#it makes me so sad when the editors edit out so much of a person it makes them hard yo recognize

[deadghosy]

Vlogger! Mattheo x Editor! Reader pt.1/pt.2

“Welcome to my vlog! Today we are metting up with my editor Y/N…I’m kinda nervous because what if they’re a weirdo or something....” he says as he drives over to the cafe you picked out to met him. As he pulls over he grabs the camera and walks over to a table you ordered. As he waits he sees a figure walk over, immediately he felt his throat go dry at the gorgeous person in front of him. They were wearing an [aesthetic] outfit as they wave at the blogger who seems smitten.

“Wassup Matty! It’s me, Y/N!” You said with an excited grin. Immediately Mattheo got into a proper sitting posture and shook your hand. “Hey! I’m mattheo!” He says nervously. But as soon as he realized what he said you laughed. “I know who you are man.” You say in front of him. You guys start to order as he kept looking at you, which the camera definitely picked up as his eyes were gazing at your face only. He can’t believe he had the best editor ever, mostly that his editor was fine as hell as well. He was so stuck on staring at you, he almost didn’t hear what you were saying

“Honestly, I can’t believe I’m hanging out with the infamous mattheo riddle. I bet your fan girls are seething right as of now.” Matthew laughs at your joke as he sets the camera up where it picks up the both of you. “Eh, probably not. They probably are thirsting over you.” He says with his charming smile. You smirked drinking your water. “Hm. Isn’t that right ladies?” You then winked at the camera which earned another laugh from Mattheo.

“So, you’ll be staying for a week right?” You nodded eating a burrito. Mattheo smiled, but he couldn’t help but take a picture of you eating a burrito. “Heyy! I saw that!” You laughed as you try to take a picture of him eating a sandwich. “Ain’t no way!” He then grabs your phone making you chuckle. The lunch was amusing as mattheo offered to drive you to his place. You had Uber to the lunch spot, so why not do the favor of making you save money.

You got in the car and immediately started playing some sza which got the two in mood to sing. His eyes showed admiration as you sang your heart at snooze. “I can’t lose! When I’m with youuuu!” You sang as you touched mattheo’s shoulder. Mattheo grinned, his teeth showing as he to his house. As he parked your mouth was dropped at how big his house was.

And this is where you are going to stay at for a week.

Day 1, you had edited the video he made. You laughed when he said he was scared that you were gonna be a weirdo. But what was more funny was that you noticed how much mattheo glances at you. It’s adorable, his eyes tell a story every time they glance at you. As you finished editing, mattheo paid a pizza guy and brought pizza in. “Hey! [N/N] I bought us some pizza. Grab you a slice.” “Bet!” It was a cool pizza night.

Day 3, mattheo was vlogging as you two were at the beach. Mattheo wearing green trunks, as you wore your own beach outfit. “Guys look at my hot editor picking up sea shells.” He says as the camera zooms on you from afar picking up shells. “Aren’t they just beautiful.” His voice was soft, as his eyes was hidden behind his shades. “Matty!” You ran over to him, accidentally running into him as the sand was very shifty. “Hey, slow down!” He says with a smile, almost dropping his camera. One arm was around you as the other was afar with the camera. Capturing the moment of you against the Riddle man. “Sorry, but look at these sea shells I found! So pretty..” You were excited to show him as you counted them. “Yeah they are..” his eyes softened, looking at you behind his shades.

Day 5, you were laying beside mattheo who was slowly falling asleep by you combing his hair with your fingers. He hummed a little before hugging your waist, his head in your lap. You smiled before frowning. You have two days before you leave and you already love it here…with him..

The last day, it was sad for mattheo and you. As you packed your stuff mattheo was making a small little vlog video of himself. “So today Y/N is leaving back to their hometown…me and them have bonded a lot over this week..and I must say ima miss them a lot.” He says looking at the camera as he gets up walking to the room you had. “Hey, you down packing?” He says as the camera zooms onto you. “Yeah boss, it’s done.” You laughed but it was clear you were upset. You were upset you had to leave mattheo. “Hm..ima miss you.” “I’ll miss you too..” you got up, ready to leave as your Uber was here. As you walked pass him, he had the urged to just grab you, kiss you and make you stay longer. But he can’t risk that. He just follows you as the camera is cut off. But soon as you almost exit the front door, he grabbed your wrist. Making you snap your head at him.

“You can stay with me..” Mattheo says holding your arm. You raised a brow, looking at him softly. “You know that means I have to get my stuff from my home town right?” Mattheo nods. “I can help you..as long as you stay with me of course. If you want!” He lets go of your arm quickly, making you smile. “Of course I’ll stay with you.” You the kiss his cheek as you walk from his porch. Mattheo’s cheeks were a dusty pink as he smiled at the fainting figure. As he was about to go back in his house he heard you yell. “Can’t wait to edit all the love gazes you gave me!” Immediately the man was even more whipped for you

[mychemicalnations]

What the fuck, NaNo???????

this is a long post, buckle up.

Okay, if you haven't heard anything about NaNoWriMo's statement about the use of AI in writing, I am both jealous of you and here to ruin that for you.

The folks over at National Novel Writing Month have released a statement (which you can read here) that explicitly says that being Anti-genAI is classist and ableist. My gut reaction is that this is a fucking asinine take -- poor and disabled people have been writing for longer than we've even had the electricity that powers AI -- but the more I think about it, the angrier I get about the anti-community sentiment that they seem to be pushing.

The claims that are made in this statement are either non-issues or something that AI does not actually fix. Yeah, not everyone can afford to hire an editor, but that is a large part of why writing communities exist both in-person and online. Exchange works with a friend and help each other out, find a discord server and ask there. Make use of a writing community. The same thing applies to ableism; Yeah, we all have different abilities and not everyone can "see" what might need improvement. So you share your work with another writer and get feedback from your community. Writing is a skill that needs to be honed and in order to do that, you have to be okay with being bad at it sometimes.

I'm not even sure I can say much about their "General access" paragraph because, like... AI is not going to fix the systemic issues with the publishing industry. It just won't. That entire paragraph gets half-way to a point and then falls on its ass into the void.

As if I wasn't angry enough, NaNoWriMo edited the statement about 8 hours ago to say "Note: we have edited this post by adding this paragraph to reflect our acknowledgment that there are bad actors in the AI space who are doing harm to writers and who are acting unethically."

This makes me want to throw my computer out a fucking window. Using AI in writing or any other art is inherently unethical because the language models being used are trained on works by people who did not consent to their work being used to train said AI. It is theft. It is plagiarism. Plain and simple. Chat-GPT was trained using the entirety of the New York Times archive, so when you use Chat-GPT, what it produces is based off of the work of NYT journalists (read about the resulting lawsuit here). It's not that there are "bad actors", the programs themselves are built on stealing writing. We've known this for what feels like ages now. This is such a bullshit edit and a fucking sad attempt at saving their asses.

I am someone that doesn't even use Grammarly anymore because they literally market themselves as an AI writing assistant and I'm not willing to risk my entire degree for an application that can't even handle vernacular and dialect and makes mid suggestions at best. Genuinely fuck off and block me if you support the use of AI in writing. Also, my block button is rated E for Everyone and I will use it liberally if anyone comes into my notes supporting genAI. Unless I am feel particularly combative, then you will feel the full weight of my academic and creative integrity. You have been warned.

[kyosopp]

❝  p1harmony as my favourite songs !!  ❞

warnings !! my music taste please don’t be a hater because its not upbeat :3 + plus the fact i just used :3 there are links if you wanna listen to the songs

　　　　　　　　　━━━━❰･❉･❱━━━━

❪  ❥ .   yoon keeho,  윤기호 ❫

duvet — bôa

everyone knows that keeho is absolutely ethereal, he’s what every man (and woman) should aim to be. a pretty personality on a pretty face. i associate keeho with bôa’s duvet because of how stunning the instrumental truly is. oddly enough keeho reminds me of this song so much and i need a tiktok editor to edit him with duvet immediately (its a need not a want)

like water — wendy

this song was without a doubt my favourite song to listen to when it was released, it’s such a beautiful song and it reminds me of keeho. i know that you guys probably expect songs like starships by nicki minaj and although i do agree that keeho is definitely a song like that, based upon my music taste he’s just so ethereal and beautiful. he’s a constant reminder of growth and love (he still my opp though 😋)

❪  ❥ .   choi taeyang,  최태양 ❫

i was all over her — sylvia palth

i eat this song up everytime it plays, i don’t care if yall think it’s ass of overplayed, my little heart things yummy whenever its on. anyways, i definitely think theo is a song like this, and yeah he can be a tease to his members but he’s still a good guy with a good heart and everyone and their mother would want a love like this song with theo.

you were beautiful — day6

do i scream this song every time it plays, yes the fuck i do, but i digress. theo is either an avid listener of this song or is just the song personified. “beautiful, just the way that you would look at me” is just so theo and if you think otherwise… well i think you’re incorrect. nobody gets day6 like i do ☹️ (besides king seungmin)

❪  ❥ .   choi jiung,  최지웅 ❫

west coast — lana del rey

lana del rey and jiung is so

anyways, this instrumental is so beautiful and i need to be sent a bajillion jiung edits with it. i do not stand for west coast slander because it is without a doubt singlehandedly has my heart in ruins.

levanter — stray kids

i love levanter by stray kids more than any song they’ve released, coming from a stay since their survival show. it’s my favourite song released by stray kids. jiung just reminds me of felix’s “it’s all good now” because he truly makes p1eces feel like everything will be alright (all while teasing jongseob, we love a man that can multitask)

❪  ❥ .   hwang intak,  황인탁 ❫

symphonia ix — current joys

this song dominated my entire tiktok fyp for a solid month before it suddenly converted to shrektok. this song just makes me feel really calm and content with my life and I feel like being friends with intak would be like that (when he’s not out for your throat at least).

only — leehi

i actually don’t really know why i think of intak when i listen to only. i guess the. “it’s like a dance we perform together” could contribute because i enjoy watching intak perform and he just seems like a really gentle lover, possibly even a “ill love you like a dog” lover (which is kinda sad ngl)

❪  ❥ .   haku shota,  白翔太 ❫

every breath you take — the police

although this song is borderline creepy and stalker-y, it can be cute if you ignore that its about obsession!! i associate soul with this song mainly because of his beautiful boba eyes. the way his eyes follow his members (keeho) and how he looks at them with admiration and love. he’s very much “every step you take, i’ll be watching you.” but cutie patootie style.

she’s in the rain — the rose

i remember when i used to listen to this song every hour of everyday, just basking in the beauty of it. although this song is heartbreaking i can imagine editors managing to make it cute and loving about potato soul. he has such a warm heart (ignore that he wants to blow up the world) and this song is just yay.

❪  ❥ .   kim jongseob,  김종섭 ❫

right side of my neck — faye webster

i absolutely love this song by faye, and i have no idea why i think of seob when i listen to it, maybe because i feel like his love and affection would linger for a while when he’s gone and mainly because hes such a pookie and i want the right side of my neck to smell like seob (platonically though… totally)

sweet night — v

this song will probably always be my favourite i adore it so much and it makes me think of seob because its sweet and beautiful just like him. plus the instrumental and taehyung’s vocals are just chefs kiss. “i’m wondering, are you my bestfriend?” “if you are too good to be true”

[damnfandomproblems]

5168

That One Anon: Get the fuck out of fandom then if you are That against "theft". Your blorbos aren't yours, then, they belong to the original creators. Go pick up a pen and write your own characters, thief. Never make a creative aspect without citing every single possible subconscious influence you took for it. That head tilt you drew? The concept of a sad backstory? Proper credit only, you thief.

Oh, what's that? You don't count?

I read books daily. I write and draw from pure imagination, and study artists on youtube to get better at drawing.

I also think AI is a tool that can be used for good or ill, and it's how people use it that matters. Much like how a keyboard doesn't stop a human from sending anon hate.

I'd commission artists if I could! I've done so in the past. But guess what, I don't feel safe asking for commissions now on the off chance a artist realizes I think AI is a tool like any other and harasses me when I never would have brought it up. Despite the fact many artists both fandom and original have tons of influences both credited and not. I've seen human artists and writers get accused of AI for STYLISTIC CHOICES that anyone with half a thought should be able to tell was artist intent and inline with previous works.

I can count on one hand the amount of collage art/blackout poetry/drawn over photographs I've seen in public museums that were properly credited beyond the editor. I can't count the amount of media I've seen that nudges at other pre-existing works that was either hyped up for it or was said to justify that aspect.

Ko-fi tipping, Patron subscriptions, sales of generically labled charms and prints and fanart to get around what's Actually being sold. Art style memes, art referenced from canonical works as intentional homage uncredited. Uncredited style inspiration. The entire existence of unsourced, constantly remixed memes.

You gonna claim that's all fine, but anons should expect to be accused of being "techbros" and linked to foreign words meaning "masturbating and crying" for just asking what an artstyle from a artist is called? That it's actually FINE to drive off people wanting to be creative no matter the medium because that particular one 'isn't art' and so no one can want to be a artist and use it?

I swear I've gone back to the 2010s and 'is digital art REAL art though? the computer draws the line for you? You aren't a REAL artist, you just use photoshop to edit things.'

"That's still done by a human person though-"

Hypocrite. Get the fuck out of fandom.

Posting as a response to a previous problem.

[gvtted-ratz]

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BEWARE

Lawrence Oleander x M!Reader

Last Edited: 30/07/2024

TW: drugging, foul language, alcohol consumption, self-indulgent, self-harm scars, talk about addiction, 2nd person POV, reader wears a skirt, open-ended ending

Requested: No.

Word Count: 2,311

AO3 LINK -> HERE

Notes from gvtted-ratz (writer/creator): Male Reader wears a long skirt because fuck gender norms. We will add, the self-harm scars talked about here are present everywhere on the READER. Title is from the song: Beware by Deftones. We’ve been having a rough time with some IRL things, taking a toll on our health. The song this fic is loosely inspired by can give you some insight on our thinking. Our moods have plummeted a bit, and we hope that by making this fic, it will get a little better. If you really enjoyed this fic, feel free to comment, maybe? Those are so much nicer to read/see than Kudos or Hits. Thank you again for taking time to read our little hobby writing.

Notes from @rppik (editor/co-writer): mkee

It’s late when you leave your flat, the long piece of fabric around your legs swaying as you stroll down the side walk. Outside is neither hot nor cold, perfect for the walk towards the bar you frequent.

With how you’re dressed, along with the fact that it’s quite late, you look more like a sex worker more than anything. Now, you’re no lady of the night, but you do respect them; they’re putting themselves out there, sometimes in danger, just to get by in this hell-run world.

You may have paid a few for their company before, feeling lonely on nights you can't ignore that you really don’t have anyone. No friends. Family is more strained than loving. Neighbours are more shit than chill. A night with one of the sex workers, whether it be at a restaurant or even at your own place to enjoy some snacks or movies, passes the time. 

They don’t say it to your face, but you can see the pity; imagine getting hired by some guy in a skirt, just to find out you’ll be hanging out with him, no sex involved. Sure, it’s a break from the usual clients, some more rough than others– but on the other end of things, you’ve just been hired by some weirdo who looks like he’ll cry if you ask so much as a “Why hire me if not for sex? Don’t you have anyone to hang out with?” It’s pretty sad if you really think about it.

You can feel your thoughts start to become syrup in the worst ways: sticky, slow, and annoying to get rid of. The hope is that this funk will pass, washed away with ease by being near others, like you so desperately crave. Or maybe you can wash it down you just have to grab a few drinks first.

The bar’s closed door looks inviting in the dark, light spilling from the window and onto the dull concrete below your shoes. The doorknob is in your hand before you even know it, entering the building without a second thought.

The air is warmer than that from outside, with the lights all an orange hue. It appears cozy and welcoming; if anything of the opposite occurs, you know that the stoner in the back will be the one to remove whatever ruined the atmosphere. You only know this because you’ve watched that scrawny stoner drag a black-out drunk woman out of the place. She had been screeching on top of throwing punches; not only did she not land any of her hits, she was banned from the place too. There’s been others like her, but that kid really does know how to get them out of the building.

It’s busier than usual, making it much harder for you to sit in your usual spot. The deep-rooted shame of being stared at if you were to choose your preferred seat makes you hesitate. The scars that decorate your skin show an ongoing battle against the very real urges that have grown attached to the vessel you call a body.

Said urges are like that of a Japanese Barberry shrub. The poisonous whispers that plague your mind dig into your very being like the spines on the shrub’s twigs. It takes time to remove such invasive growth, made even more difficult when both the plant and your urges have a multitude of small twigs and branches, snuffing out the light to keep anything else from growing. The shrubs attract the black-legged ticks, just like how your scars attract the glaring stares of those who won’t understand. The yellow flowers that hide under the foliage during the spring are a taunt; you’re clean for the moment, although, it won’t be for long. The red berries soon arrive, lasting far longer than you’d like. The beads of red across your skin is just another thing to ruminate on. Cleaning them or simply wiping them away leads to more; there aren't any animals out who want to lick up those droplets, unlike the fruit on those shrubs. Once the fruit is gone, the cycle starts anew. A never-ending addiction that seems to be engraved in your soul.

A spot near the back catches your eye. The area is a bit darker than the surrounding place, lights more dim than the rest. A few tables are filled, but there is one that is nearly completely empty. A blonde man sits by himself there, no drink in sight. With there truly being no other option that you’re willing to take, you approach his table. He doesn’t give you a glance, possibly thinking you're just passing by. It’s only when you reach to pull out a chair that he looks up.

You try to plaster a friendly smile on your face, however, it comes across as more strained than anything.

“Mind if I sit? There’s nowhere else really,” you say, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible. You’re not sure of what to do if he declines. Seemingly sensing your dilemma, he gives a small nod. His eyes look anywhere, everywhere, but you.

“Thanks! You waiting on someone?” You take the seat in front of him, thinking about how it would be too personal to take one next to the guy. One would say it’s more intimate to sit across from someone, since it’s easier to ‘gaze into your partner’s eyes, seeing all the love they hold’ or some bullshit. Maybe you should stop reading all those books on shitty romance.

“Oh… Yes. He hasn’t shown, though…” He seems reluctant to talk much more. The more you glance over him, the more it becomes obvious he’s uncomfortable. Whether that’s because of you or because of the setting, you’re unsure.

“You good? I can leave if it’s me, you know,” you try to help ease him a bit. You really don’t want to try fighting through the crowd, but you will if it means making someone less tense because of you.

“No, no. You’re uh… Fine. It’s just crowded,” he tells you, still not looking at you. You hum in acceptance at his words. You lean back, getting a bit more comfortable as you pull out your phone. Usually, you’d be drinking by now, but you really don’t want to make the one guy you’re sitting with get even more tense. He did say his “friend” stood him up.

“Uhm..” You look up from your phone, raising a brow as the other man starts talking again. He fidgets in his seat as he gets the words out. “Are you… A girl?” That startles a laugh out of you. You’re used to being asked this, mostly because of the skirt. What you didn’t expect was to be asked by this guy.

“It’s the skirt, isn’t it?” A smile threatens to overtake the neutral line on your lips. His ears have a red tint to them. Looks like you’ve hit the nail right on the head.

“I don’t see anyone other than women wear skirts, so I… I thought you might be one.” He looks embarrassed to admit it; it only serves to make you chuckle.

“You’re fine, you’re fine. To answer your question, I’m not a girl. I just like skirts,” you end up waving your hand dismissively. It gives the impression that you’re not bothered by his question, which, in turn, makes him crack a small smile.

“I’ll be right back,” the unnamed man says, looking a little bit more confident. You give him a nod, looking back down at your phone. It appears that you’ve cracked a bit of the ice around the guy– a win in your book.

You scroll through different apps and webpages. There’s not much else to do while the guy is gone. The blond is cute, you can’t help but admit. He does have a five o’clock shadow that would rival any shut-in’s. Then again, he seems highly introverted.

You wonder how he met his friend and why they bailed on him. Thinking it over, the blue-eyed man didn’t seem excited like one does when meeting with a friend; it was more nervous than anything, like they were meeting for the very first time. 

The clinking of glass meeting wood draws your attention away from your phone. A quick glimpse of an alcoholic beverage in front of you has you putting your phone away. The shaky smile is back on his lips, looking around the place again.

You look at your drink, feeling like something isn’t exactly right with it. In a moment of lack of impulse control, you grab his drink instead, taking a sip from it. The whiskey burns, but not enough to get you tipsy from just the sip. The man looks surprised at your decision, bringing your drink closer to himself.

You set your claimed drink on the table, looking over the guy again. The five o’clock shadow and red-rimmed eyes shows how exhausted he is; you weren’t going to only go off the dark circles under his eyes, considering many people under stress have them too. “Thanks for the drink,” you take another sip to show that you appreciate the gesture.

“Uhm. Right…” The blonde man is back to his nervous fidgeting again.

“I gotta ask, though. What’s your name? Pretty lame to buy a guy a drink but not offer your name.” You’re trying to joke with him while also trying to dog for intel on him. You don’t know him nor does he know you; plus, he bought you a drink, so you might as well get to know the dude.

“It’s Lawrence,” the nervous energy dissipates the moment he says his name, eyes looking completely lifeless. Just saying his name seemed to have flipped a switch in the guy’s head. It’s a bit creepy to see such a fast switch up.

“Right… Well, nice to meet you, Law,” you give him a lop-sided smile. You’re really trying to butter him up by giving him a nickname. Maybe you really are that lonely to try and befriend some dude at a bar.

“Nice to meet you too,” though he words it like a good thing, his eyes are still empty of emotion; they remind you of a desolate river that never seems to end or have a spot to even begin.

“Any reason why your friend might’ve stood you up? You seem to be pretty chill.” Another drink of the iced whiskey washes away any nerves that try to pop up. It starts to feel like a bad idea the more you drink.

“No… Maybe he was busy. Sometimes he gets too busy and can’t make it.” You shake your head at his explanation.

“Still shitty to not give you a call in advance. Or at least a text. If any friend of mine stood me up on a busy day like this, I’d be pissed.” It’s like he suddenly remembers how crowded it is, his meek demeanour returning. Lawrence hunches over a bit, trying to make himself seem small. At this point, you’re starting to think he’s either acting or on something other than the drinks he got you both.

“Well, how about you?” His question surprises you for some odd reason. You weren’t expecting him to be curious about the guy sitting across from him, who, for the record, took his drink.

“What about me, Law?” More whiskey flows down your throat.

“Why are you here?” You finish off your drink, grimacing a bit at the burning. You let out a cough to try clearing the feeling. The last bit even tastes bitter, much different from the usual chilled whiskey you’re used to.

“Lonely. I don’t have anyone at my shithole of a flat, and I can’t exactly keep a friend around. Especially not after high school. Motherfuckers dropped me faster than a cat does a rat,” while you force out a bitter laugh, the frown you possess shows that it still upsets you to this day. “I wouldn’t be coming down to the bar, chatting up random patrons if I did have people, you know. This is all I got for socializing and getting out of my place, Law.”

The blank look is back on his face, staring at you in thought. “Something wrong, Law? Don’t like the scars on my face?” You motion towards the different discoloured dots from acne picking; on one check is a healed gash from the corner of the mouth towards the ear.

You can’t say you regret all the scars you’ve caused; however, you do feel shame when people stare too long at them. They’ve become a part of your life you feel lost without. They remind you of the bad and good, despite the mutilation of your own skin. When they fade to the point of being forgotten, you always end up having to remake them; you just can’t let go of that false comfort of control you have.

“Oh. No, it’s not that,” that dull tone grates on your nerves. There’s a bundle of alarm bells that start to distantly ring in the back of your mind. Maybe the alcohol had dulled your senses, since they’re only now starting to vibrate with sound.

“Then what is it?” Your voice sounds weird to your own ears, like it’s not real. There’s a cold feeling spreading throughout your body as parts of it go numb.

“You’re a little different from the others. But you’ll leave all the same.” He looks warped, maybe even distorted, as your vision swims. You’re getting weaker, limbs not wanting to cooperate. Your tongue feels heavy in your own mouth. The only sound you can let out is this confused gurgle as you try to say something, anything. For a split second, you think you smell decay before everything fades away into inky black.

[rainbowsky]

Hi RBS,

Hope you are doind good !

I saw a lot of discussion on the bird app about the editor on the boat being a creep with WYB.

He looked really comfortable and happy to me. I have not seen him smile so much at an event in recent times…

So, wanted to know if I am reading the situation wrong ..

Hi Choko! I'm doing well, thanks - hope you are too! 💛.

Rocco Liu was not weird in any way with DD. They have known each other for years, and seem to have a normal relationship. DD does not look even remotely ill at ease, so if people think that he was being a creeper, then it only follows that DD was okay with it. Is that what people are trying to put out into the world? 🤔

One thing that I find frustrating about the fandom is that there seem to be quite a few people who try to look for something negative or melodramatic in everything that happens.

This is especially true when it comes to DD. People are constantly trying to make it out like he's crying or sad or unhappy or angry or even hostile or 'rude'. It seems like some people do not know how to read his demeanor at all.

There was a hot search on Weibo during that boat ride, something like "GQ awkward boat ride" or something along those lines. I think it's understandable that people found the boat ride a little bit awkward. I think the whole boat concept in general was awkward, not just with DD but all of the stars. But at least all of the other stars only took a minute or two to get across the water. They seemed to intentionally drag the final boat ride out and it ended up two or three times as long as the rest of them.

EDIT: If you're wondering why there was some tension at times, here's what their view was from the boat:

Awkwardness is one thing. I think anyone with a million spotlights on them taking a weird boat ride that was two or three times longer than necessary could be forgiven for appearing to look forward to the thing being over. 😅😅😅 But to start trying to create all these other kinds of melodramas around it... it doesn't serve any useful purpose besides pointless negative gossip.

During the boat ride both of them looked like I think you or I would have looked; at moments relaxed and laughing, and at moments feeling a little bit 'deer in the headlights'. But toward each other they seemed overall pretty at ease.

In fact DD looked more relaxed than he would have with a lot of other people. He didn't behave in a formal way at all, and I think we all know how formal he can be with people he's uncomfortable with.

Rocco is rumored to be gay, which makes sense because he reads to me as a very queer guy. He reminds me so much of certain kinds of queer guys I've been close with. Sort of a Nie Huiasang meets Jesse Tyler Ferguson, if I can put it that way. 😅

Gay or not, he seems like the kind of guy I think DD would be comfortable around at times, and other times vaguely annoyed by, just given Rocco's social exuberance and how different it is from DD's quiet, calm personality. But every time I've seen him and DD together they've looked mostly relaxed - even in the clips where people are claiming DD looks uncomfortable - and Rocco has behaved respectfully and professionally toward him.

And I have to say it because it really stands out in this situation: I hope to hell this 'creeper' take isn't motivated by homophobia. There are a lot of people who assume the worst of any overtly queer person, or assume that all homosexuals are always on the prowl.

It's one thing to read a relative stranger weirdly, though, it's another thing entirely to read DD in negative ways.

This type of thing is really nothing new. Every time DD appears in public my inbox fills with claims DD looked sad, or lonely, or upset, or uncomfortable, or even angry or rude. This is one of the hazards of being a pretty calm guy like DD is.

I know this all too well as an autistic person who doesn't have a lot the kinds of facial expressions I'm apparently expected to have. My face is almost always pretty neutral.

Throughout my life I've had to deal with people thinking I'm mad at them, upset, unhappy, sad, and on and on and on. I've had people come to me with entire stories in their head about what I'm thinking and feeling, and why - stories they've cooked up around their own insecurities and expectations, which are totally inaccurate.

And it's always struck me as odd that people would think such things. I don't hide my feelings. I'm pretty direct and forthright, and I don't deal in hints or subtext or try to lead people down a psychological path or play mind games. I don't have any time or patience for that kind of thing - not from either side of the situation.

DD is the same way. He doesn't mess around or perform social behavior the way he's expected to. He doesn't make himself out to be fakely exuberant or cheerful, nor does he hold back his honest feelings when something bothers him. He doesn't conform to expectations or put on a show for people. He's just himself.

Most of his fans have come to understand this about him and have grown to love his honest, authentic, straighforward personality and accept that with DD, 'what you see is what you get'. But there are some people who still seem to read things negatively and expect him to be someone he isn't.

That's my take on it, anyway. Everyone will have to make up their own minds about how to interpret things.

Edit: If you are wondering whether DD is comfortable with Rocco, you might want to take a look at this clip.

For those who missed the event posts:

My GQ MOTY posts

Boat ride

Brick red carpet

[angels-and-glitters]

I need to COMPLAIN.

This is gonna sound edgy nerdy not so girblogger coded but let me getto out of my silly girlie pop character for a minute i am RAGING.

For context two days ago i suddenly remembered that WEBTOON exists after trowhing it in a black hole in my mind, so i re download it and i start reading one. Apart from the endorphines i forgot a good webtoon gave me,

(whole other talk about redescovering old intrests !!!even if they look silly!!! when you feel a dry mind)

I finished it in a couple of days, and as i usually did when concluding a webtoon, a comic or any possible thing i liked, i start looking for the edits so i can imagine myself being in that universe while playing them.

(its a physical need i swear)

(No judgment let me being a cringy kid at the sound age of eighteen thanks)

(Its a guilty pleasure.)

Getting to the point. I am in DISAPPOINT.

What the fuck are these dry stupid no personality rage triggering edits.

They are MID.

Feel free to be' offended i stand where i stand

What the hell are these kids doing!?!

I had to scroll through YEARS to find the good ones.

So i started my reaserches.

First of all, i got to the sad conclusion that instagram edits are going through extinction.

Back in the days (☝🏻) when tik tok (musically for the ancient) wasn't that big of a thing for edits, you went on instagram (at least i did!!) And they were TOP TIER.

Masterpieces.

I would've hanged them on my walls if they were physical.

They were energetic, fresh, powerful, you could tell who's edits were by they're style because the editor's styles were so different one another.

They fitted the medias perfectly and don't let me start on the transitions.

They were immaculate.

Perfect to the millimeter.

These type of edits made me immerge in the media even more, i had my favourite edits saved, (a LOT), and i watched them every night before going to sleep multiple times, they were a lullaby to the mind.

But on my trip to these new (and few) Instagram edits... I was horrified.

First of all, no character whatsoever is put in these digital scums, the personal style is gone.

Probably due to these ages generations who wants to look the same be one another fit into something precise (I dont have the strength to start another fuss I'll just keep going with my silly polemic) but the transitions.

They are MID MID MID even terrible.

Actually I hate them.

There is not an ounce of effort in those disturbing sliding of images.

There isn't flow, variations,good blends. They all look like they were made by 10 year olds (wich is prob the case) and don't tell me oh it's just the age they'll learn as they grow.

No.

I want the twelve year old freaks that edited like it was they're last day on earth.

Like theyre life depended on it.

Where did they go?!?

What's wrong with this generation? why didn't they pick up the heredity theyre ancestors gave them?

Why did they throw it all away?

Why are they descending into this madness abyss?

And the music choices.

Disgusting

They never match the mood of the fiction, or worse the mood of the edit itself.

And honestly they're just boring ass songs.

Now, what I said about these Instagram edits applies also for the tik tok ones, but with some differences.

First of all, because there's much more editors on tik tok now, luckily there are some exceptions.

Some good stuff that's going on, but for me it's still not enough. From the parameter of the golden age of edits, those edits are just.. average.

The average good stuff you save and lightly watch. Its hard to find an edit that makes you obsessed. It wasn't really back than.

And most of them still lack the personal style, that again, I think its crucial for the ideal enjoyment.

I also noticed that the capability of the editors changes based on wich media the edits are of.

Like for example the editors of jujutsu kaisen (dont ask me anything i didn't see it) aren't doing a so bad job.

Maybe because the target audience is older so are the editors, idk

But it still lacks something.

That sparkle that was there before

The one that made you crave to watch it again and again

Maybe it's just me who's lacking something I had before , and nothing else changed

In conclusion, I think the editing culture ended at the start of 2022.

Idk tell me you opinion so I don't feel crazy thanks!

(Sorry in advance for the bad english i'm not a native speaker or anything)

(Edit not sorry this is a masterpiece I should be employed somewhere my English is near perfection)

[seraphtrevs]

@jarmes - I think it's finally time for me to figure out once and for all Hector's timeline, particularly concerning his prison sentence, because that has a huge impact on Hector's involvement in their lives.

(Math and sad Salamanca children under the cut)

I had worked out their ages previously here, but I think I've changed my mind on Tuco and the twins. The BrBa wiki is kind of all over the place with their ages (like the timeline sometimes lists different birth years than the character pages) and people edit the characters' pages every so often to change their birth dates - like Lalo was at 1957 for awhile, but now his page says 1960. (I am possibly the only person who cares enough other than the wiki editors to notice this akdsfj;sdljf) It's all just guess work based on scant canon clues and the actor's ages, so assume +/- a few years.

So. The wiki has Hector's birth year as somewhere between 1936 and 1939. Let's go with 1939 because that's the birth year on his character page.

Max was killed in 1989, which makes Hector 50 years old at the time. That seems to track. We know the twins were about 8 - 10 years old in 1988 because of the flashback in BrBa 3x07. (Here they are btw right after Hector nearly drowned Marco in case you feel like having your heart broken)

So that puts the twins' birth year at around 1980, which is what's on the wiki.

The wiki has Lalo's birth year as 1960 - I prefer 1957 because I want Lalo to be pushing 50 in BCS for reasons (old man enjoyer), but we'll use 1960. That makes him 28 at the time of Marco's near-drowning.

Tuco's age is all over the place, but the wiki has him born in 1972. That's a bigger gap between Lalo and Tuco than I like (I originally put him at 1961)...but I think 1972 probably makes more sense for reasons I will get into. So he's 17 in 1988.

All right, ages established. Now comes the hard part - when the fuck did Hector get sent to San Quentin? We know he was there for 17 years. He was a founding member of the cartel and probably active within it for a few years. So let's say he was about 30 when he was sentenced. 1939+30 = 1969 for the year he went to jail. 1969 + 17 = 1986 for the year he got out. That seems about right because in the 3x07 flashback, he seems to be up to speed in cartel business, so he's probably been out for a few years.

SO. What does this mean for his relationship with his nephews? It means Lalo was 9 when Hector went to jail. The twins and Tuco were not even born yet. When Hector got out of jail, the twins were 6 and Tuco was 14. Lalo was 26 - a grown man. I think that the murder of the professor that Lalo so fondly remembers probably occurred shortly after Hector was released from prison and itching to exercise some power again.

So Lalo was old enough to have fond childhood memories of his tio before he went to prison...but probably not quite old enough to start cartel conditioning. When we see the twins in the flashback, they are normal children, not dead-eyed killing machines.

Assuming Hector didn't start ramping up the abuse until he felt they were "old enough" to learn, Lalo was spared Hector's abuse because Hector was in jail during his formative years. Meanwhile, Tuco and the twins were impressionable minors who were nonetheless "old enough" in Hector's eyes to start "learning."

Lalo is nuts, but I think he was born with a screw loose rather than it being beaten into him. I agree with Tony Dalton's headcanon that his mother was a gringa and he was sent to school in the States, so the cartel wasn't his entire life as a child/young adult. He's much more well-rounded and functional than his cousins. Tuco and the twins, on the other hand, seem the kind of violent and unstable that sometimes comes with severe childhood abuse and are completely creatures of the cartel. And I think that was in large part due to Hector, who was perhaps the main father figure for them depending on when their fathers died. Hector didn't mold Lalo, but he did mold Tuco and the twins. Poor kids. :(

[severus-snape-apreciation-blog]

Apparently telling someone that the issue isn’t the Harry Potter game and wishing death on every player isn’t okay. And that the real issue is the governments especially the US one and asking why they aren’t getting angry at them. Commenting to the governors instead of getting mad at strangers online who don’t want to crucify their 50+y dads. Could result in them proving they are worse then the game players.

(There is a poll at the bottom)

Telling someone you will watch as they get raped and killed doesn’t make you a good person. I believe people mad about the game are good people. Y’all have reason to be. I just look at the situation differently that the government is a hugely different problem. And it’s proving so. If someone disagrees with me I’m okay with that. But to tell me to die. Or kill myself or that you will watch as I get raped by Nazis. Tells me. You are not as good a person as you think you are. You are just as bad as the Nazis. Cause that is beyond messed up to say to someone.

Even said to me that I’m a traitor to my gender and the community doesn’t accept me. That’s also fucked up to say. Not as much. But still not good. You pretend you have the moral high ground. But ignored everything I said in these comments. Which tells me I’m right. It’s not that you have the moral high ground. You want to feel as you do. Because people that actually care. Would care about how Florida wants to kill parents who let their kids be trans. Or one state banned all reaffirming care for everyone under 18. And if above are not allowed to have any mental illness. Or that trans people are not allowed in the correct bathrooms. And have to put their lives in danger just to go to the bathroom. Cause a dad might not understand why a buff man is using the woman’s bathroom. Or what’s happening to Zooey Zepher. Or the fact that all “pro trans” business have been really quiet and proving they aren’t really. Except funny enough. BudLight

@penisgoblin

Anyone who wants to read the full Exchange it’s under one of my posts explaining where Sirona comes from (also before anyone sparks that again. It’s not a transphobic name. But was a horrible choice for them to do)

For everyone wanting to learn more about real issues going on that are really anti trans here’s a link of all anti trans laws they are doing

I would post more articles but the apps not letting me paste atm so feel free to google it

To address some of the other stuff expressed to me in the comments.

Someone told me the whole gaming and media industry isn’t needed and that they would be okay if the whole thing collapsed. I will explain why it is needed. People watch/play for many reasons. It builds serotonin. Entertainment and joy are vital in helping lowering suicide and depression.

And the media industry is one of the biggest in the US and it is hugely vital for the economy. The writers strike will help cause another depression (not blaming the writers but the asses that refuse to pay them) and people don’t even realize that outside the writers that are striking. Thousands of others are losing their jobs. Editors. Animators. Costume design. Set design. My sister. (No seriously she lost her job editing frames for shows)

If the entire industry collapsed so would the US. and even other country’s. The sad part is when I explained that. They didn’t even care. They don’t care that people will go homeless and starve with their families. It was messed up.

Or one person said they hoped everyone who played the game or worked on it dies.

Saying stuff like this shows me you are on a false moral high ground. That you are just as bad or worse then the people you are upset at.

Disclaimer: I do not support jk assface. She is a cunt and a bitch. I understand why people are upset about the game. I am not disagreeing or mad at you. I personally have never played the game. Will I someday? Idk. Probably not. I am Non Binary and Pan. I am more upset at the US government then my elderly father.

[allamericansbitch]

I know you aren’t a fan of You’re Losing Me, so of course you won’t think of the song fondly, but I think it’s catchy and I listen often. But. One thing I’ve always thought is weird about it is the changing tenses within the song. Lots of switching between past and present tense.

It opens with “you say”/“I say,” (not “said”), so it’s present tense. Like, okay, she writing this as the relationship is crumbling, got it.

But then she sings “every morning I glared at you with storms in my eyes.” Glared. Past tense. And that’s followed by “my face was gray but you wouldn’t admit that we were sick.” Her face WAS gray and they WERE sick. But it isn’t anymore? It sounds like this is right after a breakup, dissecting what went wrong, not what’s happening NOW.

But then the actual “you’re losing me” is what’s happening now. Present tense. He hasn’t lost her yet.

But it’s past tense AGAIN when she sings “how long could we be a sad song before we WERE too far gone to bring back to life.” And then it’s back to present tense with “and I’m fading, thinking ‘do something babe, say something.’”

Note that there are other uses of the past tense in the song that I didn’t mention, but those are memories (like when they looked at the room and loved the light), so of course that isn’t happening now——But the examples I mentioned above are things that seem like they’re supposed to be happening NOW.

And listen, I’m an editor, so of course I picked up on this. I’m sure most people truly do not notice or care. But Miss Americana had the clip of Taylor figuring out which word was correct, so you know she pays attention to this, too. None of her other songs are this inconsistent. And when it seemed like this was a freshly written song right after the breakup with Joe, I was like “still a surprise that it’s inconsistent, but hey, heartbreak makes us all cut a few corners.” But now that the song was supposedly written in 2021, and she had 1.5 years to edit it… how did this happen? Idk, it still feels SO much like a rushed smear campaign, and the fact that it was written even longer ago just makes me more confused.

Anyway, sorry for the long analysis lol it just always struck me as odd, and I wondered if anyone else noticed.

Hope your dermatology appointment went well!

I actually have warmed up to it recently, I just have to block out all the parasocial noise attached to it.

I’m not a grammar expert, see every post I’ve ever made having typos, but I personally always took it to mean they’re in an argument in the present and she’s looking back at all the things the other person didn’t do in the past but I’ve only listened to it a few times tbh so idk

[davidmariottecomics]

Transformers, Till We Meet Again

Hello! Or should I say Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong! 

Earlier this week, Transformers: Shattered Glass II #5 came out from IDW Publishing. Written by Danny Lore, drawn by Guido Guidi, inked by Matt Froese, colored by John-Paul Bove, lettered by Jake M. Wood, edited by Riley Farmer, and supervised by me. It's a fun issue with Soundwave, Slicer, Ultra Magnus, and a Titan, where everything goes wrong and comes to a head. I highly recommend it. It is also IDW's last Transformers comic of 2022 and beyond as we part ways. As such, I wanted to take some time to talk about Transformers--my personal relationship with it, my many years on the franchise as an editor (and occasionally a writer), and some behind-the-scenes stuff that you probably don't know and that I won't get in trouble for talking about. I promise it won't be filled with too many TF jokes and that while it is meant to help memorialize a great achievement, it is neither sad nor regretful. You'll see Transformers again. 

My Time with TF (Pre-IDW)

I genuinely cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't know about Transformers. My first exposure was through Beast Wars. I was pretty little when it started airing, but as I started making choices about things I liked and wanted to watch, it became a pretty clear favorite early on (right up there with The Lion King). A driving force of that was, of course, also the toys. I liked the show and when I was getting old enough for the toys, I started getting some. I got one of the basic figures that came packed with a VHS with the first couple episodes of Season 2 on it. It was great and I watched it a lot, but also supremely frustrating because it only included "Coming of the Fuzors, Part 1" an episode that ends on a cliffhanger for the subsequent "Part 2"! 

As a brief and not too embarrassing story: My Depth Charge is still in really good shape and one of my all time favorite TF toys. I think part of why he's always been kept so nice, despite how much I played with him as a kid, is he was a reward. If you're a parent looking to toilet train your kid, apparently a bribe of a Transmetal is a pretty good way to go. 

And slowly but surely, my love for Transformers got reinforced. Our local Hollywood Video had a small selection of TF VHS--I checked them all out off-and-on, but none so often as Transformers: The Movie (and, TBH, the G.I. Joe Movie too). In many ways, that was my early intro to G1. The other big pillar, honestly, since we were in a gap between comics publishers, was Wizard and Toyfare, the big nerd magazines of the era. My dad worked in comics publishing and would regularly bring them home (or I'd read them at his office) and while I was too young to get a lot of the humor, I was old enough to know they thought they were funny and to start to glean insight on what pop culture stuff people liked. 

Beast Wars begat Beast Machines, which I stuck with. In 2001, the original Robots in Disguise cartoon came out--it wasn't so much a hit for me as a show, but I liked the toys. That's also the year Titan Books picked up the license to reissue some of the Marvel comics, which had been out of print for years, and that Dreamwave picked up the license to do new TF comics. Things start to get a little jumbled, but somewhere around there, I got a volume or two of the Titan stuff and a little bit inconsistently got some of the Dreamwave stuff too. I bought in big with Armada, fell out again around Energon (for toys, cartoons, and the comics). And in 2004, my dad left his job as Editor-in-Chief at IDW Publishing and we moved to Arizona, 2 hours away from our local comic shops. 

Being outside a small town in Arizona in the mid 2000s was a very different experience from being in the city growing up. Besides not having a comic shop nearby or a toy store, there was only one small video rental place that we didn't really go to much (especially as we ended up early adopters of Netflix sending you DVDs in the mail) and TV and Internet could both be spotty at times. I was going into middle school anyway, so things were bound to change, but my media consumption definitely pivoted and Transformers was kinda left behind, expect for picking up vintage Beast Wars figures when I found them, the occasional dip back in with the likes of the first live action movie and TF Animated, and IDW having picked up the TF license (and also given me a bunch of their earliest issues). I started with Infiltration #0 and read every issue of every series up through to All Hail Megatron. And I only stopped, really, because I wasn't getting to comic shops very often and AHM was such a radical shift from what came before that I genuinely thought I had missed some transition series/issues and didn't know what had happened and kinda gave up. For a long time, that was kinda status quo--I'd dip an occasional toe back in, pick up a few toys now and then, but for me, TF was primarily a nostalgia based thing--reading my old comics (and pouring over the Beast Wars Sourcebook in particular--where I met my all time favorite TF, Randy), collecting my old toys, and watching Beast Wars and Transformers the Movie. 

My Time with IDW (Pre-TF)

Skipping ahead another decade or so, fresh out of college, I got a job at IDW. It's a much longer story, but that's the short version. I was initially brought in as an assistant for Chris Ryall and Scott Dunbier, which brought me to my first Hasbro book, ROM. Chris was co-writing it with Christos Gage and as Chris's assistant, I got looped in. And, almost immediately, I also got roped in by David Hedgecock to help him out with the fledgling Hasbro universe--starting with some uncredited assistant work on Revolution, and joining the editorial team on Micronauts, M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, and Revolutionaries (a team-up book of characters from Transformers, G.I. Joe, Action Man, M.A.S.K., ROM, and Micronauts). I was working on Hasbro books and with Transformers, but only on the periphery. But the big thing that came of that was I started working with John Barber, who had recently left IDW editorial, but was co-writing Revolution, writing Revolutionaries, and writing Transformers/Optimus Prime. We became friendly and--in an effort to do my job well--I started reading through EVERYTHING so I could be almost as knowledgeable about all these threads he was pulling as he was. And some combination of deep diving into the IDW Hasbro catalog, my own pre-existing TF knowledge, and the lasting mind-addled facts I had absorbed from Wizard actually made me a pretty good fit for the job. 

By the time we're working on First Strike, Hasbro has become my wheelhouse at IDW. But despite being a part of planning a Transformers/G.I. Joe crossover (primarily), I'm still not actually working on TF or Joe proper books. That's all about to change though because IDW's about to go through some major changes in staffing. Ryall leaves (he later comes back), David Hedgecock is promoted to editor-in-chief and has additional responsibilities that limit the number of titles he can edit. Sarah Gaydos briefly becomes more involved with the Hasbro universe stuff before she goes to Oni. And Carlos Guzman, the current TF/Joe editor, announces he's leaving too. I start getting handed a lot more responsibility coming off the event, starting with Transformers vs. Visionaries (also worth noting--in the background of all this, Joe Hughes and I are getting Sonic the Hedgehog up and running). Controversial decision: we decide to kill Kup (again, kinda). And I write a eulogy where I mistakenly call Trailbreaker "Trailblazer" (I'M SORRY!). It's a book that was definitely affected by the behind-the-scenes changing of the guard as well as taking on heavier editorial direction because it's being posed as a bridge series between First Strike and Unicron. 

And this is where I'm quickly having to come in to my own. The Hasbro Universe is being shrunk to a few titles: Optimus Prime, Lost Light, a couple Annuals wrapping up Till All Are One and Nick Roche's Wreckers, the joint G.I. Joe/M.A.S.K. title: Scarlett's Strike Force, Rom and the Micronauts, and Transformers vs. Visionaries--all knowing that Unicron is coming and that that'll be our big--perhaps final--event. Carlos, John, Nick, Mairghread Scott, and James Roberts have all kinda planned their stuff to the end, so I get to start continuing Carlos's plans, but it's comics and things always change. 

Dawn of a Bold New Era Okay, I know at this point, we've mostly been talking about my personal relationship with TF and the landscape as I was really getting brought in--which is maybe a little dry. You're here for the juicy stuff--the secret stuff! So let's talk about when I actually came onto TF. 

Besides taking over the rest of the IDW1/Hasbro Universe titles, my other big project as I'm coming into things is all the build up to my personal favorite live-action Transformers movie: Bumblebee! It's supposed to be more kid-friendly, so a big initiative is some Bumblebee stuff for kids, which ended up being the Bumblebee-Win If You Dare OGN and the Bumblebee-Go For the Gold one-shot. Those books, by James Asmus, Marcelo Ferreira, Valentina Pinto, Maria Keane, Athilla Fabbio, Josh Perez, Tom Long, and Nicoletta Baldari on covers (psst--TFWiki people, if you're reading this, the Go for the Gold cover is misattributed to Marcelo, but it is Nicoletta. k thx) were a heck of a learning experience. Like all our TF books, I'm very proud of them, but suffice to say, I don't recommend doing a graphic novel, even a short one, on anything resembling a regular comic timeline. But it was really exciting because it was the first (and currently is the only) Transformers original graphic novel. It's also one of the few Transformers comics that was also run through Volkswagen as Bumblebee was officially a Beetle. 

Something that came up a few times while we were working on it was requests to actually make it more distinct from the movie. James wasn't given access to that script, but a few of the things he proposed along the way just so happened to be pretty close to what was in Bumblebee and so had to be tweaked. Which also led to the very interesting experience on the other side of things doing the Bumblebee Movie Prequel. If you've read it, you know it's a super fun, purposefully kinda campy spy adventure inspired by The Avengers (the Steed & Peel kind, not the superheroes) and like Moore Bond films. It is also working off an older draft of the movie that was more in line with the other movies. That was the last of our Movie books, which had started way back in 2007. I think it was really appropriate to both start and end with a prequel to the latest movie and, particularly with this being a John Barber/Andrew Griffith/Priscilla Tramontano joint, having it also be referential to some of our other previous movie comics. 

The other kinda funky thing about the Bumblebee Movie Prequel is as it's in progress, at IDW, I've gone from editing my boss, Chris Ryall, on ROM, to editing my new boss, John Barber! The week after John starts, I think, is when the Unicron #0 FCBD issue comes out. And with that, we publicly announced that we were coming in on the end of a universe--a big event that was Transformers focused but a hurrah for everything that IDW had been building since I was a kid reading comics and everything that had been building when I came in at the still pretty early start of the shared universe. Something I ended up having to do twice, but that you can pretty clearly see in the run up to Unicron is I tried to get as many long-time people involved as possible. From bringing folks in on covers to the wrap-up shorts for the universe we had in Unicron, and the creator interviews about the history of IDW1, I wanted to celebrate the "Transformers Legacy." 

I'm afraid it's been long-enough I don't have a lot of particularly funny or interesting stories from that era. Bless Kei Zama and Josh Burcham for getting Randy in Optimus Prime (even if he did immediately die). Big ups to all the creators, of course, who stepped up and helped out as we closed in on the end--some of whom came into tight deadlines or big shoes and always kicked ass. Nick Roche and I had two close-calls: 1. In Requiem of the Wreckers, there's a scene that was supposed to be Quickswitch, but we had just killed him over in Visionaries, so that was a pretty quick and dirty pivot to Sixknight. 2. There was a typo on his cover for the last issue of Lost Light and fortunately it did not go to print saying "We Achieived Something". I'm glad it was fixed, but it was pretty funny when James Roberts noticed it. 

I also got to be the kissing editor! The first on-page, romantic (non-KISS Players) kiss happened in OP #21 between Aileron and Arcee, and then there were a few more kisses between bots across OP, LL, and Unicron. And, later, I got to put a kiss in Wreckers, which was very exciting! 

And--one thing I pretty much never got right and which, again, I profusely apologize for--is we never properly credited Jenevieve Frank. She was supposed to get a special thanks for the last issue of Optimus Prime and I messed up getting that in print in the original run and in the TPB and my third shot where I would've gotten it right, the final IDW Collection--well, we didn't quite get to collecting it in that format. So, I'm sorry, Jen! This is one of only 3 regrets I have for the series, besides "Trailblazer" and the one I'll get to later. 

Because of how comics production timelines work, though, as we were nearing these ends and coordinating shipping the final issues of Unicron, Lost Light, and Optimus Prime to land in shops in the right order, we had also already begun the work of planning IDW2. That actually took it's first steps with Carlos before he left. Working with Hasbro, we looked at some pitches that were very fun and by great creators, but that didn't quite work and brought Tom Waltz in to help write some new directives for pitches. Tom's also the one who brought Brian Ruckley in. The only thing I think I can say about some of those earliest drafts is there was a time when the role that was ultimately filled in IDW2 by Rubble was originally going to be a human. I'm glad that wasn't the case because I think it gave IDW2 a really unique identity to not have any Earth stuff, but suffice to say, there were some very different versions of what it could've been with that simple a change. 

Angel Hernandez was one of those things that was so obvious it was in front of your face, literally. John, Tom, and I were looking for an artist for the series and coming up with all these names and I was walking to John's office to talk about something else when I passed a series of "from script to final page" posters we had hung up for display in the office. It was the sort of thing we liked to show kids and visitors who didn't know much about how comics get made. These pages, in particular, were from Star Trek/Green Lantern and drawn by Angel. I don't know what it was, but on that pass, it clicked: Angel was the guy for the book. We had spent all this time talking about it, but he was right there between my desk and John's office the whole time. 

And so, in 2019, we launched a bold new era, IDW2. A twice-monthly series through the first 12 issues and a Transformer story genuinely unlike any other. With the new series, we wanted to bring in new creators. I am immensely proud of everything that everyone brought into the fold but special shout-outs to Brian, Angel, Anna Malkova, and Beth McGuire-Smith, who did a lot to help define this new universe early and often. 

When we collected that first 12 issue as Transformers, Vol. 1: The World in Your Eyes, I was talking with Justin Eisinger in the books department about what we wanted Cryssy Cheung to do with the covers and fairly quickly settled on the idea of having each one feature 2 major players from that part of the series. In describing the first cover, Tom said that it should be Bumblebee and Rubble. I agreed. Justin and Cryssy have hit on the idea of featuring alt-modes on the back cover. So Justin asks for reference. My answer was to send a bunch for Bumblebee and to explain that for Rubble "he's a baby and then he's a corpse." Accurate (and if you haven't read it, sorry for spoilers), but something we'd joke about for a long time after. 

Transformers Galaxies was our first real attempt at expanding. We got some really cool folks to work on that. A lot of the "rules" of the series actually came out of working on the first arc, Constructicons Rising, with Tyler Bleszinski and Livio Ramondelli. In developing that, we realized that to truly embrace the idea of "Galaxies", all the stories would be expanding the universe, but outside of Cybertron. There was a lot of coordination between Sam Maggs and Brian and the editorial team to make sure the Gauge story spun out of Arcee/Greenlight: Run properly, and then fed back into the ongoing at the end of the series. There was a lot of coordination between everyone to make sure that characters weren't in two places at once and the rules of the universe all followed. For example, Brandon Easton pitched his arc to be in-universe, but also in line with the War for Cybertron: Siege cartoon that he had also written for. But by the time we were working on that arc, it had become pretty obvious that the IDW2 comic and animation didn't line-up too well, so there was a bit of tweaking to make it fit better. 

There were two stories that were pitched as part of Galaxies, but that ended up elsewhere. What ended up as the Transformers 2021 Annual, "Light/Star" started out as a pitch from Brian for a Galaxies arc, as did what became Transformers Wreckers: Tread & Circuits. 

Also around this time, we got Riley Farmer at IDW! You should know Riley! She was the assistant/associate editor on Transformers (and eventually the editor on TF: Shattered Glass & Shattered Glass II). She's my co-editor on Sonic. She's now editing My Little Pony and many other things. She's without a doubt one of the best editors currently working in comics and one of my best friends. So, shout-out to Riley! As much as I think TF can be a trail of my own editorial growth, the same is largely true of Riley. 

Writing Transformers

At one point, Wreckers: Tread & Circuits would've been issues #13-15 or 16 (pitched as three but already might've been expanded to four) of TF Galaxies. But then things changed and Galaxies came to an end at #12 and we launched Escape. Which means that Wreckers was pitched before my actual first TF series, co-written with John Barber, Transformers vs. the Terminator!

The origin of that series came from, as much as anything, early solicit text. We were still on the hunt for a creative team (at that point, I was going to edit it, which obviously changed) and I wrote some early solicit text just to have it done early and realized that was the pitch. The whole thing was written to be the classic Terminator set-up, but with a late twist of the robots controlling the future being the Decepticons and the freedom fighters being the Terminators. And like that, it came together. I pitched it to John and Tom. We set the story beats and then John and I wrote it. It was fantastic getting to work with long-time collaborators Alex Milne and David Garcia Cruz. And Tom and Riley were excellent editors. 

A couple pieces of extra trivia about that series: I think there's at least one kind of oblique reference in the script to the fact that when I lived in Tucson, AZ, one of the local news stations called their traffic camera system "Skynet". In issue #3, there's a jokey reference both to Terminator and a Prince song. That was added specifically because John Barber is the biggest Prince fan I know and I thought it'd be funny. It also ended up being kind of a running gag of referencing Judgement Day, the big catastrophe from Terminator. And this book was particularly special to me because way back when, TF artist Don Figueroa and my dad, Jeff Mariotte, did the Terminator Salvation movie-prequel for IDW and it was nice to write in a universe my dad did too. 

And the Autobots that are seen are all very carefully chosen. Something that we see to an extent in IDW2 and later Beast Wars and in this and Wreckers is a recurring idea that your average Autobot is not a warrior, but a civilian who stepped up to do the right thing. It's why Velocity, Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Wheeljack all play prominent roles in TF/Terminator and why Circuit and Minerva are part of the team in Wreckers. Maybe someday to be seen in some form, there are a few more pitches I put together at various times that play off of that idea. It's something I quite liked and obviously would return to again. 

Speaking of Wreckers, let's talk about that! So, it was pitched wayyyyy back when, before TF/Terminator, even though it came out afterwards, right? While it lines up really well with some eventual Hasbro plans--Leadfoot in the Wreckers line, the whole Velocitron Speedia 500 line, and Minerva and Skullgrin getting Legacy toys--that wasn't intentional! Some specific additions did get added right around scripting, when those things started to be in place, but a lot of them were just coincidental and it was cool that we got to have the characters in the books get some new physical representations/get the designs early so we could have them match in the series. 

In terms of the cast list, a lot of folks had very particular reasons for being there. Thunderclash I loved from his appearances in MTMTE/LL. Aileron and Circuit were directly influenced by RID/Transformers/OP. Hot Shot had been the main character of a pitch that didn't move forward. And Knockout and Breakdown were pulled in from Till All Are One. Minerva, like I said, was specifically chosen because I liked the idea of the Wreckers having a medic. A lot of other folks were chosen just because I liked them and they fit as racers. And spoiler for another story that may never happen--had we gotten another series, some of the would-be-Wreckers featured at the end of issue #4 would've made it to the team (Star Saber and Leadfoot for sure). 

What other secrets can I spill about Wreckers? Because it was originally pitched so early into the 2019 run, at one point Anna Malkova was suggested as the artist because she hadn't yet transitioned to being the main artist on the ongoing. I'm super happy I got to work with Jack Lawrence on it though. I love them both and I think they both worked on the proper book for them (though TBH, I'd also love to do something with Anna in the future!). When it was greenlit, one of the first things I did was send the pitch to Nick and Simon Furman for their blessing as the Wreckers guys. I'm very honored our series gets to stand alongside theirs in Wreckers history. 

Outside of my crossover book, it was also in this period around the end of IDW1 through, really, to pretty deep into IDW2 that we started doing a lot of crossovers and, from that, also started doing what I think of as the standalones. 

Star Trek, Ghostbusters, and My Little Ponies, Oh My! 

Here's kind of a strange thing to think about: When we did Star Trek vs. Transformers, Transformers/Ghostbusters, and My Little Pony/Transformers, none of those were actually the first time TF crossed over with those properties. Back in 2011, IDW did a very interesting crossover series called Infestation--a semi-crossover between Transformers, G.I. Joe, Star Trek, Ghostbusters, and IDW original properties Zombies vs. Robots and CVO. And MLPs showed up for a panel or so in Tom Scioli and John's excellent Transformers vs. G.I. Joe series! 

These were all great fun to work on and are one of those cool things where you get editors who maybe don't usually work together co-editing a book, or editors who used to work together reuniting, or maybe my favorite version--Megan Brown asking you to give one read at the script stage and one read of the final PDF and call out notes, but she really edited both MLP/TF series! 

Crossovers are always an interesting experience, but I think I only have two crossover things worth sharing that I'm able to share. One is when Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado were first tapped for TF/Ghostbusters, they did a promo piece with an early concept of Ectotron. I own that piece as a T-shirt I bought at Gamestop, despite the fact that it was not the final Ectotron design. Licensing is complicated--comics are complicated--and it's always fun when you find stuff like that which came from an earlier version but made it to production. The other one I can think of is Transformers/Back to the Future had a bit of weird timing to it. I co-edited the series with my pal Chase Marotz, but slightly before the last issue went into production, Chase changed departments at IDW. While it didn't really affect the book, it was interesting having an extra learning curve of figuring out the BTTF approvals system for the last issue, because Chase had been dealing with it the rest of the series. 

Besides the crossovers and IDW2, we were also looking for new ways to bring TF to people, which lead to so many amazing books. I finally got to work with Simon Furman, as well as the phenomenal Guido Guidi and John-Paul Bove, on Transformers '84 (a series that drew from both the original Marvel G1 and Marvel UK). I got to fulfill my childhood dream of launching a new Beast Wars series (with favs Erik Burnham & Josh Burcham) that eventually got picked up by editor Jazmine Joyner (who I spent this weekend hanging out with and who helped me double fulfill my dream by letting me write a story in the Beast Wars Annual). We did the amazing swords-and-sorcery story, King Grimlock, with Steve Orlando, Agustin Padilla, and Jeremy Colwell. Riley took over and did two Shattered Glass series with Danny Lore, Guido, Dan Khanna, and a bunch of other amazing contributors. And I got to team-up with my old buddy Nick Roche, the first IDW TF artist, E.J. Su, and colorists Rebecca Nalty and Brittany Peer (at the end) for Last Bot Standing, a series that acts as an excellent sign-off to everything we did. A last TF story, even though it wasn't our last and, frankly, it's TF. The stories never end. 

I was hoping to get some other stories in, but frankly, we're running long already. The only bits I'll mention in particular are 1. Jaz managed to do something I could not. Initially, we were only using American Beast Wars characters for the series, but Jaz, Sam Maggs, and Lanna Souvanny managed to do a story all about Skold and Powerhug! 2. Speaking of Beast Wars, I believe in the big battle spread in the final issue, Josh Burcham's got a Sonic the Hedgehog joke with Armordillo (another favorite character of mine). 3. Last Bot Standing developed while Nick Roche and I were working on Scarenthood, his excellent creator-owned series with Chris O'Halloran (and in which Becca and I have a brief cameo). 4. Signal Lancer has a very brief role in Wreckers: Tread & Circuits. He was also, at one point, slated for LBS, though he didn't make the final cut. 5. In the first draft of the lettering for the Veteran in LBS #3, none of the haikus were formatted. They were just lettered regularly. If you think they're obnoxious to read as haiku, they are actually harder to read without the proper formatting. And 6. Again, to add context for the TFWiki folks--Nick and I mutually agreed that a haiku of "Damn"s was more reasonable than a haiku of "Shit"s. 

What Could Have Been

Okay, so, I can only say so much about anything. If you checked out our awesome Transformers: Best of the Rarities (including some real treasures that haven't been seen before and may never be seen again), you might've noticed something about Transformers: Collision Course. A few finished covers for that series were included, and obviously, it was never published. What I can say is that much like when building up to Unicron, the goal was to bring in as many longtime contributors as possible, some in new ways. It would've featured elements from everything seen on the covers. It would've gotten kind of weird, in a very fun way. What it would've been actually was pretty different than originally conceptualized. And it would've said goodbye. Maybe some other time I can share more, but that's about all I can say now. 

I mentioned regrets earlier and this is my third one. Not that we didn't publish Collision Course (even if it might've bumped me above Carlos Guzman as the person to edit the most TF comics)--in some ways, I'm glad we didn't. I kinda don't mind not saying an official goodbye. My regret is there was always more to do. There were plans and things we'd like to do and I hope some of them find a home sometime. But the big loss is I wanted to work with so many more people. Writers, artists, colorists--folks who I'd have loved to work with for the first time and folks who I've worked with so many times but would've done TF with forever. None of that's going away--I'll still find ways to work with those folks--but had I had 100 more issues, I still wouldn't have had enough time to work with the many, many amazing folks on all sides who made TF magical (or who would've and the timing didn't work out). 

And so, finally, thank you! Thanks to Kelly Johnson, Michael Kelly, Ed Lane, Tayla Reo, Ben MacCrae, Matt Clarke, Mark Maher, and the team at Hasbro, Isabella Weiss, Beth Artale, Carlos Guzman, Sarah Gaydos, Chris Ryall, Denton Tipton, Chase Marotz, Tom Waltz, Megan Brown, Bobby Curnow, Jazmine Joyner, Andy Schmidt, Tom Long, Jake Wood, Johanna Nattalie, Shawn Lee, Neil Uyetake, Chris Mowry, Christa Miesner, Gilberto Lazcano, Nate Widick, Justin Eisinger, Alonzo Simon, Zac Boone, Lauren Lapera, and the whole IDW crew past and present, Simon Furman, John-Paul Bove, Andrew Griffith, Brian Ruckley, Casey Coller, James Roberts, Livio Ramondelli, Josh Burcham, Alex Milne, Nick Roche, Fico Ossio, Priscilla Tramontano, Sebastian Cheng, Candice Han, Sam Maggs, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Winston Chan, Angel Hernandez, Agustin Padilla, Eduardo Alpuente, E.J. Su, Heather Breckel, Aline Baumgartner, SidVenBlu, Luis Antonio Delgado, Dan Khanna, Dan Schoening, Erik Burnham, David Garcia Cruz, Ed Pirrie, Ben Pirrie, Matt Froese, Rik Mack, Gigi Dutriex, Danny Lore, Rebecca Nalty, Steve Orlando, Ochopante, Phil Murphy, Valentina Pinto, Umi Miyao, John Yurcaba, Kei Zama, Guido Guidi, Evan Gauntt, Jack Lawrence, Evan Stanley, Thomas Deer, Jeffrey Veregge, Tom Scioli, Marcelo Matere, Marcelo Ferreira, Anna Malkova, Beth McGuire-Smith, Stefano Simeone, Josh Perez, Kate Leth, Cohen Edenfield, Saren Stone, Brendan Cahil, Brenda Chi, Cachet Whitman, Ron Joseph, Nelson Daniel, Gabriel Rodriguez, Chris Panda, James Raiz, James Marsh, James Biggie, Jim Wilson, Jim Stafford,  James Asmus, George Caltsoudas, Mairghread Scott, Freddie E. Williams II, Andrew Wildman, Stephen Baskerville, Ian Flynn, Nicole Goux, Nicoletta Baldari, Nick Brokenshire, Sebastian Piriz, Jeremy Colwell, Max Dunbar, Francesco Francavilla, Corin Howell, Philip Johnson, Maria Keane, Brittany Peer, Red Powell, Juan Samu, Cavan Scott, Blacky Shepherd, Reggie Graham, L. Kershaw, Ashe Phillips, Zoner Siyu Hemu, Tyler Bleszinski, Brandon Easton, Billie Montfort, Peri Mercer, Shane McCarthy, Don Figueroa, Patrick Ehlers, Dan Watters, Nahuel Ruiz, Geoff Senior, Nick Marino, Andrea Bell, Lanna Souvanny, Ryan Miller, Chris McFeely, Jim Sorenson, Tony Fleecs, Adam Bryce Thomas, Mike Johnson, Ilias Kyriazis, Stephen Byrne, James Stokoe, Cary Nord, Mateus Santolouco, Marcelo Maiolo, Alex Horley, Paul Harding, Bryan Lee, Dave Wilkins, Cian Tormey, Gavin Spence, Gavin Fullerton, Philip Knott, John Allison, Mina Won, Rui Onishi, John Wycough, Martin Gee, David Rodriguez, Aubrey Sitterson, Sean Ryan, Cullen Bunn, Mags Visaggio, Lane Lloyd, Gavin Guidry, Leonardo Ito, Christina-Antoinette Neofotistou, Christos Gage, Matt Frank, Christian Ward, Luca Pizzari, Hal Laren, Diego Zuniga, Suna Margevich, Zerob, Lantana Gao, Jamel Jones, Ronda Pattinson, Colm Griffin, Camila Fortuna, John Jennings, Andy Duggan, Emilio Lopez, Anthony Pugh, Sebastien Stone, and the likely dozens of other creators who I never got to work with but who touched this big beautiful series! Extra special thanks to Riley Farmer and John Barber who absolutely deserve their own callout. And thanks to the people who facilitated my love of TF over the years so I could bring my passion to this series for so long, from my parents, to my partner Becca (and their TF who's in the last issue of Wreckers, Honk)! Finally--seriously, finally--thanks to you! Thanks for reading TF at any point in the IDW run or for, god help you, having read through this whole long post. 

With that, I'm calling it for the year! It's unlikely you'll get anything til January, but I guess not completely impossible if I want to share some wrap-up/resolutiony type stuff before the new year starts. If this is it for 2022, thanks for joining the first year of my blog and my website and the first few months of my newsletter and my Tumblr if you're reading there! Happy holidays and see you next year! 

Things I've been enjoying this week: Jaz Joyner came and visited yesterday and that was awesome! Honkai Impact (Video game). Chainsaw Man (Anime & Manga). Spy x Family (Anime). Star Saber (Toy). The Simpsons (TV show). Lego Masters (TV show). The promise of reading time that comes with an extended holiday break. And, of course, Transformers. 

New Releases this week (12/14/2022): Transformers: Shattered Glass II #5 (Supervising Editor--Our last TF book).

New releases next week (12/21/2022): Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #3 (Editor)

Final Order Cutoff (12/19/2022): Godzilla Rivals: Round 1 Collection (I didn't have anything to do with this, but I feel obligated to plug Godzilla!) Godzilla Monsters & Protectors: All Hail the King #5 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 13: Battle for the Empire (Includes the milestone issue #50 - Editor)

Announcements:  Becca and I have started applying for cons in 2023! Hope to have some updates on those soon! 

In the meantime, you can pick up some of my work at the shop on my website and you can get Becca's stuff at their website. Pochita keychain pre-orders are only open for a couple more days, so get on it! Supporting us now can help us get to those cons! 

And with Twitter going sideways yet again, as a reminder, you can find me on other socials through my website or at my Linktree. 

Lastly, a plea for my peers with hiring power in the industry. There's literally a list above of some of the most kick-ass, dedicated, and amazing creators I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I want all of them to continue to thrive, so please, if you have stuff, hire them for it. Even if I am also trying to hire them. Make a better offer. Steal them from me. I'll be salty about it, but also, will sleep happily knowing that these folks are getting the recognition they so richly deserve. Also, hire Becca while you're at it. We're both hoping to be able to announce some new comics stuff in the new year, but take advantage of getting them before they blow up!

-David

[petrolstationflowers]

Get to Know Me- Sims Style

@treason-and-plot tagged me, thank you so much!!

What’s your favorite Sims death?

I honestly hate the deaths because everyone cries and it makes me really sad ):

Alpha CC or MaxisMatch?

So I had to google what this was because I am Old tm so... bearing in mind I don't play TS4, I think I have to say MaxisMatch? I'm not using a super powerful PC and I don't like my sims looking hyper realistic. That being said, I do use a LOT of cc hair because the textures and colour blending tends to be much better.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

Nope! I take them as they come but may slim them down again with the gym when I can.

Do you move objects?

Yeah... I get frustrated when I can't put decorative objects in slots where there's very obviously space for them so I abuse it horribly.

Favourite Mod?

I mean I have a TON but tbh NRaas Story Progression was a total gamechanger back in the day and fixed the shitty EA Story Progression that still doesn't work.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

The Sims! I recently found the discs again, they came in a pack with my family's first computer (:

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing

What oh god oh fuck the CRISIS I had thinking about this. LIVe mode.

Who’s your favourite sim that you’ve made?

It's probably this bitch:

Have you made a simself?

Nope! I actually have always felt really weird about them so I've never done it.

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

The bright flaming red, I'm a sucker for redheads.

Favorite EA hair?

Pretty much anything that came with Island Paradise, those are the few I haven't swapped for default replacements.

Favorite life stage?

Teen! I feel like it's when their personalities really start coming out.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

Gameplay; I do like building but I'm not amazing at it.

Are you a CC creator?

Yes! I'm very slow but I try.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

Not at the moment but I'd love to make some!

Do you have any sims merch?

Not official; I have a plumbbob necklace and earrings from Etsy. Other than that, just hard copies of the games and the poster from the anniversary edition of Ambitions.

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Nope.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I don't think it really has tbh. I'm always trying to improve though.

What’s your origin id?

Oh god what even is that... looks like it's CeriseLaflamme.

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Ooooh.... TheSweetSimmer for their excellent toddler and QOL mods! MaryJaneSims also does the best default hair replacements, too.

How long have you had simblr?

Uh, Stan's stuff only this year, but I've been posting on WordPress etc since 2012.

How do you edit your pictures?

The default image editor I have on my PC.

What expansion/ gamepack is your favorite?

All of them, tbh, they all have a special place in my heart. Maybe Seasons?

Tagging @hazely-sims, @hurricanesims, @sircesimblr. @starsweeperskies, and @faeriefrolic!

[mdhwrites]

Have you read The Raven & The Owlet? Very good very long Lilith & Luz fic by Soulfyre, Lumischa endgame

So I'm going to make this a sad one. I don't have to. My response could just be "Yay, Lumischa! But I haven't read it, sorry and it being long means I'm unlikely to get to it." But... I haven't properly finished a story in six years that wasn't my own. At least. And if that sounds insane to you, well... Have you ever read one of my blogs and just gone "Turn your brain off, Michael. Why can't you just sit back and enjoy?" And that's a fair response. Problem is my brain NEVER turns off. It never shuts up. It never has for my entire life and is probably something attributed to me being autistic. When I was young, books were actually somewhat of an escape from this. I could picture the worlds, get deeply invested and love what I read. I read so much that I often got told by teachers not to read and walk before proving that I was more aware of my surroundings than my peers because I learned how to read and walk. I did pretty well in Battle of the Books and acrewed a knowledge of writing from those years. Then when I was almost 18, I began writing and realized I loved it. It was my passion. At the same time, I was finally getting into fandom and enjoying the analyses videos put out by the brony community (MLP was my first and only other fandom I've truly been a part of besides TOH, take that as you will) and that fed my analytical side. Worse yet, reading takes time and I found I wanted to put that energy more into writing. And then came the coup de gra. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. So now I had a brain that couldn't shut up, hated myself, worried about everything, and could never stop considering things from a partially analytical viewpoint. And writing was my passion and what I was honing my craft with. I don't watch much media. I watch streamers and let's players. I can't criticize unscripted content that is just a person. I hate media, I don't hate people. That's because I can't HANDLE media all the time. I tried getting into Wednesday and had to take multiple breaks because the show made me so upset. My lack of much to say critically about Amphibia besides it being very good is probably part of why I fail to connect to it as I did with TOH. And in general, it's just hard for me to enjoy most things and if that sounds miserable, I AGREE. And writing is where I'm most severe, especially now that I'm at a level where fan editors don't usually have anything useful to say about my works unless it's a blatant error that comes from my hands going too fast. I tried helping someone recently and took ten minutes getting through the first paragraph because I had so much to say about why I suggested minor shifts. I will find every little thing needling into my brain while reading something and while I can tell I've relaxed, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to work with another author on a project, that side of me is still there. And that amount of time and focus is deeply triggering for me. It's part of why I don't do self edits. I literally can't spare the time if I ever want to write. And none of this is happy. I don't like using this as an excuse. I want to be a part of writer communities. I want to help people take the same route I did in learning to write. To give back like others gave to me. I just... can't. Not without getting into a really bad mood or just having a complete mental breakdown. And I'm sorry about that because I'd love to be able to discuss and highlight fandom ideas and works here. It just isn't something that's going to happen until I have more peace in my own mind.

[em-dash-press]

How to Take Constructive Criticism Better

When I started taking my creative writing serious, handing out my short stories became a much scarier experience. I wanted their honest feedback, but I knew it would hurt deeply if someone I loved sliced my stories to their bones.

Now I take constructive criticism for a living and I have to say—it's never fully painless, but it does get much easier.

Here are a few ways to overcome the fear of constructive criticism and learn how to strengthen your writing with it.

1. Focus on Your Desire to Improve Your Craft

Writing something deeply personal is cracking your heart open on the page. It's impossible not to feel intimidated and nervous when someone reads it.

If they mention something constructive, take a deep breath. Remember that you gave them your story to experience it through a reader's eyes.

Focusing on that purpose helped me turn helpful notes into positive action. After making edits that strengthen my work, I always give myself a mental high five because those changes will better showcase my themes, characters, and plot points that mean so much to me.

2. Take a Break Before Giving Anything Out

When I finished my first novel, I cried. They were tears of joy, sadness, and relief. It was an incredibly emotional moment, so my heart wasn't on solid ground when I immediately handed it to my best friend to read.

It's okay to pause for a while after finishing something. Let the story sit with you. Process everything it took to write it and when you feel ready to talk about it from a less-emotional standpoint, you'll receive criticism much more easily.

3. Consider Who's Giving the Advice

Your loved ones want the best for you. They love supporting you, but that doesn't qualify them as the best beta readers.

It's better to give your work to someone who knows how stories work. Those would be avid readers, trained writers, and people who communicate for a living.

You don't need an agent and editor to polish your work. But it's crucial to remember someone's perspective when they give you feedback. I take advice from my writer friends seriously, but the feedback from my family members who otherwise hate reading ends up farther down on my list of priorities.

4. Remember the Positive Notes

It's difficult to remember the positive things people say about your work if their more negative notes hit you straight in the heart.

When you return to your WIP, dedicate some time to remembering what they loved about your story. Write it in the margins. Post it on your wall. Doodle it on a sticky note and tape it to your monitor.

Writing is hard work. You're essentially on your own, so there's no creative team cheering you on (unless you're a published writer with a support system helping get your stories to readers).

Practice the art of self-love and be your own cheerleader. With time, you'll instinctively ground your identity as a writer in your strengths and not your mistakes.

5. Weigh How Useful the Criticism Is

People may say they'd love to give some constructive criticism, but comments aren't always constructive. Sometimes they're not helpful for your story.

Let's say you've written a short story about a dog who buried his bone in the backyard and can't find it anymore. The neighbor's dog helps him sniff out the bone and dig it up. You wanted the story to teach kids about the importance of accepting help when you need it.

After giving it to a friend, the friend says the story is good, but wouldn't it be stronger if the dog found the bone by itself? After all, both dogs have the same ability to smell where it is.

Although you could make those changes and still have a traditional plot line, it would remove the purpose you originally wanted to write about.

Figuring out which pieces of criticism are useful and which are not will come with practice. Always compare them with the outline of your story or the essence of why you wrote it before making any significant changes.

Start Getting Used to Criticism

Feedback is a permanent part of being a writer. There's no avoiding it, so everyone has to learn to embrace the process. Keeping these things in mind should help you get used to hearing negative feedback and determining what's most useful or relevant to your work.

Remember—no one has ever become so great at their craft that they never need constructive criticism. That finish line doesn't exit.

With time and practice, you'll look forward to all kinds of feedback and become a better writer by diving into the process.

[cookinguptales]

I’m so glad we will officially get the new episode tonight. The week between episode 6 & 7 was no fun at all. Usually I looove seeing all the fanart and reading all the different thoughts in between episodes. But this time I tried to stay away from everything in fear of getting spoiled. ☹️ Stupid leak.

Yeah. And the fact that we may or may not have had a leak of parts of 9&10 makes you worried to look anywhere. I wish I at least knew if there was a real leak or not so I'd know how careful to be.

It's so bizarre. I've never been in a fandom where the leaks were this bad. I've never experienced anything like it. It makes me feel so bad for the creators. I don't think a lot of people understand how psychologically taxing it is when your work leaks. Some of that is because it can materially affect your career... Like even if someone is gonna watch/rewatch later, those same-day numbers are crucial. If even one person puts off watching the official release for a day or two because there's less urgency, that's starting to fuck up numbers.

I mean, I work in publishing, not tv, but I've seen authors get royally screwed because their book release was fucked up. Leaks or booksellers putting it on the shelf too early or people from one country buying it from another country with a different release date... Often the consumption numbers are monitored during a very specific period and if superfans are obtaining the media outside of that period, it won't be counted. (See: tv ratings, first-day streaming numbers, social media engagement numbers during premieres, presales, bestseller lists, etc.) And then if those numbers aren't reflecting the reality of how much is being consumed, it doesn't really matter. Those are still the numbers that are going to be used for negotiating contracts in the future.

Plus, like... it's just emotionally taxing to see your work leaked. Maybe only part of it leaked and it makes your work look bad and you can't adequately defend it without spoiling everything or breaking an NDA. Maybe it's leaked in a form that isn't so great (like a low quality video, an unedited draft, etc.) and you hate that this will be people's crucial first impression. But really, the worst part is no longer knowing who to trust. I know a fairly big-time author who had a trusted friend read over one of her books to edit it... then found out her friend had passed that unedited draft around to a bunch of her friends. She realized that her friend didn't respect her or her livelihood and mostly just wanted bragging rights. Now she's extremely wary about making new friends or asking for help with her manuscripts, and it's honestly really sad.

I imagine it'd be even worse if you're working on a production with so many moving parts. Do you trust your fellow actors? Fellow writers? The editors? The people working in your office? The friends who come in your house? I can't imagine the kind of tension you'd be working under when you know that leaks just keep getting out and you don't know where they're coming from. : /

And then, y'know, people are like "well, if I watch it same-day as well, that's not hurting anything, right?" but people wouldn't post leaks if other people didn't watch them, and creating demand for that kind of thing is... bad.

Like I don't like leaks from a spoiler standpoint, sure, but you start to gain a greater appreciation for how bad a leak can be when you're comforting an author crying at their kitchen table because their book release got fucked and they have contract negotiations this year...

tbh, I don't understand the mentality behind leaks at all. I have access to a lot of media often years before it comes out (between my editing work and also the paid tv/movie focus groups I often do) and I can't imagine leaking it. I guard the privacy of my clients pretty zealously. No saving unpublished manuscripts to the cloud, no offering identifying info while I'm working, etc. It's actually something I find kind of stressful, the idea that I could accidentally ruin someone else's livelihood if I'm not careful enough... The idea of doing it on purpose or through carelessness makes me cringe...

And then if I did do something by accident, like those WWDITS auditions saved with the wrong privacy settings, the idea of people finding that fuck-up and passing it around instead of letting me know so I could take it down... Like damn, when I think about the people who may never work in this industry again because people just wanted to find info on their favorite show faster... Genuinely kind of upsetting.

That said, the constant leaks, the way that no one secured the usernames for characters used onscreen (which allowed for the Colin's YT hoax), etc. have me like. Bro, who is in charge here? Y'all have a fandom now and you're still acting like a baby show on your first season. They really probably need to hire someone for this.

[colleendoran]

The Stalking Thing

OK, I'm just going to say this thing and get it out of the way.

Some 12 years ago, I gave an interview to a show on Discovery ID about a stalking incident. The show heavily edited the interviews with all involved and cut out material in order to avoid legal complications, rights, and permissions. The show has been making the rounds again.

In the editing, they changed much of the narrative and presented the issue as a 10 year stalking problem with a fan.

This is not true.

The stalker is a former Marvel Comics employee and freelancer.

He is an old man, and there is no reason to single him out at this juncture, so don't ask who he is.

Marvel is and was in no way responsible for his behavior, and he has not been able to get work in the industry since the 1980's. However, he caused trouble with some of my clients because of his industry connections, though that problem faded away in the early 2000's. He was able to do things like convince people to steal my private information from an editor's rolodex.

Which is not good.

He weaponized others to commit acts of violence and abuse he was too cowardly to perform himself. The people involved read like an industry Who's Who, but most of them were innocent people who had the bad luck to encounter him and had a devil of a time getting out of his circle later. I was repeatedly hit, poked, punched and stabbed with objects at conventions over a multi-year period. The show reduced that to a couple of lunges or a poke with a finger by strangers because it's really not possible to prove who exactly did what. But the pattern of behavior convinces me that the stalker's proxies were the primary source of the abuse.

He not only tried to cause trouble for me at Marvel, he contacted virtually every publisher I worked for (and a few I didn't). His harassment cost me years of time, energy, and many thousands in legal fees.

He was so obsessive he decided I was having an affair with my attorney. He also accused me of having affairs with lots of men in the industry, which is a slur that gets pretty old after awhile, I have to say.

The harassment was also not limited to 10 years as it says on the show: it began in the early 1980's with the most recent incident in 2019.

The show presents a false narrative that the stalker's mother appeared out of nowhere at a convention and was confronted by my mother who wielded a taser in my defense.

What the show cut out is that my mother worked for me and it was normal for her to be with me at shows. No, crazy person who went berserk because they think I took my mom to conventions exposing her to danger, I didn't drag my mom to a show and toss her in front of me like a human shield.

The stalker's mother had been enabling his behavior for years and had actually fooled me into talking with her on the phone, posing as a customer with a concern. But I never expected her to show up and begin pawing me like a lap dog.

My mother didn't face down the stalker's mother alone as the show seems to indicate. The police had been informed of the problem in advance and were there waiting for the stalker to make his move. When he finally did, they moved in.

The whole thing was pretty weird.

Things got even weirder over time, but I'm not going to get into it all here. However, I am tired of people acting like I did something to cause it or woulda shoulda coulda, but that's the way it goes, I guess.

The stalker has been involuntarily committed twice, and voluntarily committed on other occasions, but a court of law has found him legally sane. He continues to have legal problems due to his behavior.

I don't resent the show for editing the narrative, because no matter what, if you make a public complaint, you get tons of people stepping up to lecture you about how everything you did was wrong, but it's particularly galling when people try to convince me that if I were just nicer to this poor, sad sack fan, it would have been a kindness and everything would be well.

He wasn't a fan, he's not a nice person, he's never changed, he's never going to change, and nothing he did or will ever do has anything to do with me.

And because everyone always asks, no I didn't know the guy, never worked with him, and until he showed up at a show with his mother, I'm not sure I ever met him. He became obsessed with me after seeing my picture in a fanzine when I was a teenager. He was in his 30's at the time.

Hope that clears everything up.