ysabetwordsmith (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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crowdfunding2025-12-14 11:29 pm
ysabetwordsmith) wrote in crowdfunding2025-12-14 11:29 pm
Entry tags:
2026 Rose & Bay Award Landing Page
Welcome to the official landing page for the 2023 Rose and Bay Award, honoring excellence in cyberfunded creativity, aka crowdfunding. This page gathers together important information about the award, its functions, and its participants. You can also revisit the 2025 landing page, 2024 Landing Page, 2023 Landing Page, 2022 Landing Page, 2021 Landing Page, 2020 Landing Page, 2019 Landing Page, 2018 Landing Page, 2017 Landing Page, 2016 Landing Page, 2015 Landing Page, 2014 Landing Page, 2013 Landing Page, 2012 Landing Page, 2011 Landing Page, and 2010 Landing Page.
What Is the Rose and Bay Award?
The Rose and Bay Award was launched byysabetwordsmith (Elizabeth Barrette) in January 2009, and quickly gained additional volunteers. This award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)
The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2025.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2026.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2026.
These are the handlers for the 2026 award season:
These are the winners for the 2026 award season:
There are also images for promoting the Rose & Bay Award. These include icons, buttons, and banners.
These are the winners for the 2025 award season:
Handling a category entails the following responsibilities:
1) Posting the "nomination" post for that category, on or near January 1. See examples from 2025.
2) Watching the nominations as they appear in comments. Make sure nominations are complete and nominees are eligible. Prod people to fill in missing details. Ask people to move misfiled nominations to a different category. Post an outside nomination for someone if they can't get their comment to post for some reason. Quash any arguments that may arise. If there are issues over how something should be filed, etc. then talk that over withysabetwordsmith and we'll figure it out. Handlers are also welcome to post updates or nudges to boost participation.
3) Posting the "voting" post on or near February 1. See examples from 2025. Set the voting poll to non-transparent. Voting will be popular (with checkboxes) rather than singular (with radio buttons) so that voters can indicate all the projects they like within a given category.
4) Similar oversight as for the nomination post. Just keep an eye on the voting post.
5) On or near March 1, tally the votes for your category and announce the winner. Here is an example from 2013. The winners from 2025 were announced in a single post.
Award Rules
1) In order for a project to be nominated in the Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, or Other Project categories:
4) This award will go by calendar years. So in order to be eligible for the 2026 award season, a project or patron must have been active on or between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
5) For the 2026 season, nominations will be made in comments to each category's nomination post (beginning in January). A nomination consists of the project title, creator name, award category, a link to the project page, and a summary. The summary should include several sentences describing the project's content (theme, characters, plot, etc.), presentation (media, frequency, etc.), and crowdfunding approach (money handling, audience interaction, etc.). Example:
Project Title: "Awesome Content"
Creator Name: A.J. Muse
Link: http://awe.some.content.com
Category: Other Project
Summary: "Awesome Content" is a story about A.J. Muse's three ferrets, told in a combination of music and fiction, illustrated by photos. It is funded by donations and photo sales. Updates twice weekly on Music Mondays and Fiction Fridays.
6) You may nominate a maximum of three projects per category. You are not required to make that many nominations or to cover all the categories. Please make each nomination in a separate comment; that way, if a problem occurs with one nomination it will not affect any others. You may NOT nominate your own project, nor yourself as patron.
7) Nominations for each category will be collected by the handler of that category. (See list of handlers above.)
8) Participation is voluntary. If a creator wishes to withdraw their project from any category, or a patron wishes to withdraw from the Patron category, simply contact the category handler. In case of withdrawal, the person who made the withdrawn nomination may then nominate another project or patron instead.
9) Voters are strongly encouraged to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you don't have time to explore widely or you already have a firm favorite, that's okay too.
10) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth polling in thecrowdfunding community, open to all. Polling is by popular vote, with checkboxes; you may vote for all of the projects in a category that you admire. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and radio button runoffs, if the number of nominees is high. DW has a limit to how many options there can be per question in a poll.) You ARE allowed to vote for your own project, or for yourself as a patron.
11) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.
2026 Winners
To be announced in March 2026.
Special Thanks To ...
The following people have volunteered their ideas, time, services, goods, and other resources to make the 2026 Rose and Bay Award successful. Please give them a round of applause.
Continued thanks tohaikujaguar for the original logo art, and karen_wehrstein for the earlier nominee badges as well as the general icon, button, and banner designs.
How You Can Help
Rose and Bay depends on everyone's participation and enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:
Thank you for your time and attention.
What Is the Rose and Bay Award?
The Rose and Bay Award was launched by
ysabetwordsmith (Elizabeth Barrette) in January 2009, and quickly gained additional volunteers. This award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2025.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2026.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2026.
These are the handlers for the 2026 award season:
Art: Nominate art! Vote for art!
Fiction: Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction!
Poetry: Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry!
Webcomic: Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics!
Other Project: Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects!
Patron: Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons!
These are the winners for the 2026 award season:
Art:
Fiction:
Poetry:
Webcomic:
Other Project:
Patron:
There are also images for promoting the Rose & Bay Award. These include icons, buttons, and banners.
These are the winners for the 2025 award season:
Art: "Anubis & Bastet β Pharaoh's Guardians β Plush" by Kayla AKA
Fiction: "Feathering the Nest" by
Poetry: TIE between "The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters - A Sci-Fi Anthology" by Thinking Ink Press and "The Haiku Foundation" by The Haiku Foundation
Webcomic: "Bronwyn: Short Story Collection" by Isaac George
Other Project: "The Mending Circle" by Martin Nerurkar
Patron:
Handling a category entails the following responsibilities:
1) Posting the "nomination" post for that category, on or near January 1. See examples from 2025.
2) Watching the nominations as they appear in comments. Make sure nominations are complete and nominees are eligible. Prod people to fill in missing details. Ask people to move misfiled nominations to a different category. Post an outside nomination for someone if they can't get their comment to post for some reason. Quash any arguments that may arise. If there are issues over how something should be filed, etc. then talk that over with
ysabetwordsmith and we'll figure it out. Handlers are also welcome to post updates or nudges to boost participation.3) Posting the "voting" post on or near February 1. See examples from 2025. Set the voting poll to non-transparent. Voting will be popular (with checkboxes) rather than singular (with radio buttons) so that voters can indicate all the projects they like within a given category.
4) Similar oversight as for the nomination post. Just keep an eye on the voting post.
5) On or near March 1, tally the votes for your category and announce the winner. Here is an example from 2013. The winners from 2025 were announced in a single post.
Award Rules
1) In order for a project to be nominated in the Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, or Other Project categories:
- It must be "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.
- At least part of the project must be visible online without charge. If the project is normally visible only to paying subscribers or the like, and the creator wishes for it to be eligible, then s/he may offer temporary or partial access for voting purposes. (If the available material is temporary and/or partial, it needs to say that at the top of the screen, to avoid annoying visitors who might otherwise think they're about to see a complete and permanent piece.)
- Duplicate nominations of the same project by different people are not allowed. If someone nominates a project which has already been nominated, they will be notified and asked to make another selection. This maximizes the number of projects which may be submitted for the Rose & Bay Awards.
- The person must have made a financial contribution to a creative project. This distinguishes patrons of the arts from the general audience. However, money is not the only consideration: Patrons may also be admired for their feedback, word of mouth promotion, suggested improvements to crowdfunding models, taste in items sponsored, etc. -- and these are good ways to choose between patrons if you're not sure which to pick.
- The receiving project must qualify as "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.
- For the Patron category only, duplicate nominations will be accepted/encouraged. The same patron can be nominated by multiple creators and/or by the same creator for multiple projects. This has two benefits. Links are included to each project on the nomination comment. Voters may follow those links and find new projects to enjoy. Also, the information that a patron has supported multiple creators/projects might prove useful for undecided voters.
Art: "Anubis & Bastet β Pharaoh's Guardians β Plush" by Kayla AKA
Fiction: "Feathering the Nest" by
Poetry: TIE between "The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters - A Sci-Fi Anthology" by Thinking Ink Press and "The Haiku Foundation" by The Haiku Foundation
Webcomic: "Bronwyn: Short Story Collection" by Isaac George
Other Project: "The Mending Circle" by Martin Nerurkar
Patron:
4) This award will go by calendar years. So in order to be eligible for the 2026 award season, a project or patron must have been active on or between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
5) For the 2026 season, nominations will be made in comments to each category's nomination post (beginning in January). A nomination consists of the project title, creator name, award category, a link to the project page, and a summary. The summary should include several sentences describing the project's content (theme, characters, plot, etc.), presentation (media, frequency, etc.), and crowdfunding approach (money handling, audience interaction, etc.). Example:
Project Title: "Awesome Content"
Creator Name: A.J. Muse
Link: http://awe.some.content.com
Category: Other Project
Summary: "Awesome Content" is a story about A.J. Muse's three ferrets, told in a combination of music and fiction, illustrated by photos. It is funded by donations and photo sales. Updates twice weekly on Music Mondays and Fiction Fridays.
6) You may nominate a maximum of three projects per category. You are not required to make that many nominations or to cover all the categories. Please make each nomination in a separate comment; that way, if a problem occurs with one nomination it will not affect any others. You may NOT nominate your own project, nor yourself as patron.
7) Nominations for each category will be collected by the handler of that category. (See list of handlers above.)
8) Participation is voluntary. If a creator wishes to withdraw their project from any category, or a patron wishes to withdraw from the Patron category, simply contact the category handler. In case of withdrawal, the person who made the withdrawn nomination may then nominate another project or patron instead.
9) Voters are strongly encouraged to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you don't have time to explore widely or you already have a firm favorite, that's okay too.
10) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth polling in the
crowdfunding community, open to all. Polling is by popular vote, with checkboxes; you may vote for all of the projects in a category that you admire. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and radio button runoffs, if the number of nominees is high. DW has a limit to how many options there can be per question in a poll.) You ARE allowed to vote for your own project, or for yourself as a patron.11) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.
2026 Winners
To be announced in March 2026.
Special Thanks To ...
The following people have volunteered their ideas, time, services, goods, and other resources to make the 2026 Rose and Bay Award successful. Please give them a round of applause.
Continued thanks to
haikujaguar for the original logo art, and karen_wehrstein for the earlier nominee badges as well as the general icon, button, and banner designs.How You Can Help
Rose and Bay depends on everyone's participation and enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:
- Make some nominations in January . Leave yours in a comment to "nomination open" post of the appropriate category. (See list above.)
- Mark the voting period on your calendar. Make sure you come back to crowdfunding in February to place your votes.
- Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator of crowdfunded projects, a patron of the arts, or a curious onlooker. You may link to this landing page, and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.
- If you're a patron or audience member, highlight your favorite cyberfunded projects from 2024 and direct people back to the award. You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Are you following other patrons whose tastes match your own to see what they sponsor or recommend? Mention them too! This makes it easier for people to find eligible nominees.
- If you're a creative person, let your audience and patrons know which of your projects are eligible for the Rose and Bay Award, including a link to the relevant nomination page(s). You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Do you have an "honor wall" or other place acknowledging your patrons? Mention that too! Let your fans know there is a way for them to honor your project and the patrons who make it possible. Have you been running a creative project this year, but not involved money yet? You still have time to make it crowdfunded by putting out a tip jar or any other monetizing option. Finally, make sure that your project is readily identifiable as cyberfunded creativity; see the article "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for suggestions.
- If you're not a member of the Dreamwidth community crowdfunding yet, consider joining. We welcome new members who are patrons of the arts, producers of crowdfunded projects, or curious onlookers. This is a good place to network and find out what's happening in the wonderful world of cyberfunded creativity.
- Add "crowdfunding," "cyberfunded creativity," and/or "weblit" to your Interests. This makes it easier for creative people and potential fans to find each other.
- Place an appropriate image on your website; there are general ones for promoting the Rose and Bay Awards.
Thank you for your time and attention.
marycatelli (marycatelli) wrote in books2025-12-15 12:33 am
marycatelli) wrote in books2025-12-15 12:33 amThe Emperor's Caretaker 01
The Emperor's Caretaker 01 by Haruki Yoshimura
The first in a series, mostly set-up apparently.
( Read more... )
The first in a series, mostly set-up apparently.
( Read more... )
Recent Reading: Martyr!
It took over a month for my hold on this book to come up, but Friday night I finished Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. If you look into online book recommendations like on New York Times or NPR, you've probably seen this title come up. This book is about a young poet who sobers up after years of severe addiction and is now looking for meaning and purpose.
Martyr! is a beautiful book about the very human search for meaning in our lives, but it also is not afraid to shy away from the ugliness of that search. It juxtaposes eloquently-worded paragraphs of generational grief with Cyrus waking up having pissed the bed because he went to sleep so drunk the night before. Neither of these things cancels the other out.
Everyone in Martyr! is flawed, often deeply, but they're all also very real, and they're trying their best; they aren't trying to hurt anyone, but they cause hurt anyway, and then they and those around them just have to deal with that. Martyr! weighs the search for personal meaning against the duty owed to others and doesn't come up with a clean answer. What responsibility did Orkideh have to her family as opposed to herself? What responsibility did Ali have to Cyrus as opposed to himself? What responsibility does Cyrus have to Zee, as opposed to his search for a meaningful death?
Cyrus' story is mainly the post-sobriety story: He's doing what he's supposed to, he's not drinking or doing drugs, he's going to his AA meetings, he's working (after a fashion)...and what's the reward? He still can't sleep at night and he feels directionless and alone and now he doesn't even have the ecstasy of a good high to look forward to. This is the "so what now?" part of the sobriety journey.
It's also in many ways a family story. Cyrus lost his mother when he was young and his father shortly after he left for college, and he spends the book trying to reckon with these things and with the people his parents were. Roya is the mother Cyrus never knew, whose shape he could only vaguely sketch out from his father's grief and his unstable uncle's recollections. Ali is the father who supported Cyrus in all practical ways, and sacrificed mightily to do it, but did not really have the emotional bandwidth to be there for his son. And there are parallels between Cyrus and Roya arising later in the book that tugged quite hard on my heartstrings, but I won't spoil anything here.
Cyrus wants to find meaning, but seems only able to grasp it in the idea of a meaningful death--hence his obsession with martyrs. The idea of a life with meaning seems beyond him. He struggles throughout the book with this and with the people trying to suggest that dying is not the only way to have lived.
I really enjoyed this book and I think it deserves the praise it's gotten. I've tried to sum up here what the book is "about," but it's a story driven by emotion more than plot. It's Cyrus' journey and his steps and stumbles along the way, and I think Akbar did a wonderful job with it.
Martyr! is a beautiful book about the very human search for meaning in our lives, but it also is not afraid to shy away from the ugliness of that search. It juxtaposes eloquently-worded paragraphs of generational grief with Cyrus waking up having pissed the bed because he went to sleep so drunk the night before. Neither of these things cancels the other out.
Everyone in Martyr! is flawed, often deeply, but they're all also very real, and they're trying their best; they aren't trying to hurt anyone, but they cause hurt anyway, and then they and those around them just have to deal with that. Martyr! weighs the search for personal meaning against the duty owed to others and doesn't come up with a clean answer. What responsibility did Orkideh have to her family as opposed to herself? What responsibility did Ali have to Cyrus as opposed to himself? What responsibility does Cyrus have to Zee, as opposed to his search for a meaningful death?
Cyrus' story is mainly the post-sobriety story: He's doing what he's supposed to, he's not drinking or doing drugs, he's going to his AA meetings, he's working (after a fashion)...and what's the reward? He still can't sleep at night and he feels directionless and alone and now he doesn't even have the ecstasy of a good high to look forward to. This is the "so what now?" part of the sobriety journey.
It's also in many ways a family story. Cyrus lost his mother when he was young and his father shortly after he left for college, and he spends the book trying to reckon with these things and with the people his parents were. Roya is the mother Cyrus never knew, whose shape he could only vaguely sketch out from his father's grief and his unstable uncle's recollections. Ali is the father who supported Cyrus in all practical ways, and sacrificed mightily to do it, but did not really have the emotional bandwidth to be there for his son. And there are parallels between Cyrus and Roya arising later in the book that tugged quite hard on my heartstrings, but I won't spoil anything here.
Cyrus wants to find meaning, but seems only able to grasp it in the idea of a meaningful death--hence his obsession with martyrs. The idea of a life with meaning seems beyond him. He struggles throughout the book with this and with the people trying to suggest that dying is not the only way to have lived.
I really enjoyed this book and I think it deserves the praise it's gotten. I've tried to sum up here what the book is "about," but it's a story driven by emotion more than plot. It's Cyrus' journey and his steps and stumbles along the way, and I think Akbar did a wonderful job with it.
tinny (tinny) wrote in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png)
dw_community_promo2025-12-14 11:43 am
tinny) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-14 11:43 amEntry tags:
icon community promo: retro_icontest
retro_icontest - Blast From The Past Icontests - is once more embarking on
Are you ready to ride? Pack your satchel of art supplies and join us in another round of the Icon Quest!
Looking for more places to make icons? Here is the list of currently active iconmaking communities on dw: https://icontalking.dreamwidth.org/46317.html
Socchan (soc_puppet) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-12 07:26 pm
soc_puppet) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-12 07:26 pm
Entry tags:
Mood Theme in a Year Returns!
moodthemeinayear is coming back in 2026 with a new twist: Creating a custom mood theme can now earn you Dreamwidth points!Mood Theme in a Year is a community that takes a laid-back approach to creating a custom mood theme. If you've always wanted to create your own mood theme (those little images that pop up when you select something from the drop-down "Mood" menu when posting), this is a great place to do it! Take your time creating graphics for anywhere between 15 and 132 moods, either following the community's suggested schedule or going at your own pace. (Though you need to make a minimum of 18 graphics to earn any paid time.)
The "official" schedule starts again from the beginning on January 1st, but you can jump in at any time during the year; feel free to challenge yourself as well with Bingo cards or the Mood Theme in a Month calendars! Learn more in the community pinned post or profile.
I hope to see you there!
fennectik (fennectik) wrote in randomthoughts2025-12-12 04:08 pm
fennectik) wrote in randomthoughts2025-12-12 04:08 pm
An insight on Peanut and Tarot's relationship from Housepets
The Unsettling Maturity Imbalance in Housepets!: A Critique of Peanut and Tarotβs Relationship
The recent developments regarding Peanut and Tarotβs relationship in Rick Griffinβs Housepets!βspecifically the revelation of Tarot's pregnancyβhave been met with hesitation from this reader. While the creation of new families is a common narrative device, the context of this pairing raises significant questions about character consistency and relational responsibility.
The Core Conflict: Adult vs. Perpetual Child
The central issue is the stark disparity in emotional and mental maturity between the two characters. Other central Housepets! couples, such as King and Bailey or Kitsune and Kix, are consistently portrayed as mature adults who navigate their relationships with mutual understanding and responsibility.
Peanut, however, remains a character locked in a state of perpetual childishness. He is the naive, easily bewildered, and highly dependent protagonist, often relying on Grape for guidance in even trivial matters. In contrast, Tarot is depicted as a reliable, mature, and adult figure. The fact that a character like Peanut, who acts by all available context as a child, is now set to father a child with a grounded adult like Tarot feels profoundly dissonant.
Sentience, Responsibility, and Consent
It is understood that these characters are animals, but within the comic's context, they are fully sentient individuals whose actions are guided by conscious choice, not mere instinct (as demonstrated by King and Baileyβs intentional, responsible relationship). The human-level sentience establishes a clear expectation of adult responsibility in sexual relationships.
This brings us to the most troubling aspect: Tarot's apparent unquestioning acceptance of Peanutβs advances. Given Peanutβs consistent, child-like demeanor, it is questionable why a mature character like Tarot would repeatedly engage in sexual activity with him without considering the implications, or ensuring he fully understood them. This dynamic introduces the unsettling possibility that Tarot may have capitalized on Peanutβs innocence, persuading him to continue an act he engages in simply because "it felt good," without grasping the life-changing consequences. Tarot's later uncertainty regarding the pregnancy only reinforces the idea that this was not a planned, mature decision.
Narrative Intent and Uncomfortable Tropes
The creatorβs history of producing NSFW art featuring these characters, including explicit sexual acts, does not alleviate the discomfort; instead, it underscores the maturity gap being exploited in the relationship.
My speculation is that Griffin may intend to use the resulting family dynamic as a running joke, with Tarot taking on the sole responsibility of parenting and perpetually protecting the offspring from Peanut's inherent lack of accountability. Unlike the lighthearted comedy generated by the other couples, a narrative built on an adult exploiting a partnerβs immaturity and then shouldering all the consequences alone would feel neither funny nor lighthearted.
So what is the problem? Well, the problem is Tarot. As a character who consistently demonstrates relational maturity and emotional intelligence similar to Bailey, she appears to have repeatedly engaged with Peanut, whose demeanor reflects a state of arrested emotional development. This introduces a difficult question: why did Tarot not exercise foresight regarding Peanut, given his pervasive innocence and likely ignorance concerning the consequences of sex? This concern is heightened by the unsettling possibility that Tarot may have capitalized on Peanut's naΓ―vetΓ©, persuading him to continue an act he engages in simply because "it felt good," without fully comprehending the life-altering outcome.
In short, Peanut operates as the emotional and mental equivalent of a child, and Tarot, in all senses of the word, is an adult. Their pairing, and especially its reproductive culmination, appears to be an uncomfortable portrayal of an adult leveraging a partnerβs inherent innocence under the superficial banner of mutual affection. While the creator may intend a meaningful resolution, the current dynamic threatens to undermine the foundational standard of responsible, consensual relationships established elsewhere in the comic. I maintain my reservations, finding this development, despite any attempts at humor, fundamentally unsettling due to its stark imbalance of relational power and maturity.
The recent developments regarding Peanut and Tarotβs relationship in Rick Griffinβs Housepets!βspecifically the revelation of Tarot's pregnancyβhave been met with hesitation from this reader. While the creation of new families is a common narrative device, the context of this pairing raises significant questions about character consistency and relational responsibility.
The Core Conflict: Adult vs. Perpetual Child
The central issue is the stark disparity in emotional and mental maturity between the two characters. Other central Housepets! couples, such as King and Bailey or Kitsune and Kix, are consistently portrayed as mature adults who navigate their relationships with mutual understanding and responsibility.
Peanut, however, remains a character locked in a state of perpetual childishness. He is the naive, easily bewildered, and highly dependent protagonist, often relying on Grape for guidance in even trivial matters. In contrast, Tarot is depicted as a reliable, mature, and adult figure. The fact that a character like Peanut, who acts by all available context as a child, is now set to father a child with a grounded adult like Tarot feels profoundly dissonant.
Sentience, Responsibility, and Consent
It is understood that these characters are animals, but within the comic's context, they are fully sentient individuals whose actions are guided by conscious choice, not mere instinct (as demonstrated by King and Baileyβs intentional, responsible relationship). The human-level sentience establishes a clear expectation of adult responsibility in sexual relationships.
This brings us to the most troubling aspect: Tarot's apparent unquestioning acceptance of Peanutβs advances. Given Peanutβs consistent, child-like demeanor, it is questionable why a mature character like Tarot would repeatedly engage in sexual activity with him without considering the implications, or ensuring he fully understood them. This dynamic introduces the unsettling possibility that Tarot may have capitalized on Peanutβs innocence, persuading him to continue an act he engages in simply because "it felt good," without grasping the life-changing consequences. Tarot's later uncertainty regarding the pregnancy only reinforces the idea that this was not a planned, mature decision.
Narrative Intent and Uncomfortable Tropes
The creatorβs history of producing NSFW art featuring these characters, including explicit sexual acts, does not alleviate the discomfort; instead, it underscores the maturity gap being exploited in the relationship.
My speculation is that Griffin may intend to use the resulting family dynamic as a running joke, with Tarot taking on the sole responsibility of parenting and perpetually protecting the offspring from Peanut's inherent lack of accountability. Unlike the lighthearted comedy generated by the other couples, a narrative built on an adult exploiting a partnerβs immaturity and then shouldering all the consequences alone would feel neither funny nor lighthearted.
So what is the problem? Well, the problem is Tarot. As a character who consistently demonstrates relational maturity and emotional intelligence similar to Bailey, she appears to have repeatedly engaged with Peanut, whose demeanor reflects a state of arrested emotional development. This introduces a difficult question: why did Tarot not exercise foresight regarding Peanut, given his pervasive innocence and likely ignorance concerning the consequences of sex? This concern is heightened by the unsettling possibility that Tarot may have capitalized on Peanut's naΓ―vetΓ©, persuading him to continue an act he engages in simply because "it felt good," without fully comprehending the life-altering outcome.
In short, Peanut operates as the emotional and mental equivalent of a child, and Tarot, in all senses of the word, is an adult. Their pairing, and especially its reproductive culmination, appears to be an uncomfortable portrayal of an adult leveraging a partnerβs inherent innocence under the superficial banner of mutual affection. While the creator may intend a meaningful resolution, the current dynamic threatens to undermine the foundational standard of responsible, consensual relationships established elsewhere in the comic. I maintain my reservations, finding this development, despite any attempts at humor, fundamentally unsettling due to its stark imbalance of relational power and maturity.
Stephanie (flareonfury) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-10 07:43 pm
flareonfury) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-10 07:43 pmEntry tags:
New community > comicsfanfiction
comicsfanfictionCommunity Description:
comicsfanfiction is for any comic book fanfiction including comic strips, webcomics, and graphic novels. Any rating is accepted. Feel free to post your old or new works!
Christmas Cartoon Icons!
9 Christmas Cartoon Icons
fennectik (fennectik) wrote in randomthoughts2025-12-08 03:59 pm
fennectik) wrote in randomthoughts2025-12-08 03:59 pm
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Had a couple episodes where my brain loves to recall shitty past events of my life, such as when slaving 4 years of my youth in High School in exchange for being treated like crap, by students and faculty alike, using things like verbal and physical abuse, racial discrimination, and making me feel like questioning my life at early age. Today, I spent the next couple hours arguing with AI about how after years of seeing how incredibly horrible people can be, in real life and online, you just don't feel like talking to any strangers you meet later on, much less trust them.
All that with the implications of keeping it inside once you learn that whenever you open up to anyone, tey use such things against you in the long run.
Like all the times it happens, I just let it run its course so I can get on with my life.
The only difference is that I am still seeing that therapist bi-weekly so I can have an outlet and not waste time I could use in a productive manner.
I just love it whenever I tried talking to a "kind" person about anything like this, the only thing they kept telling me was that I was a "grown-ass man," or to "man-up."
Keep in mind most of these jackholes write paragraph-long entries about how sad they feel for petty things like not having money to buy latest Anime/My Little Pony figurine, or how much they love the attention they get from their "friends" following them on social media, somehow making them think they are above anyone else.
All that with the implications of keeping it inside once you learn that whenever you open up to anyone, tey use such things against you in the long run.
Like all the times it happens, I just let it run its course so I can get on with my life.
The only difference is that I am still seeing that therapist bi-weekly so I can have an outlet and not waste time I could use in a productive manner.
I just love it whenever I tried talking to a "kind" person about anything like this, the only thing they kept telling me was that I was a "grown-ass man," or to "man-up."
Keep in mind most of these jackholes write paragraph-long entries about how sad they feel for petty things like not having money to buy latest Anime/My Little Pony figurine, or how much they love the attention they get from their "friends" following them on social media, somehow making them think they are above anyone else.
Recent Reading: Brahma's Dream
Brahma's Dream by Shree Ghatage was a book I snatched out of a pile of stuff my sister was giving away last year, but she'd never gotten around to reading it herself, so she couldn't give me a preview. Brahma's Dream is set in India just before it gains self-rule, and concerns the family of Mohini, a child whose serious illness dominates her life.
This is one of those middle-of-the-road books that was neither amazingly good nor offensively bad, and therefore I struggle to come up with much to say about it. That makes it sound bad, but it isn't--I enjoyed my time with it. I thought Ghatage did a good job with exploring life on the precipice of great political change, although the history and politics of 1940s India is more backdrop to the family drama than central to the story. I liked Mohini and her family; because the nature of her illness necessitates a lot of rest and down time, Mohini is naturally a thoughtful child, as her thoughts are sometimes all she has to amuse herself. However, she never crosses the line into being precocious, which was a relief.
Neither did I feel like the book leaned too hard on Mohini's illness to elicit sentimentality from the reader. Obviously, an illness like hers is the biggest influence on her life, and on the lives of her immediate family, and there are many moments you sympathize with her because she can't just be a child the way she wants to be, but I didn't feel like Ghatage was plucking heartstrings just for the sake of it.
Reading the relationships between Mohini and her family was heartwarming, especially with her grandfather, who takes great joy in Mohini's intellect and is often there to discuss the import of various societal events with her.
Ghatage's descriptive writing really brings to life the India of the time, with the colors, smells, sounds, and sights that are a part of Mohini's every day.
It reminded me of another book I read about a significant event in Indian history (the separation of India and Pakistan) told through the perspective of a young ill girl, Cracking India.
On the whole, this was a sweet, heartfelt book. It's not heavy on plot, but if you enjoy watching the story of a family unfold and the little dramas that play out, it's enjoyable.
This is one of those middle-of-the-road books that was neither amazingly good nor offensively bad, and therefore I struggle to come up with much to say about it. That makes it sound bad, but it isn't--I enjoyed my time with it. I thought Ghatage did a good job with exploring life on the precipice of great political change, although the history and politics of 1940s India is more backdrop to the family drama than central to the story. I liked Mohini and her family; because the nature of her illness necessitates a lot of rest and down time, Mohini is naturally a thoughtful child, as her thoughts are sometimes all she has to amuse herself. However, she never crosses the line into being precocious, which was a relief.
Neither did I feel like the book leaned too hard on Mohini's illness to elicit sentimentality from the reader. Obviously, an illness like hers is the biggest influence on her life, and on the lives of her immediate family, and there are many moments you sympathize with her because she can't just be a child the way she wants to be, but I didn't feel like Ghatage was plucking heartstrings just for the sake of it.
Reading the relationships between Mohini and her family was heartwarming, especially with her grandfather, who takes great joy in Mohini's intellect and is often there to discuss the import of various societal events with her.
Ghatage's descriptive writing really brings to life the India of the time, with the colors, smells, sounds, and sights that are a part of Mohini's every day.
It reminded me of another book I read about a significant event in Indian history (the separation of India and Pakistan) told through the perspective of a young ill girl, Cracking India.
On the whole, this was a sweet, heartfelt book. It's not heavy on plot, but if you enjoy watching the story of a family unfold and the little dramas that play out, it's enjoyable.
marycatelli (marycatelli) wrote in books2025-12-07 11:32 am
marycatelli) wrote in books2025-12-07 11:32 amThe Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14 by Nekokurage
The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.
( Read more... )
The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.
( Read more... )
broken frame (brokenframe) wrote in vidding2025-12-05 11:13 pm
brokenframe) wrote in vidding2025-12-05 11:13 pmEntry tags:
Merrilee (merrileemakes) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-06 08:46 am
merrileemakes) wrote in dw_community_promo2025-12-06 08:46 am
Entry tags:
New community: Voice in my ear
voiceinmyear, a community to share any kind of audio-based narrative entertainment. Here you can recommend, critique, signal boost or otherwise enthuse about:- podcasts, both fiction and non-fiction
- audiobooks
- podfics
- audio essays - YouTube or other video formats are fine as long as it can be enjoyed without visuals
- apps, platforms or websites to access or discover any of the above.
Just created and I'm keen to post some content soon, but also thrilled if anyone else wants to jump in and share some aural joy.
New webcomics
I recently joined DW and I've been mirroring my webcomic here on my blog, hoping I'll get a little more interest without putting too much effort in. Reviving this community would be great. Anyone still around and interested?
Entry tags:
Recent Reading: The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp
Book # (checks notes) 13! From the "Women in Translation" rec list has been The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann, translated from German by Amy Bojang. This book concerns a house full of elderly retirees who end up investigating a series of murders in their sleepy English town.
This book was truly a delight from start to finish. I loved Swann's quirky senior cast; they were both entertaining and raised valid and very human questions about what aging with dignity means. It did a fabulous job scratching my itch for an exciting novel with no twenty-somethings to be seen. Now Agnes, the protagonist, and her friends are quite old, which impacts their lives in significant ways. However, I felt Swann did a good job of showing the limitations of an aging body--unless she's really in a hurry, Agnes will usually opt to take the stair lift down from the second floor, for instance--without sacrificing the depth and complexity of her characters, or relegating such things merely to the youth of their pasts.
The premise of this book caught my attention immediately, but after a lifetime of books with riveting premises that dismally fail to deliver, I was still wary. I'm happy to report that The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp fully delivers on its promise! Swann makes ample and engaging use of her premise.
The story itself is not especially surprising; if you're looking for a real brain-bender of a mystery or a book of shocking plot twists, this is not it. But I enjoyed it, and I thought Swann walked an enjoyable line between laying down enough clues that I could see the writing on the wall at some point, without giving the game away too quickly. There are no last-minute ass-pulls of heretofore unmentioned characters suddenly confessing to the crime here! The main red herring that gets tossed in the reader is likely to see for what it is very quickly, but for plot-relevant reasons I won't mention here, it's very believable that Agnes does not see that.
Agnes herself was a wonderful protagonist; I really enjoyed getting to go along on this adventure with her. She had a hard enough time wrangling her household of easily-distracted seniors even before the murders started! But the whole cast was endearing, if also all obnoxious in their own way after decades of settling on their own way of getting through life.
Bojang does a flawless job with the translation; she really captures various English voices both in the dialogue and in Agnes' narration. The writing flows naturally without ever coming off stilted or awkward.
I really had fun with this one, and I'm delighted to here there's apparently a sequel--Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime--which I will definitely be checking out.
This book was truly a delight from start to finish. I loved Swann's quirky senior cast; they were both entertaining and raised valid and very human questions about what aging with dignity means. It did a fabulous job scratching my itch for an exciting novel with no twenty-somethings to be seen. Now Agnes, the protagonist, and her friends are quite old, which impacts their lives in significant ways. However, I felt Swann did a good job of showing the limitations of an aging body--unless she's really in a hurry, Agnes will usually opt to take the stair lift down from the second floor, for instance--without sacrificing the depth and complexity of her characters, or relegating such things merely to the youth of their pasts.
The premise of this book caught my attention immediately, but after a lifetime of books with riveting premises that dismally fail to deliver, I was still wary. I'm happy to report that The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp fully delivers on its promise! Swann makes ample and engaging use of her premise.
The story itself is not especially surprising; if you're looking for a real brain-bender of a mystery or a book of shocking plot twists, this is not it. But I enjoyed it, and I thought Swann walked an enjoyable line between laying down enough clues that I could see the writing on the wall at some point, without giving the game away too quickly. There are no last-minute ass-pulls of heretofore unmentioned characters suddenly confessing to the crime here! The main red herring that gets tossed in the reader is likely to see for what it is very quickly, but for plot-relevant reasons I won't mention here, it's very believable that Agnes does not see that.
Agnes herself was a wonderful protagonist; I really enjoyed getting to go along on this adventure with her. She had a hard enough time wrangling her household of easily-distracted seniors even before the murders started! But the whole cast was endearing, if also all obnoxious in their own way after decades of settling on their own way of getting through life.
Bojang does a flawless job with the translation; she really captures various English voices both in the dialogue and in Agnes' narration. The writing flows naturally without ever coming off stilted or awkward.
I really had fun with this one, and I'm delighted to here there's apparently a sequel--Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime--which I will definitely be checking out.