🤘🏼🫩🫩🫩🫩🫩🤘🏼

[sinceredragonslander]

I have to get this out of my head somehow. Fuck Starcat Studios. Read their excuse at the end of the post.

Their public support of a groomer isn't just their own personal choice that only affects their reputation. It's a fucking message for their younger fans.

That in the end, no matter how much proof they have, their groomers will be able to bounce back if they have good relations with everyone else. That their own misery pales in comparison with the pain the older person had to suffer for their own "mistakes".

Because after all, Sally was just 20 years old! And the ones who she groomed were basically at fault too, because they agreed to keep the relationship a secret when the older, more mature person told them too several times./ SARCASM

Warning: the rest of the post is speculation based on Tenelle's and Roselin's statements on their Discord.

I believe at least someone at Star Cats Studio has done horrid shit too. There is no other rational reason to gut their Internet careers like this.

"But Slander, that's crime by association!", mate, if I see you knowingly eating next to a child molester, without you being any kind of psychologist, I'm not letting any children around you. Who the hell do you think you are, to forgive someone who did not harm you? To allow a predator back into a place with unsupervised children?

Their whole talk of "forgiveness" and "second chances" and "we know she won't be a repeat offender" smells like shit. They are way more empathetic towards the aggressor, even infantilizing them, while failing to acknowledge the victims.

That's why I believe at least one of them has been in hot water before. I don't know if they're supporting Sally because they do feel empathy for her, or because they're preparing the ground for when their cat eventually gets out of the bag.

Let's hope I'm wrong. I really hope I am.

If you want to read Tenelle's entire message, go to the first link below, the other two are there for archiving purposes:

The person who leaked the Discord messages on Twitter:

Reblog by @everybody-loves-purdy · 1 image

💬 11  🔁 108  ❤️ 222 · The discord server this came from changed their rules and kicked the person who “leaked” it.

Star Cat Studios and Sagutoyas — Maya's Reviews

As of the writing of this post, the authors of Clouded Moon have shown open support for a disgraced Warrior Cats animator named Sagutoyas wh

[bennjery]

Tryna get into songdog's swordbearers but i cant so far? Hope that changes soon. They seem really proud of that comic

[bennjery]

I have really nice anons wishing me well about What Happened and i promise I'll respond soon I'm still just not 100% recovered from What Happened and giving it more thought causes flashbacks and I'm very weak from iron anemia (i suspect it's post traumatic? NEVER had this issue before. Since the event I've been gradually physically declining, then got some labwork done and BAM. i have chronic illness and anemia was never a concern--)

[bennjery]

The biggest problem with I Hope So is the lack of connection. You can say whatever you want about My Pride, but at least the episodes followed a clear sense of cause and effect.

Everything comes off as random in IHS, from meeting the hyenas to running into the leopard who just so happens to send them to the exact spot where Edge and his family are conveniently waiting to ambush them. I don’t mind coincidences, My Pride has them, but when the plot zigzags this much, it stops feeling clever and just feels jarring.

You raise very good points here. I agree! And yes My Pride, to put it lightly, is definitely not perfect. However, like you said, the story does not have a random flow to it like IHS. I'll concede though. For IHS, at least there was a point to meeting the hyenas at all when Hopeful took in the lost cub-- out of gratitude and respect, the matriarch ends up doing Hopeful and Co a huge solid by fighting off Edge + his family. Maybe it'll be explained later on how Edge + Fam were prepared for ambush outside of the canyon of jackals. I'm glad that disability was far better represented in IHS than MP, but bummed that I feel so disconnected and gradually disinterested in the story so far.

[bennjery]

I feel like I hope so is also not for me. I can't place it neither. Either boredom or I just don't vibe with the characters, I am not sure.

One of these days I was gonna give it a reread, because maybe the update pacing threw me off. Plus maybe a brushup on the material might pull me back in! Win win lol

[bennjery]

I Didn't Know has great storytelling then gets muddied by fanservice and preferential character treatment. Still, SA was treated very respectfully, and that was the author's very first time visiting that topic.

Songdogx has touched SA in their other comics, please inform yourself before making such statements.

Sorry- I am informed. I've read all their comics except for Chernobyl though and I know they did this topic in Best of Bad Decisions. While writing that sentence you have quoted, my mind was in the direction of: "First time showing a scene and making the story revolve around the topic." I'll need to make an edit to my post!

Kid in BoBD had something traumatic happen and affected him deeply, but it wasn't as core to the story like IDK was. Hope that makes sense!

[bennjery]

Is it just me or is I Hope So kind of.... Boring? I love slow burn comics, this one has some good pacing, and yet I am getting bored of this story and I cannot really figure out why. There really isn't anything wrong with it, and I feel bad that I can't even justify my boredom. The artists put in so much time and effort into making this comic-- they deserve the decency of a reason and a respectful analysis.

Anyone else feel this way?

[bennjery]

i know what lurks beneath author doesn't like burner accounts but we deadass have indie artists flat out shutting down *discourse* and perform *group punishment* if *one* person has something critical to say but didn't wrap the critique in giftwrap and a pretty bow. "K I'll stop posting online fuck you all pay me for my patreon to see my work. My public audience is quite nice because they walk on eggshells with me, but one person said something, so i revoke the privilege"

Authors are doing comment shutdowns, blocking, vitriolic comebacks, etc. i do wish i felt i could discuss things in a candid sort of way on my real account, but that's not gonna happen and that's why any and all indie commentary is now found outside of DA or Comicfury with anonymous accounts.

We of course actually legitimately DO have bad faith "fans" straight up harrassing the artist in their face, sending hateful private messages, going on witch hunts, and scolding artists... I can't speak for nolifes like them and, for all I know, maybe they outnumber regular folk who don't do that unhinged bullshit. For the artist at the receiving end of all THAT, i really can't blame them for wanting to stop being online. I even stopped interacting and engaging in discourse *online* over a little IRL trauma-wama after all, even with a burner account. Is a NDE the same as online harrassment? Ok probably not, but i downplay things to Cope

[bennjery]

Don't yell at me- I actually LOVE LOVE LOVE WLB lol 😂 so that was just a joke expressed out of endearment. But yeah the author of this comic really wants to take it slow and steady. I still plan to re-read this. Sometimes comics that are very slow to update aren't ACTUALLY slow paced, it just FEELS that way. On that note, slow comics + slow updates = FEELS even slower lol

[bennjery]

Rambling:

It FEELS like Xenofics are going though a "phase" lately where there's sexual content (consensual, non consensual, etc. the whole topic). Some are told well, others are not told well (like shock value and all that). And in the artist's perspective, more than half the time, it's, "Well, I see some of my peers are writing about it. Maybe I should challenge myself and try too!" It just feels like "everyone" is doing that now.

I'm starting to get annoyed by it. Are artists so creatively bankrupt that THIS is the way to go? Animals getting jiggy? It just feels cheap. For example there's a TLK artist who makes AUs I really like and they feel more canon than the original series, but, then the artist out of nowhere decided it would be a creative writing challenge to make Kovu and Vitani breed together due to their abusive mother's command (Kovu in their story is Vitani's half brother). I'm just..... Tired. Surely there's other stories to tell without leaning on incest, SA, sex, battery, etc? It feels so out of place whenever they're utilized too.

There's some real good stories out there that doesn't have any of those topics: What Lurks Beneath, Africa, Jumalanpelko.

There's more of course, just naming a few-- and Africa is starting to get a bit boring for me but that's a topic for another day.

I Didn't Know has great storytelling then gets muddied by fanservice and preferential character treatment. Still, SA was treated very respectfully, and that was the author's very first time visiting that topic. I just think lately a lot of xenofics are having sexual content and I'm not sure if it's because everyone wants to be edgy or it's just a trend. By all means, write whatever you want still. It's just something I don't really wanna write personally when I make my own comics. I want to try to tell stories that aren't as """"popular"""" to tell (I have no eloquent way to say this aaaah)

[alatowritesalot]

I think that part of this “trend” (I haven’t personally noticed it, but if there is one I suppose) is that media, in general, has slowly become more and more liberated when it comes to sexual topics wether it’s the savory aspects of those topics or not. Societal restrictions on what you can or cannot post online or say on the television- or SHOW on the television- have been looser than they’ve ever been in the last 500 years. This of course means that people aren’t just more exposed to these topics, but are also more free to discuss them or depict them how they wish.

Personally, if there is a shift in this direction I don’t completely mind it. If people aren’t fans of sexual content in media then there’s usually enough content warnings that can be found to help them steer clear of this. Sexual content isn’t inherently a negative thing, and even when it comes to people doing it to be “edgy” (although I cannot claim to know exactly why anyone does anything) in media it still serves as a creative outlet for the creator, who benefits from having an enjoyable hobby. Another pro I can see for this shift is the representation of sexual assault and other abusive behaviors that in many places and times were taboo to talk about, which was negatively impacting victims of these crimes as they were expected to keep quiet about it. Wether the representation is “good” or “bad”, it’s very existence tells us that these topics are becoming less taboo to openly discuss.

As a reader and/or creator you can obviously choose what you would like to engage with and what you wouldn’t like to engage with to your own comforts, and that’s a good thing. But that doesn’t mean that stories with topics you’d rather not touch have any less value or meaning. Personally this is something I have to constantly remind myself when I see anything sci-fi. (sorry Star Wars and Star Trek, I’ve heard that y’all are good, but I’m just not interested!)

[bennjery]

I got nothing to much to add, I just wanted to reblog because your response is very good and thought provoking 💯💯💯 (also not into Star Wars or Star Trek either, just not my personal cuppa, but many love them).

This ""trend"" is something I'm just noticing among indie online comic artists I follow. Maybe it's just coincidence.

The artists are pretty niche so that's probably why it felt like a trend on my end. For poor representation of topics, yes, the fact it's even being told says a lot about how we are actively witnessing the liberation to even represent taboo topics at all.

[bennjery]

Rambling:

It FEELS like Xenofics are going though a "phase" lately where there's sexual content (consensual, non consensual, etc. the whole topic). Some are told well, others are not told well (like shock value and all that). And in the artist's perspective, more than half the time, it's, "Well, I see some of my peers are writing about it. Maybe I should challenge myself and try too!" It just feels like "everyone" is doing that now.

I'm starting to get annoyed by it. Are artists so creatively bankrupt that THIS is the way to go? Animals getting jiggy? It just feels cheap. For example there's a TLK artist who makes AUs I really like and they feel more canon than the original series, but, then the artist out of nowhere decided it would be a creative writing challenge to make Kovu and Vitani breed together due to their abusive mother's command (Kovu in their story is Vitani's half brother). I'm just..... Tired. Surely there's other stories to tell without leaning on incest, SA, sex, battery, etc? It feels so out of place whenever they're utilized too.

There's some real good stories out there that doesn't have any of those topics: What Lurks Beneath, Africa, Jumalanpelko.

There's more of course, just naming a few-- and Africa is starting to get a bit boring for me but that's a topic for another day.

I Didn't Know has great storytelling then gets muddied by fanservice and preferential character treatment. Still, SA was treated very respectfully, and that was the author's very first time visiting that topic. I just think lately a lot of xenofics are having sexual content and I'm not sure if it's because everyone wants to be edgy or it's just a trend. By all means, write whatever you want still. It's just something I don't really wanna write personally when I make my own comics. I want to try to tell stories that aren't as """"popular"""" to tell (I have no eloquent way to say this aaaah)

[bennjery]

I'm aware dragon slayer was taken down and I'll eventually post my thoughts on the story Sleepy posted before it was all taken down.

I will not be re reading the comic. It will all be from memory. Tldr when she uploaded the rest of the comic she had completed while on hiatus, it didn't save her story, it made it worse. Will elaborate at another time

[bennjery]

Sh00t me but i liked whisper i just think he should've had his own comic though as like a sequel series so that Little Miss can have the spotlight. Her story can be the more grounded, less fantasy-like one, and his story can be the more fantasy/magicy one and topics like ableism can be visited and treated with much more care and detail (one scene of Miss Maple yelling at him about Ashwood was a great start! But we needed to go deeper into that). I think a two part series would've been dope

[bennjery]

Darksavannahking callout circulating on DA. Main callouts were taken down, but here is a google doc keeping everything logged together:

DSK - patterns of problematic behavior. (public copy)

Problematic people on the internet, who’d have thought. EDIT: This is a collection of documents regarding her, from her tracing to her owed

TLK fans, do NOT commission her. There is not an original bone in her body and she block evades, stalks, rigs bidding against her OWN FRIENDS (scamming them with alt accounts!), and steals artwork. She traces other artist's work, she takes other artwork and has chatGPT make "fusions" of them for her to frankentrace (new tracing term I learned and IT'S VERY ACCURATE), and she doesn't come up with her own color palletes. She just takes colors from other artist's OCs she likes. Her comic stories are AI generated and she (well, chatGPT technically) regularly writes about dark topics referencing historical events and movies. She included trigger warnings but the issue was she would just do this for shock value. There was no comeuppance for the evildoers, no accountability, and if you read her work with Immortan Joe it uh... Feels wrong. You'll know if you read it. Feels like thinnly veiled kink fanfiction. Her Vlad character ends up being romanticized because chatGPT's shitty writing makes him a "loveable monster" but it's so jarring man. I could go on and on, but if you have it in you to read up on her work before her DA page gets taken down you'll totally get that "off" feeling. Beware though, she leans into gore and it's not really for storytelling it's just to show off blood, guts, lion cubs getting eaten, impalement, Stockholm syndrome, DDLG, huge age gap, physical + mental abuse, and definitely more than I can list off the top of my head.

I knew her art was heavily referenced off others, and I noticed her designs looked awfully similar to artists who posted their OCs long before she posted. I thought it was just a "Lion King OC fandom design trend" since you can only get so creative with TLK styled lion OCs. Little did I know her strangely wonky art was actually because it was all mostly traced and AI generated. Woof.

[bennjery]

I have a cat and he is so sweet though. During a ptsd episode, rocking against a wall on the floor, that sweet thing comes next to me and rests on my leg. 😭 He is a good baby and animals are just so smart

[bennjery]

Lastly- I've been working on self defense and strength. If I can be strong and fit, it will only help my outcomes if the unthinkable were to ever happen again. Bare minimum, I need to start carrying pepper spray again. I used to carry a pocket knife from previous battery assault, but the nature of the assault wasn't an attempt to take my life, and I unfortunately processed the trauma and got comfortable existing "vulnerable" again. That can't happen anymore.

[bennjery]

And by the way, genuinely every message wishing me well was helpful and cheered me up a bit. In a situation where I felt my life was literally meaningless (due to, well, someone actually trying to take my life. Still cannot process how I survived that tbh--), it was nice to see strangers wishing me the best, since when "It" Happened, strangers were filming me and not helping me. So, thank you all, differences of opinion aside