you from reaching out. You need a good support system around you and you don’t want to lose your friends, especially in a time when you’re facing difficulty. Support and community is essential. We all need it. We all need love.

Be honest, and tell them how you feel.

If this was my loved one, i would be concerned more than anything. I love all my friends deeply. I’d want to hear from them and ensure they are okay. I wouldn’t hold it against them if they are already going through a tough time. I’d offer them compassion & empathy.

And you’re not a bad friend. Don’t believe that thought. The fact you asked this shows you care.

Please take care of yourself. Ensure you are leaning on your support system. If therapy is available to you, it may also be worth considering. Sometimes you need a safe space to process what is going on. It sounds like you’re going through a lot of stress.

I hope it all goes well ❤️

And if any if my followers have any further advice pls add thank U!

[yourwolfmuzzle]

I kinda in the "recovery mood" so im not that active rn on internet, but this fucking cut-part storyboard (and Yang buff arms...for getting a little bit meat on Yang's arms and ponytail back i need to also get her extra tits size and ugly outfit...i cant have shit in this house without sacrificing something or make something already bad even MORE bad) got into my recommendations on yt and make me feel soooo much emotions that i need to rant into a wall.

LONG POST WARNING?

Before to start it i will honestly trying to tell what i kinda like.

+ Outside of making R/WBY feels like a fucking savers of this world, i kinda dig how sad and kinda depress this all feel at the start. This kinda stuff i want to see after vol8 - how everyone who survive is trying to live they new live and how second characters trying to hold everything together, but having a hard time. A grimm reality with almost no hope.

+ I kinda like how Winter VA was able to pull up her action? Like...i can hear that she was "grieving" a lost of her sister and that she dont feel like everything will going to be better.

+ WE STAN THIS ONE WOMAN WHO WAS TRYING TO DRAG SCHNEE. GOOD FOR HER, LET HER SPEAK!

+At least Winter remember about Penny...

And now EVERYTHING ELSE.

There is a thing - im fine with Winter and Qrow talking about in positive ways about R/WBY that they was trying to to everything that they can to save people. That they was a good huntress or something like that. They in grieving processe, "dont talk about the dead one in negative way", all that jazz. But everything that they talking about sounds like they was a new gods in this world. Like they the new savers of this world when...its not exactly true. The idea is there and this whole "you send the message to the world" can maybe works, but everything sound like they perfect people who save a whole world.

Hey guys! Are we going to...just ignore the fact that Salem now have a staff? Winter mention this but thats it. I dont know how many days its was, how hardcore we timeskip, but you telling me that Salem was just chilling in situation, when her enemy in the most vulnerable position and one of the main problem is no where to be found? Like...okay sure.

Even if i like this one lady who was calling out Schnees (again good for her, she have all right to talk like this with Willow)...i wish there was much more people who was disappointed or angry about Schnee or even angry about R/WBY. Just in general showing that people not only angry about that fact how hard they lives now but also trying to find the one who done this. Not everyone will be buss with trying to fix in what situation they are, somebody will trying to find who guilty. Its cant be the only one woman.

Okay...im maybe have a hard time to remember about vol8 and maybe i didnt rewatch vol7-8 in general that much and maybe its just me remembering things not correctly, but...is there was a whole problem to tell people the true about Salem? This whole "panic will bring grimm" thing? This was also a problem in the end of vol8 if i remember this correctly? Well, right now people not only know about Salem, but they also in extream situation with no homes, living in tents. There is no coming back to home, this is they lifes now. But no grimm problem in this epilogue. I dont even remember if Winter or Qrow mention about grimm?

Also about ignoring stuff - there is still some dead people outside of "dead R/WBY". I maybe miss something or didnt saw some detail but i dont remember some memorials for people who got kill by Cinder or solders who die protecting Atlas. I know Atlas in big mean place and "fuck military", but...they still trying to help?

There is this one moment with gravestone with "Dont Come Back", that Winter write on it. I know there is already two side of this thing (i dont believe anyone and AGAIN this whole miscommunication problem in team + both points is really fucking bad in different ways), but i just want to say that before jump into reading comments or what theory people have about this - i was having no clue what is this and for what was that. I know its storyboard and storyboards not always look with a lot of details, but i was so confuse for what this was done. Anyway, both points is bad and if Ironwood one thing is the real one - my fucking god can you stop having a beef with your own characters and remember that before Ironwood start to be cartoon man-man Winter was working with him for pretty long time?

Do you remember me talking about "both Winter and Qrow in grieving process"? Yeah i fucking lied, its only Winter. For some reasons they decide that the most depress man in this world, the most "I Am Shadow The Hedgehog" guy in the team (according to vol8) after loosing both his only nieces and a guy who was his kinda friend who help him in vol7 and the guy that YES was a antagonist for vol8, but from what i remember was also his kinda friend - absolutely positive! And not in the way that he trying to hold himself together mentally after loosing so many people all in short time, but just positive. Listen, i hate this whole "i wish Qrow was back to drinking", but this is the last guy who have to be THIS positive about everything. My guy can maybe not go into drinking speedrun for good reasons (like he dont want to drink anymore at least for his nieces or he just know that he will feel even worst if he will go drinking again, when he already have a hard time to hold himself together?), but this all feel so wrong and feel like he dont care about losing such a important people. (MY BIRDMAN YOU DESERVE BETTER ONES AGAIN)

YOU DO NOT BRING UP FAIRGAME INTO THIS. THIS IS NOT REAL. "The controversity is good" shit, can you leave FairGame shippers alone?

RAVEN IS THERE. I already knew that they will trying to redem her ass because she is a female villain in R/WBY and that scene from vol9, but...i have other questions. How...Yang is chill that Raven just...transporting them? How Ruby, who only a couple hours ago find out that her mother go on her last mission and that Raven is the one who was the last with her, is absolutely dont trying to do with her anything? How anyone is soooo chill that a bandit and maiden is there? If this was done only so RW/BY can got right to Qrow so we can have this whole...reuniting scene then WOW. There is a chance that this scene was done before they start to cut out two episode and start to working on crossover movie, but im not sure how those two episodes can fix this whole situation.

You know i maybe really touch-hungry person who love hugging, but...why nobody was trying to hug JR/WBY team after they got there? Like...Qrow is just looking at them like its norman friday after mission and the only one who at least react in some way was Nora (With a little bit Ren, Oscar have a strange reaction?). Like...you all was thinking for some time that those people is dead. You didnt know where are they, why nobody hug them or hold they hands or just in general dont trying to have a contact with them, like nobody have a "ARE YOU A REAL?" moments?

Just in general JR/WBY getting there feel...wrong? Like they teleport there and just...walk to look how this whole situation looking. Again, no hugs to Qrow or ORN, no bright reaction toward them? (i know, for R/WBY team its was maybe a couple days, you all was not sure if you even will get back to them. Also Jaune was in EA for 10-20 years. He didnt saw his team for 10-20 YEARS. Listen, im not the most biggest fan of him, but like...let at least him hug his team?). I get it when they didnt react at first, from what i can tell they didnt saw Qrow at first. But after they look at him or when ORN saw them? No? You can still end up this scene with Ruby face, i just feel like after Winter and Qrow speech such a emotions reaction can work pretty well as a ending. Like..."there is a struggle and hurt, but we dont give up" with "hope" coming back to them?

Im worry about Oscar that we ones again skip his character development off screen, but its hard to tell in 6 min long epilogue storyboard.

Still no moments with Maria and Pietro. I mix up this one old man (this one from vol8 that is also a faunus) with him and was question "why he is not in his spider-wheelchair?" but after re watching - there is just no Maria and Pietro. They still cant remember about them. They remember about Ace-Ops, Happy Huntresses (ALSO MAY IS THERE OOPS-), but fuck Pietro and Maria.

This whole thing in general didnt anser the most biggest question - how long its been after JR/WBY+Neo fell? This whole thing is not helping at all and no matter what time is canon - its will not save this moment. Its been a week/s? Qrow got from this really fucking fast and even this whole situations with people looking really too good actually. Its been a months (around 6+) or even a year? This is really bad.

ALSO something i find out only right now - MOTHERFUCKERS IS THERE. This is not...a bad thing, but now i knew that if vol10 will be a thing - they remember about both "sea boys" team and "READ A BOOK" team. Happy to see that they remember about the first one, but after finding our how "in book" team was written - im not ready to see Coco team AT ALL.

In term of fanservise, if we going to look at this from perspective of how a fan will react on this if its was a really epilogue that they didnt cut out - oh boy its working pretty fucking good and probably if this was the ending for vol9 - i feel like people would talk about this season a lot more because after the ending of vol9 even some of hardcore fans was not talking about this whole vol that much.

But in term of writing - THANK GOD THIS WAS DELETED. Sure its kinda emotional epilogue, that hitting fans in right place, but giving us pretty much moments thats dont need to be there or working not that great. I heard that they will try to make this into volume 10, which is....knowing how they dont like "kill they darling" or deleting content that they think is really cool or prioritise moments that have to be cut over moments that needed to be on screen...i have zero hopes that they will re-write this scene. Maybe they will delete Raven because right now with episodes that we got in vol9 she just...out of place there.

But we will see. There is still no greenlight info...

[floppingspectacularly]

i don't know if im being suicidal or just overwhelmed but i have given up on myself i can't seem to get anything done and nothing really feels good anymore even when it rarely does i still feel all guilty and pathetic like i don't deserve to be happy. this has been going on for a while maybe months or years i stopped counting. went through a phase where id wakeup every morning in tears wishing i never did but nowadays i just go through the motions and thinking of how better everyone's life would be if i never existed. suicide is too pathetic and too risky what if i end up paralyzed of really ill everybody would know what i did. it also hurts people that im already hurting while alive i keep thinking they'll get over it soon enough and have a happy fulfilling life with me no longer around and even though i can't wrap my head around the idea of someone loving this excuse of a person i would just prefer to save them the unnecessary upset. i hate writing pity rants like this. ive given up on myself and my loved ones are slowly beginning to give up on me too. i know im still very young and a lot unknown joys await in the future maybe a loving pet or a satisfying moment but i don't know if i can ever have a good time without feeling guilty about it. i simply struggle to believe i am worth the effort i should be putting in myself so i dont put in the effort and disappoint myself over and over until ive confirmed that i am not worth the effort and the cycle repeats itself until it gets too much and i think it just got too much. i don't know what else to say but i guess ill post this on the internet just in case things don't feel too bad anymore and i can update this post and maybe just maybe give out some hope even though ive been waiting for that day for years i don't believe its coming anymore so yeah this might be a semicolon or a fullstop we'll wait and see.

[leftdestiny-posts]

So I want to write something but idk how to go about it

So I’ve got an acquired brain injury and while it differs from person to person, most symptoms are similar to the people who have one. 

I (unfortunately) got injured all over my brain. The neurologists believe I got small bleedings all over the place - I did not hurt my brain on one side only - BUT this results (for me) both long term and short term memory loss/problems. The first 1 or 2 years (idk how long it was but the beginning) people had a hard time coming to terms that I forgot everything. I basically got memory wiped and due to the injury on my brain I continue to forget everything. (This is really sucky for myself, if I dont see my dad for like 3 weeks idk what he looks like and it makes me feel really guilty but luckily the people around me know I dont do it on purpose)

So I have this immense fear of forgetting things (like important ones lmao). Your emotional memory is stronger than your “visual” (don't know the word for it rn, but as one remembers something with more than just a feeling) one, so I tend to remember things where I had strong emotions. For me its negative > positive - I'm more likely to remember bad memories of people than the good ones (best I can do is try to write stuff down and to not forget that I wrote it down (spoiler: i always forget))

Hmmm,,, lets say someone approaches me. I haven't seen them in a year and I’ve fully forgotten who they are and what they were to me. It’s a really unsettling feeling because this stranger knows me. They know my behavioural patterns and the average person tends to remember small facts about persons even if they haven’t seen each other in a while (the whole ‘catching up’ thing doesn't work with me) So ye. not the party I want - you can imagine how I get jumpscared because a ‘stranger’ knows what I did last year and what my fav food is (and i dont even know what my fav food is)

But sometimes I have this feeling of despair in my stomach, and because I'm missing those memories, I'm unable to place why I’m feeling it. It’s scary because when it happens in a situation where a person approaches me I know I’m missing something. Did I do something to them? Did they do something to me? Are they bad? Why are they familiar with me? What am I missing? So, sometimes I know people are bad, but I’m unable to back it up. 

in internet its better but in real life this is really spooky

Halloween special? maybe. I wanted to write amnesia characteristics somewhere but I don’t know how to fully go about it. 

It could be unsettling things but there are ‘wholesome’ things as well. 

People I see daily often hear me talk repeatedly about upcoming events I’m excited about - because I forget I already said it to them. 

My enthusiasm stays as strong as it was and 9/10 people let me ramble on before telling me I already told them. It’s awkward af to me (yall making fun of me? probably not but it still feels like im the only one not included in the joke) but people say its nice to see me react constantly / honestly, since my approach and behaviour didnt change

I honestly fall in love with the same things once in a while. I fully forget them and when I rediscover it I am fully enraptured by it (once again)

Oh, not to forget those stupid moments where I blank out:

Me: ye I drove across street 88 today and I saw this gorgeous periwinkle...

me: ...

friend: ???

me: ...

me: ???

me: so weather nice, huh?

Speech problems are usually a daily nuiscance as well. My brain therapist has met this one guy that was fully unable to talk, so im very fortunate, but still. I prefer chatting much more than talking because ill forget the word ‘tree’ and it’s so embarrasing and stupid but I know the word - im just unable to say it and aaaa

So yes. I will write something, just unsure what and how. Spooky or wholesome? we’ll see. I have too many wips so I had to write this off of my chest before it confusmed me.

If you actually read this

Idk why you did but hi! :D now you know more about me ig

[mudskip-muses]

so i got an ask about donations for a specific family in palestine but its still unvetted despite most people believing it legit. thing is i couldnt find any solid information about it on the blog, notes and posts themselves. it very well might be legit, hell it probably is, but i dont feel comfortable posting it without knowing for sure, but thats shitty because irl id hand money over without a second thought, id rather be scammed and think im helping someone than to ignore someone who actually needs it, but this is the internet and people taking advantage of these sort of situation to cause more harm than good for their own personal gain and it can be so much worse than your wallet being a little less in a handful of bills.

i may have my doubts about this fundraiser (though it does make me feel guilty because i really wanna believe its legit and this guys getting the help he needs from the donations) but im opting to post a donation site im more confident in its sincerity. its a .org domain, and clicking through a handful of links, they seem to be in depth enough to not be just a fluffy front

i want to see the best in people, but ive seen one too many scams for palestine formatted like this to take it at face value. i hate it, it hurts me knowing theres a chance its real and im ignoring it, but people are cruel and all too willing to use other people's kindness to profit. if it does prove to be legit down the line, i will happily endorse it, but for now all i will share is this:

[goremet-chef]

i think like. posting art on twitter has given me a specific complex or like. thought process that doesnt apply here and im trying to get used to it (ramble/vent-ish)

i only ever seem to find the motivation to draw like. at night. MOST OF THE TIME im drawing at night, ill finish shit at 1, 2, 3 am but i have to gamble with something

i prefer to post when im done, it feels good to create something and then send it off for anyone to see, but if you dont post it at like. day time, or a time where more people are awake, no ones gonna see it!!! not even yr most active supportive moots and friends like they just will not see it and it wont get much interaction. i feel like prime interaction hours are when its posted and then after that it trails off and everyones done. and it feels kind of sad when you worked really hard on a piece and it looks like no one liked it

but here, its not like that. shit gets likes for like. ever SKJFS

there is no time frame for when people will appreciate yr work, theres not really a feeling of risk when i post at night because eventually someone will see it yknow? someone whos looking for it will see it and i like that a lot

i really sympathize with other artists who feel like that because like. art is my passion, i know this is the truth but i feel soo fucking superficial and gross thinking about like. the numbers of it all

but its not really wrong to want people to like what you make. i think everyone needs to feel appreciated, and some people only know how to get it from strangers online. i see a lot of people say like "ohh if yr an artist and you hate drawing or you only think about how many likes or you think you need to create content for others to like maybe reevaluate why yr an artist 🤨" but like. SOME PEOPLE CANT REALLY CHOOSE SKJFS i couldnt just stop drawing even though sometimes it makes me miserable, because drawing is my only talent, yknow? its wired into my DNA at this point. its a lot deeper than just "oh if its making you feel bad then stop" 💀💀 if i stopped id feel even worse bestie

idk i think its something that most people think about honestly? its like a majority case but its been pushed into being something that makes you a bad person, despite the fact that everyone loves validation on the internet. if you actively seek it, yr shallow and just want attention and that makes you one of the 'bad artists' because you want recognition for yr work

idk its just kinda messed up. like everyone wants those things, if im creating i shouldnt feel guilty for liking when the numbers go up, yknow? but its something i see so much? its so weird bro. its one of those things i believe LOTS of people experience/feel, but are too ashamed to ever let anyone know they feel it, even if its not really harmful

like i agree with the sentiment that "you should draw for you" 100% but some people arent really. SECURE about their art, style or composition or WHATEVER. i dont need me to tell me i did a good job, id prefer someone else do it ksjfsf that can be said for a lot of other people too. like not everyone needs that, but some people do need that and its not some heinous art crime for wanting even a little recognition? IDK MAN its weird

[lordiavoloremade]

i see you posting about the heard v depp case but honestly i have no idea what happened(?) can you tell me what's going on? (very briefly, no need to say the whole deal if you don't feel like it) i don't even know who's in the wrong now. all i know is that people who are making memes out of this are dumb

this is going to be really short (and i HIGHLY suggest checking out the original sources and deciding for yourself because even if you trust me i am just a stranger on the internet and have my own biases, so dont take everything i say as gospel) this is pretty quickly summed up and i may have missed somethings, so i highly reccomend getting more than just my voice as a source. also if you or any of my followers just want to ignore this i totally understand and respect that, and this post is not to put pressure on anyone to post about my views on the case, just to inform those who would like to hear.

in 2016 amber heard wrote an article about her experiences w dv and did not name depp but it was assumed. she had mass support in the beginning and this was right before the start of the metoo movement. flash forward to now where depp has chosen to publically engage in a defamation trial (he purposefully went to virginia to do this case, in order for it to be livestreamed. its pretty impossible to win a case as a public figure for defamation, so his goal here isnt to get a verdict its to destroy heard and further tramuatize her in what is known as litigation abuse). now because people have been looking for an excuse to not believe metoo for a while, everyone and their mother has hoped onto johnny depps dick despite all of the evidence supporting all of amber heards claims. this is a guy who did blackface in the 2010s, and sent texts to his friend saying he wanted to murder and r*pe heards dead body. yet people believe that amber heard is a "narccisisitic" (people with cluster b mental illnesses are more likely to be hurt by others but whatever) female abuser and depp is their poor innocent male victim. if you try to say he isnt a victim of dv and is the perpetrator people tell you youre not supporting male victims even though he is not a victim (abusers will often use the "you were the abuser" tactic). most people who are on depps side are getting their information from youtubers (who have no qualifications, this INCLUDES people who are talking about body language like its a science, its not) and tiktoks (even worse). if you look at the evidence (i will link an article and a video below) all of it shows heard is innocent, and all shes guilty of is fighting back when she was being physically attacked. to make it worse depps fans have been attacking anyone (i guarentee you ill get more depp anons after this) who disagrees with the notion that depp is an abuser. his team is using unjust tactics like withess intimidation, to sway things to their side. as a victim of abuse i feel really passionately and horrifed by what i am seeing so thats why i post so much about it.

overall people just want another gabby petito. a pretty thin young dead white woman, because if youre anything else than the world doesnt see you as the victim.

sources:

https://youtu.be/Ec7o2uJeFDE

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/05/modern-celebrity-fandom-johnny-depp-amber-heard-trial/629887/

blogs that im following regarding this case:

@justiceamberheard @valkyriesexual @bisexualbonnet

you can also check out my "depp heard case /" tag which has everything ive rbd so far. just make sure youre on my blog and click the tag below this post to get there.

[ruby-whistler]

Ayo curious anon here- im gonna rewatch rewatch the vod and take note of every single punch and why it appears to have happened then we can compare notes. Also i am interested in your opinion on relaxx's post :0 also if u want a vid rec i know a cool vid where someone replied to a dream apologist who;;; excused exile but it also brings up some interesting points :0

alright, well good luck! my focus was more on the fact that c!dream didn't start punching first until the very end (he did punch back a few times but that's not what i was tracking), and c!tommy was punching him the entire time beforehand, so if you count more "first punches" for the very ending i don't think that would matter that much, but if you have something beforehand that's a discrepancy on my part feel free to tell me :]

i'm not going to watch it for myself because i'm afraid they'd generalize dream apologists based on that one person and make a lot of assumptions that don't apply to me + use possibly insulting, emotionally charged language as a result, but if there are good points you'd like to debate about feel free to send those!

as for relaxx post ( link to the original ) i have a reply written up with my opinions, so yeah;

/dsmp /rp

i was going to put in a first part saying how this is biasedly worded and insinuating that c!tommy was somehow protecting his family by standing up against c!dream during the negotiation (which really was the other way around, him being reckless and endangering them) but i don’t wanna seem aggressive or condescending so i just deleted that. they have emotions about c!tommy and they see him in a certain light thanks to that and i respect that enough not to bother them.

the majority of this is about c!dream anyway, which is more my playing field.

“it didn’t even work because dream didn’t care about spirit”

basic misinterpretation by someone not knowledgeable about the character besides watching c!tommy’s pov. obviously this is not true in the slightest, c!dream has proven time and time again that spirit’s leather is what he cares about the most right after his friends - he traded one of the discs for it, and he had sentimental attachment to the horse. him saying later that he doesn’t is not him revealing anything, or maybe even lying (there’s different interpretations of that scene - in my opinion it’s more of a decision than anything).

of course i do agree that c!dream is manipulative. the reasons for that can be debated, but he is. i wouldn’t call him a “master manipulator” - that’s reserved for people who not even the audience notices are being manipulative despite the obvious red flags, but c!dream is very much manipulative - he’s just the only one people notice, which isn’t really pro of him /j

“dream tells tommy he cut off all attachments, he abandons and stops talking to his friends”

he did stop talking to them… after they abandoned him. small mistake, big difference in the way we see the character.

“he tells tommy among other things that he “does it all because it’s fun and he’s playing with his food” “no, i just like to cause chaos” “i’m doing this so you can have an origin story. the perfect hero origin” “i can make us immortal together!” we don’t have a way to confirm or deny these as true/false since we don’t know what dream’s thinking, but. sadly they appear to line up with his actions.”

no, it doesn’t. it doesn’t line up at all with the way he talks to… anyone else, or with his character in general. it’s an intimidation tactic to cover up his true intentions and make himself out to be more of a threat because he wants people to be afraid of him - that’s what gives him power, basically. threats and ultimatums are what gives him the most control over others even if he has no real power, so it’s important people fear what he could do or what he would be willing to do, rather than what he actually will.

“sapnap actually visited dream in prison and dream seemed to care more about using sapnap to get to ranboo then sapnap himself. ouch.”

have they. have they not watched the video where c!dream spends the first like 98% writing in a book about how he wants c!sapnap and c!george to come visit him again and trying to convince c!sapnap he can get better and be let out and meet again? where he only asks for c!sapnap to deliver the message like half a minute before the end? where are they getting this info from? because this is outrageously incorrect, i’m sorry but what even lead you to that conclusion?

“i am actually fully on board with the idea that dream lied, and that he does still miss and care about his friends! i consider often (because i like angst lol)! when dream finally gets his pov, we might learn about this. because we don’t know what he’s thinking. he could be missing them every second for all we know! it could all be one master plan to make them like him, or save them, or something. dream is innocent until proven guilty. as far as we can tell, he wasn’t lying. and he did cut off his friends.”

i think from everything that’s happened before and after the scene it is obvious he does in fact care about them. he did emotionally isolate himself, he did “cut himself off” (moreso by not reaching out than actually doing anything for himself), yes, but that doesn’t mean he wanted to or that it didn’t hurt him.

“even if it turns out he actually loves them, he still treated them awfully by abandoning them as he did”

i… don’t remember that happening, i’ll be honest. they left him and they never came back, so it’s much more on them than it is on c!dream that their relationship fell apart, although he technically could’ve tried harder. however, that’s only c!sapnap and c!george - he still proved to care about c!punz during before the finale, and even during the prison he still shows attachment to c!techno.

i could give examples of him caring about his friends, and will if asked (that’d take a while because there is a lot of canon evidence but honestly it’d just make me very happy so i wouldn’t mind), but in general it’s not that difficult to see that he… does care about people, as hard as that is to believe, and yes, he did hurt them indirectly because it hurts to see people who used to be important to you spiral to the point of doing terrible things, but i wouldn’t say he made c!sapnap feel terrible, especially during the prison visit when c!dream is very obviously Going Through It.

also i highly dislike the anon’s attitude. there’s no need to be that aggressive, like what the hell dude. everyone can have their own interpretations and opinions. in my eyes, this is sort of biased and partially incorrect, but maybe let people exist on the internet.

[leomitchellart]

So… about this latest Inktober controversy….

Time to begrudgingly chuck in my two penneth… (Remeber you can always press “J” to skip this post altogether)

As most of you may or may not know, Alphonso Dunn released a Youtube video wherein he publicly accused Jake Parker, and creator of the Inktober challenge, of plagiarising his book. Both of these men are public figures, artists specialising in pen & ink. In the video Dunn looks at the preview pages and flip through footage of Parker’s “Inktober All Year Round” and says they draw many similarities in the illustrations, language and layout that he used in his own book, “Pen & Ink Drawing”. Parker’s book was set to this month. Hense why Dunn only used footage and not a physical copy.

Since the video’s release, the art community has been very spilt down the middle. The book’s publisher has halted the launch of Parker’s book until the matter can be investigated. Even DeviantArt cancelled their own Inktober event thing (I’ll admit I don’t keep up with these things DA keeps doing). Parker has since released a statement in the matter. Now it’s up to the courts to decide what’s happening next. The video itself is an hour long, but it’s crucial to see it yourself. 

People are, understandably, outraged after seeing it. This seems like a shitty thing to rip-off Dunn - not to mention stupid. Since Dunn is the more popular pen & ink artist with more social media followers and name recognition. Many have called to boycott inktober and condemn Parker. I’ll admit, I was right alongside them at first, at least for feeling outraged. The similarities are there. But if YMS’s Kimba video has taught me anything, it’s that, even if an accusation of plagiarism may be obvious at a cursory glance, sometimes it’s important to take a more critical eye and do more research to learn that things aren’t as cut and dry as they first seem. If there’s a lesson I can take away from the internet as a whole, it’s that no one thinks about the consequences of mob mentality.

The most common defence of Parker is that because they’re both books about pen and ink drawing, then they’re inevitably going to be similar. I’ll admit that, when you pick-up so many art books, a lot of them will cover the same basic grounds of materials, tutorials, strokes, techniques etc. The parts about rendering textures on spheres and cubes isnt new. Look up “texture study” and you’ll see so many examples of artists rendering these kinds of things digitally. I’ve also noticed a common theme of people more formally educated in art pointing out how none of these are original. Everything down to the steps and illustrations are things they’ve learned from years ago. Since I'm a pen & ink artist, inspired by my love of comics, I have quite a few books about inking: Dunn’s included. I own both his books and still highly recommend them. I didn't even preorder Parker’s book. Ironically because I didn't think it could offer anything new that my other books hadn’t already.

While Ethan Becker took the time to cross-examine Dunn and Parker’s books with several others, there weren’t many of the ones I actually owned. So I looked to my shelves to see what I could find. Books like:

“The Art of Comic Book Inking” by Gary Martin & Steve Rude

“How Comics Work” by Dave Gibbons & Tim Pilcher

“The DC Comics guide to Inking Comics” by Klaus Janson

“Making Comics” by Scott McCloud

“Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics”

I’m sure there’s plenty more examples out there. I was planning to go through all of these and take pictures. But ultimately that’s not the core point of these post. Plus it would’ve taken WAY too long and this post itself, is long enough.

Of course, none of the them are 100% close to Dunn’s in the way they’re displayed. Not as close as Parker’s could be considered. That being said, I know Dunn is trying to claim that he invented these techniques. The nucleus of the issue is how similar they are in terms of order and how these pages are displayed. Some I can chock-up to standard practice, while others seem more coincidental.

If there’s one thing I’m adamant about, it’s that I think that Dunn should’ve messaged Parker first before making the accusation public. Some try to dispute that this would've made it easier for Dunn to be “silenced”, whatever that means; but that sounds a bit conspiratorial to me. Ideally, you confront him about it in private, if he makes any threats or blows you off, get your lawyer on the phone and then make the video. Not only is it the more civil thing to do - but it’s the smarter thing to do. This is a serious legal matter, not just internet drama. While I’m sure Dunn had no intention of tearing Parker down or getting a mob onto him, that’s unfortunately what’s happened. A backlash both from the general artisan community and several companies. Wherein it was left to Parker himself to make this an official legal matter. If Parker’s found not guilty, then this could easily leave the gate open for him to sue Dunn for damages, loss of revenue, defamation of character or whatever else, should he see fit. As could the publishers, given how this affected their sales. Companies responded to the accusation of the video alone, before an investigation could be launched. Sure, it wouldn't be “acting the bigger man” but he’d be well within his right to do it. Dunn showed that Jake has mentioned him before, shown admiration for his career and referenced him in other posts. If it comes to light in court, that Dunn is even cited as an inspiration or source in the book itself, then it’s case closed. 

Then there’s the other possibility that Parker might not have done this on his own, but that he has a team behind the book. If that’s the case, the most I can accuse Parker of is being a hack. I worry Dunn has kneecapped himself for just how badly he’s handled this situation. Made worse by him not having an actual physical copy to assess and just had footage of preview pages to go on. So far, the circumstances don’t seem on his favour. 

I don’t think ill of Dunn. I do think he believes he’s been wronged and no malice in his intentions. I just think he’s made some critical errors on how to handled this. As for Parker himself, I couldn't give a donkey’s doo-dah about him. I’m sure you could accuse me of playing devil’s advocate earlier, but to me, he was the guy who released the annual prompt list. If it really does turn out that he’s a plagiarist and had malicious intent, then fuck ‘im. I never regarded him as an inspiration of mine or paid much attention to him outside of that. It was the community that made Inktober what it is. I’ve never met Parker. Maybe he’s a cool guy? Maybe he’s a bellend? I don’t know.

Granted this isn't the first time Parker has proved himself to be a controversial figure: - Last year people were upset about him trademarking (not copywriting, as many have erroneously claimed) the word “Inktober” and some artists were stopped from selling their related work or zines. Parker would issue a statement: claiming the takedowns were a mistake of “overzealous lawyers” and it’s just a matter of the logo being trademarked. People can sell their Inktober works and even mention they are Inktober-related. Just not use the official logo. On the one hand, from a business standpoint, I get it. It’s the bare minimum you need to do to protect your IP, especially when you have a store. BUT, like most people, I don’t like how, what’s intended as a community challenge, has slowly become more of a brand associated with one man. Hardly a surprise it left a bad taste in so many people’s mouths. But, since it doesn't actually effect anyone’s ability to take part in the challenge, outside of personal principle, I went ahead with it the previous year. 

 - The year before, when asked if one can do Inktober digitally, Parker said the following:

I know some are still bitter about that, but speaking as someone who inks traditionally and digitally, this came across as needless whinging and blowing things out of proportion. Claiming that Jake had derided digital artists and said they were invalid etc etc. Take it from me, challenging yourself to try out different methods to ink traditionally can greatly improve the work you do digitally. It’s like how learning traditional fundamentals of art can still be applied to digital. Plus he never said “No.” he just gave valid reasons about how it makes it a different experience. That said, if you’re someone who can’t afford any kind of inking equipment or pens and only have a selected application to draw on - then none of this applies to you. Just the aforementioned few who took it upon themselves to get angry over nothing. Recently I’ve heard from subscribers of his newsletter that he’s now embraced the idea of people doing inktober digitally, to the point of selling digital brushes for inktober. I’m sure some will call this “backsliding” or “money grubbing” because people aren’t allowed to change their minds or update their statements.

For weeks I’ve been torn on what to do, not being able to solidify one stance over another. One minute I thought #JusticeForAlphonsoDunn then I wonder “Wait maybe I should look again?” to “But wait, those are way too similar!” Having splinters in my arse from sitting on the fence for so long. The longer this went on, however, I began to realise that I can’t take one stance over another. This case is far too muddy and complicated. I don’t have enough sufficient knowledge or evidence. Nor do any of you. We literally only have Dunn’s video to go on. While it’s a good start, it’s not enough to be taken 100% as gospel when it’s the only thing to hand. 

As previously mentioned, a lot of artists have decided to not take part in Inktober at all, or follow different prompt lists. That’s completely fine. A lot of them are based around a specific theme: halloween, kinky stuff, bears, transformers, OCs, Disney or whatever. That has massive appeal. I just can’d do it myself. I prefer the focus on random words, rather than all centred on a single subject; allowing me to be creative with my ideas and execution. I actually did try to make a list of my own random words. Problem is, I worried that because I was choosing my own, I might be subconsciously bias towards certain prompts and not truly challenging myself. Even narrowing down my options was taking too long. In the end…. I’ve decided to just do the official prompts again this year.

For me, that’s what it ultimately came down to. TIME. It’s the middle of September. I can’t afford to wait for the court case to be settled. No other prominent artists I respect have released their own prompt lists. I know there’s been some shitty people who are condemning this choice. Attacking others, accusing them of supporting plagiarism, looking to block anyone who does the official prompts. Even trying to make this a racial issue. Just…. no. 

If someone doesn’t want to take part in Inktober, that’s fine. If someone wants to do the official prompts, that’s fine. If someone wants to do their own prompts, that’s fine.

Don’t go around aggressively making snap judgements or accusing people of taking a side. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. This has been a shit year, let people enjoy something.

If you look at this situation and it makes you feel angry, and you don’t feel comfortable in taking part in a challenge because of it’s creator. I get that, I literally get that. It’s why I haven't done Mermay. And please don’t mention Pinktober, I’m aware of it, but given his insta video on the subject and the things he said, I quickly came to the conclusion that I can’t take this person seriously. I’m sure this might make me seem hypocritical, but how this differs, if only for me, is the sheer amount Inktober means to me. It’s more than a simple challenge. Inktober's the one thing I’ve been most excited about all year. As it was ruined for me in 2019, when I lost my home and I didn't get to complete every prompt. (Long story, I’m okay now). As we all know, 2020, has been an AWFUL year. We’ve got to take whatever joy we can. As I’ve looked longer at the official prompts, I found ideas I’m really excited for. 

Once I started to really dedicate myself to it, it became a massive event. I hype myself up as I prepare for the busy month. Buy in supplies, clean the house and workspace, cook and freeze meals in bulk to save time, printing off a sheet that allows me to jot down ideas as I plan ahead.  Then once it’s done, after so much work, it makes the reward all the sweeter: Ordering a takeaway, celebrating a great halloween night and still rocking those vibes throughout November. Feeling proud of myself for doing it and seeing myself improve my technique, discipline and earning a few lie-ins to make up for the sleep I lost working. I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas. That said, don’t think that there’s something wrong with you when you understandably can’t dedicate that amount time for a simple art challenge. If anything that’s plenty of reason to why you’re smarter than me. You have a life and don’t push yourself too much.

Now, I need to crack on with the preparations. If you want to boycott Jake Parker, just not buying any of his products should be enough. Doing the inktober challenge doesn't bring attention to him, as I doubt most people even know him as the creator, nor does it even line his pockets. I just hate how cancel culture can do such serious damage like this and then try and put pressure on others to act accordingly without even doing any research themselves. 

As long as you’re not harassing anybody. Just do what YOU want to do. That’s fine.