#they'll draw out different threads

[greenerteacups]

Half of the kingdom for Angelina, Fred and George dynamic! I shan't pretend I understand it but I sure as hell enjoy it!

You and Fred both!

Fred and Angie are the type of FWB couple whose reasons for not dating, inter alia, center on both of them just... not really caring that much. Romance isn't a priority for either of them; I think that when they started liking each other, it was a gradually developing case of mutual attraction under circumstances where neither one had time for a relationship. Angelina is busy trying to hold a quidditch team together, and it's hard enough without this doofus beater eating up more of her time than he already does. As for Fred, he's diligently preoccupied trying to put Minerva McGonagall in an early grave, and I think deep down he probably has a 17-year-old boy's healthy terror of commitment, too. But he does respect Angelina a hell of a lot, and he makes her laugh — something that she, as a generally serious person, could do with a bit more of. When he's not making a fool of himself, and she's not busy with the soul-eating job of being the following act for Oliver Wood, I imagine them having a comfortable, lowkey, no-strings FWB arrangement. Like, they were teammates before they were ever involved, and when you've seen someone's ass platonically, it takes the edge off seeing it in other contexts.

George is also here. The twins are such a social unit that anyone dating one of them sort of gets a two-for-one special, but the fact that Angie doesn't take it seriously helps to make things un-awkward. In fact, I think she's actually quite fond of George — he's more chill than Fred is, and a little bit sweeter, easier to get along with — and having known them both since first year, Angie probably understands that if you're involved with Fred, George is going to Be Around. It's like a love triangle where only one leg is romantic, and also everyone is eminently cool and happy to hang out with each other.

#unrelated but in canon angelina marries george and it's an insane dynamic but I actually like it for its realism #because on the one hand. ABSOLUTELY do not expect that marriage to be healthy at least to begin with. #i do not trust those people to start seeing each other without Trauma motivations. but also #pretty realistic! actually! I buy that would happen. #but also Angelina and George in canon are different people than they are in Lionheart #I'm not even saying that because of a deliberate difference it's just natural if you have different authors writing them #they'll draw out different threads #anyway. F and A are addressed a little bit in a future chapter but I wanted to add the stuff that I couldn't fit in the book itself #which isgenerally what these lil posts are. I don't write anything I think will be communicated by the text #that way the paratext remains its own thing #anyhow! thank you pal! <3

[spamton-deactivated19970420]

i made a little hand-sewn beast based on everydayspamton's drawing & took it with me on a family roadtrip

if you'd like to make your own, i've included the [[FREE]] pattern & some rough steps below the cut, as well as an Educational Video

EDUCATIONAL VIDEO. THIS IS NATURAL SPAMFISH BEHAVIOR & IT IS NOT SCARED OR IN PAIN.

BEAST CRAFTING INSTRUCTIONS:

disclaimer: i'm an amateur & i've never tried making a pattern before, nor have i ever tried writing directions

materials you'll need:

sewing needle & pins

black thread & white thread

fabric in these colors - black, white, red, yellow, & pink

stuffing

(optional) a squeaker

notes:

for the thread, i suggest something thicker, like whats used for embroidery - i used two different thicknesses on mine, & i think the thicker one; (the black thread); stands out a lot nicer

for the fabric, i used craft felt. its nice because its cheap & malleable, but if you want something that can actually be washed & played with without disintegrating on you, don't use felt. different fabrics will have different results, though, & may not give you a clean-looking edge & lines

you can also just go nuts & use whatever colors of thread/fabric you want, make pattern alterations, whatever

if you make one, feel free to @ me, send an ask or DM me with it, i'd love to see!

^^^ here's the pattern!

now the actual steps?:

1.) download & print out the pattern - it should(?) fit normally across a regular sheet of printer paper. i don't have exact measurements, i eyeballed this whole thing & then lost the original pattern - (there's only a copy that i scanned & edited left on my computer. woops.)

2.) cut the pieces out. pin the patterns to the fabric color the instructions call for, & cut out the number you need for each

^^^ here's what you should end up with!

now the sewing! for this whole thing i used doubled-up thread & a 'running stitch', then went over it a secondary time with another running stitch to fill in the gaps. you could also try using a 'back stitch' (which i don't know how to do), but that might be tougher. the goal here is to give it an Outlined look, like a drawing

3.) with white thread, sew the pink & yellow eyes onto the glasses - pink is Left, yellow is Right. reference the image above if you're not sure!

4.) sew all the fins pieces together - on the black fin, use white thread; & on the white fins, use black thread. reference the pattern for the detailing. i made my own front fins 'wrong', but you don't really have worry too much about being exact

5.) overlap the Head pieces onto the Body pieces - making sure you have a Left and Right side! pin the heads to the bodies, & compare their lengths by holding them together to make sure you've got it right. sew the heads to the bodies using black thread. detail the head with black thread, & detail the body with white thread

6.) now that you've got the two sides of the body completed, you can hold them together to try to get even placement for the red cheeks. pin each cheek to each side, then sew them on with white thread

7.) using black thread, sew the pink glasses onto the Left side of the body, and the yellow glasses onto the Right side. they'll be slightly overlapping the cheeks

8.) with white thread, sew the front fins on to each side. NOTE: i put mine on wrong, & didn't realize until i was finished. for the 'right' placement on these (closer to the original drawing), reference the pattern, & not the images

you now have all your parts ready for assembly! for me, this is the hardest part. you'll need a bunch of pins - use the guidelines on the pattern and/or reference the below image to get the right placements

9.) pin in the back fin & the nose. leave some space on the bottom for stuffing when you start, & using black thread, sew together the nose & the fin unto the body - the fin should be sandwiched Between the two body halves

10.) pin in the tail fin. continue sewing down the back with the black thread, & sew the tail fin in - once again, it should be Between the two body halves

11.) pin in the back fin between the halves. continue with the black thread, sew along the tail & sew the back fin in - Stopping once its secured. you should have some good space still open on the belly

12.) time for stuffing. using something thin, but not sharp - like a chopstick or the back of a crochet hook - & push stuffing into the nose & tail portions. stuff the head about halfway. now, if you have a squeaker, put it into the widest part of the head, & stuff a little around it

13.) still using the black thread, sew the belly up a little more so its easier to keep the stuffing in, & then fill up the rest of the body. once fully stuffed, sew the remaining hole together

14.) congrats! you now have a spamfish. if you opted for a squeaker, squeak it thoroughly

don't worry if it's not exact, some individual variation is fun & makes your creature unique! mine has upside-down front fins with upside-down detail lines

here's the thing with some friends i had made a little bit before him. have fun with your beast!

i am not liable for any damage it causes to you or your property

#spamton #myart #spamfish #i made this thing&took pictures of the process to show my friends a few months back.i finished it a few days after thedailyspamton's post #i had already been making funny little fish&it was just the perfect timing!now i want to share the spamfish with others :)

[gffa]

“If you want to pull the thread, then pull it.” The tpm showing tonight and the acolyte trailer release had me thinking about “fate” and “the will of the force”. In Ep I, Qui-Gon talks quite a lot about the will of the force: he talks about how finding Anakin was the will of the force, and later on tells Anakin midichlorians enable a Jedi’s connection with the force and that they “continually speak to you, telling you the will of the force.” These reminders and the new lines about fate and the force from the Acolyte trailer had me thinking of one specific scene in TPM: the scene where Qui-Gon pushes the falling die on his bet with Watto for Anakin’s freedom. Perhaps he was right and finding Anakin was the will of the force, but in the end it was Qui-Gon’s decision to do anything about it. To me, the “will of the force” is the trajectory by which the die falls. No more, no less. The midichlorians told him which way the die would fall and he acts to change it. The “thread to pull” is Qui-Gon deciding to shift the die. Luke, when told two different destinies in the OT & the “will of the force”, chooses neither and creates his own. Perhaps he was right that finding Anakin was the will of the force, or it was right that Luke and Vader’s confrontation was fated by the Force but past that are the choices we make. It’s our decisions that affect the galaxy as a whole

This has been the hill that I've been ready to die on for awhile and that I think it's the Jedi's hill as well! One of my favorite things about Star Wars is that destiny seems to exist, that Anakin is the Chosen One, George Lucas has confirmed that he was, but nothing within the story itself really pushes him into a specific path about it. The Jedi don't even bring it up around him (other than Qui-Gon pushes it during TPM, which is part of his case to adopt Anakin late) or if they do, it's often presented that they doubt it. It's not until Mustafar that Obi-Wan says a single thing on-screen about believing that Anakin is the Chosen One. On Mortis, Anakin himself expresses doubt about being the Chosen One, he was clearly not spoonfed that idea or had it pressed upon him that he had to do Something. Whether the Jedi believed it or not, various ones fell into different categories, they left Anakin to his own choices. Destiny exists, but it's your choice what to do about it. I fully believe that Anakin's destiny was to be in that office with Palpatine and to side with the light, to defeat Palpatine there, that's what being the Chosen One was about. But because he had free will to choose, his fears and anger made him choose a terrible path. I do think the Force has a will, it has a direction it wants to go, like a river running downstream, but that when you wade into it, you're still in control of the choices you want to make. You can walk upstream. You can build a dam. You can stand still. You can even get out of the river. Maybe the Force did draw Qui-Gon to Tatooine that day, maybe it didn't, they'll never really know. Maybe it nudged things so that Qui-Gon was in a position to see that dice roll, but then it was his choice to flip the die over to what was a better outcome. Pulling the thread if you want to pull the thread is what all evidence we have on the Jedi already points to believing in. The Force exists and it does have a pull to it, destiny exists. But it's still up to you the individual to decide whether or not to do it. (But I'm fine with people in-universe who misunderstand the Jedi and what they believe in the Force, because that's been something that has hung over them in every single era of Star Wars ever.)

#lumi.txt #star wars #jedi order #meta

[vampire-meta-knight]

Let's Make Cute Sweaters!!!

Listen up Tumblr, your local goth is going to teach you how to make an applique and sew it onto a sweater or sweatshirt.

Yeah, my pumpkin's wonky, but he's my Special Little Guy, and I love him.

I used plain, Time And Tru sweatshirts from Walmart that only cost about $10, but you can easily thrift a sweater or use one you already have that needs a little spice. The tombstone is made with felt, and the pumpkin is made from a plaid fat quarter--I will explain both methods, as they differ slightly.

Felt (the easiest): Find or draw a template (I searched tombstone templates for mine), cut it out, then use it to cut out the same shape from your felt of choice. If you want to embroider any details on your applique, like I did with the RIP and cracks, do that before sewing it onto the sweater. Put the sweater on and pin the applique where you want it to sit (doesn't have to be on the center--you could easily do elbow patches or a little patch off to the side), then do a blanket stitch by hand around the border for a decorative, clean way to attach it. I used 4 strands of embroidery floss in a contrasting color on the tombstone and six strands on the pumpkin--I think four works perfectly fine and is a little less bulky. Embroidery floss comes in every color imaginable and is pretty cheap, so you can experiment with color combos or even use multiple colored threads. You're welcome to play around with stitches and find something that works for you if you don't like the look of the blanket stitch, you can use a sewing machine instead, or you can safety-pin or fabric-glue the applique on if sewing isn't for you.

Optional: I sewed lace trim around the neckline and added a tiny bow for extra cuteness. If you're going to add lace trim, keep in mind that unless you're using stretchy lace, it'll hinder the stretch of the sweater. To mitigate this, I stretched the neckline a bit as I sewed and used a zig-zag stitch with my machine (you can sew it on by hand, too, just using wider stitches). I also must mention that the neckline on this sweater was decently wide without stretching, so even though it can't stretch as far anymore, it's no trouble getting it over my head. If you're using something with a tighter neckline, or tight cuffs on the sleeves, that really needs to stretch, then use stretchy lace or none at all. Bows are still something you can add that won't affect the stretch, so go wild with bows, buttons, safety pins, and all manner of little trinkets!

Cotton: The attachment process is still the same as the felt method, but making the applique is a little different. Since cotton isn't as sturdy as felt, and it frays, you need to prepare it differently. Before you cut out your shape, iron on lightweight fusible interfacing (sold at Walmart--make sure it's compatible with woven fabric if your fabric isn't stretchy and knit fabric if it is). I've made appliques without interfacing before, but they'll hold their shape much better and be sturdier if you do use it, so I recommend taking the couple extra minutes to iron it on. On the wrong side of your fabric, iron on a patch of interfacing large enough to fit your shape, let it cool, and then cut out your shape. I used an X-acto knife to cut out the face of the jack-o-lantern, which did pretty well, but did cause a bit of fraying that I cleaned up with my fabric scissors. To seal the edges, you can sew a zig-zag stitch around them, use an overlocker/serger, or use Fray-Check or fabric glue. I chose to do a zig-zag stitch so it'd be less noticeable under my blanket stitch, but I've used my serger in the past, and it looks nice, too--especially if you use a contrasting color. Now the process is exactly the same as the felt one.

Remember, it's perfectly okay if it has that "homemade look," and it doesn't need to look perfect or symmetrical, by any means! This is about having a fun little project to do while watching a show or some YouTube videos and sipping on some hot cocoa, knowing that you'll get a cute new sweater out of it that'll be unique and your own. And it's also okay to use it as stay-at-home lounge wear if it looks as wonky as Mr. Crooked Smile the pumpkin over there. Have fun, learn new techniques, and make happy little accidents!

Happy crafting!

#diy advice from your local goth #goth #goth subculture #gothgoth #goth diy #goth fashion #diy #diy fashion #crafting #sewing #sewing tutorial #diy tutorial #mine

[ourladyoflight]

What is the age and power order of Angel and her siblings?

First comes Corsanthius! Or... Angel? The record's a bit muddy on who was actually created first, no matter who you ask. All the other brothers know is that Corey and Angel both act as the oldest- and that they call each other "Older Brother" and "Older Sister" respectively, for an extra layer of confusion.

Corey specializes in flora and life, and he's the reason why new life can begin! When land is fertile enough for a harvest, and when saplings can begin to grow again in the most barren of places, that's his doing. No end is never truly finite when he's near, and nature heals by his hand. (The baby he's holding is his child, Evely! He had her with another angel that his sister may or may not have deliberately introduced him to.)

(Corey's the true eldest sibling. Angel came a few moments later, but it's a little fun to make your younger siblings wonder, isn't it?)

Next up is the Angel we know and love!! She goes by a different name when she's home, which she keeps well hidden. On the surface, it might seem like she specializes in light and purity- but all of the siblings are creatures of light, just to varying degrees.

Our Angel handles the threads of fate, which commonly take on a red appearance- but not always! They can be a variety of colors, and they're what draw people together for any reason. It's why you ran into an old childhood friend the day you felt a strong urge to go to the store, it's what drew your parents together, what drew an adult child out of the hurtful home of her family- and it's what draws quarreling friends apart, then together, then apart again. There are many types of love- platonic, familial, self- and the threads of fate rely on them. When tugged one way or another, Angel can influence the happenings of the world in a less overt manner.

After Corey and Angel comes Majdy!! Despite his seemingly peaceful demeanor, he plays an incredibly large role. Every mountain's peak, valley, ocean trench and winding river were sculpted by him; he's the force that drives Earth's tectonic plates to move, and he sculpts the Earth as time continues to pass. He was created a short while after Corey and Angel.

His siblings have proclaimed him the most beautiful out of all of them, because he mirrors the beauty he sees in the world- and he has a special eye for creating it too. Minerals and gemstones are something he delights in creating, and he's even created some in particular for his siblings.

(Rumor has it that he's searching for a mortal soul- a particular soul, on Earth. He won't say much about it- but come to think of it, there is a bloodline whose faces bear striking similarities to his.

The soul he's searching for must be very special to him.)

Following Majdy is Avgare (on the left), then Ellua (on the right). They were created a short while after Majdy, but sprung into existence within a relatively short timeframe- and they're very close as a result!

Avgare's specialty is the heavens- specifically the happenings of the sky. He's very tall in stature, and it was rumored that he held up the heavens with his own two hands to put it in its proper place. He bears a mantle of cumulus and nimbus, and a booming voice- but don't let his appearance fool you! He's a big sweetheart who loves his siblings more than anything else.

He doesn't travel to Earth often, but he's an avid artist! If you've ever seen a sunrise beautiful enough to stop you in your tracks, or watched the sun come out after a thunderstorm, he'd be honored to know that you appreciate his work. (His favorite thing to do is create fun clouds for children to see. Sometimes he'll make specific shapes he knows they'll love.)

Ellua specializes in direction- and for good reason! He's the smallest out of all the siblings, but he's by far the quickest. He orients the poles of the Earth, making sure that North is always North; he's how early civilizations came to rely on the sun rising in the east, and how humans grew comfortable with travel. He bears an iridescent shawl that accompanies him as he moves about, and the occasional flash of light can often be attributed to him for that reason.

(There isn't a thing that Ellua does slowly, much to the amusement of his brothers. The only thing that's been known to slow him down is bees. They hold a special place in his heart, and he'll take extra care whenever he's handling them or helping them about.)

And finally, we have Verche!! Verche is the baby of the siblings, and was created last. Unlike the others, whose forms are relatively humanoid and stable, Verche is... Slightly less so. One might first notice that Verche has a cluster of moths, antennae, and owl wings as opposed to a face, and this is because his form is in a constant state of change! It's very rare for Verche to look the same way for a consistent period of time, not that his siblings seem to mind. Sometimes he will forget what he looks like, and grow unstable; his siblings will take his hand, hold him, and remind him until he solidifies again.

Verche's specialty is truth- and because he sees all forms of truth, he has no true eyes. The most he can do is imitate the presence of eyes, which is oftentimes even more unsettling than the absence of them!

Despite him being blind on all accounts, it's impossible to lie to him: his soul contains all truths. Verche functions similarly to how a computer would, constantly running statements in his mind until he determines what's true. He knows what color Corey's eyes are, he knows what Avgare's sculpted in the sky; he knows the details of Angel's battles that she never talks about, and he knows what Majdy's searching for.

It can be a bit of a gamble figuring out who's the most powerful, especially with the roles each of them play in Heaven and Earth. But although the damage most of them can do is rather high, Corsanthius would be among the most devastating. Even a human can tear the Earth apart- but it would take a very disgruntled Corey to ensure nothing ever grows back.

Verche would be the next contender. Maybe somewhere in another universe, he's chosen to bend truth. It wouldn't be a hard thing for him to do.

(They all also think their sister is terrifying when she's mad. But they love her for it anyway.)

#(( I started typing and the words just kept coming!! I can add a readmore if anyone would like me to!! #(( Thank you so much for this ask!! I've been so excited to talk about these guys for the longest time!! 💜 #(( Hopefully I can make more polished art for them aside from these speedy refs!! 😂 #muse-borealis #𓆰 𝐵𝓇𝑜𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈

[ben-wisehart]

But how can you ban them if you can't detect them? At least when people tag them I can filter it instead of reading and wondering was that ai or bad writing/not first language/young writer?

Hi Anon! I'm glad you've asked this because I've been talking about it on Twitter all afternoon. I'm going to link you some threads and then I'll summarise my stance at the end:

Not mine but I highly recommend reading as it answers the above question much better than I am about to: https://twitter.com/dcyiyou/status/1658821419491262464

mine: https://twitter.com/bobby_speeds/status/1658867137870725121

In essence...

I'm literally advocating for only removing the ones that openly say they're AI. That’s my stance.

Ao3 already hosts fanworks that are against its TOS. I mentioned placeholder fics in the post you're responding to (here if people missed it), but much more seriously: commissioned works. Stories written for profit do not fall under fair use and are therefore against the Archive's TOS - but we all know there are still hundreds of them (probably more) on there. It's impossible to regulate when the authors do it quietly and don't mention it on the archive itself. Everyone knows that this happens, but that doesn't mean Ao3 shouldn't have a policy against it and shouldn't remove the ones that are blatant about flouting the rules.

AI fics aren't fanworks. Right now it's still unclear whether they would even be protected under fair use the way non-profit fanworks are. It's not about completely removing them from the archive, it's about drawing a clear distinction between what is and isn't a fanwork, which AI objectively is not.

People who post AI works for fun and people who pass off AI output as their own are fundamentally different people. The former are jumping on a bandwagon. The latter are pathetic losers and they'll eventually get bored. And they are, I cannot stress this enough, already doing it whether AI works are allowed or not because the thing that makes you go "hey guys, look at this neat thing I got from playing around on ChatGPT!" is not the same thing that makes you lie about making something on a platform where the only currency is praise.

I genuinely don't think the increase in untagged AI fics will be anything like people are suggesting, but even if it were, I guess I just don't care. Maybe I just don't understand this panic over not being able to filter out AI works because I already back out of 90% of fics I click on. I am unfathomably picky, and AI fics are so bad it takes less than a minute to recognise that it isn't worth reading (whether you know it's AI or not). I would rather back out of 91% instead if it means Ao3 actually taking a stand against a technology that I find so fundamentally repulsive and antithetical to everything the OTW stands for.

#askbox #ai fic #I could see an initial uptick at the start if a ban were introduced because people are Like That #but long term I do think it would be better than it is now

[angelicgentleman]

6?

6. which ship fans are the most annoying? from 🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

okay so we're doing this... For peace of mind of any creek shippers I'll leave it under the cut.

To answer the question; creek shippers. I mentioned how toxic the ship in canon is and it seems that the fanbase is just as toxic (but they'll never admit either of these things). I'll be speaking from my experience, so keep in mind that you might have a better experience with said fanbase. I didn't. As I previously mentioned, I was obsessed with creek years ago and for a few years as well, so I was indeed part of the fanbase. I used to post a ton of creek art (that hopefully nobody will ever find again) to the point where I even took part in a creek zine (luckily not the book of love one, but still). Ultimately, the fanbase itself made me quit creek altogether. You are not allowed to ship anything besides creek, especially if the ships involve Tweek or Craig (I was at fault for drawing Staig once), those ships won't be tolerated. I got a fistful of comments saying that creek is canon and I should not practice gay erasure by drawing them with anyone else (...I am yet to comprehend that logic). You might think that keeping other ships to yourself would solve the problem, but you can get attacked for even drawing creek in a way that strays from canon/fanon. Did you know that there was a lighthearted event called bottom Craig week? Did you know that whoever made it got attacked for even attempting to popularize different ship dynamics within the same couple? You can't.

Next on the list is hellpark, of course. I cannot believe the amount of shits the creators had to put up with. Creek was never going to be a thing in hellpark and people just weren't having it. I was a member of a few servers and I just saw more than I ever wished to see. They might have not mentioned it, but I believe it was part of the reason why Hellpark got canceled. Another thing is that most of the fanbase is only here for creek. And you know what, that's fine, I get it. But the same people will never watch any other episodes of south park, especially not the ones without creek interactions and then go on to saying how problematic and bad South Park is once they realize what the show really is. I've come across a handful of antis on the creek side of fandom.

Fanon creek is blatantly mischaracterized. Tweek is a baby who cannot do anything without his super strong and mature boyfriend who will carry him around and protect him from all evil. It's like they didn't even watch the episodes they call so precious. Tweek could easily kick's Craig ass and we all know it. Craig is much more than stoic that flips people off. But people won't be happy if you show them that.

In terms of roleplay, it doesn't get better. Used to roleplay a lot and I cannot recall a single thread that wouldn't end up with drama or whatever.

The list could go on, but I'm getting unnecessarily annoyed by just thinking about it.

Of course, at the end of the day, you're free to ship whatever you want and however you want it, it's all for your fun and enjoyment, there's nothing truly wrong with that. Just don't be a dick about it and don't torment people who like things differently.

(said zine piece, imagine having your biggest yikes printed out in a hardcover book)

#askbox reply #ooc

[radi0activesmile]

Negativity below the cut. Kind of hoping if I type it up and put it out into the universe I can get over it.

My rule that says I won't rp with twin muses came from more than one bad experience. For a long time, I didn't even want to rp with people who wrote the characters I did even if they were writing a different character, because I could never shake the feeling that they were judging me/using me as a way to build themselves up.

EX: Ha. They think this character would do (x) when of course they wouldn't. I'm such a better write for (x.)

(It does not help that this did, in fact, happen back in 2020. Someone, not realizing I was the same writer as the page they were poking fun at, invited me to poke fun of... me.)

When I became a part of this fandom, I knew that writing with people who also write the same character I do was something I would have to get over. There aren't that many characters (well. Well developed characters. This fandom has a talent for pointing to a character who's had 3.5 lines of dialogue and was on screen for 50 seconds across 8 episodes and create a three page long backstory for that character. It's incredibly impressive.)

I've been here for a little less than two years now, and it's been fine. Recently, though--

and maybe it's because I got a new boss in July and I swear said boss is trying to weed out the weak by making work unbearably miserable and impossible to do in an eight hour work day (so I usually work 2 -3 hours a day for free), so she can see how many people will quit--

-- and maybe it's because I'm on antibiotics because said job brought me dangerously close to a kidney infection, and antibiotics have always done weird things to me--

-- that anxiety's come back in a new way. I find myself stressing out a stupid amount over the idea that someone's frustrated I'm not writing a character the way they think I should.

I always felt that part of the draw of rp was that everyone brings something different to the table, and that you can write with three different people all playing the same character, and those three threads will go in three very different directions, and three very different relationships will be formed.

But I can't shake the feeling that, if I don't write a character the way someone else perceives them, they'll get frustrated and drop me. And I end up kicking myself for the way I handled x interaction weeks after it happened. I shouldn't have sent that/ answered that/ typed that.

This is, of course, a me problem. No one is saying I should feel bad for interacting with them, it's just a feeling I can't shake.

Writing it out does make it sound incredibly stupid, but I've typed this far so I might as well click post.

#tw: negativity #tw: venting #Been fighting with this for about three- four weeks so #Maaaaaybe writing it out will help? #My brain is not having a great time

[canmom]

welp so much for 'AI can't do human figures at least'. with midjourney there was at least a kind of unique texture to the AI generated pictures, a sense of complicated shapes and patterns that don't quite resolve - it looked quite novel just as deep dream did before it. dall-e meanwhile would often leave janky artefacts, and really struggled with things that have specific structures like faces. but this new one 'stable diffusion' (what a dry academic name!)... i guess time will tell what its fingerprint is, beyond the ghosts of signatures of artists its plagiarised lol...

i don't think this will kill art commissions at the like, individual dnd/character level necessarily. i think getting a commission is on some level a social thing, where you get a picture that represents your support of the artist you admire, and has that personal aura of a thing you paid to create. i think someone who is going to drop hundreds of dollars on a painting of their fursona or ffxiv character will still do that. and for visdev for films and games, the AI still doesn't have the ability to develop a coherent visual language or follow instructions for how to iterate on a design (though... it might be only a matter of time at this point before they specialise the tools, but they'll still have a human calling the shots even if running the AI joins kitbashing as a way to rapidly make concept art).

but what about the more dreary side of art, for advertising etc., where there's no real concern for style, just a throwaway image for delivering a narrative as efficiently as possible?

the rise of colour photography pretty much did away with the old American tradition of commercial illustration represented by people like Loomis, leaving niches like scifi/fantasy art, comics and animation to carry the torch for illustration. however, this also led to the flourishing of photography as an art form in its own right, and freed drawing and painting to become more stylised. that has broadly been my prediction for AI art, though i guess it's too early to see what will happen this time around.

in any case, it is scariest for the artists who have already 'made it' who now have a new competitor that's terrifyingly fast and obliging, and is probably plagiarising them to boot. unfortunately i don't think twitter threads about the obfuscated plagiarism of a 'training set' are going to put a stop to this. the state is unlikely to have an interest in suppressing big tech companies for the sake of artists' livelihoods, nor would outlawing it likely be effective when you can just run the servers somewhere else it's not illegal. and people are too excited by the promise of 'put in prompt, get picture'.

as for the other artists without a robust industry position or large following, whose existence is tenuous already, which is probably the majority... well, hard to say what will happen to us. it might be no different since we're already outcompeted, but then again the AI has the powerful advantage of being cheap, with a near unlimited pace of generation, so it's not like there's just one more talented artist out there, it's a stylistic chameleon "artist" with an unlimited work ethic and endless polish who will work for breadcrumbs. so that's kind of alarming! but there's a reason people still turn to us, even now. it's not always about the greatest perfection, but the personality and character we bring, the feeling of supporting a growing artist, the satisfaction of getting your very specific request realised. buying art is not just about paying money for product, people are playing a role in a social system according to the narratives in their head! (same reason people still make and buy porn with often familiar premises or hire cam workers when almost anything can now be seen for free.)

it's not like the actual act of making art will become any less intrinsically rewarding. artists will still create for all the reasons we always have. expressing the things that can be said no other way, developing a skill, devotion, showing off, just the strange pleasure cof seeing a picture or story come together... it is still satisfying no matter if someone else, be they human or algorithm, can do it better. but... there's a fear the ecosystem might wither. it's a lot harder to develop your expressive power when you have to spend most of your time and energy on the day job.

the 'ecosystem' is why i feel independent 'subculture driven' art is so important, more than the corporate side. stuff like furry fandom, doujinshi, stick figure fights, hentai, fanart/fanfiction, webnovels, indie games, indie music, even stuff that doesn't necessarily seem like 'art' at a glance like speedruns. all sorts of niches large and small devoted to exploring the things they are devoted to. it's not about whether there's a better artist out there - you're there to participate in the scene and have fun. some people will go on to take it super seriously and emerge into the sunlight with what seems like a terrifying level of talent but you need that encouraging subculture to incubate you and get you to actually start putting yourself out there and making stuff. at any age.

ultimately i think with or without AI, capitalism is strangling the vast unrealised possibilities of human expression, and that will remain true until society is rearranged so that people do not have to spend most of their lives working to survive. but... that's not in my power. still, AI is a human invention, its role in our world is yet undecided, and we decide what we value. i acknowledge this likely sounds kind of hollow when the world is saturated with hostile images like ads, created by vast social forces beyond our power... but let's start with the bubble around each of us, if nothing else, and cultivate that shit. even if you don't have much money - sure we can't pay rent with praise and encouragement and concrit but we can't live without it either. there is so much more to art than who wields the most technical skill and we'd do well to remember that again...

#art #artificial intelligence

[unproduciblesmackdown]

spinning off of "winston being fantastically (literally fantastical (literally related to fantasy)) clairvoyant (he is also figuratively clear-sighted / figuratively preternaturally perceptive just like, in the show. which is where this all comes from. plus him calling himself cassandra, always seeing the future. he really has always / continued to be thusly) and taylor literally has a broadsword" type fun and games that are very loosey goosey b/c billions aus go spinning off into their own separate dimensions super easily when billions canon is so rooted in its specific Stage Settings of modern day US law n finance battles in the office, sidewalks, and eateries:

the thought of winston & tuk and winston gets to be a fairy. jokes, please. changelings are right there with the common theory of "was this to explain disabilities & go 'something could go Wrong and the baby's not a Person and get rid of that,' unlike nowadays where people do that but go 'b/c that baby's disabled'" and also one goes Thinking Emoji about how apparently New Mothers and New Brides were susceptible along with New Borns to become swapped out with a fairy and now something's wrong with them and get rid of that. had to be about Something given that people apparently did act on changeling lore and martin luther is taking a stance like yeah another thesis, it's important to kill them And okay to kill them b/c they don't even have a soul anyways. okay thanks martin luther....meanwhile also witchcraft and getting after anybody for that too. and fairies generally as Problems, the etymology going back to [fate], the range like "ooh hehe causing funny little inconveniences just because" to more so "yeah they could cause life-threatening illness for that" and "yeah they'll just kill you"....and i think fairy/fey as respective noun/adj re: being gay is of Unknown Origin, like "gay" also is. and you never know, if being fey is like, well something's not right and it's dangerous, whether this is the inspiration....though by the time this slang starts turning up, and even in the time of prior possible origins / the roots in other usages / potential inspirations, theoretical actual fairies are surely becoming more Fanciful, this being around like, the 18th century, rather than "here's martin luther telling you to immolate! that! baby!"

but that like, you can have it all ways out here. the Always Small fairies i think being a later kind of victorian deal, rather than "fairies are shapeshifters & can become animals e.g. & May have a 'tiny little inches or millimeters high mode' but that's just a mode & the fact that generally though they just look like people, maybe with some stylistic variations and tells, means watch out" and i think wings came up ever, across yknow the various centuries and regions of folklore out here lmao and possible origins / influences yet further across time & regions & cultures, but again "always small and always winged" being a very relatively modern victorian deal. but we can draw on that to be sure when, additionally, a Potential mutual [would prefer to avoid] between fairies and humans (as opposed to "if your house or some shit is on a fairy path bestie just build them another door to walk straight through cuz they're Gonna") becomes "no, fairies mostly avoid humans more than the other way around" type of imbalance of any threat means like, well hey sure, the Real Self could then become a tiny little magical guy having fun with wing designs who is shy and elusive but maybe another fun little guy can accidentally become aware but then have a secret little hidden friendship hmm....

but then also just thinking of the version where you just look exactly like everyone else and live amongst them, changeling style. and potentially don't Know you're different, or at least not Why, b/c this is a "from birth" thing like hmmm ya don't say. and the whole thread where in some folklore fairies Aren't nonhuman, the difference is only about the separate fairy Realm you live in, which is different, with like "yeah sometimes fairies come from people who died." and alongside / overlapping with everything like "yeah you could disappear for a few days to that realm and then be like 'don't wanna / can't talk about it'" and whatever all various like "watch out for the liminal and unknowingly wandering or being taken into the fairy world and Then watch out for communing with them b/c then you could be Permanently affected, or permanently continually affected or vulnerable, or just stuck there. and we wouldn't want that" like well don't let them know your name but maybe try to find out their names b/c you can get at them in turn that way, don't get in on any food, don't get in on any parties. though variations, sometimes people getting whisked away for particular tasks that apparently Only humans can do. or forever potential for helpful / sympathetic fairy interventions in life. like fairies raising humans b/c their human parents were awful

also, that some classic Tests for "is your baby a changeling?" were very like, "well i guess if we drowned or burned that person and they just died about it....our bad," in the way that like apparently the way to go could be "put them in the fire. where they'll either burn or fly out the chimney." or "start going tf beating them with objects. so that they go away" like and they never stop beating winston with hammers out here!! or the classic "idk abandon them in the forest so fairies can take them back" like well they do also like [i prefer to pretend winston doesn't exist / forget that he does] lmao. this isn't really related. just the ol "ballpeen hammers kind of goated when it comes to putting someone in a sack and beating them to death" factor out here for your local changelings

also sure thinking of like ohh watch out for winston and his gayass Realm he exists in which is wrong and not of our own and potentially will forever change you with its gayass ways. uh oh don't get corrupted into a whole other powerful magical mode of existence if you commune with him in some deep fundamental nourishing ways. oh nooo watch ouuuut....one of the "you might be a changeling if" moments being "when they think they're alone do they act up?? dance??" like yeah i'm stimming and bursting into motion and making noises and existing wrong when i think i'm alone. Old Souls (theory as well that newborn changelings were secretly elderly fairies)....existence in the Fey Realm just making you different and out of place huh. and it would just be a guy though like either [undetectable except by already trying to kill them] and/or [actually just a human, fairies are just humans, fairies b/c they're in/from the fairy realm] but uh oh don't let him corrupt you. don't go hanging out with him and talking with him and partaking in his activities and embracing his ways. you'll be changed. you'll never fit in around here and be able to do things right ever again. we'll have to start beating you with hammers. and all for what. your weird gayass little guy and a whole possible other dimension of existence? vs all This? smh

#that fey little mf. all the same glasses hoodies cargo pants winston.... #winston billions #you can't go wrong. sort of semi fantastical au. or just modern day ''fairies can even be in your hedge fund office'' magical realism #not even like there's clear Powers lol like what do fairies do? well bit fuzzy on that but one things for sure: #cause problems for US!!!! like wow the way symptoms & definitions of disabilities are approached much? #you might be a fairy if....ouch i'm dead of unclear causes in 1337. Not very 1337.... #winston is truly always causing problems. also learned that ''oaf'' (another word i've recently thought like ''i would just not say that'' #b/c for some reason the nyt i believe described orville wingate as [still an(?)] Oaf & i was like a) huh b) excuse me) derives from fairy #as it was a term for a changeling specifically :I which juuust so happens to lead to connotations of Stupidity(tm) & Clumsiness(tm) #hmm! you do not say it! #what could changeling winston do? up for grabs. but the point is: change(ling) your life. and other fun things :) #also i think another potential fairy ability was: seeing the future as well lol. it's all coming together #seeing winston with fun bird wings b/c you've communed with him ''too much'' already. not an angel thing. a fairy thing #(sidebar abt how some Lore was that they Are an angel thing. see: influence from whole other traditions lol) #winston Becoming a bird b/c he can do things like that b/c fairies are shapeshifters. he's a pigeon =) you have a nest for him =) cooing #another parallel like ''definitely don't fuck him or you're locked in to his gay autistic realm for sure'' #just like how as a theoretically real world autistic person everyone just knows winston isn't allowed to have sex #nowadays how ridiculous to imagine going: we think someone is weird & dislike their vibes; they shouldn't exist. we should ostracize them #we would never be like; some corruption has caused your child to exist wrong. basically taking your Real child away from you #or when they do tragically exist that they should be driven away to any possible extent up to ''just kill them :( sorry for You btw'' #with the Possibility fairies could give you your Real Human Child back.... #autistic kid? number one recommendation totally isn't ''put them in specialized abuse school where we try to banish the autism for you''

[on-noon]

hiii, for the magic system ask game:

Are there any recreational uses of magic? In games, hobbies, or otherwise? Or is it too important/difficult/dangerous for that?

Are there certain identifiers for magic users? Appearance or behaviour-linked?

What symbols are linked to magic? How is magic often depicted in illustrations? Are there different words for magic/types of magic?

for whatever WIP has the most interesting answer

- @vsnotresponding

hi v!

i'll answer for both Countdown to Magic & my main fantasy world, cause Countdown's got more interesting answers but i love the magic in both (i love making magic systems. that's why the main fantasy world has at least fourteen)

Are there any recreational uses of magic? In games, hobbies, or otherwise? Or is it too important/difficult/dangerous for that?

Countdown:

Only if someone hires a mage to do magic for a recreational use- but that's expensive, and I don't think covered by any standard spells that are sold, so it would have to cost more. Mages can't use magic for themselves, otherwise their are side effects, which can be really scary. So no, magic isn't used for recreation.

main fantasy world:

Of course! Basically everyone uses magic. Some of the little soorts I've invented that use magic include swordfighting, but if you make the sword hot enough you only need to hit them once to win! Or the huge basically capture the flag game that happens anually between teams of teenagers from different countries where all magics are allowed (the only limits are only taking stuff that can fit in a backpack (no dragon) and not killing). I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who use water magic for surfing.

Are there certain identifiers for magic users? Appearance or behaviour-linked?

Countdown to Magic:

Their Mage Society uniforms. But otherwise not really.

main fantasy world:

depends on the magic. Universal magics? Nope. National magics? They'll be something weird going on with the hair. Rando luck makes hair either glow or absorb extra light, makes the hair more curly or more straight depending on what the luck is. Rakan time travel gives you ghost hair. Bonding a dragon makes your hair metallic.

What symbols are linked to magic? How is magic often depicted in illustrations? Are there different words for magic/types of magic?

Countdown to Magic:

Well, runes are one of the most common ways of doing magic, so that's a bunch of symbols linked to magic (i should figure out what the runes look like). In illustrations, runes are illustrated by runes, chunky. Potions, when illustrated, often get the sort of style from old nature drawings.

main fantasy world:

No symbols are linked to magic. Magic in illustrations oftentimes shows up as threads of a color associated with the type of magic. (Although it depends on the art style, of course). There's not really unique words. Heat magic. Water magic. That sort of thing, you know?

words written for this ask: 100

total words for motivation experiment: 17,147

project worked on: FFF207

#ask game reply #from the mailbox

[abrazimir]

If someone were to want to start roleplay blogging on here, how would you advise they start?

FASCINATING question, I won't lie tumblr rp blogging is a bit convoluted but I'll give a go at writing a start up guide!

First; choose your muse! (Muse here means the character you are playing, as apposed to the 'mun' which is you the writer) This is harder than you might expect since the advent of the multimuse blog boom, but if you're just starting I would recommend picking a character you both really like AND can easily put in situations. Trust me, being a 'no AU or crossover' rper on here is a trial.

Second; Make a blog for that muse! Now listen, people have managed to make rp side blogs from their personal fandom blog and rp that way, but trust me it's a major hassle and it is best to keep your personal account and your rp account seperate. This however does mean you need to make an account with a whole different email etc etc it's a massive pain BUT it's short term for great benefit. Now! The things you 100% need on your rp blog somewhere easily accessible;

- RULES! Take a look through other peoples blogs and their rules to get a kind of idea of the point of them and keep updating your own as you go!

- Information about your muse, who they are, a blurb about them especially if they're an original character, and any canon divergences or specific HC's you have for the canon ones.

- VERSES! I know this sounds like a late game thing, but try to divide up your muse's life into defined sections depending on massive changes in their life or character so people can get an idea of what they'll be rping against. And think about how you want to adapt your muse into different universes that you might want to rp in and make 'AU verses' out of them, it'll expand the numbers of people you can interact with immensely.

Third! Find people to follow; Again this can be harder than you might expect, rp communities are all connected by thin threads and you'll find more people as you play. But in general just typing '(fandom name) rp' into tumblr search will get you somewhere. Find blogs you like the look of, check their rules to make sure it's all good and follow them. If they follow you back, congrats! You have a mutual and now you can do things like send them meme sentence starters when they reblog them or like their starter calls (posts that say' starter call' somewhere that you like and the person might write you a starter rp post from their character to yours)

Fourth; Roleplay! So, people will have different preferences in terms of rp length and type, but in general all replies should have three things;

-something for the other person to reply too, an action or comment originating from your muse that they can reasonably turn into a reply. Try to make sure you're not just reacting to what happened in the previous reply, engage with it too, and if you can't then go back to your rp partner and see if you can work something out over IM's.

- An acknowledgement of who you are interacting with. This can be anything, but try not to get too caught up in your characters response that you forget who they're responding too. In general characters won't react the same with a child as with a 1000 year old vampire or whatever etc, respond to WHO your partner is, keep it unique for all your partners and you'll all have a good time!

-Something for you! You have to leave your sense of cringe at the door in this business, think about what things make you enjoy your muse as a character and include them in your replies, even if it's just drawing attention to a particularly cool scar or whatever, your partner will engage with it and then you'll be excited to reply next time!

RP Courtesies to remember!

- If you see someone reblog a sentence meme post, try to send them something from it before you reblog it yourself. It's just polite and makes sure people are getting interactions.

- If someone's written a starter for you, like it before you put it in your drafts. Even if you never reply to it, it polite to just let them know you've seen it at least!

- Don't pester people for replies, everyone's busy and replies are a fickle business.

- Tag anything that's not roleplaying or HC posts or the like as 'ooc' so people can keep their dashes clear for just rp if they wish too.

- Don't reblog other people's rp threads!!! tumblr rp relies a lot on notifications and messing with it can make it difficult to see when you need to respond.

Thats all I can think of for now! Hope it was helpful

#;;ooc #how to tumblr rp

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

I know for 100% certain that Sony is gonna make Morbius 2. It doesn't matter that it bombed twice, they perceive it as being popular, and that's enough to warrant a sequel for them to try and milk. My money says they're gonna shoehorn some version of Morbius into Spider-Verse 3 and then use that as a springboard for their whole "Morbius Cinematic Universe."

Morbius is in the same universe as Tom Hardy's Venom (which they laughably call the Spider-Man Cinematic Universe even though there is no Spider-Man in it), but the memes have elevated Morbius to near mascot status, so I wouldn't doubt it if Sony tried to make him their next big thing. It won't work, of course, but they'll try.

This is their second crossover with Disney characters after Spider-Home HomeHomeHome, and there's no way they're gonna stop here without making a third. Venom 2 didn't perform as well as they hoped, and Venom himself didn't do jack shit when he went to the MCU in two different post credit scenes, so I think Sony is gonna try and use Morbius as a thread to tie all the disparate franchises together in the worst most tone deaf kind of way.

People like Spider-Man, people pretend to like Morbius, so they're gonna sub one out for the other. "Who needs Spider-Man when we've got Doctor Vampire the Vampire Doctor!" I just hope it fails spectacularly in the development stage, because if they actually manage to shit out a sequel it's game over; doesn't matter if it bombs, it'll still draw in enough eyeballs to prop up the rest of their cinematic universe. Nobody saw Dr Strange 2, but that didn't derail the 45 other films Disney has in development, so nothing can stop the Morb except total indifference and apathy. They can market to love, they can market to hate (hell, hate ia arguably more profitable than love ever could be), but they can't market to indifference.

I just want super hero movies to fucking die already.

#morbius #venom #sony cinematic universe #memes #spider man #sony #fatigue #superhero fatigue #cape fatigue

[mtdthoughts]

The Twins' Relationship Pt. 14 (Migi & Dali Analysis)

This is Part 14 of the discussion of the twins' relationship and its evolution throughout the story.

Click here to return to the top of the thread (Part 1)

Note that I will use scenes from both the anime and manga wherever I see fit, and of course spoilers are discussed.

This post will be about the second half of Episode 13, i.e. the timeskip, which shows the evolved relationship of the twins. This will also be the second-to-last post in this thread (finally!).

The first we see of the twins after the ending sequence is a casual interaction where Dali explains Migi's art.

This scene made me remember the scene in Episode 7 where Dali laughed at Migi's drawing of Sali/Sally, and it's pretty heartwarming seeing Dali being proud of his younger brother. On top of that, Migi follows it up with "As expected of Dali" ("Sasuga Dali"), which is another nod to the fact that Migi has always looked up to his smarter older brother. Yet, their relationship is nothing like it was before, where Migi no longer feels constrained by his older brother, and Dali no longer lies to his younger brother. It's quite refreshing to see.

Next, we see them making a cherry pie together, which is a clear callback to the first time they do it together in Episode 1.

Notice the similarities and differences here. Dali takes command as he always has, yet he no longer wraps his arms as tightly around Migi as he has before, which shows that he's now no longer controlling towards his younger brother.

Then, when Eiji was about to arrive, Migi desperately pleaded with his brother to dress up as Sali, which undoubtedly would have humiliated him.

Of course, the twins have changed from before, as Dali once again reluctantly accepts a request from Migi after a desperate plea.

This is yet another callback to the scene in Episode 10 when Migi asked Dali to make a silly face for Eiji, and it just shows how much the twins have changed. Dali was willing to put up with this ridiculous request, and Migi has grown more forward towards Dali, as both his request and his usage of "omae" (お前) towards Dali have proven that whatever fear Migi had towards his older brother has completely vanished (and only love remains).

Eiji coming back to enjoy cherry pie with everyone and to visit Metry's grave with the twins serves as a neat conclusion to the revenge plotline.

The twins were both pleased that their triplet brother was finally able to accept his own happiness and atonement for killing Reiko, though notice that Dali was the only one who said "Right" when Eiji said that his mother (Reiko) wasn't here. This could be interpreted as Dali accepting accountability for his involvement of the series of events that led to this, though Migi stands side-by-side with his brother, as if sharing his responsibility.

Finally, in the last scene of the series, the twins decided to separate and live different lives, though they promise each other that they'll always remain connected.

This scene was yet another callback, this time to the aquarium date back in Episode 4. This time, Dali left for a faraway school, yet unlike before, it didn't quite feel like Dali leaving Migi behind as he's done before (e.g. for revenge). If it were the old Migi and Dali, they would have never separated, and the very prospect of it would have left them in tears. But because they're no longer their former insecure selves, and because they finally found love and acceptance from family, friends, and most importantly each other, they could now be confident that their bond will endure, no matter how far they are.

I also it was rather interesting that the twins didn't exchange any words as Dali left. This is a headcanon of mine, but I think that they've definitely cried it out some time before Dali left, and what was shown was in the story was them after getting over the fact. I might incorporate this headcanon in the next fanfic I write, if it does get written...

Anyway, that concludes this post, and in the next and final part, I'll wrap up this whole thread with a neat little bow by summarizing everything.

#migi and dali #migi to dali #analysis

[cosmicyeen]

Sudden desire to ramble out of nowhere BUT I've just come across a conversation people are having about AI images, and how some artists are feeling demotivated because they'll never be "as good as the AI," and that was a shock to me. I don't think I've ever looked at AI art with any kind of jealousy, nor with disappointment at not meeting that "level," even though the images are otherwise aesthetically good to look at.

So of course I wondered, why didn't I have that reaction to what is objectively technically proficient imagery? The desire to have my art look a certain way has always been with me, especially when I was learning as a kid, and admittedly I do still look at others' art with envy at times.

But, by default my brain never looked at AI art with anything other than the depth I might look at a billboard ad with. I see more or less pleasing images, and nothing to prop them up.

This isn't to say I think I have some superior viewpoint here; if AI art had been a thing when I started out (or even if i had just not found a different mindset around art as a whole) I likely would have felt that same kind of demotivation.

I'm also not saying art needs to mean something explicit or profound every time, the whole "AI images as "real" art" thing is a fascinating discussion imo, but whether one considers it art is also not really relevant to my point here.

This is more an explanation of a mindset I didn't realize I had been building, and it's kind of nice to look back and realize how my mind's changed over the years I've been drawing. There were probably two main points where this happened.

For one thing, the things I value in art are different, and thus my taste has changed. I used to wish my art could be hyperrealistic, and this is fine as a goal of course, but it wound up being a goal I drifted from over time as I found less and less satisfaction with just repeating images in front of me. I noticed realism suddenly having value to me not for what it perfectly reiterates, but for how much time and raw skill it takes to get to that point. Nonetheless, I wanted to keep going, to make my *own* images, to see what rules I could break and reinvent for myself.

Same goes for the art of others; I value the skill I can see behind each line, and I wonder what each stroke and dot and color choice means and comes from, what they choose to add and bend and leave out instead of just mimic.

The other, and main underpinning of this mindset finally happened when I got into spinning and fiber arts. I used to prefer the look of chunky "homespun" yarn and weavings, not understanding the appeal of the otherwise-visually-boring-threads of uniform thickness I would see. But, after I got into it and saw how much time and raw skill it takes to spin yarn, and I saw others share their skeins of a uniformity and lightweightness that I still havent gotten near skill-wise, the once uninteresting fiber arts began to suddenly become so much more interesting to me.

Chunky and art yarns are still good, don't get me wrong, but they're just the beginning now. Lace, something I never thought twice about, suddenly became a baffling complexity of knots and loops.

Embroidery, defined not just by the final image, but by every stab of the needle and pull of the thread.

A uniform white rag, now known by the patience needed to clean every fiber, spin every thread to such a light weight, and align it all perfectly on a loom.

Every line in a drawing, a shape someone has drawn a thousand times before, honing muscle memory and understandings of balance and color and contrast in both conscious and unconscious ways. As far as I'm concerned, the imperfect circle someone has drawn a thousand times is more interesting than the perfect one, and every perfect circle takes on a life of its own when used as a tool and not an aspirational goal.

Somewhere along the line, I began seeing a kind of awe in artwork that I can only describe as an awareness of the crystallization of time. And I think that's why AI images don't give me any sense of insecurity as an artist

#to be clear i don't personally consider AI art to be art for the same reason i don't consider a google search results page to be art #but i also don't feel the desire to strongly assert that point as i think it's risky business to draw too hard of a line in the sand- #for what makes something “real art” even if i am otherwise pretty sure that line would be drawn well #but again that goes up to the line where i'd be defining something i consider inherently undefinable #ai art discussion #art discussion #idk what this would even be tagged as i'm more just airing out my brain at this point #yeen yelling

[zorilleerrant]

the idea of "not liking the real characters" wrt to comics is insane to me because of like. the variety of depictions of most characters. no two writers or artist have them exactly the same way, and depending on the story, the same team could work radically differently on, say, a fluffy holiday story (esp. Valentine's day variants) vs. a dark mystery based on current events.

but also because... TV and movie fandoms do this all the time and people just don't complain the same way, trying to tell people they don't get the canon. especially if the fandom is still strong after the end of a TV series or movie franchise, they'll build up a What Happens After That world together, hitting similar beats over and over again or coming to a consensus on what later versions of the character, world, and plot threads would be. it's at best implied in the source material, there's just a vibrant community co-creating art around it. but even for ongoing series that have a specific set of characters to draw from right there

you get people messing with characters' genders, sexualities, races, religions, disabilities, etc. and using that to explore all kinds of stories. you get people going: okay, what if these two characters hated each other, actually. what if these two got along. what if the team were friends since they were kids, or what if they were all picked to be on a reality show and just met. these ones are in love. these ones were never in love. this one wouldn't even be in love anyway because they're aromantic. this one would be in love with several more people once removed from the canon context telling them not to be, or some plot element that scared them, or some character trait they needed to cultivate for backstory reasons.

and like... this is the point of fanfic and fandom. to ask what if and change little points of the story, sure, but also to ask what if and change one or a few characters completely, put in an entirely different plot, set it in a different world, set it in the same world but with such massive changes the original set of characters is largely unrecognizable. to create something that's both familiar and new, fluid, changing and growing with the people it exists for, to speak and share their stories.

and the thing is, that was already the point of comics, anyway. that's why they're so full of alternate realities and potential futures and time travel shenanigans that change the story. retellings of the same familiar narrative with a different tone or from a different perspective. explorations of things that might have happened given a different set of starting criteria - reboots and revamps and redesigns. modernized versions of older stories, in flashbacks and series set in the past. putting whole bunches of characters together to shake things up for a while, in every crossover event. they're cooperative at best, collaborative even when they aren't, and generally function in the exact same way fandom does.

so what's the difference? I mean, we have the obvious one of thinking white men are inherently smarter and more competent at telling the same stories compared to women and people of color - see, for example, how canon stories by women and especially women of color are called fannish or poisoned by fanfic or catering to fans - which fits in with the fan studies theory that masculine fandom is about being right and feminine fandom is about being new. far easier to catalog all the minutiae of a canon and form a rigid hierarchy of the thoughts that it's okay and correct to have about it than ask why someone created the story that they did. to look at a story and see where they got what they got out of it, or why they thought it should have been there when it wasn't. easier to dismiss them as not being knowledgeable enough to speak.

but I think it's mostly driven by the same thing that pits fanfic against original fiction in the general circumstance. the idea that taking stories from, say Law & Order and coming up with new characters, plots, worlds, etc. or spins on the old one is stealing and not creative and lazy writing, but doing with same with Sherlock Holmes is, of course, hard work and should be respected. as if the writing process isn't exactly the same. as if the work isn't exactly the same. but it can't be monetized in the same way, and therefore it isn't valued by a society that wants to put a price tag on every minute of every person's life. that's what drives the idea that these people are allowed to make creative decisions and those people have to respect the decisions made. the dollar buys the right to change something fundamental to the narrative.

because you can look at the acceptable canon compliant activities, which include complaining about every single author that's ever written a particular character; pointing out the faults with the character, plot holes, worldbuilding details that make no sense; saying these are the only good drawings, or these are the better stories, or these are the ones who truly understand the character or story or world, and those other ones are just going through the motions. anything that requires no information synthesis, but just repeating increasingly obscure facts.

because people will take much milder complaints about a story wrapped in the drapery of an elaborate fic and say that person hates the canon and just never liked the character in the first place, sure. but they'll also take commentary on the story and go, well, the author would never agree with what you're reading into it, therefore you're simply reading too much into things and it isn't there. or they go the author couldn't have meant that, because of the time and place of creation of that canon, and so talking symbolism and metaphor and allegory through a modern lens is doing something to the text, harming it in some way. so it's not just fanfic, fanart, and headcanons. it's the audacity of having any thought about a work you weren't explicitly paid to have.

#look i said something