#I'm an artist! a person!! i got ideas and headcanons and other creative stuff too but nooooOOOoOoooO

[evilblot]

Where's a good place to find scanlations?

[CC: what happened to hello? how are you? my name is. what happened to that?]

[yardsards]

I hope you don’t think it’s weird for me to comment on a hc you made weeks ago but omg I had the same idea that Emira gets into the arts. But yours is brilliant that you have Raine be like a mentor figure. She needs an adult.

(context for the curious)

thank you! it's a headcanon i had a ton of fun thinking of and talking about!

i'm gonna ramble some more here:

i feel like emira really needs some hobbies/interests that aren't connected to anyone in her family. a bit because if we take her "being stuck with you forever" as more than just a mean joke, there seems to be manor desire there to really be seen as her own person rather than just half of a matched set. and a bit because i feel like she would benefit from a space away from her siblings and the caretaker persona that she sometimes has to step into.

like, pretty much every interest of hers that we've seen in canon was something she shared with edric. except for healing magic. which, while she did seem genuinely excited about multitracking into it, we don't see much of why she likes it other than when she's healing her siblings. so while healing can be a good interest for her in terms of it being her own thing, it's not something that would give her a real break from being in caretaker mode.

of course, there are near infinite interests/hobbies you could choose for her. but something artistic just feels right for her. part bc she seems to have a creative side (being on the illusions track and having what seemed to be a bit of an interest in fashion). part bc the arts are often used to express yourself and your individuality, and she needs that kind of thing in her life

i think she could dabble in stuff like painting or poetry too, but the connection with raine and bard magic is too neat for me to pass up. because i think that there is a lot of potential between raine and emira.

and yeah, part of it is just that she needs an adult in general, and raine fits the bill well enough as a kind and caring adult character that doesn't have super direct connections to any of the other blights, (and that we know enough about as a character to create interesting dynamics with lol)

like, as i rambled about in the tags of that post, i think emira would really benefit from having a trusted adult mentor in her life, someone who will care for and guide her instead of her needing to care for and guide them. especially someone other than her father. cuz like, yeah alador got better as a parent, but emira would probably need some time before she could trust him, and an adult that has never hurt her would be very beneficial in the meantime (as well as even after she her dad earns her trust again tbh, because the more sources of positive attention and guidance a kid can get, the better). and like, she seems like she desperately needs some attention and care from some adults in her life (the "i want a tshirt too!" scene, as well as the popular interpretation that her and edric's troublemaking was a cry for attention).

but also like, i think raine in particular would jive with her. raine's got a mischievous streak of their own and would get emira's rebellious tendencies. raine understands how it feels to have lived years under a cruel authority figure and to have rebelled right under that authority figure's nose. plus, we know they've got experience teaching younger people and seem to be really good at it and encouraging creativity

[bluegekk0]

Hello, I heard about the ask that you received from the anon and I am very sorry that you have to deal about that and I know that you are very insecure about your au being “not making any sense” but I don’t want you to think that way because you are just an artist who just loves pale king and makes cool ideas

Your au is not cringe or bad, your au is unique and creative, and you should be proud of it its just that sometimes that others can be jerks and assholes to people

You are not really alone because I share the same anxiety and worry as same as you every time I think about posting stuff about my own au as well.

I got an idea about what if winged nosk and nosk didn’t die but the survived from ghost and hornet

I headcanon that winged nosk was killed by hornet/herrah and ascended from godhome and I would like to make an au about what if winged nosk didn’t die but survived and was seeking revenge together with nosk (ghost nosk) which is why I made the devious duo au

Last couple months ago, I received a very heart amount of criticism from an anon in my inbox, about how much that they think that having winged nosk and nosk together would be a  crackship and a abomination of a kind and it would end badly as well and a couple of more stuff that I don’t like to put in detail…..

I wasn’t even trying to ship them both together, and I just thought that I think that winged nosk and nosk would be good teammates and all but the person whoever sent the ask is probably dirty minded and I made me so uncomfortable that I literally deleted all my old devious au stuff and including the comic cover I made. I really lost all my courage and I was very hesitant to post nosk art but I still post more nosk art because I still loved the character despite I received the most uncomfortable and painful ask I received in my inbox

Same as you, I created the devious duo au because it is just my comfort au and I love to make stuff about the nosks because I think that they are cool and I believed that they needed more attention because they don’t get enough love and they don’t get that much popularity from others which is why I kept drawing them

Everytime I see posts about your feral pale king au and your rambles, you gave me a bit of courage and confidence  to post the introduction of my au which I am very insecure about because it doesn’t fit in hk lore

I deleted my old art and introduction and all my nosk duo art files because I was so insecure about it and I was thinking if I should abandon it forever like I did to my old pale king au and my other au ideas (I used to be a fan of pale king but I threw away all my pale king fanart because I was scared of hate)

There are even times I tried to delete my tumblr account because I fear of getting bullied of the stuff I make

But its just an AU! And everyone is just having Fun!

I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS LONG ASK AKJHAKJSH

oh don't worry about it at all! i love reading through long asks like this!

that sounds horrible, i am so sorry you had to deal with those anons, no one deserves that kind of treatment, especially over something so harmless. people are way too judgmental and entitled when it comes to stuff like this, and it pisses me off every time i see it. i'm really sorry you had to go through that

your au idea sounds very interesting! i think i mentioned it to you at some point, it might have been on discord, i don't remember. but i always find it so charming and so inspiring when i see people attached to really minor (and often unpopular) characters, like nosk/winged nosk in your case

seriously, what that anon said to you is so cruel and for what? a harmless au idea? it's horrible. again, i'm really sorry that happened to you. and i'm sorry to hear how much it affected your confidence

if i can offer some advice, as someone who also has confidence issues, just do what you love. some people will have a problem with it, it's inevitable, but as long as you're not hurting anyone and are just enjoying yourself, to hell with them. they don't deserve your time, and you shouldn't waste time thinking about what they're gonna say. i know it's difficult sometimes, there are times when stuff like that really gets to you, i know that, i've been there. but think about all the other people who enjoy your work and want to see it, people who leave nice comments and reblog your art to show it to more people. and most importantly of all, think of yourself and how happy working on your au makes you. that is what really matters. we're all here to enjoy ourselves, after all

and if it doesn't "fit the lore"? if it "goes against the canon"? screw that. i have great respect for people who are careful and stay true to the canon, that's dedication on its own. but the idea that it's the only way to enjoy something is bullshit. make goofy aus. go crazy with them. if it makes you happy, then there's nothing wrong with that. the way i see it personally, canon is a good starting point for creativity, not a set of rules. more of a suggestion. you don't have to strictly follow it, that would be boring, if you ask me

i really hope you can find more confidence. if my art can help you with that, then that makes me happier than you can imagine. and please, if you ever need any words of encouragement, or just want to chat and share your ideas, you're always free to message me. we need to support each other, and we need to hype each other up. that's what being an artist is about, creating stuff and inspiring others

you got this friend, i believe in you. draw what makes you happy, share it with people who care. because people do care, there's always someone who does. stay strong ❤️

[coolskeleton3000]

Hello, you can call me Coolskeleton because that's what I call myself on the Internet these days

Sideblog where I scream uncontrollably while listening to Malevolent podcast @coolyapping3000 (there's some other stuff too)

Taglist under the cut (work in progress)

Navigating tags:

#my silly little thing – things I made! (not very fancy but the labor of love nonetheless)

#personal rambling – liveblogging about absolutely random shit, from headache to craft project and personal posts which don't fit in any other category

#brand new experience! – trying something new in non-creative ways (like food or activity)

#interactive post – tag games (both "put in tags" type and type when your mutuals tag you in a post to answer some questions) and pools (are they spelled pulls?)(not on the all posts of this type because i keep on forgetting) (the boring name, but the funny one was kind of mouthful)

#rare russian post – posts written in Russian instead of English because I had no idea how to translate them without losing a joke or sense or got lazy

#look who is projecting onto fictional character once again – kinda sorta headcanon tag but actually just me projecting the hell out of characters I like

#no way i tag it malevolent – malevolent podcast posts that i want to keep away from main tag to not clog it because they're either too incosequentional or part of rambling about some project or too weird for main tag but not weird enough for masked tag

#that's about tma yes – like previous one but for tma

#random-ass scribbles idk – tag with drawings but they're not very good 'cause I'm not really an artist I'm just doing things on the internet and sometimes they happen to be drawings

Project tags and fandom tags are work in progress. I'll make a separate post with them and put link here but I need to create at least half-decent tag system here first.

Tags you can filter out:

#spoiler alert #tma spoilers #malevolent spoilers – spoilers tags (some posts are not properly tagged as spoilers cause... I forgot). I used the first one when I was reading utdr comics and leaving a lot of tags as a form of feedback and using one general spoiler tag for all of them instead of coming up to unique one for each comic was just handier

#body posting – talking about physically unpleasant things I can't tell to any of irl friends but still want to complain about

#bad thoughts – vent tag; don't take anything tagged with it close to your heart, my filter just switches off when I'm upset and sometimes I'm just sad, exaggerating and overdramatic

[musecaravan-info]

Gabriel Reyes

"Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." ~ William Shakespeare ~

Basic Information

FACE/BODY CLAIM: Oscar Isaac (If Needed)

AGE: Depends on verse, but usually mid-to-late 50's

EYES: Dark Brown

HAIR: Dark Brown; slightly peppered with grey

HEIGHT: 6'1

PRIMARY OUTFIT: Depends on verse; need to know for a specific one? Just ask. :) However, regardless of verse, I can almost guarantee that he's mostly in black (with purple and/or red accents), and he usually has one or two accessories which feature skulls and/or calaveras.

Personality

In most verses Reyes has a very no-nonsense sort of attitude, especially around strangers. He's abrupt almost to the point of rudeness, while not intentionally trying to be rude. Get to know him well enough and you'll get a man who's relaxed, enjoys a good joke (so long as it's not at his expense), and likes to talk about everything from books to alcohol.

Powers & Weaknesses

This is also heavily dependent on the verse. However, in every verse I try to somehow write in Reyes' 'super soldier' status. So he always has better-than-average senses/reflexes/etc. I also headcanon that he physically ages more slowly than normal people.

Whether or not he has Reaper's fading/teleportation abilities is very verse-specific.

In most verses, his biggest weakness is his own anger. Sometimes he has trouble controlling it, and it can be hard for him to 'come back' from that quickly without someone to set him straight.

Romance

Once Reyes has decided he's interested, it becomes a little bit of a game. His idea of flirting is kind of all about 'let me show you all the reasons you should want me/think I'm worth having... without actually telling you I'm interested.' He doesn't play 'hard to get,' but prefers for the object of his interest to show interest first. That's not always the case, but it's a fairly typical pattern with him.

Once he's with someone, he enjoys playful banter and small displays of affection. He's also inclined towards mementos he can wear - an earring/ring/necklace, for example.

Where to Find Him

Another one that relies heavily on the verse. His main verse is in the AU world that's a part of a fan fic I'm working on. If you're interested in it, he can be found at the tattoo parlor he owns, or at the nearby gym, or the diner down the street, Route 66.

For other verses (including OW stuff) it's probably better if we just chat and figure something out together based off of what you're interested in. :)

Verses

Just because a verse isn't listed here doesn't mean I'm not interested in writing it. I adore all kinds of AUs, and welcome the chance to get creative with my muses. If you've seen a verse that another of my muses has, and you'd like to see this muse in something similar, let me know. You can also check out my 'Plot Ideas' tag, too. ^_^

Main Verse:

Reyes is an ex-con who served his time, did his parole, and is now running a successful tattoo parlor. He keeps to himself and pours everything into his work (and into nurturing his fellow artists at the shop.) Sometimes he wonders if his life could be more, but he's happy enough, and worries about stepping outside of his 'comfort zone.'

Four Horsemen Verse

Currently a Private Verse

Reyes is one of the Four Horsemen - Pestilence to be precise. This universe is based VERY loosely on the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony. Basically, I borrowed what I wanted and made up the rest with the help of fidelismileslucem.

Space Opera Verse

Currently a Private Verse

This universe is set in something VERY akin to Cowboy Bebop. Reyes is a sci-fi bounty hunter who used to work on the 'right ' side of the law - until he got a heavy dose of the corruption plaguing the Space Force. Turning his back on his old life, he went 'rogue,' pleased to finally be able to deal out his own kind of justice.

Steam Fantasy Verse

I’ve used this verse with a lot of my muses (because it’s fun. ;P) Basically, it’s a world set in a Victorian-esque setting, only with a combo of magic and steampunk qualities thrown in. Supernatural creatures of all kinds live and walk freely among humans, and everyone (mostly) gets along.

While slavery of ANY kind has been outlawed in this world, that doesn’t stop there from being a black market surrounding it. This underground group (often referred to as the ‘Goblin Market’) consists almost solely of powerful supernaturals who defy the laws and continue to buy, sell, and trade living creatures. Sometimes these slaves are other supernaturals, sometimes they’re human - regardless, the government (for multiple reasons) refuses to acknowledge that the Goblin Market exists, so there’s a secret group which works, vigilante-style, to end the Market once and for all. They refer to themselves as Shades.

Unfortunately, the supernaturals involved in the Market are often old and powerful. They work from the shadows and have their hands in many aspects of law and government. This makes bringing any of them legally to justice almost impossible. But that doesn’t stop the Shades from trying (both in official and unofficial ways.)

Reyes is one of the oldest vampires in Great Britain, and a Shade. He has opened his home as a refuge for slaves who've managed to escape the Market. With money hardly being a concern, he offers food and lodging while helping to re-acclimate these former slaves to the world at large. When they're ready to leave, he helps them find a place to live and decent work. He is also on VERY good terms with the Queen, who considers him to be one of her closest confidants.

Current/Ongoing Threads

If your thread with Reyes isn't listed here it's probably because it's been long enough since your last reply that I thought you'd dropped it. Message me to let me know you're still interested, and I'll happily add you to the list (with no pressure for a reply.) ♡

Jack:

Everywhere That I’ve Never Been (Space Opera Verse)

Know You Better (Steam Fantasy Verse)

Looking for the Light (Main Verse)

To Feel Your Touch (Four Horsemen Verse)

Stuff That's Good to Know Before Starting a Thread

In most of my verses Reyes has extensive tattoos and/or body piercings. They might vary from verse to verse, but he always has something.

Links

Please keep in mind, this blog is an ongoing work in progress. Not all of these links may lead somewhere, but they're here because they link to potential tags for this muse.

All Things Reyes

Headcanons

Drabbles

All Threads

Ask Replies

Meme Replies

AestheticsFace

Special Links

Original Blog

Return To Full Muse List

[good-wine-and-cheese]

if you’re still doing monster headcanons, what couples costume do you think the characters would wear to costume party with their s/o? 🥺 tysm

Yes I love doing these! Okay so for this I am going to write each response as if the specific character is the one who got to choose the couple theme.

Kenzo Tenm: I feel like Tenma is honestly a bit uncreative when it comes to this sort of thing and, for the most part, would prefer to go with what his partner wants...however if it was up to him, he would probably go with something relatively easy to do, like going as doctors (lol he's already got the outfit) or one of those super easy pre-made costumes from stores, like a superhero or pirate. A younger Tenma might have opted to go as musicians from his favourite groups but I think he might feel he's too old for that now.

Eva Heinemann: She would go all out with this and if her partner doesn't want to put in the effort she would gladly do the entire thing for them or hire professionals for makeup. Theme wise I think she would go for something fun that fits the season of the party, so for Halloween she might do something like a corpse bride/groom but for a more generic party maybe a prince/princess, something like that. But it would always be a traditionally "romantic" theme.

Heinrich Lunge: I actually think Lunge would enjoy coming up with a costume theme a lot. He may be logic brained but he's also very clever and creative. It would depend on who other guests are, because he would definitely want to pick a theme that would make people intrigued. Alternatively: Lunge definitely saw the original star trek (60s) and totally thinks Spock is rad so they would go as star trek characters. No I'm not projecting.

Wolfgang Grimmer: Like Tenma I think he would probably go for a more "traditional/simple" theme, simply because he just isn't used to this sort of thing for himself and would only have minimal social experience with costume parties to know how they would be themed. That said, I feel like he would find humour in having himself and his partner dress up as a classic spy archetype.

Rudi Gillen: Rudi strikes me as someone who deeply enjoys horror and thrillers. I feel like regardless of the time of year, he would choose some sort of monster theme. But he also strikes me as the type who would want to show off his depth of knowledge of a genre, so he might pick monsters from a less "common knowledge" horror story, or a folkloric theme, or the "original" version of a monster from their literary works and explain all of that to any unwitting partygoers who ask. They just wanted to know what the costume is dude.

Nina Fortner: I think Nina enjoys reveling in mundanity. Instead of some sophisticated costume I feel like she'd enjoy dressing up as, say, delivery persons, or construction workers, teachers, just some random everyday profession. She might put a twist in it especially if the party is supposed to have a theme already but generally it's simple stuff like that.

Johan Liebert: I think he would find the premise of a costume party extremely funny, and rather than a particular "theme" would take it to the artistic extreme of dressing up as high level concepts, such as dread or excitement. I don't think they would be especially sophisticated costumes though, just enough of an "outfit" that it expresses the idea he wants. Low budget high concept.

Karl Neumann: Karl doesn't strike me as being super into costume parties, and maybe feeling out of his element coming up with a theme, but he would probably want to pull from what is already familiar to him. I feel like he would pick characters from books he enjoys, or TV or film. He'd definitely put effort into making sure the costumes look good, rather than the store-bought kind.

Jan Suk: Suk is a simple boy with a simple mind. You know he would do cops and robbers. Though who would be the cop and who would be the robber? I feel like he has a hard time letting go of being a cop but for fun he'd switch it sometimes.

Lotte Frank: Absolutely some kind of historical costume. Though not necessarily "prince/princess from a certain time period" I feel like she'd have more fun playing the roles of, say, common folk of different professions. So like, a blacksmith and a farmer or something like that. She'd also try to make it as authentic as possible, so if she chooses a knight she's going to do her best to make period-accurate armour. She LARPs btw

Christof Sviernich: Christof would probably pick something thematically tragic or unsettling. Something like Romeo & Juliet complete with accessory (fake(?)) dagger and poison. Maybe they don't even have the accessories right away but take them out later to completely change the tone of their theme. Something that on the surface people might recognize as sweet but the more you pick up the details the more it becomes a tragedy instead.

[grimoireofwritings]

Headcanons: The Magic Knight Captains & Their Art Styles

Just some random idea that came to me today while reminiscing on what the Captains do in their free time. I began to picture how it would play out if each of them were instructed to show us their art skills! Here's what I came up with.

Captain William Vangeance:

This man is not too bad at art! He doesn't put a lot of pressure on himself to make perfect sketches and he has low expectations for himself... So he mainly considers it a hobby set aside for his rare moments of leisure time. Since he's so chill about it, his sketches come out looking nice when he's more relaxed. This is usually the case since he prefers using his bird journal - he likes to bird-watch and put together little drawings of the winged friends he sees while laying all content out in his garden. He's no prodigy but his hand-eye coordination is pretty good and after years of practice his birds and trees turn out pretty impressive. Very embarrassed if asked to show people though.

Credit: Found in a "how to draw" guide.. no name

Captain Nozel Silva:

He prefers appreciating sophisticated art made by others.. and really doesn't care much for making it himself. If he draws anything, it'll usually be rushed - as he knows he's got more important matters to focus on.. Still, he is capable of putting together a sketch every now and again of something simple. Usually plain posable objects. At the end of the day, he's not really a big art freak and even at a nice art museum he gets bored after an hour or so.

Credit: unlisted. Message if you know where it's from!

Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion:

He likes art, a lot! Like William he's no prodigy, but it makes him happy so that's enough for him. He prefers to paint, and his subjects are often women, focusing on anatomy because he enjoys exploring movement / dimension through bodily posing. He likes painting silhouettes that are dancing and often have flowing clothing, or hair. Definitely focuses on the beauty, passion, and artistic self expression side of it. He isn't as open about it because Mereoleonna poked fun at him for it so much and he'd rather not deal with any of that again.. but people who know about it always talk about how he's quite talented.

Credit: Anastassia Orehova

Captain Yami Sukehiro:

He's listed in the manga's assorted questions brigade as the #2 ( Behind Rill) judge of artistic style and taste! He's got an excellent eye for art, and he can be really creative medium wise, but I still feel like he's a bit too lazy to sit down for a long time and really commit to a canvas or sketchbook. He doesn't find it rewarding enough for his attention span.. but he seems to be pretty good at making simplistic, cartoon styles really expressive.

Credit: Olga Shvartsur

Captain Rill Boismortier:

He is ALL about color, vibrancy, and bold presentation! His paintings are always so full of vivid life and brightness, it's clear to see he's a person carrying a wondrous imagination and endless creativity. Everything he's made seems like it's bursting with optimism and excitement, as if the artist couldn't contain himself. He is extremely versatile and can tackle almost any subject, which is super impressive for his age. His one flaw I'd say is that sometimes his paintings, despite being gorgeous technicality wise, can get a little busy or cluttered as he struggles to not get carried away with all the different expressive ideas he comes up with. He's still learning!! ( Bonus headcanon: Rill has a mandatory weekly art class set aside as "training" for the Aqua Deer magic knights.. Everyone attends regardless of their actual interest levels because nobody wants to handle seeing Rill devastated that people didn't show.)

Credit: Svenja Jodicke

Captain Dorothy Unsworth:

Pretty self explanatory? She's a kawaii sailor moon theme anime waifu. All her drawings are magical anime girls... But they only appear in her dreams, so nobody knows she can draw well!!

Credit: source link to deviantart page was a removed account 😭 please lmk if you know the artist

Captain Jack the Ripper:

Nobody wants to talk about Jack's art. He doesn't wanna draw and nobody wants him to draw. Anything he makes is simply a cursed image, no questions asked. He's got the artistic skills of a grade schooler... And even though he can be somewhat creative, the fact that there's always some kind of disturbing / violent undertone incorporated within the picture... It just looks like a demented child's drawing.

Credit: could not find name but it's a canvas displayed in "The Museum of Bad Artwork" labelled as "The Butcher" and tbh that makes it even more terrifying

Captain Charlotte Roselei

She's listed in the top three WORST artists / judges of fine arts in canon... Which is interesting to me, lol. I think she probably stopped trying a long time ago after being teased for how her stuff turns out, lol. She tried drawing or painting and would get frustrated with her inability to create an image she's picturing in her mind.

Credit: could not find name but it's a canvas displayed in "The Museum of Bad Artwork"

Captain Kaiser Granvorka:

I don't know a whole lot about him tbh but I know he is also listed as an excellent artist next to Yami. I think he'd be really into sophisticated art! Kinda like Nozel but far more dedicated and passionate about it. Still-picture images, but he finds a lot of joy in shapes and objects, and messing around with shading.

Credit: unlisted. Message if you know where it's from!

And that is all my friends!! I am still trying to hunt down some art credit for these images, some were on Pinterest or just unlisted altogether. I'm gonna put them down once I come back and edit this post when it's not 3am 😂 plz let me know if y'all can help me out with that. I know there's an online site somewhere that's made for this but I forgot what it's called???

This was a lot of fun to make though. If you disagree or have thoughts, feel free to reblog or come chat in my ask box! Goodnight luvs 🥰

[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: