The Grouch and the Mons

( 1 ) Keep your goals realistic. You’re creating an ask blog with a very specific and very small community. Getting asks out of the blue without the nudge from a prompt or reblogged meme are not that common and if you see people getting a lot of those asks it likely stems from another source (i.e. there is spazzing/shipping going on in a chat group that inspired people to send many an ask on the subject). Expecting to get five asks waiting for you or even to get dozens after reblogging a meme generally won’t happen unless you make it happen.

( 2 ) Socialize. If there is a group chat where you can talk to people, work up the courage to go do so. Sometimes there are Skype groups the community makes where everyone can talk together. Get to know people. Talking actively with other people helps them know you’re active, you’re open for RPs and asks, helps you learn about other characters to think about RPs you could have with them, helps you learn about characterization, plot, and other useful skills when you write stories for your own character. Plus, you might end up making a really good friend by talking with people.

( 3 ) Send out asks. Reblogging memes and expecting asks while seeing other people reblog the meme and never sending them an ask is slightly hypocritical behavior. Sending asks spreads the fun, is good for socializing, and if you tend to post little to nothing on your blog it tells people that you’re active.

( 4 ) Think positively. Instead of thinking, “aww man.. I only got two asks for that reblog” think “sweet! I got two asks for that reblog!” Part of the fun of a Tumblr community is what you bring to the table and if you’re only bringing pessimism and a negative outlook on the asks you get it makes you feel bad and the community feel bad (especially the people that sent you an ask that you are now saying wasn’t enough or isn’t about the right thing). People will be less likely to send you asks or anything if you’re constantly complaining about what you’ve already gotten.

( 5 ) Answer what you get. There have been a few times where I’ve sent someone a bunch of asks and never seen them answer one. If you aren't answering the asks you get, people will be discouraged from sending you more since you don’t answer them.

( 6 ) Don’t overload yourself and others. Reblogging several memes at the same time won’t increase the number of asks you get. Furthermore, it becomes confusing to the people following you and may overload you with a confusing mess to handle trying to figure out what ask goes to what meme.

( 7 ) Put in some effort. You get what you give. If you only answer the asks you get with a single sentence, maybe two, then people see that you don’t seem to care about what you’re doing. A Tumblr community like this can also help you grow in your artwork and writing. Try pushing yourself to do more: write a paragraph or two, add a small sketch or picture to go with it, get creative and put a couple minutes into your answers instead of a couple seconds and people will want to see more of that effort.

The main thing I want to reiterate though is number four:

Be happy about what you get.

Don’t get it twisted, I don’t mean: “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit” like I’m talking condescendingly to a child that’s upset they got a lemon when everyone else got an apple. What I mean is that I see waaaay too many people get upset they aren’t getting more asks and feeling ignored when at the same time I just saw them answer six asks after reblogging a meme. A certain amount of a community involves give and take but a lot of it involves your mentality and how you view what you are given.

The entire community can’t send enough asks to make you feel like you’re worth something to the community until you see that you’ve always been a part of the community and nothing will change that. Asks aren’t even the end-all to a Tumblr blog. If you have friends to talk with, buddies to RP with, getting a bunch of random asks isn’t as important as you might think. It’s a bit of fun but it isn’t the only fun you can have on Tumblr.

We’re here to grow and have fun together.

That’s what a Tumblr community is about.

The ship was docked and finallyJake was setting foot on land again. It was great to smell air that wasn’tsaturated with salt and actually have places to go without drowning. He lookedaround at the city as he walk and noted the excessive amount of people movingaround and all the bars. Honestly, he didn’t think there would be that manybars. A dozen scattered throughout the city but over three dozen in onesection?

Jake glanced at all the signs,trying to figure out how they could all be running so successfully nearby butcouldn’t read any of the signs. He stopped and focused as hard as he could onone of the neon signs but it never formed words.

“What the hell…?” Jake breathedout, watching in awe as the sign started to morph and move. The edgessharpened, twisted, and almost seemed to form.. “Are those… teeth—“

CRACK!

Jake shielded his head as thesign burst and showered him in a thousand sparks of different colors. When helooked up the crowd multiplied. People were bumping and pushing and shoving himaround as they moved along. All the faces unfamiliar and each one twisting andmutating like the sign had done. A thousand faces all morphing into a twistedgrin surrounded by darkness. The only highlight of their faces was the grin.Eyes vanished, noses melted off, and ears flew away like a flock of birds. Jakeflipped around from all the shoving, trying to find some exit when he saw onefamiliar face.

“Ethan?” Jake gasped. The manturned and gave Jake a soft smile. The only smile around him that didn’t breedill-intentions. Jake shoved through the crowd. Yet for every person he shovedtheir smiles grew larger. Each growing smile inflated their heads until thepeople walking around were no more than grinning balloons inflating with asickening chorus of laughs.

Jake reached out, yelling forEthan to take his hand when all the heads burst. The momentum knocked Jake tothe side until he slammed into a large rock in the middle of the street. As heglanced around the city it became coated in a sticky red mess of human fleshand bones. He felt a liquid at his chest and looked down to see a gaping holein his body. Air flowed freely between his organs and every racing beat of hisheart was easily viewed.

Terrified of it he grabbed at hisown heart. Against his own will he tugged and yanked, trying so desperately torip it from his chest but continuing to increase the pain circulatingthroughout his body. When finally he ripped it out Jake collapsed on the groundwith the heart still beating in his hand. For a moment he thought he beat whatever affliction was tormenting him. But, a familiar voice sounded in hisear.

“I knew it…” Jake jolted andjumped to the side. But he saw nothing on the fleshy ground. “I knew it.” Hewent rabid looking for the speaker. Turning in rapid succession around in acircle when he felt a beating sensation again. His chest throbbed with a newheart but he still held one in his hand.

“I knew it..” Claws grabbed athis shoulders and the flesh twisted around his ankles. His head was snapped around to see two different eyes staring back at him with hate and sorrow.Ethan growled and slammed him against the ground while the ends of the man’s misshapen claws borrowed into each shoulder. Jake’s eyes went wide when hesaw the gaping hole in Ethan’s chest and a stringy artery connecting the man’schest to Jake’s hand. All the effort to protect the man and he just tore outhis heart. Jake’s mouth dropped and sobs began to rack his body beneath the manmorphing more and more into the twisted grin and yelling that same chorus oflaughs. The mouth opened, showing Jake the gaping abyss inside the man’s body thatreleased a scream, ripping into Jake’s face:

“You just use me like the rest ofthem—”

In a panic Jake jack-knifed to asitting position in his bed. One hand clutched at his chest until he could feelhis fingers digging into his skin while the other tore into the bedsheetsbeneath him. Each breathe that came out felt like needles in his throat and hiseyes kept darting around the room in the darkness searching for glowing eyes ora flash of teeth. Soon his gaze met the sleeping form next to him and he washonestly thankful he didn’t wake Alex up this time.

As he started to calm down, Jakesoon realized that no one had woken up from his stirring. It had become socommon now, why would they? Still, Jake slowly crawled out of bed and went to thebathroom. The second the door was shut he pulled out his phone and sent a text:

| Hey buddy, how’s the nighttreating you? |

Two shaking hands went under thefaucet and Jake quickly splashed cold water on his face. Even though he wascalming down, Jake couldn’t stop shaking. He sat on the floor and checked hisphone every couple of seconds. After the tenth check when he put the phone downit buzzed and he snatched it up to check his messages. One new message:

| ya know… normally I’m the onesending the bootycall so this better not be another one of your tricks |

Jake smiled. Finally, his heartstarted to calm down and he clutched the phone at his chest with his eyesclosed.