#i only know it from side content and a particular youtuber i follow

[wheremermaidsdwell]

not me downloading the 1st edition d&d handbook because i need to reference it for my fic lmao

#i think i'm gonna look over unearthed arcana too #but i'm not digging into everything #i never played dnd before 5th #i only know it from side content and a particular youtuber i follow #but considering i play shadowrun and ars magicia i can handle most things lmao #what you want fic

[abschaumno1]

How Not To Distance Yourself From Fandom Drama As A Youtuber

Hi,

this is addressing what Scott Smajor said on stream regarding recent twitter harrassment of Ecto. I will preempt this by saying that I have known Ecto for a few years now and I support them. I think I have made my stance on "problematic content" and antis clear in the past, but to summarise: I am against censorship and harrassment. People can and should create whatever they want. If someone has an issue with what they make they should block and move on.

With that out of the way, what did Smajor actually say?

If you don't want to go to TikTok to hear it here's a transcript:

“If you don’t know what this is about, that is fine, you can stay not knowing. But if you do, this is me mentioning it, okay? I’m gonna do it. So. I’m going to try keep this short and simple, as I just want to clear some stuff up, I do not support proshipping. And until yesterday, I had no idea what proshipping was. Um, after last MCC, I removed, uh, Twitter from my phone, and I would only use it if I was on my laptop while I was travelling to VidCon and visiting [?]. So, on Saturday I was packing up my stuff and I checked Twitter before I shut off my laptop and noticed that an artist I followed, um, was receiving death threats and hate. And, me, not knowing fully what was going on, I shot them a DM along the lines of ‘sorry you’re getting hate’. Um, and then I logged out and flew home [?]. That was my mistake, as I should not have said anything without fully reading what was going on. Um, I’d just seen someone upset and wanted to help. After I got home and found out what was happening, I realised that people were saying that my DM meant I supported it, again, I do not. Um, I immediately unfollowed the artist, and have since told them that I do not- I did not realise the full degree of what had happened. Um, since this, I have made the decision to step away from Twitter, really. Um, I’m gonna do my best not to log in to look at it, um, or if you, or someone you know, is affected by this stuff, please do find the help you need, and take steps, uh, to protect your own mental well-being, like I am. Um, I would also like to say that my boundaries, um, with fanart and such has changed, and I am no longer okay with NSFW art of me or my characters. Um, and, that is the last I am going to talk on this subject. — As I said, chat, if you don’t know what it is, or what’s going on, enjoy the ignorance, enjoy the bliss. Just, you don’t need to know anything, nothing else is happening here, we’re not talking about it, we’re not going to be answering questions in chat, that’s it. Done."

(See also this twitter thread)

I'm not gonna inspect every word in that tbh and I've talked extensively about what I think of creator boundaries in fandom before so I'll spare you guys that. But there are a few points I want to address.

"And until yesterday, I had no idea what proshipping was."

I will say that I have no idea how the term was explained to him or where he got his definition from. I do know there are various definitions floating around the internet, often biased in their approach. It might be that he got one of the definitions that was heavily biased towards the anti side. I won't judge him for that. The internet, and this discourse in particular is hard enough to navigate for someone who knows their way around it.

I will also acknopwledge that it might be hard for an outsider to understand any of it in the first place.

Which is why I think the statement "I do not support proshipping" is not the statement to make in this situation. This is not a discussion he has any experience with. And I am perfectly aware of how loud antis can get, particularly on twitter. This should not be a statement. Not just because I disagree with it. He is entitled to his opinion, as am I to my own. But because as a youtuber or any other celebrity or creative, you have to realise where your space ends and fandom begins and you have to realise that fandom will have its own rules and discussions and terms.

Honestly, it's like walking into a foreign country, reading one newspaper and starting to make statements about their politics. It can and will go wrong.

Here's the thing. If you truly think you have to make a statement addressing this particular issue, while completely ignoring any other criticims thrown at you by a lot of the same people who are saying a lot of things about this, try and make an informed statement. And maybe think about the message your sending to your viewers.

Ecto received harrassment, suicide bait, death threads, and got doxxed on top of it all. I would think someone who's been on the receiving end of harrassment the way Scott has been would at the very basic least be able to address that.

Instead, what he actually said amounts to "I don't support them. I wash my hands of all of it. I don't care what you guys do with them."

At best the harrassers will feel vindicated and quiet down. At worst he just enabled them to find their next targets.

I don't think it matters what he (or anyone else really) thinks about the content that Ecto was harrassed over. No one has to like it. But that does not mean there should be any doubt about the fact that harrassment and doxxing are wrong and that there should be no space for that. Not suppporting someone is one thing. Being someone with a platform who makes a statement like this, effectively giving in to people who have harrassed someone with a vastly smaller platform, without even mentioning that the harrassment is not okay, is a very different thing.

I understand that Scott might also be trying to protect his own mental health. I understand his history with twitter. But I will say that telling affected people to "take steps to protect your own mental well-being" is not the statement I personally think he should be making. I guess we'll just leave everything to the loudest, worst people then instead of even pretending what they're doing is not okay.

Hands down, the statement he made feels very much like he's saying "but surely the leopards won't eat my face". It's only been a day and MCC teams were released. The leopards on twitter are eating his face once again. And I wager I am not the only one out there who now knows that a youtuber we enjoyed watching would rather side with people who send death threats and doxx others than their victims.

#smajor1995 #discourse #scummy post #mcyt

[jsbluelove]

So, what did I know about Arthur and Merlin?

Not much. Just that these two names are always said along, knew something about Arthurian legends, and that's just about it. And I knew that these two are often shipped and when some people say, 'they were good friends ' others would go like, 'sure'.

I didn't even know there was a series called Merlin, until I saw someone say in the comments of a YouTube video on Red, White and Royal Blue trailer that Henry and Alex giving of Arthur and Merlin vibes.

So, I asked again, 'How come they know so much from one or two movies or few stories that might have been about Arthur and Merlin?', and then I also wondered maybe there is/was a show - which led me to discover Merlin(2008).

And I thought, 'oh what a great way to spend my Saturday!' Might be an old show but maybe I will enjoy'

And by Monday night, I'm watching 5x13, except for the last part, because I won't...I won't cry..I don't want to cry. I felt so alone because I was so late to the series, overwhelmed, a little offended because I was genuinely thinking that the magic will do the deed, and bring back Arthur.

By Tuesday, I have already read at least two fanfics, watched 10+ edits, but I still won't watch any video of that last scene. I don't want to accept.

But there's a silver lining: I'm not really alone, I see people creating fanfic even in 2023. Look, I just wanted to have a fun Saturday, but by today, I feel like I should go jobless and read through all the content around Arthur and Merlin.

My thoughts on Arthur and Merlin being gay

This is something I heard people saying even before I knew the show existed. I thought they came from the tales of the legend itself.

I also watched a video where the cast and the showrunners talked about the characters' sexuality. But what I think is, Arthur and Merlin don't necessarily have to be gay, and yet can definitely be romantic.

The kind of person Merlin is, and the kind of person Arthur was, they bonded so well for a reason. They tease each other, they enjoy each other's jokes - Arthur did, they worry about each other, they have each other's back, they have adventures together, they need each other, and most of all, beyond need, they want to be around and with each other.

And the kind of person they are, why would I not think that what they feel about each other is beyond their sexual preferences? It's so much more than that. Arthur doesn't have to be gay to want to spend all his life with Merlin, live with only him forever and wanting no one else(considering he didn't have any royal responsibilities), and vice versa. I believe if Arthur would love Merlin even if Arthur was straight, gay, bisexual, or anything else. Because his love for Merlin goes beyond anything else.

The show focuses more on Merlin's dedication, love and loyalty for Arthur

Merlin's love for Arthur is what we see most - because he has been told in the beginning that he is destined to serve and help him. So what did he do? He devoted his whole time and attention to Arthur - the bond with Arthur only followed after that.

But I want to focus on Arthur here.

I see Arthur's side more - because despite so many to love and bond as friends, he found his bond with Merlin. So much so that even when outing with a princess he should impress - he stuck to trying to annoy Merlin. Outing with his wife - he is nonchalantly talking about Merlin. He definitely pictures being away and alone, but alone doesn't mean not Merlin.

Merlin is adored by many - he is just that lovable. He has a great mother, friends find it easy to like him, and he finds it easy to talk and connect with most people. That's his character - cheerful and cheeky.

But Arthur had this particular nature that only comes out while he was with Merlin. I'd like to call it instant cheerfulness. Merlin was special to him.

Arthur, I believe, always knew how much Merlin meant to him, how much Merlin cared about him, and he also knew that it is mutual.

Arthur was really hurt to know that there's a great part of Merlin, his magic, which was kept from him. It truly hurt me too.

I don't know if I'll ever watch that last scene or if I'll ever cry. Maybe someday I'll get over it and finally watch it.. or maybe I'll just bite the bullet and watch it and cry..

#merlin 2008 #arthur and merlin #merthur #arthur pendragon #merlin #red white and royal blue #merlin and arthur

[kingdaddydaichi]

slow dancing barefoot in the kitchen with katsuki

⋆ pairing: k. bakugou x reader

⋆ wc: 600±

⋆ cool, cool. but adult!pro hero!katsuki isn't all bark and no vulnerability. sometimes i think we don't give him enough credit or look far enough ahead to a time and place where his devotion to personal growth extends beyond his achievements or hero ranking. what if, with time and maturity, adult!pro hero!katsuki shows his goofy side and laughs with you while watching try not to laugh cat videos on youtube? to be with you, he's willing to lose...

⋆ soundtrack: these arms of mine || otis redding

🎶

Katsuki stood over the freshly cut veggies simmering in the wok as you stirred the sugar into the rice vinegar for the sushi rice.

You hummed along with your favorite playlist as it droned in the background.

In his flow state, your otherwise hot-headed husband spoke calmly. “Don’t forget the splash of sake.” Cooking was his therapy, his creative outlet.

“Shit, thanks for reminding me baby,” you said, grabbing one of the bottles of rice wine from the fridge. But not just any of them. The right one for sushi vinegar - the ginjo. Katsuki was very particular about which types of sake he used in various dishes and recipes. “Still not used to making it this way.”

“Put a drizzle in the skillet too while you’re at it?”

You mostly covered the mouth of the bottle with your thumb and leaned over his arm slightly to shake several drops into the wok. It bubbled and hissed, the sweet aroma mixing with the hot sesame oil and crisp vegetables before steaming off the searing Teflon. Just by breathing it in you could taste the toe-curling umami on the back of your tongue.

“Fuckin perfect, baby. Damn, that’s hot,” Katsuki said, flipping the contents up and over themselves once, twice before setting it back down on the circle of yellow flames on the gas stovetop.

“Well don’t touch it, genius." You winked at him from the corner of your smiling eye.

He turned the heat down and leaned in close, his chin resting on your shoulder, his breath tickling your cheek. “I ain’t talkin bout the food.”

You chuckled, raising your shoulder towards your ear in a weak attempt to fend off his advances. As the contents in the wok simmered, your husband hugged you from behind, watching as you broke off 2”x2” squares of konbu to marinate in the sushi vinegar - just like he taught you. 

After a brief pause between songs, Otis Redding’s voice suddenly saturated the room. Katsuki’s arms squeezed tighter around you as he began to sway. You leaned back against him as you closed your eyes, opening them only when he twirled you around to face him.

You giggled quietly and took his proffered hand, gracefully following him to the middle of the kitchen floor. You slid your right hand into his left as he placed his other on your lower back and fastened you to him.

Without a word, your bodies swayed as you followed his lead. Cheek pressing against his hard, thrumming chest; your bare feet slotted between each other on the cool, bamboo floor.

“I’ve missed you, babe,” he murmured, pressing his lips against the top of your head.

“You work too much, Katsuki…” you sighed, your eyes closed, focusing instead on his scent and his voice. “...'n i miss you too.”

With his cheek pressed against your hair, he grumbled, “I know.”

Following his steps without missing a slow-dancing beat, you looked up at him. With your chin resting on his chest you said, “M’so happy we got to make dinner together tonight.”

“Me too, babe,” he said, looking down at you with his crimson eyes full of soft admiration. Lowering his head and voice to your ear, he said, “Maybe that’s not all we can make together tonight, hm?”

Hiding your burning face from his intensity you pressed your cheek against his chest again, thinking I owe you, Otis.

k. bakugou m.list

#katsuki my king 👑 #if y'all want my sushi vinegar recipe hit me up lol #katsuki #bakugou #bakugo #katsuki bakugou #katsuki bakugo #katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo x reader #katsuki fluff #bakugou fluff #bakugo fluff #katsuki drabble #bakugou drabble #bakugo drabble #katsuki x y/n #bakugou x y/n #katsuki x you #bakugou x you #bakugo x you

[twig-tea]

A question for you because you seem like one of those people who has watched everything: how did you get started watching bl, and what are your ultimate favorite shows?

Double-barrelled! I'm honoured.

How did I get into BL?

The short answer is that ~2016 the YouTube algorithm served me up Lovesick and I immediately went EXCUSE ME WHAT IS THIS and looked up everything else available and watched literally everything I could get my hands on (which at the time was easy because there was only a handful compared to today, but it still felt like a wealth of content to enjoy).

The longer answer is that I used to be really involved in GL (I was the secretary at the first Yuricon in North America in 2002 or 2003) and then BL manga fandom (was in a scanlation group for awhile) through ~2006? so its extra hilarious that this wasn't my route in; I apparently took a break right before they started making live action versions in Japan. But when I got into Thai BL it was fun rediscovering these tropes in a new medium and through the lens of a new-to-me culture, noticing how they differed and how the genre had matured (and how it hadn't), and on catching up on the stuff out of Japan, seeing some of the manga I read over a decade ago come to life! So I mention this history because it's definitely a part of why I stayed (and probably why the algorithm found me relatively quickly).

I only started tracking things in a spreadsheet in 2020 (and it's not nearly as comprehensive or useful as @absolutebl 's), but I did try to backfill the highlights of what I've seen and I have over 550 rows on there, fwiw. I'm a completionist so I do try to watch everything, though that's getting more and more impossible these days.

Ultimate Favourite Shows

This question is so hard. I know you didn't even give me a limit but you have to understand @lurkingshan, I can't choose favourites, I have a draft top ten list that has been blank for 3 years because I can't commit. Okok. I'm just going to list shows as they come to me (not in any particular order):

Thailand: Until We Meet Again, He's Coming to Me, Diary of Tootsies, WhyRU, Ingredients, Not Me, Secret Crush on You, I Told Sunset About You & I Promised You the Moon, Triage, You're My Sky, Make it Right, La Pluie, My Ride, Bad Buddy, My School President, Laws of Attraction, Moonlight Chicken, Dear Dr I'm Coming for Soul, To Sir With Love/Khun Chai, The Eclipse, Midnight Museum, Lovely Writer... Grey Rainbow [ducks, hides, runs away]

Japan: Doushitemo Furetakunai (no touching at all), Kinou Nani Tabeta (What did you eat yesterday?), Our Dining Table, Takara-Kun and Amagi-Kun, Old Fashioned Cupcake, 7 Days (mon-thurs & fri-sun), His (miniseries & movie), I Want to See Only You, Kieta Hatsukoi/My love mix-up, the Cherry Magic Movie, Life~Senjou no bokura/Love on the Line, 180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us, Given (anime is my fave version), Tokyo in April Is..., Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, Utsukushii Kare/My beautiful man

Korea: Our Dating Sim, Semantic Error, The Lover [BL side], Color Rush, Blueming, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Love Class 2, Made on the Rooftop, Discipline Z, Light on Me, To My Star (yes both seasons), Strongberry (faves are Long Time No See, Confidential Coffee Break, and A First Love Story), Sing My Crush, Just Friends?

Vietnam: Goodbye Mother, Hey! First Love, Nation's Brother, You Are Ma Boy, Follow My Sunshine, FOOLs, Tien Bromance: My Small Family, Love Bill

Philippines: Gameboys, Gaya sa Pelikula, Boys Lockdown, Cheat [warning: horror], Your Home, Better Days

Taiwan: Be Loved in House, My DNA Says Love You, We Best Love (1 & 2), HIStory (Crossing the Line is my fave, and second fave is...Make Our Days Count [ducks, hides, burrows into ground]).

Other: Summerdaze (short from Singapore), Stay Still (Hong Kong), HeHe and He (Hong Kong, final season in progress but s1&2 are so funny) and the bromances/difficult to categorize: Scumbag System, Word of Honor, The Untamed, Guardian, Coffee Prince, Bromance (Taiwanese), Great Men Academy, Mr Queen, Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, SCI Mystery

*deep breath* ok I'm stopping lol narrowing it down any less than this gives me pain so I won't try. Also I'm sure I forgot something obvious (and Tumblr was eating drafts of this at various points). All I can say about this list is it's under 100 and that's the best I could do.

Thanks for the ask, and to anyone who made it this far thanks for reading!

#thank you for the ask! #multi bl #rec list #i remain a parody of myself and unable to choose favourites #thank you for coming to my ted talk #ask game #typed so i can stop thinking it

[thesmpisonfire]

[Last post I'll make about this]

Okay so, everything I, as a person who has been seeing this going down for 6 years now and is not a particular fan of neither side, know about the Cellbit and Sasa situation

First thing first: I'm really not a fan of Cellbit these past years. Yes he was a big part of my childhood going from 13-16 yo following him. I got to see the breakup first hand and it was around the time he was shifting his content in a way i didn't like so it was just another push for me to stop following him as close. As for nowadays, hes the BIGGEST ttrpg streamer of Brazil, he changed a lot, he has achieved SO MUCH. He's a great storyteller and rper. But its a guy I'd never sit in a bar table to talk to.

Since he was so big, i still saw all this developing as the years passed. I saw the exposed thread, and i saw sasa's first stream on the subject and his own tweet admitting to have done everything Sasa had said (and a clip, that I can't for the love of god find rn. It was in the exposed thread but some tweets have disappeared since then so :/) and to stop harassing her because she was saying the truth and he was the toxic one and he was going to do therapy

A LOT OF PEOPLE showed their support to Sasa at the time. Cellbit lost a lot of subs and a lot of YouTubers covered the situation. It WASN'T pushed under the rug, it was front and center, EVERYONE that was in the Brazilian yt environment at the time knew about it

Both him and Sasa stopped talking about it after, they said everything had been said, Sasa's friends backed her up with screenshots and sharing her vod. Sasa changed everything about her media presence, trying to distance herself from Cellbit, but ppl never stopped asking her, ever since 2018/2019, getting worse whenever Cellbit did something big, ppl relived her stuff, and she got SHOWERED in hate for it, everytime

And she asked to stop bringing it up because it wasn't doing any good, it was just bringing her more hate and making ppl distance themselves from her bc she was becoming = to drama in online communities

And then she had a breakdown on stream in 2021 about it. Y'all seen the clips with caption.

First thing i have to say: These clips are out of order. And out of context as well

This is the thread with the almost entirety of her Livestream

First thing to point out: She has not healed from her relationship with Cellbit at that point (2021). She didn't manage to get support immediately after and only got psychological support in 2020, 1-2 years after everything she went down

She is crying and she is saying how she is getting tired of being silenced and being ignored. She says she's her own person and did everything to distance herself from Cellbit but people keep bringing that up. She says how everyweek someone still shows up to ask her about Cellbit, how when the exposed came out she got so much hate it badly fucked with her mental health. She says ppl started spreading around she was also toxic, when she wasn't AND cellbit never said she was. She then says she doesn't wanna keep talking in details or bringing it up again (which y'all can see at the very start of this same captioned clip), plus saying she left a lot of details out BECAUSE she didn't want to enter in those details

She then asks if ppl are going to keep ignoring her words (dismissing her abuse, twisting her words, ignoring her pleads to be left alone), to do it quietly without invading her chat or personal socials bc she is tired of being hammered with that everyday and she just wants to heal

Once again: Cellbit confirmed everything, and both have ended discussion, Sasa wants to be left alone

This is all I know. Now please, stop dragging Sasa back into this. I've seen this poor girl crying way too many times

#qsmp #cellbit #discourse tw

[ape-apocalypse]

Road To The Kingdom - Before The Dawn YouTube Shorts

The three 'Before The Dawn' short films were created by Motherboard in association with 20th Century Fox, the studio running the Planet of the Apes films. They were aired as promos in the months before Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, meant to bridge the gap between Rise and Dawn. They focus on human survivors trying to make it through each day as society falls apart around them.

Spread Of Simian Flu takes place in Year 1 post-outbreak and features a family where the mother is locked in quarantine while the father and daughter visit her. The mother tries to be cheery for her daughter while the father lies about them having a safe place to live. It is bittersweet to see the family on both sides of the quarantine glass lying to the other to keep their spirits up. They hold onto hope for one another while searching for food and shelter.

Struggling To Survive is five years after the outbreak. The focus of this short is a woman and the boy in her care trying to survive while power begins to fail in the city. She finds luxury items and trades them for food and other necessities, thinking on how those she trades with are clinging to the past rather than planning for the future. This internal monologue is very condescending, a stark contrast to the strained but still present hope of the family in the first short. Perhaps that was the intent, showing the bitterness needed to survive as the years go on.

Story of the Gun covers a full decade through the fall of society. As the title states, a shotgun is the main character of this video as we follow it from human owner to owner through the years. We don't spend enough time with any one person to get attached to any particular character (though I do enjoy the conspiracy rambling guy, he gets a chuckle out of me) but the whirlwind of moving from person to person really conveys the chaotic feeling of the apocalypse. The ending, with the shotgun being abandoned at the feet of unseen apes, hints at the violence to come in Dawn, one that will lead to the film getting nicknamed as simply "The Apes Riding Horses With Guns Movie".

Motherboard also released a 15 minute documentary alongside the fictional shorts called The Real Planet Of The Apes, a true story that I'd never heard before: an island in Liberia where chimpanzees who were once laboratory test apes are the sole inhabitants and many humans fear to visit. Though not having anything to do with the fictional POTA, it is interesting to see apes interacting with humans. They are gentle and playful with humans they trust but can be aggressive to those they don't know, with locals telling tourists they will be killed if they go there. Major content warning for this short; it talks about and shows videos of real world ape testing and injuries, as well as human death/murder, starvation and violence. The good news is that, as of a 2022 article, the apes are still being cared for by the locals.

The video shorts are a fun little dive into the collapse of human society; personally I'll never pass up the opportunity to see that in fiction. They're good quality for being promotional videos on YouTube. The main downside is there is very little to make them stand out as being part of Planet Of The Apes. No apes are seen (which makes sense; they likely didn't have any budget for a CG ape), just alluded to through shadows and sound effects. Because of this, they feel pretty typical of any apocalyptic story without being entirely unique to the POTA franchise. But they're still well done, even eerier now after 2020 Covid lockdowns than when they first released in 2014. Watching all three fictional shorts back-to-back-to-back takes only 30 minutes so, even without any apes, they're a quick but enjoyable viewing experience. 

Intro / Previous / Next

#dawn of the planet of the apes #rise of the planet of the apes #planet of the apes #kingdom of the planet of the apes #war for the planet of the apes #war of the planet of the apes #pota #reboot pota #motherboard #caesar #mine #before the dawn #andy serkis

[themimicbird]

Currently Free Films & Series on YouTube

Version From: March 31, 2024

💋 Disclaimer: I will attempt to update this list as needed. To ensure you're viewing the most up to date list, click the link in my pin post. The following are not listed in any order. Films & Series are added based on YouTube monetary status, genre, content, wardrobe, or having a storyline within the industries/themes related to my blog. Feel free to suggest things to add!

Ballet Shoes (2007)

Adopted by an eccentric explorer, three orphans struggle to fulfill their ambitious dreams of being an actor, pilot, and ballet dancer. Being poor themselves they accept the offer of an free dance education and stage roles. The three sisters attempt to chance their dreams and make enough money to make ends meet.

Penelope (2008)

Born with the snout of a pig, young Penelope Wilhern spends life as a virtual prisoner in her home. Believing that the only way to break the curse is to marry one of her own kind, that of a high status, she meets a number of suitors but all reject her. Two devious men, one with a grudge against the family, hire a man to pose as a suitor, but complications arise when he begins to fall in love with Penelope, and she makes a bid for freedom.

Sparkle (2012)

In the tradition of "dreamgirls" comes this Cinderella based story. Three sisters from Harlem form a singing group and try to make it big which leads them to take a path of romance, tragedy, and finally triumph.

27 Dresses (2008)

Perennial bridesmaid Jane always puts the needs of others before her own, making her the go-to gal whenever someone needs help with wedding plans. So when Jane's younger sister Tess snags the man Jane secretly loves, Jane finds herself questioning her role as a wedding junkie for the first time in her life. Meanwhile, a handsome reporter sees Jane's unusual story as his ticket off the bridal beat.

Boys on the Side (1995)

After breaking up with her girlfriend, a nightclub singer, Jane, answers a personal ad from Robin, a real estate agent with AIDS, seeking a cross-country travel partner. On their journey from New York City to Los Angeles, the two stop by Pittsburgh to pick up Robin's friend Holly, who is trying to escape an abusive relationship. With three distinct personalities, the women must overcome their differences to help one another.

The Magic of Ordinary Days (1995)

Set during World War II, the poignant love story is about an unwed pregnant woman who is sent to a small Colorado town to marry a lonely farmer who agrees to raise her child as his own. Livy Dunne dreams of a career as an archaeologist until she becomes pregnant by a dashing soldier who leaves her behind.

H20 Just Add Water (2009) | 3 Seasons

Teenagers always feel different, but these three Australian girls really are different; they're mermaids! Trying to keep their special powers a secret is hard for Emma, Rikki and Cleo. When they're not in school they're using their magical powers to save sea turtles and rescue those in need. Local bully Zane and popular snob Miriam don't make it easy on the girls to keep their adventures hidden.

That Girl (1969) | 3 Seasons

From the small town of Brewster in upstate New York, Ann Marie has just moved to New York City on her own to pursue an acting career, much to the chagrin of her overprotective parents, Lew and Helen Marie, who see both Ann's chosen career and New York City as no place a young woman should navigate on her own. As Ann goes on one audition after another, she has to decide if any acting role is worth it in the long term of the serious actress she sees herself as being. In living her New York City life, Ann meets Donald Hollinger, a magazine writer, the two who fall for each other. Don is another aspect of New York that Lew in particular doesn't like, as although he knows deep down that Don is a good guy, no man is good enough in Lew's eyes for his daughter.

A Perfect 14 (2020)

Exploring the fascinating world of plus-size modelling and the women involved who are fighting to reshape fashion and the standards of society.

#film #movies #Ballet Shoes #penelope #sparkle #youtube #free to watch with ads #free streaming #free movies #themimicbird #27 dresses #boys on the side #magic of Ordinary days #h20 just add water #that girl 1969 #that girl #a perfect 14

[golbrocklovely]

Twitter is trying to cancel SnC yet again I see.

If I were SnC I would literally just delete all my twitter profiles except for their channels twitter which I'd then use ONLY for promoting when new videos drop. Just so the twitter fans can learn that they aren't as important as they seem to think they are because those boys are nearly at 12 million subscribers on youtube, twitter is but a mere handful of that subscriber count so it really wouldn't matter if they all decided to stop watching.

(plus the video they're all angry at is actually performing very well, it's already at 2M views on just day 2 of releasing. This suggests a lot of the fandom may not share twitters opinions...)

i don't see snc deleting their twitters, but i do see them continuing to not use them and just letting them sit dormant bc that side of the fandom is too dramatic.

i've said my peace on this 100 times over, but i don't mind saying it again bc it keeps happening and no one over there is getting it lol

not that i'm telling them either since most of them i have blocked or they have me blocked lmao

that side of the fandom has cried wolf one too many times and now expects snc to still listen to them. and look, back in 2020/21, maybe that would have happened. bc twitter held a lot more stock back then. but not anymore. they thought they could call out snc for every little thing and expect them to always listen and for all of the fandom to agree. and reality is that just won't fly anymore.

were there genuine reasons to call them out before in the past (and even now)? sure. i'm not here to argue that. but what i am saying is once everyone jumped over the line in the sand and started getting mean and calling them out for nonsense things, idk what you expected to happen.

it's one thing to complain about content and what's going on in it or that it's taking too long to get new content out. it's another thing to bitch about their gfs and say they shouldn't date them, or in general to bring up personal shit.

where our input starts and ends is content related, and that's it. anyone that thinks they have a say in what snc do in their own personal lives are delulu. it doesn't matter if you believe you have their best interest in mind, your input is unwanted. that's just reality.

also i think a lot of ppl on twitter think they speak for everyone in the fandom but they fail to realize that this fandom has 12 mil ppl in it (roughly). even if one of the louder fans on there has a 1000 followers, that's not even 1% of the entire fandom. that's not even .01%. that's how little the amount of ppl you speak for.

my thing is, all of this complaining and drama started in january, around colby's bday, when the pics of them with the girls leaked. and since then, this fandom and that side in particular hasn't shut up since. and look, obviously not everything is about the girls and not everyone is even complaining about the girls. i'm not trying to cast wide nets here and assume. but… be honest: yall have been complaining for WEEKS about a variety of things, ranging from them having gfs that might be clout chasers to snc not talking about a genocide, and somehow…….. i'm supposed to take any of that seriously??? snc are supposed to take that seriously??? those are two VERY different things, no?

but hey, you wanna be upset at snc for whatever reason, be my guest. i'm not here to stop you. do whatever you want. but at what point do you just accept that snc aren't gonna meet your demands and thus your only option is to leave?? just curious. and are you okay with the fact that just bc you leave doesn't mean anyone is gonna miss you, including snc? harsh reality is snc don't know who you are, and that's not bc you don't deserve to be known - they just realistically don't know you, and you leaving isn't gonna do anything.

but if you aren't enjoying your time here, leave. it's better in the long run to pay attention to something that actually brings you happiness rather than stick around and be miserable.

#ask #personal #snc bs

[comradekatara]

what’s in the gaang’s youtube history 📺

aang likes videos of people doing impressive skateboard tricks, video game speedruns, heartwarming videos titled smth like "WATCH THIS TO HAVE YOUR FAITH IN HUMANITY RESTORED", unlikely animal friends, cats being silly, puppies running around, comedy sketches with high production value, and whatever else 12 year old boys watch on youtube (lego??? minecraft??? pokemon??? i .... don't actually know)

katara is addicted to youtube almost as much as she is addicted to twitter. she watches so many longass videos on social/political issues and then tweets the creators about how one hour and forty three minutes into the video they stated an opinion that she personally disagreed with, and she demands an apology. she also loves elaborate makeup tutorials that she would never even bother to attempt to replicate (but she likes to think that maybe one day if she gets invited to the met gala, she now has some looks to choose from)

sokka's youtube library is extremely eclectic. he can't stop clicking on videos titled shit like "intro to particle physics" just to watch the entire thing and be like "why did i watch this i knew all that already." but yknow. he just had to make sure. he's a big fan of chris fleming, and he's made all his friends watch "gigi the christmas snake" multiple times. he's gone down a lot of rabbitholes in his day, but his personal favorite side of youtube is the videos of chemical reactions, especially the ones that end in an explosion.

toph occasionally enjoys listening to longass video essays about obscure topics, but mostly she just listens to podcasts. she’s also partial to this one video that’s just the sound of a chainsaw revving on a 10 hour loop, and she plays it at just the right volume that her parents will be like “what’s that awful noise?” to which she innocently responds “i don’t hear anything” and they’re like “oh no you must be able to hear it, it’s so annoying” and toph’s like “are you sure? it sounds normal to me.” she tries this on katara once, but katara gets so frustrated that she just yells “oh wow didn’t realize you were blind AND deaf” and that leads them to get in a very violent brawl in which toph’s nose is nearly broken, so she decides to limit this particular gambit to the company of her parents only. 

zuko exclusively uses youtube to watch cute animal videos. otherwise, he's terrified he'll accidentally click on something that might potentially radicalize him, since he read somewhere that the algorithm was designed to do that, or worse, direct him to one of those content farm generated animations of elsa getting a c section, which is apparently also a concern. frankly, the internet scares him, and he tries to avoid it as much as possible.

suki watches npr tiny desks, kexp live, lofi hip hop anime beats to relax/study to, and best of vine compilations. anything on youtube that isn't music or shortform comedy simply does not interest her.

to boost her platform, ty lee decides to go on a reality show. she pretends to be a vapid airhead, but is actually very subtly manipulating not only the other contestants, but also the crew. she walks away from the whole experience with double the number of instagram followers (she already had a sizable amount) and a huge bag. anyway, azula goes through a phase of obsessively watching a lot of clips from. that

mai is indebted to the guy who reuploaded all the “patti reviews exotic animals” videos after they got taken down from the original channel. her favorite youtube video of all time though is nathan fielder thin watermelon. she rewatches it at least once a week

ty lee’s youtube history is just meditation playlists and also the goriest true crime stories she can find #justgirlythings <3

yue loves the artful simplicity of those animated tedx videos. they’ve led her down a lot of really interesting research rabbitholes. she promised katara she’d stop sending them to sokka though after he spent the next month telling her about nothing but eel mating habits and lesser known facts about genghis khan

iroh only uses youtube to watch recordings of tea ceremonies and isn’t even aware that there are other types of videos on the platform. ignorance is truly bliss 

jet exclusively watches videos with the word “callout” in the title. the longer and more contrived, the better

#kyoshialone #asks #the gaang and #modern au #i guess #this ask was really hard because my knowledge of the content on youtube is very limited lmao #clearly i shouldve asked my brother what kids his age are into before trying to answer this

[ardathksheyna]

Do It For You

I haven't been posting my art as much. The reason? I'm tired of attempting to coerce whatever algorithm each site is using to reach my current followers or even new followers—and that includes Tumblr. I was doing pretty good on Instagram... until they changed their algos to favor big influencers more, which happened sometime in August.

Actually, Tumblr seems to be the worst offender compared to other sites. Or I'm probably getting pissy because of the tabs "For You", "Your tags", and "Following"—all three show me the same shit I saw a few days ago. And don't even get me started on Tumblr Live. If I wanted Only Fans, I'd go to Only Fans. But I digress...

Since then, I've slowed down on posting artwork of any sort on all platforms that I'm part of. Yesterday was probably the first piece I've posted in a while, and that was basically done on a whim.

Anyway, what it boils down to is I am (and a lot of other people) are tired of sacrificing mental health for likes because in order to keep the engagement, you have to constantly churn out piece after piece. Unfortunately, the algorithms seem to favor quantity over quality—you can bust your ass on a piece, but someone else churning out prompts (yes, I'm referring to AI art) can get more engagement because that's what the algos favor: speed.

AI art is problematic by itself—for many reasons, the least of which is how the AI algo is trained. However, that is a complicated mess and another thoughtful post for another time.

On the flip-side, algorithms also favor videos over static content—Insta's in particular (basically favoring the sloppy seconds of TikTok over genuine content). On that subject, I like YouTube's implementation (Shorts) better than Instagram's anyway.

All that being said, the current climate of the internet is hostile to content creators. Twenty years ago, you didn't have this uphill battle of trying to train an algorithm just to get views. Really, all you had to do optimize for search engines and you were pretty much set.

Now, it's a balance between your mental health and trying to retain the level of engagement that you do have, and then become frustrated when you're doing everything right and still get fucked because some bean-counter decided that they want more profits.

It's almost too easy to get discouraged and think that what you're doing doesn't matter and all you're really doing is shouting into the void. When that happens, you have to ask yourself these questions:

Who are you doing this for? (0 for someone else, 10 for yourself)

Do you like making art? (0 for no, 10 for yes)

Do you want the attention (rate 0 to 10)

Are you only doing this for likes (rate 0 to 10)

Yeah, I made that up on the spot. Whatever score for each question you come up with will tell you where your priorities are. If you're doing this for anything other than enjoyment or for yourself, well... that leads me to my next part:

You see, I learned a long time ago that when you're doing something mental/time-intensive for reasons other than pure enjoyment, it is very easy to get burned out quickly. I know this because once upon a time, I used to enjoy writing code. After graduation, I spent my free time trying to improve my skills—not for myself or because I enjoyed it, but because I thought it was the only way for me to retain a job in my field.

Well, I think we know how that ended—badly.

Because of my past experiences, I made a decision a while ago that what I'm doing, I'm doing for me (and maybe my boyfriend) but not for anyone else. The stories I write, the artwork I create. I'm not doing it for likes, I'm doing it for me, because I like what I do. Because I like the creative process and seeing how far can I push my skills.

So keep that in mind if you're struggling with mental-health and trying to beat bullshit algorithms. It's not worth the stress, and that stress just steals energy from your creativity.

You're doing what you love for you and maybe a few others—not for likes, attentions, engagement or whatever fake internet points exist nowadays.

Remember: do it for you!

#thoughts #art #fuck social media #social media #mental health #Spotify #fuck algorithms #fuck ai art

[absolutebl]

Hi,...

This time I'll keep it short and simple, unlike the usual lengthy explanation that I give every time prior to asking questions to you.

***

With respect to BL Drama Series,...official YouTube Channels of the production companies are the official streaming platform through which international fans can easily access the content,...unless one lives in North Korea. [Like for example: GMMTV, Studio Wabi-Sabi, Mandee (Former Domundi), Wayu Film Productions, AIS Play etc,..etc,...]

Then,...when it comes to paid OTT Platforms for BL Dramas,...we have Viki, GagaOOLala, iQIYI, and NETFLIX.

AIS Play App is not accessible to international audience, so I've ruled that out, because only Thai fans can access it...and I'm not sure if there are any other Apps in particular which broadcasts BL dramas from only certain specific countries like,...Apps catering to only South Korea BLs, or Taiwanese BLs.

***

So,...my question to you are as follows:

Apart from the ones mentioned above, which are the other OTT Platforms, in which BL Drama Series are aired officially?

Does each country prefer a certain OTT platform that they're comfortable with? Like for e.g: South Korean BLs are easily available on Viki, Filipino & Japanese BLs are exclusively only available on GagaOOLala, Thai BLs are available on iQIYI?

Which OTT platform according to you is the best and worth subscribing to for a longer time period? (I know this is a very specific question with a subjective answer,...but still your opinion will add value to what the larger BL audience prefer.)

Some OTT Platforms like GagaOOLala offers subscription on a comparatively cheaper rate if one subscribes for an entire year via their credit card. What is your opinion on this, and do you think it's worth it given that GagaOOLala only offers BL and LGBTQ content unlike other OTT Platforms?

Is their any BL Drama Series available on "MUBI",...which is a streaming platform with quite a good LGBTQ content?

Where are most of the LINE TV content available right now? Which means,...where can one watch "TharnType" Season-1 & 2, "Why R U!?" The Series, since LINE TV is shut down?

The BL audience would be extremely grateful to you,...if you can share a chart as to where can one watch all the BL Drama Series that are aired so far? (For e.g: "Don't Say No" on GagaOOLala, "KinnPorsche" on iQIYI, "Triage" on AIS Play, "Your Name Engraved Herein" on NETFLIX...etc,...etc,...)

I've some more technical questions with respect to the OTT platforms that I'd like to ask,...but I'll keep that for another post.

Thanks!

xoxo

Arjuna

This isn't my precise field. I've only ever worked with one side or the other of this equation (studio or distributor), not with how the two negotiate with each other or construct contracts or anything. But I'll answer what I can.

Apart from the ones mentioned above, which are the other OTT Platforms, in which BL Drama Series are aired officially?

I think you pretty much named them all.

OTT Platforms for BL Dramas:

Viki (Japanese parent corp Rakutan)

GagaOOLala (Taiwanese corp)

iQIYI (Chinese parent corp Baidu)

NETFLIX (American corp) - technically the biggest in the world (by global eyeballs, not revenue) if you don’t count... 

YouTube (American parent corp Alphabet) as an OTT (I do) 

Hullu (American) seems to be getting into the game, but slowly. 

Other OTTs with large market share and profitability but little to no BL: Disney+ (AKA Hotstar), Jio TV, and Amazon Prime. (These were actually at the very top in 2020, and are some of the biggest revenue generators). (Here’s a decent analysis and trend report.) 

Okay, here we go. Put aside the BL aspect for a moment? 

I’d like you to look at the list above and notice that the country with the fastest growing market share in the entertainment industry as a creator/producer right now (in drama series) isn’t listed as holding a market share in OTT. 

What’s that country?

South Korea 

Oh and they know it. Many of us have been waiting for them to make serious inroads in this arena. I mean why create all the content and then farm all the eyeballs out to other countries’ corps? I, for one, am outright SHOCKED Kakao doesn’t have a global OTT. SHOCKED. 

Oh and they noticed, big time. CHINA has 21% of the Kdrama market share. China! South Korea is not gonna be entirely happy about that (shall we say?). 

So in 2021 this happened: 

Leading South Korean OTT Platform Content Wavve CEO Talks $900M International Roll-Out (April 2021)

Kakao joins OTT race with INISOFT acquisition (May 2021) 

Korean OTT platform TVing to go abroad with Naver's LINE (Oct 2021) 

Kakao is the big guns and, I think, the one to watch. But it’s a race now. 

Okay back to your questions:

Does each country prefer a certain OTT platform that they're comfortable with? Like for e.g: South Korean BLs are easily available on Viki, Filipino & Japanese BLs are exclusively only available on GagaOOLala, Thai BLs are available on iQIYI?

Yes. And I think it probubly has a LOT to do with existing studio contracts for distribution, as well as politics, and international relations. Let’s take KBL as an example. In very broad brush strokes, and despite history, Korea’s external market targets are going to be Japan, the US, and China. They might not like it, but there it is. However they have solid social (e.g. tourist) and business partnerships with places like Taiwan and Thailand. Just like they do politically, South Korea has a really narrow tightrope to walk entertainment industry-wise. Until recently they’ve been focused mainly on content creation, expansion, and growth specifically into the international market with Kpop, secondarily Kdramas. Now I think we will see Hallyu start to focus more on how that content is distributed with a nationalistic refocus on revenue. Which is another way of saying Korea has changed global taste and trends to their specifications, they now needs to reclaim ownership in terms of distributor revenue. It’s going to be interesting to watch them try. 

Thailand is entirely different, they simply do not have the infrastructure for any kind of tech expansion (right now), all their SMS and other communication systems are non-native (Kakao, Line, etc...). It’s pretty evident from just their ET industry that they don’t have the trained talent or personnel in country. (I would suspect that, outside of the medical industry, Thailand has a human capital flight issue (AKA brain drain) especially around tech-heads, but this is not an area of research I study.) Still, it’s evident that, basically Thailand ET exists principally as creative entities without the capacity for distribution. AKA Thai BL studios must contract with other countries’s platforms to go wide, or go direct to YouTube. 

But there’s ALSO status and prejudice strife between the East Asian countries and the rest of Asia to the north that ALSO impacts who they work/contract with. 

Finally, Taiwan (socially liberal with marriage equality) and Japan (just hella kinky) are going to feel safest hosting and distributing higher heat and blatantly queer content, which is why GaGa and Viki lead for that content. 

Which OTT platform according to you is the best and worth subscribing to for a longer time period? (I know this is a very specific question with a subjective answer,…but still your opinion will add value to what the larger BL audience prefer.)

I did a stats analysis for this one relatively recently. Which OTT platform are worth subscribing to for BL? 

But a cost benefit analysis depends on your taste and how much the subscription costs in your country. 

YT with the most content (and longest shows) at 42% of BL is free, but i hate ads and like to download for travel, so it’s worth it for me to pay for YT premium of $11.99. 

Gaga actually has about 28% of market (in number of shows), and for me the cheapest price point, $6.99, but their stuff is mostly shorter, darker, and higher heat. And they don’t host a ton of new content. 

Viki has about 13% but their quality is highest, IMHO, most of my favorite shows are there, and usually the best new stuff. Their sub is also $11.99, but since i watch a ton of other Kdramas and I like their interface, I consider them a necessity in my life. Also I like Rakutan’s corporate culture and attitude, if been to some of their conferences. 

I’ve considered subbing WeTV just long enough to gank WBL season 2, but I don’t see myself sticking with them, so far they’ve never had anything else I couldn’t get elsewhere. 

Some OTT Platforms like GagaOOLala offers subscription on a comparatively cheaper rate if one subscribes for an entire year via their credit card. What is your opinion on this, and do you think it's worth it given that GagaOOLala only offers BL and LGBTQ content unlike other OTT Platforms?

Yes. But I love GaGa and I want to support Taiwanese companies in general, so I’m in favor from an ethical standpoint. Also I am not as price sensitive as most. 

Is their any BL Drama Series available on "MUBI",…which is a streaming platform with quite a good LGBTQ content?

I don’t know. 

Where are most of the LINE TV content available right now? Which means,…where can one watch "TharnType" Season-1 & 2, "Why R U!?" The Series, since LINE TV is shut down?

Mostly Viki. 

For these 5:

Brothers

Loveless Society

Love With Benefits

My Mate Match

The Yearbook

I don’t know. But why would you want to watch them? 

The BL audience would be extremely grateful to you,…if you can share a chart as to where can one watch all the BL Drama Series that are aired so far? 

I have 405 BLs in my spreadsheet. That’s a steep ask. Better to go by percentages:

YouTube 42%

Gaga 28%

Viki 13%

Grey/Nowhere legal 6%

Unknown 5%

Known Other (iqiyi, WeTV etc...) 2%

If you’re looking for a specific show, you can send me an ask or leave a comment anytime and I can usually tell you where I last found it. 

(source)

#Kbl #bl distribution #bl on ott #bl streaming #korean bl

[38sr]

#industryQs How do you feel about the current state of animation, in the wake of the HBO/Discovery merger? -Kohai

I figured this question would come my way sooner or later. Before I get into my thoughts/feelings, I want to make it clear that everything I write in this post are my feelings alone and are not of the reflection of the whole industry. Nor are my opinions on the matter the exact same perspectives my friends and peers who work alongside me in the animation space (specifically those working for big name companies like HBO/Discovery). With that out of the way, I guess it's time to delve a bit on my thoughts on the whole situation. I will include questions from a different anon who asked a similar question just to cover everything in one post. Opinions on the mess that is HBO/Warner bros decisions to axe a lot of beloved animated content?

I'll be honest. It sucks. It really fucking sucks and my heart goes out to everyone who not just only worked on these productions but also fans, animation hopefuls, emerging artists and more who loved these productions. People who were inspired by these productions to keep creating (whether for a big company, streaming platform, or independently). It's heartless to take away something loved by many. It's complete disrespect to disregard the hard work of people who carried the entertainment industry for 2 years (en-counting) when a pandemic made it dangerous for our live-action counterparts to do their jobs. This isn't anything necessarily new since animation in America has always been seen lesser than or not as valuable. But this particular time around it stings so much 'cause we've been working non stop to give products to corporations with the backdrop of a pandemic and still our work, our time, our efforts, our love for the craft are seen as expendable, replaceable and undervalued. I understand that my emotions are heavily leading this portion of the answer so I apologize if it comes off as emotional or over-reactionary. But I guess I can't hide my feelings for something I've been so passionate about for many years since childhood. I know there is a lot of...we'll call it comments about these cuts are for tax-write offs similar to Batgirl and Scoob. To be honest, I don't know if thats true. I don't think we'll know until the company publicly shares that information. But even then, I still don't think it's worth burning bridges with creatives for a short term fix. This is more than just creatives and production peeps who work on these productions on the American side of the pipeline. There's also overseas studios who were contracted to work on these productions (and may I remind that they aren't getting the union wages and benefits like us in the States) who just lost work that might have been their main source of income for their employees. Those companies aren't as big as Nick, CN, Disney and rely on contracts with American studios to keep their business afloat, to keep people and families in financial stability. It's just...a lack of empathy and the out-of-touchness with people who aren't million/billionaires that makes this stuff feel so heart wrenching. These are people's lives who are being burned at the end of the day. Is it really worth destroying all those years of relationships (both with creatives and consumers) and legacy of culture/art? I don't know. I'm not a millionaire/billionaire so I can't begin to imagine where they are coming from. But from my perspective as an animation worker, it's out right heartless and hurtful. How is everyone in the industry reacting?

I cannot, and will not, speak for others in the industry. But even then, I think the general consensus is pretty clear if you follow any animation professionals on social media (along with animation fans on platforms like Youtube and such). I feel upset about what has been happening in the animation industry (way before the HBO/Discovery situation). I love my job, love the craft, and want to share these amazing worlds and new stories with you all. But I will admit sometimes it does feel a bit stifling that these big companies don't value us and aren't willing to trust not just us but the audience to discover something new and invest in that. And with that I go into the last question-- How do you feel about the current state of animation, in the wake of the HBO/Discovery merger?

Contrary to what people might think about me, I'm actually a very cynical and pessimistic person. Strange I know but it's true haha. But over the years (and many therapy sessions), I've learned how to take my natural negative outlook on life and view it from a different perspective to stop me from spiraling. The best way I can describe into words is just....sometimes things gotta get worse in order to get better. By no means am I telling you all reading this is the ultimate way of perceiving the HBO/Discovery situation and current state of American animation. For me, and only me, this thought is what keeps me from spiraling and helps me channel all the anger, hurt, frustration, and all those emotions into something more productive. Does it sucks that this is happening? Of course. And people who affected by this (either you were employed on these productions or fans) are allowed to feel and process those emotions. I cannot stop you from expressing how you feel and won't stop you. Emotions are natural after all. But the way I see it (as of writing this post), I believe this will breed a new wave of creatives that might break off from the traditional method of creating animated media (or any media in general). Animation is a team effort. Art is created by people, not companies or brands. Sure the companies can fund said art but the ones who make it, conceptualize it, breathe life into it, that is done by artists (and yes I'm including people who work in production roles 'cause we wouldn't get anything done without them). I've already seen and heard fellow friends and peers who have started to form art collective groups so they can bring their talents together to make the stories studios would never touch with a 100 foot pole. Hell, I've been in one for over 6 months now with a small group of industry friends and we're about to release our first project next month. And we just had a meeting last week about future projects we want to do and schedule brainstorm sessions. So as discouraging and bleak it looks right now, we haven't given up hope and nor should anyone who aspires to work in animation. At the end of the day, what makes your favorites shows, games, movies, etc aren't the CEOs or execs of HBO/Discovery, Netflix or whatever. It's the artists, the productions artists, the voice actors, the riggers, the modelers, the editors, the writers, the designers, the composers, the assistants, the directors, and many more who pour their time, effort and love to make the media you love. So if anything, give your support to them in any way you can. And I know this post talks mostly about the industry in terms of big name studios but the same amount of love and support should also go to independent studios, collectives and projects. Animation is hard and expensive, but if you wanna keep watching cool new stories and familiar old ones, show your support and give your love to them. Well this was a very long post...and I don't even think I fully expelled all my thoughts on the matter haha. But I hope this post doesn't discourage anybody about the current state of animation in America. We're still here and working hard to make it better for the next person and really the next generations of artists. This is more or less a slightly unfiltered response to what has happened in 2022 so far in animation. But I'm not gonna let it stop me doing from what I love. It may be pretty bad right now and I don't know how long the bad will last after what happened yesterday...but once the worst has happened it could mean the good is on the horizon.

#anon #ask #ask me questions #send anons #animation industry #hbo max discovery #industryQs

[makingspiritualityreal]

Why I almost lost myself and why I ultimately haven't.

Everyone is born unique. Even if just in some small way, we bring into this life something special, something noone else can quite do like we do, something that makes us all pioneers and revolutionaries. A priceless addition to our field, even if the foundation of it has been practiced many times over. There are no two Astrologers, Tarot Readers or Spiritual Influencers who would do things the exact same way.

However, as you embark on a journey of self expression which somehow brushes against a certain field, it is easy to fall into so many traps. The most dangerous one is the trap of losing yourself to conformism.

Realistically, people receive varying degrees of public attention. In our time and age, the currency of popularity has become a value in itself more than the content created. As you confront your fresh, personal ideas with a wave of external energies, it can result in a rude awakening. No matter how brilliant or inspired you are, you won't have a million followers the first day. Your success won't be immediate. And no matter how good you are at what you do, you will never manage to convince everyone of your worth. These can all be hard pills to swallow.

However, no matter how difficult this journey to receiving any public response may be, staying true to these fresh ideas that you started with is the only way to keep going. Because if you lose that unique spark of creativity in order to try to please anyone, you have just lost all reason for creating anything in the first place. Nothing you do from this point would ever be worth anything... because it's not YOU anymore.

I have had a very hard journey in that regard myself, simply because my way of contributing and creating opposes absolutely all modern social norms. I'm a Projector in Human Design, and for those who are familiar with HD know that this is enough to struggle with sharing your endeavours, because it requires swimming against the current of how the world is set up. But for those who are not familiar with HD, I will give a user-friendly explanation of my personal creativity process.

I don't believe in any working systems. I do what I do only when I feel like doing it. If that means going a year without writing a single word or recording a single video, so be it. That doesn't really happen, because my desire for self expression and sharing always calls out to me, but you get the idea. If I want to write about a particular Astrology transit, I will. If I have a phase of sharing about something particular and I get over it, then so be it. Like I got over posting tiktoks for every moon cycle because it felt too repetitive...but I might do it again one day if I feel like it. I don't even look at what everyone else is doing for the most part, and I avoid it extra in case it would try to give me an idea to think I should be doing something the way everyone else is.

I abhor routines. Whenever I thought of posting content at particular hours for viewer retention or scheduling content on specific days (the cliché of YouTube videos twice a week every Tuesday and Friday...), I felt caged before I even created anything. I gave up on that idea ages ago, and I don't promise any strict regulatity in anything I do.

I refuse to put myself in a box of any titles related to what I do. I communicate my deeper ideas, and use things such as Astrology, Tarot or Numerology to talk about what is meaningful and give people new perspective on esoteric sciences, but I bring deeper spiritual concepts through everything I say and do, and have no interest in limiting myself to any of these things. I also love the physical side of life, and will definitely post about that more also when life gives me more opportunities to do it, and I don't find it any less spiritual to talk about my love for food or decorating my home or connecting with nature.

Even in the esoteric fields, after years of experience I grew to understand Vedic Astrology contains the most truth...which means disagreeing with the Western Astrology community, still hands down the biggest social gathering for those interested in the subject. If I had it my way, everyone would wake up tomorrow having enough wisdom to understand the true depth behind the energy of the Nakshatras, understanding the revised meanings behind zodiac signs. Which is something I hope my Astrology writing helps with.

I don't subscribe to the "work-pay" system. Naturally, I charge for private readings as they require a lot of my energy and attention, but I have no interest in being an around-the-clock reading service, as I prefer a copious amount of time to breathe out and enjoy my life, which is what allows me to bring my quality of content to such heights.

For most of these things, I have been punished, traumatised, bullied and denied basic human needs, such as love, money or recognition.

My family told me to "get a normal job and get serious about life" more times than I can count. They offered me absolutely no emotional or physical support.

I went through many financial and housing problems, due to coming from a poor background and a complete lack of practical help on anyone's part since my only parent died when I was 20. My family left me alone with all my difficulties since then, offering nothing but critique and more trauma.

All my adult romantic endeavours so far have failed, because I tend to trigger everyone I'm intimate with to truly look at themselves, which people can't stand. People I loved have refused my heart for my sensitivity, openness and unapologetic commitment to my vulnerability most of my adult life, favouring people of a more cold hearted nature instead. Everyone I ever cared about has failed by choosing the easy way out.

These are the kind of situations that can ruin a person, when they accumulate. Yesterday, I had a breaking point. The mix of all my problems has become unbearable. I found myself alone, despite all my attempts, feeling unsuccessful in all areas of my life, even though I always did my best by everything and everyone. I couldn't stand being so profoundly unloved and unaccepted for everything I stand for, I couldn't stand having no reciprocity for all the love I poured out towards everything and everyone. I decided that being myself was not worth it anymore, and I hoped that if I beat myself hard enough, like everyone has always beaten and rejected me, I might actually become someone that receives that love that was always denied to me.

Then, as I was witnessing this very painful process in my mind, I caught a glimpse of what my life would have been like from now on. I saw myself losing all my magic out of that despair I was experiencing. I felt all the beautiful, deep thoughts, feelings and reflections that everything I do is based on, slip away from me. The worst part was, that I could feel myself starting to forget, that I ever had anything meaningful inside me in the first place. This one second felt more empty, than anything I have ever experienced in my life, before or after.

I pulled myself back immediately, and decided that I don't care how many times I feel hurt, rejected, unloved or unsuccessful. The beauty and purity of my inner world comes before anyone or anything else. It doesn't matter how many times in my life I heard that noone has time for who I am. It doesn't matter how many times I would get attacked or rejected for it. It doesn't matter how much heartache or suffering I go through to sustain it. It doesn't matter if noone else ever validates or loves my way of being. All of these things, as painful as they were, are nowhere as scary as the feeling of losing myself was.

The perk of this process was that it accidentally helped me dredge up some really painful feelings of rejection from childhood, when this wound originated. I never realised before how fundamentally rejected I felt for my innocence by my primary caregivers, until present day romantic situations mirrored it by rejecting me the same way. It only gave me more motivation to come back to myself as much as I can, even though it comes with a lot of fear.

As scary as it is to go around in the world, when you have been so severely, fundamentally traumatised just for being who you are, nothing is worth losing yourself. Nothing. No attempts at escape from pain can ever replace the fulfillment and peace of living in your authenticity. I'm saying this in my position, coming from a place of being downright punished just for existing and having feelings my entire life. I would still take this pain every day, tenfold, and choose it over the terror of that one second of thinking unconsciousness is the better way out. It never is.

I tested it for you. Don't try it yourself. You may not have the strength to go back, and staking your soul is the biggest risk you can take in this life. Any mistakes in this area are extremely painful and hard to go back from. It takes 10 times more effort to pull yourself back out than it takes to hold on.

#making spirituality real #spiritual growth #spiritual journey #spiritual development #spiritualawakening

[str8aura-no-not-that-one]

I'm curious, what exactly inspired your username

ive never really told this story have i

so, as youd expect from my variety of 'interests', i was a kid who spent a lot of her formative years on various websites i probably shouldnt have been. In particular i spent a lot of time on the Pokemon side of Deviantart, land of bad OCs and transformation fiction, which is why to this day is why i know so many pokemon despite having played relatively few games and generally hating turn based combat.

Back then there was a guy named Str8aura- yes, while this may come as a shock, 'The Other Str8aura' does in fact exist. While I rarely paid attention to usernames back then aside from a few D list internet celebrities i followed, i saw enough of his content for the username to burrow into my subconscious. Stealing? Maybe, but I need to reinforce that when the time came for me to make up a reddit username, i genuinely typed the first thing that came to mind without thinking about it, and only months later realized where i had gotten it from.

This is why my reddit account is pretty much my only primary account that uses just 'str8aura'. All of the others are named some variant to communicate that i am not The Other Str8aura, but the less popular one- or at least i was at the time, since now The Other Str8aura seems to have disappeared off the web and ive amassed a tiny following myself. On top of continuing the running joke, it also helps separate my content due to my continuing mortification at stealing this poor guys username and accidentally building an identity around it- all of which came to a head when i first came to tumblr and saw, to my terror, my friends treating The Other Str8aura’s account like my own. @str8auratalks, said Other Str8aura’s abandoned tumblr, is also why i named my art blog what i did in reference.

My youtube account also happens to be named after an unfinished project of mine but thats another story for another day

So thats the relatively short story of The Other Str8aura and how a much younger me accidentally fucked up my chances of guiltless internet popularity.

#god i have so many DA stories actually #my posts #oc #meme #pokemon #reddit #stories #real life

[tera-91]

More word salad

I know I just posted today, maybe yesterday depending on when I decide to post this. I was torn. What should I do with my time? If the last several days were any hint I probably wouldn’t be getting to sleep anytime soon.

I could be productive. I could go to my computer to do one of many things.

I could edit my youtube videos. But Im stuck. The video Im working on got a little garbled. The video is there but the audio is either lost or im not sure where it goes as I recorded it in several sessions. Unfortunately, I cant scrap it as it is part of a series and the remaining videos I recorded follow that. Should I just skip it for now and at least get the follow up videos edited?

I don’t really want to do that as I just spent im not sure how long. At least a few hours recording more of the series today. Im a bit spent on the topic.

I could go to my computer to work on another project but that would require talking. There is so much background noise as I live with other people. It wont work. Or at least I feel like it wont. That and I don’t really feel like talking in general. Its times like this that I wish I lived alone. I could make sure there was no background noise. Or at least no one would ask me why Im up at 3 in the morning talking to myself.

I could go to my computer to write. Which I am doing that but I mean should probably work on scripts. I want to do other content than what Im doing now and it would require scripts. Ive done it before but it takes so long to write, check over the script, record it, edit the audio as sometimes its takes a few tries at a line and then edit the video. If I did that I would only release a video every month, maybe every other month. Which doesn’t work for building a channel.

I could write a story. But what kind of story? I feel like I haven’t watch sanders sides in such a long time. Or at least I feel like I have lost touch with how I feel the characters personalities are like. Same thing about the ninja turtles. Its been forever and a day since I watched any of the series. Or the movies. It makes me want to just go on my phone and go down a rabbit hole of watching those things over again to get a feel of the personalities. But do I want to do that? I want to get off of just watching endless videos and get productive. Or do I write it anyway? I remember seeing stories before where the author puts ooc for a particular character. Specifically saying that the character is written in a way that is not how they are written canonically. Maybe I should just do that.  

I might do that after I finish writing this. Hey at least over 500 words is a start at something. Even if it is just a word salad of a map in my brain. A map that has been ripped to pieces and somehow transferred to there pieces of paper so some things are inverted and one is trying to put it back together. Probably by the time I am done with this it will be nearly 800 words. A thousand if I am lucky. Something to get my brain started. I loved writing out quick stories thinking they would just be 800 words or less and then they turned into 1500, 2000, sometimes even over 3000 words.

I read nearly all the stories I posted on here today while I had to wait for something. It was as if those words didn’t come from me. Like I wasn’t the writer and I was reading the story for the first time. Im not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Like I remember writing them, the titles familiar and all but its like I cant believe I wrote them. I don’t know where they came from. But the mild EMBARASSMENT I felt. Maybe its not embarrassment. Im not completely sure of the word but I felt I guess like I shouldn’t be reading them in public even though theres nothing bad or risqué in them. Although some spelling mistakes I realized while reading them were completely embarrassing. But the fluffiness of what I would write. I have no idea where that came from or how to get back to it. It almost made me feel sad. Or maybe disappointed too. The amount of time that has passed. Seeing comments of people wanting to be tagged in a story. I feel like I let them down because I didn’t continue with it. If I continued with it or even started it over and tagged them would they still be interested?

Wow writing that all down makes it sound like I am so sad or depressed. Hell I might be a little depressed. Mostly just disappointed maybe of where I am. A little frustration to. Feeling like my hands are figuratively tied. Wanting something so bad while not wanting it at the same time. Like Im self sabatoging myself while still wishing I had something that I currently don’t. But I swear I am not in the sense that Ive dealt with a time before that was worse than this. I mean literally depressed that I didn’t take a shower but once a week, just went to school and didn’t do nothing else with my days but do homework and laid in my bed. I just feel that if I don’t write this and post it I haven’t done anything. I haven’t started anything. These posts are nothing but pebbles to be moved out of the way so that larger mind boulders can be set free. To open a flood of stories and motivation that I know I have. I feel like I have lost my place but I want to get it back. I want to get myself in a better situation. Don’t get me wrong my situation is not bad I know people have it worse. I just want it to be what is better for me. I have been off and on writing a book for a long time. Longer than I want to admit. I met an author last year. I was lucky to ask for advise and get an answer. He said that I need to bury that book. Write a million words. Come back to that book a better writer. Im not sure how many words my other post was but this post will be atleast another 1000+ words towards that one million. Stream of consciousness writing to figure things out.

Well, I hope everyone had a good April 1! It is so hard to believe that it is April already. Pretty soon it will be my favorite time of year. Here comes the spooky season and no one can tamp down my excitement for what is to come in the fall. If I could I would live where there is perpetual fall weather. Halloween town if it was a physical place I could live. Play almost nothing but spooky season movies and tv shows. Oh you best believe that Lisa Frankenstein is a current fixation of mine. As soon as that comes out on DVD I will have my hands on it so fast and it will be on repeat for DAYS. I will probably watch it the first oh 10 times it plays and about every third time after that at least until Beetlejuice Beetlejuice comes out.

#tera-91 #sanders sides #tmnt #writing #rant #rant post #vent post #venting #blog #thoughts #feelings #inner thoughts #stream of consciousness