#and also rambles apparently

[amethystina]

As with most things, I think there are a lot of factors that play into it. The most obvious is, of course, that the source material is interesting enough to keep people engaged. It's got a depth and level of nuance that makes it very fun to explore for fans and content creators. Having a good foundation to stand on is always important and certainly helps with the amount of fanworks that can be produced.

But that in itself can't sustain a fandom or make it thrive.

Now, I'm one of those people who creates mostly for myself, for whichever fandom I want. I putter around in my corner, writing my things, drawing my art, and posting it if I feel like it. The size and activity level of the fandom has never really impacted my choices.

But, that said, I'm not immune to the rush one gets from people engaging with the things I create. It would be both ignorant and rude of me to pretend otherwise, especially considering the amount I'm given.

Engagement and community matters.

And the fact that people are excited to see what I create makes me want to create more. Would I still have created without the engagement? Yes, definitely. But the engagement helps. It motivates me to do it faster, to put more effort into it, and to share it with even more people.

I have no doubt that had I not gotten the response I did on Who Holds the Devil — to keep writing it with so much detail, to really delve deep into the characters, to explore what many now call a season 2 of the drama — that fic would have been so much shorter. I write for myself, yes, but that also means that had it just been for my own satisfaction, I could have settled for something less complex.

The insane level of detail and exploration of the characters isn't really for me.

It's for you.

My readers were the ones who motivated me to make it this big and sprawling. To actually write down what it looks like inside my head and not just do the broad strokes as I most often do when the main goal is to get the idea out of my system.

And the fact that I can tell that people are still waiting for updates, still eager for more, and still enjoying what I do makes me want to keep sharing. Especially since I'm a bit of a fandom hermit, who's really bad at seeking out other people in fandom unless they're literally in my DMs or comment sections. So this is how I try to contribute. I make things and I share them. And, sometimes, people talk to me about them and, sometimes, they talk to each other about them. Either way, I'm contributing to the discussion. To the content being created and the conversations taking place.

And, in the end, I think that's the key.

It's the sharing. The creating. The comments, the rants, the metas, the DMs — the community.

It's us.

A good source material certainly helps since that makes it easier to create but, in the long run, the only thing that can keep a fandom alive is the fandom itself. And the people in it are what makes the fandom.

So when you ask me why?

Well, it's simple:

I'm here because you are.

And I'm very happy to be sharing all this love, creativity, and enthusiasm with you all. You're amazing 💜

Everytime I meet my friends, they will be surprised that the TDJ fandom has lasted so long. And to think it is able to do so with just one season, 16 episodes, and nothing more after that.

They will ask me why? And I thought that I will pass the question on to the rest of you.

Why?

We are still here even though the drama finished airing after 2021. And I still see fics being written on AO3 as well.

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (Page 44-47)

*...

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[not-equippedforthis]

love how when you're getting into/observing a fandom you barely know you can judge which episodes are The Most because every other fanfic is about them. what happens in Our Man Bashir guys. whats Doctor Bashir I Presume guys. whats Internment Camp 371. guys.

[mblue-art]

BAD SANSUARY // [14] tears for owl-bones's event !

"...Killer, it just looks like I have running mascara."

"it's such a look though."

messy kisses and post-nuzzles

[bluerosefox]

Masks and Moonlit Night

-Crashes through DPxDC window and sticks a new AU sticky note down on everyones foreheads-

ANGER MANAGEMENT MASQUERADE BALL AU!

Jazz is forced by her parents to go to all Masquerade ball at Vlad's, whose using Jazz as both a way to keep Danny in line (as well as Jazz, basically Danny can't fight back or he'll hurt Jazz and Jazz can't fight back because he'll also hurt Danny who he has locked up at the moment) and to 'impress' the elites (As much as Vlad wants to use Danny for the party he knows the boy would do something to embarrass him in front of them, he at least knows Jazz will keep her manners in check) with how intelligent his goddaughter is.

During the ball, Jazz (in a stunning dress and mask, think like manhwa worthy outfit tbh if you want) meets Jason (who lost the Bats/Birds most recent 'Not it' game and was made to go with Tim to Vlad's party) and both hit it off when they meet in the garden, under moonlight, both wanting some fresh air.

Jazz wants to enjoy her time with Jason but worries about Danny and thus tries to leave and figure a way to help him without tipping Vlad off she was trying to save her brother. However she notices she's being watched by some ghosts Vlad employed and no doubt would report her should she even try. So she kinda uses Jason as way to keep them being unaware of her planning... or at least that was the case until she noticed another Team Phantom member sneaking into Vlad's place and knows its only a matter of time before her brother is freed.

Within the hour she gets a text from Danny who tells her, he's out and gonna fight Vlad for locking him up, that Dani is with him too so it'll be double beat down and that he'll come get her soon.

She is pulled away from the text when Jason asks what books she likes to read and now with the weight of her brother needing to be safe, or as safe as he could be, is lifted off her shoulder she answers.

Its magical, its wonderful, and for a moment Jazz is able to actually enjoy this party, ignoring the pained hits Vlad was no doubt receiving from what she can hear with her liminal enchanced hearing, because talking to Jason, or J as he introduced himself as, was very fun and wonderful and wow he was very handsome even with his mask and-

Jazz is startled out of her wondering thoughts when she could hear someone in the party scream, no doubt Danny, Dani, and Vlad's fight probably bleed into the main hall and she could see people starting to run out.

Jazz sits on the bench as Jason goes running in, no doubt curious as to what is happening and going to get his 'brother' Tim who he came to the party with out. Jazz takes off her mask and sits it down the bench and waits before Dani appears and says they should get going, Danny is keeping an angry Vlad busy and that she can take Jazz home.

By the time Jason comes back, with a researching on his phone Tim, all he finds of the charming woman he met at the dumb ball he got dragged to was her mask on the bench.

[sygneth]

I have had a lot of thoughts on the original story after listening to the Sherlock&Co "Gloria Scott" and a new headcanon just dropped.

Chapter 1: part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6

Masterpost (Index)

AO3

thoughts, if you're curious:

As far as gay Victor Trevor absolutely got me, I don't think there was anything serious between him and Holmes. This all comes down to my reading of Holmes, who is (to me) too aroace-spec to get involved in a regular relationship (althouuuughh about Holmes, his sexual and romantic orientation and him discovering it I have had so many thoughts I could write a whole essay). He likes to have a default person though, someone who will take him as he is, and maybe even admire a little - now that's Watson, earlier it was Trevor.

And yea I think Victor got a crush straight away after their first meeting, maybe they even talked about this at some point. Maybe Holmes said that he won't be able to reciprocate this affection but if Victor is fine with keeping things as they are, then he is too. I like to think they stayed pen friends even after Trevor's leave.

I feel like I should emphasize this? My intention in the comic was to make Trevor visibly flustered because he didn't expect a young attractive boy (he's hopeless in my head), while Holmes simply didn't expect to see someone his age and so sincerely sorry.

[kittyscabin]

hoffman's nightmare

[donelywell]

February 29- March 2 2024

The first time Sonic went Super in Road Trip wasn't exactly as stunning to Tails as other au's and stories.

Tails is like maybe 5 here (I'm not actually that organized on the timeline for this au yet, I'm getting there though, things are getting in order.) and he wasn't forced to grow up and be a hero in this au. So he's a bit more childish than canon Tails because he doesn't feel as pressured to mature and grow up fast. Plus, he genuinely thinks Sonic is going to die and this is the last time he see's him, so tears are bound to come down.

Part 1

[emmas]

I dont know exactly How they are going to get there and what the answers to all the mysteries are bc i’m simply Not a talented writer lol However i dont think the place where severance wants to take its story is all That difficult to predict if you just. Take a step back and remember whats most important and thats 1: the core theme of the show, which is Personhood and “who are you” and what makes a person a person. And 2: the protagonists mark and helly/helena

Like the show that asks you the question “are innies real people who deserve rights” is simply not going to end without giving the innies their rights. Any ending where the innies are just Erased or where their thoughts/feelings/opinions have 0 weight in a reintegrated body is just. Not going to happen. The show spent 2 seasons building up to the finale where mark s decides that he is a person of his own rather than just an attachment to his outie i know it was presented as a choice between gemma and helly but it really was just mark s realizing that he is someone who Deserves to live just as much as his outie does.

Now tying it into Mark Scout. Who has spent 2 years avoiding his grief, becoming an alcoholic, being a downright asshole at times (affectionate) and going as far as to Sever his brain in half in order to escape his pain. He’s not going to just get what he wants (Rekindling his marriage) while facing 0 consequences for All That. Mark basically looked into the camera (2x06) and said “perhaps i will be the first man on this planet to bargain my way out of grief” like. The show is not just going to actually let that happen lol. His reasons for choosing severance are understandable and its not like he’s a Bad person or anything but that doesn’t erase the fact that he created innie mark. It was his choice to create a person that is a version of himself who Does Not Love Gemma. And this isnt something he’s just going to be allowed to run from. They’re not going to end his character arc by ‘validating’ all this and just letting him live happily ever after with his wife while innie mark just doesn’t matter at all anymore. I still firmly believe his ending is to become Whole again (reintegration) and finally Deal with his feelings, accept his grief and move on.

Helena meanwhile is as much of a protagonist as helly is (its bc they’re the same person, even tho some people Love to ignore that). And the show has gone out of its way to make it Clear that she is just as trapped inside of lumon as the innies. Jame saying he “used to see kier” in helena tells us she used to be similar to helly, but it was simply Conditioned out of her by growing up in a cult with its leader as her father. I think Hellyna’s story will be to break free of lumon and her father so she can discover who it is she actually is when she’s not forced to wear a multitude of masks in order to please others. So any ending where helena dies and helly gets the body, or any ending that doesn’t see them reintegrating just doesn’t make sense to me bc in order to find themselves they both have to Accept who they are and getting rid of one of them just defeats that purpose imo.

Idk how the show will tie up the stories of some side characters (gemma, irving, cobel etc) and i dont know what will happen with lumon like if “lumon gets dismantled and everyone lives happily ever after” is Too idyllic of an ending. And i’m sure theres a few plot twist left and some mysteries to solve.

But at the end of the road we will have mark, hellyna and the main Theme of personhood. And i think that story will end with true reintegration for them both. Wether they end the show in a romantic relationship or not is 50/50. I genuinely think there’s a chance. Because thats what innie mark and helly are dead set on. But mark will still undeniably love gemma as well, so i think it might be too soon for the story to just have him in a different official relationship™. So i’m leaning more towards both of them deciding to take some time for themselves to figure some shit out before they promise to meet each other again a year from now.

[foldingfittedsheets]

I’m covering another mattress store today. It’s set in a busy shopping center and the doors open constantly. When people walk too close by, the doors open.

We have a sandwich board sign to advertise our sale and I’m trying to strategically place it in a way that people have to go around it so they don’t activate the door.

Thus far, no luck. People still just walk by the door and open it.

[momentomori24]

Just finished Rot in Paradise. I was expecting a game about you and your friends being stranded on the beach and turning into water addicted zombies, not an allegory for toxic relationships where you can't help those who clearly don't want your help and how the good moments you had doesn't take away their mistreatment of you and how despite how much you love your friends you need to mourn and move on before they (literally) drown you with them.

[gingermintpepper]

Writing Apollo-as-a-young-deity is fun because sometimes it involves completely making shit up based on the loose outline of a story told through old poems, prayers and plays and other times it involves researching the totally legit and well documented ancient art of studying sheep livers to make sure your statesmen don't accidentally piss off Jupiter.

In completely unrelated news, if anyone has any recommendations for books about bird augury, that'd be wonderful.

[melchinafan]

Massive kudos to the South of Midnight team for the attention to detail in environmental storytelling and character design! I know there's still a ton of stuff I can't even begin to guess at, but I've been able to glean a good amount just from the trailers, and it's all got me itching for more.

Some things I've been able to spot, just from these two screenshots:

I'd already kinda gotten the impression from Hazel's tattoo choker necklace and Lisa Frank-esque dolphin-rainbow tank top...but after seeing Lacey's half of a "best friends" heart necklace and jean jacket? I'd be shocked if this doesn't take place in or around the 90s. (Which is a solid choice, since it's a good way to limit having to worry about the question of cell phones.) Plus, if you take a look at their fridge, you can see magnets of the primary mythical creatures we'll run across! I listed most of them in the alt text if you can't tell what they are, but if I had to guess at the mystery cut-off one in the second screenshot...I'd say it's the Altamaha-ha from the announcement trailer. (Which I think is also maybe the purple-pink aquatic creature you can see for a split second near the end of the story trailer.) And...well, it's not visible in these screenshots, but in this scene Hazel also accidentally knocks a handmade mug off the counter. That mug has a bottle tree design on it, as featured in the game's logo and as important in-game magical elements!

Also fun is some of the detailing for Shakin' Bones:

His guitar has a Prospero license plate near the bottom (also seen on a half-sunk taxi that Catfish swims past in the gameplay trailer), which says CROS RDS (or "crossroads"). Below his arm you can see his name "Bones" carved into the face of the guitar, flanked by a couple Fleur-de-lis, and in a couple spots there's decorative blue paint (haint blue, I'd bet). Plus some short bits of bone (femur, at a guess), for both the bottom strap button and the tuning knobs. There's also a broken, rusted sawblade for a pickguard...which curiously has an elegant leafy design carved onto it. There's a similar leafy design carved along the top side of the guitar, too. Bones himself has a lot of different flora growing on him...at least two different kinds of leafy plants (small round leaves on his shoes, larger pointy leaves on his arms and neck), and some small brown mushrooms. And while I don't know enough about plants to recognize what those three might be, I'm pretty sure the flowers on his neck and side are swamp lilies. (The flower on his side is visible near the start of the announcement trailer, when you see him from behind. I'm also pretty sure I spotted some swamp lilies growing around Rhubarb's house in the story trailer, in their standard cluster form vs. Bones' unique singular flowers. Fun fact: for folks who play Secret World and remember a particular painting of some import in the Franklin Mansion, you may be amused to note that one of that flower's colloquial names is "seven sisters.")

There's also...well...these are a bit more spoiler-y, so I'll put them under a cut and try to keep it vague. But there's visual clues hinting at some secrets a few folks seem to have...

Less overtly secret, but still some story spoilers:

The most obvious thing at first glance in the first screenshot is the presence of Huggin' Molly's red yarn inside the broken wall. At second glance, and double-checking the start of the trailer to confirm the yellow paint and window style matches, this appears to be Hazel's house. But looking more carefully, one might notice that the exposed inner boards of the wall seem to have a little faded blue paint...suggesting that the house was protected with a hidden layer of haint blue (possibly in addition to the indoor wall paint that also appears to be blue), which wards off nasty critters. And with that ward literally broken, and Huggin' Molly being known in her real-world mythology to go after folks late at night, well... (Bonus fun fact: Secret Worlders may also be amused that the time on the clock in the first screenshot of this post is 10:10, as with Kingsmouth's clocks. Probably specifically 10:10 pm, not a storm-dark morning.)

And finally, a particular someone who seems to have deeper secrets:

(I linked the story trailer earlier, but the second screenshot is from the half-hour-long documentary.) The subtitles tell us this man is Laurent, and I'm curious about how significant his ear and nose piercings might be, given that he otherwise seems to be giving off airs of "responsible adult" (which typically does not permit such things). I have no idea who he is, exactly...yet his clothing choice and sense of decor are reminiscent of another design, which has shown up in the trailers and some promo/concept art that's been shared by the devs... But I'll let you dig up that connection on your own, if you're inclined to hunt down a bigger story spoiler.

[risetherivermoon]

darryl has kissed a man repeatedly, felt love for the first time when he did it, and french kissed another man while "arguing" about oil, and they want me to believe that man is straight

[ghostorbz]

I hope nobody has done this yet

[anqelbean]

THE CN FANDOM FOUND OUT ABOUT SKINZUN AND SKINHE