#I'm trying I see if I'm the outlier or if I just joined fandom when lowercase (and parentheses) were popular

[darkpetal16]

Hello, I have a question about getting into both writing and IF. I've never done either before (former beta reader and I write alot for work) but I have an idea I'm playing with and I've started playing with Twine. I'm torn on making a new undertale AU and making it a stand alone story. I have 3 questions:

What inspired you to focus on undertale stories?

Is there any advice you'd give yourself if you started over? (For writing in general or working on IF).

How do you keep yourself from trying to go in too many directions? I'm having a hard time deciding the scope of the project if that makes sense.

Thank you, I love your work and I hope you have a great week!!

1.) What inspired you to focus on Undertale stories?

I love the fandom.

I get that people don’t. Some may even call it toxic, but I don’t see it that way.

The way I see things - the good stuff is kinda like white noise. There’s so many wonderful, amazing, fantastic things in this fandom. There’s phenomenal blogs & people (llamagoddess, derpychocho, scrambledmeggys, rainingskeletons, chimo, wishing-stones, megalommi, sunsestart, just to name the ones off the top of my head because there’s SO many more) who continually contribute and feed this fandom. We’re accustomed to all this wonder that our minds accept it as the norm, so when something bad or upsetting happens it stands out and becomes more memorable. But those are the outliers, not the standard and that’s important to remember.

We’re our own little biome, each of us providing a different aspect that helps it thrive. And yes, there’s bad but the good far, far outweighs it.

I love this fandom. I love the people in it. I love the imagination nurtured in it.

2.) Is there any advice you’d give yourself if you started over?

Beta test more before posting lol. I get too impatient and excited to share.

3.) How do you keep yourself from going in too many directions?

I don’t. I don’t like restricting myself that way. I write what I want to write, and if it’s on game A instead of game B then so be it. The best work isn’t forced; the best writing comes from your sincerity.

If you aren’t inspired that’s ok. We all need breaks every now and then.

-

If you want help with coding you’re welcome to join the discord. (: made a channel specifically to help with coding.

[thegalleonsnest]

I have been in this fandom since the start of 2021 and I've been around the block. I did not grow up the same way as most people when it comes to the internet and joined this fandom as an adult. I don't even think this is considered an unpopular opinion or not, but I've kept to my corner of the internet and kept to my circles, but if there's one thing that's constant that I always see without fail, is how serious people take shipping and discourse around it.

And I do want people to know, this is coming from the perspective of a 25 year old man. I know this is not everyone and only a small number, and from what I can gather, this mainly pertains to teenagers/young adults (with a few outliers), but it eventually grows to become this weird moral stance people feel the need to end up taking with shipping; and with particular characters too that really becomes a confusing, and just weird argument to surround yourself with. And for some, it's the determining factor for whether or not to judge someone of who's worthy of their presence or labeling them as weird and uncomfortable when literally all the characters are adults.

And let me preface this with, yes, I understand very SPECIFIC ones that some people ship might as well be considered crackships or borderline weird given the contexts of each character's relationship that I'm not a personal fan of, and potential age gap between adults, but I'm not gonna give people the stink eye and play moral high grounds with others for doing that stuff on their own time. Let alone police people about what's an acceptable ship or not. It ain't for everyone, but it's something that happens anyway.

I also know that there are people out there that are very protective of particular canon couples and judge the hell out of people for doing anything different, whether making them poly, or changing their sexuality to make another ship work that isn't an oc. I do wanna clarify, I feel very neutral about this particular subject. And on one hand, I completely understand in the sense of maintaining that proper representation in a character's sexuality, cause that's what makes them who they are and means a lot for those being repped. And on the other, I see people trying to be diligent of that fact even while expanding and exploring ships with those couples, they more often than not don't want to destroy that existing relationship but make it open with others. And in the end, becomes a fight within the community to determine the fate of BugsnaxFan97356 for wanting to share their thoughts/art on X couple being poly with X character. (And I want to clarify, this is different than straight up just destroying a character's entire sexuality/relationship for the sake of shipping them with a particular character. That shit sucks and is basically character assassination and destroying the representation we had)

Intent is what's important here, and I truly believe that most of the time, people are literally doing it just for fun and don't usually have malicious intent. (especially when the main demographic here is teenagers and young adults)

(Side note: I did talk to friends about this to get a second opinion about this particular subject, and brought up a fair point, like some people don't like the idea of making a gay monogamy couple go poly just to date a different gender. That is also completely understandable, but again, for me personally, it does boil down to the intent behind it.)

Like people are fighting over the very nuances of character relationships, ships, and everything in between and making it an argument and debate on where you stand morally. Cause if you ship a character, and it's not an oc, with one that someone considers not good, weird, or crackship material that very small groups like, they made it clear they want nothing to do with you and consider you a "weird," "uncomfortable," or straight up a "bad" person instead of just talking like mature people.

And if for any reason someone thinks I'm singling people out, I'm not. I have legitimately seen this happen throughout my time here in the fandom, and with people I personally knew. Entire relationships were ruined/destroyed because people took shipping so seriously, they treated it as gospel and the determining factor to maintain their existing relationships if they even mention liking something they didn't. It's not a healthy mentality, because in the grand scheme of things, shipping opinions like these will not matter because most people will not think the same way you do or treat it as seriously as you do. We will move on with our lives because the shipping state of your favorite blorbos will not affect whether or not you get irl business done in 5 years. And if you are using fictional shipping as a moral scale to determine your relationship with real people, you're gonna have a hard reality check when you realize most people don't give a shit cause they got a job to be at in the morning.

bugsnax fandom what’s a opinion that will get you like this

[logicalstansadvice]

did you see the photo on the galaxy blog, Ale is there on set with sebastian while he is doing that outdoor drumming scene you can see her in some of the photos

// Galaxy, Kevin, Princess and all the other blogs that claim to be "Seb" blogs to me are in the same pile now: a big pile of shit. They are all righteous sjw until Sebastian is seen with a girl. Then their true colours emerge and suddenly there is no more justice, just stalking, doxxing, bodyshaming, accusing him of every evil in the world and using every cause on earth (racism, ca, sexism, covid etc) to try and sabotage his career.

So I'm not surprised that instead of focusing on HIM and what HE was doing on set, they are more focused on the fact that his gf is there.

Like mods said, it's not uncommon for gf/bf of the actors to be there. They are obv part of the social inner circle so why would that be a surprise to anyone. Or why would it matter.

Vamp - it's been a strange year in this fandom. I think for a lot of us, it's the first time we've been around to experience the beginning of one of his relationships that, judging by his previous standards, is so public.

It's been fascinating to watch the progression of opinions, emotions and behaviour in this fandom over the past year and how we've all seemed to settle into these very distinct groups of fans - the casual fan, the haters, the nannies, team "don't give a fuck" or the outliers. Reminds me of what happened to the Cumby fandom.

Damn shame, this fandom was so much fun when I joined....now it's just a shell of its former self. I count myself lucky though, I found a group of like-minded fans that share the same focus and love for Seb's professional life and Marvel as a whole. It's what's kept me here and thriving.

I think that's the key to fandom happiness. Regardless of what's happened or will happen, in the end, the choice of how we decide to live out our time and experience in this fandom, the content we create, curate and consume is ours alone to make.

Lady Danger - Thank the Lort for the ladies of this blog - I would’ve peaced out of this fandom ages ago otherwise.

Ruby Woo -

I love my peeps 😊!

[elizabethrobertajones]

It is I, plot twisty. I was wondering if you could link me to some stuff you have written about Castiel's trench coat (bc I'm 99% sure you have) I'm just so excited because I love the new one so much. Also, I happen to be the person asking about the Winchesters and plaid shirts in season 12. I loved the way you analyzed the clothes of the characters and your attention to detail, because that stuff mostly remains unseen by my humble eyes. (Also I think you have a tag for the clothes stuff?!?)

Aaah hi! Were you why I wrote a 1000 mile long post with a screen cap of every shirt Mary wore in season 12? You are most welcome back in my inbox, that was a ton of fun :D 

I think my trenchcoat tag (the serious one not the “sam shoe saga” where all the fashion nonsense goes) has largely got other people’s meta in it because so much awesome stuff has been written before I ever got there so I mostly just summarise what everyone else has said when asked :P It’s like the Car Is Dean’s Soul thing: I’m 100% behind it but other people are way more into it so… :P I mean I will write the trenchcoat stuff and sob about it but @floatingaboveclouds​ really picked it up a while back (and sadly she’s been not around much lately) and at the moment @gneisscastiel​ is sobbing about it all the time. 

Aah my “trenchcoat meta” tag isn’t even on my tag list… See, there’s always something :P

http://floatingaboveclouds.tumblr.com/post/100097338173/cas-trench-coat-meta

This is what I always think of as the Definitive Trenchcoat Meta just because I read it first, ages ago, and it really got me into it :P 

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/133234217428/excuse-me-while-i-need-a-moment

Some thoughts about VERY early Cas and coat stuff.

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/96865417548/interruptingpanda-savingsammyhuntingdestiel

Me being sad about it in 7x17

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/147044421392/dustydreamsanddirtyscars-8x07-a-little-slice

A season 8/9x01 look at it (I mean… written at LEAST after season 10 if I remember but from the POV of 8x07 about the early Carver era trenchcoat stuff we usually skip before going right to the new trenchcoat and all the nonsense they use it for :P)

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/105554354818/today-is-one-of-those-days-i-find-myself-having-a

Oh and more on the original coat and Cas’s identity (circa 9x23 at least)

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/117930210038/jimmys-clothing-meta-10x20-edition

Some overview on Cas up to 9x09 and Jimmy in general

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/149775846930/castiel-knight-of-hell-i-know-we-all-miss

This is a like 1 line meta on the new coat in 9x10

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/161446778708/littlehollyleaf-neven-ebrez-cas-jacket-is

Here’s a season 9 original - I think the first post really yelling about the discovery of the plaid under the collar!

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/164795829481/mittensmorgul-littlehollyleaf-drsilverfish 

This is a great one from 9x18 when it aired that I stumbled on recently but remember reading at the time so it was one of my Formative Meta Experiences (I just didn’t reblog a whole lot until the season 9-10 hiatus really started so all this great stuff is kind of lost to time to me unless I’m blog snooping and stumble on it >.> Thankfully I blog snoop a lot.)

I’m so frustrated because I can’t find my reblog (if I ever did) of the deleted scene gifs of Cas sewing the trenchcoat with commentary about him doing Human Things™… >.> My blog from before like… late season 10/the hiatus after… is really badly tagged so the good stuff is all a mystery :P

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/130068247568/littlehollyleaf-4persephone-i-actually-find

(I found another!)

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/97817693623/a-deep-shade-of-blue-is-always-there

Here’s a season 9-10 hiatus post from me where I talk about how the combination of coat and song got me to ship Destiel textually because it was all so intrinsically linked and the whole deeper symbolism of what the coat means to Cas and how the lyrics in that song used it.

https://justanotheridijiton.tumblr.com/post/98218136134

And the no need for words version… >.>

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/163908715733/gneisscastiel-replied-to-your-post

This one I wrote myself recently about Metatron in 9x22 trying on the coat and what I thought it meant in this context (as you can see I am still basically in a season 9 mindset about it :P)

https://justanotheridijiton.tumblr.com/post/142607939029/the-plaid-trenchie

Mel has all the gratuitous plaid shots…

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/101030511793/deathbyspookyopen-hallowedbecastiel-10x02

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/100110462763/can-we-talk-about-how-as-soon-as-cas-went-through

This from 10x02 but the first doesn’t take into account that in the shot of Hannah putting the coat over Cas WE can see the plaid, I guess just from her perspective she misses it or doesn’t understand the symbolism (especially not that everyone leaped on the meta idea of “being draped in the flag of heaven” and what her actions were doing :P) - Floatingaboveclouds’s original Trenchcoat Meta is circa this episode and explains it best and it’s sort of the words in the back of my head about that scene all the time now.

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/147389591616/cas-crowley-trench-coats-and-parallels

Something from 10x14 which makes perfect sense because the new trenchcoat was from 9x10 but I just skim read the post and I’m not 100% sure they really got into it like I would have…

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/116643283603/cas-trench-coat-meta-10x18-edition

For 10x18 and Cas taking off his coat there :D

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/131414819958/cas-trench-coat-meta-11x02-edition

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/131982763978/cas-clothing-meta-11x03-edition-part-1

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/131983260278/cas-clothing-meta-11x03-edition-part-2

Some early season 11 meta!

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/138413634723/heey-i-rewatched-11x06-and-i-think-cas-is

Some thoughts about Cas in the start of season 11 and parallels to Casifer and how he was wearing Cas’s clothes…

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/139716966318/why-is-casifer-shown-wearing-the-coat-in-the-next

11x15 and some more thoughts on Casifer

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/158190035758/do-you-think-cas-would-change-into-another-outfit

This is from earlier this hiatus giving an overview but I think I should add now with hindsight, talking about a full wardrobe upheaval, because there’s obviously different meaning in Cas going right back to something nearly identical to his original get up, and I’d rather muse on what that means when I know HOW he ends up with his new costume for season 13, so that’s a meta I’ll only write after 13x06. No leather jacket yet. >.> 

Here’s some interesting takes on it with a different perspective:

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/163901981347/a-study-in-trench-coat

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/163903036052/heya-hope-youre-having-a-good-day-onwards-with

https://elizabethrobertajones.tumblr.com/post/163786906919/gneisscastiel-as-season-13-approaches-i-have

All of this is informing my thoughts right now on it and I know there’s a bunch of meta I missed… I mean just scrolling these posts I’m sure there’s gaps in trenchcoat-related events that I or others have talked about and uuugh even when I try and collect all the meta I’ve tagged badly in the past or was too shy when I was new to fandom and missed a whole bunch of the most important posts at the end of season 9 which drastically shaped how I read the show… I’m always happy to talk MORE about it :P

I guess adding this all up the one thing I can say about the new trenchcoat for season 13 is that is it a trenchcoat and that means it carries all this baggage, just as the 2nd one carried the baggage of the first, but it’s in a different form. If Cas picked it for himself, it will be like 9x10 and 8x07, where he chooses to go back to the original look. If it’s picked for him it will be a different story - more like 7x17 or 9x18 or 11x06 - times when he put the coat on hesitantly or was given a strong push to go for a choice that wasn’t particularly a choice, or because someone else was shaping his image for him. 

10x01-3 especially were LADEN with Cas identity stuff and included a lot of messing around with the trenchcoat, and it was also the first part of the show I enjoyed in fandom meta-ing with everyone else, so I have ideas about it very planted in my head :P I think I will always associate it with his angelic identity as the “flag of heaven” because of the 9x18/9x22/9x23 synergy about Cas, Metatron, and all the stuff going on between them. I think that whole chunk of the show with 9x14 as an outlier on one end and 10x18 on the other but mostly the end of season 9 and start of season 10 separated Cas out to tell a very specific story about who he was and what he wanted, and the trenchcoat played a huge part in that symbolism. And that starts with him picking a new one in 9x10 when re-asserting his angel identity (after joining in as a hunter in 9x09 in the same get up including the season 10-12 tie in an early appearance) and that act in itself was a sort of “be useful to the Winchesters or die human” scenario, and so I think like Dean on the phone in 9x09, I am very suspicious about Cas’s choice actually saying anything about what he WANTS when it comes to his identity, and the main block of episodes about this unpack it a lot more…

If Cas comes back in a new trenchcoat which is like the original flavour one, it might be like what it was used for in 8x07 - a “everything is okay” red flag that Cas put himself back together for appearances’ sake but of course he was being controlled by Naomi and it was the first scene Dean voices his immediate suspicions Cas did not come back naturally and there was something fishy about it - which of course he carries on worrying about until the Crypt Scene when it all becomes clear, and then Cas only stays in that outfit a handful more episodes until he becomes human and has to pick drinking water over maintaining the image and wearing his original battle armour.

There’s also the fact the trenchcoat IS the original battle armour to him and like in 9x18 or 11x06 the new one at very least feels like armour and we can see him using it as that emotionally… It’s not a bad thing for him to have a new old trenchcoat style to mimic how he used to be if it’s for his own strength and comfort… I just think that overall he’s headed in a different way than staying in the trenchcoat forever and a 3rd variation is going to be fascinating. I hope there’ll be a lot to comment on, like with the 2nd one when it was new there was like 2 seasons of heavy exploration of it as a meta subject before they sort of chilled out again and it became a more incidental feature. Or the times Cas had the original restored to him or like how it looked in Purgatory (see! even more incidents I couldn’t quickly find a post on :P)

And of course there’s the mystery about what Cas might wear while he’s dead, why he’s in a $2600 suit in the first scene of 13x06, and so on and so on. Season 13 has SO many more ways to fuck with us before we get to the new coat :P 

[hekateinhell]

I knelt with my hands before me on the floor and I looked at him. He was placid, still, both blue eyes equally clear as if one had never been torn from his face. He stared through me, as we say, and on and on, and out of a mind that seemed as empty as a dead chrysalis.

His hair was mussed and fall of dust. Not even his cold, hateful Mother had combed it, I supposed, and it infuriated me, but then in a frosty flash of emotion, she said hissingly:

"He will not let anyone touch him, Armand." Her distant voice echoed deeply in the hollow of the chapel. "If you try it, you will soon find out for yourself."

But then Lestat let Armand touch him. 🥹

Also, I just want to say that it's so interesting how VC fandom in general tends not be very experimental when I compare us to other fandoms! The variation in ao3 offerings and tags outside of VC makes me weep. 😂

We have Loustat, Devil's Minion, (Armand/Marius to an extent but more so back in the LJ days), and everything else is sort of seen as an outlier. Which is wild because Anne was nothing if not daring in her work, and it's an absolute fucking kind of a bummer that we don't see that reflected in fandom as much as you'd think.

I do feel like that's starting to change a bit though--I'm definitely eating well in terms of content lately! ❤️ And I think that if you create what you want to consume, other people will notice and some will join in.

What are some of your fave headcanons/meta you'd give to someone who is lestat/armand curious but doesn't know where to begin with them? (it's me, I'm the lestat/armand curious one)

I didn't realize this until it was pointed out to me, but I always tend to approach this ship/pairing from a post-canon perspective. And hear me out--given that there are entire segments of other fandoms that have zines and cons dedicated to ships that have much less to go off of--I really don't think Lestat/Armand is that big of a reach, considering the obvious? For me, it's where I get to be creative and also extremely self-indulgent (but at least I'm self-aware?).

HCs:

Initially, it would take some time for Lestat to admit to the feelings he has for Armand canonically. But he might find it easier to express his affections nonverbally through a telepathic communication here or a lingering touch there.

Armand says in TVA that Lestat "had given" Shakespeare to him and that he reads Shakespeare whenever he has a "bellyful of despair." Now, Lestat slips him little quotes he's scribbled out onto pieces of paper and hopes Armand likes them. It's equal parts romantic and melodramatic.

They'll eventually have to... communicate re: their Mutual Marius Issues™️, which will be excruciatingly painful but cathartic. Here's where they can actually start moving forward.

Gift-giving is a large part of both of their love languages and they treat it as a competition; Lestat does finally get to polish and dress Armand up the way he said he wanted to in MtD.

In that vein, physical touch and caretaking would also be love languages for them. Remember how upset Armand was when he saw Lestat lying on the church floor and noticed that his hair was left uncombed? Appearances are important to both of them, but especially to Armand who spent 300 years dusty, ragged, and unkempt underground. He would want to brush Lestat's hair every night and Lestat would let him. Lestat's the possessive one and Armand's the overprotective one.

Armand could use his powers to create soothing illusions for Lestat when he's feeling stressed re: court and/or having a PTSD moment (think like a therapeutic calming room for a child). Lestat would comfort Armand with physical embraces (like when Armand's crying and clinging to him after Marius is kidnapped in BC).

Given that they're two of the youngest ones in mortal age within their close circle (excluding Benji and Antoine), they would bond over their almost childlike innocence and wonder (and confusion) when it comes to modern mortal innovations.

Lestat admits in the PL-trilogy to liking Armand's taste in interior design, and I imagine their house would be the bougiest one out of all of the ships' by far.

The Fast-Food Meta

(one day I'll write a proper dissertation but that day will not be today)

In-text, they're both attracted to each other, they kiss and admit to loving each other (several times), and consider each other family. They have so much history and so much in common in terms of their early life traumas (abusive childhoods, religious influences). As much as they clash and contrast, they also complement each other very well.

A large part of the draw for me with this ship is how they would exist outside of the maker/fledgling power dynamic--it's something Armand avoids and Lestat craves, and it's why I think it would be such a surrender for Lestat to intimately bond with someone that he doesn't weld such a significant power advantage over. Armand's always given Lestat a fair fight and a run for his money and that's intimidating to Lestat (rightfully so, even though he can respect and appreciate it).

Even if they're unmatched physically, Armand can balance that out easily with his mental gifts and wisdom combined with his basic understanding of Lestat. Lestat can't control Armand and furthermore, he doesn't want to! The only control Lestat would ever have over Armand is what Armand would permit him to have. Think about it... Armand's fiercely independent. Marius tried and failed to beat submission into him and Santino, of course, took it to another level. But with Lestat, Louis, and (human) Daniel, it's still a choice of when and how Armand's surrendering his power.

Adding another layer to this is the telepathic connection Lestat and Armand have (something Lestat cannot have with any of his fledglings and the same goes for Armand with Marius and Daniel). I think it would be an incredibly healing experience--such a comfort and security to both of them--if they existed in a relationship where that mental link wasn't removed from the equation. It's something I love to explore whenever I write A/L (psychological dynamics are where I live). Somewhat related: Lestat has never "written" from Armand's POV the way he has Daniel's, Marius's, and Louis's. Either Armand keeps his mind locked tighter than a steel trap around him or Lestat knows better than to go there.

Lastly, Armand finally snapped and told that boy to grow up and Lestat started making an effort the very next day.