#conversation topic

HEAR ME OUT.

So many authors will describe the antagonist as being ridiculously vile in the physical aspect for no other reason than gross-out.

Some examples: R.J. Powell's Dollhouse series villains (literally all of them), Tory Favro's villain Marju, from his book Piñata (it was really bad, but I kinda feel awful for saying that because, from what I've heard, Tory himself is a sweetie), everyone in R.J. Bennetti's Hamster's Ball (even though I am enjoying reading it).

Now, this can be done right, too. All you need is a reason/plot-oriented explanation for it. The Slob by Aron Beauregard, for example, has The Slob being absolutely vile to follow the story's central theme, which ALSO ties into Vera's trauma.

It can also be used for social commentary in a more exaggerated universe that centers around a message that the author intends to convey.

Unfortunately, most of the time, people don't utilize it as they should, and instead, it becomes a cheap way of garnering shock points.

Not the same thing, but kinda an inverse: When designing Wade Wilder, I intentionally made him conventionally attractive so I could touch on the topic of how the media treats serial killers with a good jawline. I mean, y'all know about all them Dahmer fangirls— hybristophiles would write that asshat love letters in bulk. Ted Bundy, too. His looks also served a different function for the overarching plot, but saying what that would absolutely spoil the book before release.

[Now, am I saying that I'm better? Is this post me licking my own nuts clean? Fuck no, my story could be dogshit, it's not even out yet ffs. So far, the people I just used for examples of "a bad trope" have gotten WAYYY farther than me. My criticism of them is purely as a casual reader, not even a fully fledged critic, and DEFINITELY not as another writer. I'm just saying that, either way you look at it, character design for an antagonist should have thought put into it. Protagonists too, but especially antagonists when it comes to this genre]

I've seen EH antagonist character designs that serve a purpose and do so clearly.

Good examples:

The aforementioned Slob in The Slob by Aron Beauregard, which was for the central theme as previously stated.

Blythe, the social media influencing splatter antag from

Ivy Tholen's Tastes Like Candy. (I love Blythe so much, even if I wasn't big on the overall story)

Killian from Sanity's The Man With The Scarred Neck, who was made to be conventionally attractive to accentuate the incubus aspect— something which is heavily related to the plot itself, as well as the character's background. (Might also be partially the author's type, but I can't prove it...)

SO, FOR ASPIRING SPLATTERPUNK AUTHORS, PLEASE TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SETTING, THEMES, AND INTENDED MESSAGES WHEN WRITING YOUR VILLAINS! IT REALLY HELPS BRING YOUR WRITING TO LIFE 🧡

1. telling him i occasionally smoke cigs/weed. hes not mad or anything he just keeps asking me abt it all the time

i have absolutely no idea. see i have a somewhat low note count per posted art piece or story chapter compared to a lot of people in ML, but am considered by most veterans to be a big name from the old days. So i only get like 100-300 notes on a chapter, but hold a handful of the top ten spots on Fanfiction.net? ( i think i havent checked in awhile) so like, i feel like how many notes you get REALLY doesnt correlate to how well something does. Cause The Monster in the Room has the fewest follows and reads of all my stories, but generates the most asks and tumblr participation. 

Meanwhile most of my art doesnt get a lot of notes (i only have maybe three or four pictures with over a thousand notes, everything else sits at about 100-300 again) ((not to sound ungrateful, i just mean in comparison to my follower count)). and even my biggest most successful stories like Rainy Days and Secret Santa only have like 300 notes or less on chapters. 

So i think with fics, people LEAVE tumblr to read them on other sites cause Tumblr just isnt the best spot for anything other than drabbles. Meanwhile people see and appreciate art in the tags, but dont always like a picture. Even fewer folks reblog on average since the tags sort of work as an endless scroll mechanic. But also my art doesnt much much better on tumblr then on any other website, so i really dont know?? 

I kind of want the opinion of big name artists out of curiosity, how many followers do you have versus average note count on art pieces? How has this developed over time (what factors do you believe contribute to the trends?)  And fic writers, whats the comparison between how many notes your writing generates compared against the amount of followers you get (and also, if applicable, how well your stuff does in comparison on other websites).

Readers and art lovers, how many artists do you follow versus how many of their art pieces do you reblog? How many writers with how many chapters you reblog? Do you find writers on this site and then read their work on others? Let me know! i’m really curious. As anon has suggested most people really dont like discussing this topic, so obviously only weigh in if you’re curious. I am personally super intrigued by these concepts and am always interested in seeing how people succeed and market themselves, what trends work and dont. Obviously i genuinely don’t treat Tumblr as a business model for marketing myself lol, but some people do and some do better than others and I’m curious what the related factors may be. 

Do you have a lot of followers but no notes? Do you generate a lot of ‘viral’ posts and art pieces but have few followers? What makes a tumblr user go back to someones blog FROM a posted work and click the follow button? 

Answer these questions in order or choose some of the following questions to answer with friends and family. Have fun!

Do you think the media lies to us?

Why do you think the government is trying to create a One World Order?

Do you know what happens after this life, do you ever think about it?

How is life right now, good or it could be better, and why?

Have you been baptized (immersed) in water before?

Have you seen anyone healed in the Name of Jesus Christ before?

Have you ever had a spiritual experience before that you’re aware of?

Have you ever seen demons cast out before?

Have you watched hell testimonies or near death experiences on YouTube before?

Which do you choose; living for yourself and temporary pleasures now & eternity in hell; or completely focused on living for Jesus now & pleasures for eternity?

Which one do you actually live? (From the two options above.)

What is your favorite bible verse?

How do you get to Heaven?

What will lead you to Hell?

Do you pray? If so, do your prayers get answered?

Based on the Commandments of GOD, will you go to Heaven or Hell?

You may be preparing for your future on this earth, but are you preparing for eternity after you leave this earth?

What do you think is the most beautiful thing in the world?

I want a dating portal that’s based on fandoms!

For example: You tell them your OTP, the three biggest fandoms you’re part in, then one fandom you keep secret because it’s kind of emberassing how obsessed you are with it (like some kids show), you tell them the fandom it all started with, the weirdest theories you have, some crossover couples etc.