it might just be art

  I'm Mae, an adult, she/her. I'm a fandom hopper who's creative process is unfortunately slower than an injured snail. All my fics are under the tag #maely writes and all my art is under #maely draws. The place where I reblog all the stuff is @maelikemaybelline. You can also find my writing on ao3 via https://archiveofourown.org/users/maely1234

[a-silly-poll-side-blog-yay]

do you know some crazy school lore? like at your school

yes

no but i know someone who does

no

results

Remaining time: 6 days 7 hours

[sandersstudies]

Name as many Shakespeare plays as you can. Feel free to write them down and check your answers but not to cheat. How many can you name?

0

1

2-3

4-5

6-7

8-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-35

36+ (“all of them” depending on who you ask)

Remaining time: 1 day 9 hours

Tell me in the comments: are you from a country that speaks predominantly English? Was any Shakespeare required in your education?

[sunlitlemonade]

whats the point of anything anymore. no readcomiconline. shut the entire internet down.

[sunlitlemonade]

i don't mean to be That person but the recent dedicated poisoning of every archival space imaginable is extremely scary. news outlets blocking off the wayback machine?? the z-lib takedown that had happened? now this....

admittedly we don't know if readcomiconline is definitively down but their discord server is gone too. this doent look good.

[nmbrs]

fuck it, i'm curious. reblog and tag with the first fictional death to ever rewrite your brain chemistry and/or make you cry like a baby. mine was ares from the underland chronicles (who, for context, was a giant bat.) to this day i will weep if i think too hard about it. okay, go.

[tsumugiology]

random question:

what was your first exposure to prev and what made you decide to follow them?

[tsumugiology]

random question:

what was your first exposure to prev and what made you decide to follow them?

[cottyknny]

Out of all the incorrect names used in the fandom because of the unofficial English translations of the novels, the Cavalry thing is the only one that genuinely bothers me. Especially because of how few people use the actual name, including the Wiki of all things.

It's not just a name the author randomly chose for the sake of having something to call the story's central group. Kishiar canonically put a lot of thought and care into naming the Arcane Legion, as he's done with everything he's named so far.

And he even explains how and why he named it that in the novels (Chapter 798):

"I named it to imply a power that was sometimes magical, sometimes a weapon."

"I initially wanted it to mean that the Awakened are no less than mages or Sword Masters and possess a power as great as the combination of both."

How would 'Cavalry' relate to either of Kishiar's intended meanings?

The name 'Arcane Legion' is exactly what Kishiar wanted it to be: Arcane (Magical) and Legion (Weapon), and combined together sounding both strong and formidable, perfect for a group of people meant to be the pillars supporting the empire.

[twilightofthesandwiches]

Hey! Spin this wheel of Every Pokémon!

This is now your Pokémon Partner. Whatever you would want to do in the Pokémon world, your Result goes with you. It would be your Ace in Battles and/or contests or they might just help you around with your regular Not-Inherently-Pokémon Job or just hang around your house as your beloved Pet. If you really really want to BE a Pokémon than this is the Pokémon you just turned into.

How are you feeling about it?

HELL YEAH!! THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE POKEMON!!

OH!! I LOVE THIS POKEMON!!

Yeah, this Pokemon is great!!!

This Pokemon is good!!

This Pokemon is nice, but nothing more

...I mean, it could be better

This Pokemon is okay…

I have mixed feelings about this Pokemon…

Not bad, but I’m still kinda disappointed…

Well… it could be worse?

I mean, at least it’s better than NOT having a Pokemon, right?

OH NO THIS IS ACTUALLY WORSE!!

Voting ended onApr 3

[mae-i-scribble]

The parental writing in A Wicked Tale of Cinderella's Stepmother is so fun. I love how Mildred is a wonderful mother but still very much has her flaws. She loves her children dearly but she is constantly putting Iris and Lily's looks down in her mind. She is not free of the biases she was taught growing up herself- biases that the original Mildred would have had even more strongly enforced because looks and beauty are what determine a woman's value in upper society. Those thoughts are never voiced aloud or even reflected in how she interacts with them- which is what makes her an exceptional mother. She wants her children to be free of those biases while at the same time being realistic and not pushing an empty optimism.

Lily is the best example of this. Mildred would love to let Lily live at home her entire life and paint, but she knows that isn't realistic and will limit what Lily can do later in life. Not to mention what Lily will do if something happens to Mildred. She wants Lily to pursue what she wants while keeping Lily open to all the options available to her. It is also true that Mildred is incredibly pushy about the idea of Lily marrying- a case of Mildred's expectations carrying over into her interactions with her daughters. She's pushy about it with all of them because in her eyes, being married is not only a part of them growing up but also something that is needed for them to be happy. However, despite this, when Casey asks to be engaged to Lily, Mildred says he must get Lily's approval first before she will agree. She also pushes Lily to be a painter while setting up things without her daughter knowing to try and make a world where Lily can be a painter without scorn from high society.

I love how things shake out with Iris as well. Iris being the eldest daughter, having seen what Mildred has done to support them after their father died, is determined to take some of that burden away. It's her belief that she needs to be responsible for her family, and it pushes her to accept the idea of being married to a wealthy prick who is way too old for her just so she can support her family better. Mildred handles it with a lot of grace- including almost snapping and killing the guy <3 But really, Mildred wants so much for her girls to just grow up as they please. She introduces them to adult responsibility at a pace that's best for them- including making allowances for Ashley considering how much she was stunted by her father's neglect.

The story handles parenthood in such a grounded way and has all the children being complex three dimensional figures. It feels so realistic, including the areas where Mildred messes up. Because parenting is never perfect but it is people trying their best.

[mae-i-scribble]

One of my goals for this year is to both read more and to talk more about the things I read. And for some of the more obscure things I read which have readers but not too many people talking in depth about them that I've seen here on Tumblr I really want to get into it. First up: A Wicked Tale of Cinderella's Stepmother

The basic summary is that a modern day person is transmigrated into the body of Mildred, the stepmother in the famous Cinderella fairytale. Now she must find a way to secure a future for her two daughters while not falling on the wrong side of the fairytale.

I am so sad this manhwa is still on a hiatus after its last season because it is one of the most enjoyable of its genre out there. There is so much to compliment about how it chooses to tell its story, the characters, the central romance, etc. etc. But what I want to talk about is an underrated aspect of any isekai stories: justifying the isekai elements. There are plenty of stories that I've read where I've said to myself "this would be a much better story if the isekai never happened." Or stories where it feels as if the isekai element is just set dressing to allow for a certain setup and then never truly relevant to the story or characters beyond certain character tropes that come with is. Thus, I love when stories go out of their way to show the forces that allowed for such a thing to happen and have it integrated into the worldbuilding. And this story has it all. When we are introduced to our protagonist, it's one week after she has been transmigrated into Mildred's body. Starting out, our protagonist is very much a typical isekai protagonist. She draws a very clear line of separation between herself and Mildred as people, considers the world around her with detachment, and very much carries her modern sensibilities with her. Things like this comparison between Mildred and herself solidify that she considers herself to still be a separate person from the original Mildred.

And yet despite the clear separation of herself from Mildred, the protagonist is incredibly sympathetic towards the original Mildred for things that a reasonable person would be outraged and confused by- mainly Mildred's hatred and abuse of Ashley.

This immediately sticks out as odd- because we've seen our protagonist bemoan how Mildred treated Ashley and yet in the same breath you can clearly see that the original Mildred's emotions are present enough and have a decent influence over our protagonist's thoughts and emotions.

Another notable thing is that we never once learn what our protagonists' original name is nor do we learn anything about the circumstances that lead to her being transmigrated. There are only a handful of things we can assume about her. This is something you see more often in such stories where the isekai element is wholly disregarded and only used as set dressing- which is why it's totally understandable for a new reader of Cinderella's Stepmother to see it as such. But even in those stories, we usually see a bit of their life before, even if it's only by them talking about what they were doing or loved ones left behind.

The first change we see in terms of the line the protagonist draws between the original Mildred and herself is when it comes to Iris and Lily, Mildred's biological daughters. Below is how we first see the protagonist talking about them, where they are Mildred's daughters- not the protagonist's daughters. Which obviously that is true- but after this point you almost never see the protagonist make that distinction again.

During the debutante ball, a mere 17 chapters later (or about 2 months in story time), we see our protagonist reflect on how Lily and Iris have grown. There is absolutely no separation here- "I" is the only pronoun used. We don't even get a passing comment from our protagonist stating how she has come to see these girls as her own. They simply are her daughters, always have been and always will be.

As the story progresses, we see this separation between our protagonist and Mildred thin in other ways. But none so definitively as the way she considers her children. The main thing we see is the modern sensibilities of our protagonist being more integrated in with opinions Mildred could have very reasonably held given her situation: a key example being the tea party that is held with the Queen Dowager. We see that there is still separation between our protagonist's "self" and Mildred.

The disagreement that follows regarding Mildred selling the fabric flowers is interspersed with our protagonist's modern day perception of what she sees as antiquated values.

(Side note the transition in these panels from a close up of a hand lifting Mildred's mourning veil into a wedding veil is spectacular). Our protagonist's feelings could very well be a reflection of real sentiments held by the original Mildred, but they are still colored by a modern voice. We see that layer of separation return- something that by this point in the story we have not seen much. But 20 chapters later when Mildred is confronted with the truth that her daughter Lily will not be able to be a painter due to the sexist views held by most of society- any reference to modern values is gone. Mildred is rightfully furious; however, very notably, not once in her internal monologue is there even a mention of "this world" or any reference to Mildred as a separate being from herself. Despite the fact that this situation is a perfect one for our protagonist to feel her modern view clash with the society she lives in. While not entirely noticeable on first read, the discrepancy stands out on rereads.

The story has this wonderful quiet narrative of our transmigrated protagonist fusing with the original Mildred so thoroughly that she seemingly forgets that she was not from this world all together, save for brief moments where her modern ideas or tidbits come in handy.

But okay, what does any of this have to do with justifying the isekai element? What it looks like is that we just had someone transmigrate for no reason if she was just going to become Mildred but a little different anyways. And that is where I am going to lead you to the second bit of classic isekai storytelling trope that this story does remarkably well: trust in the original story. (Spoilers to follow of course) Mildred's conviction that she is in Cinderella's story despite loads of evidence to the contrary provides some fun narrative tension as the story unfolds. This is a common isekai trope as an easy way to generate conflict and tension between its characters; and typically, they resort to making the protagonist inhumanely obtuse and stubborn. This makes a protagonist look like a raging idiot and an asshole for disrespecting basic autonomy. Cinderella's Stepmother lulls you into this common trope without immediately revealing the reasoning behind it. Except for the weird way in which any of Mildred's thoughts about this *not* being Cinderella's story keep being quashed.

What beings as a case of Mildred being interrupted and forgetting progresses into her getting headaches and cloudy vision. And then it becomes glaringly obvious that Mildred isn't conveniently forgetting about this for story reasons- something in the world is making it so that she cannot reach the logical conclusion that this is not Cinderella's story as she knows it. Which immediately raises so many questions. What force is acting upon her? Is it the same thing that made her transmigrate? Why is it so crucial that Mildred think this is Cinderella's story? It turns something I usually roll my eyes at into a point of genuine intrigue.

And then it delivers fully upon that intrigue. The reveal that the fairy's protection acting upon both Mildred and Ashley's despair makes everything fall into place. Mildred likely wanted to ensure her children were cared for- which explains why our protagonist is so fixated upon them and is violently protective of them to the point where it alters her entire personality at times. It also explains why Iris and Lily were the first thing that our protagonist starts thinking of as hers. Meanwhile, Ashley wished to have a loving family- or specifically for Mildred to love her. Our protagonist transmigrating meets both of those conditions- and by ensuring that Mildred thinks this is Cinderella's story, it further ensures that Ashley's wish will be fulfilled. (Regardless of the fact that the current Mildred would love Ashley either way).

The slow merging of the protagonist and Mildred's personality and memories? The way that the modern world was being referenced less and less as the story went on? That was the fairy's protection making sure our protagonist was able to adjust to the world by *erasing her memories.* It is truly saddening watching Daniel ask Mildred to tell him her real name and for her to sob with the realization that she cannot remember.

The best part is that the mystery isn't even over! We still don't know exactly what Mildred and Ashley's wishes were- we can only guess at them based on how the protagonist has acted/the bits of mental manipulation we do see. We don't know what Daniel's influence will have over Mildred's memories- will breaking the contract restore her memory? Does she want her memories back? Is it true that Mildred died in the original world? Is that why she never seemed to bring up an incident that led to her transmigration? Because the protection erased it so she wouldn't be freshly traumatized?

It's such a refreshing attention to detail in a genre that is full of stories that have no idea what story they want to tell other than "generic protag 23 is changing the story oh woah!!!!" The fact that it is a narrative told without much emphasis until it all boils over into the reveal is something that I love dearly. It subverts expectations to make things oh so satisfying down the line- and way more fun for rereads! And that's just one of the big reasons why I love this story on top of everything else it has to offer!

[tumblr]

Reblogs in a chain now get their own notes

The reblog chain is one of the things that makes Tumblr unlike anywhere else. All the notes on reblogs are attributed to the original post, no matter which branch people actually liked or reblogged. We want to keep encouraging conversations, and give contributors the recognition they deserve. 

Soon, you'll be able to like, reblog, or reply to any part of a reblog chain, and that note will go to that reblog's author. Each reblog will have its own counts, instead of one aggregated number from every version of the post. And yes, you’ll be able to like multiple posts in one chain.

If a reblog doesn't add anything, the love flows up to the last person in the chain who did. Your post doesn't lose notes just because people spread it quietly.

Past notes will stay on the original post — we're only changing what happens from here on out. Retroactively re-attributing all of them would be... a lot.

This is just the beginning. More changes are coming as we keep building this out – stay tuned!

[changes]

It’s very clear that you all have strong feelings about Tumblr and about this change. We hear you. The passion people have for how Tumblr works is one of the things that makes this place special.

As this rolls out over the next few days and you explore it, we’ll keep reading your replies and reblogs, so please keep sharing your questions, concerns, and ideas.

Your creativity has always been the heart of Tumblr, whether you’re the original poster or adding something brilliant in the reblogs, and nothing about this change is meant to limit that.

If you’d like to talk directly beyond the comments, leave a reply and we’ll follow up with as many of you as we can. We want to work with you to make Tumblr better.

[icannotgetoverbirds]

hey folks do we like this. reblog without commentary for reach

do we want this?

yes

no

Voting ended onMar 23

[sexybritishllama]

i have an important question that may not actually make sense to anyone: what is your favourite game that you have never played?

[were--ralph]

theres currently furry discourse going on about a movie called GOAT that i literally didnt know existed but is very black-coded and i feel like that says a lot in general

the characters furries are flocking to are less black-coded and also just. i didnt hear anything about this film at all which is SO WEIRD because i hear about furry characters when they're background characters in one episode of a human anime. It feels like a sort of "its falling under the radar because its black coded" sort of thing going on and i really have no reason to disagree. it's a little weird

[were--ralph]

i literally didnt hear anything about this and much less saw fanart of any of the characters which is kind of insane for a full furry film

[patchworkpoltergeist]

This is honestly the Blackest animated movie I've seen in years. Moreso than Spiderverse, even. Like, I'm not really into basketball (and Roarball is also so deep in the fantasy element it barely matters) but I am from a basketball-centric city. That combined with being a Black furry made me go fucking crazy the entire movie. There's a moment where the asshole horse jock is getting his braids done (with Clydesdale hair smh ain't his even real mane) with the natural mane fluffed out and undone and y'all the #representationmatters scream I almost scrumpt.

Like, I ain't surprised at the reception. At all. Black Films that have Black culture this embedded in it rarely do well in the mainstream, and I really didn't expect it to get that much attention. The audience for it, far as I've seen, love it though.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel for a sports movie, but it drives those wheels really damn well. Solid movie, please see it if you have a chance. GOAT is an great time. Also the worldbuilding is dope as hell.

Certified hood classic, no notes

(Also there's an aardwolf in it!!! As a minor character with so much screentime? This might be the first time I've seen aardwolves in like. Anything?????)

(Also also Jett makes me ill omg this leopard is such a blueprint blorbo I feel attacked)

[grootficguy]

“Every Pokemon is someone’s favourite” I’m making a spreadsheet to see if this is true. Reblog with your favourite Pokemon in the tags.

Here’s the spreadsheet in-progress

[mogwaipoet]

This game, about listing as many animals as you can, is shockingly well-considered and polished for such an apparent shitpost of a game idea

hot new brain workout

[web-novel-polls]

WN Men Tournament

Jesse Venetiaan from When the Third Wheel Strikes Back (TWSB)

No propaganda submitted

Wiki Link

Jiang Cheng from Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (MDZS)

No propaganda submitted

Wiki Link

MXTX Side Characters Tournament

Submission 1: Extremely traumatized yet also somehow the most normal and functional by the end. Huge bitch but I (and at least one of the other characters) think he deserves to be even worse after everything he's been through

Submission 2: Simultaneously badass and the most cringefail man. Extremely funny and stylish but still manages to be very uncool. Cries a lot. Also he's lost a lot of tumblr polls—let's give him another shot! We definitely love him more than his dad did!

Submission 3: He's got mommy issues AND daddy issues. He loves his sister and his shige so much. He's traumatised and incredibly competent. He rebuilt his whole sect! He's an asshole (affectionate). He's purple! He's got the coolest weapon ever conceived. I'm so worried about his blood pressure basically all the time.

Round 1-P, Match 62

Jesse Venetiaan

Jiang Cheng

See Results

Voting ended onJan 25

[Anti-Propaganda is NOT allowed. Please be kind & respectful.]

[freebasegod]

how many apples tall are yall?