#but like?? i also want to just make it so people share my newer art instead of the older one ngl LMAOOO

[the-hydroxian-artblog]

I love your animatronic toy OC guys so much, they have so much personality to them and their colours are really good (especially umbra)

Thank you! The funny thing about Umbra's design was that while I was developing it about two years ago and had some colors in mind, I described in text what I already came up with to an image generator for fun (shitty unconvincing old kind, vs now where it looks like shit but in a somewhat more convincing way) and it produced something so silly that I made her design better than what I would've settled with out of spite.

More details of my process and anti-AI ranting below the cut, so the examples given won't show up on search results. Google Images is getting polluted too much with slop to begin with.

Let's begin.

In 2022 I was drafting up Umbra's design with mostly concrete details. At this time image generators were newer and much less convincing, and I was a bit less aware of just how unethical they were, so I fed one a text description of what I had drafted for her design out of curiosity. Something along the lines of, "doll of an anthropomorphic owl librarian in glasses, blazer/suit jacket, skirt, corset, high heels, sitting on a bookshelf" and probably a few more terms. Really specific, lengthy prompt.

I try to be open-minded and give new things a shot, but the results were Not Great. Ideally, I'd want to not share the AI pictures at all on-principle, but I feel like it's useful, transparent, and necessary to show them. Both as a means of not hiding anything, but also just to appreciate where the design is at in spite of it.

Outside of this particular collage of Weird Owls, no other pictures on this blog are AI-generated. AI Image Generation is harmful, and I am against its usage.

But hey, two of the generated pictures look close, right? The top left is the closest, and bottom right is second.

That's because they started out worse, and I had to actually erase chunks of them and have the generator fill in the blanks to get anything remotely close to what I wanted. Misshapen limbs, unrecognizable anatomy, fever-dream clothing details, etc. They didn't even have a corset or proper legs until I slapped the generator in the face enough times to make it produce them. I was just using it to photobash, which was such an annoying process, I just went "this is dumb" and stopped. They're literally posed like that because I kept erasing and regnerating their limbs until they looked vaguely in-character. It literally only looks passable thanks to STRANGLING it with human input.

Before I used the image generator, I already drafted her to be night-themed with yellow eyes and something like purple, dark blue, or sky-blue as her main color; the generator making one owl yellow-eyed and purple was a happy coincidence, and the only thing the generative AI "came up with" that I didn't already have in mind or included in the prompt was the light blue shirt, which I did adapt into her cyan shirt and stockings/socks as well. That was a good call. You get One Point, Mr. AI.

...Which still meant that at its absolute best, it was a largely redundant step in the creative process if its contribution was worse than what a randomized palette generator or character creator could come up with.

That's already putting the ethics of it aside, like carbon emissions, data pollution, using artists' and photographers' work without credit or permission, the incentive to plagiarize, flooding sites like deviantart with slop, Willy Wonka Shit, etc etc etc. When people say "you can use AI as a tool though", this ordeal was enough to convince me that it's more trouble than its worth, even in its most ethical usage. I feel gross for having even tried. I wish I knew what sources went into the creation of those Weird Owls. It'd be better for research if the right people could be credited.

Nothing else on this blog is AI-generated or ever will be. The art below is purely my own (2022 vs a few weeks ago)):

Actually drawing Umbra and solidifying her design was far more rewarding than having an image generator vaguely approximate my own ideas. I wanted her to look really special, so I used a black cape and pants, gold highlights and buttons, and blue undertones to make something more distinct. Also, neck floof. Very important. I wanted the head in particular to look distinct and original, going with bold black streaks to really help her look distinguished.

I also have certain inevitable Hydroisms for Fancy characters like her; most apparent in these designs for Chasey and Kaita from even longer ago, which were more of an influence than anything else. (Old art of mine from like 2021, Kaita ref looks wonky but Chasey still holds up nicely):

Most of Umbra's other design elements were already commonly used with established ocs like Kaita, like her shape language, corset, skirt, heels, etc. It was my previous work with Chasey that inspired the use of gold buttons and highlights.

Umbra is also now a bluer shade of purple partly to distance the current design from that ordeal. All things considered, I'll probably make her more indigo next time. I already wanted her to have a wide color range from the get-go (Featured below is, again, purely my art from 2022:)

I may use a different colored shirt and stockings in the future. I like to think she has many different shirts and clothes based on the different stages of the night sky, from dusk to dawn, and the painting I made in the top right there was an exploration of her range in different lighting.

All in all, it's frustrating. I'm proud of her design, but explaining all of this is annoying, because it's technically all relevant to showing how her colors were picked and how the design was made. I still technically have AI to """Thank""", in the way you thank a bad experience for encouraging you to make things better out of spite.

#Umbra Beatrix

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

My thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie

I don’t know if I liked it as much as the original films (maybe Mockingjay 1 & 2 as they are pretty emotionally draining), but I still enjoyed it.

I think where it fell a little flat for me is 1. The beginning was a bit slow (tbh I only really started getting interested when Lucy Gray stuck that snake down that girl’s dress & even then I enjoyed the story more when the setting changed from the Capitol to the district) 2. I knew Snow would survive 3. I’d already been spoiled online for a lot of stuff that happens & 4. while I know the director did his best to make Snow as “likeable” as he could for as long as possible, even before he started getting “a little too comfortable” with killing & snitching I didn’t find him as sympathetic as Katniss or Peeta (but that is probably again down to the fact that I know what he goes onto do & there’s no real way around that), this made engaging with him difficult for me.

The world is fascinating. Getting to see all the new locations we never had access to before as well as old locations now in a totally different light (for example district 12 which, while still clearly suffering, seemed like such a bustling industrial town compared to how it is in Katniss’s time). It might have a much more retro aesthetic but there's also just a more vibrant, natural, wild & lawless atmosphere to this movie compared to the others in the franchise. The whole scope of the film just felt more cinematic then I remember the others being yet also weirdly intimate. Maybe because it was one contained story & we knew the main character’s fate from the start. I also loved the title cards signifying the start of each section of the story like from the books & wished they'd done something similar for the other films. It just added a certain flair to the whole thing. Almost gave it the vibe of a tragic play.

The costuming was great. The bright red of the academy uniforms.  Flickerman’s snazzy suits. Snow’s dapper black & white outfit. Both peace keeper uniforms (despite one of them giving very ‘1930’s Germany’ vibes) looked great. Grandma might have been a bigot, but at least she was well dressed. Everything Dr Gaul wore (except the top that looked like a used tampon, lol) was exquisite. The main ladies of fashion, Tigris & Lucy Gray slayed. Our Future Capitol stylist looked like some regal yet exotic bird & Miss Survivor was giving Bohemian, country girl realness the entire time she was on screen. Even the extras were serving (like that random couple Snow walked past on his way to the reaping ceremony).

The music was amazing. Every song that played was fantastic (shout out to Olivia for her end credit contribution). The lyrics & instrumentation were beautiful & my god does Rachel Zegler have pipes! Anyone who says the singing scenes are cringy is just stupid like I’m sorry you can’t appreciate art. Also, the words ‘ballad’ & ‘songbirds’ are literally in the title. Plus, Lucy Gray is from the poorest district, so what exactly do those people want her to do in her free time? She can’t exactly hop on an X-box for a few hours. Not too mention that (as the offspring of someone who’s musically inclined) I can tell you, it’s completely realistic for a musician to use their craft to help them deal with trauma & Lucy Gray clearly had more than her fair share of that.

The Grandma'am helped to paint a sadly very realistic background for Snow. As who among us hasn’t met at least one delusional old person who thinks that their/their group’s suffering (regardless of the severity of it or the reason behind their former/newer status in society) means that no one else are deserving of even the tiniest shred of humanity & there are some people who are unlucky enough to not only be related to these people but be raised by them.

Hunter schafer as Tigris is clearly the superior Snow when it comes to things like empathy & overall mental stability but I do kind of wish they’d been more for her to do. Credit where credit is due though her & Tom did actually look like they could be related & I did buy their familial bond (which makes her appearance in Mockingjay so much sadder in hindsight).

Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom was a bit of a mix for me just due to his purpose as a character & the limit of film as a form of media. Like sure the audience know that Snow’s going to become an irredeemable monster in the end but without a window into his mind it really does just seem like the Dean is just out to get him & even when we find out why it seems kind of unfair. Like sure his dad sucked but haven’t the Games shown that blaming children for violence caused by others is unjust (& like ok he hates Coriolanus & probably the grandma but Tigris hadn’t done anything to deserve living in poverty, as she can’t control who she’s related to)? Plus, it felt like he could have at least tried taking Snow under his wing at some point to try to hinder Dr Gual’s influence. Saying all of that, though, Peter Dinklage is great at playing an addict with depression & the idea that some drunken rambling could lead to such long-lasting suffering is terrifying. Also its pretty realistic that living with that kind of guilt & in such a cruel environment for that long would make most people jaded & bitter, even if they did have good intentions.

Omg we finally get a Mayor family on screen & they’re assholes! Madge would be so disappointed 😭. It was interesting to see how harsh & overall “boot licky” the mayor & his family seemed compared to decades later, which makes sense as the war wasn’t that long ago for them so the dad probably felt more incentive to align himself with the Capitol as well as not feeling very connected to the district people as 12’s decline probably didn’t fully set in until they really started running low on coal & Snow became president (oh I just know he wanted to blow that district off the map 😆). I also wouldn’t put it past Billy to come up with some sob story of how he really does love Mayfair but wicked Lucy Gray is somehow preventing them from being together. Still no excuse to try to send her to her death twice in one week, though. Definitely not a girl’s girl.

Ok, so a liar. Cheat. Drunk & someone who hits women. Is there anything good about Billy Taupe? Also, trying to get your ex back, while your current girlfriend is literally standing right next to you? Dude, have some god damn back bone! You made a choice, now stick to it. Also, fumbling Lucy Gray, for a girl like that? What’s it like having no brains or taste? Well, too bad, coz you’re stuck with her forever now, lol.

Viola Davies, the actress that you are. What else is there to say? Dr Gaul is almost comic book levels of insane. Like she is how the Right see women in STEM, on crack! I don’t know what she did to get into character, but whatever it was, it worked.

Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius Flickerman is a very interesting addition to the story despite playing such a small & seemingly insignificant role. He is strange in how unthreatening he is while also extremely blasé about the abhorrent violence he witnesses that it’s as funny as it is disturbing. Making him come across as  more human yet harsher than his son, who at least pretends to care about the tributes (in a very Capitol way, obviously but still). There’s also a polish & confidence to Tucci’s performance that I think Schwartzman did a great job of avoiding copying (despite knowing what audiences were probably expecting) because not only are their characters in entirely different stages of their careers but the whole ethos of the Hunger Games is different in Snow’s youth than it is in Katniss’s. Caesar is a well established presenter & during his time, the games have always been a success (minus the year with the tundra) that the entire Capitol is invested in & seemingly in support of. On the other hand Lucretius had the unique task of not only coming into a job like this with zero experience (I mean imagine going from announcing the weather to presenting the fucking hunger games) but also there were no vibes to try to emulate let alone guidelines to follow because he truly was the first person to do this. On top of that, the "event" his presenting has been panned for years as both boring & unethical. Schwartzman brought a slightly awkward, experimental, yet try hard vibe (like a comedian who's desperate to get a laugh) that I think worked wonderfully for the character.

Tom Blyth's performance was great & he was visually perfect for a young Snow (the power of a good wig! Who knew lol). Even having the cool, analytical stare of Donald Sutherland, down pat. While his appearance was very Eminem during his peacekeeping days, his realisation in the cabin and subsequent breakdown in the woods were crazy. There was so much tension between him & Rachel in that scene that for a second, it literally felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. I could almost hear the record scratch for both of them, & all that building paranoia finally coming to a sudden crescendo in the way that it did? Pure cinema!

Josh Rivera, as Sejanus, was honestly a mix for me. Obviously, I agree with his morals, but his way of going about it did seem a little dumb. However I do think it’s pretty realistic that a teenager, especially a rich one, would be rather naive. Also I’ve heard that he’s smarter in the book & I think at times my frustration with him is more just down to the fact that I’m seeing him from Snow’s point of view. Meaning scenes that would be portrayed as noble in any other film instead come across as almost painfully inconvenient because the focus is always on how they affect Snow rather than the actual victims of the situation. Lastly, sorry, Snowjanus shippers, I just don’t see it (especially on Snow’s end), but whatever floats your boat.

Rachel Zegler played Lucy Gray with the perfect mix of natural charm & emotional vulnerability with clear pride in her culture & a refusal to let the world around her change who she is. Yet there was also an air of mystery & a subtle resilience to her that makes her potentially surviving out in the woods for years without being detected actually believable (though I don’t buy the theory that she went on to become president Coin). Definitely the highlight of the movie for me.

PS. I'd love to know what you think of my review in the comments/tags & am open to criticism (as long as it's respectful) just remember that I'm only talking about the movie so please don't reference anything spersific to the book.

#some other things i wanted to mention but didn’t seem significant to put in the review (+ it was getting rather long) are: #Clemensia you were so pretty & did not desserve to die #like who hasn't cheated on their homework a little #may my hair look as good as your's if i ever get bit by a snake #dill & wovey rest in peace my darlings #Lysistrata it wasn't your fault #Arachane you got what you deserved tbh #reaper you have my respect forever king #lumina really said kill um with kindness #no but sersiously i love you girl & your 1950's farm girl aesthetic #marcus you did not desserve that & sejanus is sorry & in my heart you guys meet up & become boyfriends in the afterlife #treech you didn't leave much of an impression but at least your hat was cool #bobbin my little germin looking boy #at least you gave Snow a good scare before your demise #coral looks gay like that's a lesbian right there #thg #the hunger games #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the ballad of songbirds and snakes review #thg tbosas #thg tbosbas #tbosas #tbosbas #tbosas review #tbosbas review #thg tbosas review #thg tbosbas review #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds and snakes review #southern gothic is my new fravriote genre #review

[henrikvanderhussy]

Clue Crew Zine Done Cheap

The current trend in fandom zines (fandoms in general, not Clue Crew in specific) are these very fancy, professionally-printed collections of fanfic and art. Typically it's competitive to be selected as a contributor, and expensive to purchase. I'm sure they satisfy a project management itch or an "owning a nice thing" desire, but they don't satisfy my personal feelings about fandom. I want to make something for the sake of making and sharing, and the joy of creating without the pressure to make it perfect. I want to touch it with my hands and feel like I'm connecting.

I was feeling a little sad that the zines I want aren't really a thing in fandom anymore. Then I remembered that I'm the bizarre Millennial Who Owns A Printer and also I accidentally just bought way, way too many stamps* 

So fuck it. Let's make a zine.

I'll print them at home and mail them out for free to anyone who wants one. If they're too large for a regular sized envelope, I'll still mail them out for free but also ask people to chip in a little money for postage if they can.

We need two things to make a Nancy Drew games zine: 1. People who want to make things for it, and 2. People who want it mailed to them.

1. Fill out this form if you want to make something for the zine. This is not a binding commitment, this is just a way for me to get in contact with you. I'll also poke people in a couple months to see if they're still interested in contributing. 

2. Fill out this form if you want to be notified when it's time for me to collect mailing addresses. To be clear, this isn't an 'interest check' or whatever. As long as one person wants it, I'm going to make it. I'll also put up another tumblr post when I'm ready for addresses, but if you fill out the form, you'll get a message and won't have to worry about watching for that post. 

"What can I make for the zine?" Honestly anything, as long as it centers around the Nancy Drew games and hasn't been posted publicly yet. Fanfic, meta, speculation about KEY, a puzzle, comparisons of Bess Marvin's character across different Nancy Drew media. Limit it to maybe…2500 words? I'm trying to keep this in a range that won't kill my printer.

Art doesn't really work, because again, home printer. BUT an option would be to put in a link or a QR code that goes to an art piece. And hell, if we're going to make this multimedia, it can be anything: a music composition, a podfic, a video acting out your favorite game scene with puppets. (I can help with image or audio hosting for anyone who needs it)

This is open to everyone to contribute, no restrictions or auditions. I'm setting a tentative submission deadline of February 29th (it's a leap year!), but that can be pushed back if needed.

I know it's uncomfortable to give your address to some stranger on the internet, especially since I'm newer to the Clue Crew! I've had my main blog (@theshmaylor) for ages though, and I have some mutuals there who I've met in person at various conventions who can vouch for me. I'll also make sure to collect addresses in a way that doesn't connect to your username or internet presence.

I really want to make this zine happen, so please share around Clue Crew tumblr, and let me know if you have any feedback or ideas!

*I thought I was buying 4 sheets of 6 stamps, but it turns out the sheet was folded and actually they're sets of 18 stamps, and sure I should have asked more questions about why it was so expensive but there was a big line behind me, so what was I supposed to do? Hold up the line at the post office? Of course not

#clue crew #nancy drew games #nancy drew #her interactive #clue crew zine done cheap

[earlgreyinpajamas]

Do you have any comfort fics? Like, fics where you’re having a bad day and rereading them makes you feel better?

merthur

1. match made in (heaven) by radioactivesunflower

“You are a client. This is my job. I’m not here to be your best friend. I am here to make the best match for you so you can find love. If you are not going to take this seriously, just leave. I have plenty of people who want my services.”

By this time, he had finished his little rant. Arthur’s smile was downright wicked as he leaned forward in his seat, holding eye contact with Merlin. “I was just going to do one meeting to please Morgana and piss off after, but you know what?” Merlin didn’t want to know what, as it sounded very bad for him.

“You intrigue me, Merlin. Let’s see you work your magic! Find me my true love, wizard boy.”

aka the one where merlin is a matchmaker and a big fat lair arthur likes to spend most of his time annoying merlin a love story between a matchmaker and client that share a past only one knows about

~~~

a newer fic but it gave me fuzzies when i finished so it has been promoted to comfort fic

2. The Proposition by fifty_fifty

Hit by another scandal and with the reputation of the monarchy hanging on by a thread, Prince Arthur finds himself in desperate need of an image rehabilitation.

When the press assumes his blossoming friendship with his maths tutor Merlin is more of a romance, his father proposes a proposition: ask Merlin to continue portraying a wholesome relationship for a few months to regain the prince’s reputation, and receive his university costs paid off in full in return.

With his image restored and a new beau lined up, Arthur is left with a difficult decision; bend to his fathers will, or defy him.

In the end, it’s not such a tough choice. Love always wins.

~~~

just them being in love + the ending also gave me toothaches therefore a comfort fic

3. With Flowers in Your Hair, With Courage in My Heart by Mischel (@magicalmischel) 

Merlin's magic has always been connected to his emotions, but when it starts reacting to his love for Arthur and flowers start appearing every time he looks or thinks about him, instead of a confession he chooses to pretend he has a magical cold. Arthur doesn't like it when Merlin avoids him though. And neither does Gaius. Or Morgana. Or Gwen. Or even the bloody dragon, it seems.

Sooner or later, they'll have to talk. And Merlin can only hope that Arthur won't mind the mountain of flowers they're swimming in because really, it's his fault for being so damn good-looking.

Written for the flower mini-challenge on the Merlin Fic Book Club server on Discord.

+ ART

~~~

and this is angst free and full on fluff for a really bad day

00q

Spies That Are Ridiculous by Celyan

James has plans for his Quartermaster.

~~~

they're in love. that's the plot

2. Third Valentine’s the Charm by Castillon02 (@castillon02)

The first time, Bond was in Rio from 3 to 16 February, and between him and 003 in Kiev, Q didn’t even think about Valentine’s Day until he was browsing the half-priced chocolate at his local Waitrose.

~~~

they're such dorks i want to keep them in my pocket forever

3. Casting On by storm_of_sharp_things

Bond and Q are delicately knitting a relationship together but Bond is far too free with gift-giving for Q’s taste.

~~~

asdhfjkjfhl bond

#merthur fic rec #00q #bbc merlin #merthur fic recs #merthur fanfic #merlin #merthur #00q fanfiction #00q fic rec #00q fic recs #merlin emrys #merlin bbc #merthur fanfiction #merthur fic #merthur kiss

[spnfanficpond]

New Member Spotlight - December 2023

The Pond is always growing and we want to make our new members feel welcome! Here’s a list of recent additions to our fishy family, along with a little info about them!

Guppies, Jellies, and Mutuals, oh, my!

@mayalaen -

Other SM names? - Mayalaen on AO3, Discord, Twitter, Bluesky, LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, etc.

OTP? - I'm a multishipper so no true OTP.

Other fandoms? - Mostly Stranger Things, OFMD, Stargate SGA/SG1, Star Trek, X-FIles, and Angel the Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but I'm interested in a lot of fandoms.

Looking for in the Pond? - I like to encourage people to write and create and I like to make friends in fandom. I was referred to the Pond for that by some members.

Something to signal boost? - I run a monthly writing/art challenge on AO3 called SPNColdestHits that you guys have already been boosting (THANK YOU!!). It's multifandom now and accepts art and original fic, not just fanfic. This is the AO3 collection link and of course, we're @spncoldesthits here on Tumblr, but we're also on Discord, Twitter, Bluesky, and Pillowfort.

Pairings you read? - I'll read pretty much any pairing, poly or otherwise. I'm not interested in reader insert, but I've read some.

Genres you read? - I prefer darkfic and/or kink, but I read anything.

Favorite writer(s)? - Xanthe Walter, but they haven't been active in fandom for about 2 years now.

What do you like to write? - My favorite is darkfic, D/S AU, and kink, but I also love writing crack and all other genres.

Masterlist!

Most underappreciated fic? - It's newer but it has the least amount of hits from the list of non-crack/non-gift fics and is an SPN/Blacklist crossover. Caging the Mongoose.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I really would like to write some SPN/HDM fusions. I keep toying with the idea, but have never posted any of them. I always work better when I have prompts or ideas from others to spur me on.

.@leatafandom -

Other SM names? - @leatawrites, Leata (AO3 and Discord)

OTP? - Sabriel

Other fandoms? - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel, BBC Merlin, Star Trek, Doctor Who

Looking for in the Pond? - I could use some help with tags and challenging myself to write different things.

Pairings you read? - Ships, Gens, Poly fics

Genres you read? - Angst is my favorite but fluff and smut are always wonderful

Favorite writer(s)? - Yes, @idabbleincrazy on Tumblr or Gabriel_is_my_guardian_angel89 on Ao3

What do you like to write? - Angst, Horror, Smut, Bittersweet/Sad Things

Masterlist!

Most underappreciated fic? - My most underappreciated story is probably one of my original horror short stories. My most underappreciated fanfic is probably Becoming One,Two, and One Again.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? -I really would like to write more horror however I feel like I struggle with expressing fear, scenery/detail descriptions, and word choice

@oganizediguana -

Other SM names? - Oganizediguana on Discord

OTP? - Destiel

Other fandoms? - I tiptoe through many fandoms, but SPN is my home. Good Omens

Looking for in the Pond? - I’d love to get encouragement for writing and the confidence to share my work. But I’d also love to just meet interesting people.

Pairings you read? - 99% destiel

Genres you read? - I read it all, but mutual pining slow burn is what makes me feel all the things. I love a good canon-compliant AU. I’m happy with anything that ends happily. Or at least hopefully.

Favorite writer(s)? - On AO3: NorthernSparrow, tenoko1, saltnhalo, there are so many amazing authors in this fandom!

What do you like to write? - Everything seems to turn into angst.

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? - I’d like the confidence to share what I have written.

@dragonslayer-5fanfiction -

Other SM names? - Ao3- Dragonslayer5

Other fandoms? - haikyuu, daria, lotr/the hobbit, tmnt

Looking for in the Pond? - I just want to make friends and read good fanfic. I like to beta read. Maybe write some fanfic, but I have writer's block rn.

Pairings you read? - Reader insert

Genres you read? - Fluff, crack. One bed, and arranged marriage forced proximity tropes.

What do you like to write? - Reader inserts. Fluff.

Masterlist! AO3 Works list

Most underappreciated fic? - Do You Think About Me? (not SPN)

Something you haven't written but would like to try? Why not? How can we help? -Honestly, writing two characters from the Fandom. I typically stick to reader insert, and I'm a little scared I won't get the characteristics right or the dynamic.

That's all for this month, folks! (If we're missing anyone, let us know and we'll add them to next month's list!) Make sure to say hi to the newbies and make them feel welcome! Thanks to all from @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, @katbratsupernaturalwhore and @heavenssexiestangel!

#welcome #new member post #pond admin #spnwin #supernatural #the winchesters #long post #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fic #fanfic #spn fan fiction #spn fanfiction #spn fan fic #spn fanfic #supernatural fan fiction #supernatural fan fic #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #spn prequel #pond events

[pansear-doodles]

What originally made you ship Hunter and Artificer? I know there's a few different ships out there. Also, I do want to say I do really appreciate you being the reason for me getting into the CherryBomb ship- It's brought me a lot of comfort over the last few months since I've started rainworld, and even brought plenty of others into the game as well!

As Ive said in the powerpoint presentation (thats up on youtube, a vid uploaded by my friend Daikon), a few dotted artists i saw made ship art of the two (this includes art from @kelocitta ) when I was new to the fandom and around the time i had an inside joke i really liked where the characters kiss each other in an exaggerated way. (I reblogged an old post recently of that)

And then it snowballed from curiosity to having like this... Mind explosion... Because ive always been a shipping person (as in i commonly find myself shipping characters for almost every fandom im in). Made that one comic that kind of explains the chemistry i have in mind for them and a lot of people have definitely seen it chdkhcdjxj

Before this whole thing went down, the fandom wasnt that big on shipping. There were some arts yes, but not to this degree, but thanks to the opening and a new safe space i created from my shenanigans, where people are comfortable about sharing their headcanons, it created a subcommunity. Ive seen people start from artihunter and then figure out a new ship that they enjoy more and spearhead (like my friends chillysaint and kiutb). And i think people are starting to be more open about shipping the iterators too later on. I could not accomplish this without encouragement from a lot of lovely individuals and the newer ship art that came forward. As much as I love artihunter and am a huge sucker for it, i also enjoy seeing other ships and how each artist makes a story for them.

Theres been some dramas here and there which makes me anxious at times and caused me some episodes but nothing too bad i think. I do believe shippers and nonshippers should coexist peacefully in this fandom. While yes we did have a somewhat change in the art community's consensus, i think the shipping scheme of things would inevitably happen with or without my output. The fandom is growing and theres bound to be new ideas and new people. We should welcome it all as long as its not harming anyone.

I am happy to see that my funny barbie dreamhouse stuff encourages others to share their art in general, and not just shipping, and play the game even (the game alone is fun to play if you have the patience). This is one of the major things in this fandom that pushes me forward. I often tend to forget the good things over the bad, so these kind asks and comments i get from people like you help remind me that what i hold dear and am has value and has done good for others.

#ask #i hope you dont mind the tag kelo since artihunter also brought happiness to me #thank you

[misty-wisp]

did something big to make you dislike omori or was it just the hyperfixation wearing off

Like I personally am not here for omori stuff but I am curious (don’t answer this if you don’t want to idk)

i kinda just realized the game's writing sucks ass and the fandom is kinda lame and there's better stuff out there, LMAO

like don't get me wrong the game's well-crafted (for the most part) but the story and character writing is the weakest part. what fans assume is its strong character writing is mainly due to their own headcanons, theories, and interpretations and not what's clear-cut in the dialogue and events. there are some small details? but only so much. hell, even i fell into this trap. also omocat's a shit person lolololololololol

i think i also got super tired of the way the fandom's shaped. since it's a newer fandom, it's bound to have a lot of kids. and kids don't know a thing about what makes fandom good. from what i see (and from what others have observed iirc) modern fandoms have this issue where all the "content" is supposed to come from popular or skilled creators--not just fans in general. sure, you can draw, write, and share whatever you've got, but if you're not popular, super skilled in digital art, or just straight-up lucky, you're likely not going to get anywhere aside from a couple of notes here and there. and that's usually if the more popular blogs notice you. i can go on and on about how this is capitalism's fault but then we'd be here all day and i'd be biting off a lot more than i can chew and/or talking out of my ass

what i mean by this is, if you're going to craft a super long, arc-filled AU fanfic that serves as a sort of sequel to the source, and you're not popular or willing to bust your ass drawing art for it, do not go into it with dreams of people talking about how great the writing is and sharing their fanart outside of your friend or mutual circle. i had a wholeass crisis around the lack of attention i got despite what i thought was hard work in around june and lord almighty i think that's what really solidified my loss of interest.

also it's got that issue where if a fandom can't sustain itself on what's found in canon it's going to drown itself in AUs where the characters are completely unrecognizable and these people need to come up with OCs for the love of god. i'll admit my AU probably fell under this trap too but my glasses were too rose-tinted for me to see it

i think the main thing is just that it's really hard for me to draw or write for myself if it's a huge project i'm working on, so i'm really just sticking to RPing out longass narratives with my partner. and god that's been so much more enjoyable than posting chapters and getting like, minimal comments and reblogs on them. highly recommend

part of it's probably also got to do with an ex-friend of mine who used to be my beta reader? but hoooly shit that's a whole other tale i can spend ages covering

#ask #Anonymous #and i am planning on adapting the rp to fanfic form but that is explicitly after the arc is completely written out #(game of endurance is an example of this. that was like a warm-up for us both to get back into writing) #so like. posting is a complete afterthought and all i have to worry about is just. responding. which isn't even a worry bc my partner- #-is really kind and patient with me. i can forget to respond for a month due to depression and they'd understand and support me #i love them sm #(haha you fool! this was all a trick to give me an excuse to gush about my partner >:P)

[withoutyouimsaskia]

The Placebo Effect

When it comes to music, for me, there is no other band that compares to Placebo.

Placebo came into my life when I was around 9 or 10 and they changed my life. I didn't understand the gravity of the lyrics in many of the songs but I loved the sound of them. It was unlike anything I had ever heard before (or since for that matter).

Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal inspire me every day. They are two of my favourite people on the planet. The influence they have on me is profound. I find solace and joy in their art and their aesthetic informs a lot of the choices I make with clothing and makeup.

Their music is a safe space.

They are the reason I created a Tumblr profile; I wanted photos and GIFs of them on tap. My username and bio description are Placebo related and my profile picture was taken with a special filter they released when the Surrounded by Spies single was released in 2021.

I was fortunate enough to see them live for the first time last night (13/06/23) in my favourite venue. Second row. Right in front of Brian. So close that I could see the blue-green of their eyes.

Right from the opening chords of Forever Chemicals, I went to another plane and still haven't come back.

This was the one. The perfect concert.

They are masters of their craft. The mix of older and newer songs. The relevance of the lyrics. Every note was poignant and visceral. The power in Brian's voice was stunning.

Seeing the enjoyment on Brian and Stefan's faces as they smiled and gave knowing looks to each other, it warmed my heart. I made eye contact with both of them several times and being able to connect with them like that was unbelievably special.

I sang to every song, and danced and jumped. I threw my hands up and shook my hair around. I cried when they played Song to Say Goodbye and Happy Birthday in the Sky. I kept putting my hand on my chest, right over my heart, so I could feel the vibrations of the music. I let go of my inhibitions. I love that they encouraged a no phone/camera policy; it was a room full of people living in a unique moment. For 23 songs, they had us in the palm of their hands.

It was a gift to share that time with them. To watch them do what they love and to hear songs that I connect to on such a deep emotional level.

When they left, the cheers and clapping went on for ages and I started to process what had just happened.

Outside, I reunited with the friends I had made while queuing and inside the venue, and we had a very excitable de-brief together, took group photos and exchanged contact details.

It was a perfect evening. I was euphoric. Floating far above the metaphoric clouds.

And then I met Stefan. Actual Stefan Olsdal. One of my absolute favourite people. I had written a letter to him and Brian and decided to ask the security people outside the tour bus if they could get it to them. I got an even better and totally unexpected offer: "would you like to meet Stefan?"

The next thing I know, he's coming out the bus to specifically speak to me.

It was so easy to talk to him. He's very softly spoken and sweet. He asked me how long I had been following them and was surprised at how young I had been. He also seemed excited that it was my first time seeing them.

I did gush a bit incoherently but he was lovely and and comforting. His replies to my praise were humble and precious. I loved seeing his smile up close. He also gives very satisfying and long hugs. I adore the photo we took together and I will treasure it forever.

I mean, look at Stefan's beautiful face.

Thank you Placebo for your art, and for last night. It was like being in a dream. I will never be the same again ❤️

#placebo #placebo band #stefan olsdal #brian molko #favourite band #music #gush post #never let me go

[synthaphone]

i probably should have posted this before applications opened and closed recently, but i got burned pretty bad by my experience with moderneo, in particular their community management, so i’m not likely to recommend it for other people to join. i’ve said this before i think, but i don’t bring it up often- some lovely people have made some great custom art assets for the site, so i don’t want to discredit their hard work, and i know other friends and mutuals have been having a fun time there and i don’t wanna rain on their parade. i also don’t wanna look petty about stuff that happened a couple years ago.

my tldr advice is: don’t pay for an account there, because its not worth it. if you wanna sign up when applications are open again, its possible to have some fun there with the custom pet species and colors, but i would avoid the discord server.

anyway if you’re interested, these were my issues:

the mods and site runner’s ‘No Drama’ policies that would come down harshest on whoever spoke up about a problem (people getting called bullies for asking a user to stop making fat jokes was a memorable example)

the site runner won’t replace even the worst of the old racist site assets, even with placeholder images, because nobody can agree on the best way to do it. so they’re just. still there. and he doesn’t personally see the problem or really want to change them. i guess they hue shifted the green witch halloween pets to purple though

the site runner responding very poorly to my request that he not make a lynching joke, saying I was the racist for finding it racially insensitive, and only apologizing after multiple people patiently explained the connotations to him

everyone acting like i was crazy and overreacting for saying that it was creepy as hell that there was a guy my age, going on about how sexy 15 year old mega man characters were, just going around unquestioned in the discord server (a few months later they were finally banned because a callout from the mega man fandom surfaced that backed up what i was saying even further, and also that this person had a history of stalking)

 they have blocked other creepy people since then, to their credit.  however, i feel like those people were pointed out very quickly, before they had time to interact with the site runner and other people and establish themselves in the community- the person i pointed out had been very talkative and had made friends before revealing things like ‘having a self insert to ship with the 8 year old from paw patrol’, so they sided with him when i said his behavior and artwork was creepy

those were my biggest bad experiences. but like. it also has less html5 games than grundos.cafe and virtu.pet (they’re also buggier earlier builds- the site runner either no longer has access to the newer updates and games that the grundos devs share, or isn’t interested in implementing them), albums were never implemented and are unlikely to be added anytime soon, the site runner has a patreon for the site but has largely stopped updating anything, all while only accepting new members through patreon payments for the majority of the year (also i think applications are closed indefinitely now?? so it might be the only way to join now???)

oh also the economy is really really bad

#i don't know how to tag this but like #warning for racism and a dude being creepy about child cartoon characters #i guess #i need a text post tag

[hopecomesbacktolife]

hey, just. friendly reminder that fanfiction is morally neutral.

yes, that includes smutty fics. yes, that includes self-insert fics. yes, that includes the fics you consider Problematic TM and the fics you don’t think are Smart or New. in fact that’s kind of why I’m writing this post.

I know we all love to talk about Themes And Narratives, but—and please listen to me very carefully here—you are not earning Good Place Points for only reading the kinds of fan fiction you feel are Smart or Only Focuses On The Important Things Like Themes.

fan fiction is morally neutral.

what I mean is this: no one is harming you, themselves, or anyone, by writing a fic about two characters having sex. (are you uncomfortable with the fact that I typed the word “sex”? hi, this post is about you. people have sex. and they write and talk about it. it’s seriously fine.)

no one is being harmed by self insert fics, by smutty fics, by anything not exclusively Smart TM about the fandom or analytically adding to it.

(and that’s not to say these two types of fics, that any type of fic, can’t have those elements— some of my favorite fic authors, my mutuals, my tumblr friends, write fic in these genres, and they also explore Themes and Emotions and analyze character traits and histories and write brilliant plots and incredible character arcs and yknow what, it’s amazing! it’s fantastic to examine what makes two characters react a certain way to x situation while also having them fuck nasty about it!) (and yes, I did just type ‘fuck nasty about it’ and I promise, that’s fine, too.)

what I’m saying, though, is that it doesn’t NEED that to, I dunno, somehow validate it into existing. it just Is. it just Exists. it doesn’t need an aspect you Approve Of TM in order to earn the right to be shared, to be written, to be published and commended and interacted with and read. it just. Is.

and I think a lot of especially younger, or newer, tumblr users especially get uncomfortable with that, and they unintentionally veer right (..ha) into self-censoring, puritanical behavior which is exactly what every person trying to ban books and generally kill art, wants. (and we’re not even going to examine in depth here, beyond mentioning it, the fact that policing, censuring, and banning art has historically and still today is being used to silence marginalized voices, so, I ask you to keep that in mind as you think on this, too, please.)

what I’m trying to say is this—if you personally don’t enjoy smut, don’t enjoy self insert fics, don’t enjoy a certain genre, that’s great, you do you! but, you must, must understand that this is not a moral stance. You are not objecting to a problematic practice, exploited workers, consent issues, labor crises… none of that applies, because no one in these stories is a real person. a story written about two Star Trek characters kissing on the bridge of the Enterprise is just that, a story. there is no actor for whose rights to fight, no wages to dispute fairness of, no ethical ramifications of scenes to discuss. these are Fictional People in Fictional Situations.

fan fiction is morally neutral.

and the moment you try to make yourself feel Better TM, More Correct TM, or—one of the ones I encounter the most—Smarter TM, by saying oh, I don’t read that kind of fic, I read the good kind, with thought in it—

you’re not only causing harm, you’re actively employing art censoring behavior. is that something that you want to do? I hope not. I certainly don’t.

next time you see a fic or a genre you don’t Approve Of TM, please remember the easiest way of exhibiting that— simply scrolling by or blocking a tag! If you’re on ao3, their system is incredible for niche content searches, and blocking a tag even here on tumblr will (most of the time) work.

I just., there’s so many better options out there for you than to… act like this. I believe you, we, all of us, can be better than this.

fanfiction. is. morally. neutral.

#my words #personal #saw one too many posts of people being ‘oh haha no I read the GOOD fanfic the SMART kind yknow’ and being so pointlessly self congratulatory #like babes there is so much joy in media content once you stop feeling shame or moral superiority about it #I just. had to put this out there #especially because like. so many. soooooo many. of the people who say those things. are just. so thinly veiling actual like bigotry beneath #‘oh haha I don’t like ship fic’ to ‘well actually it’s just slash fic’ to ‘gay people having sex is gross’ see what I mean. it’s a pipeline #the ‘smut fic is gross lol’ to ‘actually talking about sex at all is bad’ to ‘hi I’m anti choice’ pipeline is. more real than u might think #and I say this as someone fucking raised in all the problematic bigotry. but like babes you cannot flourish like that sorry! #anyways it’s just like. so much of this is just thinly veiled censorship biases or self discomfort unexamined or latent prejudice #and it’s so pointless too like babes smut fic has existed since ever you are not going to stop it from existing now #and in general hating on a fic is just.. kinda pointless! there’s so much fic in the world you can just go find the kind you enjoy instead #anyway let’s hope this one does not break containment 🫣 I have walked the puritan walk I do not need them heckling me lmao #fanfiction is morally neutral

[skylerfurmaniac-deactivated]

Rules and Description :P

Hi! I"m Skylerfurmaniac! Or Skyler/Sky for short (if you wanna ask me a question). And welcome to my blog (also sorta ask blog but it isn't really much of one anymore, but you can still do it! I love getting asks)! This blog is where I reign and spread my chaos and love to people lol. I'm just a chaotic little rainbow furbean >:3! My pronouns are they/them, and I'm omnisexual/romantic!!

I LOVE IF YOU MAKE ART OF ME OR MY OC'S OR MY SPAMTON YOU HAVE FULL PERMISSION TO DO IT, NO NEED TO ASK I LOVE ANY ART THAT IS FOR ME <3

Rules of the blog:

things you WILL get ban for:

NSFW asks or stuff that are similar. You can make jokes, but nothing too weird

Being rude to any community in the asks. Such as furry community, lgbtqia+, or black etc.

Asking for personal information

faking to be someone famous and try to make them look bad/ if you start to not respect my distance or stuff. If you aren't my friend and start asking for a lot of stuff or stuff I don't share with strangers

pls, if you want to vent to me or something, you can dm me, but pls don't do it in the asks or send like self harm photos

And that's everything! If you follow these, then you will have a very fun time here! I will make sure to respect everyone who asks something in this blog, but I may tease you, just a warning.

*BYE!!

Edit: I kinda forgot to put some stuff about myself, soooo

Hi! You already know my name and pronouns, But I want to put some personality stuff in here

I also will not be doing commissions, too much work for me right now. But, if you want, I love to do an art trade! But at some moments, I may not be able to due to what's going on, or I have too many art trades.

Secondly,

BRO HE'S COOL (and cute) OKAY

And thirdly, I have a second blog that interacts more with @drowninnoodles, @thenocturnenarrator, @tranquil-slaughterhouse, @ludrii-alt, & more! Some people didn't really like what I was posting with them, So I made an alt. account. If you want to follow that one, it's called @hellagang

edit:

I really like making new friends, so don't be shy to ask!

Also, tell me if you like picrew, cus i do them here and there, and I would like to tag you!

link to all my art repost! (lol don't use that its kinda weird, I have an art tag now XD)

Edit: lol I forgot about my tags I know this is a newer edit then the next one, but I feel like it should be put here

sooo my tags!

#skyler's art: my art!

#sky's chaotic reblogs: my reblogs from other people lol

#sky's random rambles: just random stuff I say

#sky's serious reblogs: the more serious of reblogs

#not my art: reblogs I make that aren't my art

#skyler/Skyler art!!!!/skyler's ref/FANART!: lol art of my persona that other people made of me or stuff that I made of my persona :D

#skyler's gremlin mode activated: IM REALLY HAPPY AND EXCITED OR HYPERACTIVE OF THIS POST AND I REALLY LOVE XDD

yeah :3

Edit:

immmm just going to add these

(PLATONICLY)

anyways, feel free to use these!

edit:

I made a server for tumblr undertale/deltarune artists!

my discord username is skylerfurmaniac, dm me if ya wanna join! (And if you want, you can add tumblr friends!)

also, that's if the link doesn't work (which is it doesn't can someone tell me pls?)

anyways

here is the link!!

#delatarune/undertale blog #yeet the child #hiii #UNDERCOOOORD #sky's random rambles #skyler's art #sky's chaotic reblogs #sky's gremlin mode activated #skyler's ref #skyler #sky's serious reblogs #asks #Skyler art!!!!

[drawnaghht]

@trufflemacandcheese

About the ship tags poll... Ah, sorry for not specifying ^^; I did post that the poll was about Yuichi x Rise!Leo specifically.

I actually want to do a separate one for Leosagi, but this one was specifially just for Leoichi/Leochi! (or, me using mostly my own made-up tag, YuiNardo)

TL;DR - Leosagi and Leoichi/Yuinardo are separate ships :D technically we don't have this problem with other fandoms with newer versions of characters, or even with other ships like Donsagi, but since Yuichi Usagi is a separate character from his ancestor, Miyamoto Usagi, it would make sense to have separate ship tags as well. Especially since the tags already exist anyway, so why not use them per ship? It is also more respectful to both older and newer Leosagi fans and fans of both Usagi characters. I am all of these myself, so hah, this is all silly fanstuff, but I'd just prefer the separation bc the ships are too different to share a tag + it's easier to sort and find fanart/fic later if there are separate tags. So Leosagi poll will go up later!

Longer explain: there was discussion around it a year or more ago, + posts here and there on tumblr mostly, about how technically Yuichi Usagi x Leo is a whole new ship bc Yuichi Usagi is a whole new character from the Samurai Rabbit show... and how maybe it's good to use just the one tag for it? So the oldest unique name/tag for them seems to be Leochi/Leoichi. Since Miyamoto Usagi x Leonardo is an older ship that's been around for 19 years since the '03 turtles show and Leosagi has been the tag/ship name that stuck with that, it's a separate ship. So are the tags associated with it, such as Katanashipping and older tags (which I haven't seen people use anymore.) But people saw the similiarities of the two Usagi's (family after all, lol, but I wonder if there's something else simmering under there), and started tagging the newer ship as Leosagi too, almost as an umbrella term, since we'd briefly had 12!Leosagi as a ship, and people just like the dynamic that the 03 show introduced, but people liked the new TMNT cartoon too.

ROTTMNT didn't have any Usagi eps tho, so - some Rise fans had started making their own Rise versions of Miyamoto Usagi as well, well before the Samurai Rabbit show. And this new ship clashed with that a bit, because people were either taking the character of Usagi from the show and just giving him book/2003 Usagi's personality (so continuing what Rise!Leosagi shippers were already doing, but confusing the pool of thoughts there bc it's a new character w a new name). So the fans who use tumblr and draw/write for the ship got upset that this new ship was taking over the tags and clogging the tags with just Yuichi x Leo content. There’s also the distinction that og Leosagi in 2004 is a ship where they’ve interacted in canon - Usagi exists next to the TMNT in the cartoon, and I consider 03 Usagi a whole separate version of him because they seemed to have changed his backstory a bit + made him younger to match the turtles. There’s also history of the characters interacting in the comics, because their creators Peter Laird and Stan Sakai were friends and Leo is Stan Sakai’s favourite character of the TMNT. Yuichi x Leo is a crossover ship however. so the new ship was a surprise.

Perhaps at first, it was kinda fun to see new art or fic, but then I guess people started getting annoyed for how many fans were using multiple tags and including Leosagi in their posts too, even when Miyamoto Usagi is not there.  A lot of people treated the two ships as the same or made the name an umbrella  tag, which I sorta did too at first bc what, it’s not like there’s guidelines pinned to the start of a tag page on tumblr, are there? So imo, it’ll just sort itself out eventually the more people start using the unique tags exclusively vs the old tag. Sliderbunny was the Miyamoto Usagi x Rise!Leo tag for a while, but that's also become mainly used for the newer ship. I’m not sure if tumblr shows the contents of tags from over a year ago anymore, but there are most likely blogs still active which jave those older posts with tagging prior to Samurai Rabbit coming out on Netflix.

I'm more annoyed personally that people also mis-tag the characters and the book/show. They are not interchangeable! So yeah, it's been a whole many-posts-long discussion over this ^^;;

I also made longer posts thinking abt these myself but I'm not gonna link them here cuz these are just general polls of curiosity. But you can find them under "ship tags" tag on my blog if you get curious. RABNerd28 on youtube made a very succinct (imo) video about this topic as well, which summarizes many of the issues the older shippers find when going online to see content for their favourite ship.

I actually have no idea where Leoichi or Leochi came from as ship tags or why there are two spellings of it (almost like "two pronunciations" lol), but so far, it's a pretty popular tag. So there seems to be no need to double-tag it with Leosagi, when it's 2 different ships. I find it also that whatever the fan content for 2003 Leosagi or just Leosagi is in general, it would be nice to just respect fans who made the ship popular at first, when TMNT03 aired their Usagi eps in 2004. I actually shipped this too back in the day and still do, so for me personally, it's nice to have separate tags just so I can find things better on my blog + so if people who don't like one ship, they can always block the tag and not see those posts from me. Or just general consideration ^^ I think we don't have this discussion around the other usagi ship tags bc well, there are a lot less posts about these other ships both on tumblr and elsewhere, maybe the fans don't have the energy to argue about this?

Another result of earlier discussions and the general tag-clogging, lots of people also dislike the show and the character of Yuichi Usagi. I as a fan of both show and comic, really don't like that, so that's one more reason why using separate tags is better - so at the least: Leosagi and Leoichi separately.

i still prefer my own made-up tag bc it's more unique + sounds fun. also reasons why I made my own unique ship tag: fans make Yuichi really OOC in their art/fic, or they haven't seen the show or the flat-out hate the show.... which is all fine, ordinary stuff even, as far as bigger fandoms and fanworks go. folks make Rise Leo OOC often too, but no one bats an eye. But hey, it's just other fans having fun with concepts and ideas. That's what fanworks are. Transformative fiction. People can change anything they want. But I personally like the show and character, and I like the Usagi Yojimbo books too. So reading/watching and making theories and in-character or just plain meme/funny stuff is how I have fun.

whatever the reasons for the tag names, for this poll I just piled all the reasonable ship tags I could find for it (i.e. used in at least 2 posts) just to see what people use the most. seems that Leoichi is winning so far, which makes sense as it is easier to pronounce.

#trufflemacandcheese #aghhtreplies #ship tags #leoichi #leochi #yuinardo #all this to say: it's just nicer when the tags are separate. that would be preferable #how many posts have i written analysing the ship tags... #texty #long post #anyway shipping is kinda silly but i do like the occasional post and fic so. tags are a must for me personally

[taylortruther]

Okay I have some thoughts and opinions bestie

A few weeks ago someone complained that Taylor's production has gotten worse since reputation. Her melodies are no longer "unique" and as memorable as they were back in 1989 & prior to that. It's such a weird take because I feel like Anti-Hero, Getaway Car, Cruel Summer, cardigan and ivy, for example, all have very unique melodies and can be recognized in a heartbeat. I remember when 1989 came out people complained it sounds robotic. Of course the albums that came out a decade+ ago would sound more timeless than the ones that came out less than 5 years ago. For some people it's nostalgia because the pre-rep albums came out when they were children. For newer fans, these albums are basically relics of the past.

That same post (& a few others) also brough up the subject of the amount of content Taylor's been releasing. People think she needs to take a break because she'll get repetitive and the quality of her music will start dipping. And I get that but as someone who likes to write the advice I hear most is to "never stop creating" the more you create, the better you get at it (and Taylor just can't stop creating).

Nostalgia's my sworn enemy, especially in the fandom. I die a little whenever I hear someone say "things used to be better" because I looked through this Facebook group I was in in the red/1989 era and the girls were so mean to me. I genuinely don't know how come I didn't cry myself to sleep every night. Internet and fandom cultures were always toxic and they're incapable of being anything else.

I understand the complaint about similarities in production and lyrics. I'm not a musician, but there are only a few chords in the world so things are bound to be similar. (And I don't think Lavender Haze and ITHK are that similiar. They flow well together; that's not the same thing.) And the person who makes the music is only one person with a few life experiences. People complained that Taylor's writing too much about 2016. She's just one person! There's so much someone can experience in 5 years and people don't just "move on" from things that happened to them. People heal but these stuff essentialy become a part of you and when you're a creator, memories are the main source of inspiration.

I want to talk about Jack Antonoff too but I feel like this ask is already too long lol

you are hitting some really interesting points that i completely agree with. the fandom (like any other, it's not unique to us) has a VERY short term memory. they rewrite history, often without realizing it. it's just a human thing, i think.

but the takes you're talking about truly are the mentality of the chronically online. hardcore stans consume content waaay different than the average fan does, and we all experience on art that came out in the past differently than art that is current to us.

and i also really hate that people expect taylor to constantly come up with new things to write about. she's just a person with her one life. it's a fascinating and rich life but she only has so many traumas or philosophies to share. she's not a tv show where a team of writers is thinking of what else to throw at her next so she can grow.

[northern-passage]

so i thought i lost these pictures to time (locked myself out of my old laptop, purged my art instagram, deleted them all off the blog) BUT i found the old character lineup i did !! i forgot i had an art folder on my phone for my old art insta. i don’t know how many people remember the original art i did back in 2020, but i tend to delete a lot of the older art off the blog because i really don’t like my old art and i get self-conscious about it... but it also means i lose a lot of art.

i’m not sure if i ever did post the full lineup, if i remember correctly this version of merry was actually gender-selectable so i drew her pretty “ambiguous�� and i don’t know if i ever ended up sharing her and noel. i think it’s pretty funny/interesting to see the changes both in the designs (i didn’t know how to draw or design clothes back then) and also the change in my art in just about 2 years.

first things first: no i do not know why merry is so fucking stanced. i do actually still like her design (those thigh high boots....), her & clementine’s are the two i still actually think look good here. i really like the bandana completely covering her head and i like the cowries in merry’s hair, though i think it’s funny i drew them in her hair and not noel’s when i’ve always had that as a part of noel’s character description (i still didn’t draw them in the most recent one because i forgot lol)

i do still like lea’s alchemy belt and the little bottle hanging off their other belt, too. i just wish i could remember what i was thinking with their pants. at least they’re not purple..... and they don’t even have their hooves yet :/ i remember drawing them with their hair down a lot because i couldn’t figure out how to draw a bun lmfao. rip to their eyebrow slit (but at least we have their beauty marks now... a fair trade i think)

noel’s design is the weakest in my opinion and i remember struggling the most with xem, too. not really sure what i was going for.... still have xir white boots tho 👼 and i do like xem with the longer locs in a ponytail. i cringe that i didn’t properly color his palms, i’m assuming i didn’t since i just did flat colors on all of them but i definitely still should have colored xir palms. and most obviously here is that noel started out pretty small. i think i drew this and almost immediately wanted to change his design (there are a few older pieces from this time where i Did try to make xem bigger) but i didn’t have a lot of practice drawing different body types. i’m glad that’s one thing i’ve definitely improved on since then.

it’s nice to have this to compare to the newer art and actually be able to see how much i’ve improved, and also the evolution of everyone. i remember i tried to make bases with the original lineup and i messed up every single one and couldnt use any of them again lmfao and this time i have successful bases for everyone so i can play dress up doll hehe

i also think everyone looks way warmer now and like they wouldn’t freeze their asses off in blackwater...

i also clearly went back to a more illustrative style - back in 2020 i was looking at a lot of animation and drawing my characters in that way, with flat colors and not really rendering anything, and now i’ve started moving back into a more painterly style. anyways. pretty cool! also i just realized i even coincidentally lined them up in the same order 🥺

#thanks everyone for tolerating all my art posting lately i don't share my art anywhere else so i appreciate everyone being nice :-) #i won't put this in the art tag cus it's mostly just me rambling lmfao #personal

[ketchup112]

Hello, I like a certain game called Candyland and I kind of wanted to share.My lower ideas and head cannons and characters signs for the game.This is only for characters. You guys can skip this if you want, I just want to share it.

It counts where they live, like what region. Like if they live somewhere cold and ice creamy, they could be ice cream. Or they have relations with heart candy. And their diet? And genes, because you can have a candy person with peppermint and cherry. And you can have a ice cream person with hot fudge. The candy people are unwedable. They're fleshy, humanoid creatures. They just have characteristics and adaption to digest any candy and kind of look like it. Believe they're poisonous, if he even tried to eat them.

Yes, I had to make that clear. Do not eat the candy, people. Just don't!

Enough with Mr. Peppermint. My favorite character.

Sticking with the peppermint theme and what I got from his later old designs that I tried to mix inside this. Read the sign of him in my art style.

It is the coloring actually. The first thing you see is. Being pure white. And then the red and a little bit of pink of his old design of being a pink. Candy cane. In his old designs he had yellow gloves and I intertwined with that on his hands. Instead of this white there is red, and yes, pink is a red. I'm counting that. There will be a little bit of yellow. So, it won't be just dominated with those colors.

For his face he has naturally read cheeks. His eyes are pink, with the iris itself being like candy cane. His hair is red with pink highlights. He is fleshy, so he's like. A fleshy candy monsters. He smells just like peppermint. By the cold, pretty well. Because he lives in the Peppermint Forest, and Peppermint has been known to be. Chilling when you put it in your mouth. Like a twig, but he knows how to use a peppermint axe pretty well. Because he is a Lumberjack. Counting that he in the movies and maybe down the line when you're trying to say Candyland, he comes with you. He does a teaching role of small children and personal guardian or babysitter for the royal family. That is just it for right now, because once I get started with the relations.

He is adapted to survive in cold environments like ice cream and snow cones. But he is born as hard candy. Person. So he lives in the Peppermint Forest with maybe a handful of other hard candy people.

The Lord Licorice.

Newer and older designs went into this.I hope you guys like what I did with him.

Colors are dominated as black and red. He has a little bit of purple and gold. He also has a little bit of brown on his cane for chocolate. Shadow the Hedgehog with some Purple and Gold. And Brown. hehe.

His face is naturally red like the rest of his body. He has facial scars. All the way up to his eye and eyebrow. And all the way down to his lips. His lips have two scars. His hair has. Red coloring with black highlights. He is a. Fleshy candy monster. As a licorice. Person he can stretch in. Become flexible. He smells just like licorice and a little bit of dark chocolate. He lives alone with snakes and bats, so I guess he is the only. The homes are an island in the middle of a Magoon. Their home is full of licorice and bio of dark chocolate. He lives on his own, so he does not have mediate family, but I do hit Ken and him to be cousins to the King of Candy.

They're sharing outfits because they're pretty much the same thing, but different.There are both based off of their old carnations of.Therefore, emer artwork until now.They both have stripes.In their outfits.Now for the difference. That peppermint has fur to keep them warm. And Licorice has more as a family broch around his neck.

Well, that's it. If you guys have, you know, better writing skills than me, please talk to me because I don't mind sharing my head cannons or ideas with someone. I do need a little help.

#Work on writing skills #For communication skills #my art #Redesign #my art style #head cannon

[septembersghost]

I hate how some people are making jokes or telling us we can't be sad or that feeling heartache listening to five albums worth of her music right now is hard and we're connecting to her art "wrong" like jfc it's been one day and this is a devastating shock we can be sad for a minute!

absolutely cannot stress enough how completely and entirely NORMAL it is for people to be sad and shaken right now, and it doesn't mean we're interacting with her music incorrectly or too invested or confused and think she's our best friend or something, none of that is true, and people dismissing it as that are the ones seemingly missing the point. when someone you care about is hurt, you hurt for them, it's human. it doesn't matter that we don't know her directly, an inherent bond is in fact formed between us and her music, and there is no getting around the fact that her music is deeply personal and autobiographical, and that a significant portion has been shaped by and written about this relationship - which also isn't a bad thing, it's beautiful! that love was so real and so transformative and such an important lifeline, and we can be grateful forever that she met joe when she did and that he helped her through those terribly dark times and that they supported and loved one another the way they did, when they did. all of that is still true. it's not undone - it was rare, it was there! (to borrow from a different tune) - and they needed it and it served them in lovely ways for as long as it could. the "these songs were about my life, now they're about yours" mentality is all well and good, but sometimes a bit impossible, and that is okay to acknowledge! the idea that you must take context away and only relate them to yourself or your blorbos is a bit silly, they're still taylor's art and diary and life (and you can and should do both!). also i'm gonna be honest here, many of us do not have a love like that to apply them to, so of course the original meaning sticks a bit. fandom acting like it's a sin right now to be thinking of her within her own music and aching for that is ridiculous. that WILL fade with time, but there hasn't been time yet! everyone's just sort of reeling and trying to process. this is collective mourning for many different aspects of things, it's in fact going to be a different bit of sadness for each person even though we're sharing it together, and that's also normal! her music being intensely personal and lyrically poignant gives us that sense of connection and empathy for what she's experienced and what she's shared, and this is the only time when we've experienced her writing about this type of love, the amount of time it's lasted (we are by extension very used to joe having been a constant! six years is a lot! there are many newer fans who've never known taylor without him being a significant factor), and tbh i could go into further detail here about why it's hitting hard and the little griefs everyone has been sorting through today. you can be grateful something happened and grieve its ending, and the ending of any potential future that might've happened, you can hurt for another person simply because you care for them and wish them the best and want them to be happy. it's not invasive when we are fully aware of the boundaries there too. it's okay for the music to sting and be difficult right now because it's about a life that no longer exists - we will all go back to it and reclaim it and feel the warmth and love in it again, we will hold onto that gratitude (i will never not be thankful that joe was in her life exactly when she needed him and helped her the way he did, that she flourished so much personally and creatively in that time, she didn't have to do that work or find that strength alone and that's a wonderful thing too). it's all about understanding those emotions and giving them space and compassion. we need to give grace to taylor and joe, to each other, and to ourselves for anything we're feeling right now.

#*hugs you* #anyone guilt policing or shaming people for being sad or making mean jokes it is on. sight. #anonymous #letterbox #taylor swift #thrown out speeches #don't read the last page #joe alwyn