#I'm also considering collaborating with a friend who can write to make some sort of short fantasy graphic novel

[a2zillustration]

Your Croissant Comics every day give me life, I love them sooo much and i dread the day they'll stop! <3

Thank you!! Me too :')

[zahri-melitor]

This might be a strange question but is there a divide between editing and writing when it comes to comics? I was having a conversation with a friend about female comic writers and I realized that (at least in the 80s and 90s) I can think of a lot more women who were editors than writers. That seems strange to me since I can think of a lot of fluidity between creative and editorial department when it comes to male writers, but I am probably missing some context, and I was wondering if you knew anything about the behind-the-scenes.

Oh, this is an interesting question. I don't have any insider knowledge on this, unfortunately, but you're correct: there is definitely something there.

I suspect, especially around DC, some of it is going to be the influence of people like Jenette Kahn and Karen Berger offering opportunities for employment, and some of it is good old misogyny at work.

Editor is an out-of-the-spotlight role on a book. Sure there are some who are particularly well known, particularly at Executive Editor level, but a lot of the general editorial work, especially at Assistant Editor level, is scutwork doing things that are incredibly necessary but not really appreciated by readers.

There is also the dynamic that editor and editing falls into the pre-computer category of typist work, and thus for women. It was generally expected pre-word processing software that a good typist would just...fix spelling and grammar, and in some circumstances were doing full edits, rewording things to make them more clear, providing plotting ideas and so on. There's a long history of unacknowledged women in academia who 'typed' their husband/father/brother's work but in modern terms would be considered a full collaborator in the process.

It does not shock me, as I started sorting through lists of female editors and executive editors, that a bunch of them are or were married to male comics writers. These three popped out at me, but they're not the only ones:

Barbara Randall Kesel

Anne Busiek (worked on various Astro City)

Alisa Bendis (edited her husband's work under the Jinxworld imprint)

Karen Berger, from some articles I've read, actively incubated and fought for women to get opportunities to edit and write comics. Vertigo ended up being her very own territory and you see a bunch of women working for it. (Also her own pregnancy and maternity leave probably contributed to changing the direction of comics in the early 1990s, but this is not the time to relitigate Armageddon 2001 and War of the Gods)

But yeah, I think the transition between editor and writer was less common for women in the 1990s, because of the dynamic where women were often only offered writing opportunities on female-led books. Mindy Newell worked on Wonder Woman and Catwoman stories. Barbara Randall Kesel started out on Batgirl, then got Hawk and Dove (with Dawn Granger!) collaborating with her then-to-be husband, and has noted that she pushed Karl to include more depth in Lois Lane.

I think it's partly that it's harder to make that leap into the spotlight if you are mostly only offered writing opportunities with someone else plotting, on female-led titles. There's just fewer chances available!

And we see this all the way to the present day: it's still notable for a woman to get to write a run on a male-led book, to the point that we still have titles where no woman has ever written one. Batman famously has never had a woman write a run on it (Devin Grayson has a single issue and one annual), and Detective Comics didn't have one until Mariko Tamaki in 2022 (Devin again has 2 earlier issues, because of the way NML stories were divvied up). I don't think a woman has ever had a run on The Flash or Green Lantern. I believe Green Arrow has had only one, with Julie and Shawna Benson in 2018, and equally I'm pretty sure Kelly Sue DeConnick was the first to get a run on Aquaman in 2018. I don't think a woman has written a Justice League title outside of fills (unless we are counting Devin Grayson writing JLA/Titans).

So yes, basically. Editor is seen as a lesser job (unless you get to the top of the greasy pole and get to be a group editor or executive editor, where you're setting direction for titles, and even then it's underappreciated and the writer gets the the majority of praise/condemnation for the title).

[punishercross]

NICHOLAS D. WOLFWOOD (TRIGUN STAMPEDE) PERMANENT PLOTTER/AD

SO I've never actually written one of these before, but considering that I pretty much constantly have muse for this guy and always want new threads and am just insane about Trigun in general, let's actually make a permanent plotter.

In general, I take these as a "I can reach out to you, you can reach out to me" kinda thing, and assume that one of the categories below is something that piques your interest! Although I will say my DMs are always open, and I'm definitely approachable in the isola discord server.

General content warnings for this character include: child abuse, child experimentation, death, violence, smoking, alcohol, religious trauma, cults.

I read rules before I write starters, but I think that it's important to consider personal comfort with characters when discussing collaborative writing!

SHORT CHARACTER SUMMARY

Wolfwood can be a difficult person to get close to. While he's definitely one for joking and pulling the occasional con for shits and giggles, he's actually a deeply traumatized man who was trained as an assassin by an insane cult in exchange for the safety of other orphans. He's led an extremely violent life and doesn't shy away from it despite his own deep-seated desire for normalcy. While he's trying to play nice in Spirale, he absolutely will kill if it means preserving his own life. Wolfwood is a sheep in wolf's clothing.

GENERAL PLOTTING GUIDELINES

As a rule, I have zero issues with people recognizing Wolfwood from his work with Lionheart, because of the other Wolfwood, or because he's a guy with a big fucking cross and that's pretty memorable. I also don't mind you choosing whether or not he has the Punisher if starting the thread, because he's definitely a conversation piece! Unless in combat, the Punisher is wrapped up in cloth and belts, so unless you've seen him use it as a gun it just seems like a weird cross. Although to note that he's now been in a public exhibition match with the other Wolfwood(s) where these clowns were drinking their glowing Kool-Aid AND firing rockets and lasers at each other, so. There's that. Other notable points include that he usually wears sunglasses all the time, even indoors, and that his "uniform" has crosses embroidered into it. He, technically, is an ordained priest, but he'll refer to himself as an "undertaker". He also may con you out of money, because he's a holy man.

RELATIONSHIP GUIDELINES

Platonic

As stated before, Wolfwood can be an extremely difficult person to gain a deeper relationship with. He can be temperamental and is extremely closed off, his world views often differ from people around him given his general propensity for pessimism despite wanting for optimism. While he's trying to be on his best behavior in Spirale due to the influence of his partner, he's still definitely working a job that puts him in dangerous situations. When it comes down to it, he'll pull that trigger, regardless of how he may feel about it at the time. Despite how he can be in general, Wolfwood is particularly good with kids and teens, switching into "big brother" mode as needed. This is especially true in Spirale, as he views any kid being brought to Spirale as being displaced given the very nature of the island. Generally, friends, coworkers, and collaborators are welcome in this category! He's also not averse to found family, as he's an orphan himself.

Antagonistic

I would love for some antagonistic relationships, as I'm a particular fan of inflicting all sorts of trauma on my muses and I love fight threads. I mean, ahem, Wolfwood is actually kind of an easy person to have an antagonistic relationship with. Between his upbringing, his job here in Spirale, and his affinity for pushing people's buttons, it's not that hard for the undertaker to get on someone's bad side. Alternatively, as he's generally accepting of most walks of life, it can take more to provoke him than it typically takes for him to provoke others. Being on the other end of the Punisher isn't entirely a reason for him to hate someone, and a job's a job. He will, of course, defend himself, but as he has generally low self-esteem, he tends not to take much too personally, especially from strangers. After all, it's hard for people to mistreat him more than he already has been, and he has low expectations of most people he meets. Of course, he can be provoked if it involves people he deeply cares about, or if a kid is being treated poorly. He'll definitely sucker punch someone on a kid's behalf.

PLOT IDEAS (Updated 5/26/24)

Working Dangerous Jobs - I love putting Wolfwood into SituationsTM that test his character development. The more dangerous the better. I enjoy making NPCs to involve in this, too, so we can have a pretty extensive mission for our muses to go on.

Fight! Fight! Fight! - I'd really like him to get into more fight threads. How far those go, well, we can play that by ear depending on the why of it all!

Stranded in the Mistwood - He frequently travels between The Land of Burnt Umber and the center of the island for work, which means driving through the Mistwood. Having a bike break down in the Mistwood is more than a possibility, and I think it could leave room for shenanigans, danger, or both!

[johns-prince]

hi there! first of all, thank you for your blog!! it's really nice and idk, all those things you share with followers allow to have a better look at john and paul and their minds, which is precious! well, recently i've been searching for some discourse but failed to- so, it would be lovely to hear your opinion: a) does while my guitar gently weeps can be counted as an official™ mclennon song? ie to what extent it's a just frustrated song and to what - if any - it's about john and paul b) do you think george ever knew/suspected abt some shit between them? thank you in advance! and have a nice day/night 🤍

Hey! You're too sweet!

I dunno if my nonsensical ramblings about the Two Fools is very perceptive of their minds... But I'm glad some of it gets y'all thinkin'.

To try and answer your questions... I have heard and seen the theory that the Beatles/George's song ''While my Guitar Gently Weeps'' is somehow or somewhat relating to the relationship John and Paul shared. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those fans/mclennoners who truly believes that the song was written with John and Paul in mind.

This song was, apparently, written during the spring of 1968, which we know is when the boys all went out to India to "find themselves" or what have you. We all have an idea what went down in India, or what didn't, at least between John and Paul while they'd holed up and shared a room together there for a good portion of the time.

We know how the trip ended, and how the rest of 1969 turned out as it led into 1969, the beginning of the end.

I'm not too knowledgeable about the reasoning behind the song that George has given, other than I know it was definitely influenced by their time over in India, and George's ever developing spiritualism.

At the time, George's ever growing frustration that John and Paul weren't taking his songwriting abilities seriously were also coming to a head.

In fact, why there may be the theory that ''While my Guitar Gently Weeps'' is considered a lowkey quote-unquote McLennonTM song is because of the fact that George was expressing open frustration towards The Beatles, but specifically John and Paul, and the relationship he expressly believed he had been barred from--that is, their collaborative relationship and partnership. George always felt left out by John and Paul, even though there's examples of the two trying to make attempts in recognizing George's talent and abilities throughout the years. That, and if you do listen to the lyrics with McLennon on the mind, the song does sound like it could be about John and Paul's relationship (and the Beatles relationship as a band as a whole) from George's perspective.

I don't think I'm making sense but to answer your second question might just bring it all together my thought process here, so stick with me!

I believe that George had an inkling, a suspicion, of the kind of relationship John and Paul had, but did not have a complete understanding of it, or simply did not want to have a complete and unfettered understanding of the depths that John and Paul's relationship transcended. I do think George was envious of the collabortive relationship between John and Paul, and always felt like the odd one out, or the one left to "play marbles" with Ringo, while it was often just John and Paul, running off and writing music together.

Sure, George was Paul's first friend and best friend as kids, playing guitars first together, growing up like brothers, but it was John that took Paul's confidante and partner. Sure, George at some point, sort of idolized John in that "he's older and cooler" type of way, y'know George and John buddies and pals, and often times clearly wanted John's approval and to be treated as an equal collaborator to John as Paul is, but he wasn't, and he couldn't be, simply because George wasn't Paul. Even when John was on his whole "I hate the Beatles I hate Paul" tirade after the divorce, and George was totally on John's side of it... No matter, George could not get the same treatment or placement beside John as the likes that Paul had held, and still held, all that time.

“George did have a slight inferiority complex, although nothing serious. Cyn remembers him always hanging around when she wanted John on his own. So does Astrid, when she was trying to be alone with Stu.”

— On George Harrison’s youth, The Beatles: The Only Ever Authorised Biography by Hunter Davies [x]

I believe George was definitely aware of the dynamics in the band, and very aware of John and Paul's relationship and partnership. To what extent in the relationship part... I couldn't say. Though, I do think George knew something was up, especially as the years went on...

HADDAD: Then, your musical ambitions didn’t really begin to take form until the two of you joined with John Lennon? GEORGE: Paul and John were the spark that ignited The Beatles. Of course, we weren’t The Beatles then, and we didn’t have Ringo, but that was the start. The air was filled with excitement, and even though we went through silly names like The Quarrymen Skiffle Group, The Moondogs, The Moonshiners, and The Silver Beatles, before evolving into that group everyone grew to know and love, the crucible was in 1967 [sic; 1957] when John and Paul became a duo.”

— George Harrison, interview w/ M. George Haddad for Men Only. (November, 1978) [x]

“I think everybody was in love with everybody else permanently during the Sixties, you know. I would have been surprised if any of our friends had not all been in love with each other. You know, there’s sex and there’s love. And I think the Sixties period, there was a genuine love for mankind, generally. I’m very liberal, actually, very liberal person. “

— George Harrison, radio interview excerpt [x]

Simply put, I personally don't believe ''As my Guitar Gently Weeps'' is about John and Paul's relationship, at least not directly, and if it was influenced by them, I would say it would have been an amalgamation of frustration from George's point of view towards his relationship with the Beatles, and with John and Paul's odd and exclusive relationship and partnership.

I do think George suspected something going on with John and Paul, between John and Paul, but to the extent that he was privy too? I couldn't say. George was aware of them though, especially if he truly believed that John and Paul officially became a duo in 1967 (which is THE peak McLennon year, fyi) so he wasn't oblivious.

[needcake]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers!

Thank you for the tag @shachaai!!

Anyone who wants to do it, please feel free to steal!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

42! Some older stuff didn't make the jump from ff.net and lj to ao3

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

357,987, half of that is for universal river alone haha

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now mainly Hetalia, but I used to write a lot of Naruto some ten years ago. I also dabbled a little with Captain America, Star Trek, Inuyasha and some other random fandoms over the years

4. Top five fics by kudos?

In this universal river - 196

Such sound and fury - 157

Contagious - 115

I hope this finds you well - 107

Arthur's obligatory day off - 104

Considering that these are all one-shots and universal river is currently 28 chapters long, I'd place it much lower on this list lol

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! Might take me a while because I like to do it from my computer instead of my phone, but I try to reply as quickly as possible. I feel so guilty over some older comments that I never replied to that I try to be on top of it as much as possible.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Mmmmmmm I think it's a tie between the For now we see through a glass, darkly and I held sugar between my fingertips, under water

As much as I like a cathartic ending, I really do enjoy a pit of despair every once in a while (The earth devours is also going to have a sort of bleak ending lol)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably Such sound and fury and Old new beginnings, as in they don't end in a compromise or in a vague hopeful note. Characters went through the process and came out better for it on the other end. That's always a happy ending to me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I received some, usually from England fans who think I'm massacring their boy

9. Do you write smut?

Yesss, smut is a lot of fun!

10. Craziest crossover?

I'm not really big on crossovers :(

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

That I know of, once. It was a Naruto NaruHina fic that a friend of mine found cross-posted on orkut, some kid thought it was good and wanted her friends to see it. I asked her to take it down and direct people to the ff.net page but I stopped following up on that after a while. This was of course some 15 years ago XD

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A faery song was translated into Chinese! But I'm not super comfortable with translations, specially when people ask me if it's ok to post them in different platforms. I'd rather keep it all on Ao3 where I can see what it's being used for.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

@rein-ette and I did a collaboration on a Tokyo Olympics series and I also did a collaboration with @rosesandalfazemas where I wrote two pieces and she provided beautiful art <3

14. All time favourite ship?

Engport and McKirk <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Mmmmm I used to have two Naruto fics that I always hoped to finish but I have long accepted I'm never going back to them again lol and because of that I try to never go into bigger projects without having finished the full draft, so that exact same thing doesn't happen again. So yeah, might take me some time but I still hope to finish In this universal river and The earth devours haha

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told it's description, which I find funny because I always think I'm doing a terrible job at it lol but to me it's managing the tension. It's something I adore doing and I try to be better at it with every new fic.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions lol I feel like if I were writing any kind of original fiction instead of fanfiction based on a pre-existing work no one would know what my characters looked like apart from eye and hair color lol

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Eeeeh I'm kinda iffy about it. When used right, in the right context and with actual meaning within the narrative I think it can be cool as hell, but having Naruto as my main background I cannot tell you the amount of random japanese thrown in for effect that made no sense and pissed me offfffffff, so yeah, I don't really love it. For many years Hetalia was also plagued by this and I have to admit I did it too. I was learning russian back in college and I thought it'd be cool to throw in some russian in a fic, only to receive a comment telling me I shouldn't use google translate and that the word I used was feminine and not masculine as it should be. Which is, you know, the kind of mistake you make when you're learning a new language and haven't fully grasped gender rules yet. I felt so ashamed after that that I never tried it again lol

I will say this though, sometimes I prefer when people don't use foreign words when it's just thrown in there. I speak English as a second language and I don't mix it up with Portuguese unless I'm tired and/or drunk. I'd rather writers give me a reason why these characters are suddenly reverting to their mother-language and use that to add to the plot instead of just randomly throwing stuff there to give it a foreign color.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Inuyasha!! Back in 2004! I wrote a behemoth of 38 chapters and posted it all in one thing thing on ff.net (I later cleaned it up and fixed it with 38 chapters lol)

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Forget-me-nots, 1212: fever dream (part of the 2021 whumptober) and And he became a pillar of salt (part of the 2023 hetaberia week) :)

[weregreatatcrime]

AYO CAN I GET UHHHH number 9, 22, 24, 29, 30 and can i get some fries with that?

Ask meme here!

9: How much time do you spend drawing on an average day?

Very hard to say just because when I'm hyperfocused on art I might spend two hours a day or so and fill up like ten pages a day, but then go like two weeks without touching my sketchbook lol. Currently not in a drawing mood so iiiiii haven't actually touched it in a sec. Last thing I drew were maps for dnd

22: Are you confident that you’re improving steadily?

Absolutely. To a degree. I'm positive that I've always been improving in my art, except for my health crisis in 2021(? Ish) when I spent two years without picking up the pencil. Both for mental health reasons and because I literally couldn't hold one lmfao.

Getting back into art after that was hard. Having to train myself to hold a pencil was rough and my skill definitely suffered. I don't think I've gotten back up to where I was in skill before that time. Sometimes it's really, really frustrating. But also I've found that I've gone a bit of a different style since then as well, which I think is really cool and interesting. Some things I'm picking back up faster than others. Fuck, sometimes I SHADE my art now. I never used to do that lmao

24: Do you feel jealous when you see other people’s art, or inspired? (Be honest!)

Nope! My personal journey with art has taught me a lot about the technical skills that go into art. My personal problems being unable to draw for so long taught me how to sit back and stop thinking about what I can't do, but to admire what others Can. I don't get jealous of other people's art- I'm just in awe of it. It's amazing what different people can create with different skill and ability sets and I think there's something real fucking magical about that. Sometimes I use other people's art as inspiration, seeing little techniques I wanna try out, but overall... idk. Leaving art for the reasons I did gave me a much bigger appreciation for everything about it and I just can't find it in myself to compare art because everything is unique and amazing

29: For traditional artists: How do you usually start on a big piece? (Light sketch, colored lead, sketchpaper, etc)

I use a really cool red toned oil pencil from Faber Castel for my under sketches! Then I follow it up with just normal pencil lines. If I'm feeling spicy, I'll lightly shade or add deeper values with the red. I'm a simple lad. My art is almost entirely sketches and anatomy work because that's what I love to do

30: What inspires you to not just make art, but to be a better artist?

*points up to 24* All of that. My personal experiences have given me a pretty solid love of all artwork and it all inspires me.

Most of all? Collaborative work of any sort. Fandoms are considered collaborative work. Drawing things for my own writing. Drawing things for a friend's writing. Drawing OCs interacting. Shipping friends' OCs, with each other or Canon ships! Making stupid funny shitposts that haunt the collective mindscape for years to come. (I don't think the Trollhunters Fandom will ever forgive me for Thiccmar) Writing something that inspires someone to draw. Drawing something that inspires someone to write. Art trades. Are collabs. Countless role-playing. My friends who commission me to draw or write them the craziest shit that I have an absolute ball with. Just stuff that makes other people see it and go "I can play with these toys too!"

Collaborative work fuels my fucking soul and I love love love getting to do things with other people, when I have the capability of doing so

[annellspethraven]

5/30/2020 Elenion Ancalima!

reposted from DeviantArt - crosspost

This entry explores how the road to hell is paved with trying new things. Oh, that's not the saying? Well it is now...or at least, it was. It is also the story of how one act of kindness can undo a whole lot of Shitty. But enough mystery, here is my tale.

Like many I am plagued by my own variation of social anxiety. I'm aware that I have talents and possess a measure of confidence, but the idea of navigating unfamiliar procedures or directions has always been a source of debilitating stress. Prior to smartphone navigation I often would eschew going anywhere at all unless I had a companion to mitigate the churning unease of finding my way. It makes no sense; some illogical meltdown happens if I make a mistake in following directions or become lost all out of proportion to reality that ends up in sobbing tears. There's no explaining mental illness. And when I mean illogical, I really mean illogical. I can box a compass easily. I was a capable aviation navigator that at one time could pick up any series of charts and create cross country flight plans; I co-owned a Cessna 182A with my first husband and while I never sought a license could competently fly the aircraft -- so I am talking about huge, sweeping emotional disconnects that are all the more devastating because I can give myself so many reasons why they should not exist...and yet.

This carried over into writing. Of course I can write stories, and lots of friends around me participate in these wonderful sounding Tolkien challenges that produced stories I loved to read. Slashy Santa. My Slashy Valentine. Fluffy Yuletide (okay making that one up). Back to Middle Earth Month. On and on and so many cute prompts. Such as, create a story around being hit by a fish; fun stuff and dammit this was the sort of thing on which I was missing out! But I digress. So finally a dear friend (hello Zhie) who possesses perfect talent as An Instigator (we all need to know a few of those as long as they aren't the sort that belong to organized crime. Or disorganized crime either) nudged me into trying TRSB (Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang -- check it out if interested though it doesn't actually matter; the relevant part to this essay is that it was one of those Seemingly Scary Writing Things with Directions and Rules and offered to ensure that I would not somehow screw up my participation in this event and end up in inpatient. I could do this.

The premise was quite simple. One could create an artwork based on something from Tolkien, one could sign up to be a writer committing to write a 5K word story about one of the artworks, or a few other variations. The writer would choose the artwork, it wouldn't be a random matching. There would be many choices and time to consider and even some other less binding participation options of none of that seemed suitable. Yes, I could do this.

When the time came to see the art, oh dear, there was really only one I wanted. I am very interested in tall ships and there it was, a beautiful work of Vingilot moving like a shooting star from the oceans of Arda into the starry heavens. That was the one I wanted, and that was the one I was able to have. Too exciting! At first all went well and I thought I had met a like minded friend. Then it turned out we had a difference of opinion on a social justice issue and apparently could not agree to disagree? I'm to this day not actually sure but suddenly everything became difficult between us concerning our collaboration. My story was...I felt not overly well received despite that I was told I had total artistic license to write what I wished to and the objections I was given were ones that I felt were insurmountable given the parameters of the setting. As I worked to meet the requirements set forth by the moderators, I was met with resistance and refusals. I...was not having fun and the amount of time I spent trying to navigate around the roadblocks was truly excessive.

Then, many months later, I went to check the story on AO3 and found out that the link to her art had been removed entirely. Basically, the artist's work on which the story was based was now dead; this person had taken their ball and gone home and the link to hennethgalad's tumblr account had a fine case of link rot. Yes, I'm naming the individual because I am not the first person who has been treated badly nor was I the last. I made every attempt to resolve the situation like an adult and it is my belief that when one agrees to participate in a group event of this nature it is like a team sport -- a commitment toward the other participants to create something for the enjoyment of all and let it stand for posterity, not use it for the airing of personal grievances. But my emails went unanswered so...I felt justified to close the book on that chapter.

When I made the discovery, I wrote an explanatory disclaimer for the story and it had been my intention to at some point create my own graphic...in all my spare time. In the last year I have spent hours trying to learn GIMP software and am trying very hard to gain skill as a digital illustrator so I can certainly equal the art that used to be there -- which is still online though I'm not sure how. Formerly, a Google image search: 'hennethgalad launch of vingilot' would bring up a copy of her art; a small bright white ship over a mostly navy blue field with an planetary ocean beneath and "Eärendil" scribed in Tengwar. Since posting this essay, it has since disappeared and who knows if even a fragment yet remains. That is what is now gone, buh-bye. In its place is the wonderful surprise I was given by Zhie, who seemed to be scheming and having fun with her 3D printer this last week and asking random questions about tall ships. She showed me that she was making a multi-media (as in, different materials) Vingilot to replace what had gone missing but I really did not think on it too much because we have all been in the midst of signups for TRSB 2020 and I was just hoping quite a lot I would not get paired up with That Special Someone a second time because...dear Valar, please no.

So imagine my surprise when I was shown this fabulous galactic-nebula stretching across a dark canvas, stars abounding, and Vingilot sailing through it all. This lovely, which is on Zhie's DA page:

My writing partner and I have a favorite saying, however inelegant...any idea of composing my own Vingilot art boarded the Nope Train to Fuckthatville. So 'out with the old in with the new.' This may not be the art that inspired the story now on AO3...but...ask me how much I care? This is the art that turned what was a disappointing, sour experience on account of a troubled individual lacking social skills into one which will cause me to hear the name of that fic and think on the kind gift of a friend who didn't have to stay up late (who knows how many nights in a row) working on this. Seriously. Anyone can give someone an Amazon card, and yes, that's very nice. But THIS is a gift and things like this feel very eleinion ancalima.

[sotwk]

I'm an OC creating and supporting kind of fanfic writer, and as a longtime recovering former RPer, I swam with a ton of OCs in various fandoms over the years. So I'd like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character (pun unintended)!

I love your unnamed OFC; Haldir was the main attraction to the first fic of yours that I read, but she was the one who kept me in. I know she's a bit of a vague vision in your head, since you haven't even named her, but I see her and she's very real to me and one of these days I'm just going to fancast her in my head so I can envision and love her all the more. I think it's partly because I'm a sucker for female healers who are gentle and motherly and badass in subtle ways, but also because her chemistry with Haldir is so pure and genuine. They're steamy together, as you have demonstrated so well, but they're also tender and sweet and clearly friends who respect each other as equals. I'm always on board to read about relationships like that!

Now that I've raved about her, I'm going to bullet the rest of my points of enjoyment so I sound a bit less like a rabid fangirl:

I feel like I'm learning so much about the Marchwardens and how the Lothlorien defenses work just through your Haldir fics. Many writers who do romances like this don't bother with such details, but I can tell you have an OCD similar to mine about this sort of thing, because you actually drop specific location names like "the main borders above Cerin Amroth closer to the Northeast". I know the effort it takes to work out little details like that so I want you to know I noticed it!

Orcs using spider poison. Gah, genius! I haven't had the chance to write any action fics about spiders yet, but I am almost jealous I didn't get to consider this detail first.

Love the discussions of Mirkwood's struggles against Sauron/Dol Goldur! It might be self-centered of me, but I feel like it links your story to my SotWK universe somehow, so it almost feels collaborative. Hee.

Her mother is from Greenwood! Yay! Represent!

The way you listed all the things she provided for Haldir next to the cot--again, I love and admire this ability to be specific and allow the reader to envision items from that place.

The lady really knows how to do her job! I love the scene of her soothing Haldir though his moment of weakness (and I like that he was portrayed with vulnerability for a change!), and she pushes back without losing her kind nature.

Minor, but significant: I'm always impressed when a writer is able to refrain from mentioning how hot/attractive Character A thinks Character B is. It's probably the single most common trap fanfic writers fall into (me included, usually), but there was zero of that in this first meeting.

Thank you so much for writing this in response to my request--really! It is a true gift, especially since I know this isn't your preferred genre/ship to write in the first place, and you're essentially making an exception for me. <3 I hope writing the succeeding chapters will be easier for you. (If you decide to keep going--honestly, no pressure!!! I am already happy with this installment, and will only happily accept more if you're inclined to continue.)

I'm gonna hop on Pinterest for some fancast ideas for OFC now. Did I mention yet how much I love her?

A Healer’s Touch, An Herbalist’s Kindness P1

Concept: See above

Request for: @sotwk​ This one is a bit more from Haldir’s perspective than OFC and honestly I found it a little more difficult to write, so I hope this is to your liking! I decided to split this up into sections just because a) it was getting long and b) really different vibes were going on between the initial meetings and the later visits/excuses to see each other. So here’s the initial meeting! This one’s a little angsty, but it’s mostly up from here, promise!

We’re probably looking at another 3-5 parts depending on flow. So strap in for the ride lol. Yes, there’s also definitely a writing shift because I was testing new styles, but decided it has its time and place. Hope you don’t mind!

Tags: way pre-relationship Haldir x OFC (healer/herbalist and future wife); emotional hurt/comfort; emotional whump! Haldir poor guy, he’s really going through it it’s been a rough season for the wardens out there!; angst

TWs: injury and light blood descriptions; anxiety and panic attacks; some situational self-loathing

____________________________________________________________________

“Círan, you cannot be serious!” Haldir exclaims as he struggles against the other elf’s hold preventing him from marching back into surgery.

“You would leave my brother in the hands of an apprentice with this?” His voice is tight in outrage.

“Chief Marchwarden!” Círan snaps. “She may be recent to us here in The Golden Wood, but not to her skills. Chief Marchwarden,” their voice then softens, “Haldir, please. Rúmil is in good hands with her. She recognized the symptoms as soon as the rider came and has been preparing the whole hours since. Please, let us work.”

Haldir bites his tongue as he watches the unknown elleth briskly cut open the dressing he’d wrapped himself around the jagged wound on his brother’s chest and side and begin flushing it with an alternating mix of clean water and a pungent brew of dark herbs, only some of which he recognized. He can just see her tilt his brother’s head back and produce a vial before the doors swing shut, cutting off his field of vision. 

Haldir takes a shaky breath then reluctantly nods before forcing himself to step back and off to the side. He clenches his jaw and sits in the chair provided by Círan before the healer goes back to assisting with the work ahead.

Haldir, The Lady’s voice sounds clear in his head, startling him from his worry. Celeborn tells me the patrols have destroyed the orc holdout responsible and are bringing in the poisoned blades to the healers for inspection. Expect them within the hour. I have already let Nestál know, as well. How is Rúmil fairing?

Haldir closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before responding, willing away some of the adrenaline and underlying panic in his system.

No worse than before we set off, my Lady. The new healer apparently has seen something similar before and she’s taken the lead in his healing. He says, a touch sardonically.

Ah, slight amusement and warmth filters through their óswanë link. Yes, I imagine she has. She pauses before adding.

Haldir, rest. Let the healers take care of Rúmil. Orophin is on his way in from the Northwest outpost, as well. You take care of our people well, let them help you. Take this time to be with your brothers, we’ll hold steady until your return.

Haldir flounders for what to say and his hands clutch at his own over cloak now torn in three separate places and soaked through with his brother’s blood. He wants to argue but knows he can’t. There is nothing for him to argue against.

Of course, my Lady. Thank you.

Be at peace, Chief Marchwarden. Today has been a dark day, but all will be well. She soothes before withdrawing from his mind.

Haldir sighs and begins to compile a list of all the reports he’d need to complete and patrol routes they’d need to revise. He rubs his temples and settles in the chair for the long vigil he knew he’d have ahead of him.

🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀

“Marchwarden?” A soft voice breaks into his thoughts over which paths they could secret into the mountain sides above Moria. 

Haldir jolts back into awareness as the elleth caring for Rúmil steps into his line of sight, worry flooding his system. He goes to stand but she waves her hand at at him.

“Is he-?”

She smiles softly, her eyes tired. “As long as your brother makes it through the night - and there’s every indication that he will, just a precaution - then he’ll be fine. It will be a delayed healing process due to the venom, but we all are certain he’ll make a full recovery.”

The relief Haldir feels makes him weak in the knees and in hindsight, he’s incredibly glad that she let him stay seated. He now feels guilty in more ways than one, too. He clears his throat.

“Círan says you’ve encountered this before?”

“Ah, yes.” She looks grim. “Spider venom.”

Haldir blinks in shock, wondering if the new but not-new-to-them apprentice realized how ridiculous she sounded. “You must be mistaken. The Children of Ungoliant are not here in such a way; they’re regional to Mirkwood.”

“Yes, Marchwarden, I’m aware.” She bites out then releases a breath, running a hand through her tresses, messing the already loose braid down her back. “I did my herbalism and first aid training in Imladris, but my mother is from the Greenwood.” Haldir raises an eyebrow at the emphasis feeling as if he would smirk at her if he had the energy left in him.

“I’ve spent much of my life there assisting their healers with the reactions to venom. Its fortunate I’ve learned to always carry vials of antivenin on me or else we’d have to dispatch riders to Lord Thranduil for supply and it likely would be too late for your brother.”

Haldir feels a shiver run up his spine, wiping away his slight amusement.

“You must understand that just because you have no spiders means little. Orcs join forces with them and can coat their blades in the poison; it’s very common in the Greenwood and surrounding areas such as Dale. I’m just surprised. I’ve never heard of the practice extending past the forest’s borders. Nonetheless, Nestal is informing Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel while Círan and I monitor Rúmil. I’ve already made contact with Lord Thranduil to inform him and request additional antivenin be sourced and sent here to Lórien and to Imladris lest they head that way, as well. Orc sightings have been also steadily increasing along the road paths, as I’m sure we’re all aware.”

“Sauron.” Haldir curses. “It seems everyday his range increases and the grief he brings to all lands intermingles with the love already there to be found.”

A smile touches her lips briefly, “Yes, the bastard.” Haldir startles at her bluntness and stares at her.

“Ah, apologies. We have a tendency to be more informal in the healing halls.” The ellyth clears her throat and gestures towards the recovery wing. “I’ve set up a cot near Rúmil for you along with a stand and a couple other things you may need for the evening. Given the availability at the moment, I’ve also set up another space for hm. I believe Lady Galadriel said you had another brother?” She questioned and moved closer to the door, indicating him to follow her.

“Yes, our younger brother Orophin.” Haldir responds, gathering his things.

“Will he be needing medical treatment, as well? I can alert Círan and Nestál.”

“No,” Haldir replies as he stands and moves towards her. “He’s been at post in Nanduhirion.”

She nods at his answer, but looks as if she was parsing out a riddle in her mind’s eye.

“Near the Doors of Moria in the Northwest. Rúmil and I were attacked near the main borders above Cerin Amroth closer to the Northeast.” Haldir says, a touch impatiently, as they move into the next room.

She mutters something from behind him, but Haldir doesn’t hear her as clearly as his training should have him. Instead, he stares at his brother’s form lying prone in a healer’s bed, chest rewound in fresh bandages and a thick, acrid poultice the color of decaying moss and leaves laid over-top every inch. Rúmil was paler than perhaps his first several months out of their mother’s womb and despite his sleeping state for the last several hours, his eyes were sunken in his face and ringed in darkness. Almost as if Rúmil had already met the Death the healers had been trying to prevent.

“-warden. Haldir!” A voice gets louder in his ringing ears and a hand tightens on his arm. He looks down at the short ellyth standing concernedly at his side. He towers over her, he realizes. She’s on the shorter side for an elf. He wonders if she has any Mannish blood in her line.

“Haldir.” She says again. He’s unsure if he hears her as much as sees her lips form his name. She smiles a little as she catches his eye, but the crease between her eyebrows gives her worry away. “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

It takes him a moment but he nods.

“Your brother is doing very well given the situation and with no complications, should pull through just fine. He just needs rest and treatment every few hours. Nod again if you understand me.” He nods. Despite his initial annoyance with her presence, her voice is incredibly soothing to listen to. Something about her is soothing to him. Perhaps her healer’s training.

“Haldir, breathe. In. Out. Can you do that for me?” He forces a stuttering and shallow breath into his lungs.

“Good,” she soothes, “again.” He feels warm at the nape of his neck and repeats the action at her guidance. His sight clears at the edges, bringing him back into awareness with his body. He hadn’t realized how out of focus he was or how close he was to loosing consciousness.

He hadn’t realized a lot of things today. Some Marchwarden he was. Some brother he was, Haldir thought bitterly, tightness rising in his chest again. 

He feels a slight pressure and absentmindedly looks down at the hand on his arm pulling him towards his brother. The ellyth gently guides him to sit on the made cot next to Rúmil‘s and sets his things down on a stool nearby before pouring an already steeped, hot cup of tisane from a full-brewed pot.

She presses the mug of tisane into his hands and Haldir clutches it as if were a lifeline she had thrown out into his drowning hand in the fast-moving waters of the Celebrant instead.

“Drink, Marchwarden. It will help, I promise.” She says gently and he’s suddenly reminded of what she said earlier: I’ve set up a cot near Rúmil for you along with a stand and a couple other things you may need for the evening.

He looks around the space as he sips on the tea provided, scalding his tongue in the process. Tea; mugs; a heated water pitcher, basin, and rags; his bag; pillows and a cot with warm linens made for the cool nights; a reading candle and his brother’s condition report nearby if he wishes to update himself on Rúmil’s progress; and a small platter of fruits, cheeses, bread, and a jar of honey.

A couple of other things, Haldir thinks incredulously. This ellyth had gone far beyond any duties in providing for a family member of an injured patient, Chief Marchwarden or not. Especially one who had been treating her and her healing skills as callously as he had been thus far.

“Marchwarden?” She asks, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Chief Marchwarden of the Northern Boundary.” Haldir can’t help but snap back out of instinct. He immediately regrets his words and goes to apologize, but finds his ability with words too, have finally escaped him.

It’s been a gruesome day and a longer month and an even more grueling several years. He’s not sure he could say the words he wants to express even if he could think of them in the first place.

“Well, then, Chief Marchwarden of the Northern Boundary.” The ellyth states sharply, then pauses and eventually sighs.

Somehow, she still sounds kind when she begins again, “I’ll be back in a couple of hours to check on your brother’s progress and change his bandages. Círan will do hourly rounds until then. In the meantime, I suggest you get some rest. It will be a long night.”

She’s quiet for a moment before she shakes her head slightly and smiles tightly at him then speaks as she runs her eyes over Rúmil. “Please alert us if there’s any serious changes with your brother. Goodnight.”

The ellyth briskly walks out the back set of doors in the room, deeper into the healing halls.

Haldir sighs and sets his empty mug down, rubbing his hands harshly over his face before laying down and staring at the panels in the ceiling.

Just another tally against himself today, Haldir thinks. He can’t even gather himself to be civil with the elf tasked with more than adequately saving his brother’s life after he couldn’t do it himself.

He’s tired, he realizes. A deep, bone-aching tired that lends itself to tides pulling him out to sea.

In the morning, he’ll see what he can do to mend his transgressions from today, he thinks, brain slower to map out possible plans of action than normally.

His yawn cracks his jaw and his eyelids begin to droop of their own accord.

The tisane, he belatedly registers. Made of valerian root, lavender, and rose hips.

Haldir snorts and grins as he begins to drift to sleep. Clever minx.

[ironforgedrp]

Hi! I'm a (hopefully) first time admin and I've got everything ready to go and set up but I'm really nervous that it won't get off the ground, and you guys have been open for so long do you have any tips for me how to make my RP be as successful as yours? It looks like such a good place, I hope it's not weird to ask this

        hi there friend,  thank-you so much for your compliments, and don’t stress… i’m happy to offer some advice, i’m no expert whatsoever but i’ve run a few roleplays over the past decade or so.    the key note firstly is to think of your RP as your kind of group ersatz family, as the admin you’re the head of that family.   you keep everyone on course, you’re the gatekeeper and it’s your standards that set the tone for what happens in your family’s house.  and i first want to tell you honestly that it is a little bit of a responsibility; you have to be willing to sort out problems, make decisions, mediate, diffuse and sometimes be on the receiving end of anon hate or the occasional jaded RPer, you have to be motivated and encouraging and dedicated -  but if you are, the people who you write and create with will give it back to you tenfold & it will never become a drag.    i hope this helps you a bit!

decide if you want a co-admin or you think you can handle it yourself - i personally have done solo-adminning, lead admin with moderators & co-adminned with up to four people. though i’ve found that, if you want to work with a team of mods/admins, having an odd number can be really helpful as you’re never tied.  also, if you decide to bring in a co-admin or moderator, have a clear idea of how you want to operate as a roleplay and what you expect of them as admins, and whether or not they have an equal say as you, the creator of the roleplay.  if they do, make that clear and if they don’t, make it clear what things you need to have a look over and what things they are able to handle alone (i.e. asks, applications, major plot changes).   honestly, the worst thing that can happen is if you’re not on the same page because it confuses you, them and your muns.

don’t jump the gun, patience is key.  if you’re hoping to have a long running roleplay then i would expect at least a month of work to be put into it before it’s trotted out, but it sounds like you’re already ready to go. make sure, before you open for activity, you have enough muns & characters to get the roleplay off to a healthy start and have the dash reasonably active.

set rules that are clear, but don’t be a dictator - make sure you have expressed clearly what your rules of conduct are (such as dash conduct, mun age restrictions [if any], activity standards, god-modding, banned/acceptable faceclaims, etc.)

set up an ads blog, and queue ads to post semi-regularly with varied but relevant tags and an eye-catching graphic &/or summary of your roleplay

set up a discord server or another way for your muns to communicate and plot OOC, it really helps muse and communication and also can be a fantastic way to build plots with existing characters and muns.  and, lets be honest, it’s nice to be able to chat with the folks you’re writing with.

check in with everyone! make sure your muns are comfortable and happy and no one is falling by the wayside or being left out. also, it’s nice to make sure that your muns are alright personally - by no means pry, but be an open ear if someone needs to talk. you’d be surprised how many in the RPC are often too shy or anxious to admit to an admin that they need time for their mental health, work, study, etc. but if you make it clear from the beginning that you actually do care and are willing to help work with people it makes all the difference.

the most important to me: build rapport!!!   the best thing for your roleplay, as an admin, is to do your absolute best to be approachable and have a relationship with your muns. you obviously don’t have to be best friends with everyone and talk every day, but believe me, what makes a roleplay last is the community you build behind it. i love having made such talented and varied friends in ironforged - we have voice chats and some of us facetime and/or text, we watch tv shows together and even help each other out with anything from personal problems to university assignments.  our community is  what helps us withstand all the trials and tribulations, and it’s what has given our roleplay such fantastic plot drops and progressions.  the main point is, from the get-go, make sure your muns know that your DMs are always open if they have questions, queries, rants, concerns, ideas… all of the above.

trigger warnings, which obviously depends on the genre you’re in but, i personally would suggest to offer your muns the ability to tell you what their triggers are privately and list them somewhere on the main blog for the other members to see.

embrace being an admin, and don’t get walked over. don’t forget that this is your roleplay, you created it and put the work in and no one (anon or not) can tell you how to run it. don’t be scared to call out people for breaking the rules, don’t be scared to issue warnings, don’t be scared to reject people if they haven’t read the rules or aren’t the right fit for your roleplay or make you uncomfortable, don’t be scared to say no.  it’s okay!

have open eyes, ears and mind; listen to feedback and concerns, hear out grievances and be willing to be polite even if people are being rude but don’t entertain pointless anon hate. speaking of anon hate… don’t turn off the anon ask option unless you honestly feel like it is the right route for you - it shuts off the ability for people to contact you whilst maintaining some anonymity and privacy, which can be discouraging.

crucial to any roleplay is the world-building, have a page with some key locations that are applicable to your roleplay (such as cafes, taverns, gyms, shops, housing locations), also i’ve honestly found that it helps setting the scene. consider where your roleplay is located (real place/fictional place) and make those details clear. paint the picture, immersion is a fantastic thing and it’s something both you and your muns can work on and collaborate on in the future. we have an inspo blog, pinterest boards, spotify playlists, youtube playlist, ambiance playlists, regional locations and business…. and a very colourful NPC list that has been collaborated and expanded upon throughout the life of ironforged.

have clear direction and at minimum a loose idea of where you want to go with your roleplay.  even if you don’t want to have a very plot driven roleplay (like ours is with plot drops, random events, character/mun interwoven plots - which requires a long-form type of roleplaying) and would rather have it open world (you set the scene, and everyone just goes with the flow - which can be both long or short form types of writing) - it is so important to have some tricks and surprises in your bag. the best and easiest is having a few muse-boosting tasks lined up, perhaps a group event to bring people together (a party, a fight, a ball, a wedding, etc.) otherwise, 8.5 times out of 10, you’ll find muse flatlining.  ask your muns! ask other rps! make a poll! hit up the RPC tags and roleplay helper blogs!

the finer details; pick a timezone to mark the roleplay with (eg; here i post in AEST on the roleplay because i am australian and it’s easy for me to queue and schedule things) but it’s crucial to ensure you include the timezone equivalent for other people in other timezones to be able to quickly understand (eg; AEST = GMT+10). you can always link an external timezone converter page if you’re unsure!

and, of course, be organised. make sure you have your pages set up and linked properly. the main that come to my mind to start off with are; navigation, plot, taken FCs, IC & OOC rules, a masterlist, blogroll/follow list, application/application page, application counts, ask & submit are open and an ooc page.

         and LASTLY,  this is my personal advice from one admin to another; if you really want a roleplay to work and you really want it to last for (hopefully) years, then you have to put some heart into it.  our roleplay, as a group, has seen some bad times and good times galore. we’ve had people become seriously ill, we’ve had engagements and weddings, graduations, a fair few birthdays, hospital trips/emergencies, international internships, personal problems, personal triumphs…  our communication as a roleplay isn’t always perfect, but we continue to do our best - and working on our communication is what allows us to keep going on through everything.

         also, as an admin, do your best to make sure you are not the most powerful character and not center of all the roleplays controversy, drama and plot drops (if applicable), it’s become a kiss of death cliche, and also can alienate potential muns because they feel like background players to your show.    but seriously, involve everyone and give a shout out for peoples interest, and the ideas that come flowing back from your muns will amaze you, trust me!

       best of luck!    admin tee.

[mittensmorgul]

Hey mittens! I have a new friend on tumblr who is struggling. She wants to be a writer but her fics aren't being seen. She's frustrated. She wants to give up. I've given her the best advice I can give. I'm a small blog but I keep writing all the time. Trying to give her advice, but not sure what else I can do. She's in her mid twenties, lives at home, doesn't have a job or a car but desperately wants to. She's stuck and needs help. What else can I do and what advice would you give? Thank you!

Heck, I have no idea. D:

Write good? >.>

(haaaaa three hours after I started typing this, with the intent of replying privately, I’ve officially invested too much time in it not to post it… under a cut for length, and because I have officially run out of mental energy and real-world time for dealing with it for today…)

I mean, I see advice all the time on how to get seen/noticed around here, and half the advice conflicts with the other half. It’s hard to even guess what worked for anyone sometimes.

There’s networks she could join (I have no idea how networks work, and I’ve been here nine years, so someone who actually uses networks would probably be better to ask about how to do that, but I do know that the point of them is for a group of people to see/reblog member works, so that might help her get noticed).

There’s also things like Profound Bond and Writers of Destiel. These are discord groups, but they both have a tumblr presence (especially @profoundnet which she could look into.) They run challenges, have a really vibrant community over on discord with hundreds of members, and regularly reblog member works on tumblr.

Plus, making friends, working with beta readers or other writing partners will help find new friends and followers who will help spread her works, too. Volunteering to beta read when a “bigger” writer puts out a call can also help– not only in building friendships with other authors but also gaining experience with writing as well as editing.

Interacting with other authors on tumblr, reblogging their work and commenting– even if it’s just “OH GOSH I LOVE THIS” kind of stuff– ESPECIALLY with other “smaller writers” and thereby spreading the word around about each other’s writing will help grow up a community around all of you.

None of us started out popular, you know? And “popularity” is definitely a relevant term. When I started writing fic, I lucked into a situation that I attempted to recreate with the Christmas collaboration thingy I ran, but ouch that proved to be way more work than I really had the time or energy for. I’d be happy to help others run that type of collab and offer advice, but heck if I’ll ever do one myself again. :P

A lot of fic challenges are a good way for new writers to get noticed, too. There’s a TON of challenges out there. Now, something like the DCBB or one of the other larger and more established challenges might not be the easiest place for a newbie writer to cut their teeth. There is A LOT that goes into challenges that newbies are just not prepared for (rules, deadlines, etc., because knowing how to write, edit, and post on a concrete deadline where others are relying on you to know what you’re doing without needing an undue amount of help from the mods isn’t something you want to learn on the fly in a high-pressure situation like that… there’s an assumption when signing up for something like the DCBB or the Pinefest that in doing so, a writer is CERTAIN that their skills– including TIME MANAGEMENT and the ability to collaborate with an artist and follow all the rules (YES, ALL OF THE RULES) and meet every deadline– are up to the task.

So, that said, I’d highly recommend some of the other smaller, more laid-back fandom challenges. There’s new ones popping up all the time, and a lot of them are geared toward specific types of fic (canon fic, certain tropes, etc.), so there’s a built-in audience for their work. Not to mention that in smaller challenges there’s actually more room for exposure, and not having your work drowned in a flood of hundreds of other long works, potentially many of them by already established authors, coming out in the same time period. Readers are literally spoiled for choice in those situations, and an “untested” author posting a 20k+ fic might fall by the wayside while “guaranteed thing” authors works get more attention, you know? Readers have a limited amount of time they can commit to reading, and with SO many choices available, are actually more likely go for the “tried and true” author they’re already familiar with before investing in an unknown author. Profound Bond is just starting the @casdeanflipfest, for example, with a smaller wordcount minimum, and therefore a more reasonable length work for readers to take a risk on an author they’re not familiar with. I might not have time, as a reader, to invest in every 60k fic that crosses my dash, but I will drop everything to read a 5k fic for half an hour, you know?

There’s also event-specific tags that offer opportunities to be seen by a wider audience. For example, for the last few days, the DCBB folks have been encouraging folks to tag Valentine’s Day themed works #dcvday. This is a very laid-back and casual way to put your works out to an audience who’s looking for exactly that type of thing, you know? Other situation-specific tags like this happen frequently (like Dean’s birthday fic, or the Destiel Anniversary fic, or holiday fic, for example).

There’s also fic collections. For example, right now the @destieltropecollection is collecting fics for this year’s lists: http://destieltropecollection.tumblr.com/post/182800717844/destieltropecollection-destiel-trope-collection. If you have fic that fits into any of these tropes, fill out the form and submit them to be added to the masterpost. They’ll be posted in May, a different trope’s list each day. People looking for that specific trope will have a handy list, and you can reach a whole new audience that way. :)

Take writing prompts, if that’s something you’re comfortable doing. People with cute lil fic ideas will LOVE you for fleshing out their ideas and turning them into something beautiful. Or GIVE writing prompts to other authors who accept them. You never know what sort of creative collaboration that might spark. If you have a fic idea based on someone’s post, by all means TALK TO THAT PERSON! Express your excitement about their idea, ask if it’s okay to turn their little headcanon or writing prompt into a longer fic, and I can almost guarantee that the original poster will be THRILLED.

Take fan art as writing prompts, as well! As much as authors Die Of Squee if an artist is inspired to draw something from one of our fics, ARTISTS ARE EQUALLY FILLED WITH SQUEE if you’re inspired to write fic based on their art. Just, if you do this, please please PLEASE actually communicate privately with the author or artist in question before you do anything with it. Make it clear you’re writing out of love for their thing, and not in a selfish grab for attention, you know? Otherwise it feels a little too much like stealing. It’s a fine line, but it’s all a matter of perception to everyone involved. That communication and collaboration is key.

That said, I think 99% of it all is pure luck. But because of that first challenge I did, the next fic I posted was (miraculously!) reviewed by destielfanfic, which I don’t think is the sort of exposure most authors get on their first long fic… This was also early 2015, when there was a sort of Boom Market for fic, and I don’t even think the atmosphere for fandom is still exactly the same, you know? It feels a lot more decentralized, and a lot of the “big writers” from back then have left the fandom entirely, or else don’t write much at all anymore.

But fandom is a cyclical thing like that. People come and go, popularity rises and falls. I think my best advice is to develop friendships with people who are in that same general region of that arc as you are, you know? Build a community, support each other.

I see bitter posts all the time about how “popular” people don’t want to support newcomers, and “elite cliques” of folks are conspiring to hold on to their popularity by keeping others down, and that’s just bullshit. The little group of people I generally hang in tumblr circles with have been my friends for years, at this point. Most of us are kinda stunned that we’re all still around, you know? We all showed up around the same time, and went through these sorts of struggles together. We’re still here, and most of us recognize that we’re only considered “popular” at all by attrition. We survived while other folks rage-quit the show or the fandom. I know that’s not a particularly encouraging-sounding bit of advice, but that’s literally how the vast majority of us got recognized. We just… didn’t quit.

I was blogging on this dumb site for four years before anyone really started to notice me. (and I still know that the perception of my personal popularity FAR outweighs my actual popularity, you know? I’m not one of the elite 1% of writers around here, and I know it, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I don’t post long fic serially, and that shows in my total hit counts on AO3. Serial posting artificially inflates hit counts, and keeps works at the top of the results page week after week, and I’d personally just rather post a complete fic to stand on its own. But that’s a dilemma for another post.) Then again, I started out mostly reading meta and squealing about the show, occasionally commenting, asking questions, or adding my thoughts to posts. I learned the lay of the land, so to speak (who was receptive to these sorts of additions and conversations starting on their posts and who wasn’t, and the social conventions surrounding it all), while lurking and not even really trying to get noticed. I made friends with people before I ever started writing fic.

(but I also have a background in original fiction writing, so I already knew quite a lot about author culture in general, and had a lot of experience writing myself before I started to write fic, which likely helped me personally quite a bit. I was able to jump into writing chat groups and had a bit of writing cred even before I published a single fic, because I’d been writing original novels and had already cultivated a group of “Professional Author Friends,” participated in writing critique groups (which comprise Alpha and Beta Reading in fanfic writing circles), and therefore knew how those social circles functioned, you know? I mean, some of the authors from my “Professional Author Friends” circle, who I’ve been friendly with for more than a decade now, have gone on to Big Things in Publishing. And clearly I never did… aah health crises that knocked me off that train. But I realized I’m happier writing fic, without all the pressures that come from professional publishing, so I still consider it a personal win. But I was able to take a lot of that knowledge and experience with networking and building communities with me and transfer it to fandom, so I know my experience is not everyone’s experience.)

I think the main key thing is to create that sort of community. A lot of new writers go directly to the perceived “most popular” authors in fandom, as if they somehow held the key to understanding how to become more popular, or expecting the “popular” bloggers to “pay it forward” and give them a hand up (whether it be through asking questions or reblogging their fic posts, beta reading for them or whatever it may be). But even there, there’s a limit to pretty much everyone’s time, in a real-life sort of fashion. The more popular or widespread an author’s works become, the more up and coming writers will also see their work, and I get how people want to hitch themselves to that, you know?

Not to mention, most of us are entirely baffled by being thought of as popular writers. And again, I’m still sort of on the fringe of that kind of Big Fandom Popularity myself, and still kinda baffled as to how I got here.

But we’re all just people, with limited amounts of time to engage with other people, and a limited number of spoons in our respective drawers for social engagement. I do TRY to do what I can, but between beta reading for my already-established writing buddies (which I still only have limited time for, I AM SO SORRY ELMIE I SEE THE THINGS AND WANT TO READ THE THINGS BUT I CAAAAAAAN’T AND I’M MAD ABOUT IT OKAY?!), and still want to engage with current canon and write and read meta about it, and still want to actually write my own fic, not to mention helping to run the Pinefest (even though Cass does the bulk of the behind the scenes work, I take on a lot of the day to day general upkeep of it all) and still have to engage with reality and my human family that I live with and like… pay my bills and cook dinner and all that boring shit, not to mention coping with those chronic illnesses that knocked me off the Professional Paid Writer train in the first place… it’s not easy to balance out, you know?

It’s not so much a function of “I got mine, so screw you.” I just needed to make that clear, since I’ve seen that sentiment bandied about recently (again), and it’s just insulting. I think the main takeaway here is that Fandom is a Baffling Ordeal, and the key to winning in any way is to build up a community around yourself. If you want to achieve success as a writer, push yourself to write better. Find people you trust to beta read for you. And maybe most importantly, never “promote” your own work with negativity.

I see way too many writers who add notes to their work like, “ugh this is probably terrible.” Just… never do that. Have confidence in yourself, love your own writing, or at least present it with enthusiasm, if you ever expect anyone else to take that risk and read your words, you know?

So really? It boils down to perseverance, networking, and putting in the work to become the best writer you can, with no small portion of sheer luck. There’s no secret magical formula to success, aside from building a community that makes you happy. I’ve discovered that people are really attracted to happiness and positive energy, you know?

Heck I’m worn out just from spending five hours on this post now, in between Real Life Adulting I needed to take care of for an hour. I hope it all makes sense, but I’m gonna go surf my dash for a while and hopefully recover enough brain power to do the rest of the stuff I need to today D:

[anhed-nia]

THE EMOJI MOVIE

I've actually tried to watch this several times, and never made it past the first twenty minutes or so. The whole concept--that emojis inside a boy's phone struggle for survival when their glitchy antics provoke him to try to wipe the device--is so uninspired that it was hard for me to imagine it even being kitschy enough to justify watching the whole thing. However, since its release (only a year ago, but isn't it starting to feel like it's been with us forever?), THE EMOJI MOVIE has become so notorious that suffering through it feels like some sort of rite of passage. As of this morning, I can say with absolute certainty that this experience is actually much worse than you probably think it is.

I don't even want to get that much into the "plot", but for the sake of whatever: TJ Miller is a "meh" emoji by birth, who is secretly plagued by a full spectrum of emotions. When he is classified as a "malfunction", in a series of repetitive arguments that sound uncomfortably like they're just barely skirting "the R word", Meh goes on the run to avoid destruction by his fellow emoji, who need to manage this crisis before their user erases all of them.

If that is like...not very heroic-sounding to you, then you're hearing me right. THE EMOJI MOVIE is I guess about being yourself or something, but the details of Meh's adventure are so outlandishly stupid that it's hard to even worry about the moral of the story. To my apoplectic shock, our hero's escape from peril is totally dependent on Dropbox. That's almost all you need to know about this movie, actually: That it requires you to somehow reimagine a collaborative file management product as the Millennium Falcon, or Dorothy's ruby slippers, or something. Even if I were able to accept this proposal, it still remains beyond me why a tween boy would have Dropbox on his phone. I mean, is he going to Project Management Junior High or something?

Of course, this is only one example of THE EMOJI MOVIE's inability to produce exciting, easy-to-understand ideas. It may not be surprising, on paper, that an unwieldy chunk of the story involves a loud advertisement for the money-grubbing mobile game Candy Crush. However, it's still jarring when the movie has the sheer nerve to insert its characters into a 3D version of the very-2D Candy Crush board, have them discuss the rules and mechanics of Candy Crush at length, and then have them actually play Candy Crush, in a scene that really accomplishes nothing other than exactly what is on the screen while it lasts. The audacity of the thing makes the McDonald's breakdancing sequence in MAC & ME look downright subtle.

The aforementioned scene should really be enough to sink basically any cinematic ship, but THE EMOJI MOVIE doesn't settle for less than 100% failure. Almost everything in it is so poorly considered that there isn't enough time in my life to get through it all, but I have to get *some* things off my chest. I mean, how the fuck do you take a concept like this, and decide that a whole bunch of your movie should involve DANCING? How can you possibly ask me to look at a bunch of Pac-Mans with little rudimentary limbs, and expect me to be able to tell that SOME of them are really good dancers and SOME of them are really shitty dancers, and ALL OF THE SUSPENSE hinges on this distinction? And while we're talking about physical activity, what are even the rules of this world? Apps are both giant monolithic cubes, like they are on your home screen, that can slide around and crush you between their unyielding walls, and they are ALSO little subdimensions that you can enter (not that we really see how this works) and dick around in. "Internet trolls" are somehow not separate human users, but technological entities that exists inside the world of the phone, right alongside junk mail and computer viruses. And speaking of junk, like, why is the phone owner deleting individual apps WHILE he's on his way to a Genius Bar to get the whole device reset? What the fuck is going on in any part of this movie?

While I'm talking about how ~completely~ disastrous this movie is, though, I should admit that maybe I blew past the plot too quickly. The most remarkable thing about THE EMOJI MOVIE is that it manages to be so fathomlessly moronic, AND so majestically pretentious at the same time. There is something interestingly perverse about the idea of taking humanity's most vapid, dehumanized linguistic development, and using it as some kind of allegory for the supremacy of emotion, and the prismatic nature of the soul. It's disturbing, actually. On the one hand, the movie cannot resist advertising for office products and parasitic IAP-driven games, and all of its ostensible charm is predicated on the viewer's preexisting familiarity with fun icons for human shit and compressed fish byproducts. On the other hand, the movie makes a big deal out of identifying the fascism inherent in controlling how people express themselves, and confining their potential to the dictates of their heritage. At some point the movie even drags in some shallow commentary on the tyranny of gender roles, with a subplot about a "princess" emoji rejecting the few, oppressively girly options for females of the species--just in case there were any audience members left who didn't feel personally condescended to yet.

At this point, you might be wondering why I even bothered to write all this down, having already suffered the unnecessary indignity of watching the thing. The truth is that I have an insatiable curiosity about the psychology of productions like this. When I see something so abjectly catastrophic, I start to have enthralling nightmare visions about what it must have been like to make this movie. Especially considering the fact that it is animated: At what point did people begin to realize that something really bad was happening? Who noticed it first? Was there a protracted period of convincing oneself that everything was going to be fine, or did the darkness sink in at the very beginning? What happened when the movie came out? Have all of the actors even see the whole thing? How did they manage their social lives when it started to become common, international knowledge that they had participated in the creation of one of the worst movies in the visible history of the medium? Does one lose relationships over a movie like this, either among friends who don't know how to address it, or comrades who can't stand the slightest reminder of what they've been through? I am completely entranced by my own fantasies about what happens with movies like this. I would happily watch a documentary about the making of THE EMOJI MOVIE, or better yet, some sort of distorted psychodrama about the emotional environment of the production. Somebody get Peter Strickland on the blower.

PS Mike White, I am so, so sorry. What happened to you?