[lab-labrava]

My Fics!

I promise, I write much more than this, but very little of it actually makes its way onto AO3 XD.

Got Nothing but a Heartbreak: A GITM one-shot with a Pleasurebot!YN's relationship with Sol and her own tumultuous body.

Not Enough Bloodlust: An incomplete Mafia AU featuring Bloodmoon and mafia member YN!

Scraps on the Cement Floor: Drabbles for Not Enough Bloodlust

[bamsara]

Happy Pride Month! Please don't buy pride merch from box stores or Amazon. Please buy from queer owned shops, and if you are on a strict budget please check depop or DIY before you turn to big box stores

If you're a queer owned business who makes pride merch (or know of some) PLEASE feel free to comment or reblog under this post and promote yourself

[frogcroaks]

Stop looking at art tutorials and pick up an art book

I understand the appeal of tutorials. You want to learn something in a quick and easily accessible manner, have someone break it down step by step how they do something.

However, my problem with art tutorials since their inception but exarcebated with youtube, tiktok, instagram, etc. is how much that "accessibility" is in reality watering down and removing the nuance of the topic, repeating the same basic terminology and concepts and refusing to look deeper into things. How many times have you seen a color theory tutorial talk about the same terms (analogous, triad, pick contrasting colors, 60-30-10 rule) and come back feeling like you learned nothing new? Or a shading tutorial that went on about light source, what colors to use, etc.

This is why I'm telling you, the person reading this, that you need to let go of the art tutorial and start reading art books. Because the reason all this advice is the same is because they're all repeating from artists who learned from artists who learned from artists who learned from those books, and in the jump from interpretation to interpretation, actual explanations on why things happen and why certain phenomenons exists have been replaced by "do this" and "do that" and "don't do this".

Interested in that so called loomis method? Read loomis' books where he pioneers it. Curious on how colors and light work in a canvas? Most of that is sourced from James Gurney's Light and Color.

These books can look daunting, but you will learn a lot more by accepting their size and long explanations as they are, to go into the science of why things work this way, instead of looking at tutorials removed from their context and presented as random factoids.

And if you really want to look at something as its made, which I believe is the main appeal of art tutorials in video form, seek out speedpaints (not timelapses) and ask for recordings instead of tutorials from your favorite artist. See how they piece things together and try to understand why theyre doing what they do.

[heywriters]

How to survive the phase of shitty writting? I know i can't skip it in order to grow, but realistically, how to not give up? I already tried to quite completly, but i still feel that call,nbut when i try to write it feels so pointless. How to keep going knowing everything i create is worthless for now and i don't even feel i'll ever progress? I’m trying to come back after quite long time of not writing, i was writing for years before but never got any good, so obviosly i wont come back to write a masterpiece right away, i never aimed for a mastepiece in fact, i just want to make it any readable and i know i need to practice but i’m worried it can never get better.

I get asks like this every now and then, and they always contain the problem.

Your writing is not shitty. It is not worthless.

Bloggers using these terms to describe early writing are often being either glib or depressing. Ignore their advice if it is making you feel bad.

Do you write for pleasure or for praise/accomplishment? If the latter, then you are simply in the practice stage. Practice is inherently worthwhile and no effort in this regard is a waste.

If you write for pleasure, then everything you create fulfills its purpose by being entertaining to create. A small child does not drop the crayon when it realizes its drawing will never be in the MoMA, does it? No, they don't care they just like drawing stuff. Adopt that mindset. Just write to get words on the page and ideas developed because you want to.

My advice for the insecure writer:

Stop re-reading your own work; you're a very biased critic right now and that in itself is holding you back.

All improvements are for later drafts. Trust me, you'll have whole new ideas by draft three so put off the nitpicking and focus.

Avoid outside opinions, writing advice, and blogs like mine for a while; we tend to inadvertently make you feel like you've done everything wrong and need to start over.

Stop starting over. Stop deleting your early drafts. Save all of it (this was the best advice I ever received).

Read and watch books and movies for motivation, and to analyze their strengths and weaknesses.

Do. Not. Compare. Yourself. To Other. Writers—your art is about you and what concerns you, other creators have nothing to do with it.

Remind yourself dumber people are doing it wrong confidently. Copy their confidence.

When you feel self-doubt creeping in again, tell it to take a hike, you've got a story to write.

Whatever you write, no matter the quality, take pride in being a writer at all. Lazy suckers just use AI.

There's nothing wrong with making a mess. How are you supposed to learn from constant perfection? Scratch out dumb sentences, leave afterthoughts in the margins, and side tangents in brackets. If the writing isn't going well, write ROUGH DRAFT in big letters at the top to remind yourself it's just a sketch of what you had in mind, not the finished product.

"...i’m worried it can never get better" I have great news for you! This fear will only be realized if you quit. Since you feel the pull to write there's clearly no point in quitting, your brain already knows writing is the answer. Ideas don't like to wait, and life will keep trying to interrupt you with bigger things, so there's really no time like the present. Go write!

—

Please review my pinned Ask Policy before sending in your ask. Thank you.

+ If you would like to support this blog, please visit my ko-fi and Buy Me A Coffee!

[genderkoolaid]

this brochure explains Abdullah Öcalan's feminist theory (specifically on "killing the dominant man" and socialist gender revolution) and directly references bell hooks' The Will to Change lets fucking go

Though The Will to Change covers many aspects of patriarchy, the key message is the harm and violence patriarchy enacts on the male personality and being. hooks examines the reluctance of feminism, particularly second wave feminism, to deal with male pain caused by patriarchy or even with men in general. The damage inflicted on women every day, and the oblivious entitlement of men, can make us believe that being born male has no significant drawbacks. However, when we only look at the harm that patriarchy does to women, and try to ‘solve patriarchy’ amongst ourselves, we only see half of the picture. How can we solve the problem if we do not understand the complexity of the patriarchal system? Further, if we exclude men from anti-patriarchal conversations, it is much harder to ask men to change themselves. To say “this hurts others and you should feel bad about that” can only go so far. Many more men are likely to engage with anti-patriarchal battles if they can see how patriarchy relates to them, how it has harmed and damaged their relationships with other people, cut them off from their emotional life and stamped on their own happiness. This is one of the paradoxes of the patriarchal system; to defeat it, we need men to challenge themselves, but they can only do that if we address them and show them how to be a part of the struggle. hooks’ criticisms also often stem from feminism’s rejection and critique of patriarchy without proposing other options. If feminism does not develop an alternative to what hooks calls ‘white supremacist capialist patriarchy’ it fails to create a wider revolutionary perspective. hooks’ and other writers’ critiques of white/middle class feminism provide us with a useful means to evaluate feminist struggle. Through critique we can see which strands of feminism have brought us to a dead end, have been counter productive, or assimilated into capitalist hegemony. One central tenant of Jineolojî is also that a science of women and life is the key to the liberation of society as a whole and so cannot be isolated from wider struggle.

the brochure also talks about how feminist education for (cis) men has been practiced in Rojava and the progress made towards building strong anti-patriarchal consciousness. fair warning for my audience that it lacks a strong trans or intersex feminist critique. that being said, trans people are brought up positively and i think its clear that structurally, this feminist approach is a lot more open to those critiques than other forms (even other forms of "transfeminism").

highly recommend checking this out when you have the time; its only a 60 page pdf.

[genderkoolaid]

also interesting; in chapter 8, they talk about a series of workshops held in Rojava on Kuştina Zilam (killing the dominant man) and compare the responses of three different groups of men to various questions. when it came to men who had come to Rojava from Europe to support the revolution, they noted:

Many struggled to answer the question about a free man ["How would you describe the role and characteristics of a free man?"]. Others said they either could not or should not answer, that as male socialised people they carried too much emotional baggage and toxic mentalities to really imagine free relations. This idea appeared many times, preventing them from answering questions. The reflections were interesting, but the pattern that emerged also began to look like a defence or an excuse, afraid to take the step to imagine something positive, to try, to create, not just criticise their own identity. This is certainly, an imprint of patriarchy on men, and shows how deep it runs even into discussions about anti patriarchal struggle. Many had more to say about a free woman, or women’s oppression, struggling to acknowledge their own pain and oppression under patriarchy. Some even saw people’s freedom as a competition, meaning as a result of men becoming more free, someone else would become more oppressed. They saw men’s freedom as a danger that ought to be reigned in. We evaluate this as an acceptance of the patriarchal understanding of freedom itself.

I really appreciate their critique of how men approach the questions, particularly the idea that men shouldn't be theorizing about gender or patriarchy, that men's freedom is dangerous to women, etc. and pointing out that these ideas are themselves born from patriarchy. The core theme here is that (cis) men's reluctance to be personally engaged in feminism, to see it as a "women's thing" they are at best allies to, is a roadblock to patriarchal resistance that must be overcome.

Relatedly, in an earlier chapter, a man who attended educational programmes in Rojava, Sînan Cudi, talked about being asked by a woman to think of the positives of men:

At the beginning of our personality analyses, we only focused on confessing our bad characteristics as men. We emptied our insides. It was cathartic, but it was not enough to change. Then, we started to ask: What are our good sides? When a woman comrade asked me this question, I thought for half an hour but nothing reasonable came out. If you put yourself in the position of a subject, at the centre of everything, it is very difficult to answer this question. But if you see yourself as one part of life, as a connected being it becomes possible to answer.

In general I think this is one of the best analyses of cis men, patriarchy, and feminism, not so much in depth or length but in striking at the heart of that relationship and what questions we need to ask of ourselves and each other to get where we need to go.

[bodhi-devotee]

“you’re such a ray of sunshine!” thanks! one day i chose to act happy and then i kept choosing it over and over and over and over until the neurological pathways formed like desire paths in the thicket. i dug and clawed my nails into the grooves of my brain and carved out joy. i retouch it every day.

[hexcii]

I love you trans people I love you transfems I love you transmascs I love you transneutral people I love you non-binary people I love you xenogender people I love you people who use neopronouns I love you intersex people I love you detransitioners who don’t hate trans people I love you people under the trans umbrella I love you people under the non-binary umbrella

I love you

[hexcii]

Reblogging for pride month. I love you <33

[metteivieharrison]

Stop Writing Books the Way Other People Do

A couple of years ago, I realized that the short stories I was writing were boring. I was telling stories that were like the ones other people were telling and I was telling them the way that other people were telling them. It wasn’t always like that. When I started out, I tried a bunch of experimental forms (that didn’t work) and had THINGS TO SAY (that read like a ton of bricks). But when I finally decided that I was just going to start writing short stories I wished were out there, I think they got a lot better.

So what I have to say to novelists is that you need to stop writing your books the way that other people do. You have to stop telling stories that other people are telling. You need to start writing books that are unique to you. Try techniques no one else is using. Mix up genres in ways no one else would do. Put in details that only you can write about. Create characters that are weird and unbelievable and wonderful and dumb and vulnerable and smart and courageous and all those things all at once.

Yes, it’s important for writers to learn the craft. But it can become a problem when learning the craft means doing things the way everyone else is doing them. It’s not the only right way to tell a story just because it’s the way that other people have done it. Try telling things out of order. Try using second person. Or using a different form completely, like a dictionary or encyclopedia or a youtube script or a dance or an opera. Try writing your own Rosetta Stone.

Try telling stories about people no one cares about or people who are overlooked. Tell stories about not-heroes, not-villains. Tell stories from the inside out. Make stories that make your reader work hard. Storytelling is sharing yourself, so share how your mind works, how your heart feels, how you connect and hate and dance and sing along.

[salithemage]

rashmi getting pissed at katherine for saying she's nothing compared to rupali and then saying almost the same thing about herself to tahani a few minutes later is uhhhhhhhhhhhhh

good thing this series releases biweekly cause we'll need that time to unpack all THAT

[need-him-pregnant-poll]

NEED👏THAT👏MAN👏PREGNANT *SEASON TWO* ROUND 4 POLL 6

TUMBLR! Who's getting pregnant?

Soundwave (Transformers)

Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Voting ended onJun 3

PROPAGANDA:

[Soundwave]

"He's a single father of five, surely there is space for another one."

"Do you SEE those hips?

He’s already got kids, he needs more. Especially to make up for the one who died.

Do you SEE that waist?

Evil. But like, I can fix him.

His husband (Megatron) left him for the Autobots and he can get pregnant as revenge."

"He already has a lot of kids but deserves more after dealing with the rest of the Decepticons stupidity and carrying their entire faction on his back. Also, specifically for the TFE version of Soundwave: look me in the eye and tell me he doesn’t look like he needs to get pregnant. There’d probably be a dozen different characters that’d fight over getting this man pregnant. It’d be funny to watch."

"He’d be good at it and I think it would bring him happiness. Plus a good chunk of the fandom likes to make it how the cassettes are made so why not?"

Soundwave propaganda from last season

[Eggman]

"he has a lot of robo-kids and a lot of ppl prefer him mpregged, then Stone."

"He didn't win last year and I need him pregnant. I think he should win so he can carry his and Stone's baby, because obviously the only person smart enough to carry his kids is himself."

"He’s Eggman, it’s in the name."

Eggman propaganda from last season

[warriorverse]

COME ON SONIC FANDOM! LETS GET THIS MIDDLE AGED MAN PREGNANT

[quartzitecamellia]

i NEED soundwave to win this. tf fandom if you've never done anything let this be what you do, let it be soundwave winning the tumblr mpreg polls

[itsmepotatoqueen]

PLLLLSSSS KET SOUNDWAVE WIN IT WOULD BE SO AWESOME

[sunsetmountainlion]

ITS SO CLOSE PLEASE VOTE SOUNDWAVE

He’s got 18 kids in G1 he needs MORE

[thesweetiepienovels]

Some is better than none. Some is better than none. Some is better than none. Walking for three minutes, is better than nothing. Drinking a glass of water and eating a snack, is better than nothing. Wiping down the counter, is better than nothing. Small things are not nothing. Small things are not nothing. Small things are not nothing. You don’t have to achieve grand things if all you’re capable of right now is the smaller things. They are still achievements. Don’t do nothing just because you don’t think you’re capable of doing bigger things, just do something you’re capable of today. 

[avelera]

So my writing teacher had a serious thing about “looking” language as description. And I could totally see her point. Especially when you read fic based on film or TV, there’s a lot of stage direction that crops up and a LOT of “he looked at her” “she looked at him” “their gazes met” etc as description.

The thing was, she wasn’t saying not to use “looking” descriptions at all. She was talking about a problem she saw as a professional editor where sometimes there’d be a looking stage direction description every other sentence. It meant that sometimes when a significant “Look” actually happened, it was lost in the flood of less important gestures. Basically, she saw them like adverbs, not wholly bad, but overused as a crutch. 

She was also making the point that TV and film is actually quite rich in some ways with things like micro-expressions and gestures–two actors with chemistry staring into each other’s eyes can carry volumes of significance–but also quite limited. With visual art rather than prose, you can’t capture a lot of internal and three-dimensional description that prose can. Sure I can describe people’s eyes meeting again and again, but as a prose writer I have the power to describe all of the internal feelings and echoes of interactions as well, and those are often richer than the pure doll-like posing of characters who do this, say that, do this, say that etc. 

Since working with my teacher, I’ve tried to excise looking language in my own work to the bare and powerful minimum, but I’ve also tried to figure out why it’s so prevalent, and I think I happened on a conclusion. The thing is, looking language is things the author can consciously see with others or act out themselves. So you see in prose a lot of conscious actions. He stepped forward. She nodded. They gestured. 

But prose also has the power to reveal unconscious gestures. Thoughts. Things that people don’t normally notice but are true, and powerful to describe as a writer. So I suppose the take-away from this little aside would be, when writing your description, don’t just think about the stuff people do consciously, think about the things they do unconsciously, internally, and three-dimensionally in a way that film and art can’t do but prose can.

[skyllion-uwu]

So I saw "Om Nom confirmed bisexual" a few days ago but the source was a site that claimed to be a parody site so I sent an e-mail to ZeptoLabs asking if Om Nom was confirmed to be bisexual and this was the response I got

[Image description: A screenshot from an e-mail sent on July 29, 2021 at 11:35 by Mia [last name crossed out in black]. The body reads "Hi, This point wasn't mentioned in canon because Om Nom is a creature that eats candy, and it doesn't hold the same identities as human beings." It's signed with "Mia" followed by "ZeptoLab Support Team" \End ID]

So uh, he/it Om Nom confirmed?

[sandersstudies]

Stopping point if you find yourself on your phone doomscrolling, procrastinating, or “stuck”

You can move to scroll in another space (if you haven’t gotten out of bed yet, move to the couch; if you haven’t left the house yet, you can sit outside)

You can make your current space more pleasant to scroll in (if it’s not possible to move spaces, open a window or light a candle in your space)

You can scroll while taking care of your body (change into clean clothes, scroll while brushing your teeth or washing your face, scroll while drinking water or having a snack)

You can stay on social media but avoid depressing or mindless content (try searching for fun facts, hobbies you’re interested in, or good news)

Hard mode: try just making the switch on your phone from short-form to long-form content (from dozens of short posts to an article, a fanfic, or an ebook; from TikToks/Reels/Shorts to a interesting or fun YouTube video, podcast, audiobook, or film) — this can be the first step in transitioning out of being “stuck,” because you can, for example, go on a walk while listening to an audiobook, fold clothes while watching a video, etc.

Expert mode: Set a timer for one minute and put down your phone. Do anything else. (Take deep breaths, go get a drink, pick up a book or craft.) If you can do this, aspire to two or five minutes and keep increasing your time away from scrolling. (Use your phone to play music, a podcast, or an audiobook if this prevents you from picking it up again)

Good luck! I hope you were able to make your scrolling a touch more cheerful today!

[moveslikekeithrichards]

choose to enjoy things consciously and deliberately. if you come into possession of something extra nice, dont wait for a special occasion to use it. make using it feel like a special occasion.

example: i was gifted a set of tiny fancy sample jars of jam for christmas. when i make toast with them i make a point of sitting somewhere comfortable and enjoying it with tea and taking my time and thinking about how nice they taste. it isnt a big ordeal, just a conscious decision to create a pleasant moment and enjoy it.

you dont need to save a special treat indefinitely for the right occasion, but you can make enjoying your treat feel special.

and you dont even need a "special" treat to do this. you can simply decide "i am going to slow down and enjoy my breakfast today," or "i am going to make a point of savoring my shower today," maybe ask yourself what steps you can take to make the moment nice for yourself, and make the effort to take pleasure in the mundane. if this is not something youre already doing, consider it your homework

[moveslikekeithrichards]

this sounds obvious until you find yourself deep in a rut and realize youve been forgetting to live. when life makes itself unenjoyable it becomes difficult to find enjoyment. thats why its important to be conscious of it and really think about it and to purposefully create pleasant moments for yourself and make a point of taking them in

[moveslikekeithrichards]

small steps that ive personally used to help me enjoy things more, when applicable:

sit in a different spot than usual

use a nice scent (candle, lotion, soap, whatever is applicable in the moment)

use a favorite cup/plate/etc

remove the usual distractions (for me and many of us, phone & laptop)

do something to add comfort (extra pillow or blanket, sitting in the shower, favorite soft clothing, etc)

slow down!!!!!!! its like i tell my kindergartners: dont just rush to get it done!

put on music, preferably out loud rather than with headphones, but you do you

include a favorite beverage or snack

use your senses. think about the way things feel in your hands and the sounds etc. immerse yourself in the moment

[wetchickenbreast]

it literally sucks not being poly because how is my boyfriend supposed to carry me around in the palanquin all on his own? he tries and tries but no matter how much i yell and scream and whip him, he can’t even pick it up. it’s literally so unfair

[lab-labrava]

there is NOT ENOUGH art of sleuth jesters eclipse and vigilante yn SMOOCHING. i know those 2 are toxic, and can never be endgame, but gosh, i enjoy terrible kisses before the fiery end