#Finally done with the fanzine!!!!

[stylincheetah]

This is not news I ever wanted to share with anyone online, but @maldreathezora, author of @anewcalamity, is currently in hospice care. Maldrea, or Faith, as I know her, has been fighting a very long, exhausting battle with cancer. Per those closest to her, her condition has progressed very quickly, and there is nothing more that can be done. I ask that those reading this post please do not ask for further details at this time while Faith is surrounded by the warmth and love of her family. 

Faith has always been an incredibly brave, joyous, and creative person. I gravitated towards A New Calamity many years ago, and had the privilege to work with her as an editor on the comic. It breaks my heart to have to deliver this message, but I know many have been waiting for an update since her last post in March. I also want to use this opportunity to bring awareness to Faith’s gofundme, which is being used to bring her the best comfort and care possible. 

[If you can, please donate here.]

At this time, orders are once again open for our previously released ANC fanzine, both to celebrate Faith’s work and to help raise money for her cause. 

[Fanzine available here.]

Finally, I ask for your understanding and patience. I have been receiving messages about the comic while it has been on hiatus. I do not plan to respond to these questions, or any others that come after. I would like to take this time to be offline and with my thoughts. Thank you so much for reading, and for your support. It really means the world.

[actionkazimer]

Excited to finally share the piece I did for the FF9 fanzine, You Are Not Alone. This crew was so fun to work with and this is one of the few pieces I’ve done that I still love after the fact. Really itching to do another spread like this soon.

[floofnwool]

It is with great pride and joy that I announce that pre-orders for "Dolcissimo", a Ferdithea fanzine, are officially open! And the cover art for the project was done by yours, truly!

The zine is the result of the passionate work of many artists, writers and a hardworking team of mods that coordinated it! If you love Ferdinand and Dorothea you cannot miss this lovely piece.

You can purchase it both in physical and digital version AND even in a bundle including merch! I recommend checking it out, especially because all the earnings will be donated to charity! (More info are on Twitter but l'll link it here too if you can't go on Twitter to the account of the zine)

Anyway, Regardless of what you'll do, I'm sure you missed some fire emblem content from me so here I am finally dropping my last and most challenging illustration l've ever done of Ferdithea. I hope you like it!

[beetledecay]

cover and back cover for my gerard (mini) fanzine covering some of their outfits from swarm tour ! It's been on production for almost two months now ...... i reallllyyyy want to get done with it before an eventual tour announcement (i decided to believe in it) so before gerard starts whipping out new clothes

Hard to say what the zine is EXACTLY about but i like to say that its about .erm. the whole self-confidence business..... ... and how great it feels to finally be who you want to be ... speaking from personal experience and "using" gerard's growth as an example !

[meruz]

hi!! im sure ppl have asked this b4, but i scoured your asks tag for an hour or so looking to see if you answered anything abt it and couldnt find anything, so i was just wondering if youve made any posts on your process for making n selling merch b4? and how you know which franchises you can make merch for w/o getting into trouble w copyright n trademark stuff (hopefully that makes sense, im not sure,,,)

hi! got a bunch of asks abt merch stuff lately im gonna put it under a cut.

preface: i don't know if i'm the best person to ask about all this stuff because I'm doing merch on a strictly hobby basis LOL. I have a fulltime job which takes care of the bulk of my finances, I don't really make big quantities of anything and my main priority at cons is to just make enough money to see my friends in different cities at minimal expense. i pretty much always get a refund when i file my con taxes because my profit after all the deductions is like fucking..nothing.. lmao. So if you ultimately lose money following my advice don't blame me. OK NOW lets get into it

my process for making merch: when I have an event scheduled that I want to make merch for I start by brainstorming a bunch of stuff I wanna make. for mgscon this is what I wrote down in my sketchbook lol

i made a legend to denote which ones are actually just reprints. it gets easier to plan out merch when you already have merch. out of the new merch ideas here i actually only made like 4 of them. and out of the reprints i only reprinted like three. i also came up with like 4-5 other merch ideas after writing out this list that i actually did do. LMAOO UM. my point here is that nothing rly goes as planned.

when i get a merch idea i start with thumbnails what i want it to look like (sometimes this is based off merch ive seen before so its very realized and sometimes its really vague bc im kind of pulling it out of my ass)

then BEFORE i go into making the final art I research how I'm going to make the merch. whether its printing/constructing it myself or looking for a manufacturer. There's a lot of different places that you can get custom merch made, i used to go shopping around at local printing shops but nowadays it's really common to do it all online. For both these jet tags and the washi tape I did some of my own research into manufacturers and also asked friends for their contacts/referrals/recommendations etc. most manufacturers either have their specs/template publicly available or will give them to you when you ask. so once I've locked into a manu and gotten the specs I'll start designing the final art.

then it's sending it off and waiting! easier said than done.

i will say this process is a lot lengthier for some types of merch than others LOL. for prints... I've been doing prints for like a million years and I plan out almost none of it. I draw everything at print resolution so a week before I have a con scheduled I'll simply go through all the files I've accumulated since my last con, squeeze whatever drawings I want into standard print sizes lol (ie. 8.5x11, 11x17, 4x6 etc), and print them at a local shop. takes like a couple hours max.

how you know which franchises you can make merch for w/o getting into trouble w copyright n trademark stuff?

I mean. honestly I don't know. selling fanart is the kind of thing that IP holders kind of just let slide as long as they don't think they're losing a substantial amt of money on it. there ARE a couple franchises people avoid because they've been known to send IP lawyers after fanartists... disney is the big one and they're known for being pretty petty abt it... that's why you don't really see people selling fanart of the disney princesses at cons. ive heard pokemon will also crack down if your project seems to be making a lot of money lol, part of why i think a lot of pokemon fanzines operate on a charity basis. I do feel like the pokemon company has bigger fish to fry than someones artist alley table though so i wouldn't sweat it too much.

it's also generally considered impolite/bad taste to sell fanart of small franchises. webcomics and indie games especially if they only have like 1-2 devs who rely on the income that game makes.

I'm not a lawyer so you shouldn't consider this legal advice BUT I will say... I don't think you should let IP law stop you from selling fanart lol. especially if it's low quantities/not mass produced and you're not making crazy amts of money I think you kind of have a leg to stand on. Besides, most cases it seems like the worst you'll get is a cease and desist.

you Will notice that when people start turning their artist alley endeavors into a real business they'll generally ease up on selling fanart (the case most prominent in my mind is omocat lol). but i love fanart and thats why i will never make money and thats a promise [snake saluting gif]

SORRY IDK IF ANY OF THIS WAS HELPFUL. I've been doing merch and cons for a long time (10+ years lmao, you can find record of this on this very blog) and i think im kind of old fashioned about it. i recognize the artist alley/merch scene is a lot more demanding now than it used to be but start small at local low-risk events, online sales etc and work your way up and remember to have fun and itll be ok i believe this wholeheartedly.

its literally just layers of acrylic like any other dinky charm. I'm sure pretty much any manu that does acrylic charms could do it but this specific charm/template i did order through a group order server. they're pretty well known! heres a link to their twitter

@wheatormeat sorry for taking a full month to answer this... anyways. This is tricky because I've actually been changing up my sticker manu everytime LOL IDK if I've found one I actually love.

these ones i ordered thru an alibaba manu because I was jumping on a friend's group order to save on shipping. it was ok. they arrived a liiiitle late and printed a lil dark but i think thats kind of my fault LOL I use dark colors i always need to lighten things before i get them printed and i think i just didnt lighten these enough. otherwise i rly love the quality!

i realized i never posted these online and also this is not a good picture (the lighting in my living room sucks rn) but i printed these tmnt stickers thru stickerninja they feel really solid but they needed kind of a lot of space for the cutline. but their customer service was very nice and helpful!

these ones i got printed at washimill and i was so impressed with how fine their cutline is... pricing and quality of the sticker itself is alright they feel a lil flimsy? idk. but i do like the printing. i kind of elected to go with them solely because i was already ordering washi tape. A LOT of my manufacturing decisions are made based on how much money i can save on shipping tbh.

and thats my sticker manu reviews dont forget to like comment subscribe idk if i have one im gonna stick with forever or anything im rly indecisive. ideally id like a manu based in the u.s...? because im based in the u.s. and international shipping is pricey. but idk if i keep ordering washi tape maybe ill keep using washimill. who knows...

[vee-week]

Veek 2024 FAQ

What is this?

Vee Week, or Veek, is a celebration of our favorite basilisk. We're hoping to encourage new fanworks of all kinds!

When is it?/Why those dates?

Veek will take place from Wednesday, August 14th to Tuesday, August 20th, 2024. Those dates were chosen because Yesterday's Lie first aired on August 14th, 2021. (That's also the planned release date for the @vee-fanzine and we thought it would help boost both fandom events.)

That said, it's never "too late" to be inspired or post fanworks. We'll try to reblog tagged posts during actual Veek, so keep that in mind if you decide to post early or late.

Are there prompts?

Yes! There are three to choose from each day and five alternate prompts as well. This post has the final prompts and explains the tagging system. Many thanks to everyone who submitted potential prompts and voted in our poll.

Are there event graphics?

Yes! @kkupttown has done amazing work. This post has the prompt list, a banner you can use for posts, and participant/completionist badges.

What can I make?

You can make or write basically anything: haikus, limericks, 100 word drabbles, ficlets, long fics, traditional art, digital art, gifsets, rec lists, cosplay, embroidery, latte art, etc. One fanwork can be used to fill multiple prompts. If you have an ongoing WIP and want to incorporate a prompt into a new chapter, that's fine too!

What if I'm not interpreting a prompt correctly?

We are not policing people's interpretations of the prompts. If a prompt inspires you to create, that's fantastic!

Is there an AO3 Collection?

Yes! This will open on August 13, 2024. You can post fanworks there, or add bookmarks to external links (like Tumblr posts with fan art).

Are there any other Vee fandom events?

YES! The @vee-fanzine will be released on August 14, 2024. At least one future event may also be in the works. Mod @zyrafowe-sny cannot singlehandedly run something more complicated than a fanweek until the @nimonabigbang wraps up, but would be happy to consider assisting/collaborating on other TOH fandom events if you have any ideas.

What about...?

Feel free to send an ask if you have additional questions. We will also be updating the FAQ as needed.

[fanhackers]

I interviewed the organizers of the Media Fandom Oral History Project, and they shared about the project and what makes it important! The project collects oral histories (interviews) from fans about their fannish experiences. Oral histories help fans define for ourselves what it means to a fan, and they help preserve our histories for future generations. 

The project needs volunteers! Email oralhistoryfandom (at) gmail (dot) com if you want to get involved. 

The full interview can be found under the cut. 

-Lianne, Fanhackers volunteer

Q: Can you briefly introduce yourself, the project, and its purpose?

Morgan Dawn: I am Morgan Dawn and have been a slash fanfiction fan since the 1990s. I entered fandom during the last years of paper fanfiction and the beginning era of online fandom. 

The Media Fandom Oral History Project’s goal is to capture our history in our own words and with our own voices. The idea came when I was sitting at our kitchen table with my friend Sandy Herrold. We realized that fans talking to other fans in informal settings was the perfect way to showcase our community and our connections. What could be more fannish than talking about and sharing the things we love? We started interviewing fans at conventions, then moved to phone interviews and have finally switched the project into a Do-It-Yourself Mode with fans taking the lead interviewing their friends and choosing what they want to preserve.

The recordings are submitted to the University of Iowa's oral history collection and are available online. We are hoping to provide transcripts for all of the interviews. The University of Iowa has one of the world's largest fanfiction fanzine collections. You can see the list of interviews at Fanlore, one of the OTW’s projects. 

Franzeska Dickson: I am Franzeska Dickson and have also been a slash fan since the 90s. In my case, I started as a 13-year-old screaming about Scully on alt.tv.x-files during the first season. (I was a NoRomo, as I recall, mostly because I thought Mulder wasn't nearly good enough for her.) I remember being floored when I was told about fanfic. I have no memory of being told that slash existed. I guess it didn't seem like a big deal. I spent the late 90s and early 00s in anime fandom before swinging back to oldschool Media Fandom and later to other Asian fandoms.

I ran into Morgan at a con and informed her that her recording plans were all wrong and she needed the type of voice recorder that linguists use in the field… I ended up with the recorder and the bulk of the early interviewing work.

Q: Speaking as if to someone unfamiliar with oral history and your project, why is the Media Fandom Oral History Project important?

MD: The recordings allow us to speak directly to future generations of fans and control the discussion of what it means to be a ‘fan.’ By having fans talk to other fans we bypass the dominant narrative of how fans interact with the TV, movies, books and comics. It is also an opportunity for marginalized members of our community to talk about their experiences. There has been much scholarship surrounding live action and anime fandoms. Some of it has been done by academics who are fans themselves and it has been wonderful to see the growth of Fandom Studies. But oral history offers every fan the ability to use their own words to talk about the things they remember and what matters to them.

FD: The early zine generation is rapidly dropping dead, and even when they aren't, I'm always running into younger fans trying to do research who have zero clue who's still alive or where to find them. If we wait for people to do their secondary academic research, it will be too late. Primary sources now or we won't have them!

The scope of fans who are interested in fandom history is much wider than the people who can make the right connections to talk to someone older. It's particularly true for early zines, but it's even true for something like Livejournal: I could rustle up thirty people in five minutes who'd be able to speak cogently on that fandom history. A lot of would-be history researchers currently in undergrad would not. For the future academics, the meta writers, or merely our curious fellow fans, it behooves us to record our history in our own words.

Q: What has the Media Fandom Oral History Project accomplished so far?

MD: We have completed 57 interviews. The first few years we went to in-person conventions and used a digital recorder to interview anyone who was interested. In 2017, a graduate student named Megan Genovese obtained funding and did 24 interviews over the phone in a single summer. During the pandemic, we moved into a DIY (do it yourself) phase - instead of a single person doing the interviewing, we now invite fans to contact their friends and spend an hour chatting about their fandom history. They can use their smartphones, Zoom/video conference recording or reserve a time slot on our international audio conference system. 

We have recorded the history of some of the earliest slash writers, publishers and artists. We have preserved the memories of the first fan who created the first fanvid using a slide project and cassette audio tape. We have heard from fans who organized conventions and started letter writing campaigns to save shows. The interviews include filk singers, fans whose passion is meta, and fans who created and ran some of the first fiction archives. These fans are creators, organizers, supporters, and devotees and have so many stories to tell.

Q: In what ways do you hope the project will grow in the coming years? Or, what are your hopes for the project's future?

MD: We’re a small project and it is difficult to scale with our current resources. By shifting to the DIY phase we’re hoping to encourage fans to take the reins of their fandom history and never stop telling their personal fannish stories. The DIY project also allows fandom communities to leverage off our existing “infrastructure” - we can offer permission forms, an international recording platform (if needed), and a place to archive the interviews.

FD: All fandom history resources suffer from a strong predilection for the researcher's friends or their part of fandom to be the main focus. I hope people from very different parts of fandom will interview their friends about areas other people haven't found important or accessible enough to record.

Q: What help is needed, and how can people get involved?

MD: We need 2 intake coordinators to answer questions, e-mail and collect permission forms (Participants must sign a permission form allowing their recordings to be archived at the University of Iowa). We also need help with outreach to communities that may not be aware of the project - anime, BL fans, cosplayers, filkers, fans in other countries. This is not just a historical project looking backwards. We want to capture our community as it is today and hear from fans whose experiences differ. The central focus has not changed - fans participating in transformative fandom - reading, writing, creating fanfiction, fanvids, podfic, art, managing discord communities. But it all starts with intake coordinators who can keep track of participants and follow up to get the recordings. Each oral history also has a written transcription, as we want this project to be as accessible to as many people as possible. We’ve tried some automated transcription services, and the results are very uneven. This means there’s another opportunity for volunteers, people to listen to the recordings and to help transcribe the contents. 

Q: Is there anything else you'd like people to know about the Media Fandom Oral History Project?

MD: It's a way for fans to be heard. They can describe their experiences on their own terms, in their own words, and take back some of the power of storytelling, rather than having others tell their stories for them.

It's a way to help preserve and honor fan experiences and fan history.

Envision you and your friends, talking about the things you love, your community, and what they mean to you, and describing and preserving these things for history. 

Plus, it's really fun!

FD: If you don't want 'fandom history' to mean just one kind of fandom history, speak up while you can, whether that's here or in essays or in your own projects!

[tssfanzine]

Fanzine Signups!

Sign ups are now open!!!

Sign ups are finally here and they close on the 31st of July! There is a link to the discord server once you're done filling out the form!

The Event Info, Schedule, and FAQ posts have more information about the event! Feel free to send asks with any questions!

[tryzine]

ZINE FAQ

General Questions:

What is a fanzine? - A fanzine is a little magazine made up of contributions from fans of a certain series/show/sport/whatever. In this case, "The Reason is You" is a zine focused around Spiderbit/Guapoduo, and it'll have people contributing from all over the globe!

What is this zine about? - This zine is specifically about Guapoduo as they are on the QSMP Minecraft Server. That is to say: a canon setting with canon relationship dynamics.

Can we include Obsessedduo/Devotionduo/Mafiaduo/the Guapoverse? - Unfortunately, not this time. This zine focuses specifically on their canon relationship. You don't have to write specifically about canon events like the wedding or Festa Junina, and you can include just about any headcanon you like- Catboy Cellbit, Spider-Roier, Trans Headcanons, etc- but it will be set within the canon setting.

Is this zine related to [Insert Fandom Event/Zine Here]? - Nope, this is a standalone project, but those other things sure sound cool!

How old do I have to be to apply? - Technically you can be any age, but what will actually matter is the portfolio you'll be submitting on the application. Unfortunately there will be a bias towards experience, but don't let that get you down! Feel free to try, you never know!

When will the applications go out? - The actual applications will go out as soon as they're finished being written and translated into Spanish and Portuguese, so give us a week or two. They WILL be out by the end of April, though.

When will we know if we got in? - Since we're expecting over 100 applications, it'll take us a minute to go through them all and decide who gets in! It'll depend on exactly how many applications we get, but we're anticipating reaching out to contributors via email sometime in early May.

How will we know if we got in? - On the application, you'll be giving us your email address. If you get in, you'll get an email from us with the discord server's link and a big ol' Parabens!!!

Do we have to have both a Twitter and a Tumblr? - Nope! Not necessary, just come with what you've got!

Do we have to have a Discord account? - Yes! After emails are sent, it will be mandatory for all admins, guests, and contributors to be part of the Discord server for the project. You won't need to be online every day, but you will need to have @ notifications turned on, and you'll need to be open to receiving dms from admins when it comes to check-ins.

What is the zine's exact schedule? - We're actually finalizing the dates as I write this post, and we'll keep you guys updated. Because of the bug impacting our collective ability to enter Twitter, the project may have to be pushed back a week or so just to keep things even. We're having to adjust for that. But we WILL get a schedule out ASAP, and it will be before the applications go live.

Will we have to do anything in November as contributors? What do you mean by it "ending" in November? - The way the schedule is currently projected, writers and artists will actually be done with their work around the end of August/beginning of September. After that, translators will have September and October to translate. Then, the people helping put everything together into the zine proper (graphic designers, admins, etc.) will be working through the end of October into November to finalize things and get the zine out by the end of November.

What do you mean by "applications", anyway? Do we have to try out for this zine? - In order to keep things fair, we're going to have people apply to be in the zine. This will eliminate bias and keep us admins from just letting Big Creators and Our Friends in. This way, everybody has an equal shot!

What do you mean by "writer and artist collaborations"? - The way these would work is that we the admins would pair together a writer and an artist who both indicated in their applications that they would be cool with a collaboration with a random person. After matching them together, we'd tell them in their emails that they're working with each other. From there, they'd come up with a concept together, and the writer would write it and the artist would Art it. The specifics would be up to them.

Are collaborations mandatory? - Nope! There will be an option on the applications that tell us whether or not you want to do a collaboration. It's totally optional.

Are we only working with people we share a language with? - While we might stick, say, two Portuguese speakers together for easier communication when it comes to collaborations, the zine will be made up of people from all over the globe speaking all sorts of languages! The discord server comes with a translation bot in it and everything.

Will there be merchandise? (Ex: wallpapers, icons, physical merchandise) - Unfortunately, no. This will be a free zine, and we will not be accepting personal donations from readers or contributors. This is for several reasons, but the most important reason is that it's for Legal Reasons. We don't own the copyrights to these characters or the QSMP Server, and we don't feel comfortable profiting off of them.

Then how can we pay for the zine? - You don't! BUT, if it can be worked out properly, there will be an option to donate what you want to a charity of our choice. If you want to pay for this zine, just pay what you would want to to that charity when the time comes.

Will there be a physical version of the zine? - Nope! This is a digital zine only. It will be released via pdf and maybe epub for anybody to download for free. This is for cost reasons, yes, but also because we want anybody anywhere to be able to read this zine regardless of whether or not they can afford international shipping.

Writer Questions

What am I supposed to write? - Pretty much anything you like as long as it's set within canon! No need to stick with actual events, again, just no crazy AU stuff. If you have specific questions, you can ask an admin once the writing process begins in May.

What is the word count? - Writers will be expected to write within a range of 1,000 to 3,000 words, but allowances will be made for more or less upon discussion with an admin.

Will poetry be allowed? - Sure! Any kind of writing will be allowed, just have it in your portfolio when you apply.

What do you mean "portfolio"? - When you fill out the application, you will be asked to submit 2-3 previous works. Threadfics, Wattpad fics, Ao3 links, whatever it is! The will be more details within the application itself, don't worry.

Do we have to write in English? - Nope! Write in your native language... but I will say that there will only be translations for English, Spanish, and Portuguese. We'd love to have, say, a German or French translation, but we only have so much manpower, and we don't want translators working overtime for free.

Artist Questions

What kinds of art are allowed in the zine? - Any kind of art! It can be digital or traditional. As long as you can provide a clear and clean scan/photo of any traditional work and provide that to the admins when the time comes, it'll be fine!

What about non-traditional artworks? (Ex: crochet, sculptures) - That's all fine! Again, just give us a clear photo, and it's fine!

Do we have to draw Guapoduo themselves? Or can we draw things related to them? - As long as it relates back to Guapoduo as a focus, it's fine. So you can draw a landscape of, say, Cellbit's Castle or the wedding venue.

What will be on our applications? - Just like writers, you'll be asked to provide a portfolio of 2-3 previous works. More information will be on the applications themselves.

Translator Questions

What will our schedule look like? - As mentioned earlier, you won't be doing too much work until the last bit of the zine's creation. Don't sweat it.

What languages will we be translating from/to? - The three languages the zine will be translated into are English, Spanish, and Portuguese. To be a translator, you'll need to have a level of fluency in at least two of these languages.

What will be on our application? - You can provide a portfolio if you have experience with translating, but there will also be a little bit of a test on your applications. If all goes according to plan, you'll indicate what language you would like to translate from and then into, and you'll then be given a passage to translate. That translation will then be checked by our admin team.

Do we need heavy translation experience? - Not necessarily, but, again, there will be a test on the application. It's just a necessary precaution.

Graphic Designer Questions

What do you mean by "graphic designer", exactly? - By this, we're talking about someone who knows how to do page layouts. We're gonna need your help putting the zine together and then exporting it in a pdf. (Like, Adobe InDesign type of stuff.)

What will be on our application? - Again, a portfolio will be required. For this, we won't require as many pieces, though. As long as you can prove you know how to use programs that can Make Book, or as long as you can show your expertise in page layout and management, we're good.

-

THIS FAQ WILL BE ADJUSTED AS THE PROCESS CONTINUES. IT IS NOT YET COMPREHENSIVE.

[shortkingsupportgroup]

Artists (and writers!) Callout!

📺👻💜✨

As a trans creator, I Saw The TV Glow is an incredibly important film to me.

To celebrate and honor its impact, and also because I've seen some insane fan art for it following its release, I want to curate a fanzine! I've never done this before, so I'm more than happy to work with each participant's schedule in regards to a deadline, but ideally I'd want to have digital copies finalized in the next few months, with physical copies eventually being sent out worldwide :3

So get in touch with me via DM or fill out the EOI form here if you're interested! I can't wait to create a time capsule of the amazing work around this groundbreaking film

you can also get in touch with me here on instagram ! 💜

[mimisempai]

Witness of a Growing Love

Summary

She may be nothing but metal on four wheels, but she’s listened to enough love songs to know how to recognize it... 

So when an angel and a demon can’t figure out their feelings for each other, the Bentley decides to take matters into her own hands... or wheels?

Notes

Fanfic written for @theineffablecon 4 fanzine. 

And what if this time it was the Bentley that saved the day? 

Another sort of fix-it from episode 6

On Ao3

Rating G -  2182 words

Crowley leaned back against the Bentley and waited.

He still wondered how the situation could have deteriorated so much in such a short time.

After so many years, prompted by his conversation with Maggie and Nina, he'd finally poured his heart out and... nothing.

Apparently he and Aziraphale didn't want the same thing, or didn't want it anymore.

One proposal from Metatron and it would have been over.

Yet he still waited, hoping that maybe Aziraphale would open his eyes.

But deep inside he felt that all was lost.

His gaze was drawn to the door of the bookshop as it opened and he saw Metatron and Aziraphale come out.

They seemed to be chatting naturally as they made their way to the elevator.

Metatron looked as if he said something that surprised Aziraphale, who immediately lost his smile.

The angel then regained his smile before standing in front of the elevator and time stopped for a few seconds as he slowly turned his head toward Crowley.

The demon couldn't help but feel one last surge of hope.

But no, Aziraphale straightened his shoulders, smiled, and moved toward the elevator.

All was lost.

Crowley glanced toward the coffee shop, where Nina gave him a little wave that he didn't return, then toward the record store, where Maggie slept on the counter.

He climbed into the car and immediately the radio began playing.

“A nightingale sang in Berkeley square...”

Crowley instantly turned off the radio and the Bentley took off.

The car began to drive ahead, but suddenly, instead of turning left, she lurched forward.

Crowley shouted, "Hey, what are you doing?!"

She braked in front of the elevator, whose doors were still open, and the passenger door opened wide as the radio began to play loudly.

“So hold on now just hold on a minute

This car's not leaving if you're not in it

You've no idea how lucky we are

A wound that deep would normally scar”

Crowley and Aziraphale's eyes met and time stood still.

***********************

She drove through the burning streets of London, fearing for her bodywork as an angel and a demon chatted quietly in her cabin.

She had grown accustomed to Crowley's eccentricities over the years, but today he had brought a new individual with him.

For the first time, she had a passenger.

Strange.

"You know... that was a very nice thing you did for me."

The stranger seemed nice, not the kind of company she'd expected to see here.

"Shut up."

Idiot, he says thank you. Just answer "You're welcome" and you're done!

The stranger insisted.

As far as she could tell - she was just a car, after all - he seemed to like her demonic driver.

"There must be something I can do for you in return."

"Forget it, will you?"

Oh, there was something else in Crowley's tone. 

A new kind of sound.

A bit like that soft jazz music he liked to listen to sometimes.

Interesting.

More interestingly, when she took them from the theater to a bookshop much later in the evening, there was something new in the air.

And when they left the bookshop much later, the demon was not his usual self.

He said really softly, "You know, Aziraphale is someone special, you'll have to get used to him, because we'll probably see each other again."

The demon sighed, "Even if I don't know when, as always."

***********************

The angel had just gotten into the car. 

Crowley soon arrived, just as surprised as she was.

"What are you doing here?"

The angel looked a little uncertain and replied, "I needed a word with you."

"What?"

Aziraphale replied reproachfully, "I work in Soho. I hear things. I hear that you're setting up a... caper to rob a church. Crowley, it's too dangerous."

Finally, someone with some common sense.

The angel continued in a pleading tone, "Holy water won't just kill your body. It will destroy you completely."

Crowley retorted, "You told me what you think years ago. And I haven't changed my mind."

Stubborn idiot. I don't want a new driver. I'm used to you by now.

Aziraphale replied, "But I can't have you risking your life. Not even for something dangerous. So... you can call off the robbery."

The angel handed him a thermos and continued, "Don't go unscrewing the cap."

Hey, what's wrong with this one? Both as crazy as the other!

Crowley asked, "It's the real thing?" 

"The holiest."

Crowley's voice had inflections she'd never heard before as he replied, "After everything you said. Should I thank you?"

Of course you should.

"Better not."

Ah, well, no.

Crowley asked, "Well, can I drop you anywhere?" 

Good boy, well educated.

"No, thank you." 

She didn't need to see to feel the demon's disappointment, she could feel it permeating the cabin. 

The angel had seen it too, apparently: "Oh, don't look so disappointed. Perhaps one day we could... I don't know. Go for a picnic. Dine at the Ritz."

She'd heard enough love songs to know when it was in the air, and as much as she felt the disappointment in the demon's voice, she could feel the love flowing from the angel's.

But the demon felt nothing. 

"I'll give you a lift. Anywhere you want to go."

The angel shook his head and replied softly, "You go too fast for me, Crowley."

And there it was. 

Idiot, I always told you. Or thought.

You overdid it with the gas pedal and now you've hit a wall.

**********************

"You're so clever. How can someone as smart as you be so stupid?"

You're one to talk.

The way these two were made for each other and unable to say it to each other.

She was a heartless piece of metal and she could see it.

"I forgive you."

Oops, apparently that didn't go over well with the demon, who replied, "Oh...I'm going home, Angel. I'm getting my stuff and I'm leaving. And when I'm off in the stars, I won't even think about you."

Idiot and liar.

For years she'd heard Aziraphale - this, Aziraphale - that over and over again, angry, amused, affectionate.

But she had no choice, so she drove him away from the angel.

***********************

She had never driven so fast.

Fear and panic filled the cabin.

Her tires squealed as she pulled up to the burning bookshop.

Crowley ran inside.

He returned moments later.

She had never "felt" him like this.

He got in, dropped his head on the wheel, and whispered, "Bastards. They killed him. My angel."

Then he straightened up and grabbed a new pair of glasses from the glove compartment as she drove off.

***********************

They had come through the flames and reached their destination, burning. 

Actually, she was the only one burning. 

Crowley hadn't done too badly.

The important thing was that he and the angel were reunited. 

She had fulfilled her mission.

It was up to them to do the rest.

She could let the flames consume her now.

She left in an explosion.

***********************

She was now parked in front of the bookshop.

And the silence in the cabin was really uncomfortable.

She'd been around both of them long enough to decipher their behavior.

Especially since it had been the same for years.

Aziraphale not daring to ask Crowley to stay.

Crowley not daring to ask Aziraphale if he could have a nightcap.

"See you soon."

And there it was again, ending the same way.

Crowley replied, "See you soon, Angel."

They were tiresome.

Hey, idiots, I died in the flames to bring you together, and when I'm resurrected, you can't even admit how you feel!

Makes me want to drive into a wall.

Crowley stared at the angel for a few seconds, then left.

She hadn't said her last word.

She turned on the radio.

“Tell him 

Tell him that the sun and moon 

Rise in his eyes 

Reach out to him

And whisper 

Tender words so soft and sweet”

"Change the music now!" the demon admonished.

As you wish!

“I wanna be your lover

I wanna be the only one that makes you come running

I wanna be your lover

I wanna turn you on, turn you out”

"Are you fucking kidding me? Stop it! You know nothing! You're just a car! I can't tell him. There's no way my feelings are mutual."

There... we are finally making progress. 

Monsieur at least admitted that he felt something.

Now she had to deal with the other one. ***********************

It had taken him four years to finally get the second one alone.

She had to admit that the angel had pulled off a masterstroke.

He'd managed to get the keys. 

For that alone, she was willing to indulge Aziraphale's every whim.

Even if she felt Crowley's presence all the time because he wanted to interfere.

And he had succeeded.

She'd only agreed to change back to her original color because Crowley had threatened Aziraphale's books, and she'd known all along how much the angel cared about them. 

"He's really not funny," the angel said sulkily. "Yellow is pretty, because that's the color of his eyes. But of course I couldn't tell him. He can't know."

Of course he must know, you idiot!

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Let's have some music!

“I fell in love with the Devil

And now I'm in trouble

I fell in love with the Devil

I'm underneath his spell “

"No. Not this one, thank you!"

Why not? Too scared to admit the truth?

Wait, I'll bring it up again!

“I know something about love

You've gotta want it bad

If that guy's got into your blood

Go out and get him

If you want him to be

The very heart of you

Makes you want to breathe

Here's the thing to do

Tell him-”

"I prefer silence now."

If anyone was never silent, it was the angel.

He wouldn't hold it for more than 1 minute.

5,4,3,2, -

"I can't tell him anyway. He's a... and I'm a... .... No, it's not that. He's one of the nicest people I know. But you see, I have a plan. The ball. It's about trying to tell him that..."

Another one that made her want to drive herself into a wall.

Wait, she had the music.

“That certain night, the night we met

There was magic abroad in the air

There were angels dancing at the Ritz

And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square”

This time the angel didn't ask her to stop, so the Bentley told herself that all was not lost and that maybe these two idiots would have a happy ending.

***********************

So what had gone wrong?

Why wasn't she driving them to the Ritz as planned?

What was the angel waiting for in the elevator, the message was clear, wasn't it?

Get in the car!

We're not leaving without you!

And you idiot, call him! 

Shall I do the job again? All right, then!

Turn it up! Let's do it!

“I may be right, I may be wrong

But I'm perfectly willing to swear

That when you turned and smiled at me

A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.”

Aziraphale seemed to snap out of his trance and took a step forward. The old man beside him tried to hold him back, "Azi-"

But the angel broke free, shoved him back and closed the elevator doors with a gesture.

He walked forward, entered the car and closed the door.

And now?

Nothing.

Nothing?

Are you guys kidding? 

You're finally together and you're looking at each other in silence!

Don't tell me...

Okay, but this is the last time.

And this time, no subtlety.

Let's have some music.

“If you want to kiss the boy then you better kiss the boy right now

You ain't got to be afraid of the words you want to say right now

'Cause love is a game we deserve to play out loud

So you want to play then you better kiss the boy

Oh, you better kiss the boy right now”

Aziraphale and Crowley looked at each other in silence, and when they realized the lyrics of the song, they couldn't help but laugh.

Nice start.

"I'm sor-"

"I shouldn't have-"

One of them said, "There'll be time to explain later."

And finally, as in the song, they did.

Clumsily, they embraced and lost themselves in an endless kiss.

They were so lost in the kiss that they didn't notice that the Bentley had just pulled away.

Nor did they notice the new song on the radio.

“I was born to love you

With every single beat of my heart

Yes, I was born to take care of you

Every single day of my life

I want to love you, I love every little thing about you

I want to love you, love you, love you”

Even much later, as they whispered forgiveness and vows to each other, interspersed with kisses and tender touches, they didn't notice the Bentley turning onto the freeway. 

Nor did they notice the sign that read: South Downs 59 miles.

***********************

Songs used for the story : 

Cars Not Leaving - Gabriel Bruce 

Tell him - Barbra Streisand/Celine Dion

I wanna be your lover - Prince

I Fell In Love With The Devil - Avril Lavigne

Tell Him - The Exciters

I Was Born To Love You - Queen

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Ineffable Growing Love series : here (After season 2)

Ineffable Husbands masterlist : here (Before season 2)

[windydrawallday]

POSSESSION

I can finally show the full piece I did for the @primitivebeastszine ! In contrast to the other piece for another zine I showed months ago, I up to eleven the scratchy rendering trying to blend it with the photography collage under it! I think it suits perfectly the frizzled feeling of our poor Waspy being struck by the freaky spark force of someone as chaotical as Starscream x'D. This was A LOT OF WORK! The only elements that are mirrored are Screamer's ghost face and the wings, but the rest is done all from scratch, and the textures and photos were properly adjusted to work together: only on Waspinator's body, there's a total of 50 individual layers of elements!!!.

Under the cut, I will leave more details of the process for the ones curious x3

… no doubt why my software crashed multiple times LMAO so I ended up separating it into two files, the background collage and character collage, put them all in flats, and then worked over them more comfortably.

And them both with EXTRA EFFECTS AND LAYERS AND LAYERS OF FILTERS ksdjhfkjshdf

With two fanzine artworks under my belt, I can say I'm satisfied with my yearly contribution to crazy experimentations for the enjoyment of a community of creatives as cool as this one 💚.

[jadlz]

DROWNING - A DAMIARK FANZINE IS FINALLY HERE!!

Thanks so much to everyone involved in the creation of this wonderful project, I'm so excited to be able to share it finally!

I will be making a post soon to gauge interest on getting physical copies of this printed, so watch out for that and make sure to reply if that's something you want done!

[autumnslance]

We can finally share our works for The Thancred Anthology, the free pdf fanzine.

Here's my short story, of Thancred checking on the specter of Pandaemonium in the Aitiascope, and having an unexpected but perhaps due conversation with Fourchenault.

On Ao3 and under the cut for those who prefer Tumblr.

--

Being one of the saviors of the star had its perks in certain places. No one questioned Thancred’s presence in Thaumazein, nor his use of the Aitiascope’s elevator to reach the research platforms built in the shallows of the Aetherial Sea.

Researchers measured and recorded the current unusual phenomenon: the presence of the ancient research facility and prison called Pandaemonium. The creation and responsibility of the Convocation’s Speaker.

Lahabrea.

Thancred could mostly touch on the topic when it rarely came up. So long as he did not linger, anyroad. There were still rare moments, however, when the thought of that red mask made him break out in a sudden sweat.

Much had happened since that day he had walked out of Raubahn’s office, dejected and self-remonstrating, and on his way to the Sapphire Exchange had been distracted by strangeness in an alley…

And then a looming blank period; only a few terrible, hazy scenes flashing through that darkness, until waking in an Adder tent with the Elder Seedseer leaning over him. Sometimes it seemed he was still waking from the nightmare, that he would blink and find Kan-E’s sad green eyes and calm voice explaining all he had done.

It was difficult to take that first step from the elevator.

On the Ragnarok, when they reached Ultima Thule’s crushing non-weight of uninhabitable despair, he had managed to trudge forward to protect the others. There was no avatar of despair holding him back now, but also no one to protect, no reason to force his feet closer to that inimical ancient visage.

Yet he kept moving, until he ran out of platform.

Thancred stood at the edge and watched the swinging cages and flickering torches. The reports—and a late-into-the-night discussion—of Lahabrea’s involvement had given him insights into his recurring nightmare that he had not expected.

A stubborn man dedicated to the burdens of his great responsibilities. Who loved his child but held him at arms’ length, keeping important secrets, telling himself it was for the child’s own good, unable to see the hurt he caused because he was so wrapped up in his own situation.

From his pocket, Thancred drew out a pink ribbon wrapped around a letter, Ryne’s handwriting covering the folded pages.

“Horrifying, isn’t it?” A familiar deep voice said from behind him.

Thancred nodded. “It doesn’t match other Ancient architecture, as if purposefully twisted to match the terrors it kept inside.”

“If the reports are accurate,” Fourchenault said as he joined Thancred at the rail.

“Given who wrote them,” Thancred replied, tucking the letter back into a pocket. “They are.”

They stood in silence for a long while. They had always been awkward; Fourchenault had graduated from the Studium and was entering politics when his father brought home a Limsan orphan. Between the constant trips to and from the Motherland, and Thancred’s intense training, he and his foster brother had seen little of one another before Emporium was abandoned and Thancred sent to Ul’dah. Their differences in political opinions had not helped their bonds.

Now here they were a lifetime later, knowing only slightly better what had led each of them upon their respective paths.

“I’ve a question—unrelated to the current view,” Thancred said. Unrelated so far as Fourchenault was concerned. Thancred continued before losing his nerve. “Did parenting that pair of rapscallions highlight…well…the ways in which Louisoix…”

“Failed?” Fourchenault finished quietly. His blue eyes turned to the researchers engrossed in their duties.

“I wouldn’t put it quite so harshly, but…Yes, about the mistakes he made, I suppose. As a parent, specifically.”

“This is about the girl on the first reflection of Etheirys?”

“Naught gets left out of Alphinaud’s letters,” Thancred said dryly. “Yes; I found myself unexpectedly guardian to an adolescent. It was…” He suddenly floundered on how to explain.

“Enlightening,” Fourchenault said. “Terrifying, horrible…and wonderful.”

Thancred nodded.

Fourchenault sighed. “Yes, raising my children did highlight the matters I wished my father had handled…better. That I tried to handle better. At the same time, it showed me goals hopelessly out of my reach, my own shortcomings as a parent. You’re rather familiar with some of my failings already.”

“At one point, while in the First, Alisaie bluntly said I reminded her of you; in that instance, she did not mean it as a compliment.”

Fourchenault laughed, brief and a tad bitter. “Was she wrong?”

Thancred had to laugh sheepishly as well. “Not at all.”

“We did have a singular model,” Fourchenault said. “Much as we perhaps tried to fight against that image.”

“Or did not, at the time, understand what we had,” Thancred replied quietly.

“You were a stubborn little wharf rat,” Fourchenault said, with little of the sting of their youth. “That stubbornness at least has not changed, thank the Twelve.” Fourchenault smiled genuinely, reminiscent of Alphinaud—or perhaps the other way around. “But I do recall thinking you ungrateful for the opportunity Father had inexplicably granted you.”

“I had more than a few unkind thoughts of you myself. ‘Tis only recently that they have…adjusted. In some ways.”

“I find myself in a similar frame of mind,” Fourchenault said, a ghost of that smile still visible. He studied Pandaemonium. “Did you come to see what new trouble your colleague dredged onto our doorstep—or to face your specters?” he asked, voice soft and almost kind.

“I suppose the letters included that as well.” Thancred had the terrible urge to drink until just before that darkness swallowed him again. He bit it down.

“Not explicitly. In stories since, however, quite a few of the Scions’ adventures have been detailed.” Fourchenault paused. “The twins enjoy my discomfort almost as much as their mother does.”

Thancred couldn’t help huffing out another laugh. “Well, you do make quite the graceful picture when tripping out of a room lest you faint,” he noted. Some things blessedly never changed.

“Bah,” Fourchenault waved a dismissive hand. “Though the tales of your time under the Ascians’ thrall sounded particularly horrifying.”

“It was.” Thancred rubbed his eyes; he would have to speak to Alphinaud about what he shared, even with family. “Though from the reports now I wonder if Lahabrea influenced me more than I’d first thought. Or perhaps…sought a familiar resonance.” Hand in his pocket, he threaded the ribbon through his fingers.

“From what little I’ve heard, there seem to be some superficial similarities,” Fourchenault said. “But the same might be said for my own tale as a parent. Or even Father’s choices. We do what we think is best for our children, and don’t always realize when we’re truly making it easier on ourselves. One doesn’t need an Ascian’s influence to fall into that trap.”

“Hrmph. I know the twins told you what a hash I made of things.” Even now, recalling how close his girl had come to tragedy due to his own actions ran around his mind in darker hours, though she would hate to hear that; it was past.

“They also told me how you admitted your errors and strove to do better by the girl, your comrades, and yourself,” Fourchenault said. “Lessons I myself yet struggle with, after a lifetime of assurance that I knew best.” He smiled wryly. “Not the first time that you’ve outpaced me; nor I suspect the last.”

Thancred stared at Fourchenault. Louisoix’s actual son, born to privilege, beloved of the amazing Ameliance, national leader, brilliant sage…

“If you try to deny it, I shall tell your fellow Scions,” Fourchenault continued blithely.

“We’re disbanded,” Thancred reminded him.

Fourchenault did not quite roll his eyes. “I once asked Father why he was more…available for the twins than myself,” he continued. “Or even for you, off with your master for much of your time under our roof. I remember the…regret, I think, in Father’s smile, when he said he had learned better since our youths. He urged me not to make the same mistakes, and I swore I would not. Yet here we are.” He turned to Thancred. “I think Father would be proud of you. Not just for all you’ve done as a Scion, but for your girl, and the man you’ve become. I am, for as little as it counts from me.”

Thancred couldn’t manage to say that it meant more than he had imagined, so he settled for “Thank you. Though I feel there’s still much to learn about parenting.”

“There always is. Especially when they’re far away. But we’ve now the time. And if that ancient sorcerer could learn better, we certainly can,” Fourchenault gestured at the ghost facility.

Thancred laughed, squeezing Ryne’s letter. “We do have that singular example.”

Fourchenault nodded, then took a breath. “You should—I was thinking—Would you join us for dinner?” As Thancred raised a brow he hastily continued, “Ameliance would love to see you.”

“Of course,” Thancred replied. Learning how to be better fathers wasn’t the only thing he and Fourchenault needed to figure out. But as he had said, there was now time to make even a belated start.

[veiled-identity-zine]

Hey, all! We have wonderful news—the zine has been released!! There are two different versions you can download PDFs of (a singles version, where each page is on its own, and a spreads version, which resembles a book) as well as a zip file of our merch (wallpapers, a sticker sheet, and an icon)!!

Thank you all so much for your patience, and for sticking with us as we've worked on this project—and an especially big thank you to our wonderful mods and contributors!! We couldn't have done this without you <3

Now, without further ado—the zine itself!! The link leads to an itch.io page that describes the zine, lists off our mods and contributors, and finally, has a download button for each version of the zine and the merch zip!! Happy reading~! <3

[astriiformes]

Epiphany

Fandom: Pentiment Words: 1,327

While visiting the Frauenkirche in Nuremberg, Caspar discovers his calling. (Written for Palimpset: A Pentiment Fanzine)

[Ao3 Link]

So excited to finally share this piece with you all. I was lucky enough to be involved with Palimpsest: A Pentiment Fanzine /@palimpsestzine and got to write this short little story for it. It was a really fun one to tackle (I love Caspar so much) and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

You should absolutely also go look at the zine itself -- my story got some amazing formatting work done, and everyone's works are so amazing and crafted with such love and care towards the game.

The zine is completely pay-what-you-want, but we're raising money for Librarians and Archivists With Palestine until April 30th, so definitely go have a look over on itch.io!