#you are not entitled to the creators output

[echoofawind]

I have a problem with 90% of the fests I see advertised with prompting. I love the idea of sharing plot bunnies or creative ideas. I don't like it when the prompt forms have a dozen fields outside of the prompt that further specifies anything. Ship, rating, characters, triggers, etc. A prompt in a standard fest is NOT a request for a gift. The writer is not obligated to write you a story. If you as a prompter have a list of requirements for the prompt, then you are not offering a prompt. You are saying, writer you must write me this exact story. I do not understand how that is seen as the norm in fandom right now instead of rude and limiting?

As long as you don't gift the story to the prompter, you are under NO OBLIGATION to follow any of those superfluous prompt fields. It's a prompt. A starting point for inspiration.

I cannot count how many fest prompts I've read through, found a prompt that sang to my muse and started crafting an idea only to then read 'Do Not Write: age gap relationship. Or only X or Y characters' . Who is this prompter to tell me what stories I am allowed to create? That is not how a prompt works! That is how a gift request works. Stop putting me in a fucking box.

#for the love of whatever deity you subscribe to these fest organizers need to learn the difference between a prompt fest and a gift fest #and not be conflating the two #because if I were to write the story that the prompt inspired me to write and that didn't follow the “extra requirements”... #... I would get labeled like a jerk for my participation which wouldn't be fair to any creator to be punished for their act of creation #if you are so dang bent out of shape that the prompt has to be used for wolfstar then write the dang thing yourself #prompts must be freely given #you do not retain any control of the final product by supplying a prompt #this is probably part of why authors refuse any prompts from fans #fandom discourse #fest discourse #prompting discourse #this whole thing makes me rage and Ive dropped out of fests before even officially joining the fest #e is for echo #A PROMPT IS NOT A GIFT #you are not entitled to the creators output #and you are not entitled to a writer creating a story to your preferences unless its specifically a gift exchange

[olderthannetfic]

Just saw a TikTok of a girl bragging about copying and pasting the unfinished fics she's reading into ChatGPT so that the AI can write the missing chapters and all the comments were super positive and kept asking her which AI was the one that worked better for this, and I'M SO FUCKING TIRED.

Fanfic is a hobby, not a duty, and if someone stops posting they have their reasons. They may not be good, you may think they're stupid, but they have THEIR OWN REASONS and you HAVE TO respect them.

It's so fucking shitty that the OTW is trying to defend its creators from AIs as much as possible, the only suggestion for authors that of making their works visible only for registered users, and here are these cunts who are PURPOSEFULLY harvesting material and feeding it into AIs because they think they're entitled to other people's stories.

If they care so much about those fics, why can't they do it the right way: opening up their own little Google Docs document and writing the missing chapters themselves? It's not like they can post them to Ao3 anyways, so... what's the fucking difference?

I'm 100% sure that they feel this entitled because a lot of traditional writers are now churning out four 500 pages novels a year and are constantly selling them something. They think that that amount of output can be sustainable for people who don't have writing as their main form of income, who have to have jobs to support themselves, and who are just doing it because they like it.

I hate them.

I fucking hate them.

--

Also, it's just Sanderson who has Can't Shut Up disease. Or people with ghostwriters.

Most authors don't put out that many pages per year even if it's their primary source of income.

[ccchloister]

It's so strange how the problems that come with existing online have forced me to find words to explain concepts that I assumed were mostly universal. I thought knowledge, talent, expertise, hard work and persistence were skills that were valuable and should be encouraged in everyone. A.I. has taught me otherwise.

A.I. might as well stand for Anti-Intellectualism, because that's the spirit behind the excitement. It literally takes the skill and labor out of skilled labor. Learning is being treated like an inconvenience, a problem to be eliminated in the name of efficiency. Entire disciplines are being treated as grand sacrifices in the name of mass production and instant gratification.

Why does art need to be efficient? It's not food. It's not medicine. It's not shelter. How fast are people shoveling content into their gob that between social media, streaming, and physical media, it's still not enough? Technology has already pushed creators to pumping out content at an unhealthy and unnatural rate just to try to appease social media algorithms. Now that same output is being used to train new algorithms to pump it out even faster while cutting creators out entirely. It’s sick and cruel. And instead of this exploitation being treated like an injustice that needs to be corrected, I'm told "It's inevitable. Adapt or die. Don't put your work online if you don't want it taken", delivered either with condescending pity, callous apathy, or malicious glee.

If A.I. fans aren't taking the "hardened pragmatic realist" approach, then they are shallowly aping socialist ideas, blaming capitalism for exploitation, not the tech. A very "guns don't kill people, people kill people" take. Just because exploitation of creatives is not a new concept doesn't mean A.I. isn't responsible for making it INFINITELY WORSE. They’ve also decided that people shouldn't be pursuing art and knowledge for the sake of profit and that the skilled creators trying to protect their labor are greedy, elitist gatekeepers trying to keep art from "the common man" (because creatives aren't the common man, apparently). It's that same resentment and distrust of experts that's typical of anti-intellectualism, except creative fields are in this weird place where they aren't even respected the way STEM is, so there's an extra layer of belittling and disrespect to the othering. Consumers feel entitled to art, but they don't understand how it's made, and they definitely don't respect it as a discipline.

The glut of creative content available for "the common man" to consume has never been greater or more accessible, but it's still not enough. It's not enough to just consume art. They want ownership. They want the sense of accomplishment that comes from making something, without having actually *made* it. And despite their finger-wagging at creatives wanting to protect their careers, they also want to make some money. Etsy is flooded with A.I. prints, kindle is filled with A.I. books, spotify is loaded with A.I. songs. There’s even A.I. kickstarters. Along with replacing writers and animators, CEOs want to replace actors, voice actors, and models with simulacrums they can make do whatever they want, forever, and A.I. fans are hoping they'll be the ones hired to facilitate that process. Even without actively profiting, A.I. still devalues the work of skilled laborers. Why commission a skilled artist when for 15 dollars you can buy a machine that will give you infinite works of the same or better quality, instantly? Do you have faith in consumers to prioritize ethics over convenience? Do you think it's right and fair and good to make compensating skilled creators an act of charity rather than a necessity?

A.I. users overestimate their contribution to the final product, thinking their idea is so unique and their vision so strong, that of course they should claim ownership… conveniently ignoring all the infinite little decisions A.I. made for them based off the knowledge and fine motor skills of millions of artists. It's like they think fully realized Good Ideas are a natural resource waiting to be excavated, and traditional creators had the unfair advantage of pickaxes, physical strength and a knowledge of geology to find the rich veins. Now A.I. is providing scanners and and powerful machinery so "the common man" doesn't need strength or knowledge to quickly mine those same veins first.

But that's not what art is, and that's not how creation works. Art is communication. Imagination is fostered through life experience, observation and processing information with your human brain. It's something every living person could do, because every person is unique with unique life experiences. Creation is practice, study, experimentation, problem solving, and adapting to limitations. There is nothing stopping anyone from doing these things. Natural ability has been grossly overvalued: most people with "talent" were not making hyper-realistic paintings at 13 like Picasso. What happens is a child shows a slight aptitude, the adults in their life notice and give them positive reinforcement, and then they are motivated and encouraged to pursue that interest. So instead of treating the naturally talented as having an unfair advantage, why not blame the adults in your life for not encouraging your interests at a young age. Or if you want to be brutally honest, blame yourself for not pursuing your interests despite a lack of external validation. You have agency.

I try to imagine, what is an A.I. fan's idea of a perfect future? One where no one has any advantages that another person doesn't, where "everyone's special so no ones special"? Where all labor is automated and no one has to do anything they don't want to and everyone spends their infinite free time bettering themselves for it's own sake rather than for money? Every time they mention the evils of capitalism and how we need universal basic income and other ideas of a post-work society it makes me want to pull my hair out. We don't *have* those things. We aren't even close to those things. So it is functionally useless to factor that into your argument. Who is Tech to use A.I.'s elimination of thousands of jobs in non-Tech industries as a bargaining chip to try and incentivize the government to create safety nets for those displaced? Since when has your government prioritized it's citizens over corporations? Have proponents always been this naive, or only when trying to assuage concerns over the consequences of their new toy?

Even if we did achieve that techie utopia, what makes them think most people will use their free time productively, exercising their brain for it's own sake? Because speaking for myself, I can have every good intention of using my time to create and learn, but those things frequently lose out to short term, dopamine-driven feedback loops like social media and video games. Without any external incentives, I guarantee far less people will pursue learning for its own sake if the knowledge-based roles that keep society functioning are filled by machines. Think of how we've had to reintroduce exercise into are lives just for exercise's sake. Hows that going? Again, speaking for myself as an overweight person: Not Great. I might intellectually know physical fitness is important, but the difficulty and unenjoyable nature of exercise and the benefits not being immediate and obvious means it frequently loses out to activities I do enjoy. I know not everyone is like me, but many, many people are. Now replace physical fitness with cognitive abilities. Abilities that require work, who's benefits are totally abstract, and would be wholly unnecessary for living in an A.I dependent society. If that doesn't give you chills up your spine, then you must stand to benefit from a culture of stupidity that's hopelessly dependent on tech. And I hate you.

No ones going to read all this.

#AI #Tech #Art #Artists #creation #anti intellectualism #knowledge #labor #exploitation #Long #word dump #future

[mintharaa]

The post you made about Astarion being the fan fave. Have you ever considered... thats not an issue? Like ever? At all? I dont even play BG3 but after being in several fandoms where theres always been a small cluster of people that arent interested in the fan favorite and do nothing but constantly shit the bed over others all enjoying the popular characters, I just think its stupid. What do you expect as a solution - everyone forcing themselves to try and change their favorite and their blogs to please you, a complete stranger? Why would they? Do you not see the entitlement...? This isnt something like an area of scientific research getting neglected. Its fandoms on tumblr, and people enjoying something harmless. The only one who would benefit here is you and a few others that like the less popular characters - but you dont *need* to benefit. It would be nice if you did but if you dont get to, thats life. You are not entitled to a high volume of fics, artwork, posts etc that center around your fave. At all. Its not an issue that youre not getting that, creators will make what they will and people are allowed to enjoy certain aspects of a media most of all that you dont. Their fun isnt about you. It sucks for you, I do empathize that it must feel frustrating, but get over it. People dont need to change their fave and creative outputs all for your sake. And you can always commission if you feel so entitled to. But otherwise all of this stuff is free content people make primarily for themselves and those who feel the same.

Good lord what a shitty uncalled for response to one (1) meme. Let’s start from the beginning. First of all, “it’s not an issue”, do you really think the fact that the only poc character in the main cast getting almost no attention from the majority of fans is “not an issue”? You really don’t see the problem here? But like… it’s not like my post was a call to action of some sort, I hardly “shat the bed” as you so eloquently put it, it’s a meme. It’s a funny meme my guy. If you don’t find it funny that’s okay! But like you said, you don’t need to! It’s not all about you :)

And like the thing is, wyll isn’t even my favourite character. I like him a lot, I like all the characters, but he’s not my favourite. I just noticed the disparity in attention and thought, huh, that sucks, ill make a meme about it. It’s kind of incredible the extent to which you managed to miss the point of my post.

And also I… never said anyone can’t enjoy anything? Again, I hardly said anything, this is over one (1) meme. But I enjoy all the characters, you can take a look at my posts and see astarions one of my favourites, I certainly haven’t stopped enjoying content around him, why would I think anyone else should.

End of the day my meme was just a bit of fun. I do think there’s a wider issue about the treatment of black characters in fandom, but there was no malice intended towards anyone and I think people should enjoy what they enjoy, just be aware. The fact that you saw my post and read so much into it that wasn’t there and wrote me this very hostile message says a lot more about you than it does about me.

[redwinterroses]

genuine question here, in regards to not commenting on videos (and fics, and art, etc.) Is there, and if so, where is there, a distinction drawn between people who do not care about commenting, and people who literally do not have the spoons to comment? I can't speak for everyone obviously, but personally, every time I've decided "alright, it's time to be loud and supportive of the things I like through comments!" I end up stopping consuming that content completely, because I literally don't have the mental brainspace and energy to comment. (This isn't a conscious choice I make, either. What happens is I'll sit down, decide to read or watch something, but then when I remember that means commenting as well, I become suddenly actually unable to consume the content in the first place. Like regular procrastination, but guiltier and more bored!) Again, this is a genuine question and I promise I'm not coming from a combative position here. Just tryna get some clarification, because all the talk about it lately is getting a little... aggressive, without much in the way of nuance.

No no, this is a good question, and a good aspect to address. Especially on This Webbed Site where most of us are neurodivergent and/or low-spoons of some flavor.

Here's my short(ish), probably-not-nuanced enough answer:

You have to a) find a balance that works for you, personally, and b) don't take it too seriously.

The first bit of that means that you don't have to force it on days that are tough -- but also don't just say "well. it's not worth it because I 'never' can do it." All or nothing aren't the only two options. And you have to decide for yourself: at what point is it worth it to me to output a bit of extra energy to repay the person who is providing me with something that gives enjoyment? There's a certain entitlement that seems to come into play in the way a lot of people are talking about this, in a "how dare you suggest I make an effort when that's hard for me" kind of way. (to clarify: that's not this ask. It's just a vibe that comes up a lot anytime "leaving comments and feedback" comes up. As if people get insulted at even being asked. Beware: yon way lies the path of the Karen.)

So you have to find a balance that works on your level between "what this is worth to me" and "what I can do right now." That balance can change. Should change, honestly. But it's not a 0% or 100% option -- there's room for gradients.

And the second bit is something I'm seeing a LOT in the tags. People saying things like "I just don't feel like I have anything to contribute" and "I only comment when I have something to say" and "I just never have anything interesting to comment."

Ditch that notion. Literally write it on a piece of paper and toss it in the fireplace. Writing a comment on youtube or tumblr is not in any way a situation that requires meaningful or insightful wordage -- and I mean that in the most /pos sense.

Type "I loved this!" and hit post. "So excited for a [creator name] video today!" "These videos put a smile on my face." "Thanks for a great vid!" Heck. I've seen comments that are literally just "<3!!!!"

And you know what? Those count. Maybe more than the paragraph-length comments tbh, because they're quicker to read through and get that little bit of "oh, that's a drop in the positive bucket."

They help engagement. They contribute to CCs knowing their content is enjoyable and hitting the right audience. They help stats and tweak the algorithm in the CC's favor. It doesn't need to be a deep dive or an original suggestion or a clever quip or whatever. Don't put that pressure on yourself.

I'm not going to sit here and tell you "No, bud, you don't have a choice. If you want to be a good fan you have to push through your own struggles and leave comments, no questions asked, no quarter given." That would be ridiculous and actually cruel.

What I will say is... yeah. Don't take it too seriously. Just, whenever you can, drop a "Cool build!" comment. And let the fact that it really, genuinely can be that little and still make a huge difference to someone's day lower the spoon-rating a little. If you don't see it as That Huge A Thing, it might not require as much energy to actually do.

...anyway that wasn't short at all but I hope maybe it made some sense.

#redwinteranswers #long post

[countessofbiscuit]

continually baffled by how fandom ~creators~ who objectively have pretty damn good ~engagement~ are THE most vocal about how fandom is increasingly apathetic and awful and entitled and how if you feel unloved because your ~content~ isn’t getting love you should just … stop? or change fandoms (as if that's something you can just do at the drop of a hat, lol)? like that is supposed to teach other fans a lesson? personally, i don’t see how that mindset results in anything other than a net increase in overall dissatisfaction, especially for the person who is disengaging with creativity or forcing their energies in certain direction because they have some secondhand idea of what reward should look like (and those goalposts keep changing based on what some BNF is feeling that week).

'Resilience' has gotten a bad rap because it’s been co-opted by capitalist shills, but man on every level but corporate, it's no bad thing. Continuing to do what you love and seeking to improve regardless of how your ""output"" is received carries its own reward.

#the endless whinging about this is so tiresome #it creates so much self-conscious negative energy #i feel bad for younger people coming into creative communities nowadays #who must have such a warped view of what creative satisfaction looks like based on the emphasis placed on engagement #be that on tumblr or ao3 or in a discord server #real engagement is something you feel not something you measure or quantify #i'm having a good time ... as are most of the folks i interact with on the daily? #not sure what the fuss is all about #creativity

[tehawesomestkitteh]

What do you think of Ai art? Like copyright and stuff

I would throw a brick at AI-generated images and its outputs if I can. It's a strange question because I'm not a lawyer, but I sincerely hope that it stays uncopyrightable because of its ravenous abuse, lack of consent, and prompters who think they're an "artist" for letting a freelance machine do almost all of the work

AI-generated images give people the haha for a second, but it's an insult to artists and creators who create out of love of their work, who create because it is their passion, who create because they want to share to people their ideas, or who create to survive.

It is a creation built on greed, and fueled with contempt for the people who make up its data sets. Rather than AI popularized and used to remove menial or stressful work, instead a mathematical diffusion algorithm used almost exclusively by people too lazy, too entitled, too malicious, or too unaware (or sensitive) to make anything beautiful with their own hands became the hip new thing

The same people who claim copyright for the slop it tosses out are also the same people who vehemently claim false rights over stuff on the internet and I wish them a very "please actually educate yourself before forming opinions instead of forming opinions and forcing everything to abide by it as if it was truth"

#ask #anon

[if-confessions]

There’s one popular IF that I know will never ever see completion and I’m sure at this point, the writer knows it too. I just wish the author would put their readers out of their misery already.

The author answers asks regularly but the actual writing? Rare. They’ll disappear for a while and return with a reason for the disappearance, promise to do better, say they’ve written however many words, but that demo gets updated once in a blue moon.

I feel bad for the readers that remain hopeful and engaged because the writing has been in the wall for this author and this WIP for months if not years.

And now as I write this, I realize this actually applies to multiple authors/WIPs.

[just a lil reminder for readers of this blog to not jump into any inbox of authors who could potentially fit in this ask and demand answers.]

Future me addition: This post ended up garnering the wrong kind of interactions, as multiple authors received many hateful anons following its publication. I naively thought people would be rational and not jump authors with entitlement and hate, but nooooooo...

No matter how much it is repeated on this blog, it seems many people forget that

IRL is a thing, a thing that should always take priority over hobbies.

IF is a hobby for 99% of creators, no one should be entitled to the output of said hobbies, nor do creators have a responsibility to cater to other people's wishes.

Readers should manage their own feelings about projects they follow. No one has to be put out of their misery. If you feel miserable because you miss a project, it is not the author's responsibility to make them feel better.

Unfollowing is not hard.

#confession time #if-confessions #follower behaviour #IRL considerations

[deliriumsdelight7]

A plea for audience engagement

Hoo boy.  I did NOT want to do this.  At all.  But I feel like the Rumbelle fandom has reached a fork in the road.  One path leads to years of wonderful stories and content for the fandom to enjoy.  The other leads to a slow death for this wonderful community.

This rant is probably going to come across whiny, bitchy, and completely entitled, so if you’re not up for reading that, feel free to scroll past.

There has been a sharp downturn in audience engagement in the fandom as a whole lately.  I’ve been seeing fics get just as many views as they did last year, or close to it, but fewer and fewer likes, reblogs, and AO3 comments over the past few months.  At first, I thought it was just me: either my imagination, or maybe my writing was starting to stagnate (or worse, starting to suck).  But no - I’ve had multiple authors mention how their work over the past few months will get few interactions, or worse - none at all.  Combing through their Tumblr and AO3 pages confirmed my suspicions (yes, I am being THAT flavor of creep).

This issue extends to weekly author Tumblr posts, such as TMI Tuesday.  For the past few months, I (as an example) have been extremely lucky to get a single Ask in my inbox.  Most weeks, I get nothing at all.  Other writers have reported the same thing.  It’s gotten to the point where other writers have stopped making these weekly posts altogether, because... why bother?  Why take the time to write that post inviting interactions?  It’s clearly adding nothing to the fandom, so all it does is open you up for disappointment when nobody responds.

Now, I know that nobody is entitled to comments/kudos/likes/reblogs/whatever.  And anybody who creates art for no other reason than to get compliments is going to have a bad time.  But here’s the thing: without input, there can be no output.  As our favorite scaly wizard says, everything comes at a price.  Writing fic is a creative, joyful, freeing thing - but it’s also work.  It’s stressful, it’s time-consuming, it’s exhausting... For those of us who are constantly putting out content, it’s basically an unpaid second job.  So when you pour your time, energy, and soul into a work and get little to no response... it’s discouraging.  Really discouraging.  I know for a fact that I’m not alone in feeling this way.  Multiple other authors are starting to feel both disheartened and unappreciated, to the point where they’re considering becoming much less active in the fandom and moving on to others.  I’m talking about die-hard fans who put out multiple entries a month - sometimes multiple a week!

Look, I get it.  Life really sucks right now for a lot of us.  Many members of the fandom don’t have the time/energy/spoons to go on Tumblr or AO3 to read.  This post isn’t aimed at them.  But for those of you who still check the Rumbelle tag daily, weekly, monthly, whatever, please - please interact with your content creators.  They pour so much of themselves into their work.  Hours upon hours go into each and every one.  So please - if you read someone’s work, just take thirty seconds out of your day to send them a comment.  It doesn’t have to be an essay.  It can be a sentence.  Or a word.  Or an emoji.  Anything!  And if they solicit Asks, send them a quick one!  Ask their characters questions.  Ask the author questions about themselves as a writer, or about who they are as a person!  I promise, it absolutely makes their day.

I love this fandom, guys.  In the Rumbelle fandom, I feel like I’ve found a sense of belonging I never knew before.  I’ve been pouring my energy into keeping the fandom alive through discussions, taking over popular events, trying to create new events, and yes - writing fic.  I would gladly bleed myself dry for this fandom.  But all of that comes to nothing if several of our most prolific authors become too discouraged to contribute.  So I beg you - please, please, please let your content creators know how much you love their work!

#sorry for the bitch sesh #but I feel like it had to be said #if it were just me I could ignore it #but I've been hearing this same refrain from too many Rumbelle authors for my comfort #I feel gross for writing a public fucking call-out post #gonna go take a 10-hour shower now #rumbelle #rumbelle fanfiction #rumbelle fic

[molluskzone]

i wish the people making whiny posts demanding reblogs from people just admitted to themselves that no, its not about "reach," its about Big Number Feels Good. because if you allowed yourself to confront the fact that you ARE a number chaser then youd have a much better chance at fixing it. and you HAVE to fix it if you want your art output to remain sustainable. numbers will NOT make you satisfied never ever especially not on modern social media. and no its not "just big accounts who dont get it" who know this: the MOST followers ive had on ANY art account of mine since 2014 is 600. and i got maybe 40 likes per post and a handful of comments. thats the best i did in 10 years online and i reached that point in like 2016. haven't gotten near that level of "popularity" since that year because the game changed and i was unwilling to change what *I* wanted to do to please an algorithm.

i understand WANTING people to care about your art. i think itd be weird if someone DIDNT want people to care (at least, out of the people posting their art publicly). but lashing out at the audience not only will NOT get you what you want but it also reflects REALLY badly on you and just makes you sound annoying, mean, and bitter. i honestly hate this and this is the main reason i block people, i have unfollowed people for even just reblogging particularly nasty posts because it rubs me the wrong way SO bad

"people dont reblog because theyre all new users who are too stupid to use the site! you NEED to reblog its just how the site works if you dont like it dont come here" its not up to you to decide what people do on their OWN blogs. people have been complaining about this since at least 2015, and honestly likely before that too (thats just the first time i remember seeing it firsthand). its NOT the "fault" of new users. if people arent reblogging your work... ITS BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WANT IT ON THEIR BLOG. this is not a crime. some people just dont reblog everything they see: and if people DID truly reblog every post they saw (which by these posters logic they SHOULD be doing if they Really care about creators), their accounts would be so cluttered the "reach" wouldn't matter anyways. if they have a blog centered around their OWN work, their followers might bail if all they do is reblog random peoples work they didn't agree to see. THIS IS A VALID AND NORMAL WAY TO USE THIS SITE. i've also seen people suggest making a "reblog dumping blog" so you can give number-crazed artists their precious internet points without reblogging something to your main that you don't want to. this is a genuinely stupid suggestion. again, if the point of reblogs is "for reach," then WHAT purpose would a dumping blog have. nobody is going to follow the dumping blog of the average tumblr user. it wouldn't "reach" ANYbody but the op. not only is this pointless but its also STILL trying to control the actions of random internet users who are causing no harm and just trying to use the website as they please: this is ridiculous and entitled behavior.

"its an INSULT to like a post and not reblog it. youre basically telling the artist their work is shit to their face!" / "likes are useless!" honestly i do not have any sympathy for people who say shit like this because it's just so fucking number-greedy i dont even know what to say. like i said before, there are many reasons a person might not reblog something. its entitled as HELL to demand people do with their blogs what YOU want them to. but to say that likes are useless, or worse than useless? absolutely ridiculous. god forbid people want to express appreciation of a piece even if they dont want to reblog it. i would personally MUCH rather get 20 likes and 0 reblogs on a piece than 0 likes and 0 reblogs. again, targeting and being rude to people trying to express appreciation for your work in simple ways because YOU have a problem with being focused on numbers and because YOU are *choosing* to take it personally is inexcusable

"if you like but dont reblog i will block you! you dont care about artists" perhaps the reason you dont get "enough" attention on your posts is because you are alienating any potential audience by trying to control their use of SITE-WIDE functions. the like button is part of tumblr, it is so weird to me to block people who use it. if you want to block people that is your business but i genuinely dont understand why youre blocking potential followers and people who enjoy your art enough to WANT to click the like button if your goal is to grow your account. you don't have a right to complain about lack of attention if you do this is all i'm saying

"im leaving the site because YOU didnt reblog my work enough! im QUITTING ART FOREVER because nobody reblogged it so if youre reading this its YOUR fault! if artists leave the site its YOUR fault. if you dont reblog work THINK about what youve done. artists are quitting and its ALL YOUR FAULT" this is immature guilt tripping and it boggles my mind that grown adults will make posts like these. i have seen many! if you quit art because you didnt get enough reblogs, that's your own problem. it's probably for the best because focusing on numbers so much that your entire motivation for creating is based around numbers is unhealthy and unsustainable anyways. ill give you a fun fact: the numbers will NEVER be enough if that's all youre focusing on. and even if you get to your "goal", it will NOT be forever. the internet isn't even forever and your social media site could be shut down at any time. you need to find other motivations. and again, this is ANOTHER example of alienating your potential audience: if you care about growth, stop trying to manipulate your audience! stop blaming your audience for your personal problems! if you want to quit, just quit. it's not your audience's fault.

basically: no it's not "reach" or "mutual artist support" you just want numbers. numbers feel good so you want them! admit this. there is no other reason you would feel THIS agitated and aggressive over reblogs. and i have seen some REALLY nasty posts before. it's an unhealthy mindset that it would do you good to unlearn. and honestly: im going to call you a hypocrite if you make ANY posts like this. because there is NO WAY that you as an artist are reblogging every piece of art you see. there is just no way. youre reblogging art that you like enough to share with others. and that is simply not every art piece you see. if you understand this for yourself, then you NEED to accept that this is the case for others: people are not reblogging your work because they do not want to. we all know what the reblog button does. we can all figure out that clicking reblog shares the post with all of your followers and gives the post more chances to be seen and reblogged again and again. WE KNOW. if people arent reblogging your work then they just don't want to. accept it! you need to deal with the fact that not everybody likes your art! work on yourself instead of demanding that others cater to your ego.

there is no problem with asking for reblogs. there is no problem with wanting to grow your account. there is no problem in letting people know why reblogs help artists. there is no problem in encouraging people to comment on or like your work. there IS a problem with being rude and entitled about it though

and for artists whos jobs rely on internet attention: you still don't have a pass to behave this way sorryyy... i understand being numbers-focused if you rely on commission work or ad work. but lashing out at others is STILL never okay even if your income relies on it. if you cannot game the algorithm, that is NOT your audience's fault. you have to learn to play the system if you want to make posting online your job, and if you CANT do this (like so many cant), it is not fair to blame it on the people supporting you for "not doing enough". it is nobody's obligation to make your living for you! if you cant convince people to reblog your work and spread your work based off of the content of your posts, that's a YOU problem. people share what they want to see: if your income relies on shares. make what people want to see. and even then it might not work because of how social media algorithms work. this is the risk you take being an online artists and its NEVER your followers fault for not doing enough.

anyways if u like my work i <3 you if you reblog my work i <3 you i never expect notes on my art so any attention i get is much appreciated and i treasure every compliment i get SO much that i screenshot them all and put them in a google folder so i can look at them forever and ever <3

#long post #my post

[showfullpac]

Video edit magic star

Zach noticed how people enjoyed this satirical take on an already viral theme (“Star Wars”) so he continued this idea with a sequel entitled “Jedi Kitten Strike Back.” This second video gained him a whopping 17 million views! “Jedi Kittens” gained over a million views in three days. In 2011, he posted the video, “Jedi Kittens” on YouTube which featured two cats going to battle with lightsabers from the famous “Star Wars” movies. When we analyze Zach’s success, we see that he has often taken advantage of what is going on in the culture and used that to create content that viewers can relate to. Viral video marketing strategies to Increase Views and Engagement Then in 2013, he won YouTube’s NextUp Creators Contest which helped further his career in video creation. In 2010, he won first place in an HP commercial content and got an invitation at the London Film Festival.

He has used the Vine platform for creating much of his following, but his videos on YouTube have millions of views as well. He refers to this as “a digital sleight of hand” and considers himself like a magician. His work features six-second videos that are editing with digital technology to look as though he is doing magic. Zach King is highly successful with his videos on YouTube. He has dreams of creating movies for the “big screen,” he says on his blogs. He relies on YouTube as his primary platform, but he also used the Vine platform as well. He created a video called “Jedi Kittens” one night and woke to discover that it had gone viral overnight with almost 100 million views. He attended film school at Biola University and then started his Zach King YouTube channel where he began posting his film projects. He fell in love with the process of video creation then and there, and his passion has continued into the present day.

Zach says on his site that he started learning about filmmaking when he was 7-year-old to film family events. Zach King videos is known for presenting content that gets millions of views and goes “viral.” How does he do it? In this post we will discover the secrets behind Zack King’s Video Magic and viral success. He has been producing video since he was a young child and continues to enough creating video content for his audience on YouTube. Want to see what you can do with Video Edit Magic? View our Flash demo.Zach King is a video guru. Video Edit Magic is the ideal way for hobbyists and professionals to turn ordinary videos into works of art. You can create fade-ins, fade-outs, and merge sound from the two audio tracks for almost any volume effect. A unique feature of Video Edit Magic is the volume track, which you can use to adjust the volume of audio clips from 0% to 400% at any point. Some popular ones are Rotate, Green Screen, Picture-In-Picture, Pixelate, and Wipes. It includes more than 150 professional quality transitions and visual effects. Video Edit Magic makes it easy to join, split, crop, trim, modify color, and merge your video files. Movies can be made to NTSC or PAL standards. You can also output to QuickTime, AVI, and WMV formats. Video Edit Magic makes movies in the MPEG formats that are used when creating DVDs. Video Edit Magic can edit AVI, MPEG (1 and 2), DVD video and WMV files directly-there's no need to convert them to another format first. This makes it easy to create something truly unique from multiple media sources. Add professional scene transitions, some background music, and a couple of title effects, and you're ready to show the world your finished masterpiece.Įdit and combine popular file formats including AVI, WMV, MP3, MPEG, MOV, JPEG and many more, all on the same timeline. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to capture video footage, and assemble a movie in mere minutes.

#Video edit magic star

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Tech platforms' playbook inevitably produces dumpster-fires

Very rarely, I find an article that I want to share, but whose every line so so perfect that I can hardly bear to summarize it because I just want to repost the whole thing, peppered with “HELL YEAH”s. That’s how I feel about Anil Dash’s “That broken tech/content culture cycle.”

https://anildash.com/2022/02/09/the-stupid-tech-content-culture-cycle/

Dash lays out a playbook for firms that claim to be “tech companies” but rely on cultural production to grow and profit — a playbook that we’ve seen used so many times that it’s impossible to credibly call what emerges from it an “unintended consequence.”

As Ian Fleming wrote: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.” If you follow a playbook that has led to series of dumpster fires, you can’t credibly claim to be surprised when you end up presiding over a dumpster fire of your own.

Dash’s playbook starts off: Build a platform that relies on culture, but call it a “neutral tech platform,” except in your ads, “where the message is entirely about creativity and expression.”

Step two: Pay your employees solely based on growth. Fire anyone who demonstrates concern for culture or creators over growth.

Three: Grow, but pay no attention to the norms of the people using your platform.

Four: When you discover that your platform has a bunch of really gross stuff going on, make it the responsibility of your org’s “least resourced, most marginalized team.” Fire anyone who suggests you need structural changes.

Five: Half-ass your moderation. Build a system where bad actors thrive and push everyone else off the platform.

Six: When the marginalized creators who built up all the value for your platform leave, do not “reflect on how you could have amplified them instead of just letting them wander off, exhausted.”

Seven: Get serious about monetization. Realize that much of your platform’s content is illegal. Panic. Do some deals with big entertainment companies. Seize control over your platform’s most popular creators’ output.

Eight: “Surface great content” with an algorithm trained on the stuff that’s successful, foreclosing on the possibility of making anything different. Treat the algorithm as a sacrosanct oracle except when right-wing trolls work the ref and insist that their garbage’s obscurity is “woke bias.”

Nine: Overpay for exclusive deals with creators from your platforms and creators you poach from rivals. Forget about creating a pipeline where you nurture new talent. Become totally dependent on your exclusive superstars.

Ten: Commit the same abuses of talent that were perfected by studios and labels. Insist that it’s better this time because you’re a tech company.

Eleven: When your workers complain that their work is making society worse, ignore them. Listen to right-wing pundits and VCs who insist the problem is entitled “Millennials” (“anyone born after 1970, or who has school loans”).

Twelve: When your platform is inevitably implicated in a murder, address it with a single board meeting. Hire “a really good crisis comms team.” Have a single town-hall meeting. Cut a check to “whichever organization your board member’s spouse started to help deal with the problem.”

Thirteen: “Cut an even bigger check in order to keep the creator of the violence-inspiring content on your platform as an exclusive.”

Fourteen: Tell everyone that this is “growing pains” and that murder and fascism inevitably occur once a platform attains scale.

Fifteen: When you learn about really disturbing content on your platform, bump the Trust & Safety team’s budget by 5% and ask your executive coach for a compliment.

Sixteen: Pursue growth through “emotionally engaging content.” Under no circumstances should you reflect on whether those are positive or negative emotions.

Seventeen: When former workers call you out, feel briefly guilty, then get your board to remind you that “cancel culture” is the real problem.

Eighteen: Fund the most toxic users of your platform. Call it “free speech.” Under no circumstance should you reflect on the free speech issues raised by letting these people chase everyone else off your platform.

Nineteen: Use “free speech” as a “rhetorical bludgeon” against anyone who points out that you’re not just a platform, you’re publishing the people you pay for exclusive deals with your platform.

Twenty: These trolls now own your platform. They will get even more extreme and harmful. Respond by “entrench[ing] yourself even further in the necessity of enabling their depredations.”

Twenty-one: Start taking a bigger cut of the revenues generated by other creators on your platform. “Rig the algorithm, payment system, and advertising infrastructure in your favor.”

Twenty-two: Push dissenters out of the company. Paint external critics as extremists or part of a conspiracy funded by your competitors. Include the families of people who died because of your platform in this conspiracy accusation.

Twenty-three: Once regulation finally seems in the cards, team up with your sole surviving competitor in a duopolistic lobbying push to undermine the regulation. Team up with lawmakers who insist “the ‘real problem’ is that the algorithm isn’t giving their shitty content unfair amplification.”

Twenty-four: “Claim full victim status.” Ignore the billions you made from all this. Weep that “the vicissitudes of running a big content platform are just too exhausting, especially when people are blaming you for societal problems that have always existed.”

“Buy a yacht. Don’t consume any content on the yacht, you were never really into all that crap anyway.”

We call it…The Aristocrats!

My summary of Anil’s post doesn’t do it justice. It’s so good. Go read it.

https://anildash.com/2022/02/09/the-stupid-tech-content-culture-cycle/

Image: Open Food Facts (modified) https://world.openfoodfacts.org/cgi/product_image.pl?code=0080878189229&id=ingredients_en

CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

Hugh D’Andrade/EFF (modified) https://www.eff.org/about/staff/hugh-dandrade

Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/

#pluralistic

[witch-hazels-musings]

it’s been a long day of work and sitting at your desk.

you didn’t have to complete the usual round of commissions you would accept from the adventurer’s guild, but today you decided to take the day off to write: a hobby of yours you unfortunately have been neglecting since your trip to inazuma.

and yet, today was exhausting. an activity that once brought you so much comfort and pleasure felt more like a chore as writers block shackled both your creativity and ability to write.

as such, you found yourself nodding off in the plush office chair in diluc’s work room. he had left earlier in the day to check on the taverns stock of dandelion wine, much to your dismay. even as he left, diluc sighed, heart breaking at the pout you gave him: “duty calls, darling. and that pesky alcoholic of a bard seems to call even louder.”

you don’t know when you drifted off, but you were awaken by a warm hand brushing the stray hair out of your face. as you slowly opened your eyes you could make out a familiar mop of red hair situated at your left.

“hehe. good morning dear.”

diluc gave a small smile in return.

“morning? i could hardly call it morning anymore. it’s past midnight, love. did you get a lot done today?”

had time really passed that quickly? feeling more awake now, you looked out the window. the stars and the moon greeted you. the familiar feeling of guilt began creeping into your stomach, and you could feel your heart began to beat at twice its normal speed. a whole day, a WHOLE day you allotted yourself to sit down and finish the story that you were able to make such good progress on weeks ago: what had changed? you felt the beginnings of tears coming on.

noticing this, diluc frowned.

“are you okay love? is something the mat-“

“no. i’m not fine,” you half sobbed out. “i-i, i barely got anything done today! it’s like my brain froze and the paper STAYED blank, whatever i did write was awful and i crossed it out and threw it away! i wasted so much paper and i, and i..!” you sniffled, trying to catch your breath as you recalled your unproductive afternoon.

diluc stayed silent, as if waiting for you to finish your train of thought. although when he noticed another wave of fresh tears ready to fall, he could stay silent no more. bringing you close to his chest, he wrapped an arm around your shaking body and used his free hand to lift up your chin to pull you into a chaste, sweet kiss.

the effect was immediate. you instantly felt your anxieties began to seep away, but a part of your guilt remained. sensing this, diluc frowned.

“darling, regardless of how much or how little you’ve accomplished today, i am proud of you. im proud to call someone as hardworking as you as my partner. there will be days when work will not go the way you want, and today happened to be one of those days. do not worry, there are endless opportunities for you to continue writing. but for today, you did what you could: and you did well.”

you felt more tears coming on, not out of anxiety, but of gratitude. you managed a watery smile, and diluc kissed you once again.

“thank you diluc, i truly don’t know what i would do without you.”

“of course my love. now let’s get you to bed.”

(p.s!! the moral of the story is! it’s okay to have some days where you don’t feel like creating!! when you’re a content creator, the output of your work isn’t something mechanical! you are entitled to your own downtime and days to relax!! just wanted to remind you of that since you’re so giving to all of your followers :)) all of us love you and want you to happy above everything else!! so, miss hazel (and anyone out there) remember that you’re valid and you shouldn’t base your self worth off of how “productive you’ve been” throughout the day!! that’s so capitalist and icky!!)

-💖💖

( ᵒ̴̶̷̥  ‸ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥  ✿)

don’t mind me, just over here in feels town as I read this lovely message. Please, i’d so easily break down if he asked me what was the matter and then feel silly for getting so worked up (i’m so emotional T.T) 

literally I don’t even know how you always know when to send me something - are you in my heart!? because you have to be at this point!!!! 

(( I even tell myself that it’s okay to take a break but the GUILT and this stupid feeling of being unproductive -- you got me so good -- am i truly giving enough to you all when I know I could give you more. ugh idk ))

#hazelmail #💖💖 anon #hazelismoved #hazel in her feels #anon submission #others work #i love you internet friend #i hope one day we can chat more!

[kpopscape]

KPOPSCAPE PRESENTS: The 21st Purge

This is not a test.

These are your folks from Kpopscape announcing the details for this month’s event entitled “The 21st Purge”. Commencing at midnight on the 21st (KST), we will be featuring all content centered around this month’s theme: The Purge. 

This month’s concept revolves around The Purge, a fictional event in the movie franchise of the same title in which all crimes are made legal for 12 continuous hours on the eve of March 21. Along with that, services such as police, fire and paramedics are made unavailable until the event concludes. Your task is to put yourself in the situation and let your imagination run wild.

The one-day event is open to all types of content creators and both members and non-members of the network. Participants are free to choose whichever artists they want to center their content on. 

For fanfic writers, any type and length of content is welcome—be it a timestamp, a lengthy one-shot or a social media AU so long as it revolves around the theme. Given the theme, we are expecting genres like horror, thriller, suspense and mystery. However, we strictly advise the writers to be mindful of their output and label their fics with the appropriate warnings. Though, if you could find light in the situation and write a fic in an unorthodox genre (i.e., comedy, crack, fluff), those fics are welcome as well.

A list of prompts have been listed below to let you get a grasp of what the theme is all about. To use them or to come up with your own is completely up to you! In addition to that, here is a playlist of songs you could also draw inspiration from: [spotify link] [youtube playlist]

For gfx creators, all content inspired by the theme is welcome, so long as your content will abide by the theme. Please be mindful of giving credits to the rightful owners of your content and seek fansite and fancam creator’s consent and rules regarding their works before using them. Provided below are color palettes you can make use of when creating your edits.

All content must be posted on March 21st (KST/GMT +9). Any time of the day is completely fine.

Below are a few more reminders to keep in mind.

Should you consider joining, please reblog the event post. 

Feel free to check our publication rules HERE in order for us to reblog your work; and

Post your contents with the tags #kpopscape & #21stpurgescape !!

For inquiries and concerns, send an ask or contact @neo-shitty​ and @the-romantiques.

Join now and unleash the beast with us. We’ll see you all on the 21st!

prompts made by: @neo-shitty​ graphics by: @ethaeriyeol​

#kpopscape #21stpurgescape #kpop #kpop fanfics #kpop edits

[anachrosims]

FUN OBSERVATIONS:

Artists/content creators deserving fair compensation for their work does not equal a right to entitlement to people’s money. 

Likewise, artists/content creators can and should demand fair compensation for their work without gouging a community.

Additionally, artistic/creative burnout WILL OCCUR if all creative pursuits are monetized. This does not mean that other people are entitled to free requests; rather, it is the idea that demanding money for every creative outlet one pursues is not healthy.

EXAMPLES:

YouTuber burnout, a notorious problem for content creators trying to stay relevant against the tide of an unforgiving algorithm.

Output burnout, a problem with any creative pursuit where output has been pushed and pushed so much that the ‘creative well’ has dried up. See also: Death by overwork featured largely in the manga industry in Japan.

Work burnout, where try as you might, though you actually have your creative passion as your job, regimenting it into a daily grind can leave you feeling empty, unable to focus, and uninspired.

Total monetization of the arts has had detrimental effects on every aspect of every creative community; from uninspired, re-re-reheated cups of coffee-style Hollywood sequel remakes to shows that carried on way too long so the studio and production company or network could squeeze every last bit out of it they could; to projects that just can’t get the funding they need to get off the ground no matter how revolutionary they might be.

I’m so flabbergasted that y’all seem to assume anti-permapaywall ideas and pro-artistic endeavors are entirely incompatible. They aren’t. And guess what? The people who are actually  meshing from scratch (going to use @syboubou as an example, as she is a total sweetheart and AMAZING at what she does) aren’t thin-skinned thieves with fragile egos. I am SO HAPPY to pledge to her Patreon because it’s so clear she puts so much love and skill into what she does, and because of the support she’s received from the community, she’s made it into a full time thing!

Then you have people like CWB and Leosims who are literally converting meshes from SL artists--as in, stealing from people who make their living off the SL marketplace--and then acting like anyone who says they aren’t saints is ‘harassing’ them.

Let me put it in bold font so I’m clear:

Hey cowbuild: Doxxing someone and then being outed for having done so is not being bullied. Taking meshes from artists who mesh for a LIVING, then taking credit for those products, is not artistry.

Unless you consider mental gymnastics an art; in which case, by all means Caravaggio, carry on.

[sometimesrosy]

Omg can you die of secondhand embarrassment?Fans were conversing w/ Kim, bugging her for the trailer as usual and actress Jessica Harmon commented, calling fans out on their entitlement, for always wanting MORE, forgetting that ppl on the show were affected by the pandemic too. She was tired of having her coworkers attacked non-stop and I don’t blame her. The way the cast must see fans! I’m glad I’m the outskirts of fandom, not involved. But it’s still embarrassing to see them act so cringe. 😬

I did my best trying to create a fandom where people were kind to others and used their logic and didn’t think they were entitled to the labor and output of the cast and crew.

It did not work. 

People WANT to act like two year olds. 

I guess doing it in fan spaces offers a sort of freedom outside of their daily lives. Like they can just be bratty and demand their treats and scream when they don’t get their way.

And they transfer that fan behavior, which fine, that’s okay, complain and wish for what you want and play barbies with the characters so it turns out how you want, but do it in FAN SPACES. But instead, they do it in public spaces and aim it at the cast and crew.

Who are real life people doing their best to make the show to the best of their ability and don’t have all the power that we think they do. 

I see the perspective of fandom, and how we get wrapped up in the canon and fanon and how we engage with the material and it becomes real to us. I’m an ex high school teacher, I’m used to people engaging with the material. I taught creative writing too, and I COMPLETELY support people making up their own stories and telling them their way. But I’m also an artist and writer in my own right and have known SO MANY actors. And there is NO WAY I can’t look at the cast and crew as human beings who are creating art for the audience. And from that perspective I am HORRIFIED by the entitlement that fandom shows.

From gatekeeping others, and not allowing them their own interpretations to stalking actors and cyber bullying them, to demanding the ending/the ship/the bts photos/the trailer that they want, to those AWFUL comments on everything that JR posts.

We are responsible for our behavior towards other people... even if those other people are invisible online, or are “fake people” like actors or showrunners. 

That doesn’t sound right, does it? People aren’t invisible or fake. But fandom CONTINUES to ignore the humanity of everyone who is NOT on their fankru, and treat the creators as if they are servants to their fan needs. 

It disappoints me.