#i literally don't know if anyone will read this but i need to vent it out

[noushienoushnoush]

Once again, I sit here in absolute awe of David Tennant and Michael Sheen's acting. (And also the writing for this show.)

Let's talk about S1 E6 of Good Omens, shall we? (spoilers incoming, *in Crowley's mocking tone* obviously.)

Something that absolutely went over my head the first time I watched this episode was how masterfully they fooled us about the body swap. It's a wonderful surprise the first time around, but when you re-watch the episode, certain things makes you question why Crowley acted the way he did at the trial, and same with Azirophale in Heaven. Something seemed off the whole time. And during my first watch, I took it as "oh, they're probably both nervous about what's to come." But noooo, I was dead wrong.

Here's some amazing hints that conveyed, in the most subtle way, that maybe these two supernatural beings were not in their usual bodies.

The Ice Cream Stand

From the moment they go to the ice cream stand, Aziraphale's face looks rather stressed and serious. It's rather out of the ordinary for Aziraphale, there's always a sense of emotional vulnerability in his eyes, but in this scene, there's none of that. He looks around and scans the surrounding, the way Crowley always does. He walks around Crowley, the way Crowley always does around Aziraphale.

In fact, what would be expected of the real Aziraphale would be a stiff stand and some kind of nervous smile, and at least a bit of anticipation for eating ice cream. But who do we smiling instead? "Crowley". (Putting the quotations there because of course they have switched bodies before going to the ice cream stand.) And look at how David smiles here. It's a tight smile after receiving the ice cream cone, the kind that Aziraphale would give in appreciation if he was interacting with the ice cream person (which, he technically is, in Crowley's body.) If David was acting as the real Crowley, we would have had more of grin and maybe a slight tilt of the head even.

It's such a subtle thing but my god does it makes such a big difference and shows how much David and Michael know about each other's characters and I can't even-

Reaction to Gabriel Entering the Scene

Firstly, we have a close up of Aziraphale's hand and Crowley still adjusting to how the angel's body moves and functions (which can be easily taken as adjusting to the tight grip of the rope. Honestly, it's probably a bit of both).

Then Gabriel enters and what we would naturally expect is Aziraphale losing his shit by adjusting in his seat nervously, checking to make sure he looks okay, and loads of anxiety in his voice. But we get none of that. He doesn't even nervously laugh at Gabriel's joke, just gives the slightest little twitch, the kind Crowley would give when he's stressed. There's not a hint of nervousness in his eyes, as if his emotions are tucked away, something Crowley is quite good at.

Holy Water/ Eternal Fire

When Eric shows up from Hell with the eternal fire, the real Aziraphale would've been utterly surprised, but the one sitting down just watches Eric come in as if he was expecting the demon. In fact, if you look closely, everyone reacts to the fire EXCEPT Eric and "Aziraphale".

And when Michael looks at the fire in his subtle (and brilliant) way, the look can be read as both our angel looking reflectively at the very thing that could destroy him AND as our demon in the angel's body holding back the anger that he feels when he sees that this is what they were going to do to his best friend had they not switched bodies.

And can't forget the iconic scene of the roar with the fire spitting out. That is such a Crowley move and so out of character for Aziraphale!!

And we can see the sheer joy as his eyes glow in a shade of yellow awfully similar to Crowley's. I mean that grin is also literally Crowley?!

Lastly, we have the moment where Gabriel says "shut up and die already" and rewatching the show with context of how angry Crowley was at this statement, I can literally feel Crowley's anger in Aziraphale's body here. Michael how do you this? My two brain cells are literally going brrr.

Meanwhile, in Hell, when Archangel Michael enters the scene with the holy water, Crowley looks back and is genuinely surprised, but really it's Azirophale, in Crowley's body, who's like "wait a minute, Michael?!" The real Crowley wouldn't have been surprised even one bit. He'd probably make a snarky remark in fact about something like how Heaven and Hell are not that different after all.

Tone of Voice & Dialogue

It's just all so perfect. I remember reading on Neil's Tumblr that Aziraphale generally speaks with every word in every sentence pronounced perfectly and in an almost bookish way. Crowley, on the other hand, mumbles a lot of his words. They role off the tongue very quickly. There's a peculiar snake-like vibe to the way he speaks.

But during the trial? Crowley doesn't make a single super snarky remark or mumble his words. He stands quite straight (no putting his weight on one knee or slithering around) and the way he speaks is awfully similar to Aziraphale.

"Well, yes, um..." (87.5% of Aziraphale's sentences start like this lol)

"I don't suppose in the nine circles of Hell, there's such a thing as a rubber duck?" (Crowley level snarky yes but Crowley already knows that it doesn't exist, so he would've framed it differently if it was really him speaking. This is very much peak "unexpectedly funny" Aziraphale humor.)

Also, I think the very first hint we have about the body swap, as far as dialogue goes, is when "Crowley" is knocked to the ground and says "It's not a problem. It's a tickety-boo." Just cracks me up cause again, that's something our southern pansy Aziraphale would say.

And then there's the whole scene at the park after the fact, but this post is already long enough as is lol.

I hope I'm not repeating something that another person has already mentioned. I'm just mesmerized by David and Michael's acting and Neil's writing is all. Honestly, there so many other micro moments I didn't cover. And my 2 am brain doesn't have energy for making GIFs, I hope the still images will do. Alt Text will be added soon as well.

[microwavepopcorn]

[kindacreepy-kindaugly]

I really don't know if I'm strong enough

I know lettin him do the shit he does just makes me worse n that effects everyone

I don't know if the system even has a way to keep me away from him if it's not a choice I make n I just can't force myself to make that decision

I tried but it scares me so fucking much I'm just. Frozen.

I'm sorry I really really am. I hate that the things I do effect others. I also know apologizing doesn't mean shit n at some point it becomes just another burden. I don't know how to do anything different.

[soupyspaghetti]

venting about silly things pls disregard

[goresuki]

my thoughts on Charlastor and Alastor calling Charlie "the daughter he never had"

this will be a very long rant/vent/whatever. also, a kind of... agressive one. if u wanna read, read it, if u don't, don't, idc and idm. I don't know if some antis take things for convenience (that way) or if they really are naive, because the fact that a manipulative guy like Alastor, whose intentions are unknown, tells Charlie that he sees her as "the daughter he never had" DOES NOT SOUND as CUTE to me as many DO seem to think it does.

I don't know if they don't realize the relationship Charlie has with her parents and how Alastor seems to take advantage of her.

From the pilot we realize that Charlie has no contact with her mother. In the series it is established that they have not seen each other for 7 years.

The first episode JUST talks about Charlie having so called "daddy issues" as her father, Lucifer, is an absentee father.

Charlie appears to NOT have had a close relationship with ANY of the two for some time (or quite some time).

The only person Charlie has is Vaggie, to protect and care for her (here's why Vaggie is so "boring", as some people call her, as she is acting as a guide/parental figure for Charlie, even though their relationship is romantic).

Where am I going with these points? That I think it's complete nonsense for people to take super-literally what Alastor has said: "you're like the daughter I always wanted to have".

Isn't it convenient for the most feared overlord (not the strongest) to approach Charlie and find that she's not as vulnerable as he thought (because Vaggie is there)? Isn't it convenient for Alastor to make a very absolute polarity between Vaggie and him in the pilot, where Vaggie comes off as the "bitter one" and he as the "fun guy"? Isn't it convenient for Alastor to PROVE to Charlie over and over again that HE knows what SHE NEEDS by pulling his tricks? And, oh, surprise… Isn't it even more convenient that when Lucifer arrives, who has a lousy relationship with his daughter, Charlie, Alastor rubs it in his face that he is doing everything that he (Lucifer) is responsible for, and furthermore, hits him right where it hurts, manipulating Charlie so that she seriously BELIEVES that Alastor REALLY sees her that way, and thus making her STILL not have a GUIDE other than HIMSELF?

I'll make it simple for you. You know how narcissists work? They will make you believe that YOU are special, and at the same time, they will ALIENATE you from your loved ones to keep gaining whatever they need from you. Charlie is, literally, his supply.

Alastor is a psychopath and narcissist. Do you really think that someone who can't genuinely empathize and love is literally going to feel affection for a grown woman who is very naive and doesn't even have power over her kingdom because she is so immature? Don't you think it is VERY OBVIOUS that he has literally said to her face: "I'm going to manipulate you in my favor because thanks to me you have all these upgrades in your stupid hotel"?

Alastor hasn't as such made a deal with Charlie, but he's winning her over in HIS way.

And I don't know who's crazier: charlastor shippers like me, who don't give a damn about canon and want to enjoy shipping WITHOUT bothering ANYONE (and don't come out with the stupidity that it's a "proship". Proshipper doesn't even mean "problematic ship", it means that you are FOR shipping whatever you want, living and letting live, without HARASSING others. Let's remember that Hazbin Hotel characters DON'T. FUCKING. EXIST. Alastor is not going to come out of the screen to say: "omg, user, thanks for defending me from those evil shippers uwu", or Charlie to say: "thanks for defending me, you're so good, user…. You're such a good person". Pro: "in favor of", shipper: "shipper, ship", however you want to call it. Don't modify terms to suit yourselves because you can tell that many don't even know how suffixes and prefixes work in words. Neither Charlie nor Alastor are going to die because someone shipped them. They are FICTITIOUS characters. The FANON is not going to change the CANON. Learn to sepparate stuff, ffs. Go out and touch grass once in a while) or antis who put on a pedestal what Alastor said, believing it as a justification to ATTACK people in the fandom who shipped something different, according to them, "problematic".

There they do forget that Alastor is a manipulator, that he is a person with a LOT of arsenal to get his way. There they forget that he IS a guy Charlie should NOT trust. There it DOES count because IT CONVENIENTS THEM. That's when the canon MATTERS to them. There it COUNTS. It doesn't matter if Charlie gets hurt because of trusting Alastor, they only see what they want to see. If you guys are going to humanize this fucking characters, at least be a little bit logical. Got me? Remember what Viv said?: "ship whatever you want, JUST DON'T HARASS ANYONE". These people say: "fuck what Viv says", but on this occasion, since she DID say something convenient for them, it DOES matter what Viv says now, doesn't it? Hypocrites.

Charlie has no one beyond Alastor, and I don't remember where I read that theory, whether it was here or elsewhere, where they talked about Alastor looking for a way to alienate the hotel itself in one way or another. That's why he doesn't use very flashy technology (Vox can travel through the latest electronics, and the hotel has an old box TV), nor does he go out of his way to provide anything of good quality (like the video camera). The hotel has its own power supply (we see this when the blackout occurs during the song between Alastor and Vox).

Alastor DOES NOT WANT Charlie as his daughter, he's just taking advantage of her to get whatever he needs to get out of her.

Charlie doesn't even seem to know exactly how her powers work, and the only person who can teach her is Lucifer, her father. And if Lucifer is out of the equation, Alastor can do whatever he wants.

He's hit Lucifer right in the jugular, and Lucifer knows that all the power in the world can't make up for the wrong he did to Charlie.

Anyway, if a real anti thinks Charlastor is problematic because "AlASTor AlreADy SaiD hE sEES hEr As a DauGhtER," I remind them that they are not dealing with a character who cares about others beyond maintaining his own status, and ffs... they're not even real. KEEP SHIPPING. KEEP DRAWING. KEEP MAKING FANFICS. FUCK THESE PEOPLE THAT TRY TO HARASS YOU, FUCK THESE PEOPLE THAT TRY TO MAKE EVERYTHING "PURE" ON A SHOW ABOUT DEMONS AND HELL. FUCK THESE PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE A FANDOM THEIR OWN FUCKING WAY BECAUSE THEY CAN'T HANDLE THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT VIEWS. FUCK THEIR SAVIOR COMPLEX, JUST COMING AROUND WHEN IT'S ALL ABOUT CHARACTERS THAT DON'T EXIST, FEEL, OR THINK FOR THEMSELVES, BUT DISAPPEARS ANYTIME SOMEONE REAL COMES, HARASSING AND SENDING DEATH THREATS TO THEM. FUCK THESE PEOPLE, GIVING PSYCHOLOGICAL DIAGNOSES OVER A FUCKING TIKTOK VIDEO OTHER ANTI MADE JUST BASING THEIR THEORIES ON THEIR FIST RESULT ON GOOGLE. FUCK YALL, CAUSE YOU'RE THE REASON YOU WHINE ABOUT THIS FANDOM. JUST AS WE SAY IN SPANISH: O LA BEBES, O LA DERRAMAS.

[tomofsiobhan]

.

[antifrgl]

Headcanons about Hobie Brown strangers to friends to dating with another Spider person where they meet at Spider Society?

thank uuuu for ur request, i was so bored !! hope you'll enjoy reading that anon !! srry for the possible mistakes, i just had a lot of thoughts rushing through my head 'cause hobie is definitely my fav !!

friends 2 lovers ☆ atsv

hobie x g-neutral reader, fluff.

despite his somewhat intimidating look, he has shown to be pretty friendly, so he certainly approaches you first ++ hobie assumed that you should be his age so it's simply natural to him !!

he's very cool about it, just asking you what's up, what's your name etc ...

at first, it's quite professional ?? you have great but small conversations when you two go on missions, yet you don't seek for more time to spend together.

later, as you go on more and more missions, you eventually become friends, but again it's not like you visit each other or vent about your life outside of being a spider person.

but hobie genuinely thinks that you're a great friend and partner since you can always reciprocate his energy during the few times that you see each other :p

e.g "i hate being called spider-" "i know, you hate being called spider-punk 'cause fuck them labels" "ay totally"

eventually, hobie starts to see you under a different light when he finds himself often seeking for your presence !!

like, he's totally great friends with gwen and pavitr, but oh man he just keeps thinking abt how much fun it is to be with you when he's hanging out with them >_<

on the other hand, he also finds himself only being able to talk to you about his ideas, about how he's totally against miguel's system, about how fucked up he thinks his government is ... bc he immediately noticed how you're always willing to listen and to try to understand his thoughts !! how cute (:

pls don't ever mention how he can be very talkative !!!!! hobie doesn't really notice how he talks a lot more around you and he'd probably feel childish if you ever point it out !!!

no need for anyone to tease him abt his crush on you for him to realize that he has feelings for you. instead, he's well aware of them and he's suspicious abt how you feel about him.

once, you randomly met hobie's gaze but you two suddenly sensed each other (yk that spider thing) and how you just stood there for a moment just like him led him to believe that you must like him too >_<

HOBIE IS THE FIRST TO CONFESS, but it's honestly so sudden !! he literally just blurts out his feelings for you in a random moment !! (it's such a hobie thing to do x))

"isn't it obvious ..." you said to hobie almost whispering as he throws you a confused look before you guided him as your eyes traveled to gwen and miles, who were talking and walking in front of you two. you heard a chuckle coming from hobie before you looked at him again, "i mean, i don't know about gwen ... but miles is so obvious" and it was your turn to chuckle before hobie eventually spoke, "what about me ? is it obvious that i like you ?"

BAM

what the heck hobie brown ??

anyway ... to anyone else including you, he would look totally cool and confident in the moment but hobie would be lying to himself if he pretended that he didn't apprehend your response.

i mean, the guy is truly in love with you so he can be a lil shy yk >_< but you wouldn't know abt it anyway ...

so you two just have this kind of awkward conversation when your brain is still trying to process what's happening ????

"what's obvious ?" "that i like you" "you like me ?" "yeah" "you know, i was saying how miles likes gwen, but not like a friend" "i know" "but you said-" "ay, i said i like you, what about it ?" "what-" "do you like me ?" "yes" "cool" "ok ... cool"

and for the rest of the day you're just ... super awkward with hobie but OH MAN HE'S NOT LETTING YOU DO THAT !!

he's sticking to you like usual, you literally can't run away from him !

after a while, you two talk about your feelings for each other in a more intimate atmosphere, just the two of you hanging out far from the others and everything becomes more clear as you're almost back to your usual self ...

"ay, why are you laughing ?" "i just thought that you wouldn't believe in love" "yeah ... until i was proven wrong ... no but seriously, i just never thought about love" "oh, okay"

i don't think you would call him your boyfriend or whatever, same for him. you two don't really make your couple "official".

BUT hobie wouldn't hesitate and answer yes if anyone asks you two if you two are dating !!! so it's not really a secret, you two simply wouldn't display it, it felt natural to the both of you :p

soulmates !!

[genericpuff]

The Kiss Bet Episode 172 - Hot Pot and Venting About How I Want My 70 Cents Back

Okay, look, this isn't a post I was expecting to make today but it's something that just happened and I have to fucking talk about, so let me preface this with some context.

I had to buy coins recently and because I switched to using my iPad for reading comics on, I got a "new reader" type deal from Webtoons for a coin bundle that got me like 100 coins for $5; because technically it was a 'new account' as Webtoons operates their in-game currency model on apps, not on actual emails (meaning if you use the app on an Android phone and then switch to an Apple iOS device, they're technically two separate accounts which you sync the reading data between via the account info linked via the email, therefore they have two separate coin wallets).

So with more coins than I knew what to do with, I decided to start FastPassing The Kiss Bet again, which I had recently stopped FP'ing around the S3 mark, as it's recently devolved back into the "will they won't they" trope, but instead of between Sara-Lin and Joe, it's between Sara-Lin and Joe's younger brother (the "true endgame") Oliver.

Now I don't mind the ship in essence. Joe was definitely not gonna be endgame, it was always gonna be Oliver, anyone who's read any amount of romance before - especially high school romances - knows how this shit tends to go, and The Kiss Bet isn't exactly trying to be groundbreaking or subversive in any way, it knows exactly what it's about and what it's trying to accomplish.

But it's almost become a little too good at this. Because in playing the "will they won't they" game for so long with a character that we know is endgame, it's basically been weeks and weeks and weeks of-

That said, after I caught up on the recent FP episodes, it seemed like stuff was finally moving a little bit. We were finally meeting Oliver's mom and his stepdad who he has a fractured relationship with, Joe was finally getting with his true endgame girl, Vicky (who's totally not an exact genderbent version of Joe lmao) and Sara-Lin was finally realizing she had feelings for Oliver.

And then the newest episode came out, Episode 172 - Hot Pot and Venting.

CAUTION: FASTPASS SPOILERS FOR THE KISS BET OFFICIALLY BEGIN HERE!

Already I was a little petty over the title like "lmao ok clunky title but whatever". I swept it off as not a genuine criticism, just me being a nitpicking asshole over what's essentially Fluff: The Comic.

The episode cost 7 coins, which is about roughly 70 cents, albeit closer to a dollar for Canadian readers (here's something they don't tell you about Canada - our Monopoly game currency is just as fucked as it looks) and that's where I'm gonna get into my second disclaimer that I need to be perfectly clear about (and it'll be what we get more into later on in this post).

I understand the principle of paying for art. I understand fully that many of these webtoons are being produced on tight deadlines by creators who often can only afford 1-2 assistants, if any at all. I understand and fully agree that creators deserve to be paid for their skills, time, and efforts, not just as creators working on the hellsite that is Webtoons, but as artists in general who deserve to make a living the same as anyone else. Anyone who follows my stuff here knows I'm an artist myself so I would never debate the ethical necessity of paying artists for their work.

However.

I can say that, and also agree with the people who have stated in discussion circles such as on /r/webtoons that a lot of the comics that have started charging 7 coins have been suspiciously delivering less comic since. And it's not even so much in the literal panel count, the liquid volume of these comics have remained the same, but the calorie count has dropped significantly. Food metaphors aside, what I mean is that despite many of these comics maintaining their 40-60 minimum panel count requirement, they have in fact reduced the actual amount of content that happens in them, and The Kiss Bet's newest episode is a stark example of what I mean.

I am going to start by posting only post three panels - three panels that literally sum up the entirety of Episode 172 and what it chooses to spend its time on.

That is it. That is literally all that's established in this episode. I'd tell you to go read it yourself, but honestly, this is genuinely one of those rare times I can honestly say that a 40+ panel episode is not worth 70 cents and you'd be better off, and that's saying a LOT when these episodes are only priced at the cost of a gumball. At least Lore Olympus has entertainment in how bad it is most of the time, Episode 172 of The Kiss Bet is just nothing. You will literally get more substance and flavor from an actual gumball.

Literally every other panel in this episode is either repeating the same dialogue (Sara-Lin saying the same thing multiple different times to express how Oliver is holding her hand or how his stepdad is a dick) and then Sara-Lin and Oliver staring at each other. Over. And over. Again.

I am not joking. I did not cut anything out in that sequence. That is where the episode ends. Complete nothingburger, seemingly cut off right as it was just getting started like Cait Corrain's career.

Out of the entire episode, there were 45 panels. So I can safely assume Ingrid's minimum panel requirement is at least 40 per episode, that's me assuming the best that she didn't exactly meet her panel minimum at 45 panels on the dot.

Out of those 45 panels, there were:

Two actual unique backgrounds that weren't gradients or just a single piece of furniture

4 separate panels of Sara-Lin freaking out over Oliver holding her hand and wondering if he even noticed

10 panels of Sara-Lin staring at Oliver either dumbfounded or asking him to repeat himself (or apologizing over nothing)

5 panels of the characters saying nothing

11 panels of Sara-Lin repeating information in different ways that could have been accomplished in half that time

Two separate occasions of Oliver getting Sara's attention from off-panel, literally formatted the exact same way both times (and both followed by reaction panels of Sara-Lin staring at him dumbfounded)

Way too many panels of Sara-Lin blushing in response to Oliver being an asshole tbh like literally this guy's a douchebag, Joe may have been the "out of her league" love interest but at least he was nice and didn't treat Sara-Lin like someone who just bought a Husky as a "starter pet" ???

Again, I don't usually like being a dick about the coin costs, and I definitely don't like being a hypocrite in telling people they should pay artists for their work while simultaneously posting their paywalled content like this, but I think there does come a point where it feels more irresponsible for people to not be aware of what they're about to pay for and how little they're going to be getting. This episode is literally one of the best - and worst - examples of how far the romance genre has fallen on the platform - when it's not being overtaken and oversaturated by problematic series that romanticize abuse and sexual assault, it's being dragged to death with the most boring executions of tropes that everyone has seen before and is only exciting for anyone who's never read a book or watched a romance movie, period.

And here's the thing where I do approach a bit more "hot take" territory, but every time I see this argument come up about episodes not being worth the coin cost, I see others who rightfully argue that 70 cents isn't that much to pay for what you're getting - weekly episodes of work that are usually always delivered on time, with more panels than you would ever typically see in a free to read comic.

But here's where I take issue with that argument, as much as the principle of it is sound, it misses the overall point: readers are paying for entertainment first and foremost, so can anyone who's actually paying for regular refills on their app currency step away from this and truly call it "entertainment"? Nothing was gained. The comic had 45 panels to say something, anything, and managed to not even squeak out so much of a word. Even the silent moments have no substance, they just reiterate information that we already know.

Do we really need another panel of Sara-Lin blushing at Oliver? We've known for weeks now that she has a crush on him. Do we really need another panel of Oliver getting Sara-Lin's attention? What is this actually showing of their chemistry? What is being shown here that hasn't been shown numerous times - with and without dialogue - for weeks now? What does the comic have to show for itself after four seasons?

Another point of the "it's just 70 cents, don't be an asshole" argument that people seem to miss is it's not 70 cents. It's $1. Because if you want to buy a single episode of the Kiss Bet, you can't just pay for the individual episode in isolation, you have to pay for the coins first, and $1 is the absolute bare minimum you have to pay to get 10 coins, which will only pay for one episode of a 7 coin series - of which there are many now, basically any series that's 40 panels or more will cost 7 coins and, shocker, those are the series that WT will tend to promote most, you'll rarely see the 5 coins series in the banner ads, and that's not even getting into how there are more and more series cropping up that have 5+ episodes behind FP rather than the traditional three.

So if you're someone who's (almost definitely) keeping up with more than one series? You can't just pay the $1, you have to pay at least $5 for 50 coins, and that will NOT go far anymore or cut as evenly as it used to when just about every series is now 7 coins. Webtoons knows fully well what kind of game they're playing by making the new coin cost an uneven number while still offering increments of 5/10 in their coin bundles. They undoubtedly want you to be left with an uneven number so that you'll be easily lured into buying more coins so you don't 'waste' the uneven amount you have left that isn't enough to buy the episodes for the series you want to read. Obviously this is more speculation and not fact, but it's a common business model and with the series that have adopted the 7 coin count model (rather than starting off with 7 coins outright) such as The Kiss Bet and Lore Olympus, it's becoming abundantly clear that either the creators or the platform itself is encouraging these series to meet their panel minimums with as little content as possible in order to get more money out of readers who are barely even being drip fed actual entertainment and narrative progression, let alone spoon fed.

And then there's the waiting. The goddamn waiting. So many of these series guilty of siphoning their content off through a hose that they're deliberately standing on are designed intentionally with the most egregious cliffhangers in mind to keep their audience hooked so they'll undoubtedly FP next week. Do you know what that amount of waiting does to a comic? To its readers? First off, it artificially extends the actual pacing of the comic to make it feel longer than it is, when in reality, many of these plotlines are happening in a vacuum of very short bursts of time. Case in point, Lore Olympus is commonly confused for having a plotline that takes place over the course of months, when actually when laid end to end in order of cause and effect, many of its subplots - including the romance of Hades and Persephone - takes place over the course of days. This over-inflates the plotline's actual depth and, even worse so, it makes it harder for readers to keep up with information that's being delivered, as it often takes weeks for that information to actually go anywhere - so by the time it does, many readers have straight up forgotten about it.

It's absolutely not okay that so many of these kinds of series are normalizing literal slow burning for an audience who's paying to be entertained. It's not a "slow burn". It's just slow, and deliberately so. It's absolutely NOT FUN to follow a comic that does not go anywhere week after week. It's frustrating. And before long, it starts to feel like gambler's fallacy, where readers have to essentially gaslight themselves into paying into it more and more convinced that it has to pay off eventually, based on a promise that was never actually made, only assumed in good faith. And readers should not have to fill in the bulk of the content that isn't happening with their own imaginations, which is something that happens a LOT in these series that spend so much time on the characters just staring at each other and saying nothing. It's not 'plot' to just draw characters blushing and have your audience fill in the rest of it entirely on their own. This is certainly a technique in writing, but in the case of The Kiss Bet and other comics like it, it's much less of a valid technique and more just flat out manipulating your audience into falling so hard into the sunk cost fallacy trap that they don't notice they're being robbed blind by the plot that hasn't actually happened - and they've been paying for that financial and emotional robbery out of their own pockets and brains every step of the way.

Again, I do not care about the coin cost in and of itself, seventy cents IS still an incredibly cheap price for weekly updates of a series that has to put out so many panels each week. But as a reader and a customer, I should not be leaving these updates with less information than what I started with. And I'm someone who's incredibly old school by webcomic standards, there are comics that I follow that have updated 1-2 pages a week for over a decade that manage to do more with their limited pages than Lore Olympus and The Kiss Bet manage to do after entire hiatuses filled with pre-production time.

Why does this page of Alfie manage to move both the intrinsic plot of the titular character as well as the external plot that's going on around her in one page made up of 5 panels better than what The Kiss Bet can do in 45?

Why does this page of Tamberlane manage to convey more information about the world's lore and the people in it in a way that's emotionally driven and clearly affecting the characters without outright info-dumping than what Lore Olympus has managed to spit out onto its plate since S3 started over a year ago?

How does Tales from Alderwood manage to be more entertaining and convey more meaningful storytelling through its characters in a single page consisting of zero dialogue than what The Kiss Bet can convey in its silent panels of staring, blushing, and repetitive stuttering?

Why are the creators who are relying entirely on their own efforts, resources, and ability to generate income through community interaction and support putting out better work with less panels and on slower schedules for FREE than what we're seeing from professional creators on a professional publishing platform who are being paid to do this as their job?

There's this saying in the tattooing industry: good work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't good.

At this point, 70 cents is not a 'bargain' as many people like to argue in defense of the creators. And while I do want to have good faith in the creators who don't pull this shit, the creators who clearly go above and beyond to do what they do in the pursuit of storytelling and polishing their craft to be the best piece of work that it can be - the comics that are worth paying 70 cents and beyond for - are not the comics that Webtoons is promoting to people. The creators of the works that genuinely deserve more than 70 cents per update are being left to fend for themselves without support from the platform, while those that aren't worth the price of even a flavorless gumball are consistently winning the Wonka Golden Ticket lottery.

The cost of 70 cents is relative. For some works it's a genuine bargain. For others like the The Kiss Bet and Lore Olympus, 70 cents is not a "bargain", it's not a "good deal", it's exactly the value of what you're paying for - cheap work that isn't good.

[mazeinthemiroh]

I'm having one of those days where, after a long day of work, I get home and just sit in my car. It's turned off, no music, and I wasn't even on my phone for the first 15-20 minutes of it. It wasn't necessarily bad day, just one that took a lot out of me.

Anyway, I was just sitting here thinking about the members of Ateez would react to an SO doing this.

Would they wait for you to recharge enough to come into the house, giving you space? Would they be waiting for you at the door with food and a warm drink? Who would be the one to just come sit with you in the car?

ateez reactions to their s/o staying in the car after a tiring day

genre: fluff, hurt / comfort

warnings: cursing, not proofread

a/n: dear anon, thank you for your request. i hope you're feeling better, i do relate to what you've said. we all have those days :( i hope you enjoy this. anyone else who is reading, look at anons request to explain more about the context of this ask because i feel the title doesn't quite do it justice <333 thank you and hope you enjoy

hongjoong

when hongjoong sees you parked outside the house, sitting in the car for a long time, he sense that you need a moment to yourself. he will wait for you. he doesn't want to intrude on your alone time. will, of course, provide you comfort when you finally come in the house to seek it. he has his arms wide open, a hit more clingier than usual because he knows you've had a rough day. he gives whatever support he can to you.

seonghwa

will go to you immediately. he's worried about you and wants to know what's going on. when he realises you want to just sit in the car for a bit because of your draining day, he starts to understand. but he isn't leaving you. nuh-uh, he's staying right by your side, hopping in the passenger seat and asking you questions about your day, allowing you to talk and vent to him about your feelings and what has happened. he's always there to listen to you.

yunho

he would be concerned when you don't get out the car. so, being in the outside, he will wave at you. when you barely respond, he will start playing pee-ka-boo on the other side of the car. will pull goofy faces and do the walking down the stairs skit when he lowers himself as he steps. all of this to see you smile. to make you laugh. he doesn't want his baby to be upset for too long <3

yeosang

yeosang would join you. he sees you parked outside from his window and figures that today has been pretty rough. so he will slide in to the passenger seat and sit there in silence. he'll wait for you to speak. because if you don't want to, he's happy to just sit there with you in silence. he just doesn't want you to be sitting alone in the car by yourself. might end up suggesting going for a late night drive you end up at a mcdonalds drive thru

san

will state at you from the outside eif the car, his face inches away from the diver's window where you sat, trying to ignore him. at first he is looking intensely at you, as if trying to figure out what you're thinking. when you finally make eye contact with him, a small pout appears on his lips. he can see the tired and burnt-out look jn your eyes, and opens the door to give you a big bear hug.

mingi

sits in the car with you and starts taking about his day as a way to distract you. at first you're like 'this bitch is selfish af' until you realise that, actually, he's trying to make you laugh. his funny stories and over-exaggeration always gets to you, and his goofy triumphant grin on his face when he has broken your tired facade to see amusement in your eyes makes your heart flutter. he's so hard not to love.

wooyoung

"i'm not gonna wait for your forever, you know." this little so-and-so is not having you sitting in the car by yourself. he will stand outside, hand son hips, shaking his head and tutting. "stop moping about by yourself and mope about inside so i can cuddle you." will literally pull you out of the vehicle if he has to, kissing your pout away and placing a comforting arm around you. you're never alone when you're dating wooyoung.

jongho

leaves you in the car for a bit. he figures you want a little moment to yourself, so he gives you the space. however, when he waits and waits and waits and you're still not out? he gets more concerned. will make you a cup of hot chocolate and go out to see you, knocking on the car window for you to roll down. "thinking of coming in anytime soon?" he'll ask softly, waiting for you to tell him what's up.

[kingmagnificoofrosas]

I just cannot get over this one kid in the cinema who went "But he isn't evil!"

We are talking children here! Children don't really know or understand anything about ptsd and trauma (mostly, yet) they just observe! And if a KID between the age of 5 and 10 observes Magnifico and can read between the lines and conclude he isn't evil, what excuse does that leave for haters calling him one?

Now, more analysing cause you've been loving those and I enjoy doing them 🛡⚔️ (I might repeat some points but in a alightly different way)

Every single arguement I've seen haters or anti-Magnifico people make so far was either straight up stupid, ignorant, uneducated, defiant, baseless and or senseless. And then we also have the hardcore Amaya/Asha fans who just go on hating on Magnifico just "because!"

Or those who go "He's the worst villain ever." Yeah, Sherlock, maybe thats because he isn't one? 🤨 Like, seriously, you take Magnifico, compare him to aaaaall the REAL villains like Jafar, Frollo, Scar etc. And you wanna tell me he was anything like them because his trauma forced him to get himself posessed by evil trapped in an evil book and only went bonkers after he was literally posessed? And his sole motivation was to protect and keep safe at all costs ?

And then come the arguements 🫴🏼

"He's vain and narcissistic!"

Because he acknowledges the fact that he's handsome and like's to see himself in mirrors? 🤨

"He didn't grant every single wish! He shouldn't have kept them."

He didn't grant every single wish because of his trauma caused fear/paranoia and kept them for the same exact reason. However, he always meant well.

Yes, I agree that a traumatized person shouldn't be in any leading position, nor should they be in the position of making important decissions. But lets take a look at his motivations and goals again!

His motivations :

- Never have anyone suffer a fate like he did

- Never have people have to see their hopes and dreams get shattered

- Never have his past repeat

Quote - "Everything I do is to make sure that never happens again!"

His goals :

- Protect and keep people safe

- Make sure people live happy, content, free of hardships and strive

Further comparisons

All the other villains when singing - Sing openly about their evil plans, desires etc. showing they're evil!

Magnifico when bursting into song :

"promise as one does, I will protect you at all costs. Keep you safe here in my arms. I will protect you at all costs."

"If you're ever feeling like you're lost, I'll come find you. Man all fronts, there's no ocean I won't swim across to be right by you. And not just once, here and now I swear on my response. I'll remind you-"

"I let you live here for free and I don't even charge you rent. I clean up all your messes and I'm always there when you need to vent. I give and give and give and give, you'd think they'd all be content. And all I really want is just a little respect."

Back to the arguements Anti-Magnifico people make and even more comparisons ⬇️

More for the vain and narcissistic

Gaston - treats everyone like trash and thinks the whole globe spinns around him only. Doesn't care if he walks over dead bodies looking good.

Evil queen - Wants to kill her stepdaughter because she's prettier than her.

Mother gothel - Kidnaps the baby princess, locks her up because the magic hair makes her stay young and pretty, doesn't give a toot that the king and queen are suffering immense heartbreak and guilt. And to keep the princess locked in, gaslights and belittles her.

And then we have Magnifico ✨️

"I'm handsome and I know it." Likes to look at himself in the mirror and is happy and content with his looks. Hurts not one single fly with it. Doesn't put others down.

"He's power hungry!"

Why did he want to keep his power? - Because he was terrified if he would lose it, he wouldn't be able to protect anymore and his past would repeat.

"He threatened everyone and destroyed wishes!"

Again, he was posessed? Do people understand what posessed means? Amaya knew this book would control him! Not him controling the book!

In the end, I don't even care for people who disagree with me. But one thing I just don't get is : Why are some people so out to prove to us Magnifico-defenders that he's evil? Like, are these guys for real? We push forgiveness and love and the other side pushes hate, ignorance, unforgiveness and bitterness. Why does someone feel the need to spread negativity rather than positivity?

I won't stop defending Magnifico 🛡⚔️🩵

[theprismyyy]

Honestly, I read on several different platforms, both here on Tumblr, and on Wattpad, ao3 and others... and so, in general, they are all great apps with great stories to read, but there is one thing that bothers me about all of them, mainly and especially on Ao3, and the amount of disgusting content involving serious subjects like incest, rape and others that I won't bother mentioning here; What irritates me most about this is the lack of filter in the app.I'm only saying all this because the following happened, I was simply reading some stories about Gwen Stacy on the said app (ao3) when I came across atrocities like a fanfic whose plot was literally an incestuous relationship between Gwen and her father....man , I just wanted to read some fluffy fluff and not come across unnecessary and unsolicited material, I didn't bother opening this (obviously) and I didn't even want to, I was honestly disgusted... Also, I came across another whose plot idea was even more horrible... I don't know, it all just made me think that maybe these apps need more serious and firm rules and punishments in the face of these things; such serious and criminal topics being written in a sick manner to normalize and entertain more disgusting and sick people is still dark, it's even darker how little we talk about it and how little the developers seem to care, I imagine dealing with demands so big ones must be extremely difficult but we don't even see a movement to deal with these things...IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S JUST A CHARACTER, IT DOESN'T MATTER HE OR SHE DOESN'T EXIST, FUCK YOU AND YOUR SICK SHIT THAT USES THIS AS AN "ARGUMENT" TO WRITE CRIMINAL THINGS AND FEED YOUR FANTASIES DISGUSTING!!!! WHAT WE WRITE AND CONSUME SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE TYPE OF PEOPLE WE ARE AND IF YOU CONSUME IT AND DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF CONTENT THEN PLEASE FUCK YOU

Anyway, this was just me venting because honestly I was extremely uncomfortable, I just wanted to read some nonsense and I had to come across something so sickening.

Edit: Apparently this is necessary as I may not have been as specific on some points and some people don't seem to understand (or don't want to understand)

It wasn't a personal "attack" on the Ao3 platform, I just used it as an example because that's usually where this type of work ends up appearing more.

2. Yes, I know and use the filtering system, Still, I think they are very often very flawed... besides, many of the people who write this type of content use tags that have nothing to do with the plot of the story to achieve greater visibility.

3. Yes... teenagers have sex 😱 wow what an incredible discovery!!! I know a lot of movies, shows, etc. portray this openly, I personally don't feel comfortable writing smut in general and everyone has their own opinion about it, but I understand there are a lot of writers who do this normalization and trivialization of a CRIME!

4. I know that many people use writing as a coping mechanism, but I think it is very unlikely that a person who has been through a situation, such as rape, for example, You'll write about it like it's something sexy or the best experience you've ever had in your life, like a lot of these types of writers do.

5. Yes, one of the joys of writing is that we can explore the deepest, most complex aspects of humanity without directly hurting anyone, and I love that, but we need to take responsibility for that.

6. There was a guy here who literally said that it's because of people like me that you can't have porn on Tumblr anymore...but why would there need to be porn here? Why just not open on an adult site like pornhub or xvideos?

7. I was indirectly called a facist through a Hashtag.... not supporting the normalization of rape, incest, etc. apparently makes me a facist😍

(I really am completely willing to hear opinions and comments, but I will not tolerate disrespect in the comments. That's it and thank you)

[gorgeouslypink]

i apologize in advance, this post is a bit sarcastic/mean as its inspired by thewizardliz and simone, but obviously how i usually convey my thoughts hasnt been working so maybe some of you can use it.

hey guys!! i think at this point, most of the community knows about the glossy/asteriaa plagiarism drama. if you don't and are interested, then look at @asteriaas-stuffs and @lotusmi 's blogs.

the reason i know about this is i have gotten multiple asks about this, basically along the lines of "i trusted glossy, now im so doubtful, this is like kira all over again, what do I do" like guys

no but seriously ive always been saying to not depend on bloggers and even wrote like a whole essay, sharing my own journey with doubts and the void and how depending on tumblr bloggers caused me to spiral into doubt and i shared why it's so detrimental to depend on others and attach your void concept to them and within days, you guys all went and depended on a lying blogger and fell for the exact thing i warned you against and then you come back crying to me. very genuinely, what do you expect me to do if you don't even listen to me after i shared my entire journey with you guys and was incredibly vulnerable about it too?

and the frustrating thing is i already know that if someone else were to come out right now and say they entered the void and will enter for you, most of you will repeat the same exact behavior again. this isn't the first time this kind of situation and has happened and at one point its hard for me to sympathize.

if you're someone who genuinely wants to change, read my doubts post and sabatoging post and make a genuine plan on how you're going to enter the void and stick to it. if it helps, literally sit down, open up my ask, vent a bit and then tell me why you havent entered the void yet and what youre going to change so that you will. i wont post but if acctually writing it out and sending a plan to someone will help you, do that. honestly, if you really went through the proof portfolio in my doubts post, you would've still been reading what I linked because theres a lot and you wouldnt have fallen for this mess, and you definetly wouldn't be doubting the void so maybe start there. if you can't handle being on tumblr without becoming a sheep for anyone who claims to have entered the void and attaching your void concept to them, then delete tumblr.

lemme tell you a little secret, no one is coming to save you. you are the creator of your reality so stop playing victim and if you really need a hero to save you, then become that hero. do what you need to do and enter the void!

[raineandsky]

this is the secret santa gift for @laffy-taffy-creations!

their prompt: "Hero that is a living weapon and past experiment, they run into Supervillain who taunts them calling them by their experiment name and Hero fighting to stay in control of their emotions so they don't accidentally cause any sort of diaster. Bonus points if there's someone (you pick) hiding in the shadows, eavesdropping, that part is optional though."

this was super fun, hope you enjoy reading as much as i did writing!!

-

The hero’s hands had shook when the superhero announced their next assignment. When he’d placed a slim file in their hands, like they didn’t know the exact ins and outs of the place he was sending them to. There was a map on the front page that they didn't need.

The hero’s hands had shook as they meticulously unscrewed the little vent to shuffle their way inside. They’d been violated by the familiar stench of burning skin and cleaning chemicals, the sound of clanking metal and far-off, shrieking voices grating in their ears. Primal instinct had momentarily elbowed in front of duty, and they’d been halfway to abandoning the mission before remembering why they were here.

Let’s eradicate them. A small handwritten note left in the back of the hero’s file, as much of a kindness as an explicit push towards the superhero’s true goal. I think it’s what you deserve as much as they do.

The hero’s hands are shaking now, buried in the supervillain’s desk, as the office door clunks unlocked.

No one else but the supervillain could come in here really—the hero knows this—but their heart still sinks to see that it isn’t anyone else.

The supervillain pauses on the threshold, clearly reining in any blatant surprise before he speaks. He was always good at that—the only emotions he ever let them see was the disappointment of what they’d done wrong, or nothing at all.

“Q-5,” he says after a long moment, and the hero’s hands scrunch on paper at the name. “It is a delight to see you return to us.”

“That’s not my name,” the hero spits. Their voice trembles traitorously. “It’s [Hero] now.”

“Don’t be absurd.” The supervillain hums a laugh as he carefully closes the door behind him, like this is nothing more than a business meeting. “You are Q-5. No one gets to name you but me. You know this well, I’m sure.”

The hero does know this well. Any attempt of individuality here was met with an iron fist, quite literally. The relief of getting a name—a real, actual name—had been one of the biggest victories in their escape from this hell.

Hearing that so-called name again, that jumble of characters that mean nothing, that make them nothing, it’s– it’s—

The hero sucks down a long breath as the ceiling sprinkles dust over the room. Something deep in the building groans as if the hero’s tidal wave of emotion is boring it.

The supervillain’s gaze tilts to the shuddering pipes along the walls. Unbothered, vaguely amused.

“Q-5.” The supervillain’s voice is deceptively soft. It’s the tone of someone the hero’s about to want to be very far away from. They feel like a child again, an experiment slightly off canter, caught with their hand in the biscuit tin reserved for the scientists. “I see the power I gave you is strengthening.”

The supervillain takes a step closer and the hero takes one back without thinking. Their wrists bash painfully against the drawer in their haste.

Power. That’s all it is with the supervillain. Power, strength, violence. How can we make you better when you were such a mistake? How can I make you into who I intended? You came out wrong, but I can’t let another failure go to waste. How do I give you true power? Power. Power power power power power power—

A crack snaps its way into the floor underneath the supervillain. The hero heaves another unwilling breath. Control is difficult when their destruction is ruled by the lawless waves of emotion.

“I came here,” the hero says slowly, “to stop you.”

They grit their teeth, as if that will quell the quaking tightness in their chest. It doesn’t, not really, but at least the building stops shaking. The supervillain admires the gash underfoot like it’s a piece of art and not a consequence of what he created.

“I would love to see you try.” The supervillain smiles, the expression calculated. “Take whatever you’ve found. I’m sure it’ll be useful for your little mission.”

The hero falters, their gaze drawn to their hands. They didn’t realise that they’d held onto some of the papers in their rush to put space between them. The supervillain steps to the side to give the hero a straight escape to the door.

He’s letting them leave. It’s a trick. It’s a test. Will you try to get away from something that will never leave you no matter how far you run? Or will you accept that you belong here, as nothing more than a half-failed experiment and a muddle of uncontrollable feelings?

The hero takes a step towards the door. The supervillain doesn’t move. They take another. Another. Another.

The supervillain practically smirks when the hero gets to the door, like this is exactly what he planned. “Don’t think your departure now means you’re escaping, Q-5,” he says lightly. “I know you’ll be back. You cannot truly run from this place. From me.”

The building rumbles underfoot. Shouts rise distantly. The hero forces themself to stare him in the face as they forcibly stamp their flare of hatred down. Then they swing the door open to make their escape.

Someone stumbles into the office as the door she was leaning against abandons her. She quickly rights herself with an awkward clearing of her throat. 

“I was trying to find the source of the disturbances,” she explains hurriedly. “It seemed the worst of the earthquake was coming from here.”

The hero recognises her. A villain. Bright, eager, forever in the supervillain’s shadow. She probably thinks she’s safely detached from the supervillain’s insane experiments. The hero thought that too, once. It was only when he ran out of test subjects that he turned his interest to them.

The hero pushes past her before they can see any more of their lost self in her. The building rumbles in agreement as they mindlessly break for the exit. 

-

“This will be vitally useful, [Hero],” the superhero says with a smile when they lay the crumpled papers on his desk, “you’ve brought us a step closer to ending [Supervillain]’s reign. Thank you.”

The hero is just glad it’s over. 

But when the superhero approaches a week later, a file in his hand and a grim look on his face, the hero finds the floors shaking with revulsion under their feet.

[p1err0st4r]

☆ | authors note : just when i thought my hutao era was gone i imgained how she would interact with the upper moons and i just needed to write this.

♱ | upper moon with a s/o that is like hutao from genshin impact !! ( personality wise )

Kokushibo

You two hated each others guts at first , and i mean HATE.

Everyone wonders how you pulled a bitch like Kokushibo ... even Kokushibo sometimes thinks of that.

After the relationship started it seemed like you just forgot the old hate.

You guys balance each other out most of the time. Kokushibo could get through your facade, and so can you with Kokushibo

Sometimes you vent to Kokushibo about the fact that you feel like everyone hates you for your attitude and he tries to help you ... but you keep refusing and just brushing it off and saying it's a joke.

Despite that though Kokushibo sometimes gets annoyed with your little stunts and pranks , when it's directed to him of course.

You could pull embarassing pranks on anyone .. but not him.

And if you still managed to pull it off GOD FORBID it ruined his reputation.

He will not hesitate to manhandle you into calming down. (Will never harm you though.)

Mostly thinks you're overwhelming.

Man , just .. give him a break sometimes.

In general pretty healthy relationship !!

Douma

Now this is a really different story.

You guys are a chaotic duo that makes everyone watch where they're going in case you two set up a trip wire.

You didn't even realize how you became a couple.

The relationship stayed the same but you guys became a little more intimate than before.

Both of you are big fans of PDA , literally no shame. (Last time you were to intimate on the upper moon meeting so Kokushibo had to dicapitate both of you.)

(You still do that by the way.)

You never really vented to Douma about your feelings since you don't hace really quite moments where you could actually drop your whole act.

And honestly even if you did you don't thimk Douma would understand your feelings despite his hard tries to do that. You think your relationship is better off without that big of an emotional connection.

Sad moments aside , you two drive Akaza absolutely bonkers.

Not really healthy .. bur fun relationship !

Akaza

At first he didn't care for you ... well pretty much like most of the upper moons. It's not like he'll interact with you or anything.

Well that's until you pulled a prank on him.

He was SO embarassed and it drove him crazy. (Crazy ? I was crazy once . )

Now after that he was so tempted to beat your ass but still held back a little. ( you were actually all for it.)

But eventually you did end up testing each others strength.

Now that's when you started getting a more close relationship.

You started a romantic relationship with Akaza really fastly.

It is because you both opened up to each other pretty fast in the friendship and it made your heart warm up.

Akaza doesn't mind your pranks as much now , you couldn't be worse than Douma.

(Sometimes helps you set them up.)

Now vents are a common thing in your relationship. Akaza knows of your insecurities and makes sure to check up on you once in a while to see if you're doing better or not. Constantly reassures you that you are unique and loved.

I think this realtionship is the healthiest so far...

This is a bit short , im really sorry about that. :((

Thank you for reading this !! ♡♡

[miguel-manbemel]

I've been in the Thomas Sanders fandom for almost nine years now. That means I was there way before Sanders Sides, and that at this point I'll remain following him way after Sanders Sides is over. That doesn't make me better or worse than anyone else, but I think that that gives me a little bit of right to speak my opinion, and I'm gonna do it, because I've been holding it back for far too long when I've seen so much bullshit all around, especially on Tumblr, and I can't help it anymore. I need to speak and I'm gonna speak, no matter who likes what I say and no matter who's bothered by what I say.

Sanders Sides started in October 2016, but it didn't get truly big until 2017. And 2017 was "Fander year", it was the year Thomas was most prolific and released the highest amount of work: the bulk of season 1 and a big chunk of season 2 of Sanders Sides, and to that we have to add the first episode of Cartoon Therapy, the last few Vines before it was shut down and a production of shorts comparable of his big years on Vine, and to that we add the vlogs, the music, his big projects like Bizardvaark, etc. And back then at the beginning it was Thomas alone, Joan and Talyn joined around February, March, and it was only the three of them the rest of the year and part of 2018. They worked their asses off for these months, to the point that all the three of them with no exception ended up getting sick. Joan even had to go through hospital and Talyn was eventually forced to retire altogether because of the complications stress caused in his Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Not to mention that Thomas and the others spent literal sleepless nights editing Sanders Sides, the record being 36 consecutive hours of editing without sleep so that he could release a Sanders Sides episode faster (I think it was Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning). I don't know if some people here know it, but Thomas has confessed to be a little bit workaholic, and we all know he's a perfectionist in his work, he will only release what he considers is the best for him when it's ready, nothing more nothing less.

There's people that, sure, have praised Thomas beyond what is considered healthy and that have been assholes with other people who had constructive criticisms (and not all criticism has been constructive), but certainly, specially on Tumblr, there's people who don't know the meaning of the word "fair judgment" and vent all their personal frustrations onto Thomas like he was responsible of all evils in the world. If excessive positivity is toxic, excessive negativity is toxic too, and also damaging, not to mention potencially a crime of libel if they go too far and start damaging his reputation and good name with lies. I'm still seeing people talking about the animator thing like they know first person what happened, saying happily that Thomas "didn't pay the animators", like it was something true and a fact. The animators did not even get to a unified unique conclusion about anything. Some of the animators got mad and left the fandom immediately, others stayed to literally bitch around and criticize (and some caused more harm in the process than anything they were accusing Thomas and team of doing)... while other animators remain in good terms with Thomas and still follow him with the same passion, and also there are animators that called out other animators for their toxicity while the work was in progress. It's time to set things clear: the animators were paid what they signed in their contracts, they said that and they recognized that without exception. It was their own responsibility to read such contracts and investigate the internet and what is considered a good amount of payment, they should have done that beforehand and not sign if they didn't agree, because once they signed, they're bound and they have no right to complain because they agreed to that salary and it looked okay for them before signing, otherwise they wouldn't have, that's something even some animators said. So please, stop using that to spread hatred on Thomas. Not even the whole bunch of the animators supports you on this, and clearly if you weren't there you have no word to say. Officially, a portion of the animators spoke to the team, and ammended things privately, that was what was published and that is where it should have ended five years ago. So the rest of the world should just shut up about it. This is not and should not be treated as a reality show because it has nothing public at all. This is something private between the animators and the team, and third persons should not use it as an excuse to spread hoaxes and hatred against the team. Stop it already and mind your own business.

That was one thing I wanted to let out, but the other thing is about the people complaining, and complaining, and complaining about how they don't get the content THEY want faster. I'm talking about those who think Thomas should do Sanders Sides and nothing else, because "it's what Patrons pay for", "it's his biggest source of income", "blah, blah, blah"... I am a Patron, and I know what I signed for when I joined Patron: "more content, more frequently", nowhere in that sentence it is mentioned it would be Sanders Sides only, or even mainly and if anyone read that it's something they assumed on their own, not the reality and certainly not binding. We've gone through a drought of content because there was a pandemic, in case anyone didn't notice. But he's releasing more content now, in all platforms, so he's commiting to his promise about Patreon. My money is well spent and I won't let anyone say otherwise. Please, kindly refrain to speak in my name as a Patron, thank you. If any other feels differently and is on Patreon, he's always free to unsubscribe when he wants, but don't repeat the lie that you "subscribed because he promised more Sanders Sides more frequently", because that's literally a falsehood. And speaking about Patreon and the "writer's tier", I don't know what you think the writer's room is about. The team only gives the writer light suggestions about what jokes could work well or things that could be featured specifically as ideas for the script, they don't get any power of decission in the plot and they don't even get to know the plot at all because the questions are vague. Don't give so much importance to the writer's room, because i's nothing of the other world, despite some people trying to make it a bigger issue than it is, usually people who are not even in the writer's room and therefore don't know what they're talking about, as usual. About the "Sanders Sides being his biggest source of income and therefore, he should stick to that"... well, sorry to break it to you, but have you been around his TikTok recently? He has recently released a Storytime short and a Misleading Compliment short, and the audience went literally crazy, and the new sketch videos are working like charm. Sanders Sides might be a huge success of his, but his short videos (the 10 seconds long and the 4 minutes long) are, and will always be, his biggest source of fame, they've always been since Vine. Remember, he has 10 million followers on TikTok, almost triple his YouTube follower count. And from these 10 million followers, not so many even know what Sanders Sides is because they didn't follow him on YouTube. You have to deal with the fact that Thomas could cancel Sanders Sides today, and he'd still have a very decent lifelihood thanks to the short videos. He makes Sanders Sides because he wants to and because it's a personal project of his. It's you who's in desperate need of Sanders Sides, not him, stop projecting.

Where am I going with this? It is okay to dislike Thomas, no one forces you to like him, and it's okay if his type of humor is not for you anymore. But you are not the center of the universe. There are still millions of people who enjoy what he makes whatever it is, and Thomas is not there to give you the content you want all the time like a video-making-machine. He's not going back to 2017-2018 when he literally destroyed his health with too much work. I know a lot of Fanders joined the fandom at that time, got used to that rythm of releases and miss it, but that time is not coming back, because above else, Thomas and his team are human beings, not slaves at your service and their mental an physical health is more important than your need for entertainment. If you can't accept that, you should seriously consider moving forward to other forms of entertainment that are more of your liking. And moving forward means moving forward completely, not going back and forth publishing insulting or condescending posts against Thomas and his team that are not gonna help you get content faster. Just because you are an "addict" to Sanders Sides (if you were just "invested", you wouldn't get to some extents I've seen some people get to) and didn't get served your daily dose of hyperfixation, that gives you no right to bitch around against the creators. It's your responsiblity to look for your own sources of entertainment wherever you can find them, but you have no right to demand anyone to make anything for you, because this is internet, not an a la carte restaurant. You have plenty of content created by hundreds of content creators anywhere, just choose it and consume it. But don't forget it's content creators who decide what, where and when they create anything, not the audience. The right of the audience is to like whatever or not, to follow whoever or not. It's not your business how he runs his business or his working schedules, because that's private. You only have a right to consume the final product, not to control every step of the production, and it's time some people start remembering this and pump the brakes with their attitude.

[k1nky-r0b0t-g1rl]

im just going to put a little rant about my personal life here, not really expecting anyone to read but this is like therapy i guess lol. this is about a recent ex and i need to vent but i have no one that isnt neutral in this so here ya go tumblr

I recently broke up with a partner after we met in person for the first time and I've been telling everyone that it was a mutual decision and that we just weren't compatible and all that but honestly i need to fucking rant about it because it really fucking wasn't tbh. She was my first ever relationship and i was still pretty early in my transition (pre hormones) when we started dating long distance, i was obviously super fucking happy and it was pretty good for a while, we didn't talk as much as i would have liked and she wasn't super affectionate but it was fine, she introduced me to being poly and ill always be thankful for that. We met up in person this year, polycule met up. she was staying in her other partners room and i in my other partners room, i was rotating sleeping in each room so i got to spend that time evenly with both of them. after like 3 nights i was with her and her partner in bed going to sleep when her partner couldnt sleep because of a loud cricket and it being fairly warm, (me being aussie didnt really mind,) she had this little rant about not being able to sleep and it felt fairly targeted at me and then suddenly i was being "asked" to leave so she could sleep. in the middle of the night, i was completely naked except for my panties and i couldnt just go to the couch because we had a persons mum staying out there (unrelated) so i was suddenly kicked out of sleeping with my partner by her partner with 0 defence or even a goodbye, i seriously considered sleeping in the bath or on the floor i was so hurt but i snuck into my other partners room, waking them both up and feeling even worse for it. After this incident i was too scared to try and sleep in with my ex again because that room was no longer a safe and shared space if i could just be kicked out in the middle of the night mostly naked. Not once did my ex offer an alternative arrangement or a way we could share a night together to help.

Following on from this my ex and her partner were hanging out a lot, i wasn't confident driving in america just yet (and obviously didn't have my own car) so i couldn't really spontaneously do things with her the way she seemed to love doing with her partner. i didn't get too disheartened by this because obviously we could just plan stuff in advanced...well i tried, multiple times, i asked if we could go on dates and she just never got back to me (i was very anxious so pushing on this was hard and probably didn't help but still, i shouldn't have to do all the fucking effort) I had multiple talks with her about how i felt like we didn't have a shared space to hang in and we should plan some stuff to do together because of it, she seemed to agree each time and then again nothing changed. I was getting real self conscious and afraid, did she just not love me after meeting in person? did i do something? did something happen that i don't know about? but she said nothing like that happened and she was just tired from traveling and needed a lot of time to herself (btw she always would take this "self" time in her partners bedroom.....the one i had been kicked out of previously...) honestly this went on for longer than it should of, one of the big red flags looking back was when i had a big talk with her about i want to hang out with her more, even if its just in the same room doing different things, i wanted to just be near her even if we weren't doing anything ya know. the literal next day after this talk i asked her if i could come hang out (in the bedroom) with her. she replied with a no....the day after this talk and it fucking devastated me. i felt so rejected and hurt, like how could she just say no like that when i just told her how hurt i am that we don't do anything together.

a lot of other problems came up in that house during the trip that i wont really go into but as the weeks past she seemed to consistently choose her partner over me time after time, there would be days where we just wouldn't talk, i would try and look her way and get a "good morning" or anything but it just felt like nothing in return, honestly it felt like we weren't even friends let alone partners of over 2 years. and i admit, i withdrew from her fairly hard, i was scared and afraid and i couldn't deal with it anymore after trying and trying to fix it so i decided that id just let her "take the lead" on how she wanted the relationship to go hoping that this was just a phase and she was just nervous....nothing changed.

Because of us lacking a shared space we rarely got to have any intimate moments (not even talking about sex, im talking cuddling to sleep or waking up together, basic shit) and i just assumed she was like that because we had talked about her being on the ace spectrum and all that, but then her partner would keep bringing up cute or sexy things they had done together....mainly dumb stuff and fooling around together, cute relationship stuff that i was getting none of, nothing at all, barely even kisses. One night we were pretty high and one of these situations came up and they were laughing and being embarrassed about it and just talking as if it was normal and something they do all the time, i had to hide in the bathroom and cry it upset me so much, up until this point i didnt know this was happening, she had said she didnt want to do this stuff at all and shes just doing it with her other partner? again was i not good enough? did i do something wrong? did she not love me?

This stuff kept happening, i felt like a secondary partner, only there when she wasnt able to be with her main, and even then barely at all. she denied it and said everyone was equal, that was always my understanding but nothing fucking changed again. nothing.

They would barely talk to us, we would often be out and they would just suddenly have decided they were gonna go for coffee somewhere and leave, no invite no discussing it with the group fucking nothing over and over. they would often smoke at night to relax and i was never invited out with them, never. they claimed it was an "open invite" just like the bedroom i had been actively removed from, but they would do it without saying thats what they doing, or they would sit on a chair outside only built for 2 people, making joining hard and uncomfortable.

I spent a lot of my nights crying, my other partner trying to comfort me without getting to involved, i had no idea what i was doing, i couldnt recognise that i needed to end the relationship and they didnt want to push that, it wasnt their place. they felt robbed of time with me because i had to spend so much energy fighting this fight and i was exhausted, i felt so unwanted and unloved.

Honestly im fucking furious, at every fucking corner she said she loved me and wanted to fix things and nothing ever fucking changed. we still share a friend group and i cant just fucking talk shit about her because then id feel like a cunt, i dont want to be that person but im soooo angry and upset, over two years together and it meant nothing, i dont care what she says about the memories, it certainly doesnt feel like she enjoyed my company or my fucking time. FUCK. Ive barely mentioned everything that happened, a 3 month trip is too much to vent out in a single post and this is already way bigger than i expected, i just needed to get it out that no im not fucking ok. i cant tell her because whats the fucking point now, and her partner would probably hate me for this rant anyway so fuck that, although idk how much i give a shit anymore, a lot of those nights were miserable and i can pinpoint the blame to both of them and it makes me so so angry and sad that i have to vent to myself on tumblr like this.

guess my first relationship ending poorly wasnt unexpected lol.

If anyone actually read all of this wow im impressed, idk why but good job lol. idk what else to say tbh. fuck i guess