#or the goal post is moved

[ofbreathandflame]

I feel like the reason there's such a disconnect between a lot of pro/anti accs has to do with how people go about their critique of the work. There is a difference between a critique against a character (i.e., how we chose to justify that character given the explanation/information given in world) and a critique against the choices that are made during the writing process (i.e. introspection into the problems that are caused via the writing). When we critique a character because of decisions the character makes we a crafting a analytical profile about why we surmise a character does something. When we critique the characterization, then we are critiquing the decision the writer is making.

So - a critique against the logical set up of a scene or dynamic is a testament of a writer's skill. Like - when we critique the logic of Rhysand's dynamic with Amarantha that has nothing to do with Rhysand's in world characterization. I think the entire premise of the beginning of WAR is also a plot point that is less a testament of Feyre's character and more a statement on SJM's skill as a writer.

Of course, there are issues that occupy both of these spaces - where the writer's bias operates in a way that is inseparable from the issue in world. In this - its more about how the author interjects information that is contradictory or addling to the narrative of the story. These are moments where the telling conflicts with the showing - and the only way the narrative (the character's in world) distinguishes what information we should extract from the events is by a character straight up telling us how we should feel or what we should take away. The Illyrian/CoN/SC situation starts off as a technical problem but becomes a character problem (the character's consistently begin to parrot actual justifications for why these issues are still ongoing or the story wants us to take away something that conflicts with what we're shown). Rhys's dynamic UTM starts off as just a technical issues (issue of skill) and becomes a character problem for the reason I said above. It's like when you're in lab and you make up data and then write a narrative to justify your false results. Or when you try to cheat your numbers to justify a hypothesis. And a lot of the problems in TAR onwards start as just technical issues that you ignore and they become character issues for the exact reason above. Like - Tamlin's abuse and the hypocritical elements is easy enough to ignore in MAF and maybe even WAR, but it becomes a real problem in SF when the story is trying to sustain a storylines that literally contradicts and justifies behavior it spent the last three books reiterating is bad. It becomes a character issue when the characters enable and justify that behavior (consistently - as it does w/ rhys). And bc ACoTAR is a series that has a hard time removing itself from SJM's honest to God ideologies a lot of issues that we could have brushed off as technical issues often become character issues.

I'm saying this all to say that often, when we make critiques about the writing (meaning - our framework for analysis exists outside of the explanation/information we are given in the story. We understand the reasoning given we just don't think its a valid reason) we get these response that tries to mix the in-world justifications (that we're already said we don't agree with) with cherry-picked irl justifications. Like - if I say I don't believe in God, and then someone says 'God is real - just look at these passage in the holy book' - that's not an actual response to my question, especially if I've already establish that I have issues with the canon.

And the pro debates are often running in circles bc they justify behavior bc the story tells them too, and they only apply real-world standards where its comfortable. It's easy to see Tamlin as abusive bc there's literally a big red sign that says ABUSE every time he's on the page. But its harder for many to acknowledge those same traits when its in a character they actually like. So then its easier to fall back on the book's explanation and not the real world one.

This is the same case with the intervention scene, where the beloved characters actions are abusive and illegal by our standards (tough love interventions have been proven to be oftentime uneffective and often results in relapse) - and even by the book's standard (Feyre literally acknowledges the HoW as a place unequipped for her sister's healing). So the only solace those fans have is to use the justification the book immediately gives, but also ignore the other books bc even they don't support it. It's just selective reading. 'Real world' justification can only go so far with that side - and its not on their side most times, but it is for antis. So it devolves into these semantic arguments. That's why when the criticism is valid they say these books are 'fairy porn that we shouldn't care about,' buuuuut when they want to make a point it becomes 'important,' 'relevant,' and 'problematic if you say xyz' Chose a framework and stick with it.

I'm just so tired of having these conversations and then someone throwing the book at my hand to "justify" why my critique is 'wrong' when the ENTIRE premise of the critique is that I think the writing decision is wrong.

#anti sjm #anti rhysand #anti feyre #anti acomaf #anti feysand #anti acotar #i have to say these bc often we literally just having two different conversations #and then the *real* conversation gets boggles down by these differing frameworks #or the goal post is moved

[cali]

a lolcow is obviously a bad and harmful thing but studying weird people online is a wonderful and soul enriching experience. but if u treat the fun of it as a product and engage with them to get more of this product, if youre "milking" the "lolcow", youre fucked. youre going down the path of darkness. it needs to be aetherial and loose. the better alternative is looking at lolbirds instead which is quite beautiful cuz, like birdwatching, its a process where u do not enact power and force over ur subject to make it show u what u want, you just let them naturally come by and show off their plumage (10000 near identically composed deviantart illustrations of different kids show character crying while getting knead into dough and baked[this happened in a single episode of a show the artist saw when they were 4]) and then u maybe show some of ur favorite feathers of theirs to your close group of friends and then let them pass on with the wind and u keep them as a sweet memory ❤

#im adding a tag here because some of u r misunderstanding this hardcore and arguing #I dont want you to look at people who already got lolcowed. i want you to when you see someone you think is fun and weird #just passively look at them take in their weirdness and move on. im saying do that instead of pulling lolcow shit #this post is not an invitation for u to tell me who you feel like this about #u can make vague references but do not say any names out loud or ur breaking the rules #cuz the goal here is peace

[sanctus-ingenium]

hi! I absolutely love your art, I was wondering if you're able to make a full-time living off of your personal work or if you do other stuff to supplement your income? I'm in my final year of art school and id love to make a living selling prints and stuff online but I know it's probably not very stable. do you have any thoughts/advice?

I never went to art school and never tried engaging with art professionally so I'm probably not the one to ask. As a side hustle it's fine it pays for some stuff like fuel and phone bills but I've intentionally not been very proactive about it (by not offering commissions or custom work for example) because I never had any desire to rely on an extremely unreliable skill, luck, & A Social Media Grindset to make a living. That's like hell to me lol. So what I make is nowhere near enough to live on, this isn't my job. When I did offer commissions it was on twitter and many years ago, because tumblr was and is a bad place to market yourself (which is why I came back.. I loathe having to be "marketable" as someone who's just a hobbyist, and having to stick to a consistent and cute furry art style for every ref sheet of someone's else character I drew turned me into the joker because furry culture discourages breaking the mold lol). So if you do go through with it, don't do it here

#ive posted art on social media for.. honestly over a decade now #i made this account with one goal: it'll be different this time. i draw only what i want to draw #... which is inherently hostile to the concept of earning a steady income for your art #especially when your style subject complexity and tone are all wildly inconsistent. tbc that's intentional. but 'keep em guessing' and #'never let them know your next move' is not how u inspire customers it's what i do for fun

[thetimelordbatgirl]

In the UK you can basically join the military at the age of sixteen but if you want to get gender affirming care and begin to socially transition, your told your suddenly too young and have to wait until twenty five.

#uk politics #british politics #seriously you can do all the adult stuff you want once well an adult #but if you want to begin transitioning? apparently your a child now despite having turned what the UK considers adult age aka 18-20 #and have to wait until 25 for some reason #though watch them find ways to up the age limit suddenly #terfs always find a way to move the goal post

[aldoodles]

April - Connect

#shooting your best friend is something that can actually be so personal #especially when you have to use best friend telepathy to get what he’s trying to say #doomsyear23 #httyd books #al chatters #my art #fanart #httyd #how to train your dragon #watercolor #how to train your dragon books #book!fishlegs #fishlegs no name #the og sketch for this was much bigger and I cropped the painting down a ton bc it helped the composition to do so #and it helped me actually finish it #look man sometimes you’ve gotta move the goal posts a little to help urself out #drawn is better than not drawn at all!!! #i had to make it less intimidating so that I would actually wanna work on it

[whimsyprinx]

I hate to have to do this again but i need to save as money as possible and I currently have no way of getting an actual job (my housing and ride situation makes it so that I can’t). I need money to pay for household expenses as well as money I can put in my savings to help me eventually move out which is Super Expensive so please consider tossing me a few dollars if you can spare it! Reblogs would be super appreciated as well

venmo

kofi

cashapp

dm me for p@/ypal

#whimsy whispers #i hate that I have to make this post again #i also am going to remake my commission sheet soon and as soon as I do that I’ll edit this post and link it here #as soon as I figure out more store in regards to moving I’ll make a post with a set goal for cash I suppose but rn anything helps

[kallypsos]

psg vs fc lorient (april 30, 2023)

#psg #kylian mbappe #giffing this for shits and giggles #what a joke of a game #while i was trying to post this fc lorient scored #then the goal got disallowed then they scored again lmao #we move. #*

[slutdge]

so a handful of users have started what is now bordering on a harassment campaign and that is what I woke up to this morning and its really close to getting out of control so I'm gonna be turning off the reblogs on a lot of my posts about mental illness and addiction cause this is really starting to impact my personal wellbeing irl, sorry to everyone who was behaving and found something valuable and helpful in those posts but unfortunately a bunch of assholes decided "bodily autonomy is a human right" was a controversial statement and got their shit in a twist about it, my anons also have to go off and im not gonna be making posts about mental health or addiction for a while either I really just can't deal with this right now lmao, love yall 🫀

#im not interested in making a callout post or @ing them im really just done w this and want it to be over #this was the last place i had to vent so im really upset about this. no matter how well i articulate my answer and try to educate them #theyll move the goal post and its a waste of my time to even try

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

Blah blah blah Howl gender blah blah blah fucking twinks

This is gender goals

You skinny Howl wannabes can carry my sedan chair

#Femme Bear Aesthetic #howl's moving castle #howl pendragon #studio ghibli #The witch of the waste #post o' mine #Gender goals

[abirddogmoment]

This is a shout out to everyone who feels like they didn't do enough with their dogs this year.

Everyone who didn't reach their official or unofficial training goals.

Everyone who didn't go to a training class or practice as much as they wanted.

Everyone who didn't overcome or make progress on their dog's issues.

Everyone who didn't compete or trial or title.

There's so much pressure to prove yourself as a handler and prove your dog, especially right now when everyone's posting their accomplishments. But it's okay if the only thing you did this year was enjoy your dog.

That's the whole point of having a dog, and that's more than enough.

#dogblr #maverick #i know this sounds hypocritical because i did post my accomplishments #but let me remind you that mav spent two and a half years doing NOTHING #i felt so much pressure to title and prove him that i didnt enjoy any of it #it took so long for me to like mav because i felt we werent moving fast enough #and that sucks! #so if you didnt meet your goals this year #or if you feel you didnt make enough progress #hang in there and go tell your dog you love them #if you enjoyed your dog at any point this year? you did great #good work #and do it again next year

[lunarharp]

scribbly first date type affair (continuation of my modern au stuff)

#witch hat tag #orufrey #idk when the next modern au thing will be so i'll just post this by itself. hehe #that art was one of qifrey's first drawings. it was of a creepy eye. (it was around the time he got glasses as a kid) #(and was told that he might lose his sight completely one day so he became an emo because he already wanted to be an artist #like beldaruit who ran his foster home where he encouraged kids to draw art to express their feelings.) #and an insidious deviantart group called The Brimhats idk stole it & reposted it. he never got to the bottom of who exactly did it. #but one day. they will fucking suffer. #(he believes their goal was to develop AI art as they said stuff like 'all art should belong to everyone anyway' & 'there shouldnt be rules' #but actually they were probably just regular mean ppl who have moved on to new things in life than stealing kids' art on deviantart. #who knows though.) i want people to retain their disabilities or general tragedies like beldaruit would be in a wheelchair #and coco's mum is in a coma. but its just so funny if qifrey just has regular bad eyesight #and it's so cute that he would say he doesnt think of beldaruit as a dad & is distant with him but now basically runs a foster home too #where he doesnt just encourage like he was encouraged but actively teaches kids from sad backgrounds to become wonderful artists one day #anyway i am so fucking hungry now goodbye #P.S. BELDARUIT IS NOT OLD !!!!!!! i mean if qifrey is late 20s or older in canon like i want... i guess he..but.... NO !!!!!! 😭 #*edits in some follow-up drawings* #oru: i couldn't c-c-confess my feelings bc it always seems like he's worried about something..i shouldnt bother him.. #qif: *always worried about how to confess his feelings* #ive decided meeting at 7 on da is kind of ridiculous actually. i think they probably meet at like age 10 in canon..not immediately =_= #since beru-sama is like 'he finally found a friend'. whatever... this'll be my last art post for a while probably so see ya <3

[sgwrk]

doodles and such

#bokuto koutarou #haru okumaru #haruko haruhara #flcl #haikyuu #persona 5 #making it a personal goal to draw at least one thing a week! #probably wont post everything tho #sometimes its just better to send it to 3 ppl and move on

[vladdyissues]

Hello, I’m here to interrogate you about your fic, Familiar 😈

So, I fucking love the direction this story is taking, Danny getting more and more attracted to Vlad, while Vlad is subtly getting more and more possessive of Danny. It makes me really curious about how school is gonna go for them. Like, I can totally see Vlad somehow worming his way into the school system, just to make sure no one takes Danny away from him or hurts him in any other way.

It also makes me wonder about how the other kids are gonna treat Danny. Prep school is never a good thing. Ever. And if Danny was a loser at Casper High, he’s gonna be Loser ² at prep school. I’m just WAITING for some Dash duplicate to show up and shove Danny in a locker.

And if Danny does get bullied, would Vlad interfere again?? And if yes, how would Danny take that? I feel like he wants to be doted on a little bit? But bc it’s Vlad getting overprotective, he’s more likely to push him away first.

ALSO ALSO!! DANNY GETTING BEATEN UP AT SCHOOL IS A GREAT FUCKING OPPORTUNITY FOR VLAD TO TEACH HIM HOW TO HEAL HIS INJURIES 😭🤌🤌

GARRRRAHNGARAGHALARGHA I AM

simply DYING to confirm or deny but I can't just yet but oh boy do I love the way you think. I hope I can exceed (or at least match) your expectations!

#for the record it looks like your theories will be answered in chapter 14 #(i'm working on ch 13 right now and it's being ornery) #was originally supposed to have the school stuff appearing in 13 but as usual the goal post got moved back #i have a pathological inability to keep things brief 💀 #esp when it comes to jamming as much UST into this story as i can #fic: familiar #pompous pep #asks #super nice people #thank you anon 💚

[channnel]

I feel like yandere group is a bit underrated. Don't get me wrong- one yandere x reader is also good, but I feel like people underestimated the idea of not only escaping not one, not two, sometimes three, but a whole ass group that is simping over reader.

Bonus point, if the yandere group already has an established relationship and dynamics to each other, and the reader has to guess which people and/or pair are the dangerous and safe ones.

Extra bonus point, if the yandere group are villains.

#text post #yandere trope #yandere #i get the taste of this trope back in the jjba fandom- specifically la squadra #the la squadra is like- the best example of minor antagonists where you can understand their goals #la squadra already has an established group dyanmic that was shown in the anime and the yandere fics that come out of it are always the bes #there's also like a bunch of stories and headcanons about yandere la squadra that i still crave even after moving away from the fandom #the proxies with hoodie masky and toby kinda did it but theres not much impact to satisfy that craving #probably because i never found a good yandere proxy x reader story #but there are some great headcanon and oneshots around those three and ill count that as a win!

[aurosoulart]

the GREAT PATREON SMUSH

I was going to make an advertisement for this with bright colors and maybe animated sparkles but 1) I hate making ads and 2) we are all so exhausted by bright ads vying for our brain chemicals that I just don’t want to do that to you anymore!!!! I’m TIRED of things grabbing for my attention in an unending assault on my senses and I’m sure you are too!!!!!!!

if you’ve been doom-scrolling and need a break (a nice beverage, a stretch of the legs, etc.), take this as a sign to do so now. if you’ve got the energy for a little reading, though, and want to learn about my work - keep going!

ANYWAYS I’ll get to the point: ALL of my patreon benefits are now available to the lowest ($3) tier.

in fact, there ARE no other tiers anymore. they’re gone! scrunched! smunshed! stirred up all together into one big super tier soup of everything I offer now and will offer in the future!

everyone now gets:

over 100 4k desktop wallpapers

early access/wips

25% discounts on prints

livestream voice chat

art votes & art suggestions

commission slots

and access to the Art Grotto discord, a friendly and chill server with a small community of creative folks. we share art, writing, pets, memes, and also come up with fun art ideas together! 🌈

why am I smushing the tiers and giving up the higher pledge amounts?!

because capitalism sucks, we’re in a recession, and I’m lucky enough to have a full-time job that allows me to make art without being reliant on Patreon income. anyone who has sat in on one of my livestreams knows that I try to be a calming force in an often-chaotic world, and that I’m always looking for ways to make art more accessible to everyone. I want my Patreon to be a place where I can give back to those who are supporting me in this mission!

this tier smush is just the start of how I hope to transform this space! I have a bunch of fun ideas about stuff I want to do in the future, so keep an eye out for more announcements like this 👁

that’s all!!!! thank you if you’ve read this far, and here’s the link to the Patreon if any of this interested you!

#auropost #i'm moving more and more away from trying to create bite-sized flashy info posts lately #like i don't want to be a brand!!!! i'm not a commercial!!! #and YOU are not an audience/consumer/target market/number on a screen!! #you're a PERSON!!!!!! #we're all people and this is a conversation #i'm de-programming a lot of social media brain rot right now #i don't care if that means that people scroll past my text posts #because i don't want to resort to assaulting your eyeballs with a graphic #we've all seen enough for a lifetime. for multiple lifetimes #so i'm trying to do something else #anyways my secret ideas for new patreon benefits involve discord livestreams of all the tech travel i've been doing lately #and then my ultimate patreon benefit goal is to go on a tour of public libraries in patrons' states #where i can host public xr art classes with people in person!!! #i'm already gonna be doing this in la soon so if success keeps up i want to take it on the road #with a focus on doing classes for discord members in their own home states! #eventually i'm thinking about making the discord server public as well #but right now it's just a well kept secret since i like that it's small :'D #anyways SINCERELY thank you if you've gotten this far. even if you can't join the patreon i appreciate that you took the time to read this #your time and attention is valuable and i don't take it lightly. take care 💖

[man-squared]

People really think when you talk about lesbians being men or having relationships with men means you want them personally to go sleep with every man and not that you want every lesbian to have their own autonomy to decide what lesbianism means to them personally.

Like literally, the people who make large ass call out posts or posts that whine that there are people who are mspec lesbians or lesbian men or just that some lesbians have sex with men always make it so personal no matter if they are a lesbian or not. They seem to not be able to remove themselves from someone else's lesbianism and autonomy.

No one (seriously, no one besides actual lesbophobes) are claiming that you, a lesbian, has to have any relation to men. You do not have to date or have sex with lesbian men (or mspec lesbians), and guess what! We don't want to do those things with you either. No one is saying that because a small percentage of lesbians might have sex with men and/or be attracted to men, you as a lesbian have to. I don't know why you decided that you have to live in a world with communal absolutes. Not all lesbians are you, and you are not all lesbians (like really do you like the same women as every other lesbian? No, because you aren't other lesbians). Let lesbians have autonomy. Let lesbians live. Let queer people be!

Tldr: you don't have to do what other lesbians do. Just because a lesbian has any kind of relationship with men doesn't mean you have to. Other lesbians existing do not negate your lesbianism.

#long #lesbian #men #like you all do realize lesbianism is as much personal as it is communal. you dont have to fit in a lesbian box based on a gold star- #-lesbian who sees herself as the perfect gay. #and its always like 'well no nonbinary lesbians or butch lesbians... well maybe they are ok but they are on thin ice... but not these- #-other lesbians. those ones are demons on earth sent to hurt the saints that are lesbians“ like ppl keep moving the goal post and if you- #-arent rhe 'perfect image of x' then you arent an x or queer. just a faker who actively harms the whole community somehow despite not- #-having access to said community 🤷🏻‍♂️. #also pay attention to posts like the one that just popped up. there tends to be a lot of aphobes and queerphobes. (and usually a ton of- #-transphobes). like i saw a lot of this discourse on twitter and the amount of t women pushing back against it every time was wonderful- #-and then they would be called fake t women and the extreme transphobes would call them terrible names and misgendering them. (v similar to- #-the transfemmes who support trans ppl talking abt their own specific transphobia. and also similar to the ppl who call any- #-lesbian who is not the perf lesbian who agrees w them a non-lesbian. it happens every fucking time.) #queer #man²