#post flagged appropriately

[buffshel]

♡ obligatory end-of-the-year art thing ♡

(semi-lengthy chat and a fairly massive art wall under the cut)

It's been quite the year (and then some) in terms of my art (and everything, really). I've improved certain things (line quality is so so much better), while certain other things have suffered (hesitancy with color and certain subject matter; shying from backgrounds, etc.). In 2024 I hope to correct what is lacking in my current art--but (above all) the best achievement of 2023 is rekindling my personal love of making art.

After graduation from college in 2020, I suffered nearly a 3-year burnout in any and all of my interests--but especially in art. I didn't stop making art or doing what I used to love (and what I was desperately trying to love again), but I certainly didn't love it like I used to. I'd even say that, for a significant span of time, I hated my art and I hated even the act of making art. I was not at all gracious with myself between 2020-22 (and even into a good half of 2023). To make things worse, I had started teaching myself the new-to-me medium of digital art in 2020, which only added to my frustration as the learning curve was far steeper than I anticipated.

(I'll not even dedicate more than this sentence on how the advent of AI "art" affected all this artist-self-worth shit).

I was unemployed at the time, too, from mid-2021 to the summer of 2023--which made me feel like shit. Job market sucked. Most everything fucking sucked.

I even got a job waiting tables in June of this year and promptly lost it in July (the owner closed the restaurant with ZERO communication to any of her employees--I remember I laughed the whole night in utter shock).

In all this I remember continuously reading forums/trying to find advice late into the night about what to do when I fall out of love with what I know I want love but can't, whether in regards to my writing, my art, or even my general liking of watching movies--I no longer cared for any of this. And there wasn't really any answer to my problem outside of therapy and medication (neither of which I could afford).

But I am in a far better place now. Mentally, financially. That same month I got work as a barista only a week after I lost my waitressing job, and I've been going strong at that place for about six months. I'm also employed at the local library and I enjoy both my jobs. I am grateful.

I am beyond grateful for those that still loved me when I was hard to love--still tried to love me even when I was bitter and angry and in a constant state of emotional whiplash.

And I am most grateful for the restored relationship between me and my passions. And that is due in no small part to those who have supported me along the way with seeds of encouragement (you all know who you are; thank you so, so very much).

I hope for more art from my hands in the coming year--better and bolder and unapologetically self-indulgent. And I wish the same for all other artists/writers/creators.

here follows a portion of my stuff from this year (mostly):

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

#artists on tumblr #artists of tumblr #year in art #art rant #new year #mental health #some gore/mildly suggestive art #post flagged appropriately

[emilyjuicybooty]

#adult model #amazing breasts #hot babygirl #tease pic #its funny how i make i post and its flagged as in appropriate... here's a little tease hopefully it doesn't get taken down...

[ladyluscinia]

All the interviews about S2 are still not great, but I do want to grab a quote for us all:

Looking back at Izzy’s arc over the two seasons, Jenkins said that he doesn’t see Izzy as a pure antagonist in season one because on some level… Izzy was right in his hesitations about Stede. “His boss is falling for this manic pixie dream girl, and he’s got to keep his boss safe because that’s his job,” Jenkins explains. “And then he has to get this ship to operate like a normal ship would operate. And they’re all weirdos. So he’s got the worst middle management position. And on top of that, his boss is a lunatic.”

David Jenkins from this Gizmodo article

The man may have lost the plot, but he's still holding strong on his stance from S1 that all that toxic discourse that people projected on Izzy was mostly just shit they made up. The weird vibes-based mentor / father figure pivot has NOT canonized calling him Edward's third abusive dad. They gave him a redemption arc and killed him off, but Mr. Jenkins did NOT deem him the horrid villain that was ruining Edward's life.

It was all still just a souring workplace partnership and a lot of jealousy.

#had to see the whole 'he BOUGHT ed from the english' take on a post that was not even a day old #can't decide what the appropriate level of bitterness is here #our flag means death #ofmd s2 #ofmd s2 spoilers #david jenkins #the izcourse #ofmd harassment

[jesncin]

DC Pride, featuring Jon and Damian :)

#dc pride #dc comics #jon kent #damian wayne #fanart #robin #superboy #superman #batman #pride #lgbtqia #lgbt #bi flag #no cops at pride #we don't acknowledge a certain jon kent characterization #felt appropriate to post this after the loss recently #read Finding Batman it slaps #there's some other gems too

[everywebkin]

Can you do my buddy my friend my everything, the raccoon?

(One of the first ones I ever got, I named her Wanda :})

brilliant bandit, released september 2011

link to regular raccoon

#hope u dont mind i used your ask to post the ace raccoon :) #i checked your profile and saw the ace flag! so since i already drew the regular raccoon i thought it would be appropriate #brilliant bandit #webkinz brilliant bandit #Procyonid #raccoon #webkinz art #traditional art #webkinz #virtual pet #webcore #ace pride #asexual pride #pride month #2011

[nonplayer-character]

Godfather Buttons

#last of the prompts given by Twitter friends #seems appropriate to post now #buttons ofmd #our flag means death fanart #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd fanart #my drawing

[thenocturnalblossom]

Tumblr said no lewds so I deleted my recent post. 😔

#talk talk talk #remember when tumblr used to fun and you could post sexy stuff...those were the days... #what's the point of having those stupid community labels if i still get flagged for stuff that's appropriately labeled?

[poisoned-pearls]

you know, Idk if I have to say it, but, cut off those people who drain you. You shouldn’t always have to text first, your friendship shouldn’t end because you stopped talking.

And I know it sucks, that feeling of crippling loneliness. But when shit was absolutely the worst for me, when everything had fucking crashed and burned, I met a few people who finally reminded me what it meant to have someone care, and you’ll get it soon

#This is nothing like what I normally post but like #No genuinely. It fucking sucks and I may have been like #the most depressed I’ve been in my life #Fighting only the time I was with my ex for top place #But like. I’m also getting better. I only text like three people regularly but it’s better than having like #8 people who didn’t give a shit about me #And like #idk I think adhd makes you weak to just #wanting ANY kind of connection because otherwise you become absolutely bored and boredom is painful #The energy drain kills you #Also general red flag in people though I hate using that phrase #If someone won’t let you be in pain #watch out. When I dealt with someone manipulating an old friend into believing I was a horrible person a ‘friend’ slowly got annoyed at me #Trying to deal with it without ever offering help or advice #When someone’s first response to your pain is “oh my god will you shut up about that” they will not care about your pain ever #Also in general. Don’t hang out with straight men who appropriate gay culture #because they’re still like. Patriarchal and sexist assholes with a fake cover #Because Guess what!! When you say homophobic shit but your not gay #your just homophobic!!!!

[theloopus]

TL;DR some thoughts on izzy's death via black sails comparisons

rambling here, but i keep coming back to Izzy's death and why it seems to have missed the landing a bit (and i'm not talking about the rabid Izzy fans who have completely lost the plot, i'm talking about the general reaction from actual normal people being "...wait, what?")

and, not to make everything about Black Sails, but i think it's been useful mentally to compare it to Charles Vane's death—they're actually very similar character trajectories, broadly speaking; an antagonist and generally unlikeable guy turned ally, made through the course of the season likeable enough so that when his death comes you're actually bummed to see him go. and you don't really see it coming (unless you do), you expect them to get away until the last minute, but at the same time it makes sense, thematically, because they represent a very specific version of piracy, and their deaths signal the end of the Golden Age of Piracy.

but whereas Vane's death seems to be generally met with shock, Izzy's death is met with confusion (which is a very different thing). and i think this stems not so much from the genre gap, although that does play into it (Black Sails is a gritty drama, OFMD is a romantic comedy (dramedy?)—and both series have a touch of the surreal, but BS is generally more grounded in reality, whereas OFMD tends to operate on cartoon rules), but rather from execution, no pun intended.

i do fully disagree with the take that Izzy's death was "bad writing"—the bones are there, the actual death scene was good, the themes are coherent— it makes sense, when you think about it. but you shouldn't have to think about it to know, instinctually, while you're watching, that it makes sense, as much as it might pain you or shock you at first—so the problem is execution, not writing.

obviously there's the matter of pacing, which has been discussed to death and isn't really the fault of the writers, but it's undeniable that it's one of the reasons why the idea doesn't seem to land at first. it happens too quickly, not just the actual death and funeral, but the lead-up to it. the wounding, for one—i don't know if they were intentionally going for a "surprise wound" approach ("did he really get shot? oh he did? well it doesn't seem that bad. wait, is he dying for real?"), but it just does not work here, because then instead of building up dread over whether or not he's going to make it, you just think he's hurt and then suddenly find out he's actually fully about to die only when he's like. pronouncing his last words. and then a minute later he's dead. it's too quick!

but it even goes back to before the actual death shot—the way the season's constructed, our main association with Izzy up to this point is that he's healing or whatever now, so if his death is meant to represent the end of an era, you need to remind the audience that he's supposed to be associated with that era, regardless of all his character development. this is why Vane's death works so well, imo: the very reason why he's being hanged, in-universe, is because of what he represents as an iconic pirate; and the fact that he chooses to sacrifice himself is what separates him from Flint and the others (despite the fact that they're currently allied): they represent a possible future which, albeit better, he does not fit within and has zero interest in fitting within. so he'd rather sacrifice himself, helping them with their cause while also keeping true to himself and his own view of the world (their world, the old world of piracy) and what he represents (old, classic, Blackbeard's kind of piracy).

with Izzy though it's an extremely tricky line to walk, because they wanted him to die having become a better person, free and loved, so essentially having embraced the kind of piracy that Stede represents—while also still being a walking symbol of the past, of the kind of piracy that he used to represent to Ed. again, on paper, it's doable: he is an embodiment of what piracy means to Ed, which used to be abuse and toxic masculinity (S1); then Stede turns piracy into something else, meaning acceptance and liberation and a support system (S2); but the fact is, negative or positive as the environment might be, piracy itself as an idea is coming to an end, it's ceasing to exist (therefore, so would Izzy), and Ed's journey isn't about embracing a new kind of piracy, either, it's about fully shredding it and letting go of it (therefore, shredding and letting go of Izzy) while keeping Stede (acceptance, liberation, a support system). problem being, executing all of that is a bit harder. doable, certainly, but harder, and perhaps more than the writers could chew with such a constricted budget and timetable. with the benefit of hindsight, maybe they could've crammed this into Izzy's conversation with Ricky...? it's there a little bit, if you squint, with Izzy going on with his "what piracy is really about" speech and Ricky going "you've become such a bore" or whatever he says (implying past vs. present), but, i don't know, maybe have Izzy like... talk about what piracy is really about and also what he used to think it meant, what it represented for him (and therefore for Ed) even though now he knows better, and also, very importantly, hit the final nail in the coffin by somehow sneaking in that he's piracy embodied and has no interest in being anything else, during that "our spirit will last throughout your entire fucking empire" speech, cementing that the spirit of piracy is also the spirit of Izzy himself (and therefore when piracy dies Izzy will die with is, and this will be his choice). maybe not the subtlest way to go about it, but like, not really time for subtlety when you've gotta wrap up a 60-minute storyline in 30 minutes, and they've been slapping us with DO YOU GET IT flashbacks for the entire season, so it's not like they've got the upper hand here, you know. as it is, though, those beats (and many others, as i've said before!) are missed, so (sans post-mortem interviews and tumblr metas and the like) Izzy's death feels like 1. it comes kinda out of nowhere, and 2. it serves no purpose other than to be sad. which is a shame, because it's actually a suuuper interesting beat that could've been really juicy both on a meta level and on an emotional level, if the writers had the space to set it up properly.

#long post #txt #ofmd #ofmd spoilers #our flag means death #not that i know what i'm talking about ever #it's such a shame too because compared to s1 like... 1x10 is INCREDIBLE at doing everything it sets out to do perfectly hitting every beat #and also being entertaining *and* emotional while doing so! but because it has the appropriate space to do all that #can you imagine if they'd had to cram the events of 1x9 and 10 together in a single ep? it would've been a mess!

[rogueonions]

I am late to this commentary, but I keep seeing it cycling around in fanfic and writing communities regarding the concept of "problematic fiction", and I keep hitting the same thoughts over and over again. Sorry if this is long, but I have to get the thoughts out of my head.

Themes like abuse, SA, murder, stalking, torture, and such, are problematic. And that's not to say they shouldn't be written. They are themes that have real world impact on readers. Which is why you should always tag your work appropriately.

But, on top of writing for yourself, there's the consideration of who your audience is. Not everyone is going to read for the same escapism, the same catharsis of chaos that horror genres offer. (And yes, I consider a story with heavy focus on abuse, SA, stalking, torture, or murder themes as "horror", this is not a moral judgement, only a simple classification).

Fiction is often a place to explore things that are not safely explored in reality. A chance to turn a lens on a society or community, a problem, or a trend, and examine it. It is also a place to go to escape reality.

Some people seek out or write horror because they like the fright, some because they like the chance to see a world that is more jacked up than the real world (an increasingly high bar for some populations lately). Some people seek out horror because it is absurd, otherworldly, or pure, unbridled insanity.

The call I see most often is to not call these themes problematic, as if fiction is immune from moral judgement. It isn't. It never has been. There is a reason there are people out there calling for books to be banned, there's a reason "Catcher in the Rye" was one of the most banned books. Since the invention of writing for pleasure, no writing has never been above moral judgement. Not even the many sacred texts from religions the world over.

But that's not the point I want to make. I do not condone banning books because they have troubling themes. I don't condone freezing out writers who focus on horror themes.

The point I make here is that horror stories can have, (and have had) real world impact on real world people. To the extreme cases: Stephen King pulled a book after someone used the themes and rhetoric of his fiction in a shooting. Other very fictional stories have inspired very real, very terrible events. And to the milder cases: triggering a trauma survivor because you left off a tag. (Please note, "triggering" is a gross oversimplification that fails to convey the real impact).

So you have to be aware of your audience, how you help them find you, and be aware of who you might be inspiring. If you didn't tag SA and someone reads the story and is hurt by this, you do have to shoulder some of the fault.

How can your audience find your work, and how can others safely avoid your work with this content, if you do not flag it appropriately?

I write fiction and fantasy. I bring in themes that can be problematic, but I do so for a purpose. It is part of the narrative, not the point of the narrative. I seek to inspire people to be themselves, to heal, to know they are not alone in their pain, in their healing journey. I write, in part, to heal myself, to allow myself to process my own struggles. But if someone read one of my stories and thought the scene involving torture or murder was inspiration, I would be horrified. If someone read my work, and came away with the mere notion that I condoned racism, sexism, fascism, etc, I'd be tripping over myself to make clear that was not the intent behind my words.

When it comes to knowing your audience, and your intended audience, it is important to also be aware of when or if you need to clarify messaging (even if you didn't think there was a message). Did you write it for escapism, because you cannot express that level of rage in reality without consequences? Did you write it because it was so absurd as to be nearly Lovecraftian in it's construction? Did you write it because you wanted to highlight the wrongs being done in a certain area? Or did you write it just because you could?

There's nothing wrong here, no moral judgement in the content you create. This is meant as caution, not chastisement.

Writing horror doesn't mean you are a monster. Writing about Nazis doesn't make you a Nazi. Enjoying murder stories doesn't make you a murderer in waiting. I love true crime documentaries (I'm listening to one right now), but I'd never intentionally hurt another human being.

However, if I wrote something that a bunch of fascists loved? I'd rip that content down and apologize to anyone who thought I condoned fascism. Because I owe it to my intended audience to curate my content, too. To make sure that, if I want to be a safe space for people, I curate my space for them.

As a writer, my greatest ambition is to write something my reader returns to again, and again. Something they can enjoy a little differently every time they read it. Can that be done in horror? Absolutely. There can be catharsis in these themes. There can be healing in found there. But it is up to the writer to make sure they safely steer away readers who know they don't want to be faced with that content.

On a final note regarding tags, and this is a peeve of mine in general: Stop inventing new tags for the same problematic themes. You cannot demand that people filter out tags if they don't want to see the tagged content, and then find new ways to tag it. Manipulating tags like that just makes it feel like an arms race, or a battle just to keep up.

#fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #delayed rant #tag your work #stop inventing new tags for the same things #tired writer is tired #intended audience v total audience #trauma survivors deserve standardized tags and flags #the whole community deserves standardized tags and flags #perspective from a fiction and fantasy writer #tag. your. work. #appropriate tags save minds #no writing is above moral judgement #none at all #not even this post #problematic themes are not an instant moral judgement #problematic fiction #sorry

[cliveguy]

about to complain about stupid shit im seeing on twitter before realising this is my own fault for reading twitter

#um.txt #just saw a bunch of americans argue that nobody should be expected to know about the suffragettes and actually youre #being rude about their inadequate school system for correcting them when they say british terfs are appropriating the #genderqueer flag..... #😭 if youre in your 20s and have an account that posts a lot of gender i think its actually on you if you know nothing about #history outside your own country...

[cononeillbreastingboobily]

#saw this text post and this felt appropriate to make #so #there we go #lucius spriggs core #lucius spriggs #our flag means death #ofmd #ofmd + text posts #lmaooo #meme #ofmd meme

[dirigibleplumbing]

two pet peeves I will never get over

when someone "credits" the lyrics to a song to the person who they first heard record it, without checking whether that song was, for example, a traditional folk song first written down in the 18th century, or, for another example, an African American spiritual

when someone talks about something they know nothing about by parroting phrases they've heard before without examining why these things are said. like, for example, when culturally Christian people who have never read the Torah, let alone a translation of it intended for Jews or historians, talk about the "vengeful Old Testament God [sic]" as if the Christian god is never vengeful or terrifying and the God described in the Torah is never loving and forgiving

#jumblr #jewish ish tag #writing #pet peeves #writing pet peeves #this is also a red flag to me in writing because it speaks of a lack of curiosity #please at least check if there's a wikipedia page about the song #if you don't want to read the Torah or any other book you could. like. ask someone who has studied it #instead of repeating Xian BS #posts I created #negativity #how do you not realize that the dichotomy between the 'old testament' and 'new testament god' is one between Jews and Xians?? #aka a colonizing conquering religion and one that it appropriated #Xian culture has so fully appropriated the Torah that it doesn't occur to even 'woke' gentiles #that they're talking about a God that is not their own

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Congrats for receiving the tumblr medal for posting adequate amount of smut🍑🍆🏅🎉🎊

Thanks lol

Although I can't lie, being flagged has really unmotivated me from being on Tumblr. I mean, I'm really busy right now, too, so I literally just don't have the time to post or answer asks or whatever. But, still, I filed my request for repeal 2 weeks ago, and I've heard nothing back other than the confirmation email. Usually, when I have something go wrong, I get a little "we're working on it" email if it takes longer than expected or I get a notification or just... something. Getting nothing is making me lose hope that I will be unflagged and get my blog back.

And it's not the end of the world to be flagged, obviously, but I would like to have an icon and banner again. I would like to be able to search my own blog, which I can't do when I'm flagged. I would like to be able to see what posts people are liking or reblogging rather than just seeing the blank image or text icon. Etc. I would like to not be flagged!

#I've honestly even toyed with the idea of remaking my blog #just moving #if i cant get this one back to not be flagged #because #yeah #i post mature stuff #but most of it is writing #and all of it is at least tagged appropriately #so #its unfair #anyway #whining over #asks #personal #thoughts #s gets jailed

[unproduciblesmackdown]

fanart of this written tayston scene with the prompt “why me?” 💜💖💙

#sometimes it takes me a minute of pondering what i want to draw before remembering like listen an answer is always Tayston #winston billions #corned beef #tayston #been wrangling w/the usual unnecessary trepidation in taking even a step further w/efforts to write anything ever so great time to sketch #not like this is a sketch b/c not how often is anything ever lol this has taken abt 5 hours. just not ultra honed / polished #which isn't to say there wasn't honing and nonzero polishing.... #''why me'' is so fucking like. scream it's just So thoroughly relevant re: winston aughh #in turn relevantly & appropriately i go [aaughhhh] when i merely Remember the ''i'm here'' themed gifset re winston like yep argh help aughh #and my god read the scene....the Inherent Intimacy of winston getting to die in a nightmare of taylor's #that ode to taylor's line about (supposedly. maybe not so much in the immediate disoriented aftermath; such as would be the case here) being #appreciative of having nightmares b/c then it's like oh nice reality is much better lol...Thusly #winston getting to give some disorientatedly unfiltered comfort here and that it can be effective #then the inherent intimacy of a Familiar Comfortable Domestic/Morning Routine #both of them being more conscious / coordinated and winston navigating that with solid familiarity / comfort / effectiveness as well..... #here you are....... #(okay two edits and two resaved versions of this png later since i opened this new post lol) #the bi flag coloration was not planned lol it just happens

[whim-prone-pirate]

hi !! intro post ig? im parker !!! while i'm new please believe me that i've never had a twitter account and my insta feed has been exclusively art and tumblr screenshots since 2018.

fun facts about me

• ourflagmeansdeath on tiktok

• my first name is parker after peter parker because i didn't feel like a peter but i wanted to be spider-man

• my middle name is eden for good omens. also i wanted to be able to use eddie as a nickname (eddie nygma, eddie diaz, ed teach, etc) but i thought edward looked ugly on me

• parker eden is an internet name bcs i'm soooo sneaky and devious i am a spy🤷🤷

• i will reblog far too often probably

• i write, edit, act, and sing

• i collect records!! i'm up to like forty-nine now or smth

• i also collect funko pops (ninety-one i think?)

• autistic (my highest kin is abed nadir🙁)

• my special interests are the magnus archives, film, and marvel

• i've been sent thank you packages from both lionsgate (chaos walking) and butterfingers corporate

• active participator in the tma args and kickstarter (statement remains server i owe you my life)

• hyperfixated on the world cup (i've never watched a soccer game before) and goncharov 1973. also escam by scribbleshrimp. and i was hfxed on dabloonism for like three days

• i've been on a tv show (you'll never know which one)

• i am SOOO silly

• kevin atwater's best friend /j

idk i'd say more but this post is looking too long🙁 lolzies lov you tumblr🫶🫶🫶🙏💞😋

#our flag means death #goncharov 1973 #the magnus archives #intro post #autism #escam #kevin atwater #the musician not the fictional character #community #stranger things #mythic quest #what is the appropriate tagging system on tumblr sobs #phoebe bridgers #wednesday #marvel #sherlock #supernatural #doctor who #superwholock #actively!!!! #hannibal