#a more general fanfic writing server

[squidkidnerd]

man I should make an agent 24 discord server. i joined a writing-focused splatoon server a while back, and it's pretty cool. ppl are always coming up w a lot of fun and really creative au ideas and the like, but the thing is is most of it's centered around the squid sisters/agent 4, who are like... while I like them and have written stuff about them in the past, they're not my Muses yk. so basically what im saying is that i need more ppl to be insane abt 3 n 8 with.

[ellistocracy]

the problem with getting sensitivity readers is that it's a job and you have to pay them. which is fair but i don't have any money and it's highly doubtful that I'm going to make any

[isa-ghost]

Fuck it, I wanna start something sappy and fun. Reblog this and follow the format I'm establishing below.

You don't have to make as long of a list as me, but go nuts if you want!

QSMP has for me:

Gotten me into streamers I never would've discovered without an intercultural medium to facilitate it. Streamers who I fucking adore, who are queer/nd/etc representation I didn't have before now, who I would die for and will always at least hover on the outskirts of if there's a language barrier in my way

Gotten me into media from those streamers that I would've never discovered otherwise (ex: Ordem Paranormal)

Strengthened my interest in foreign language

Gotten me more into Latin music

Gotten me interested in Latin culture

Taught me even more about important aspects & new perspectives of discussions about race/culture/etc

Taught me more, albeit misc, words in certain languages

Taught me how to identify more country's flags than I previously knew

Made me even more friends and mutuals that I love to see, support, and be silly with on here or in Discord servers every day

Makes me excited to encounter people in real life who have a language barrier with me

Makes me even more excited than I already was to hear languages I don't know spoken in real life

Inspired me to write my first ever *proper* fanfic, the first one I've written in general since 2016.

Inspired me to write *2 more* fanfics besides the first one. Prior to now, I have *never* been a fic writer or interested in being one

Gotten me more interested in reading fics, when prior to QSMP, I really wasn't much of a fic reader unless I liked a certain ship that much

Made me chill with mcyt shipping, when previously I was very strictly against it in any way.

Genuinely started helping me get better at accepting compliments and being more confident in certain things about myself

Taught me how to be more nuanced about drama as well as serious issues

Improved my media analysis skills

Given me endless inspiration for my own personal creative projects and OCs

Somehow connected me even deeper to my religion

Motivated me to try new foods and other fun things

[phicphight]

Hey folks, we'd like your opinions on the idea of Phic Phight being it's own server, instead of being part of the DP Fanfic server. We also have a google form so you guys can expand on your answer if you'd like, but also give us any general suggestions, comments or feedback related to the upcoming Phic Phight.

Under the readmore is just some detailed explanations as to why some of the changes.

What would happen if we made a Phic Phight server?

Phic Phight section of the DP fanfic server will be archived from general view. NOT DELETED. Archived. Six months will be given for people to collect what they want before it gets archived. However, you'd still be able to request temporary access at any time to look/get what you want/need.

Joining the discord will become mandatory for Phic Phight participants. You do not have to stay after Phic Phight, and you can be as active/inactive as you wish.

Better event organization information, since users will be pinged when prompts drop and any other important information. Everybody will get it at the same time.

Since it'd be it's own server, we'd be more willing to expand on and add specific features, channels and bots for Phic Phight events.

What if Phic Phight stayed within the DP Fanfic server?

Phic Phight participants will start taking on full responsibility for checking the Phic Phight tumblr in late March/early April for prompts. Mods will no longer be directly messaging them to people.

Related to the above, but no more extensions based on people not getting their prompts. Extensions will still be offered in situations such as mods releasing prompts late or other situations out of user/mod control that effects Phic Phight.

Not having to join yet another goddamn Danny Phantom discord server.

We will continue making updates and changes in-server as needed.

Google Form, if you'd like to expand on anything or just give general feedback

Why would discord membership be mandatory if we made our own server?

It makes it easier for the mods to coordinate everything and for users to communicate. We can more directly answer questions, clarify confusion, give everybody updates at the exact same time, dedicate our announcement spaces to only phic phight, etc. Users can better connect with their team as well and encourage each other.

A big part of Phic Phight is community, especially since more recent additions have made it a good idea to work with your team to help make sure all prompts are filled. Since we're currently attached to the fanfic server, it felt unfair to require membership, but as our own server, we would operate a bit more similarly to Invisobang. Specifically where we're encouraging more collaboration. We're writing phics for each other as well as for our own personal reasons.

What kind of changes would a Phic Phight server bring?

We'd be more willing to expand and add Phic Phight specific features as users and mods seem fit. Current ideas include:

More writing bots

More phic-phight specific channels to collaborate

Random number generators, so you can roll for a prompt or make decisions based on a randomized number

Hosting phic phight focused events, such as regular sprint nights

This is just the current thoughts, but we're open to more ideas within the google form!

This server would also, in general, make it a lot easier to get information strictly for Phic Phight.

Why are mods no longer going to be sending out prompts list? How will I get my prompts? Why no more extensions?

Phic Phight prompts and teams are always consistently released 2-3 days before April 1st, and Phic Phight always lasts the entire month of April. Meaning, you can expect prompts around March 31st at the LATEST. In recent years, they are always released both in the Fanfic server as well as our official tumblr. In the past, due to tumblr constantly changing how messaging works, general confusion and the amount of participants, it's become too difficult for mods to personally make sure everybody has their prompts list.

It wasn't too bad when we had 30 participants, but now we're often getting 100+ people. That's a lot of people to individually check got prompts. It's just becoming harder and harder to make sure everybody got their list, but since we consistently release them around the same time, we decided that regardless of whether we make a new server or not, it's now going to be YOUR responsibility to check for prompts around March 31st.

Having a server means that we'd just be @ everybody-ing when they drop, versus not having a server, where they will still be posted and pinged role, as well as tumblr. Regardless of whether we make a server or not, we will still post the prompts list to tumblr and have it pinned for easy viewing.

Related, we have extended deadlines if a lot of people did not get their prompts, due to the above mentioned tumblr problem. This change would mean that we basically will not be doing event-wide extensions anymore based on tumblr users getting prompts late, which had been a semi-common past problem. We will still offer extensions in events such as mods releasing prompts late or similar situations

[alpaca-clouds]

Halsin's Kids

Let me talk a bit more Halsin headcanons, because I am babysitting a server (for work - on my weekend) and I am bored. So... In the epilogue Halsin talks about how he has adopted a dozen kids. Which is fair. Like, the man deserves a family, for god's sake. But the question is of course who those kids are.

Mind you, in most of my fanfic writing I do ignore the epilogue. One, because the epilogue came out at a time when I had already written two longer fics for it and did not feel particularly inclined to change much about that. Two, because fuck Karlach's canonical ending. She gets her engine fixed, she is fine, she gets to travel with Wyll and Shadowheart along the Sword Coast.

But I still like most of Halsin's stuff. Him adopting orphans? I love that, gods darn it! I love him creating a new grove by Reithwin, too, where he can be close to Thaniel. Especially given it is fairly clear that this is the area he has grown up in.

Something I still wonder about though: Which kids did he adopt?

I mean, generally speaking everything is fair game, I guess. There are more than enough orphans in the game. I have seen qutie a bit of stuff on him adopting Yenna (in my stuff she gets adopted by Gale, btw, after they bond over cooking). I ended up having him adopt most of the assorted tiefling orphans, including a very, very disgruntled Mol, who does need no parent, thank you very much, and at some point Arabella, too. Which I assume might be interesting, too, because I cannot help the feeling that she is a chosen of Silvanus. Which... sure, gives her a lot of power. But also... She is still nine. Being a chosen does not negate this fact.

In the end I gave Halsin eight of the tiefling kids of those who we know that survive. Partly, too, because Halsin does feel responsible for them. He allowed them in the Emerald Grove, only to go missing, which ended up with them getting endangered, of course. And in the end quite a few of the parents quite obviously died.

I ended up adding up two human kids to the mix as well. I mean, most people living in the city of Baldur's Gate are humans, so there should be quite a few of them orphaned as well.

And... yeah. I really want to write more with him and those kids. Because I love parenting fics. And I already know that once Arabella joins the family, there is going to be a bit of a rivalry between her and Mol.

[haunting-heroes-creative-games]

"What do you mean the Watchtower's haunted?"

News travels slow when you're patrolling space! If you're like Hal Jordan and missed it, here's the good news: Haunting Heroes is now open!

If you're looking to relax after a mission, we've got fanfic games, writing discussions, rubber-ducking (and red candle ducks, in general), and more.

Haunting Heroes is a safe for work (SFW) DPxDC Discord server for people 18 years old and above. To join, send us an ask and we'll try to reply faster than the speed of light (or one Green Lantern, at least).

[jukoduko]

Beach AU Information!

Wanna learn more about the Beach AU, such as its story, or its rules? Well, you're in luck! I've decided to make a full post compiling all this stuff to help that noggin of yours! To start, let's write down rules for what you can and can't do involving the AU! What you CAN do: -Fanart, fanfics, fan characters, all sorts of stuff! -Shipping is okay, including selfshipping, OC x Canon, Canon x Canon, all that good stuff. -If you're a system, feel free to introject these characters into your system! -Form headcanons, ask questions, make your own aus of this! What you CAN'T do: -NSFW, fetish artwork, abuse fics, depicting Kinito/Jukenito or any of the characters as "Yanderes." -Proshipping of any variety, including Family x Family, Adult x Minor, Abuser x Victim, and anything else in proshipping is a huge NO NO. Additionally, PLEASE do not make 'Kinitocest' art, as troy_en is uncomfortable with it! -Never harass anyone for their headcanons on sexuality, gender identity, race, or anything of that sort. I do not tolerate it. Let people have their headcanons. -In general, please just don't go too far with anything involving these characters, okay? Just follow the rules set by troy_en in the official KinitoPET discord server, and we'll all be good! Anything you're unsure about? Feel free to ask me wherever! Who are the characters of the Beach AU? Kinito the Axolotl (nicknamed 'Jukenito') - A big, loving, but fairly anxious axolotl who wishes nothing more than to help his friends. He cares deeply for those around him, so much so that it causes him to be paranoid of himself. Jade the Jellyfish (nicknamed 'B!Jade') - The motherly, artistic one of the group, and the one with the most brains. She's an absolute sweetheart who has an affinity for designing dresses and painting. She's the one who usually keeps everyone in check. Sam the Sea Anemone (nicknamed 'B!Sam') - A sports fanatic and a bit of a jock, Sam is the 'fun' one of the group, who usually gets himself into situations that he can't get out of all because of his stupidity. He's overly competitive and lacks most necessary intelligence. What's the timeline/story of the Beach AU? (Subject to possibly change!) 1994 - KinitoPET Plushie releases to moderate success 1996 - Kinito Companion releases to large success 1998 - KinitoPET Virtual Assistant releases, making the franchise extremely popular 2003 - Kinito's Beach Adventures, a spinoff comic series featuring new designs of the characters, releases in order to promote the "Kinito Craze" that was happening at the time as KinitoPET V2 was gearing up for release. The comic series ran for 12 issues and was panned all across the boards. 2005 - KinitoPET Virtual Assistant V2 releases, putting faith back into the franchise. The original KinitoPET Virtual Assistant was not sentient, contrary to the original KinitoPET Game! Instead, KinitoPET V2 is the sentient one, though not always. Instead, it functions as a regular assistant that, once treated as if it were real, turns sentient. It can travel between the real world and web world at will, but will choose to bring its users into the web world for fear of their safety. This post may be updated in the future!

[spnfanficpond]

SPN Reader Insert FanFic Writing Challenge: Gender Studies

In our Discord server today, we had a great talk about Reader Insert fics and what tips and tricks we use to entertain our audience without alienating them. At the end of the chat, the subject of Gender Neutral Reader Inserts came up. The main point we all agreed on was that we need to strip away gender stereotypes and just write a basic person in order for a GNRIC (Gender Neutral Reader Insert Character) to work. We tried listing some of those gender stereotypes and did not come up with many besides women being more emotional and men being less likely to discuss feelings. That discussion brought us to this challenge.

Because we want as many writers as possible to join us for this, all participants will be entered into a drawing to win prizes from the Prize List!

What (earns you one entry into the drawing) - Write a one-shot two ways: once with a Female Reader Insert Character (FRIC) and then write the same story with a Male Reader Insert Character (MRIC). Pick a trope and a genre (use your favorites or you can use our SPN Prompt Generator for ideas), figure out a scenario, and then write the same basic story for each gender.

Bonus (earns you an additional entry into the drawing) - Write a third fic but with a GNRIC.

Additional Bonus (earns you an additional entry into the drawing) - Once you've written both, tell us how writing each one made you feel. What basic differences did you keep in mind as you were writing? What problems did you expect to run into, were those the same problems you actually had while writing, and what unexpected problems did you encounter?

Fic parameters -

At least 1000 words.

The pairing does not need to be romantic, but you will earn an extra entry into the drawing if the pairing is romantic.

The fic does not need to have smut, but you will earn an additional entry into the drawing if there is any level of smut. (Kissing and some fondling or something like phone sex is the minimum to earn the extra entry.)

How to join - Send an ASK to the Pond blog here on Tumblr, DM @mrswhozeewhatsis here on Tumblr, or DM Admin Michelle on Discord!

Deadlines - No deadline to join. The deadline for posting is Monday, September 2, 2024, at midnight EDT. The drawing will happen on Tuesday, September 3rd, so there will be no extensions. All fics submitted will be added to a masterlist. Fics submitted after the drawing will still be added to the masterlist, but will not be eligible for prizes.

Other nitty gritty - This can be combined with other challenges and bangs or bingos. Must be SPN/The Winchesters. Can be a Pairing x Reader Insert, but it must be a Reader Insert. To submit your work, DM Admin Michelle. You can write multiple sets of fics to earn more entries into the drawing. If you have any questions, contact @mrswhozeewhatsis!!

We can't wait to see what you all create!!

(Divider by @glygriffe)

Admins

Michelle - @mrswhozeewhatsis

Marie - @mariekoukie6661

MJ - @thoughtslikeaminefield

Mana - @manawhaat (Founder and Admin Emeritus)

[foxyyaoguai]

The antis have been all over my posts in the last few days, so I wanted to share my experiences and write a guide on how to deal with them. 

First off: Our ships and character preferences are valid, no matter how hard some people try to demonize them. We are part of fandom and allowed to post about the things we enjoy, just like everyone else. Our fanfics, fanart, video edits, photo edits, etc. are all works of love and they deserve to exist and be explored by others. 

✨ Strategies for dealing with antis ✨

Don’t engage. I have checked the bios of all the antis that left comments under my posts, and the majority of them are minors. You don’t want to talk to minors in fandom spaces!! And a conversation based on logic or reason won’t be possible either. 

Delete their comments. Tumblr, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube allow you to delete comments, DO IT!! You created something with love and hateful comments have no place underneath it. Even if the comment just makes you uncomfortable and isn’t outright hateful, it is perfectly reasonable to delete it for your own sanity.

Block generously. Not only the people who target you specifically but also anyone who engages in character- or ship-bashing. People who do that for one ship will do it for other ships too and it’s extremely bad fandom etiquette. When you see a character or ship-bashing post, block everyone who liked it and then the poster.

Report people for harassment. The rules vary by site, but especially threats of violence should be reported. Also, if someone follows you to another social media site after you’ve blocked them, that is called block evading and you should report that too. 

When you see other people getting hateful comments underneath their posts, leave a nice comment to offset some of the negativity. Your being supportive can make the difference between this person never posting again and them being motivated to keep going. People are always welcome to send me links to a post that is getting targeted by antis and I’ll like it and leave a nice comment. 🥰

Don’t let the bad comments outshine the positive ones! Every time my post gets enough traction for antis to find it, it also gets lots of lovely reactions. Many people have told me that my content and recommendations made them ship my OTP, and that is the single thing that makes me happier than anything else. Take a screenshot and look at these kinds of comments when you feel down. This is the real reason you should keep posting. 

Most hate comments are exceptionally uncreative. It helps to laugh about it, preferably with a friend. ✨ Remember, you used your energy to create something and you should be proud of it!

When you see a creator you like, but they also display obnoxious behavior towards people who like other ships, characters, or dynamics, at the very least don’t give them a platform by sharing their posts. 

Stay safe. Don’t post personal information online. 

It’s completely valid to step away from social media for some time. Private your accounts, turn off notifications, do a canon reread, read some fanfics in peace. Whatever it takes to remind you why you love the things you love. 

Bonus Tip: Watch videos of cute animals to destress. Bunnies nose-booping each other can (and will) cure anti-induced anxiety. :)

✨ Platforms sorted by least to most toxic and my advice for using them ✨

1. Discord 

Discord is great because you can join servers specifically for your favorite characters and ships. If a server doesn’t already exist, consider setting one up! Pro tip: only invite people that have positively interacted with you in the past. A small server consisting of nice people is a lot more fun than a large server consisting of members that can’t get along or are only marginally interested in the topic. 

Fandom Discord servers have clear guidelines on what you can post. As long as you follow the rules, people have no grounds for calling you out. In my experience, moderators are quick to respond to harassment.  

When you join a server and you see they heavily restrict certain types of content, it is a red flag. Proceed with caution, even if you plan to only talk about “safe” characters and ships. 

2. Tumblr

I have rarely gotten hateful comments on Tumblr, and the few times I did they were easy to delete.  

A lot of the older fandom generations use Tumblr and they are more mature and accepting of all kinds of content.

3. Twitter

Twitter makes it easy to curate your own fandom experience. You can mute words you don’t like to see on your timeline, mute and block users, and most people have their ship preferences in their bio.

4. Instagram

My Instagram posts about Jadecest get a lot of positive interaction, even more than on Twitter. There are unpleasant comments once in a while, but they are easy to delete. 

Blocking a user will delete all their comments from your posts. 

5. YouTube

People who don’t like your ship will downvote your videos and downvotes lead to the algorithm not recommending your videos. 

I have gotten a few negative comments, but they are easy to delete. 

6. Reddit 

When you post in a fandom subreddit, everyone will see the post, independent of their ship preferences. 

There are a lot of minors on Reddit. 

You can’t delete comments.

Most fandom subreddits are poorly moderated. 

7. TikTok

I have gotten the most hate comments on TikTok. They can be filtered or deleted, but antis interacting with your video by leaving hate comments will lead to the algorithm recommending your content to even more antis. It can get very ugly. 

If you post on TikTok consider turning off comments, stitches, and video replies. You can also mark your content as 18+, so it won’t get recommended to minors. (Again, antis tend to be underage.)

Platforms are more toxic the more they show your content to people outside your bubble. Discord, Tumblr, and Twitter keep your content relatively well contained to your circle of friends. Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram heavily promote your content outside your bubble, which is good, because more people are going to see it, but also bad, because it reaches more antis. 

~~~

Antis are loud and obnoxious, but it’s important to remember that they are a minority. Ship and let ship still exists, especially among the people who have been in fandom spaces for more than just a few years. Don’t be afraid to post your content and express your love for your favorite characters and ships! I, for one, would love to see your creations, and many other people would love to see them too. 

What are your experiences and strategies for dealing with antis?

[elfwreck]

Do you think ao3 is going to have a problem in the future?

hot damn isn't that an open-ended question.

...er. yes. Yes, I think AO3 will have "a problem" at some point in "the future."

Which problem is up for debate.

I don't think AO3 is going to be taken down or even substantially hurt by lawsuits from media companies or authors who hate fanfic. I think the time for that was over 10 years ago; if Disney hated fanfic and thought it was illegal, they would've gone after AO3 before it was internationally famous with more than 5 million users. Before it had won a Hugo Award.

Doesn't mean I think a lawsuit isn't possible, and the current SCOTUS in the US is run by a pack of corporate shills, but... it's a hard stretch to get a copyright-creativity case to go that far, and even with such a court, the outcome wouldn't be guaranteed. And no media company wants to be the test case for a lawsuit that decides "actually yknow what? Fanfic is pretty much legal."

I think there will be more regions that block AO3, in one way or another. Not many places have China's control over the internet, but there are other blocks, like pestering Google and demanding they filter search results.

I think antis are going to continue to scream about AO3 allowing content they don't like, even if the term "anti' changes and they wind up calling themselves something else. I think this may create some kinds of problems, including with payment processors, depending on where and how they yell. I don't think any of that will shut down AO3 or change its policies.

The thing to keep in mind is: AO3 does not need to grow. AO3 is not a venture-capital company. It does not have ROR. It does not generate profits. It is not accountable to anyone but itself for its policies and activities. It was designed by a small pack of fans who decided "we're damn tired of being pushed off our fic archive websites, and even more tired of VC-backed things showing up and trying to fleece us for profits while simultaneously insisting to their mainstream stockholders that they don't approve of smut, that they dislike slash, that they think fanfic is copyright infringement. We need to own the servers and set our own policies."

AO3's going to face plenty of problems in the future. A lot of people do not like smut, or do not like some kinds of smut, and think it should be illegal. Or they think it should be restricted. Or at the very least, the people who host it, write it, and read it, should be ashamed, and if they're not, they need to be Taught A Lesson.

Repeat with: slash fanfic, RPF, fanworks based on children's shows, and fanfic in general.

A lot of people think AO3 is Doing Fandom Wrong, and some of those people are going to cause problems. Some of those people are probably government officials, so the problems are going to be big.

But I don't think any of them are going to succeed in shutting down AO3 (although accessing it may get more difficult from some parts of the world), and they're definitely not going to change the core policies.

AO3 was started by people who'd been watching the legal and cultural landscape around fanfic for decades. It's run today by people with the same kinds of experience, the same kinds of beliefs about fandom culture.

I am not worried about the future of AO3.

[starlightiing]

Come Join the F1 Family Server 💕

It's Race Week!

We are a group of about 145 people who are very loving, open, and easy to make friends with. If you're looking for a crew to run with, consider ours! Lovers of all drivers, teams, ect are welcome here! Between us, we do not all like each other's drivers, but we know how to behave. (Healthy debates always welcome, but no fighting please!)

We have:

All qualifying and races are guaranteed to be streamed. Practices are usually streamed as well. I typically feed the chat with the radio transcript messages from multiviewer. We have a specific spot for post race chatter so people who missed the race won't be spoiled.

There's a dynamic schedule in there for all events that translates to your timezone without you having to lift a finger!

F1 Fantasy is played in there, and there are channels for streaming games as well (F1 games, or others. Our resident artists sometimes stream art as well!)

There are spots for news, rumors, pets, memes, fanfic/rpf, general F1 discussion and off topics. We even have a sprint writing bot!

There's threads for other sports and other motorsports as well. We often times will stream other sports as well.

No mics or voice chatting is enabled for now. This can be unpredictable and make some people uncomfortable, so all chatting is done via typing/texting.

We have movie/show/youtube nights often as well, where we just get together as a little community and hang out and watch stuff.

An interactive game section where you can play a fishing mini-game, help us grow Nyck de Trees, and more!

Everyone is welcome. As long as you promise not to viciously bash drivers and treat everyone with respect, we got you.

Safety is a huge priority for us. We have 5 mods and between us, someone is always active to keep spaces safe. The server is locked until rules are agreed to, and we have measures in place to limit who can join the server based on age of account, account safety, ect. If your discord account is new and it won't let you in, message me directly and I'll see what I can do.

If you've been looking for someone to share races with, to make friends with, to discuss live events in a live chat with, come hang out with us 💕 you can even mute us until race days if that's your preference!

[ineffable-doll]

Tips on writing fanfic summaries

No one has asked for this nor has any reason to listen to me, but I see folks complain about this part of fic writing rather often, soooo here are some tips for writing fic summaries that I’ve learned after writing over 160 of them and reading many thousands of them:

-Keep it as short as you can, as long summaries can be daunting. If your summary is more than a few sentences, consider finding a natural place to break it into sections. If you include a snippet, don’t make it too long of one.

-Use a tone that matches the tone of the writing. This helps people understand what they’re getting into. E.g. if it’s a humorous fic, consider including a joke in the summary.

-Make your premise clear. The main point of the summary is to tell the reader what to expect (which the tags can elaborate on), so if your summary may leave a reader going, “Okay, but what’s it about?” then consider including more information. It’s good to build intrigue, but not to confuse. This is where a beta reader or a little assistance in a fandom Discord server can be useful.

-If the first sentence of your fic is strong/intriguing (your classic “hook,” basically), that often makes for a great summary.

-Don’t disparage yourself in the summary. Unsurprisingly, this makes readers not want to read it. Just don’t disparage yourself in general, in the tags or notes or on tumblr or anywhere, it’s a terrible habit and unkind to yourself and everyone who reads your words. It’s okay if you’re not confident, but bullying yourself isn’t going to help. (For the Good Omens fans: shouting at your plants won’t actually help them grow.)

-Feel free to provide several different versions of a summary in the summary. Such as, if you have a detailed explanation you worry may be overwhelming, you could include something underneath that lists keywords to catch the eye. Example: [long thing about your fantasy au] (A Fantasy AU with dragons, curses, and True Love’s Kiss.) I especially like doing the multi-summary trick with 5+1s.

-Read other people’s summaries and pay attention to what style of summary makes you want to read, and what makes you scroll. If you find a fic writer with summaries that you consistently like, go through their page and “study” what tricks they may be employing. Suspense? Humor? Snappy snippets?

-Bold certain words or lines that you want to have pop out. Like I’ve been doing this whole time! On AO3, this means adding a <b> and a </b> on each end of the desired text (or a <i> and a </i> for italicization).

-There are no rules do what you want forever

These are just my opinions, but I hope someone finds them helpful. Remember that this is fanfic, you’re not selling anything, and you should focus on having fun – but these tips can help you find your readers with more accuracy, and your readers to find you.

Feel free to add your own tips. <3

[scummy-writes]

These are things I do online, which does take time:

- Manage my own discord server: it's not active with hundreds of people, but it is something to keep an eye on daily and make sure folks continue to get along and have fun in the server (so this means making channels, events, general moderation and org).

- I run @ikemen-daily-questions: where I schedule... daily questions... we've hit a period where I am struggling to come up with many, while having a lot in 'the bank' tuned more for the holidays and colder weather. Its a blog i genuinely enjoy running since reading everyones responses is so fun, just coming up with new questions is a bit hard at times. They're usually queued in advance.

- @askgilbertvonobsidian: which bluntly is silly but it's fun trying to write gilbert often, I usually want to try and post a few times a week, but I waffle a lot on how gilbert should sound.

- letters-from-ikemen, and its discord server: it's a group of sweethearts and the requests have been going smoothly, where we sort out requests as they come in, try to remember to check in on said requests, while trying to make sure the server is also fun for folks so it doesnt feel like some odd 'job'.

- this blog: where I write in theory. It's never been pushed by anyone else but myself, but I like to try and see if I can manage a fanfic a month, because i do enjoy writing, but it's always a struggle. I try to queue up things as well as respond to comments/messages when I can, but they can get buried when I focus on the other stuff mentioned in this post.

IRL, I work 40 hrs a week with a boring 9-5 type of job, I have a dog eith some health issues, I got my own issues, while also trying to juggle talking to 20 or so people in various levels through the week.

All of this doesnt account for the time spent trying to write, trying to read/play the games, trying to relax, and so on.

I hope next time I neglect messages on accident, instead of someone worrying that I secretly dislike them, or wondering if I am snobbish or something, it's taken into account that most of the time, I am just Busy.

This is also why writing is even more slow to come out now, unfortunately. I am hoping next year I can manage my time a bit better so I don't end up trying to do so much but having too little stamina for it all.

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

This week, we have seven shadowgast character studies! Featuring looks at aftereffects of manipulation, poverty, learning how to work as a team, and more. Check the out under the cut, and as always, comment and kudos if you like them!

to love something small by jakia (9662, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Abusive/Neglectful parenting

Essek, the Mighty Nein, and the slow road to redemption

Reccer says: A comfort fic for me, I return to it again and again. Love this look into Essek

swallowed with all hope by renquise (14319, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

In Eiselcross, Essek writes reports, makes new acquaintances, tries not to die in snowstorms, and thinks of all the things he did and could have done.

Reccer says: THEE Essek at the Vurmas Outpost fic, IMO. Thoughtful and amazing worldbuilding and so much heart.

clear waters by wanderinghooves (5951, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

In which Essek communes with the Wildmother, eats soup, and is in love with Caleb Widogast.

Reccer says: The conversation with Melora is great, but what I really love are the other characters in this - Fjord and Caduceus and various glimpses of other Clay siblings

poisoning the well by saturdaysky (1549, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Old habits are hard to break, even if you have shed the skin that formed them.

Reccer says: A short fic that really delves into Caleb's past and how hard those thought patterns can be to break - angsty in the best way

of more delight than hawks and horses by Anonymous (1431, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb, Essek, gifts, and money

Reccer says: I love this little look in how different members of the nein are about money, and how thoughtful it is

simple math by SaltCore (4310, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Graphic Depictions of Violence

Beau knows Essek can be ruthless, and she knows he loves Caleb. The point where these facts meet still manages to surprise her, and she never has been able to let anything lie.

Reccer says: A look at how ruthless Essek can still be - great Beau voice, great Essek voice, and also a look at how Essek might be on the Nein's side, but that doesn't mean he's fully reformed

a place to call home by DotyTakeThisDown (1015, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek has a surprise for Caleb.

Reccer says: It's soft and sweet - and the tower as insight to Essek's mind is one of my favorite tropes

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week, we’ll be back with a recurring theme - Hidden Gems (fic with fewer than 150 kudos)

[kamiversee]

SPILL ON UR LOVELIFE OMG WHAT 👀👀 I want fanfic moments too hsjjssj

Are you ready for a yap sesh…

Okay so do y’all rmb that 6ft tall guy I was talking to & said I MIGHT be in love w? Yeah so erm… He was wayyy to lusty for me, so much so that when we talked and he’d say how much he liked me— it just felt weird because it was like “wtf do you like about me aside from the fact that I’m nice & know how to dirty talk??”

And I thought it was ironic that he was too lusty for me even tho I write literal smut in my free time but y’all I’m not even exaggerating when I say nearly every convo w tht man was about sex. And if it wasn’t about sex then it was just about something pertaining to him in general.

Anything he knew about me was info I had to just throw out there to him yk? It was like he never really asked me anything about myself unless it was something sexual. Which irked my nerves so badly because, again, wth did he like about me? The guy didn’t even know my favorite color like ??

But in the beginning I was pretty blindsided by how good the conversations were and I was just happy to receive attention in all honesty.

Anywho tho, I told my bsf about the guy & he was telling me to stop talking to him because it’s going no where, or at least tell him that I want him to start asking things about me but uh…

I’m not that kinda person y’all. I dont want to have to tell someone to be curious about me if they claim to be interested in me. It was so apparent that he was only interested in the way I gave him a listening ear on his struggles & the way I engaged in sexual convos.

So, although I felt like shit for a while because I didn’t wanna be like his other exes tht just up & left him for no reason, I eventually told him I just couldn’t talk to him romantically anymore. NOW, this was damn there the icing on the cake.

While he was really mature about it ending & basically said he understood and wasn’t going to push me about staying or anything, y’all… he didn’t even ask why I wanted things to end. I wasn’t exactly looking for him to ask why but dude, if u claimed to like me as much as you did & were oh so infatuated with me, shouldn’t you wanna know why I suddenly wanna break things off w you??? 😐

Anyway, that ended & we decided to just stay friends. Our convos got shorter and shorter & nowadays he & I both moved on.

ONTO MY CURRENT LOVE INTEREST 😁

Guys hes so.

We started talking from me giving him advice abt his ex and stuff & I met him literally right after that first guy so he even gave me advice abt him and when I told him I felt so shitty about leaving guy numb 1, he reassured me even tho he didn’t know me tht well at the time ^-^

Then from there we just became friends and would talk a lot bc he noticed my lil sugu obsession and told me he looked like him (He does lowk) which led to him sayin I should be obsessed w him instead of Sugu since he’s actually real… he lowk gagged me there guys

Aaaand we’d just talk every day more and more, all on discord btw bc it’s so silly over there (server coming when??) And like, I dont rmb when exactly he caught feelings for me but at some point I could just kinda tell.

The only thing was that it just felt too soon so when he actually confessed to me or wtv, I told him I still wanted to know more about him as a person and whatnot. AND GUYSGUYSGUYS.

So rmb guy1 right? & how he didn’t even know my fav color? I told guy2 about that and he immediately asked abt it. I KNOW that’s smth so small but pls, it was so sweet…. is the bar in hell? Idk, I swear I have standards 🙏

We even had a whole convo abt colors & it was just super cute! >< Another time, I vented and told him how guy1 didn’t rlly put in any effort to get to know me but claimed to like me and guy2 went out of his way to say how he wants to know everything about me

When I tell y’all his confession was like smth out of a damn fanfic. YALLLLLL. And it’s funny bc MLN is actually based on events tht’s happened in my life soo…

Anywho, guy2 is amazing and ilhsm. He’s so sweet and silly, I wanna eat him yall ☹️

We talk everyday & I’ve ruined my sleep schedule juust a bit for him (it was ruiened beforehand tbh)!

That’s pretty much how things r goin for me rn. Guy1 & guy2 did interact w each other at one point and it was sooo messy yall, I was not feelin it but thats a story for another time frfr

I hope you guys enjoyed my podcast :3

[alpaca-clouds]

Why Does Everyone Struggle With Solarpunk Stories?

Fun Fact: My own introduction to Solarpunk happened in Germany on a German convention. I met a friend, who I had not seen in quite a few years in the creator alley, and they and their partner had just brought out an indie comic, which they introduced as a Solarpunk comic.

I do however wonder whether it really could be considered Solarpunk now, as it was mostly fantasy (which in itself is not a criterium), but the main overlap with Solarpunk generally was this idea of using the Art Noveau aesthetic for everything. From what I remember, it was not really very concerned with any of the Solarpunk themes - nor with anything considered Solarpunk technology - though I do remember some flying machines that were powered by sun energy.

But it makes me think about one thing: There are still barely any explicit Solarpunk novels out there. Like, there are a few, yes, but barely any. Most of what is considered Solarpunk works is stuff that folks among the Solarpunk community have looked at and gone: "Oh, yeah, this kinda feels Solarpunk, doesn't it?"

Most of the Solarpunk books out there are in fact anthologies. (And yes, I plan to continue reviewing those, I right now just struggle with reading because of health-related issues.) And even among those anthologies I will look at half the stories and think to myself: "Well, but are they really Solarpunk?"

In some cases that is because the stories in question are really build around too much of a dystopia. In other cases it is, because even the technology/ecology part is not really there.

And sure, I am talking a lot about how it is fairly easy to tell a Solarpunk story if you just let go of the idea that a Solarpunk story has to be one certain thing - rather than any kind of story that is set in a Solarpunk setting and deals with Solarpunk themes. But on the other hand it is not like I am writing a whole lot in the genre either, is it?

Admittedly the reason for me might be a bit of another one than for other writers. For me it is simply that I find it currently hard to motivate myself to write anything in terms of original fiction, because... Well, writing fanfics is just a whole lot more fun, and also will get me a lot more feedback and such.

And of course, on the side of the publishing industry I just don't know if anyone but Android Press and World Weaver Press even do much in publishing of Solarpunk stories? I am honestly not entirely certain.

But there definitely is some sort of struggle here right now. And that is without me going into the fact that half of what is published in Germany with the lable of "Solarpunk" is actually Cyberpunk but with some mild ecological themes in there.

And yeah, all in all it really makes me wonder, where the issue lies.

Is it a thing of a missing community for Solarpunk creatives, especially writers? Because I know that most online Solarpunk communities focus a ton on guerilla gardening, second hand clothes, and right to repair - but just don't have a ton of striving creative groups among them. The one Discord Server for Solarpunk writers I was on got deleted by the mod for being inactive.

So, yeah. I don't know.

Would someone be interested in another sort of community for Solarpunk creatives? And if so, what kind of community?