#I do feel fic writers should be able to be members of the fandoms they write for

[lesbianherald]

I’m going to phrase this delicately because I’m so deeply grateful and awed by the support I’ve received.

But I will say it is a little anxiety inducing how many people feel they can talk about coming home whatever way they want openly and publicly because it has “numbers” or whatever (referring to my own work like this makes me want to claw my eyes out because they baffle me and I don’t necessarily feel I deserve them but it’s important for context).

This is Especially true for the way people speak under things I very much see. Art of the fic. My Twitter mutuals posts. Things I will very obviously interact with. It feels like someone is walking into my back yard and talking shit as if I'm literally not standing in said yard like this 🧍

You make something for a community for free as an act of passion and then the community in turn becomes something that isn’t quite accessible to you anymore. I’ve seen this happen to a lot of fic writers in my previous fandoms and idk man it’s just kind of a bummer.

Like. Fanfic and fanart is made by people in the fandom for the fandom. It’s not work being produced by some distant people in Hollywood who shouldn’t be in the fandom space in the first place.

Idk, it’s actually pretty rare that this happens to me but I wanted to mention I am a human who can very much read the things you say guys 😭 like if you reblog art related to my work and call it a bunch of petty names and say you had to dnf I can see that. It’s totally ok to feel whatever way you want. But maybe don't feel that way in my back yard.

Again. I’m so grateful for everything I really am. You absolutely do not have to fuck with my work. Fuck I don't fuck with my work sometimes DKLFJSDHF. This is probably the last time I’ll talk about this because the last thing I want to do is come off like I can’t take criticism and I’m ungrateful. But sometimes I really am chewing at my enclosure like IM RIGHT HERE MAN IM LITERALLY BEHIND YOU HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT.

[sonysakura]

✒ Poll to Decide the Fate of my Ao3

I'll be upfront, I'm unsure why I'm doing this 🤷 Maybe because I gained a couple dozens of new Ao3 subscribers recently and people have been reading my stuff actively, though they aren't commenting... Figured I'll give both new and old readers a chance to save the writing they (possibly) like.

For the past half a year I've been thinking about deleting my Ao3. Isn't news for the members of my server but might be for the others unless they noticed me deleting the last fic I posted (in July). The reason is simple: the situation with Sonic Big Bang 2024 thoroughly broke my confidence and frankly, my sense of self as a writer (esp as a Sonadow fic writer). And I know some would agree with that mod who basically told me she doesn't care about what happened to me because "we're just strangers online", and that what happened shouldn't affect me either... Silly me for whom my writing is my entire life and my only reliable outlet, being so affected by a blow to my core. Ha-ha. Sure, it should be embarrassing how much Sonic Big Bang 2024 wrecked me. But instead, it is scary how much this doodle is still true. I guess it is just unfortunate they decided to ban me the week of the elections in my country and the consequences of the anti-LGBT+ laws hitting us full-force… If there's one thing the event mods and my government agrees on, it's that gay hedgehogs are a threat to society. It's a pity that's what I write.

Normally, I write for myself and I always like what I write when writing for myself (hell, I wrote Married Hedgehogs series to read it before bed). But now... I almost hate everything I wrote and/or posted after March. I cringe about the 2nd chapter of Gloves and Rings and that Sonadow x Lethal Company fic, and I think that Merlina study is seriously lacking – any comments otherwise feel like pity, esp after I mentioned that I feel insecure about people not commenting. I re-read At the Castle Gate (that story I deleted off Ao3 in July) recently, and I disliked it again. Everything I wrote that I still haven't published (20 stories below, either fully completed or missing some final touches) feels fake, foolish and terrible. Everything I write – no matter what – is worthless to me. What's worse, I can't even look at my old stories the same now.

I have now been roughly 6 months on hiatus and 10 months mostly unable to enjoy my writing. It is safe to assume I'm not going to be able to do it for a while longer – if ever. I wanted to delete my Ao3 even. And I felt guilty about hoarding my texts. So, as someone who gets sad when authors disappear or delete their stories... I'm giving you, readers, a chance to decide what you want to see.

*Don't worry about forcing me to post smth I dislike if you pick this option. I wouldn't be offering it as an option if it brought me pain. I'm more apathetic about my Ao3 than anything else nowadays... In short, you want my Sonadow or SatBK or whatever stories no matter what I'm thinking about them myself? Pick option 2. Guilt-free.

Tagging with some fandom tags for people who read my stuff before but don't follow me.

🔗 Same poll on Twitter X

[welcometololaland]

Hi! So I’m new to the Tarlos fandom and you seem to be really nice… so if you could help me navigate this space I would be very grateful. So how’s the fandom what can I expect ? What are the accounts to follow?

I understand if you’re not available to answer and if it’s not your thing but thank you anyway.

HELLO! Welcome <3 This certainly is my thing - I'm always available and happy to answer any and all questions when it comes to Tarlos content.

First up, a warm welcome to the Tarlos fandom - we are happy to have you here! I expect that from your ask you have only recently watched the show. I hope you enjoyed :) Usual caveats apply - check tags, warnings, ratings etc. Not all blogs/fics/content is going to be for everyone, and that's totally okay!

Before I get into my rambling/screaming about how much I love other people and their work, I should also say that I never have enough time to consume all the Tarlos content that I would like to, and so this list can never capture every amazing person on this site. If you check out the #fic rec friday tag on my blog, you should find all the round ups for all past Fic Rec Fridays, where people from all over the fandom (and other fandoms!) recommended some truly amazing content.

Also shout out to @rmd-writes for letting me appropriate some of your own recs on a similar ask.

Fic Blogs:

I am, first and foremost, a fic writer and I will never be able to rec all of the talent in this fandom all by myself, but here are some of the people I have turned to on Ao3 over my last year or so of being here:

@liminalmemories21 @goodways @strandnreyes @reyesstrand @reyescarlos @sunshinestrand @iboatedhere @beautifulhigh @heartstringsduet @carlos-in-glasses @alrightbuckaroo @freneticfloetry @rmd-writes @bellakitse @howtosingit @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @catanisspicy @basilsunrise @chaotictarlos @thebumblecee @noxsoulmate @marjansmarwani @morganaspendragonss. THAT BEING SAID there are a lot of newer people in the fandom that I haven't yet had the chance to dive into and I'm SO sorry for that, but I look forward to reading nonetheless!!! Again, I'd recommend looking up the Fic Rec Friday round ups because they are much more fulsome than what I've got here, and I'm so sure I've forgotten people accidentally!

Source Blogs:

Here's a few places I go to for Tarlos/Rafa/Ronen news/content:

@911lsbts @rafaelsilvasource @ronenrubinsteinsource

GIFs/videos:

GIF/video makers are gods on this earth and here are just a few I adore (PLS I KNOW I'VE MISSED PEOPLE I'M SO SORRY):

@lutavero @guardian-angle22 @danieljradcliffe @maxbegone @strandtk @/tailoredshirt @angeltk @velvet-lnk @whattarush @chaotictarlos @tylerkennedys @rafael-silva @3416 @lonestardust

Fan Art:

Incredible talent I eat up:

@ambiguouspenny @fitzherbertssmolder @heartstringsduet (tagged above) @thebumblecee (tagged above) @angeltarlos @rafascosmic @fckingyrs @watmalik @birdclowns @thevenstar @reyeslonestar @thisbuildinghasfeelings

ANYWAY! I'm so sure I have accidentally omitted people because I'm doing this on the fly, so PLEASE don't feel bad if I didn't include you here (especially if you're a newer fandom member because I have been falling behind recently!) If you would like to drop some recs in the comments for this anon, that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your ask, anon! Any opportunity I get to rave about the amazing creators in this fandom, I will take it!

[hillerskalibrary]

This is my first time being in a fandom so I don't really know - do you think people writing YR fanfiction will die down quickly after the end of the show? I am already super sad about the show ending but no more new fanfiction about these two might be even worse 🙃

Do you maybe have experience from other fandoms? 🧡

Hey anon! To you, as well, apologies for the late reply, especially since this question is clearly important to you - and no doubt to many others.

Now, should I have attempted to write a heartfelt answer on how the YR fandom will indeed probably slowly fade away but that's okay because the important thing is the joy it gave you while it lasted? Yes, yes I should have.

Did I spend half an hour making a graph in Excel instead? ... also yes.

look I may be a failed scientist but I'm still a scientist and you came to my inbox so...

Behold! My beautiful and not-at-all questionable graph of the number of YR posted per month since the release of S1.

Now, first the good news: as you can see, the general trend of fic goes UP! ;) I think it's been clear that S2 has drawn in lots of new fans, and that reflects in the number of fics - not only are there more writers, but more readers = more interaction = more motivation for writers.

Now, what does this tell us about fic numbers after S3?

... absolutely nothing. No, seriously, it is impossible to extrapolate any of this into the future :D. I mean, it is likely the peak will be even higher for the S3 release, and it's safe to say that then it will go down. But how fast, or how low, is hard to tell...

Now, I can see how this may make you sad. And I would like to offer two counterpoints.

ONE It's not done yet. This may seem obvious but- the time to be sad is not here yet. Suppose the sun shines today, and the forecast predicts rain for tomorrow. What are you going to do? Go out and enjoy every ray of sun while you can? Or spend the day inside, sad because you won't be able to go out tomorrow? Look - don't get me wrong, I don't wanna dismiss your feelings. It's just- we'll have time to be sad about it later, you know? Right now fandom is active: great fic is being published, thought provoking discussions are being had, ... . Let's enjoy that!

TWO Whether fandom lives or dies after the show, is partly up to you. I mean it! A fandom lives by grace of its active members. So write fic. Prompt other authors if you can't (and even if you can!). Organize events, challenges, polls, ... There are so many things you can do to keep the fandom going, but it's going to require time and effort. And no, success is not guaranteed. But it's worth it.

Lastly though, as you say yourself: this is your first fandom. A first fandom is always a little special, but after a first... comes a second. Always. It may seem hard to believe, and it may not even be something you necessarily want, but very often, that's how it goes. Fandoms come and go - and that's fine. It sucks too, of course, sometimes. But it's fine. It has to be, because the alternative is for nothing to ever change, and that would suck even harder. So enjoy this wonderful fandom we have, gush about it all with your mutuals, and trust that a new blorbo will find you ;).

[astrophysicistnotastronaut]

Zar is back, I’m so glad that he feels okay to do so and I hope against all hope the fandom is able to give him the consideration and respect he deserves. What I am getting a little tired of is the moral high ground some people are assuming, putting out these preachy statements about how wrong it is for people’s initial reactions to be to download his fics, saying ‘everyone better behave this time’ etc. While the top priority should most certainly be Zar’s wellbeing and good treatment in the fandom, let’s keep in mind that this community has quite a young age demographic, and that it’s very normal and understandable for 13/14 year olds’ first reactions to be excitement and wanting to download his works. Also people putting out stuff saying “you all had better be nice or istg” or general ‘royal you’ statements is interesting to me, because are they too not part of this fandom?? What makes them morally exempt from the collective blame we all hold for the treatment of fic authors? They might say “Oh yeah but I’m always respectful” to which I might answer, “so am I", and yet I’m getting scolded by like seven different users who’ve somehow decided everyone else is to blame. I think that by associating ourselves with the fandom, we all take on the responsibility for what was done to Zar, as well as the respectful treatment and consideration of welfare of members of the community, whether that be fic writers, or even just your everyday Tumblr user. While these sort of morally superior posts make good points about the need for increased respect and better behaviour to fic writers, they do feel to me like they’re perpetuating a certain judgemental toxicity in the fandom which is antithetic to what they’re preaching. So let’s take on their points about writers, but remember that it should extend also to respect and consideration for each other as members of a community. Anyway that’s my Sunday night take :) Have a great week and wish me luck for my exams

[dark--whisperings]

✨✨✨✨🫱Care to share🫲✨✨✨✨

The message was sent to you because someone loved your writing and stories. ❤️

▪️What are your writing suggestions for newcomers, or what would you have liked to know when you first started?

▪️How do you write different personalities and perspectives? Could you explain how you came up with the manner you written your favorite or any character?

▪️What do you do when you have writer's block?

▪️How do you come up with new ideas and develop them?

▪️Any messages for your readers or fellow writers?

You are welcome to answer if you have the time and desire, or you can simply respond to the questions that come to mind.

💐Thank you for your work as a writer and as a member of this fandom!💐

OMG anon, what a sweet message! Absolutely made my day! I'm so glad that you liked my fics. ✨💖🥹✨💖🥹✨💖🥹 And wow, these are some great questions!

Extremely long response under the cut because I simply... have no chill LMAO.

What are your writing suggestions for newcomers, or what would you have liked to know when you first started?

It's so daunting to post your first fic for so many reasons, but just... go for it. Write what you want and fuck what anyone else thinks. Writing should be something that you do because it gives you joy, and you shouldn't cater the things you write to align with popular tropes (unless those are things you actually feel inspired to write). Guarantee that somewhere out there, you made someone's day with your fic, even if they didn't comment. Fanfiction and writing are about creativity and giving yourself permission to meet yourself where you are, whether that's being silly, escaping the shittiness of the world for a few hours, exploring something deeper and more vulnerable, revolting against canon, or whatever else.

Also on that vein, leave kudos, comments, and asks for your favourite authors! As much as we like to say that we write for ourselves, it also is immensely helpful to receive positive feedback. It doesn't need to be a hugely detailed comment... keyboard mashing and emoji flailing are just as important. As a writer (and reader!), support your fellow writers! Don't be afraid to interact with people you recognize on your socials... we're just seven monkeys in a trench coat on a good day, and typically love flailing about fandom with others. Being able to chat and create with other creators and fans online has been an incredible experience for me. (I'M STARING AT YOU MY MUTUALS 👀👀👀)

How do you write different personalities and perspectives? Could you explain how you came up with the manner you written your favorite or any character?

Oooh this is a fun one! I actually prefer to switch POVs in my writing, because I like to play with the concept of an unreliable narrator on both sides, and then switch abruptly give the reader insight into other characters perspective. I think it's a fun experience as a reader.

As far as characterizations, I think about the differences in how they might act, how they speak, their mannerisms, and right down to the differences in their vocabulary. For example, Anakin is more likely to be blunt and say exactly what's on his mind, whereas Obi-Wan is more likely to use more interesting words and gilded speech. Adding these pieces is usually part of my editing process to! I'll typically start by getting the plot and words on the page, and then edit the characterizations in later.

... and then, you know, sprinkle in some of my own head canon for the characters. Because 😇✨creative license✨😇.

What do you do when you have writer's block?

Writing sprints in a fandom server! Honestly, sometimes I'm stuck simply on principal, and sprinting gives me the motivation (because I'm the type of person who works better under pressure). If that doesn't work, I try switching to a different WIP or chatting with a friend about it (you'd be surprised how effective a simple conversation with your beta can be). And barring that... look for a beta project. I actually started out in fandom as a beta, and I find that a brief switch between writing and editing can kickstart the creative juices!

How do you come up with new ideas and develop them?

Music. Sometimes lyrics give me ideas for new project. But a lot of the time, it's the feel of certain songs that inspire ideas for new fic. Sometimes, I write from experience, or write about things I'd like to experience. In a lot of cases, writing is a very personal experience for me. I also very much enjoy participating in the fandom prompt festivals. There's just something about being inspired by a random prompt from a stranger and potentially making their day. 💟💟💟

Any messages for your readers or fellow writers?

Just that I love you all, adore the obikin fandom, and am incredibly grateful for the experience I've had so far. This has been the best fandom experience I've ever had (and I've been kicking around online for 15 years now). I wouldn't change it for anything, and it wouldn't be possible without the dedicated creators and lovely readers to cheer us on! 💗💗💗💗💗💗

Also if you feel inclined... drop me an anon ask with links to your favourite fics if you would like! Bonus points if it's a fic you wrote and are proud of. I want to read all the things, and maybe have a party in your comments!🫂🫂🫂

[touchtranscendslanguage]

Update and Fae Story Recommendations

First of all, I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me. This year has been A Lot. Sadly, I don't know when I'll be able to continue writing Touch Transcends Language. I don't think it will be any time soon.

In the middle of the year, a dear loved one was diagnosed with terminal cancer and died soon after. It took me a while to recover from that.

Recently, just when I was getting into writing again, another loved one who has had many health problems throughout the year and whom I have been helping care for was also diagnosed with cancer. We have high hopes that it isn't terminal (medical science is on our side) but it's a shock and at the same time we found out my loved one had another significant setback in health. It's important I be here for this person and other family members, so that's where my priorities are.

As far as writing goes, it's just not that important compared to everything else. I'm writing what I can, when I can which means I'm gravitating towards whichever of my WIPs feels right in the moment. Lately that hasn't been TTL and I don't know when it will be again.

On a much lighter note:

It has been brought to my attention that some of you may be in the mood for more fae stories! I have read quite a few Sanders Sides fae fics and have three recommendations for series in the fandom that I think everyone should absolutely read!

I also have a recommendation for a book duology that has nothing to do with Sanders Sides that I think you guys would love. It does not get nearly enough attention, in my opinion.

For Sanders Sides fics:

Love and Other Fairytales by SoDoRoses is, of course, a classic that many of you have probably already read. You can find it on AO3 if the link doesn't work. It's a poly love story about a human who was gifted a siren's voice by his fairy godmother, a witch who grew up hunting fae, a changeling who was raised by humans, and a faerie prince who was cursed to sleep for a hundred years. It's wonderful and if you want more smut you can find plenty of it for the story under one of the writer's pseuds! The main series is also available here in podfic form!

(Un)Wanted by TheAsexualofSpades is another classic! You can also find it on AO3 if the link doesn't work. It's a platonic story about a very traumatized human who is chased into a faerie garden. The fae there see how hurt he is and take him in, helping him heal physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's very sweet with lots of hurt/comfort. And if you contact the writer on tumblr you can pay to get it made in book form (which I have, it's worth it!)

Wasteland, Baby! by things-we-used-tc-share is an amazing fic I found more recently that is not getting the attention it deserves, likely due to a glitch that makes it so that you can't access the series page, but you can go through the fics one after the other. The link is to the first fic in the series which is called In The Woods Somewhere (in case it doesn't work and you have to search for it manually on AO3). It's about a human who falls in love with a fae prince, a witch, and a siren. Except, is he really human? You'll have to read to find out! The series itself is thirty-four parts with a few extras tacked on after and is well worth the read!

This last recommendation isn't a fic, it's the first drafts of two books and it's on the writer's Patreon. It's dirt cheap, though: only four dollars a month to get access to both completed first drafts of the books and the one currently being worked on! (I swear this isn't an advertisement, I just really love these books)

Try All By Fire 1 & 2 by Linked Soul are absolutely incredible. Just. Holy shit. I've read them so many times. The weird girl of the human village grows up visiting the asshole fae criminal forced to protect her village to pay for his crimes. As time goes on they slowly grow on each other. Unfortunately, their friendship leads to various people accusing her of being a witch. She has to face her fears and grow as a person to defend herself from these accusations. This summary doesn't do the story justice, but there's only so much I can say without giving spoilers! I promise it's amazing with incredible world-building and characters!

[queenimmadolla]

How do you feel/what do you do about poc that are in the sunken place? I’ve seen poc admit they can’t imagine a poc as reader and only imagine white people, then defend white washing in all fandom mediums(fics, art, headers etc). It annoys the fuck out of me, esp since white creators use those poc to hide behind. Like ok if you’re cool with the white supremacy in your head good for you, but it doesn’t work for me and I want to imagine reader as pic and flr people to work towards and create a more welcoming environment for everyone.

The sunken place, that made me laugh out loud!!! But you’re right, they never fail to show up when a white person is doing their best to make sure a reader is white. But let’s talk about it, cause I been DYING to give my piece.

I can always hear them coming, the loud ass tuba that makes up their Uncle Ruckus theme song starts playing right before they post their “I can excuse racism” ass reply so they can shove their head up white writers’ asses.

The most common statement I see is something like “tbh I just ignore those words, they barely even register to me now, and sometimes I don’t even wanna imagine myself so it doesn’t bother me” like congrats on admitting that the white coding has been SO common of a practice that you’ve adapted to purposely imaging a white person in your place because the white writers you worship made it difficult for you to ever imagine yourself or at least an oc with the same shade of skin as you in a READER insert.

and if they don’t wanna imagine themselves in the reader tag but feel inclined to speak up about people who do being upset? GET THE FUCK OUTTA THE READER TAG! This doesn’t involve you then, bitch. Go read some OC fanfiction, and take your house slave mindset with you. They’re not better than us by agreeing with details that do encourage and up hold white supremacy (we’re not calling you members of the kkk, we’re saying if you want to imply Reader is white, you’re implying we should because my black ass does not have straight blonde hair, blue eyes and cream colored skin)

‘Oh, but vivi it’s not that deep, I just like to write certain─’ with disrespect, shut the fuck up. if you’re white, you do not encounter these racist people on here the way we do because they’re most likely your friends and followers while they’re OUR antagonists.

You do not get to decide whether you only wanting white people to be able to see themselves in Reader (an insert meant to let literally ANYONE see themselves in the place of) is racist or not—just like business owners who refuse to allow POC to shop/dine/sit in their establishments don’t get to say they’re not racist.

ANYWAYS, if they’re a POC and they excuse this shit, here’s a perfect character for them to insert themselves in the place of:

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

I am sorry, is it true that people keep tabs on blogs that sometimes called Dan she? When Dan already talked about pronouns? I hope it's just speculation, if it's not I am so sorry...

Controversial take, being nice to people around you requires getting rid of black and white thinking. And transphobia is creeping everywhere, even if people don't notice it. Controversial (?) phan take: I love that the phandom got a tad smaller over the years, I feel like the space HERE on Tumblr got way nicer and you peeps are so well spoken and talented and smart. And way kinder and supportive to phanfic writers too!

Ah shit sorry, I totally forgot this was in my inbox hi!

Okay so I have seen stuff like this happen in other fandoms too, like with mcr fans who hated anyone calling Gerard Way anything but cis (despite him having said he relates more to "women and trans people" than to masculinity etc) and they would purposefully go look at blogs that talked about G this way to pick a fight and act like they have the moral high ground. I will not be surprised if similar things happen here but lesser people in the fandom on tumblr does help it somewhat, the situation isn't that bad yet and that's why we should make sure we don't let it get worse by ceding ground to such arguments. We don't want all the dormant stalkers just turning their stalking habits towards the other fans now, which is happening on twitter with so many fandoms and even here on tumblr

Also I agree with the Tumblr fandom thing! I really think we got a chance to build it up from the ground again with fewer active members at the time of dnpgames return, and that has helped us be able to curate a good and supportive space! I love this little corner of the internet and I hope we are all able to keep it this way 🌸

Thanks anon! Definitely any place or person that's filled with hate towards fic writers over fictional shit is a red flag, it never stops with one delete fic or one deleted YouTube video, that's an angry horde waiting to sanitise everything you do

[not-so-mundane-after-all]

Fandom: DC Titans

Title: Acrida

Chapter: 7/7

Pairings/Relationships: Dick Grayson & Rachel Roth, Dick Grayson & Donna Troy, Graysonfam, Dickkory

Fic summary:

The Acrida Protocol, a plan created by the Justice League, required its members to provide immediate aid to those superheroes who would call upon it, especially in the case of time travel. After a mission gone wrong, Dick and Donna find themselves stranded in 2005. They've been trained for this scenario, they know what to do, they just need to find someone who will fix their time-travel devices and help them get home. But not before they help a young nurse and a special baby escape a demonic cult chasing them and get to the sanctuary of a convent in Ohio.

Chapter summary:

Coming home.

Well, this is it. The last chapter. I have to say, i feel a special connection to this story, for many reasons. The idea of Dick meeting Rachel when she was a baby thanks to time travel had been in my head since I've watched season 1 in 2019 and for all this time i kept it in the back drawer of my brain, hoping that someday I will find a way to make it bigger - and I did. But it also happened at a time when being a part of this fandom had become a struggle I thought I wouldn't be able to overcome. Strangely enough, writing this story low-key became the way for me to unload, process and heal. There were moments when I thought finishing it is pointless, I should just delete the whole thing. Now, at the end, I look at what I made here and I'm really glad I didn't. In the beginning note for chapter 1 I said I wrote this fic for me and that still stands true, but I'm happy to see that in the end it wasn't just for me after all.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to each and every one of you who came this far with me. Thank you for reading, for all the kudos, for commenting. Your support and kind words mean more to me than you could ever know, it's what got me through writing this story, what made me decide against wiping it all out.

I know I previously said it's going to be lights out after this, but... Maybe not. Definitely a slow down of the pace. I want to branch out, write about other things but I do have a little something for Titans planned. That's a story for another time, though. Now I'm sitting down to rewatch The Last of Us so I can focus on these ideas. But I'll be back - time will tell when.

See you then and for the last time, enjoy!

@ambeauty @wonderbatwayne @escapism-through-imagination @meetmeunderthestarrynight @undertheknightwing @legendsofentity @graysonfamfan2021 @fallenstar07 @therunaway-writer

[skzstarnet]

LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

Goodday!

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter! I am staytinyville here on tumblr. I have been on here for quite sometime now and am super excited to do this kind of thing and be apart of a group.

I have a few words that I wanted to tell you all because I know things might be a little weird within the network. But not to worry! I am here to explain my reasonings!

As you can all tell, this network is meant for both minors and adults. Whether we get members from both or from none, it doesn’t matter. What I wish to do is make a safe space where people can talk with each other without fearing one another. I want to create a space where adults and minors can talk about their shared passion for writing to where we can learn from one another.

A bit of a backstory from me: I started writing fanfiction when I was in middle school. I too was a minor who was writing fanfiction on tumblr. If you scroll down far enough you might even find those cringe worthy posts when I first started my writing journey! With that in mind, I know that when I was going through some major things that made me feel like I wasn’t meant to be here, I turned to fanfiction/writing. To this day as an adult, I still channel all my emotions into writing because it’s what I want to do in life and reach further. It has helped so much and it’s one of the reasons I’m still going strong. I know certain points in minor’s lives things are tough and hard but reading comments and seeing likes on something you created brings so much joy that you want to keep going.

I thought about making this network 18+ to get more exposure/members however I felt it wasn’t fair to minors who might just be looking for validation like I had when I was younger. I know what it’s like for a lot of people just as I’m sure other adults feel the same way!

HOWEVER!! There are limits to what minors should and shouldn’t do—especially online. I studied criminal justice and let me tell you—it is not a pretty thing. I’m sure you can tell that from how the media portrays it. The tag MDNI and NSFW are put in place as warning that if you interact with a post or are in public—these kinds of things can have major consequences. You don’t have to be a minor to get in trouble when it comes to 18+ works. These warnings serve to explain to you that what you are about to get into is something meant to be read on your own time/without others acknowledgment.

We know a lot of authors want more likes/comments/reblogs but that can’t always be the case. I ask that minors and adults be mindful of the NSFW tags and fics. You can go around and not many other networks might make a big fuss about these kinds of things but I will. I am an advocate for the youth. I want social media to be a better place where people aren’t upset about who they are and what they do. But social media is one of the biggest threats to youths as is because let’s face it, we can’t satisfy everyone. But here in this network I want to be able to satisfy the select few who enter.

If you made it this far in my essay, Thank you. This means a lot more to me than I’d care to admit. I want to be someone who inspires all kinds of people with what I advocate for. I want to be able to bring people out of their mental blockage that staggers them in life. I’ve been through my own hardships and I want to help others get through it. I hope with this network I am able to meet a lot of people and get to know them better. Hopefully one day I can extend this network to more K-Pop writers or just fanfiction writers on tumblr in general. I know I’m in a lot of fandoms. But for now I’m glad to start with Stay and create friends who enjoy the same things I do!

Thank you, Staytinyville

[bluedalahorse]

One time, almost a decade ago, one of my friends got married. During the reception the rest of my friends and I were all hanging out at our designated table and having a good time, and my friend’s new husband came by our table and told us he needed to have a serious talk with us.

What he said was: that he and my friend who married him were happy together, and yes they were married now, but they still needed the other relationships in their lives. That their friends still mattered to them. And he wanted us to promise we would still come and see my friend and invite her to things and generally hang out with her as before, because he knew she needed all of us.

It was a very genuine moment, not performative. And it was so helpful to me as an aromantic, because our general cultural atmosphere pushes so much the idea that a monogamous romantic partnership that lasts forever is the highest and most important kind of love. I spent a lot of my 20s worried that I wold gradually become less important to people and lose all of my close friends as they paired off. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened. But I know a lot of people who’ve had that fear, or who still struggle with it.

Anyway, not to drag this back to fiction and fandoms on main, but this is why I want to push back against amatonormativity in things like ‘shipping and romance stories. That doesn’t always mean pushing back against ‘shipping and romance stories period; I’m an aroace fan who likes my ‘ships and romances and even kissing and sex scenes in fiction. (The idea of feeling the butterflies IRL is absolute horror to me, but it’s kind of fun when you get to inhabit a fictional character’s head for a while and see how they experience it.)

What it does mean, for me, to push back against amatonormativity in these spaces, is that I wanna see romantic stories where even if the romance is foregrounded, you know that the character’s platonic relationships are important—sometimes just as important—to them. Where it’s seen as a positive sign when the potential partner clicks with the best friend and they respect one another. When someone goes out of their way to connect with a potential partner’s close sibling or other significant family member. I also think it’s really important that these platonic connection characters feel like real, three-dimensional people, and react to the main romantic relationship in a range of ways—and not just in a way that involves bland cheerleading for the One True Pairing. When someone close to you enters a serious relationship, there is always an adjustment period as you figure out how to work this new person into your life. And this integration process isn’t always linear, either. Sometimes serious conflicts can arise. It takes time and communication!

To wrap up, this is why I find most fic and fiction scenarios where it’s only the main couple, only having eyes on one another, being very singly focused on one another, and very few secondary characters feel fully realized in the story, and everyone who is Good among the supporting characters automatically cheers the OTP on and if they don’t that’s a sign of Evil… well, it all feels a bit bleak to me. Like yes I want to read the snuggle scenes and the grand declarations of love but I also want the moment where the partner meets the friend group for the first time and accidentally expresses a controversial opinion about whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza. I want the more serious moment where the potential partner cares for the protagonist’s close sibling and the protagonist goes yep I can trust that person they’re for me. I also want people to have to work through the difficult stuff, too. There’s story potential in that.

Tl;dr even if platonic relationships are not foregrounded in a piece of fiction, they should still matter. I’m glad I’ve been able to find more writers recently who do a good job with that. And I will always take more recommendations (especially fanfic-wise) for authors who do that well!

[uncleasad]

On taking breaks and moving on

An online friend of mine from a community I used to frequent several years ago just published his first chapbook of poetry, and his announcement reminded me of how many years it’s been since I’ve been active in that community.

In fact, it’s been pretty common in my life (online, at least) to move on from communities over time. In “past lives,” I’ve been a notable contributor to a handful of open-source software projects, an active member on a variety of discussion fora, a frequent commenter on a handful of old-school blogs, a part of the aforementioned community in question, and, of course, our beloved Hosie fandom (far more active on AO3 than on here, for sure). I think the longest I’ve been an active part of something has been 7 years, and in most of the longer-timeframe instances, I’ve also taken breaks and later returned.

Legacies debuted in 2018, and I’ve been a Hosie since nearly the beginning (the poking in the park)—but still before I knew it was a ship!—and reading fanfic on AO3 since at least late 2019 (though I didn’t start writing my first Hosie fic until late February of 2020). So we’re stumbling towards middle age, I suppose. And a series that produced only 68 episodes and, in this new visual entertainment media reality, will be locked away in a corporate vault, never to be seen again (more on that some other time), well, the reality is, the fanbase has already peaked.

The worst, of course, of my online community experiences are the cases where it felt like I was the only one left putting in the effort to hold up the project or community, and not wanting to quit because I know it will be the end if I do—the wall will come tumbling down—but also not wanting—or being able—to keep at it alone.

Already I feel like we’re approaching that point in the Hosie fandom on AO3. It used to be that it didn’t matter who you were, your fic would garner a handful of comments; you didn’t have to be one of those “top tier” authors whose chapters drew dozens of comments. Today, though, those same “top tier” writers and their successors are lucky to get a handful of comments on their chapters, and I often find myself the only reader commenting on new chapters from many existing authors as well as new work from new authors—yes, amazingly, there are still some! (There are others who are pretty active in the comments, particularly Shadowmama55, who wrote their first fic this year—you should go read it if you haven’t, and leave comments as you do—a cracking debut fic!) 

All of which is a longwinded way of saying that I hope this writing slump of the past 9 months or so is just me taking a break. I know from experience my active time remaining is limited, but I don’t plan on walking away yet—at least not before TheDarkestHour13 finishes Such is Our Fate (and I think the projected chapter count is 200-something, so that’s another couple years yet if the current chapter/week pace persists, so rejoice in its slow burn) 😏

See you around, everyone 👍

December 4, 2023

[blackberrywars]

For the fic writers game. 🍑 And 🫐 of course 🤣

AHHH thank you so much for playing dear! I'm sorry it took so long but @halehathnofury, here it is! My most beloved Opinions

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

Well, I think you and I both know that it's Lambert. And this question makes it difficult because I really can't think of another character quite like him, especially a male one —someone so deeply hurt but still expressive, who wants better but has given up hope on it, simply resigned to clinging to what he knows. He's loud and angry, but he makes it very obvious that it is from a place of grief. He finds loves, but is always waiting to lose them. It's an archetype I've usually only seen in older characters (which......... Vesemir parallels, anyone?).

That being said. "Pretentious" literary reference.

Frankenstein's monster. Born on a able, brought forth by a magician who was so desperate to see if he could, he never stopped to wonder if he should. He's made of a dozen different parts, but none of them matter anymore, except for the fact that they matter the most —they make him human, make him long for all the things humans long for. A family, a lover, kindness. Good meals and warmth. But his rebirth, no matter the parts (the history) that make him human, has made him a monster in everyone's eyes. Lambert may not have murdered his makers, but then again, they were dead pretty soon. If he hadn't had the better influences of his mother and the Wolves... who knows what he'd do.

Additionally, because it's a favorite of mine:

Mad Max from Fury Road. Is part of this inspired by the similarity between Tom Hardy's and Lambert's luscious, smoochy lips? Yes, of course. But also, it once again brings up the theme of having his humanity eviscerated by his environment and the people around him, and, even when he does find some solace, still resigning himself to his reality. Spoilers for the movie, I guess, but Max is pretty goddamn feral for most of the movie, and everyone around him dehumanizes him, to the point of him being turned into a human blood bag. He snaps at everything, because everything has been a threat. Furiosa and the Wives eventually ally with him, and show kindness. He returns it, but at the end, he still moves on. Rebuilding Citadel life isn't for Max, the way Geralt's Corvo Bianco life isn't for Lambert. It will take something else.

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

In a general sense? The School of the Bear. I swear, it's not even me just being horny on main for large, hairy men, but the logistics of Arnaghad's philosophy really have so much potential. I've written a little about this before, but mostly in references. Essentially, yes, Arnaghad is poisoned by hyper-independence, but considering what reliance on kings/mages got the other schools, he kind of has a point. And if he didn't realize that, or care about witchers' lives, he wouldn't have founded a school about it. He would have just fucked off. He truly believes his method is the best way to keep witchers alive, even if he probably killed the most trainees on the way.

It's a really fucked-up, cruel kind of care that Arnaghad has.

By contrast, I feel like a lot of the fics about the Bears either take the minimal lore we have at face value or soften it to a considerable degree, and I enjoy both approaches. They make sense, especially when writing angst or fluff/smut, respectively. The latter is especially combined with a kind of post-sacking era, which makes sense; it's a bit like most Kaer Morhen fics, where the focus is on the members after the school itself has fallen, rather than when it was actually running. And believe you me, I adore those fics, especially the ones by @round--robin with the wonderful OCs. They are delightful. But something I would also love to see is some writing on Haern Caduch while it was still in operation. My heart hurts just thinking about it.

[marypsue]

For argyle, I can’t say much but I will say my dad is Chicano and grew up in LA area and he appreciated the Cheech and Chong references ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ IMO, I feel like his character was exciting in that it was a chance to give the Byers some interesting development, especially Jonathan, but in reality he was more an excuse for weed jokes. I also feel like sometimes the fandom in more excited to show that they can like a brown man actually, than actually giving his character depth (necessary caveat this may just be the corners in lurking on). He mainly exist for car and pizza plot points, and also deus ex machina moments where the writers clearly decided if a high person has an epiphany that coincidentally solves everything, it doesn’t count because they’re high and it’s humorous.

Apologies if you could hear me rolling my eyes over that last point from all the way over here. Everything I hear makes me more and more convinced that I made the right call dipping halfway through this last season. This show is very much no longer being made with me in the intended target audience.

(To be fair, this tendency toward stock comedic characters with cardboard personalities started with Murray back in season two, and just got fucking egregious when they decided he should be a main cast member and an important load-bearing plot element. I cannot stand the man. And yeah, season one had its share of dopey deus ex (Jonathan, why are you taking pictures in the woods in the middle of the night?), but usually it was to get the characters into Situations, not out of them.)

Like I do think it's important to be able to draw that distinction between 'this is what the author/showrunners/writers/story actually did, in our real world, where this is a fictional story that someone had to make all the choices about' and 'this is how I could explain this within the context of the story, as though it were a Thing That Happened and the people it happened to were real, and no deliberate, conscious choices shaped those facts'.

Maybe it really is just that I'm not the target audience here. Or maybe I just don't appreciate weed jokes. But it seems pretty clear to me that nobody on the writing team put in the time or the thought to give that actor much more to work with other than 'weed joke'. (Most likely because they didn't have the time to put in the thought. Or, possibly, that there was no one left on the writing team with the perspective to do so. Minirooms are bad, 'auteur theory' is bad, support the WGA.)

But I know fandom can Do Things with characters whose writers Didn't. I've done it myself! In this case, though, I can't get past how much he annoys me. Which is rough, because I agree with your point - having him there opens up a lot of really interesting possibilities for development for the Byers! It could have been really good! I just can't get there on my own. And I'm hoping somebody has the hookup for the good stuff, so that I don't have to try to sort through a lot of fics and headcanons about a character I am already irritated by for Meta Reasons, without a trusty guide.

[papytonpropaganda]

A bit late for for the writing ask thing! 💖👻😈🤔💭🍰

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

I guess I'd have to say how effortless it feels when I'm really in the zone. I don't wanna say it's easy, because most of the time it's not, but when I'm actually able to sit down and focus, I can crank out a whole Walls chapter in a couple hours (yes I have done this before). I think it's due to how much I love the characters and the story I've created for them, and being excited to share that story with people, especially those who resonate with the characters.

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

I have this really old wip from like. even before Walls was conceived I think. it was basically going to be Undertale but from Chara's perspective. I haven't completely rejected the idea of going back to it, but I'm just not sure if I have any ideas unique enough to really set it apart from other similar fics, or interesting enough that people are willing to basically sit down and re-experience Undertale in written form.

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

again I can't really think of anything, but I'm curious to see what others have to say (again pls be nice if u have anything to say)

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

I feel like I could go with multiple different answers here, but the one I'll pick for now is basically trying to follow my artistic vision while also not pissing anyone else off. what I mean by that is like... I'm constantly trying to get other people's approval for my creative decisions, and I feel like that hinders the stories I write and my personal growth as a writer. while I'm not one of those people who constantly complains about "puritanism" in fandom, I do think there's a bit of a thing where people hear that a work includes a difficult topic, and they immediately distrust the creator without verifying for themselves whether that topic is handled appropriately. I have personally experienced people automatically assuming I'm doing something "fetishy" when I mention the topics that Walls deals with, for example. and I just feel like this is such a sad and unproductive way to interact with anyone's creation. it doesn't foster a sense of community or respect, or encourage anyone to personally engage with a work and figure out for themselves whether it did what it was intended to. now of course I'm not saying you should never be skeptical, I just think it's important that you verify for yourself what a work does with a topic rather than just relying on hearsay.

sorry for the soapbox rant lol. I'm basically just trying to say that it's difficult for me to stick to my honest vision when I'm also trying not to cross any lines. and that doesn't even have to apply to like, dark topics, it can also apply to just characterization in general (I frequently feel like my visions of Papyrus and Mettaton aren't humorous enough, for example, and that I'm turning people away by having all the angst in Walls.)

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

Chara is an entity in Walls, but only Frisk and Flowey are aware of their presence (and Flowey only knows because Frisk told him). Chara has various opinions on all of the family members at the beginning of Walls, and throughout the story, their opinion on Mettaton changes the most--they go from thinking he's boring and annoying to "if anyone hurts Mettaton I will kill everyone in this room and then myself" once they figure out how abusive Devon is.

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

I don't read fic much these days but there is one I constantly go back to and I would say it's definitely my favorite fic I've ever read. and surprisingly it is not Undertale. it is. uh. Harry Potter 🙈 but it's literally SO good, way better than anything JKR ever wrote and it's basically the only HP thing I engage with anymore. it has Harry actually responding realistically to having been abused by his aunt and uncle, and Snape is an actual well-rounded, likable and sympathetic character. I literally can't read the original books anymore because they just don't compare to how fantastically written the fanfic author made the main characters. the premise was a bit weird and I remember being cautious when I first read the fic, but the author REALLY made it work and well. obviously it became something very precious to me lol. but yeah.