I love that I can say "disliking on ao3 would be bad. downvoting on ao3 would be bad. any kind of "thumbs down" function on ao3 would be bad and they would kill peoples motivation to write" and I'll still get someone (who. 9/10 times. isn't a writer and doesn't actually post their shit to ao3 at all if they've written any) going "well I PERSONALLY don't think it would be that bad i think it would be useful" like. yeah I'm sure your ability to cherry-pick the Best Fics Of The Bunch instead of learning how to use their damn tagging system is worth writers losing the motivation to ever post their shit again bc entitled assholes wanna downvote. fuck off

I think people sometimes think (maybe not consciously) "Oh it wouldn't be so bad, only bad fics would get downvotes so only bad writers would lose their motivation and that's fine because who needs more bad fics?" and like

Set aside that of course it's bad for anyone to be discouraged from doing a fun hobby for fun

Just from a purely selfish perspective. You need bad writers to have good writers. Bad writers, through a process of a whole lot of bad writing, BECOME good writers. If you kill their motivation early on with downvotes or dislikes or low star ratings or mean-spirited unprompted criticism or whatever we're debating this week, they'll never get the practice necessary to get better.

exactly. like speaking from experience im only the writer i am now BECAUSE i had a judgement-free space like ao3 & the support of my friends who cheered me on when I was a teenager and my writing style was underdeveloped and awkward & my fanfics were WILDLY ooc. it was already disheartening and kinda a let-down as a kid to see my fics not get the love I thought they would (even though years later I can understand why bc they were not really. good.) but I was still able to keep my head up about it and keep writing because at least no one was downright hating on it. I kept writing and getting better at it and it was literally a kind comment on one of my old "cringey" fics over two years after I posted it that was the deciding factor that got me to write a fanfic i'd been pondering about starting for a few days. it's my longest & most popular work now.

but if i got downvotes as a kid? if i got low-star reviews? i never would have become the writer i am now and continued developing my style because that 15 year old girl would've been too heartbroken to write again. even the handful of less-than-nice/"confused" comments she got ruined her day sometimes.

so when people (who are RARELY writers themselves) go "oh well I think it'd be helpful to filter out the BAD stuff that I can't be bothered to filter out myself so i'd love a downvote button" they're saying (whether they mean to or not) that there should be this kind of benchmark for what fics are "good enough" to be given the time of day/not get downvoted. and that is incredibly unfair to newer/under-experienced writers because it's like throwing them under the bus so entitled readers can have an easier time finding fics bc they don't wanna do a little digging through works already made for free for them to look through and enjoy.

and like you said it also just. wouldn't be used right. even if it WERE just intended to measure "quality" (which is bullshit but that's already been established) it would just be used to tear down others works. people would dislike because it had a ship they don't like (one that was clearly tagged and could've been filtered out); people would dislike because it's part of a fandom everyone's switching up on & deciding to hate; people would dislike because the author was mentioned in some bullshit callout post. the same people who want a dislike button are the same people that would use it in the worst ways they can. it would literally have no benefit except to make people feel like shit.

I think a lot of people are forgetting that on tumblr fandom used to be practiced very differently. now everyone fucks off to their discords or tumblr groups to discuss everything with a select few, making tags be nearly only used for posting some finished fanworks or not at all

a decade ago people didn't have tumblr groups. people didn't even have dms. if you wanted to talk to anyone about anything you had to make a post, or send an ask (which more often than not would get published and thereby become a post in the end too)

so next time you think "I have a fandom thought but I have to find a small group of hyperspecifically like-minded people to share it with in private" remember all the freaks you could be missing out on meeting by keeping the tags dead. use tags, make friends. fuck discord.

REBLOG THINGS.

You have the power.

This here^ is among the reasons my notes/comments are turned off.

Do Dragons mate? How?

(most of these are unserious answers I brainrotted with @zorlovinghue this morning but I wouldn't be that surprised if one of them turned out to be correct)

This is completely based on part 1 knowledge. It IS mostly brainrot, you have been warned.

First theory: they don't.

-> they impregnate themselves

-> it's possible this might apply to all genders

Second theory: praying mantises

-> after mating, the female Dragons eat the male Dragons

It's unlikely they're cannibals but I can somewhat see them killing off their mates xdd

Third theory: Dragon lifespans

-> Dragons have long lifespans compared to other beings but mate only once

-> the male Dragons simply die once 'their job is done'

-> it could naturally be the end of male Dragons lifespan, they die once they mate so they do so at their last moments (?)

-> the reason for Eruhaben living so long would be that he never mated (is a virgin)

-> it would also explain why we only see the Mothers of the eggs with no mentions of Fathers

-> also possible reason why there's only so few older dragons (apart from Arm getting rid of most)

Fourth theory: dominant dragons

-> for Dragons, since they're shape shifters and not many are born (you need to wait quite a bit for some eggs to hatch too), it would also make sense in case they do mate that the gender is not as important as who's 'dominant'

-> Dragons, apart from their genders, would also be categorized by 'more dominant' or 'less dominant' compared to each other

-> kinda like omegaverse (with or without the scent part)

-> I can't see Mila as anything but dominant though the same I can't say for Eruhaben... So I would say, compared to him she's 'more dominant' but compared to someone else she might be 'less dominant'

-> it could be that, after mating, not dominant Dragons become more vulnerable

As for Olienne, what if he actually died to an Arm ambush because he just mated? (I doubt bro would but still-)

What if all male dragons are easy preys that way?

And what if Arm targeted female dragons after they lays eggs for the same reason?

It's always pretty weird to think how many dragons Arm killed since they supposed to be the strongest existences on Nameless 1 and if someone has an attribute like Rasheel what can you even do about that... unless he mates... Pfftt

Fifth theory: absent fathers

-> Dragons are said and shown to be protective of their youths, despite that, we have only seen two parents: Sheritt and Mila

-> Dragons are also very prideful, it could be that Dragons have only one mate and if the mate dies first then the other would not mate again.

It would explain how sparsely seen dragons are.

-> Eruhaben has helped multiple younger Dragons get through their growth phases. He protected them since that is when they're most vulnerable

When else are they be most vulnerable tho? When they're still inside an egg.

-> here, the Dragon fathers would stay around either until the deed is done/egg is layed or up until the eggs hatch

-> after that they disappear and leave it up to the mother to deal with

Sixth theory: magic

-> the eggs could be made by a form of magic

-> this might or might not require actually mating

Alright, now would be a good time to mention these are just ideas and for funsies

You are free to disagree/scroll past

but if you leave hate for either of us, I'll eat you for breakfast ♡

The absent fathers is actually sad cuz no one comes back with milk😔

Among all the Deruth hate, this bitch somehow made it out unscathed.

RIGHT?!!! like how tf Deruth gets more hate than him. This mf let Alberu get poisoned and abused by his WIFE for years

Deruth's mistakes meanwhile are like--- sucking at grieving, overcompensating through material items, not pushing harder (he did try, he just backtracked after getting backlash) to make an actual connection with his son and not stepping in when his son started drinking

You know,,, fixable shit in family teraphy

HOW IS HE WORSE THAN ZED???

Fandom biases, I suppose, but Zed's also a character that can fly mostly under the radar because he doesn't have a very strong presence in the story and while Deruth doesn't either, he has more relevance due to his relation with og Cale and subsequent dynamic with KRS!Cale.

i've been wanting to do one of these so here we are! sushicore tagging @lightyakami @neallo @dreamfilleddonuts @deelavis @lawtism @qeyond and anyone else who wants to play~

THANK YOU omg i love picrew chains. i will tag: @yaoi-hate-machine @bazpango @waxalas @laaawliet @horaitos @queer-omens-in-the-archives @translightyagami @homoeroticide and anyone else who wants to join in please sincerely do so !!

i was going for the closest approximation to reality which made me realize that 1) would my bangs look this good if i stopped cutting them myself and 2) i'm actually very boring looking, there were so many fun options but unfortunately i just wear a black turtleneck everyday

idk who to tag. @totheidiot ? thanks for including me! 🥹

thank you for the tag :DDDD it's been so long since i've done one of theseee

also tried to go for the closest to what i look irl and it got kind of close ? my hair is longer and my bangs have grown out already (i should probably cut them again soon,,, hm). i will be tagging @catboymettaton @iamtheoneandonlyever @partingwayssoon sorry if any of you guys mind the tag !!

wow this is the first picture I’ve made since top surgery and holy shit I actually look almost exactly like how I used to wish I looked. I love being transgender! and the outfit is pretty accurate too I love my strawberry shirt

@limeishpingu @skyborneveggie @jedi-valjean @exlibrismortis

Yay thanks for tagging me! I think I got pretty close to reality provided it's a good hair day ahaha. And very pleased with the suitable grandma outfit options~ Tagging @rubbishofficial @shydroid3000 @smallsinger5901 @applestorms @korrororo @dancing-lex if you haven't been tagged already, and anyone else who wants to play

THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME this is my awkwardly late pose. behold:

sorry if tagged twice!

@numbuh424 @intersexnateriver @legaia @kenjakusbrainstem @bugblast @tinnyfoxts @pinkpixel @natesrivers @clemahito @i-love-my-dorks-and-simps @thisisfullofcringe @sublimerences

heyyy… thanks for tagging me (^^) uhh smth smth how I look w/ he/him pronouns in my bio o<-<

I’m not sure who to tag so !!! Anyone who sees this feel free to add on…

Was not tagged but it looks super cute and I wanted in!!

And hey, I finally get to tag @fyreflakes for once, instead of the other way around!

Eyyyyyy :D

I actually REALLY love this one lol, the little accesories are adorable and I love the kabuki mask :3

@dinodawolf @aurora-starlight-silly @sans-fanatic and anybod else :D

Thanks for the tag ! I luv this styyylllee

@soul100 @here-2-help @venus-salam-the-puppet @catt6565 @paintsans @mish-in-a-marsh @luvyourself2hell @ribboncrimson @eluxurex @justexistingsomewhere @lady-inkmare @bigassfuckingmushroom

Thank you for the tag!

@wayward-victorian-man

@serialkilluh-1996

@cxndiedvi0lets

@chaos-triangle

@emo-gremlin

@youtry2replaceurself

@lovablespiritzz

@sillysarahsthings

@sillyguyz4ever

Tried to make this look like me irl but gave myself horns because I should be allowed to have horns. And knife for Julius Caesar ofc

@skelpiescool @scooburst @in-case-i-make-it @blooming-skeleton @str4ng3r0nl1ne @caretaleandotherstuff @pennyroyald @venus-salam-the-puppet @mydysfunctionallife @caprisunstwin @100percentevil @thatacefrog @soul-of-justice--uty @harper--pfg @aflairforthemelodramaticc @mildlybizarrecorvid @alexaisfunny @fae-is-gay @the-red-hoodlum @starz-rambles @skelewashere @itsthedracobunny @fishoffontaine @glassanomaly

I should really grow my hair out again

@cosmo-lives-here @thatisaloaf @donthandmemyshovelimstayingout And anyone who sees this

@donthandmemyshovelimstayingout @hyperfixating-is-my-thing @dontbesoftelliot1 @t8pew3rmf00l @loonadayarc @majoraofmask + anyone else :]

Added my phantom wings that I feel as a barn owl and ram horns because I'm an Aries!

@asagewitch05 @everydayknifeday @damsnackbar03 & anyone else who wants to join ofc!

I tried to make it as accurate as possible - really makes me wanna cut my hair short🥲

@mydreamusernameistoolong @grayson-on-the-chandelier @metalfortunecookie1216 @cheez-the-clown @thegremlininyourcloset

My hair is actually brown, but like a super dark brown. I didn't wanna pick black so...

No Presh tags:

@imbatman-imtired @cookiesnotd3ad @danny-nightingale @theredhoodofgotham @the-littlest-wayne

I look mean but it's just my resting face 😭

@d3vils-in-th3-d3tails @demonic0angel @jamie-todd-red-knight @le4ves-1n-the-w1nd @morningstarscratch

Ty for the tag! This picrew is so cute fr, I look so unrealistically good lmaooo

No pressure tags and anyone can join: @meditating-cat @pinklotushere @elizabethemerald @angyblobghost @zhelin-thames @gilbirda @caleism-1 @vangreer

Thank you for the tag!!!

I couldn’t decide on with or without the book.

No press tags: @vodkassassin @aro-screams-into-the-void @vveirdnobdy @space-girlllll @scammysmileroksuu @tu-turu-turuh

Tags!: @hurr-my-mind-palace-or-whatever @fanfiction-artist-prototype @sadlynotthevoid @trans-paranormalentity

Tags: @cindythecyclops @oddmarigold @1dragon-mustard1 @that1randomnerd @thegradus2

Thank you for the tag!

Tags: @nukudraws, @zorlovinghue

Thanks for the tag~

No pressure tags: @max05nb @snowflake006 @zorlovinghue @misakisakuya (I'm half asleep, I'm so sorry if I forget to tag ppl)

Thank you for the tags!

No pressure tags: @forgetme-eternally-blissfully @fictionalcreator @unhealthyobsessiveworm & anyone can join!

Fandom terms have to sound silly, like blorbo or squick, because fandom needs humbling. Not a lot. But just every so often you need a good grounding reminder that all of this is literally made up nonsense for fun.

If you take a fictional thing so seriously that silly words genuinely annoy you, you've gone too far and you need to dial it back.

AO3 filters are incredible. The show ended over a decade ago but you're only getting around to watching it now, and you want to avoid spoilers for later seasons? No worries; you can filter out anything posted/updated after a given air date. Don't want to see crossovers? Guess what -- you don't have to. Three clicks is all it takes to make them go away. ONLY want crossovers? They've got that option, too. In a hurry and only have a few minutes to read? Filter out everything over whatever word count you consider to be "too long." Absolutely can't stand this one character/trope/relationship? Exclude, exclude, exclude. And all they ask in return is that you tag your stuff properly. Incredible.

does uh. does anyone perchance have a list of all the chapters with canon cale whump (like him coughing up blood, crying, fainting, etc)

i need something to reference for the timeline since i lack the time to reread lcf rn 😭😭

Well, for summary arc by arc (which includes the coughing up blood and fainting counter) then this post is always my go-to.

a wonderful ao3 author note

YOU’RE STILL A WRITER IF:

All you gotta do is write!

Kim Roksoo had part of the WS curse, and anything he loved he'd eventually lose. I wonder if he's ever followed a book series that was ongoing, maybe a webnovel with weekly releases or just a regular book series he liked, waiting for new books to come out and new content, only for it to suddenly be discontinued. The author died, or got sick, or went on hiatus and then quit and abandoned their work. Or there was some issue but now there's no hope of the story continuing. So then he only read completed books he could finish in one session once he saw how often it kept happening.

Is he the source of the AO3 author curse

Can we really call Cale oblivious?

When I was reading tcf for the first time I had the question "Why is cale oblivious to his own actions destroying his slacker dream? Why does this man turn the world upside down and still thinks he might be unknown at the end of the day? ?" In my mind all the time..

So, I decided to analyse his actions in his own perspective!

What did Kim Rok Soo do that was so different from Cale? Nothing really, in both lives he's doing the same exact thing :

• Fighting the evil beings with overwhelming advantage (as much as he could).

• Scamming the bad guys in whatever way he does it.

• Preparing several plans for most possible situations before stepping in.

•Encourages and helps his people to become stronger and uses their abilities in the most efficient way helping them 'stand out more than him' as he thinks.

• Has no problem in retreating if the situation is not going as intended, prioritise his people's wellbeing above all else!

• Works from the rear as a strategist, but is always ready to step in whenever the situation goes south to flip the tables; not just turn them.

He has been doing this since he became a team leader and has continued in the same manner after transmigrating, so far almost 13 years !!

But here's the one most important difference between now and then: Cale is not affected by the White Star's curse anymore! Since it broke the moment he transmigrated into Cale's body nothing now is hiding his achievements from the world.

However, as a victim of both WS's reincarnation and og Cale's transmigration, (the curse's cause and its breaker) he had no idea, until recently, so this is the thing Cale does not understand the most. He may have figured out the concept of what effected him but he's yet to link his past to his present comparing them to the point he believes this is an important factor of why he's becoming a worlds wide hero.

So when he says 'i just wanted to be a small hero why isn't it working like it always has?!' he actually means it and is genuinely confused! (And certainly justified) Because why ,if he does almost the same strategy, is he's having different results this time!?

The variables become clearer if you have an outsider pov, for example: krs's curse made it that he can't cherish anything or be cherished, that's why all the people he cared about left him one way or another, This explains why Cale can't understand why his family care for him. Something inside of him thinks unconsciously "How are they still here?". It's not that he's in denial, it's rather that he has never been given the chance to process this love and care in his 40 years of life, for as soon as he starts to accept that he may have a chance of happiness, it's immediately stolen from him, leaving him more traumatized than before...

Another side would be that every time a chance arised for him to standout in public, like the speech thing he talked about, "something" would happen; a monster outbreak, an accident, or maybe an unexpected attack from some evil ability users...

Which means it's not only his desire to stay hidden that has been keeping his achievements in the dark as krs, it was mostly his curse and when he couldn't be praised he thought 'Well, who wants public recognition anyway?'

You can see he was well-known inside his feild, the government,guilds and throughout the company, He was almost an idol to the people in the brain team! But that's where it stopped, always.

So, it's totally understandable how Cale gets confused everytime he does something good and is praised and cheered for by the citizens; what he had learnt from YEARS of experience is that whatever he did, in the end it remained between these companies walls. [It mostly won't go further unless someone is digging around, like the assassins and illegal guilds that hated him]

No matter what good deeds he does, he can't be 'loved', for he is cursed to be left alone. I mean, we still barely know ANYTHING about team leader krs,his abilities, exact strategies, his team and their relationship with each other what other hardships did he face?

The speech curse is one thing we figured just recently and it never crossed my mind before that he could have been in such a situation...

Maybe he never bought a better house because each time he tried it would get destroyed because he "can't have anything to cherish" so he had to be stuck with the wrecked place that triggered his records and brought him more pain and suffering...?

Back to the point, krs was free to do much more without standing out, he didn't have these "fame/heroic consequences" as for he thought this was the norm for him at least, and tbf that's a major one less headache for him to deal with since he had enough enemies already. And he's a shy little boy but we don't talk about that !

And one little thing to note, he's used to trouble coming after him, and he has this sense of responsibility that he should be the one dealing with all of the trouble since most of the time he concluded that he was the reason everyone around him got hurt...and he can't forget so that's two reasons why he's now dealing with all these problems even if his actions now have such consequences or if it brings him more trouble.

If your daily life was like this of course you'll be confused to WHY ISN'T IT WORKING OUT I JUST WANTED TO LIVE IN PEACE !!!

pressing on stab wounds and swallowing back a mouthful of blood My god. Oh my god. This addresses something I could feel but couldn't exactly articulate out loud.

Now that certainly reshapes something. No, it just reassembles the whole thing. More specifically, it feels like I've been putting on puzzles that fit the box but didn't accomplish the desired image despite it working well outwardly. Op I am chomping on this with all my might. coughing up more blood

You know what's painfully heartbreaking to me? I CHUCKLED, I LAUGHED, I'M READING WITH FOND FRUSTRATION OVER SOMETHING SO GLARINGLY OBVIOUS IN MY BLINDED EYES. COMEDIC SENSE?? THE SAME COMEDIC SENSE THAT IS THIS AMALGAMATION OF PAIN?!!! I AM THE ONE THAT IS OBLIVIOUS! THIS IS NOT A BLISS!!

Thinking about how in the Red Dragon!KRS AU, Raon is saved by Roksu from a life of suffering not so different than Roksu’s himself. Except no one was there to save Roksu… poor KRS had to bide his time and save his strength until he could escape himself,, basically mirroring his previous life in Korea. Never expecting anything from adults, and instead saving yourself on your own rather than waiting for others— they’re values I’m sure are so ingrained into Roksu that would make them so difficult to unlearn. The mirrors the mirrors the mirrors hgsgidheibdiecn

Guys…I think Yunho is famous

He’s even got the Valorant News admin clocking the haters!!