[blue-corvid]

Tumblr, it seems, is threatening to keel over again. As before, I want to encourage people to get contact info if you don’t want to lose each other, and do it as soon as possible. There doesn’t seem to be any need to panic right now, but as someone who has lost communication hubs before, I believe it’s best to be proactive.

Websites like Tumblr are islands on the vast ocean of the internet, and there are always going to be new islands but if you know the one you’re on is sinking into the sea, please hold hands. We can’t explore unknown shores together if we’re drifting alone on the waves.

In case my friends here on Tumblr want to keep in contact, I am on Discord (bluecorvid), and I’ve got a barebones linktree up.

My website (BlueCorvid.art) currently uses Tumblr as a backend, and due to changes that Tumblr has made previously, I'm looking at alternatives for that -- any changes there are unrelated to current nonsense.

I’m not disappearing any time soon, so no worries for now. 💙

[captainsnoop-deactivated2020041]

i hate it when game devs put “fixed several issues” in patch notes 

no. tell me what you fixed. i wanna know what the glitch was.

you know those patch notes that are like “fixed an issue where if the player sat in a bush for too long, they’d become the size of a skyscraper” 

i wanna read those. tell me those. 

[necroesque666]

[sindri42]

[sindri42]

[ahdok]

Adjusted value of Bees. Now that was a special one… because every item in the game had a minimum value, and a beehive was a container for bees, which each had a minimum value… which meant the moment one of your dwarves picked up a beehive, your entire fortress’ net worth skyrocketed… a value used in determining how powerful the foes that visit and try to murder you are.

[prokopetz]

Reblogging for the explanation of what “adjusted value of bees” actually means, because I know several folks following this blog have been wondering.

[probabilitydirigible]

Okay but you’ve all forgotten the best Dwarf Fortress bug of all “Flying creatures give birth in midair, leading to tragedy” 

[probabilitydirigible]

Actually I lied it’s the one where after a major update werewolves and vampires started climbing the nearest tree and refusing to come down. It turned out that he’d given evil creatures the ability to sense each other, but forgotten to set a maximum range on it, so werewolves were aware Hell was underground and trying to flee by climbing 

[thepageofhopes]

This has to be my favorite patch note ever

[blue-corvid]

[black-quadrant]

ADHD affects how I experience time, not how I experience attachment. I love you. I miss you. I just don't realize how long it’s been since I last said that, let alone messaged.

I understand that most normal functioning brains need regular engagement to maintain a bond. Absence doesn’t diminish my affection. My silence isn’t neglect or disinterest. It’s time blindness and object impermanence. The contact gap is purely neurological, not emotional. Thank you for being patient with my inconsistency and holding a seat in your heart for me.

[undergroundwubwubmaster]

✨️ Twinkle twinkle little star, how the hell you draw an arm ✨️

[sawed-on-shotgun]

i am of the sincere belief that if ur on ur computer a lot you should visually customize it to high hell and back not just for funsies but also because it has literally made me less depressed before. its kind of like how rearranging your bedroom is good for your brain, yknow. i do stuff like this every few months

[sawed-on-shotgun]

and if anyone wants to follow suit

LIVE WALLPAPER: wallpaper engine. only thing on here that costs any money (its like 5 bucks on steam). im sure theres free alternatives but this one has a lot of presets and stuff so its less hassle and its what i use. might be a bad idea for lower end pcs tho

CUSTOM TASKBAR: retrobar on github (lots of different options)

CUSTOM CURSOR: theres a lot of places to find these, but rw-designer open cursor library is a good place to start

DISCORD: betterdiscord, im using the clearvision v7 theme with a custom background

EXTENSIONS (these are for firefox, might or might not exist on other browsers):

tabliss for the new tab theme

stylus for tumblr -> specifically the 'tumblr - custom dashboard pallette' theme for colors + bg, and this for the pre-twitterifcation layout

enhancer for youtube for custom youtube colors

the browser theme is just one i found on the firefox theme 'store'

[great-and-small]

Yeah sorry wasp haters but y’all don’t know shit. Have you ever even seen the cuteness of Bembicini?

[drchucktingle]

I LOVE BEING A WRITER IT IS COOL AND FUN

[spiribia]

why does sequential art require you to make multiple images? does anybody understand this?

[atmosphere-af]

[lizardsfromspace]

[lizardsfromspace]

Remember early on in the AI boom where people were asking if the same woman appearing in generated images all the time meant there was a "digital cryptid" and then it turns out that AI just inexplicably gets stuck on stuff and keeps making it over and over and

[blue-corvid]

See, THIS is the stuff that we should think of when we’re talking about evidence of someone using AI to write. Not fukkin em dashes.

[toskarin]

do you think insight can be gained about an author from the stories they write?

no. authors are like squids and can only be understood through spirited but ultimately futile combat

[wafflewarrior111]

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

[missroserose]

I love the lawyer metaphor, because whenever I see “John knew that...” in prose writing I immediately think “how?  How does he know it?”  Interrogate your witnesses.  Cross-examine them.  Make them explain their reasoning.  It pays dividends.

[heck-in-a-handbasket]

All of this, but also feels/felt. My editor has forbidden me from using those and it’s forced me to stretch my skills.

[ineedthesons]

This is your "show not tell" advice explained!

[tarysande]

Editor here.

First, let me preface this with something very important: you can treat all of this advice as SECOND-DRAFT ADVICE. It is so much easier to rewrite this kind of stuff once you have words on the page. Telling yourself the first draft is totally appropriate and acceptable.

What we’re talking about here are FILTER WORDS (and to some degree verbs of being). Yes, “thought” words are included. But so are “heard, saw, looked, tasted, smelled” etc.—most words having to do with the senses.

This isn’t black and white advice; sometimes you’ll use these words and that’s okay. They’re not WRONG. They’re just weaker. And they’re weaker because they create distance between the reader and the experience of the character.*

If you want your reader to feel like they’re experiencing the story right alongside the character, you want to cut down on filter words.

*This is particularly important with first person and close third POVs. The reader always knows whose eyes they’re seeing through and thoughts they’re privy to. So you don’t need to tell them “I saw X.” Or “I heard X.” Or “I thought Y.” You can just jump into the action/observation as it’s happening.

This is also where you want to pay attention to verbs of being.

“It was rainy.” Versus: “The rain pounded against the roof.” Or “The rain howled like an injured animal.” Or “The rain tapped against the window like an anxious lover.” All of these are inviting the reader deeper into the experience of the story by using stronger verbs and similes. And, at the same time, they stir feelings (instead of TELLING feelings). And feelings keep your reader engaged. Engaged readers keep turning pages; engaged readers become FANS.

[the-haiku-bot]

This is also where

you want to pay attention

to verbs of being.

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[defilerwyrm]

The most valuable advice that Author Ex gave me through the years that we wrote together was this: the problem with all these filter words is that they create distance in the POV.

That means that when you read a line like

John saw that the curtains were open.

It immediately takes you OUT of the character's perspective and instead tells you what they experience as a secondhand observation.

You don't have to get fancy or purple with how you rephrase things like this. Not everything needs a ton of breathing room.

You wanna know what's perfectly impactful while keeping a tight POV?

The curtains were open.

Simple as that.

[blue-corvid]

@livingthewritelife-things

[galileosballs]

I guess a more general version of the point is that in the last 50-ish years, everyday language has borrowed more and more of both the terminology and structural features of technical language. This happens for a lot of reasons. But I think it's mostly not a good thing. For one, being abstract and technical is not actually very useful in the messy real world, where concepts are fuzzy and vague and most things of importance are not quantifiable. For another, if natural language borrows too much of the authority of science and the law, it might find that there's not enough left afterwards for science and the law to do what we need them to do.

[galileosballs]

Why are you saying 'minor' when you mean 'child'?

Why are you saying 'they're a narcissist' when you mean 'they're being mean to me'?

Why are you saying 'hyperfixation' when you mean 'interest'?

Why are you saying 'gaslighting' when you mean 'lying'?

Why are you saying 'plagiarism' when you mean 'rip-off'?

Why are you saying 'war crime' when you mean 'immoral act'?

Are you so afraid of your own judgement that you need to borrow authority from a more objective domain? Does using a word from a technical language actually make what you're saying more objective? Or is it just a way of hiding behind the ever-diminishing authority of academia? Why are you too afraid to speak in your own voice?

[blue-corvid]

I see where you’re going with some of this (esp. minor/child) and there’s definitely value to being mindful about using words that bring to mind a medical diagnosis especially, but some of this sounds a little like the adults from my childhood insisting that kids shouldn’t call things awesome.

It might be worth investigating which of these actually indicate problematic trends and which of them are just people using exaggerated speech in ways you don’t vibe with. The answer’s probably going to be different for every individual.

[violentbat]

Can Batman sue for copyright/false advertising? If a Gotham auto shop takes credit for his long lasting crime stopping wheels can Batman do anything but personally intimidate them? What if every other shop in Gotham does this?

[therealbeachfox]

"S-s-so whatya g-gonna do about it? I got my- There're- State Supreme Court said c-costumed fr- people c-can't sue o-over this stuff!"

"Correct." the shadows of the closed up auto shop intone. "I am not here to sue you."

"Th-then-"

"Or threaten."

If he wasn't too busy trying not to shit himself while wildly looking around trying to figure out what patch of shadows was growling at him, the shop owner might've called bullshit on that last one.

"I am only here to pass along information you should know."

"L-like what?"

"The police will be calling you in half an hour."

"WhAT?!"

"Five people were discovered trying to plant explosives along your vehicle bay tonight."

"WHEN??"

"About ten minutes from now. They're still on their way over. They wont admit it under interrogation, but they're doing so under the orders of Oswald Cobblepot."

"...why?"

"To cripple The Batman, of course. Take out the source of his tires, you remove the Batmobile from the equation, making it much easier to succeed at rapist strike heists and getaways."

"...i only started running the ads this morning..."

"Cobblepot wanted to strike fast before The Joker had a chance to compromise you."

"Compro-?"

"Threats. Blackmail. Concentrated Joker Venom. Whatever it took to get you under his thumb so you'd sabotage my gear."

"I-"

"You should also know about numerous Public Damage lawsuits currently filed against The Batman and Accomplices."

"Lawsu-?"

"The same legal rulings that prevent costumed individuals from suing also make it difficult for us to be sued in turn. So there are numerous lawsuits currently waiting for a legal identity to be linked to the Batman, even if just as a supplier."

"I-"

"Needless to say, furnishing tires for the Batmobile absolutely counts as aiding and abetting."

*sound of a display rack giving way in the next room and a dozen heavy duty tires falling to the ground and bounce/rolling throughout the storefront.*

"The fuck is that?!"

"That would be The Red Hood."

*wordless bitback scream*

"He's got this thing about stealing Batmobile tires. It's a long story."

*shouted from the next room* "Is this seriously where you're getting them from now? The quality of these is -shit-." *multiple gunshots in quick succession* "I didn't even need to use AP rounds to puncture these! That's just sad!" *lower volume* "No, just the handcarts should be fine. Let's say an even dozen. We'll put them up over the wet bar."

"I believe that was everything I needed to cover." The shadows conclude. "If you'll excuse me, I need to stop Cobblepot's men from bombing your place of business."

"What about Hood?"

*loud clatter and the sound of a heavy issue tire crashing into something expensive* "Didn't I just say lift with your legs? They're shit, but they're still heavy."

"If you think having a dozen tires stolen is a larger threat to your business than it's full-scale demolition, I'll refocus my attentions."

[leolaroot]

how the world opens up to you as a kid learning to hand sew when you realize you can do literally anything with the button holes and dont have to do an X or = stitches you can do anything. nad then like an image of a futuristic neon city

[leolaroot]

when i realized i could do this sort of shit to a button my life changed

[lightbulb-warning]

many such foolish cases of things left unsaid :)

[rocketbirdie]

there desperately needs to be a separate option to report ads for hijacking your touch screen or automatically launching your browser/app store the moment you scroll past it. "malicious" is not a strong enough word. i need the "go fuck yourself and die in a pit of boiling acid x10000" option

[blue-corvid]

I just report every one of them as broken.

[lilithsaintcrow]

"That was the intent, but the decision we made was an abandonment of the core counterculture, f*ck the establishment spirit of Kickstarter, and it left our community vulnerable."

An Apology: Rethinking Our Mature Content Guidelines

Last week, we released a set of updates to our rules around mature content. It was our first time publishing a set of detailed, specific gui

[cardwrecks]

"This isn’t the easiest route. It means that at any point, whether that’s before launch, while a campaign is live, or after it ends, while a creator is still collecting pledges made via Pledge Over Time or Late Pledges, Stripe can still suspend a campaign that Kickstarter has approved. That's the reality of operating within a payment system we don't fully control."

we must continue yelling at stripe. if you do not want to call them, you can also send them a letter at 354 Oyster Point Boulevard, South San Francisco, California, 94080.