#I've been able to meet so many nice people in this fandom

[doughguts-art]

Its been a while! Hope your doing good!

Anyways i was always curious what inspired your artstyle, and why did you buy Bandit?

Oh and here are some pictures of my cat Freya

I'm doing well! Thank you for your questions, and your cat is super adorable!!

Style inspiration is difficult to pin down as I'm not quite sure how to define my own style lol. That being said, sirfluff and portablebread have been really big influences, since I really admire their work. I usually point to them with how I draw eyes and sharp teeth. For OFF related stuff specifically, big inspo is Xintestsu, love his stuff and CONFINIUM is freaking goals.

As for the Bandit question, that has a simple answer with a complex explanation:

I bought Bandit because I really like elsens and he was an elsen. I did not know his history in the fandom when I expressed my interest to purchase him, as I was a fan of OFF for just about a year at that point and wasn't aware of the greater fandom/fangames. I really like elsens, and had (still have) a horde of them for personal stories and drawing, so when I saw another cool elsen that seemed to be up for sale, I jumped at the chance to get him. I got him, and THEN played the games/discovered who I exactly got. It wasn't any motivation of "ooh famous elsen! gimme!", really it was just luck and the creator (Driftstar)'s willingness to sell that allowed me to come into ownership of the 'famous' elsen lol. Louis on the other hand was a fully knowledgeable purchase, because I was interested in keeping the two together. In my viewing of the fandom, they've always been associated closely with eachother. They were the only identifiable elsens* that specifically showed up in UNKNOWN. As Driftstar had created Louis, and Louis was removed from Hugginverse canon in 2019 along with Bandit and Charlotte, he was no longer in use (since Drift has pretty much distanced himself from fandom spaces). I recently recognized that, and asked Drift if he'd be willing to sell Louis too. He was kind enough to accept my offer, and that's how I came into Louis' ownership as well. I am excited to continue to develop both of them further!

Hope this was informative, let me know if you have any questions / want any clarifications. I know Louis wasn't a part of the initial ask, but I felt it was an important addition to explain how I got him as well (since, they're linked in other ways anyway haha).

*(aka different facesprites, Ryker and Todd are other named elsens that showed up in later Hugginverse titles, but they did not have unique facesprites)

didn't just want to send out a huge block of text without an image, so here's a drawing Driftstar created of the two dudes

[pyrriax]

ANYWHO goodnight tumblr i'll be back on the art grind tomorrow i think 🙏

[dogcircle-scans]

I'm really curious to know if you have officially dropped the manga. If so (and even if not obvs), I'd just like to thank you for so many amazing years of awesome translations. This manga may not be very popular in the west but I'm glad you kept bringing it for so many of us

Hey, sorry for just now seeing this even though this question was sent back in late November.

No, we haven't officially dropped the manga, and Idk if any group has picked up the series while I was gone. Emphasis on the "I" because our absence was not a consenting choice made by anyone else in this group. So if anyone harbors any kind of resentment, then do not direct it towards anyone but me. If we ever decide to officially drop the series, I'll make an official announcement on this blog. To be honest, I wasn't really gonna make much hubbub about a comeback and just post a chapter as if no time had passed. But, because I got this question and you were very nice about it. I'll give some insight.

- 🦙

The only reason I'm an active part of this fandom (any fandom now really) despite it being against my lurker nature and excessive anxiety issues is because I was encouraged to do so by a friend. If you know me from Discord, then you probably know that aside from running this blog, I'm leader of the scan group and owner of its server, I'm even an admin for the Natsume fan server which is its own separate thing.

I don't know if that sounds already sounds overwhelming, but just to scare you, I also proofread the scripts so the dialogue sounds natural and act as quality checker for each chapter. This means cleaning/redrawing sections of pages if the CLDR forgot or didn't meet the standard of quality I'm looking for. Similar with typesetting, I'll rearrange the text if I feel it could be done better. I'm also the main SFX person. When it comes to the scan server, outside of running and maintaining it, I also act as mod to make sure people aren't posting anything inappropriate or inoffensive + setting up bots and permissions.

When I was in High School and even during my early years of college, I could manage it cause I had the support and energy for it. Plus, my love for Natsume was scary intense. So when life got hard, I found that working on scans acted as a lifeline.

Then I had a messy fallout with the friend who prompted all of this, and things shifted. It didn't help that things in my personal life got really bad and more or less stayed that way for 2/3 years. And because of the association, and the guilt of falling behind, working on Natsume was no longer a stress-relieving activity. It became the source of my stress. I ran away because I was scared and overwhelmed. It wasn't healthy and it only made things worse, honestly.

But, I've been really hard on myself over this past year, and I finally reached the point of wanting to come back, but the guilt from being a deadbeat was still eating me alive. Then I got really sick at the start of this month, and I'm no lie, I'm still sick... but that gave me a lot of time to think and reevaluate all kinds of things. Because honestly? I miss working on scans and the collaborative aspect that I fell in love with because of Natsume.

And literally just this past Saturday/Sunday night, I sent a message to the group, apologizing for what I did and provided a similar explanation of why I did what I did. I trying it as just an explanation and not an excuse - I hope I was able to do that here too.

I told my group to give me several days before I actually start working on scans again, though, because it'll allow me to catch up with everything and figure out what needs to be done next, and it'll also give me more time to recover.

Thank you once again for being kind and understanding! I really appreciate it 🥹💚

[viperbunnies]

It's officially New years for me here! I am not the best at words, but I'm thankful for the support that I've received for the short amount of time that I've started posting art more often.

What started off as me wanting to just Archive some art I'm proud of snowballed to so many memories that I'll look back fondly to, so many silly ideas that breached containment that I remember seeing people do (Like the draw your oc reacting to their fave card that me and addie just talked about as a joke, and the Shroompocalypse that was just meant to be an Jade stealing people's yume joke)

I'm glad that I met so many amazing people and discovered new artists on this site! With that said I want to drop a few words of thanks to some of the amazing people that I've met here <3

Firstly, thank you to @oya-oya-okay being my first ever follower and mutual! If it weren't for you sharing my art I wouldn't be able to meet so many of my moots, your words of encouragement means a lot to me (and to other people that you also support!) I wish you well in life!

Thank you to @natsukishinomiyaswife ! If it weren't for you reaching out to me back then I probably would've continued lurking. You're a dear friend to me and I enjoy our random talks! May it be about life, or our own interests 💕 I hope the new year treats you kindly.

Thank you to @justm3di0cr3 ! For giving me so many ideas (some I've yet to finish...) and for listening to me whatever the topic maybe. I'm thankful that I met you! You're such a considerate person, always checking in on me whenever I feel down. If something's bugging you, I'm always all ears!

Thank you to @scint1llat3 , your overwhelming support has helped me so much. It's always fun seeing your currynoodles, and just your art in general. But it's just as fun just reading your thoughts! Your comments/tags are always so fun to read 😭 I hope you never get tired doing what you love! Labyu lodicakes (/p) kain ka ng madaming pansit sa new years for long life

Thank you to @jovieinramshackle ! I remember feeling so scared due to some inevitable changes, but seeing your general words of encouragement during that time helped me so much. Wishing you the best on your journey as well!

Thank you to @fell-e ! Your keysmashes and memes are so fun to see 😭 Genuinely need to know how you make them so quickly. Thank you as well for being my earliest supporters, I probably would've been burnt out so quickly if you didn't show genuine interest in my arts.

Thank you to @part-sadist ! For the laughs that you give me from your silly sketches, and for acknowledging some of my ideas. You've contributed so much ideas to my to do list as well, to the point that I don't think I'm gonna run out of any drawing prompts any time soon (They just need to give me the time already...)

Thank you to @taruruchi ! for being one of my earliest supporters, it's just so nice to see someone with similar interests as me! I still have so many Oz and Taru interactions that I want to make, so I hope you look forward to them hehe.

Thank you to @jadelover69 (i miss your old name /j) Thank you as well for your overwhelming support! I love seeing the things you rb on my tl, may it be twst or different fandoms you're interested in. They help lighten up my mood whenever I need it!

Thank you to @the-travelling-witch ! We haven't been mutuals for long, but you've always been so supportive of me! Thank you for showing genuine interests in my ocs! And for sharing me rambles about yours as well! If you ever get any new ideas, I'd love to hear them :> (Probably not asap due to Timezones and schedules, but of course I'll get to you soon!)

Thank you to my friend (alias Melone) If you see this I hope you know that I'm thankful that you pushed me to draw more. You'll always be my no. 1 hypeman, and I wish we can spend more time together soon. 2024 really is cursed-- our annual meetup didn't happen 😔 I hope we can meet soon! I still need to give you my gifts from your birthday.

If I could add everyone I've met here I genuinely would 😭 I love all of my moots/supporters /p.

Honestly I feel like I'm more cynical qnd negative irl... due to many reasons, but perhaps it's due to the people that I've met here that I'e had such a positive influence, which I'm honestly so thankful for. It's helped a lot with my personal struggles.

If you've made it this far, I hope you know that life gets better. A struggle today, doesn't determine the wind's path tomorrow. Wishing you all Happy new years! I hope that this coming year will be kind to us as all ^^

[zylphiacrowley]

Template made by Ikara over on bsky.

Now with personal blah blah blah under the cut!

I don't think I've ever been able to do one of the "A look back on the year" type of things for any creative endeavor I've ever done, so it was nice that I was able to do so since I went all-in on gposing.

It's been such a fun year gposing and getting more involved in the community and meeting so many wonderful people and making so many new friends! I legitimately could've never imagined something I did for fun would resonate with others as much as it has, and while I'm not some big name in the fandom, I'm still so thankful for the XIV tumblr community being so kind and supportive to me and each other!

Might do a second one that isn't solely wolship focused when I have more time since putting this together was such a nice little way to reflect on the stuff I've done this year.

[aziraphales-library]

Lost Fic #216

1. Hi sorry to bother ,i am searching for a GO Fanfiction were crowley and aziraphael are in different rival Motorcycle clubs gangs. Thanks for your help - @totheworld234

2. Hello, dear people! I love the fine work you do. I'm searching for a fic I remember reading: it's a human AU kid fic in which Beelzbub's son is Crowley and he is having a terrible time at school because of the way the teachers and staff treat him and he runs away and goes home. Beelzebub enrolls him in a school run by Madame Tracy, he meets Aziraphale, and nice Beelzebub meets nice Gabriel! Either way, I'm so happy for the wonderful resource you provide. I have found so many great fics from you. - @octarinecatwoman

3. There are two fics I've read in which Aziraphale said "Be not afraid" to Crowley before giving him grace. I think they both had Crowley ask for Aziraphale to perform a grace on him, but I'm not certain. I know they both included sex or an orgasm or an equivalent physical sensation as a result of the grace. One of them is called "you're not a religious person (but)" by isozyme. I CAN'T FIND THE OTHER ONE. I think there were seven different phases, or steps, of grace in the one I can't find. I've searched AO3 with Good Omens as the fandom and "be not afraid" as "any text" with no luck. I'm so afraid it was deleted. Do you know the fic I'm looking for? - anon

4. Hi folks! I'm looking for a fic I read a while ago (although I'm not sure when it was actually written), set just after the world doesn't end. Aziraphale and Crowley go to the Ritz to celebrate, then as they're leaving, Crowley collapses. They go back to the bookshop so he can rest. He mentions he's fallen over five times recently, and while he's asleep Aziraphale tries to make a numbered list of the five times, but can't think of the last one so he just puts '5. ?' (It's when the bookshop burned down). I can't remember the rating, but it definitely wasn't E, and there was no smut or anything. I can't remember the exact length either, but it was definitely over 1000 words, probably over 2000. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance! Also I would just like to say how much I love this blog - I've got several good recommendations from it and it's so well organised! - @crowleys-yucca-plant

5. Hi, first of all thank you for all your work! The whole team behind this blog is a godsend to the fandom. Now I've been searching everywhere a fic in which Crowley enters a Church with Aziraphale's dying in his arms and he pleads God to save him. I remember specifically the lines "I'll repent." He would sing harmonies until his vocal chords gave up if it meant Aziraphale lived. He gets no answer, gets angry and spat "You're not going to do anything? I thought you were on the side of-" He stops himself and then God asks him "on the side of what?" Crowley goes "You know what." "I want you to say it." "On the side of love." And then God saves Aziraphale. I believe it was a Gen one-shot but now I'm not so sure as I haven't been able to find it. Thank you in advance for your time. Have a great day! - anon

If you know any of these fics please include the number in your reply! Thank you :)

- Mod D

[eybefioro]

I saw @captainblou doing this one and thought, why not? Heh

I'm. I'm a bit scared that my word count for 2024 is almost 122k. Omg. (There's a couple collabs in there but still... THAT IS A LOT.) I didn't notice I had written that much.

This year has been an adventure for me. If you asked me last year what I imagined I'd be doing this year, I mever would've said writing. I never even dreamed I'd be writing, not this much, not in English. I've discovered that yes I can write, I can finish things, I can do some cool stuff too.

Fandom has been by far the best thing from my 2024. It's been an outlet for my creative energy, and a sandbox where I can truly feel free. I've been able to explore so much, in a way that I never allowed myself before. I've written poetry, ficlets, long fics, smut, fluff, angst... I HAVE BEEN DRAWING. WTF. This is insane.

But above all, I never thought I'd make so many friends, meet so many wonderful people. If my 2024 was nice, and my experience in fandom awesome, it's because of yall.

First, thank you to @goodomensafterdark community. Everyone there is such a creative force, and so welcoming and nice. If I felt comfortable writing smut was because everyone there is so supportive, and without that I wouldn't be writing this much today. On that note, thank you @kotias . YOU KNOW WHY

@crowleys-bentley-and-plants YOUR POEMS, MY BELOVED. You know what they do to me. @fearandhatred your freaking writing&art turning my heart in a bleeding pulp. @captainblou matching my freak and making me weep. @itsscottiesstark making me cry out of FLUFF. @elenthyaolyenths also making me cry with her art and her fics. (WHY ARE THE FIVE OF YOU ALWAYS MAKING ME CRY WHAT IS THIS????) – but what I really need to thank you five for is being such amazing friends. You are all so supportive, so caring, so truly, truly awesome. I feel so loved everytime I talk to one of you. (And here I will also thank the TNAN server. Truly radiating love that place XD )

I could tag many people more; there's so many of you that even if I don't talk much always brighten my day and fuel my creativity. So many artists, so many writers, so many video markers, meta/theory writers, and blogs...

I love yall. Thank you for 2024 💛 hope I can do this again next year!!!!!!!

Thank you Sam @ineffabildaddy for the template (and for your fics. Omg. Yall. If you haven't read his fics what are you even doing... Sam is one of those amazing writers that is constantly making my brain go into overdrive)

[lolotr]

fanfic author 20 questions!

I am late to the party, but i was tagged by @shadowquill17, thanks my love <3 <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

51

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

162,166 total words! Not too shabby

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written for a bunch of fandoms, but these days it's mostly Dead Boy Detectives. in theory i have other fandoms, but none that i'm so feral for at the moment

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

all of them are DBD which is kind of astonishing to me, this fandom never ceases to amaze 1. after the insects have laid their claim 2. like breathing 3. terms of endearment 4. a certain step towards falling in love 5. you can throw a party full of everyone you know

5. Do you respond to comments?

yes, every single one, no matter how old the fic is! i might be a little slow or miss one every so often, but i really try hard to respond to every one i get. comments mean the absolute world to me, so i want to thank everyone who takes time out of their day to tell me they enjoyed my work <3 <3 i also LOVE when fanfic writers respond to me, so i assume other people do, too

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

i am an angst with a happy ending sort of bitch, but probably one of the fics i wrote during the Nothing Much To Do Radio Silence (TM) when we were all losing our minds with no updates. haven't read those in forever, so maybe Something to Do, Someone to Blame? or maybe it isn't cinema that i wrote for Nothing Like the Sun? or maybe Tropes for Keleidotrope?

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

gosh, so many. again, i write mostly happy ending stuff, so it's hard to pick just one. maybe my fourth favorite public building to visit, if i had to pick one that hasn't been mentioned already. though after the insects have laid their claim has a VERY happy and corny ending that i will forever be proud of haha

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, thank goodness

9. Do you write smut?

yeah! i'm new to it, but it's a lot of fun

10. Do you write crossovers?

not usually, but i'll stick characters from one universe into a similar universe because something resonates (like Heartstopper Squared or The Quest of the Maddening Mace), but i don't usually write characters meeting or anything like that.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of! *fingers crossed*

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but if anyone wants to do so, just make sure to tag me in it and go right ahead!

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

yeah! i have stuff in progress (that we haven't worked on in a while sorry @courfaeriedust) but i've also definitely written collabs that i've published, i think?

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Charles and Edwin from Dead Boy Detectives have such a special place in my heart, and I really hope this hyperfixation doesn't go anywhere, but in terms of pure longevity? Merlin and Arthur from BBC Merlin. I've been reading that shit for a decade. Special shoutout to Alex and Henry from Red, White, and Royal Blue, and Drew and Harrison from Keleidotrope, because I'm still insane about you all too, don't worry.

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

THAT IS QUITTER TALK AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT. but to give a kind of cutesie answer, i'm not sure i'll ever be done with the libraryverse. there's so much story there, and i keep having ideas for it, so maybe i'll be able to keep playing in it forever. that would be kind of nice.

16. What are your writing strengths?

why are you making me say nice things about myself. why. overall, i think i'm good at dialogue. i actually wrote a whole manuscript in instant messages because i love writing dialogue so much. i'm pretty good at getting into characters' voices, whether they're my own or someone else's, and i find a lot of joy in writing everything from banter to flirting to meaningful conversations (but some of those are easier than others lol)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

action, descriptions, things that aren't dialogue. i also tend to keep my writing kind of short, so i don't always allow for moments to breathe the way they should.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

woooooof the only other language i speak is hebrew (and not amazingly well) so probably not. if i ever got good enough at another language, maybe? but english is my first and by far my strongest language, so I don't think i'd ever be able to express myself well

19. First fandom you wrote for?

as far as i remember, Lord of the Rings. (no you will never find it.)

20. Favorite fics you’ve written?

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOOSE, THEY'RE ALL MY CHILDREN. how about this, you tell ME what your fave stories of mine are, because im tired of linking things. and because i thrive on praise lol

i am too lazy to tag people specifically, so anyone who writes fic is welcome to answer!

[bisonaari]

A love letter to this fandom

I feel mushy as well today hahaha

Like, I have never felt this much at home in a fandom. Genuinely, checking what yall say in the tag are my best moments of the day. I had been feeling a bit blue for the last year. There was a separation between me and some of my previous irl friendship groups, as we just grew up as different people over the decade. So I was feeling quite lonely.

Then before I know it, I start recognizing urls and profile pics on tumblr. I had so many genuine laughs while looking at my phone since march because yall are so fucking funny. You are so talented, I have never been exposed to so much gorgeous art on a daily basis. And it's uplifting art? I never feel like I'm not talented enough, I just want to get better so one day I'll be able to draw like that. Never felt like that in my entire life.

So many of you now genuinely feel like friends. I just feel so full of love when I think about all of you and sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. My dms and notes are full of people that I want nothing more than get them in a bone crushing hug

I've learned so much about other cultures here because you're always enthusiastic about sharing stuff from where you're from. Learning about languages I didn't know getting to tell people about my own language, getting to hear people talk in accents I had never heard before

We share music and videos and art and nice words and selfies and joy and support

I'm so glad we all found each other. I'm so glad Jere came into our lives at the right moment so we got to meet each other.

Thank you everyone, there are only so many ways to tell you how much I love you.

No matter if we're mutuals and talks in dms or if you're just liking my posts from time to time. I love you so, so much

[murderbot-moodboard]

EMDR therapy update (no trauma details, just discussion of recovery strategies): This past week, several days after my latest therapy session, I was able to make myself feel safe while in an actively triggering situation, which I've never done before.

I knew why I was triggered and that my feelings had nothing to do with the danger level of what was currently happening. I used the tools and strategies I've learned in therapy, like noticing what I was feeling in my body, and identifying what I was afraid of happening, and telling myself that I was going to take care of myself, and thinking of specific things I would do to meet my needs if necessary. I then proceeded through the situation as though I felt safe, and I was able to ride out the physical fear reaction until I really did feel safe. After that, I just... completely stopped experiencing the situation as a trigger.

I know this is exactly what I started trauma therapy for, but I'm still finding it hard to believe that I was able to change how my brain and body were reacting in the moment. Usually when my nervous system is in "flight" mode, at best I can compartmentalize and push through what I'm feeling while still feeling it, and at worst I shut down into "freeze" mode. This time, I systematically deactivated the trauma response until my nervous system fully switched into a safe state, and all that was left over were the "residual chemicals," as I think Murderbot calls them. Reaching this point in my recovery is kind of a big deal, and I'm going to figure out something I can do to celebrate.

Also, a couple weeks ago my therapist said that based on my progress, I can probably finish this more intensive weekly therapy by the end of the year, and move to just having maintenance appointments as needed. I've been going to trauma therapy every week (with a break here and there) for almost six months now, and doing EMDR specifically for about a month and a half.

The four months prior to starting EMDR, we worked on polyvagal theory (navigating the fight/flight, freeze, and safe state of the vagus nerve) and constructed awareness (noticing and describing how emotions feel in your body, the sensory data in your environment, and the sensory data in your thoughts and memories). That work was really helpful to do, especially for me as an autistic person who has trouble identifying what I'm feeling (alexythymia). That foundation has given me the tools I've needed to identify what I'm feeling during EMDR, and identify and manage what I'm feeling in daily life as things come up.

Anyway, just wanted to share a bit about what I'm learning and experiencing while it's still fresh. I'm looking into how to become an advocate for getting people with disabilities (including neurodivergence and chronic illness) more access to trauma therapy, because disability trauma is very common, and based on my own experience, I believe disability trauma contributes a lot to the high levels of depression in many disabled people. So it's been really nice to have this space in the Murderbot fandom community, which is so accepting and supportive, and be able to occasionally share updates with y'all about how trauma therapy is going.

If you've made it to the end, thank you for reading, and I hope you take good care of yourself this week! 💜

[anendtopursuit]

ok i still haven't seen s2 of arcane yet (not for lack of wanting!!! believe me i am gnawing at the bars of my enclosure) but i still have so many thoughts and feelings abt how ppl talk abt viktor in this fandom, and also like. disability and ableism in general. like i have no idea what happened in s2 to have ppl suddenly discussing ableism more openly in relation to arcane but i find it kind of wild when ppl act like it's some new development when it's always been a theme, especially in relation to viktor and how piltover treats people who are different???

like yes viktor is looked down on for being a zaunite, but he's also looked down on for being disabled. he literally tells jayce that nobody believes in him bc he's "a poor cripple from the undercity". his first meeting with singed in 1x6 established that he didn't have much of a social life as a kid explicitly bc he was physically disabled. his whole storyline with the shimmer... i don't see how u can watch a disabled man augment his body with unstable technology in the interest of continuing to function and contribute to society in the same way his able bodied partner does and not think there's a LITTLE internalised ableism at play there. just a smidge. especially given how much real life people's worth is measured in their societal contributions and how many times i've heard genuinely eugenicist beliefs parroted by otherwise nice people because they can't see the value in a disabled person's life when they no longer contribute, like...

i'm glad that higher-ups in piltover not rlly considering the accessibility needs of disabled folks bc they themselves aren't disabled is a thing that we're talking about (because that is So Real and so prevalent nowadays after the influx of people becoming disabled from covid and realising that they had some biases to deconstruct) but also i've seen a concerning amount of people act like it's the first indication of systemic ableism in the whole series which just... is not true? though i could just be misreading whatever they're meaning to say idk

[thelordofgifs]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @sallysavestheday and @grey-gazania! I was eyeing this one and hoping for a tag, some great questions here.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 51, although one's a podfic.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 250,683. More than half of which is from last year alone!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently exclusively the Silmarillion, with the occasional little LoTR ficlet.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? the fairest stars, Inflection, an ancient song, all those that follow, Ilimbë. I'm always surprised by an ancient song's popularity – it was a pretty low-effort ficlet – but a solid list nonetheless!

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes, always! (Glances nervously at the pile I've accumulated in the last couple of weeks of travelling). I love replying to comments, though. It's so nice to be able to engage with all my lovely thoughtful readers and their excellent thoughts!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ever an anguish that pursued is pretty bleak. before the black gale is also a tragedy of sorts, though I'm not sure that makes it qualify as angsty as such.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Ilimbë ends quite joyfully, although while writing the final scene I did have the shadow of their unhappy future in mind! I think the cleaving's ending is also quite happy, or at the very least cathartic.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, thankfully! All my readers have been very kind and appreciative <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Three fics so far! All of which were gifts for friends, and made me push my boundaries a little. I'm proud of all of them, though! Smut is less scary than I used to think :)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? No, never! If I did, it would probably be more of a retelling/AU than straight-up having characters from different fandoms meet.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No – I fear I am rather too much of a control freak for this, and would rather not inflict myself and my pedantry on an unsuspecting co-writer.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Russingon... it's the forbidden romance and the doomed nature of it all and the fact that love wasn't enough to save them :( also the murders, of course.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? boats against the current, the "Maedhros doesn't swear the Oath" AU I blithely started back in 2022, is simply not going anywhere at any sort of speed. Perhaps this is the year! Let's see.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue and characterisation! I'm good at emotional beats, I think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description... I tend to write VERY minimally and then have to go back on edits and add in some descriptive language so that the entire story isn't just two talking heads in an empty room. Always very pleased when people compliment my descriptions for that reason – they take conscious effort!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Fine if it's footnoted, I think. I tend to avoid it on the basis that all the dialogue I write has been "translated" from one of Tolkien's languages anyway; and I don't know any real languages well enough to write fic in them.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Harry Potter, although I've soured on the fandom now for obvious reasons :/ For a while I used to think that I could still enjoy the books I loved so much growing up while separating them from the author, but she's so continually hateful and bigoted that I just... can't gain any enjoyment from the franchise anymore. Which is painful, but I'm glad I have the silm fandom to absorb all my creative energy now!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? the fairest stars! My weird gremlin baby, I love it so. I never expected to care about this fic as much as I did, but I've poured so much thought and heart into it that it was perhaps inevitable. And it's taught me so much about writing cliffhangers :)

No-pressure tags for @eilinelsghost, @searchingforserendipity25, @welcomingdisaster, @that-angry-noldo, @swanmaids, @echo-bleu, @jouissants, @tanoraqui and anyone else who, like me, was eyeing this one hoping to be tagged – @ me and say I tagged you!

[ekingston]

Love that post you just reblogged. One of my favourite things about fanfiction is that writers don't feel compelled to make every single thing progress the story or make some larger point. You guys give us lots of scenes that just show the characters interacting, or living, or that are just nice or sweet or funny. And we LOVE those. No need for a constant obsession with an overarching plot.

you! you get partial credit for the existence of Wit!

putting characters in a room together & seeing how they interact has always been my #1, no reservations, very favorite thing about fan fic. i don't think there's anything more valuable in this world than what happens between people, and in retrospect, it's probably no accident that the first fandom i wrote & published fic for was for a show that, for a little while at least, prided itself on focusing on 'the science' instead of the chemistry between its characters.*

when i got your ask last week it got me thinking about the type of fic i wrote most back then. we called them vignettes, in that corner of the internet: (usually) short fics made up of a series of snapshot-like, disjointed scenes that showed mainly moments of interaction or introspection, touching on the plot only as lightly as possible.

and i guess i got nostalgic? because here we are a week later, which i spent happily regressing, and that's what Wit became.

and it's funny, because i went on to ramble to my wife about it, and about how i used to think that writing requires a plot, and how so many people i've talked to have been looking for their story, this impossible, unique premise no one else has written yet, believing if they'd just be able to find that, then they would have their book. and i'm fully, 100% like, no. the story doesn't matter. it's how you write, what you choose to highlight. you could write about anything. you could write about two people meeting when they have to report for jury duty, and that's your story right there.

and then i had to write it, naturally.

i love life. and writing. i'm having one of those weeks, and i thank you very much for contributing to that. ❤️

-

*or that many years later i suffered the same fate for a show that very heavily hinted at a character dynamic it never made good on, but, you know.

[doxolove]

Loneliness-

(tw: mental health, trauma)

I started using the Internet at a young age to cure the loneliness around me. My parents were absent, I was incessantly bullied from second to sixth grade in elementary school. Being part of the county's first Spanish immersion program meant my bullies continued to be in my class every year.

The only thing they couldn't bully me over was art. They were nice to me when they wanted a power ranger or a Pokemon drawing– so it became a valuable tool for me to use.

I've used fandom and art most of my life to heal my own volatile attachment wounding. In conjunction to that, I developed severe codependency of anyone who gave me any time of day… It wasn't until I found myself again and again that being a ‘doormat’ for other people was/is exhausting. It wasn't until my best friend at the time said they used that to their advantage on purpose, that I started to feel disgusted at all.

Even after realizing this, I was still suffering from unchecked mental pain and trauma that I wasn't specially aware of. I let myself get into situations where this pain clashed severely against others around me. My pain in turn made me an ugly person.

I started to get help. I finally was diagnosed with depression and type 2 diabetes. The overwhelming exhaustion clouding me all hours of the day wasn't just my own apathy, it was an a1c of eleven, the cusp of a diabetic coma. This shook me to my core. With regular doctor visits and psychiatric evaluation, I finally have been able to regulate my blood sugar and non existent serotonin levels. Doing so shook me out of other things I was still doing. Things that still hurt me and those around me.

Not being aware of how bad I was at coping with my own traumas was a reality hard learned. I've lost so many friends from this negligence… But also? Lost more ‘friends’ when the free ride of using me as a doormat was over. That persons will try to punish you for setting boundaries. That it's your fault they can't cope with their own trauma a more healthy way.

That's fucking bullshit.

Everyone is exhausting. Dealing with yourself and your own traumas? Exhausting. But what came down as a more harsh reality, is that empathy for this doesn't exist in most people. That empathy itself, is something most will never achieve. I've always wondered why not very many want to understand why conflict actually exists, what two sides of an argument look like. What acknowledgement of miscommunication actually is. It's really sad. When things like purity policing, smear campaigning and becoming a flying monkey still exist? Nobody has actually grown out of bullying being a normal fucked up thing humans do to each other instead of communicating properly.

So it's come full circle– but I at least know why it's happening now. Strangers will find any excuse to push their own unchecked pain onto someone else, instead of resolving a core issue. There are people in this world who will never realize their pain will never be relieved from the unhealthy dismissal of responsibility for their own health and how they treat others.

Do I use the Internet to cure my loneliness still? Hell no. Does a vast majority still do? Yes. You can still meet genuine people through it, through community and play– but it's still your responsibility to make sure the way you cope with your own traumas doesn't become someone else's problem.

I no longer use my art to cure loneliness either– probably for the first time since I was very young. I'm unsure if I still want to put additional thoughts out in the open after being bullied off a platform– but I've always put them here. So this will probably be the last time I post them in the void.

I treasure everyone who's taken time to cure my loneliness for any brief moment of time, I still hold that close to my heart. I apologize for the pain miscommunication has caused between some of us, even if it's not my apology to give. So many met me while I was suffering and in a lot of pain… Your kindness gave me hope I'd find means to it's end. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to cope with my own traumas then.

I'm in a far better place now. I'm happy to exist along side people who genuinely love me. People who have proven communication can solve everything and not being afraid to be real and vulnerable. I am so very happy to be alive with them.

I have found value in myself, I've worked so very hard to understand my own traumas and shortcomings. Loving people in my life have taught me much better ways to cope. I'm still growing and learning, that will never stop.

Will I still share art online? Maybe. There's not a big desire to, nor will the urge to join communities ever surface again– generation gaps time and time again have proven so dangerous and disappointing. If I share art it's for the sake of sharing what gives me joy, there's no ulterior purpose anymore.

I would hope everyone will come this far and find healthy ways to cope and be happy, I know we all can do it if we believe we can.

[pinksaphira11]

The Appeal of Linked Universe

Been thinking about this for a little while; why is Linked Universe so well liked? I mean, there's plenty of other 'Links meet' AUs out there, and yet this is the one that got popular. Granted some of the others probably popped up because of LU but still; why? Well, I think I've figured it out.

Adherence to source material.

This is it, the whole thing making everyone love LU more than other AUs. (Probably.) Let me explain; it's fun to put your own spin on things, right? To change things up as you like and tweak things to fit your headcanons. Everyone does it, it's fun and makes things interesting and different. But in the case of these 'Links meet' AUs, I think it's hurting them. Why? Because it's not canon.

Now, I'm not saying adding all your own things is a bad thing. Quite the opposite, I love seeing what other people come up with! The creative ways they take things and the fun ideas they have can add a lot to the fandom and make things even more fun, so I'd like to encourage people to continue to add their own spins! But that doesn't change the fact that it's simply not going to resonate with quite as many people.

This is because they've changed too much. Some people simply won't like those changes, and so they won't read it. That's fine, they can just go read other stories that have the things they do want. But it does mean there will be less readers. That's where Linked Universe shines; it has only the source material, and that's it. Their designs may be a little different, with certain things exaggerated and what not, but that's just to get them to be more recognizable from each other. Besides their redesigns, nothing has changed. They're just Link.

That's the heart of it; all of them are just their respective Links. No added abilities. No added lore. No need to go read an in-depth page of backstory in order to know what's doing on. All you need to know is that the Links have all come together. That's it. You don't even need to know how or why. Heck, that hasn't even been explained yet. It's just more visually distinct Links hanging out for some reason. On some sorta adventure. And you let your imagination run wild from there. The only material that might be nice to know before reading it is it's source material; the games. That's all the context you'll need for why each Link behaves the way they do, and even then you really only need to know one game to be able to enjoy it. That's how I started, although I've since educated myself with more games.

There are SO MANY fics that have been made just based on the base concept alone. At first it was just Jojo doing little snippets too, just for fun, of things that could happen if they were traveling together. It's just, the normal Links from their games meeting. It's as simple as that. Granted a story has now been put into the works for it, but you can still enjoy the basic idea of it without needing to heed the story Jojo has come up with. Because at the end of the day it's just all the protagonists getting to interact and it's so fun getting to compare and contrast them with each other.

There's of course other things going for it; like Jojo's great art, characterization of the Links, and the splendid way it all flows, among other things I'm probably forgetting at the moment because it's getting late. (Late night thoughts strike again!) But I really do feel like the heart of it is that it's simple. Nothing complex or convoluted to the general, basic idea of it. They're just the Links you already love and know from the games. They happen to meet. And then whatever the heck you can imagine can happen, or you could read the story Jojo made for them instead. It's just a good time, particularly with some of the ideas the fandom has come up with for the AU.

That's why I think LU is more appealing than any other 'Links meet' AU out there. It's simple but effective and I think Jojo is doing great with it, she loves treating her fans and always adds little things in the background. Just, Jojo is great and Linked Universe is great and I wouldn't have this going any other way. Thank you Jojo. If you haven't checked out Linked Universe yet and are a Zelda fan, I highly recommend it! Fun to be had for every type of fan, no matter what your favorite game or Link is.

[herefortarlos]

hey desi! it's nice ask week, i hope you're well and don't mind me coming into your inbox :)

what's your favorite lone star episode?

who is your all time comfort character?

what's your favorite song/album right now?

Hello my sweetest, Rachel 💖!! Sweetie, the day I mind you coming into my inbox will be the day I am no longer a pansexual liberal, so not a chance of that ever happening 😂.

Ohh why would you ask me that!! Okay, favorite overall Lone Star episode, and not just for 1 or 2 scenes, has to be 3x13 "Riddle of the Sphynx". That episode just gave us sooo much good Tarlos! We got supportive and jealous/sassy and then understanding Carlos. We got TK attending meetings and doing what he has to do to take care of himself! We got so much tarlos physical affection and that amazing dining table scene!! I recently watched that episode again and that scene blows me away every time, Ronen and Rafa acted their butts off! We get tarlos communicating, even if it's messy communication at first, and so many iconic lines!! "It feels like he's getting pieces of you that I don't" "You don't want those pieces" "I do, I want all of it" "You have all of me, Carlos." Just throw me off a bridge why don't you 🥲, and it's one of the few episodes where I know all the tarlos dialogue word for word. @heartstringsduet are you proud of me 😊. Then TK being affected in the field and being depressed about his own mom, looking at photos telling Carlos, "I'd give anything to feel like that again", and Carlos realizes he is in way over his head and that this isn't about him, it's about TK and what he needs so Carlos gets over that insecurity and reaches out and makes sure TK has the support he needs 🥹 And then the infamous "I love you" with TK "Heart Eyes" Strand and Carlos' understanding "I know." Every tarlos scene in this from beginning to end of episode is amazing and impactful and leaves me an emotional mess every time I watch it 💖

who is your all time comfort character?

All time comfort character you ask? 🤔 After thinking about all the fandoms I've enjoyed and been a part of over the years, please don't come at me for saying the obvious of TK 😅. He's the first live action character that I have loved this much, and there are so many reasons for that! One of the biggest being how he has been through so much hardship in his life but he is so unselfish and sees the best in people and still has so much love to give!! He is sunshine personified but he is still very much a real person with flaws and baggage, but he is constantly working to take care of himself and be a better person! I've had similar, not exact of course, experiences in my own life and have come out the other side better for it! It took a lot of time of course and I needed to be in a place where I had the power to make my own decisions and I love that about TK too, that the show constantly shows that his decisions to get better have ultimately been his own! And him being an openly gay character who is proud of his sexuality was primarily what drew me to him and the show in the first place 🥰

what's your favorite song/album right now?

Ohh always love a music question! Haha and probably not what you're expecting but my favorite album lately has been Bo Burnham's "Inside (Deluxe)" edition. It's such a fantastic special and I watched the deleted scenes not too long ago and have not been able to stop listening to "Five Years". The chorus is so damn catchy and I wish it was longer and the line "Everyone's a feminist until there is a spider around" makes me laugh every time 🤣.