#both fanfiction and original content i just love it and i wish i could provide the world with something on that level

[aro-aizawa]

one day, i hope to get my shit together so i can write something meaningful for people who don’t

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Michelle Kiefer

Michelle has 55 stories at Gossamer. If you haven’t read them, what are you waiting for?! She has great takes on Mulder and Scully. I’ve recced some of my favorites of her fics here before, including Christmas in California, Making Other Plans, and Six Inch Valley. Big thanks to Michelle for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

I’m not sure anyone is still reading my stories.  I haven’t migrated my X-Files ones to AO3. I don’t think Gossamer provides any viewing statistics. I’d be very happy to hear that people still like my work.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

My X-Files fandom experience was amazing.  I remember that sense of excitement and immediacy.  It was thrilling to write stories (and read those of other authors, of course) in an active fandom for a show that was on the air.  It was truly my first experience in an online world--a parallel world to my real life existence.  I learned how to keep a foot in each world.  As I recall, it was very hard to keep my focus in my “meat” world, when the online one was so fast moving and thrilling.  But I did get some balance in my life as time went on.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Message boards and mailing lists were my experience.  They were primitive compared to the pretty screens now.  I forged some amazing friendships, some of them with people I discovered lived relatively near me.  All I wanted to do was discuss episodes and fic.  The flame wars were a little intimidating, but also amusing if you didn’t get swept up.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

I was very passionate about the fandom--as I said, there were times when my online life seemed to overpower my real life experiences.  I learned to manage that, and think I’m all the better for that.  And I found some amazing friendships that are active and thriving today.  I learned a lot about writing with XF fanfic.  The level of quality was stunning.  A decent percentage of fic were as good or better than traditional published fiction.  But there were so many writers!  I wanted to make an impact on the fanfiction world, but that meant taking my writing very seriously and learning to develop a story, pace that story, make it compelling and believable.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

I had a couple of coworkers that talked about the show all the time.  I was curious, so I watched an episode.  I believe it was the cannibal town one.  I thought David Duchovny was odd looking and wasn’t terribly impressed.  But I tried another episode - Wetwired, which blew me away with the morgue scene when Mulder thinks he’s going to identify Scully’s body.  Ah...I thought, now, I see what everyone is talking about!  And from then I was hooked.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

As I watched, I wanted more.  I was fairly new to the internet (frankly, the internet was new to almost everyone)  I found episode reviews, and some of them were fantastic.  Some mentioned fanfiction.  I was unaware of such a thing, though to be honest, since childhood, I’d been spinning stories in my head about characters on TV shows.  I found some fanfic. The first couple of stories were not great (at least one was horrible) but then I found some that were very good.  Probably a bit soap-operaish, but still readable.  And then I became voracious as I plowed through the mass of stories looking for the good stuff.  And boy was there good stuff.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

I’m not estranged from it, but I don’t spend much time with it after all these years.  I’ve found fanfic in some other shows that I like and only occasionally read old XF stories.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I’ve not been as involved with any other fandoms, i.e. following commentary on the show.  I tend to dive into TV shows well after their heyday, so I’m always late to the party. I do read fanfic from other shows, and have actually written fanfic for other shows, but I need a really good idea to write.  None of the other fandoms for my other shows are as busy and active as XF, even ones currently in production.  And none of them have as much fanfic and certainly not the level of brilliance that we had in XF.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

I tend to go for interesting partnerships, very much in the XF fashion.  And a flawed hero is always a plus!  The partnerships don’t necessarily have to be romantic---in fact I find I prefer those that are not.  Really, Mulder and Scully were the only ones I felt deeply as a pairing, probably due to the chemistry between the actors. But the partnerships have to be well-balanced and realistic.  I loved the characters on Sleepy Hollow.  The two main characters were very much in the mold of Mulder/Scully.

My newest passion is British detective shows and I’ve completely fallen for the “Morse-verse” shows, Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis and Endeavour.  Less of an XF feel, but compelling characters with interesting backstories.  Other favorite partnerships in the British detective genre are on Inspector Lynley and Broadchurch.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

A bit less now, though I’m still involved with a wonderful group of ladies who love the X-Files.  When we get together for a yearly weekend, we binge episodes and eat impressive amounts of junk food.  XF isn’t on network TV these days, but if it was, I’d probably watch it.

A couple of years ago, I listened to Kumail Nanjiani’s XF podcast on my long commute.  I loved the commentary and interviews so much that I did watch some old episodes.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I don’t read much XF fic.  I’m currently reading in some other fandoms, but it’s harder to find good stories--the ones I follow aren’t very active these days and the quality just isn’t what XF was.  We were so lucky.  We had maybe 20 incredible top authors at any one time, then maybe another tier of 50 to 100  good to maybe great writers.  And with new episodes, there was so much inspiration. We were so spoiled.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

Everything from Syntax6, MaybeAmanda, Kel.  A special story for me was “Strangers and the Strange Dead” by Kipler because I remember reading that very early in the morning in my unheated basement in the winter because that was the only time I could use our single computer without others in the family complaining.  I remember actually gasping at the big reveal in the story.  I can even remember the story’s opening line!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I was just learning how to write fiction when I was involved in XF, so I’m not sure my best work is there, though the bulk of my stories are there.  I liked some of the work I did with others.  I wrote Bone of Contention and Out of the Everywhere with Kel and I think that those stories got the best aspects of both of our styles.  For stories I wrote myself, I think they’re not bad, but they are rather short and it’s always easier to maintain a theme and style for a short story.  I liked Black Cherry Velvet.  I’m writing some Inspector Lewis stories that I think are pretty good--they benefit from the years of experience that I was gaining through XF.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

Never say never, but I probably won’t write more XF.  I used to burn with it, but I think that got burned out a bit.  Still, I have such wonderful memories of the whole period.  It might be worth looking at again.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

As I mentioned, I am currently playing in the Inspector Lewis world.  It’s sad--it’s a very small and not terribly active fandom.  Sad that my best work is in an inactive fandom where I’m lucky if 20 or 30 people are reading them.  It doesn’t help that I don’t write the most popular pairing.  

But I’m really enjoying it.  I occasionally write for Man From Uncle, which really shows my age, as that was a childhood obsession.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

With XF, it was always a take on an episode--did I get a tiny idea that I wanted to develop, or was I not thrilled with the way something went on the show.  Now,  it’s usually a “what if” kind of thing where I get inspired by a possible event and explore how that would play out, i.e.  “What if this character had a one night stand resulting in an unplanned pregnancy?”  What would happen?  How would he handle the consequences of this?  How would it change his life?

What's the story behind your pen name?

It’s literally my own name.  I SOOOO wish I’d used a pen name.  But I was naive and fandom was so new to me that it never occurred to me that a pen name would be better.  I always told myself that my real name sounded like something made up, like a TV newscaster name, and I hoped people assumed it was a pen name.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My husband and my kids were the only ones who knew about it for many years. Then I went to a fandom/fic gathering for three days and had to explain to a few other family members and my work mates why I was going to Chicago on my own. It’s still mostly a need to know thing and they don’t really need to know.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

I’m on AO3 as msk.  And everything I wrote for XF is on Gossamer.

(Posted by Lilydale on February 2, 2021)

[pebblysand]

[writing rant - on the monetisation of fanfiction]

a couple of months ago, when i updated my long fic, one of the people on the comments wrote to me the nicest possible review (one of the ones that you keep in your feel-good 'saved' emails - you know the ones), which, amongst other things also said: 'If I could pay you for this...believe me, I would.'

in the moment, i kind of smiled and laughed, and thanked the person for their kind words before moving on with my life. yet, since then, i have to admit that this sentence has kind of been living rent-free in my head. i think it is also because since diving back into fandom a few months ago, i've noticed something that kind of shocked me at first: more and more fanfiction writers seem to be monetising (or attempting to monetise) their craft.

now, back when i started writing fanfic, we wrote fanfic on ffnet and livejournal. it was accepted that thou shalt never (ever) charge money for your writing or else the author and their mean, angry lawyers will come after you for damages and you will die a slow and painful death. we wrote disclaimers at the start of all of our posts and thanked the gods every day when we did not get sued.

i have seen this change gradually over the years. first, in the mid 2010s, the disclaimers went. then, i noticed that people were getting 'tipped' for fanart, sometimes even charging commission. from what i understand (though, don't quote me on this, i'm not an ip lawyer and this post is not intended as legal advice), this is because the way the concept of fair use is framed under us law makes it easier to monetise fanart than it does fanfiction. maybe this is why visual artists came first on this trend. later still (and more recently) i've noticed fanfic writers, doing the same thing.

to be fully honest, the first thought i had when i saw this trend, considering the fear of god (and his lawyers) that was instilled in me in the past, was: how on earth is this even possible? (i'll come back to that in a bit). the second, though, was: fuck, i wish i had the guts to do that, lol.

because, yeah, i will admit, the idea of getting paid for writing what i love to write does appeal, to a certain extent. i won't lie. dear fanfiction writers who've tried to do that recently: i one hundred per cent get it.

looking back at the last fifteen years, i would say that for me, writing fanfiction has been (in terms of time commitment and energy consumed) the equivalent of having an on-and-off part time job. a job that i have held for one or two years at a time, then quit for a while, before coming back to it when i needed (wanted) it again. i obviously can't realistically give you a number re:the actual total of hours i have spent at this since i started out, but i can give you an idea. recently, i started clocking my hours out of interest and calculated that a chapter of my current long fic takes roughly between one hundred to two hundred hours to produce (and they're around 10,000 words). at that rate, i'm probably working 20 hours a week-ish? sometimes more, sometimes less? something as small as a three-sentence fic (like this for instance), takes roughly two/three hours. i'll be honest, i have cancelled plans to write fic. when i'm working on a long project, i do tend to organise my life to give myself the time to write, so i opt for socialising after work during the week rather than on weekends, as i've found this is when i write best. i won't lie: it is - for me (i know some people write quicker, bless them) - a huge time suck.

so, yeah, i understand, in the capitalist society we live in, wanting to make that time count. our world has unfortunately, repeatedly taught us that time is money and getting more does seem like a nice bonus (as long as you have an audience for your art that's willing to pay, obviously). after all, year after year, i've seen a lot of my friends try and monetise their passions as side hustles, with varying success. at first, glance, i look at the time i spend on writing fanfiction and think: man, i wish i could get a bit back from that too. i couldn't even draw a stick figure to save my life but i assume that the time commitment and energy put into that kind of work is roughly similar for visual fanartists as well. i thus very much understand the sentiment, both with fanart and fanfiction.

additionally, though i appreciate this is a bit tangential, the fact that fanfiction is free, i would argue, hinders its potential to be as representative as it could be. it's a bit sad because on the one hand, the fact that it is free makes it completely accessible to the masses but on the other, it makes fanfiction quite exclusive to rich, privileged people who can afford to spend the time and energy putting content out for free. if i spend this much time writing fanfiction, just because i like it and it makes me happy, it's because my full time job pays me enough to cover my bills. if it didn't, i probably would have to forgo writing and get a proper side gig. if you look at my periods of inactivity on ao3, those also kind of coincide with the times in my life when i had to have more things going on to put food on the table.

so, now, assuming that monetisation is a thing that, as a fic writer, one might want to look at, the next question is: how do you go about monetising it? obviously, the law hasn't changed since the days where we were all terrified of getting sued (although enforcement has been quite lax over the years) so it's more about finding workarounds around the law as it is, rather than actively seeking payment for fanart.

from what i've seen: two main solutions seem to exist.

first, there's the tipping/buy-me-coffee technique. as i understand it, this involves either setting up a page on one of the dedicated websites or just putting up your paypal account link on your tumblr posts. with these links, people can then send you however much money they want (however much money they can afford/think you deserve?) on a one-off basis. they're not actually paying for fanfic because there is no actual exchange of services, it's basically like them giving money to charity, except that charity is a fanfic writer/ fan artist whose work they enjoy.

there are two main issues i see with this: one, legally, i'm not sure how much ground this actually holds. assuming you're quite prolific/successful, if every time you're producing new content, you receive dozens of tips, although you're not actively charging for your fanart, making the argument that your content isn't what these people are actively paying for seems hard. imo, the fact that this method sort of holds is that realistically, you're going to make very little out of this. even if you're really good, you might make what? a couple hundred dollars. now, sure, that's a lot of money for a lot of people but in the grand scheme of things, no one sues anyone for such a low amount. as long as you're not making 'proper' money from it, it is highly unlikely that anyone would come after you.

this being said, the second issue, from my perspective, is that this is not in any way, shape or form, a reliable income. it also does not represent, at all, the cost of the time and investment actually put into said fanfiction (or fanart, i assume). for example: if you're going to tip someone who's worked on something for, say, fifty hours, ten dollars, that's very good of you, but that isn't going to be 'worth' their time. it is only worth their time if tipping is done at as scale, which imo is quite unlikely considering you're putting your content out for free anyway. there are kind souls who will tip you, but not that many, meaning that ultimately, you're not working for free anymore, but you're still working at a huge loss.

additionally, because this income is not even reliable on a monthly/weekly basis, it isn't something that anyone can actually rely on, even if only to fund their coffee habit. it's nice to have, don't get me wrong, but from my perspective, is the legal risk outlined above worth the trouble for the $20/30 tips i'd get every once in a while - not really. such low amounts also don't help diminish the class issue that i talked about earlier. again, if you're going to spend fifty hours on something, you might as well work a minimum wage job - even that will pay you more and will be dependable.

second, there's patreon (and patreon-like sites). here, the income is monthly, people pledge on a subscription basis, which does solve the last point above. it might not be much, but at least it's regular.

the main issue i see with patreon is that it is contingent on the author providing more services on top of what they already provide. in most cases, the author will keep putting their usual content out for free + provide their patreons (depending on tiers) with more content, specifically for them. this, to me, makes this scheme even less appealing than the previous one because a) if i can't provide fanfic to potential patreons (again, you can't sell fanfic), i'm not sure what on earth i could give them (original content? that's not really the same market) and b) that's even more work on my plate. honestly, considering the amount of time i already spend writing fanfic, i have neither the energy nor the willpower to provide extra content for an amount that, regardless, will probably pay me less than a part-time job would. again, you'd have to scale this (i.e. have enough patreons) to make it all worth your while, and even in very big fandoms, even for someone waaaaay more successful than me, i doubt it would be likely.

lastly, as a side note, both of these "methods" are solely accepted if they occur on tumblr/writer's own website, rather than on the writer's ao3 page/fic. there was a post going around explaining why that is (nutshell: it endangers ao3's status as a non-profit archive) but as with all things, i seem to have lost it. [if you do have the link to that post/know what i'm talking about, hit me up and i'll rectify this]. this, regardless, supposes driving traffic from wherever you post your fics towards tumblr/your own website which, again, decreases your chances of scaling this.

so, in the end, where does that leave us?

i think, at this point, we've kind of reached a crossroad. ultimately, i see two ways to look at this:

option one: if you believe that fanfiction writers should be paid for their art, you also probably agree that the methods outlined above, while they do offer some sort of solution, are less than ideal. the ideal solution (for this option) would obviously be to allow fanfiction authors to be properly paid for the publication of their work through 'normal' publishing/self-publishing deals, without the need for a licence from the author (bar - perhaps - the payment of royalties). that would create a proper 'market' for fanfiction, treating it as any other form of writing/art form. it would mean a complete overhaul of the laws currently in place, but why not? ultimately, in a democracy, laws are meant to be changeable.

this being said, though, while my personal knee jerk reaction would be to shout 'hurray!' at this solution, i do not actually think i want this. or, maybe, only part of me does. the part of me who has been writing fanfiction for free for fifteen years is like 'hey, yay, maybe i could get paid!'. but then, there is another part of me that would like, maybe, one day, to write more original fiction (i already do a bit, but not much). that part of me is feels frankly a bit icky about giving up her ip rights.

would i be comfortable with people writing fanfiction of my original work? hell yes. that would be the dream. imagine having your own ao3 fandom, omg. however, would i be comfortable with people profiting from writing fanfiction of my work? honestly, i'm not sure. to me, the answer to that is: it depends (how much time investment was put in? how original the concept is? etc.) which, in fact, kind of brings us back to the current concept of licensing. and yes, maybe the current frame imposed by copyright law has also shaped the way i view the concept of property, and maybe i should be more of a communist, free-for-all kind of person, but unfortunately, i'm not that revolutionary.

also, and slightly tangentially, i find it interesting how profiting from fanficition/fanart is seen as more acceptable i certain fandoms rather than in others. taking the hp fandom for instance, even prior to jkr expressing her views on transgender rights, i often read things like: 'ah, she's so rich anyway, she doesn't need the money.' now, that argument has not only gained traction but is also reinforced by: 'ah, she's the devil and i don't want to fund her. it'd rather give my money to fanfic authors/buy things on etsy.'

while i completely understand the sentiment and do not, in any way, shape or form, support jkr's views, i do find that argument quite problematic. if you set the precedent that because someone is too rich, or because they've expressed views you disagree with, you don't believe that they should be entitled to their own intellectual property rights, i do wonder: where does this stop? this being justified for jkr could lead to all sorts of small artists seeing other people stealing/profiting from their original work without authorisation. 'i don't pay you 'cause i disagree with you,' would then act as a justification, with i find highly unfair. the fact of the matter is: jkr created hp. knowing that, the choice of buying hp products, regardless of her opinions is completely and entirely yours, but buying the same stuff unlicensed, from people who are infringing on her copyrights seems, to me, very problematic as this could potentially be scaled to all artists. either we overhaul the entire copyright system or we don't, but making special cases is dangerous, in my humble opinion.

option two: we choose to preserve copyright law as it is, for the reasons outlined above. this means that most people will not get paid for the content they put out and that the few that do will operate on a very tight, legal rope, and work for tips that are a 'nice bonus' but not a proper pay. this sort of perpetuates the idea that fanfiction is 'less than' other art forms, because in our capitalist society, things that don't generate money (things often made by women, may i add) are not seen as being as valuable as things that do.

for me, personally, while getting paid to write fanfiction sounds lovely (and makes my bank account purr) in theory, i think i side to preserve the current system. as an artist, i think that intellectual property protects us and our concepts from being ripped off by others, including by big companies who might find it handy to steal a design, a quote, anything, without proper remuneration. this is even more important for smaller artists who wouldn't necessarily have the means to defend their craft otherwise.

this being said, i do appreciate that it depends on why you're writing fanfiction. i think that topic probably deserves a whole different post in its own right but ultimately, most people write fanfic because it's fun. we know it's for fun, and not for profit. and if that's the case, then we're okay to receive compliments, reblogs and sometimes, for some people a little bit of an awkward tip for our work. for me, fanfic has been a space to make friends, to get feedback, to learn and to experiment without the pressure of money being involved. that's why i don't particularly mind doing it for free, and wouldn't even bother setting up a patreon or tip-me jar. i love being able to do it just for the enjoyment of myself and my five followers (lol), without worrying about scaling it, or making it profitable. not every part of our lives, not every passion has to be profitable. as we say in ireland, you do it 'for the craic' and nothing else.

this, though, as i already said, also depends on your means and level of privilege. to me, writing for free is fantastic and a bloody relief - it means being able to do exactly what i want. original fiction writing is full of rules, and editors, and publishers. in fanfic, i can write whatever i feel like, and i'm willing to forgo a salary in exchange of that freedom. again, i have a full time job that covers my bills. this does mean, though, that i don't have as much time to dedicate to writing as i would like to.

and also, the thing is: i'm a small author. i happily write in my own little niche. bar that one comment, it is highly unlikely that anyone would actually want to pay me (or even tip me) for my content. but when you look at very successful people, like the author of all the young dudes, i could see how they'd want to get paid for their art, and why they'd feel differently.

bottom line for me is: the flaws of the current systems of remuneration combined with my strong belief in copyright law as a means to protect small, original creators, means that i don't really think it would be right for me to get paid for fanfic, even if i was the kind of person who had the market for it. whilst it would be nice, this very long rant has, hopefully, explained why.

[monstersandmaw]

Patreon Tier Reshuffle in February and General 2020 Developments...

I gave my Patrons first look at this post, since some of the changes will affect their tiers (only to add content though!). Now I’m posting most of it to Tumblr for you to look at and perhaps have a think about...

It’s a long post, and I’m sorry for that...

First of all, I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s supporting me on Patreon, whether you’re a long-time supporter or you just joined. I know it's a big deal to give your heard-earned cash to someone on the internet and am well aware of the responsibility I have and what an honour it is to be on the receiving end of your generosity and support. So, yes. Thank you more than I can probably ever express.

Secondly, a reminder that all tiers have access to our chilled out Discord server forever. We’ve got a channel for sharing photos of pets, for general chat, for monsters, for sharing artwork of all kinds, a library to share your own stories, an nsfw chat, recipes etc., so hopefully there’s something for everyone, but there’s no pressure to be active if you’d rather not be! There’s also an ongoing DnD game with some of the folks on there too, which is fun!

It might be worth joining the server anyway because I have plans for a new perk which will involve Discord (see below), and I also occasionally run ‘Discord Drabbles’ where I ask for prompts on Discord from folks, which you might have seen posted on Patreon from time to time.  

Now, finally, round to the topic of this post!

I’ve been thinking about how to make sure that every tier gets the most that I can give them for their money, so I’m going to do a little reshuffle. It will start in February, and I’ve made sure that I’m pretty much just adding stuff to each tier, so you won’t miss out in the reshuffle.  

Here are the new things I’m running only on Patreon from February 2020 in addition to everything else (see below):  

Sculpt This!

Patrons can submit artwork or detailed descriptions (a creature/monster, a character, an object) to a designated ‘Sculpt This!’ channel on Discord, and I will pick one to sculpt once a month. I will create a post on Patreon with the artwork and the artist’s name (and a link to their page/site if they have one, and photos of my final sculpture based on their design. That will be available to everyone from the $1 tier upwards.  

For those on the $5 tier upwards, a short video will be available, featuring footage of the sculpting process itself.  

If the person whose art I use is on the $20 tier or upwards, I will post them the sculpture if they’d like it. 

Trope Tuesdays!

A poll will go up prior to Tuesday, with a list of common tropes (notably from the world of fanfic – things like ‘coffee shop’, ‘bed-sharing’, ‘enemies to lovers’, ‘5 times +1’ etc. etc.) and the winning trope from that poll will be the theme for a short story to be posted on a Tuesday.  

I’m aiming for these short stories to be a variety of fluffy and steamy, available to everyone from the $1 tier up.  

Character Letters

$10 and up patrons can request a letter once a month from their favourite characters from any of my stories (providing I wasn’t using someone else's OC for a commission or the like). This can be sent as a PDF by email and/or posted publicly to Patreon only (not Tumblr), with the option to remove the name if you’d rather remain anonymous.  

$20 and up patrons can request a hand-written letter once a month from their favourite character, again with the option to have the text posted to Patreon or not, and with their name, or not.  

Commissions 

I'm still in two minds about opening these up on here because I got absolutely exhausted – mentally and physically – at the end of 2019 and I’m only just recharging again. I had said I would open them up to patrons only in January 2020, and I may yet do that. If I do, I will create 5 slots, and a maximum of 5k words per story initially, and see how that goes. I realise that’s a small number of slots, but it’s still a lot of work for me on top of the rest of the Patreon commitments. I hope you understand, but I know a number of you responded in a poll to say you’d be interested in commissions from me again.

$10 patrons receive 5% off the first 5000 words of writing commissions, and $20 receive 10% off the first 5000 words of commissions.  

Continuing rewards:  

Monthly story – the monthly exclusive story will still be available for $5 and up (some of these stories have been known to go up to 10k words and be in multiple parts – think Kieran the satyr’s story from October 2018!)

Early release – I will continue to offer all Tumblr stories (except paid commissions from non-patrons and giveaways/specials) on early release – minimum of 4 days, sometimes longer.  

Polls – help me decide what to write next

Character bios and artwork

Future things I hope to bring in later this year:

Gaming with Ghosti

I hope to do some streaming via Twitch of me playing things either on the PS4 (like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or we could do a special Dragon Age: Inquisition playthrough together), or from PC which could include a number of games, from Witcher III (I still haven’t played much) to Mass Effect, chilled out Minecraft sessions, and a huge number of other games which you could choose to inflict on me and watch me flail around in.

Hopefully Mr. Ghosti could join in too and laugh along with you and just generally have a chilled out time. This would probably happen at the weekend, but I’d have to look into the logistics of it if there’s enough interest.  

Discount for Patrons on my Etsy shop

It’s actually live right now, but I haven’t got anything listed yet as I’m unsure of the last few things I need to get in place, but once I’ve got things up on there, I’ll make an announcement and give patrons a special discount code to use in case there’s anything you’d like to buy, from jewellery to polymer clay charms/sculptures.  

More Q&A type things and video content

Some of you seemed to enjoy the video I did answering your questions, so I could always do more of this, if there are things you’d like to ask! It could be about anything, not just writing. If there’s interest, I’ll look into it.

More milestone giveaways and mystery ‘lucky dip’ giveaways

I love sharing things with you, so when I hit 200 patrons, I’ll have to think up something special, and in the meantime, maybe I’ll do some more giveaways for you.

If there’s something that you would like to see that you think I could put up on Patreon for you, then please get in touch! I’m always looking for ideas

All tier rewards will be as follows from February 2020:

Brand new items in bold, and slight changes in italics:

(putting in a ‘keep reading’ because it’s getting silly now...)

Shadows:  

access to the Patreon-only Discord

access to the ‘Trope Tuesdays’ poll and story

access to the ‘Sculpt This!’ posts

access to some character profiles, aesthetics, polls, and story ideas

small discount on my etsy store (when it opens)

and my undying gratitude!

Pixies and Goblins – all of the above, plus:

one Patreon-exclusive monster story per month

access to the ‘Sculpt This!’ process video

access to the extra, long-running story, released once a month (Werewolf story - coming soon!)

early access for all Tumblr monster stories (excluding paid commissions)

the ‘what’s next?’ poll to help me decide what monster or reader to write

Elves – all of the above, plus:

you can request a letter once a month from your favourite character of mine! This can be sent as a PDF by email and/or posted publicly to Patreon only, with the option to remove the name if you’d rather remain anonymous.

entry into the monthly 3k word story commission – if you are chosen (at random) from the Elves tier (and above) you can have a 3k word story of your choosing written for you

access to ‘Writer’s Corner’, featuring occasional blog posts about writing and workshop goings-on

small work-in-progress previews from both my monster stories and my original fantasy fiction ‘Weaver of Threads’

5% off the first 5000 words of writing commissions, and priority placement in the commissions queue

Orcs – all of the above, plus:

you can also request a letter once a month from your favourite character, but yours can also be hand-written and posted to you if you’d like! You also have the option of it being posted to Patreon or not. 

One short story (maximum 1500 words) with a monster and reader of your choice per month (by request only), included within your subscription

A PDF version of any monster story I’ve written and published on Patreon or Tumblr (by request, and sent by email)

10% off the first 5000 words of a writing commission

if your design was selected in the ‘Sculpt This!’ feature, I can post the finished sculpture to you, if you’d like to have it.

Dragons – all of the above, plus:

One 5000 word story of your choosing will be written for you per month (no fanfiction) as a thank you for your patronage (by request only)

Entry into the monthly top tiers free story draw but your story is 4k words instead of 3k

20% off the first 5000 words of a writing commission

A character with a name of your choosing (upon approval!) will be added to a monster story

Priority on jewellery and metalwork commissions and a larger discount on my Etsy store (when that opens)

Kaiju – all of the above, plus:

if you win the random free commission, yours is 5k words instead of 3k!

One 7000 word story of your choosing will be written for you per month (no fanfiction) as a thank you for your patronage (by request only)

One hand written letter of thanks (I have nice handwriting, don’t worry!) sent to you by post, including a little short story

25% off the first 5000 words of a writing commission

30% discount on jewellery and metalwork commissions

Dedication by name in any published work (let me know if you wish to remain anonymous)

Hope you’re excited, and don’t forget that you can always get in touch with me on any of my platforms – Patreon, Tumblr, Discord. If you want to share something but also want to remain anonymous, just send an anon to Tumblr and ask me not to post it. 

__

| Masterlist | Patreon | Ko-fi | Writing Commissions |

[paper-clip]

thoughts on homestuck post-canon content

gonna give a hot take no one asked for and no one will care abt which is just this: h^2 isn’t bad necessarily because it messes with characters. neither are the epilogues, i genuinely enjoyed that wild ride. but i think that the post-canon content feels like the authors 1. only read act 5 and onwards; 2. have forgotten that most of homestuck was just weird and funny. serious moments are appreciated but one of the reasons they were so impactful in the original comic was because they weren’t really that common. but so far reading the post-canon stuff, it feels like everything has an extremely somber and unfun undertone. which is totally fine, i understand part of it is the theme of coming to terms with the fact that eventually youth become adults, and that john (and the others) are depressed, and that your friends are very capable of turning into bad people. which is totally fine. and i really enjoyed the epilogues, i think because they had a lot of wacked out textual weirdness. but i also understood they were different from the original material. and i did have some problems with characterization, namely with dave, jade, and ESPECIALLY rose. those issues with rose are still incredibly evident in h^2 (terezi feels so different too), and while i know everything is a narrative choice and purposeful, i feel like we aren’t reading about...the same characters? like, that doesn’t mean: we are reading about the same characters but they’ve grown a shitton it more means: these are totally unrecognizable and flanderized versions of the characters we knew, and sometimes they’re just outright and wholly OOC, they’re not recognizable as themselves and they read like they were written like someone who got all of their information from fanfiction. i kind of feel totally unattached to them to a point because while some parts of the post-canon material are fun for the most part they aren’t homestuck, and i don’t mean that as in ‘boohoo its not the SAME’, what i mean is that it literally just doesn’t feel like it’s the same cast or in the same universe. it can stand on its own merit but its also just. not...part of the narrative period. its like being served a delicious pasta and then like, a different meal thats just as good under the same exact name. even if both works stand on their own, and both are really good, they have nothing in common. with that being said i don’t think that homestuck IS really homestuck anymore, it’s all a derivative work that holds no resemblance to the original. and again i love fanfic but like. this doesn’t even feel like good fanfic. it feels again like its characterized entirely by fandom content and like, people who got all of their info from like. fantroll rp servers that make everything extremely serious. i feel like hussie is pretty tired of homestuck, or! he’s just grown a lot as a person and so he has a completely different vision for the story now, which is fine. but the distance between the original author and the current work makes it even more dissimilar in a bad way.  regarding reading h^2 for example: it just...isn’t fun. this is one of the reasons when you’re writing a work that you need to make your protagonist likable in some way. not a good person, just likable. and while dirk strider has sympathetic qualities and is struggling, his narration is just genuinely unfun to read (as opposed to the epilogues imo). my interest was piqued when jake was switched to as the focus but even then i think it is overall an extremely boring work that doesn’t encourage investment in the material of any sort. there are also some parts of the material i like more than others. i don’t think that the Friendsims are bad at all, even if i’m not a huge fan. you can tell the authors have fun with what they’re doing. and some of the pesterquests are similar.  i do wish that hussie would make a work that isnt homestuck and move on, because i think he has a lot of stories to tell, but i dont know if he ever will. writing a comic for this long that has such an, uh, fandom, seems creatively and emotionally draining. but i just...want to read something fresh, instead of reading what feels like a bad passion project. this all also sounds really mean and as a big disclaimer i don’t mean to insult anyone at all who is currently working on any of the material, i know that all of them care for it deeply and it’s NOT a cash grab--it’s fans who love providing additional content. i also don’t think i could do better, obvifuckingously. my critique isn’t meant to say that. but like. you don’t have to be gordon ramsay to tell that something’s fucking raw.

[veridium]

You Want Writing Tips? You Got Writing Tips

Hello, lovelies. So, in light of my Q&A last night and receiving some asks about writing fanfic/in general, I wanted to make a text post paired with what I said -- mostly for accessibility reasons. I want to restate the fact that I am in no way an exceptional/professional-level/goddess of writing, I am simply someone who wants to encourage and provide some helpful advice to anyone who may be struggling or starting. My opinions and perspective are not sacrosanct by any means.

That being said my advice is mostly about existing as a writer, authoring fanfic, and building confidence as a creative. I am not interested in conscripting people to my personal style focus at all. This is meant to be an encouraging primer more than anything. Some of these will echo my Q&A as well.

1). Writing is first and foremost a practice to enjoy and be fulfilled by for your own creative needs and tastes. 

Yes, we post and promote our fanfictions on multiple platforms, clamor for likes and comments, the whole nine yards. That means it’s easy for all of us regardless of how long we’ve been at it to forget that writing fic is primarily for our own enjoyment and gratification. As creatives we can be told our work is frivolous unless it gathers some sort of outside aplomb, and that our labor is useless without attention. This is not true, and is a pernicious form of suppression. 

If you get a lot of feedback and reader response on your work, fabulous! I’m so happy for you. But I am also happy for you if you manage to finish and post a chapter or a ficlet in the first place. That is hard work, and it’s not something everyone does everyday. Be proud of yourself knowing you’re practicing an art form that not only brings you joy but provides an opportunity to connect with others. 

2). Tumblr is not the Gauntlet of Talent. 

I know it’s also easy to assume that Tumblr is the ultimate bastion of affirmation given the prolific presence of fandom and fanfic. But, let’s be real: we all know this site is a garbage fire. It has been, it is now, and it will be in the future. The way it hinders creative content and its creators is appalling. With that in mind, getting less-than-jubilant responses from the Tumblr-verse is not a sign that you lack talent, capability, or original ideas by default. Once again I wish to point out that writing should be something we all do for our own sakes, for our outlets and desires. Having Tumblr fandom attention is nice, and it feels supportive in my experience more often than not, but it’s also fraught and can get lost in the trivialities of popularity.

Fandom should be community, rather than fame oriented. We should be looking to each other for encouragement, helpful critique, and new, fresh perspectives. We should also respect those among us who do not wish to engage or attend to the attentions of others -- introverted creators matter too, and their points of view are valid. 

Tumblr fame does absolutely infer talent, and vice-versa. 

3. Writing is a Wonderful Opportunity to Build Good Habits. 

The culture of writing until you drop, of staving off your priorities and needs in order to dedicate “fully,” is toxic. It is also unfortunate that idea of “success” is so pervasive because writing can be a neat chance to instill some helpful habits into your routine. From my personal experience, writing is a wonderful thing to do to wind down at the end of my day: I settle in after a shower and dinner wearing my comfy pajamas and I write for a couple hours, water bottle nearby. I listen to music, watch movies if I need muse/inspiration, and enjoy my introvert time. 

Writing as a routine activity can be a conduit for good habits, like hydrating, exercise, other forms of art, and reading books. It can inspire you to change up some old regimens and think in new ways. Writing isn’t just the physical act of writing or typing words, it’s a process. Your productivity and balance is entangled with the rest of your goings-on, your responsibilities, and environment. You can use that to your advantage! 

Because of my writing I have had an excuse to hike/walk more, something I have not always had the time or ability to do whether it be for my chronic illness or demanding schedule. Now I find I am much more relaxed, my anxiety episodes are fewer and far in between, and I enjoy where I live more. Writing has helped me not only as a creative endeavor but as a life habit, and in return my stories have benefited. 

4). Care, Genuinely Care, About Your Non-CisHet White Characters. 

Please. Please care. I’m not just saying like them or craft them, I mean interrogate why and how you’re making them the way you are. If you’re letting them fall into a disempowering trope, ask yourself what the purpose of having a one-dimensional or stereotypical character is for you. If you’re constructing a cis woman character for example who is struggling with internalized standards for femininity or gender roles, that’s one thing and that can be a really interesting character development. 

But if your character is stagnant within that point of view, and their adversities/experiences are not engaging with them, you should ask yourself why. If you’re writing a perspective you do not personally have -- queerness, non-cisness, ability, etc. -- you REALLY need to be critical about what you’re writing. It may not intimately impact you, but it does impact readers who have those identities. If you’re white and you’re writing non-white characters it does not matter whether your universe is fantasy or not, you are and will be writing from a white gaze imbued with racism. You have to constantly monitor and check in with that.

As a Femslash writer one of the things that saddens me the most is when I read a cis woman character that feels one-dimensional, dependent on how other characters look at her rather than someone with their own sense of self, and like they can’t manage for themselves on some level. It’s one thing to grow from those traits and become confident or independent over time -- OR EVEN MORE DEPENDENT AND LESS CONFIDENT BECAUSE SHIT HAPPENS LIKE THAT TOO! -- but the heart of the matter is that there should be changes, fluxes, and impressions in a character’s sense of self. 

Try to think about how your own social conditioning has influenced the way you see these kinds of people in your every day. Think about how you could be infusing biases and unnecessary shortcomings into your characters based off of those misunderstandings. Female characters can be detestable, evil, malignant. They can be modest, or promiscuous, or both! They can be quick to anger, or struggle with depression. There are an infinite number of possibilities, so much so that writing a flat, meek caricature to be a waste of time. 

--

These are my main tips I would give to anyone wishing for my perspective. As I stated before, I am no sage expert on the craft of writing. Truly, I don’t think anyone is. The point is to have conversation, to engage thoughtfully for the betterment of our writing and each other’s. We’re a community and that is what we do. 

I hope this is helpful and constructively encouraging, because that is what we deserve from ourselves and each other. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to inbox me or message me directly. Sending love and light to you all!

-Veri

[fyrapartnersearch]

Hello~! My name is Fuu! I am here looking for something else this time! My hobbies include writing, cooking, reading, cosplay, crying over fictional characters, crying in general, video games, drawing, and talking to my cats. I work part time at a library. I am 21+. I'm about as intimidating as a pink butterfly stuck on a marshmallow. I'm an absolute chatter box, if I go on a tangent, just reel me back in.

☆○o。RP Preferences 。o○☆ ✦Writing I write in 3rd person format, multi/semi-para. I seek partners who do the same.

✦Replies I am able to reply frequently and I prefer to write with people that can do the same. I won't rush or badger anyone to reply. Take your time! Just not like a month, without warning. I lose muse/forget threads if they're left untouched for 2+ weeks. ✦Communication I enjoy making friends of my rp partners. It really helps me throw ideas/build ships/build stories if we're compatible.  ✦Plotting I highly value plotted threads over unplotted threads. Considering this ad is looking for a specific genre/plot, all I’m looking for is someone who wants to build onto it.  ✦Shipping The ship idea I’m seeking is not entirely romantic or platonic, if that makes sense. It can be either/or/in the middle, to be honest.  ✦Limits I am very squeamish, I can't handle things regarding gore, excessive swearing, excessive vulgarity, etc. very well.

☆○o。What Am I Looking For 。o○☆

I will pose a question. Do you like 70s style anime? That retro, water color, and everyone has a sparkly, floral background? Do you like tragedy with a sprinkling of possible edgy themes? Now, do you wish it had more fairies in it?

No? Just me? Understandable, have a nice day.

Before I give up at turn this into a fanfiction, I wanted to see if I could get some interesting variety through rp! I had discovered this old anime/manga called Kaze to ki no Uta. It has a full manga available online, and an hour long OVA that covers a good 1/3 of the manga, in that beautiful retro, harpsichord filled fashion. 

Now before I go any further, this story specifically has quite a bit of a chip on its shoulder in regards to how edgy it can go. Take a pot of edgy sauce and reduce it down to a sludge and that’s what you have left with this story masquerading as a tragic romance. 

I forgot where I was going with this, point is, it has some dark themes in it (not that I’m seeking those dark themes for writing but it does form a basis as to how I added fairies into the story.. If you want to see a suspension of belief, girl who believes she's part fairy get thrown into the mix of this story, then continue reading!)

This plot as two options Canon or Original. I’m mostly seeking the canon version because that’s how the plot developed in my head, but I did manage to weave a version purely for original basis. Or we can use the canon plot as a basis! Canon would be taking characters and themes from the story. The ‘fairy’ in question is this one. She looks kinda like this but a little older. A walking doll basically. Or this, right from the manga itself. A song that heavily inspires this character is this.  I got nothin' for an excuse besides I thought up a plot and can't get rid of it now. I'm actually not seeking romance (exactly?) from this one. I will say it’s probably 18+ because it has some dark themes in the story.  Canon This part turned into a giant wall of text so to give you the almost shorter version, it’s basically inserting the fairy-like character into a canon characters background and changing some stuff up a bit. If you know the canon story, it’s going to start in Volume 4 of the manga. If you have a general idea of the canon story, we can either follow it or like I said, go with an original, similar idea.

The gist of the story is a boy raised in poor circumstance becomes enchanted by a girl who believes she’s part fairy. It’s so much easier to explain if you know the canon story, so if you’re interested in this, hmu and I can go into further detail. 

The pairing concept, and bear with me cause it's probably going to sound weird, is a boy who never had a mothers love, finding it in a rather twisted way with a girl who very much enjoys taking care of 'things'. She's genuine in her feelings for him, but there's a reason why both characters end up getting drawn to one another. 

What unfolds in the story is a friendship that happens purely by chance, and the strange ways the new person must deal with this supposed demi-fairy girl. Her name is Clarabelle. 

Original Playboy Brat x Demi-Fairy Girl or Goody Two Shoes x Demi Fairy Girl Whether you want to use the 'canon' story line or go with something original is entirely up for us to decide and work on! This plot/set up should work with most character personality types, though I had one or two in mind; brat or goody-two-shoes.

This is a story set in the 19th century, or the general 1800's, in a small town I've yet to think up a name for. This town is very quaint but it's an otherwise quiet place. The idea I had in mind takes place in a sort of... suspended belief of reality, but not so much that fantasy is a part of the story.  There is a house in the more suburban area of the town, where it has its own property, including a garden in both the front and back, and it's covered in all sorts of greenery from flowers, floral bushes, to vines of ivy and trees. It's a very pretty house, but a very quiet one. A woman lives there. Beautiful, rich, sought after by all manner of men and she's quite the social butterfly - it's clear she's the owner of the house. Yet, there is a second inhabitant - a younger, more fair girl.  This story would be focused on the girl and her befriending, or being befriended by a newcomer. What they discover, however they met, is that the person living in this house is a girl not much older than they are (I picture they're about middle to late teens). She seems quite enigmatic, despite having such a social caretaker. The older woman is her aunt, her brother - Clara’s father - is a Duke. When asked who her mother was, she simply replies her mother was a fairy. This is where a mild suspension of belief is asked. For the sake of her enigmatic nature, it's never really confirmed or denied if what she says is true. Strange things seem to happen when she's around though. The house is covered in beautiful flowers and the garden is breathtaking, yet they give it very little care. People seem drawn to the girl when they see her. Her singing can lull even the most alert of people. She attracts the fireflies in the garden at night. Her appearance always seemed heralded by a butterfly, even in the dead of winter. She seems all together other worldly. What unfolds in the story is a friendship that happens purely by chance, and the strange ways the new person must deal with this supposed demi-fairy girl. Her name is Clarabelle. Now, you're probably wondering 'where does the character personality come into play in all this?' Since I created this plot using the canon content, I based the 'newcomer friend' on the personalities of the boys in Kaze; Gilbert and Serge. In this case, Gilbert, the blond one, is the one I originally picked out. He's a brat and she won't be manipulated by him.  I also mentioned the other boy, Serge, has a personality that would also work. Only in this case, he isn't a brat but exactly the opposite. An honest, goodey-two-shoes sort of kid.  How sad their background might be will be entirely dependent on the partner, should they choose to play this sort of character. (I like to think something like two broken people become friends and find themselves whole again after a while)

If you find that any of this has somehow managed to tickle your fancy, you can reach me on gaia at x_panko_x. Obv not everyone uses it so since this is posted on Tumblr, you can reach me OOC wise at whiterosemilktea for further discussion then we can decide where we'll write it out. As far as discord goes, it is also open for rping this genre and I will provide if you are interested. Honestly though, if you even recognize this genre or have seen this manga/anime I would love to talk to at least one other person who has.

[tolkienrsb]

TRSB18 FAQ

General Information

What is a Reverse Big Bang?

A Reverse Big Bang is literally a reverse of the Big Bang challenges you may have come across in the past (such as Hobbit Big Bang, for example). The participating artists create a piece of art, which is posted anonymously for authors to view and claim. The authors will then write a fic based on the art they chose.

What kind of artwork/story is eligible?

Hobbit, Silm, LotR, HoME, whatever takes your fancy, be it movies or book-canon ;)

This challenge is open to all characters, genres and ratings, as long as there is a clear link to Tolkien’s mythos.

OCs are welcome, although crossovers are not currently permitted.  

We are not setting any restrictions on content, but please work with your artist/author to ensure that the fic turns out well for both sides; refer back to the individual’s Do-Not’s and Must-Haves before you decide to claim a piece of art!

If you create a NSFW piece of art for the Preview, we will put a SFW crop in the Preview with a link to the NSFW version.

Because this challenge is open to and inclusive of all Tolkien characters and ships, we would like to remind all participants that absolutely no shipshaming or kinkshaming will be tolerated.

Please respect each other and the all-inclusive tone of the challenge.

Long post under the cut, can also be found at https://tolkienrsb.tumblr.com/faq

What’s the time frame?

May 1, 2018: Sign-ups open

May 15, 2018: Artist sign-up closes

Monday, May 21, 2018: Art Draft due

Friday, May 25, 00:01 CET, 2018: Art up for preview

Saturday, May 26, 2018: Author sign-ups close

Monday, May 28, 20:00 CET, 2018: Claims open [What time is that for me?]

Sunday, June 3, 2018: Post-Claim Check In

July 5, 2018: Check In.

July 30, 2018: Check In.

August 17, 2018: Deadline to tell us “Help, my pants are on fire and I won’t be able to complete my story!” 

August 25, 2018: Fics due.

Monday, August 27, 2018: Posting begins in the last week of August, running in staggered schedule until all Fics have been posted/reblogged.

The scheduled times and dates are not negotiable.

What’s a checkpoint? They’re something to give you a feel on where a typical artist and/or author should or could be at in their creation process. They’re used for encouragement and motivation only. The last author checkpoint is mandatory and for us to determine what art pieces we need to find pinch hitters for. Any author who does not check in then (or if they can’t make it lets us know why) will be dropped from the challenge and a pinch hitter assigned to the art prompt. What should my art draft look like for Preview? It should be the equivalent of about 75% of your final artwork. That’s hard to measure, of course – basically it does not need to be a finished piece but it should give the author wanting to claim your art a good idea of what it will look like.

Time should go into it, this piece will be what the author bases their story on.

What should my rough draft look like for the Final Checkpoint? It needs to be at least 4,000 words, or 80% of your fic. You do not need to have your fic finished by this time however, you may still work on it and get it beta-read until your final fic and art is due. We just need to be able to reasonably verify that you are going to be able to finish your fic by the due date.

How will I contact my artist/author? We will provide an author with contact information once they are committed to an artist(email/tumblr/other - artists choose their preferred communications method when they submit their art for Preview). From there it is up to the author to communicate with the artist and create a story that would fit the art.

How do I sign up? Sign-ups for the 2018 fest open on May 1, you can sign up via forms linked on the @tolkienrsb​ blog.

FAQ from Artists

Art encompasses (but is not limited to) drawn or painted artwork (both traditional and digital), comics, and digital manips. Craft is welcome as long as the final piece can be photographed and submitted to us via email as an image. If you have an unconventional idea for your artwork, please email the mods at tolkienrsb at gmail dot com to discuss.

Artists may submit up to 3 separate pieces of art for this challenge to be claimed separately by 3 different authors. Alternatively, artists may choose to submit one piece for the preview and create more pieces as the collab continues - whichever best suits the story you and your partner want to tell!

Can I draw anything I like? Basically, yes. However, bear in mind that you are creating something to inspire a writer. Is there an AU or a headcanon you’d love to see explored? Give your author as much information as you can in your art to capture their imagination. Just as with a Big Bang when authors try to make their summary as enticing to artists as possible, you have the opportunity to inspire a writer with your idea and to have them write a fic specifically for the art you create.

What about nudity/ships/kinks? Bring them. Go wild. Ship it (you know you want to). This is basically your party (and we know we have some kinky writers out there, so you might find a kindred soul for yours ;) )

Bear in mind that if you DO create an NSFW piece of art as your prompt, we will put a SFW crop in the Preview and link a full version hosted on Mod Raiy’s private Imgur account for the duration of the Preview Weekend.

Do I have to finish my art before Previews? No, but submitted artwork should be at least 75% done.  We know that can be tough to gauge with art; the main thing is to post a draft with enough detail that authors can clearly make out what’s going on in your artwork.

Art is only to be completed before the posting date (this means you have all the weeks of writing to finish it - or to make more art or sunbathe or however you’d like to spend time this summer).

See Submission Info for more details.

Can I create a crossover or fusion piece? No, we feel Tolkien’s works are a large enough sandbox for this first round – perhaps in future we will open for true fusions/crossovers.

NB: THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN’T DO AU’s!

What happens if the number of authors doesn’t match up with the number of artists? We will do several rounds of claiming so that EVERY piece of art has a fic in the event that the art pieces outnumber fanfiction writers. If it’s the other way, we may open up the pieces of art so that more than one fic writer is assigned to the same piece of art. Either way, everyone who wants to participate will get to participate.

Will my art be archived anywhere? No, we will only post your art in our Preview document, which will be deleted by the end of the TRSB18 event.

NB: Art pieces created for this challenge are NOT TO BE POSTED ANYWHERE ELSE before story posting takes place.

How will art claims work? Art will be posted anonymously to a Members Only, View Only private presentation document. Each piece will be numbered and accompanied by additional information supplied by the artist so authors will have plenty of time to peruse and choose their preferences.  See Submission Info to see what info the artists will submit, and see Claims Info for how claims will work.

FAQ from Authors

After claiming takes place, authors will have approximately 10 weeks to write a story with a minimum of 5,000 words. The fic must be original, complete, and related to the claimed art for which it is written.

We strongly recommend that the fic is beta-read, either by the artist or a third party to reduce errors.

Do I get more than one piece of art to work with? That’s up to your artist, though we encourage our teams to collaborate throughout the process in whatever manner they see fit. There is no obligation for your artist to create additional art unless they wish to; before you begin writing, have a chat with your artist about interpretations of the artwork - bear in mind that elements of the artwork must feature in your fic.

What if the artist’s OTP is my nOTP/squicks me? Then you shouldn’t pick that piece of art on your claims form. Elements in the artwork need to be present in your story - this means that if there is a pairing specifically shown or suggested, then that is the pairing you are claiming and promising to write for. We also encourage you to discuss any squicks before you start writing and respect each other’s Do Not Wants.  (Key word here being “respect” - it should go without saying, but we will not tolerate shipshaming, kinkshaming, flaming or other hurtful behaviour.)

What type of requirements are there for a fic? You will be expected to write a fic with a minimum of 5,000 words, based on the prompt you choose in the Art Claims post. Claims will be first come, first serve. Beta-reading is strongly advised.

How do I know what art I’m writing for? / How do I make a claim? When the artists turn in their rough drafts, we’ll make an Art Preview. Signed up authors will be emailed a link to view the Art Preview and have a couple of days to think about their favourites. Then we will open the Claims Form where you will rank your choices by preference and we will match authors with claims on a first come first served basis. 

I’ve already been writing a fic - can I use that one? No. The fic you write must be based around the art you choose, using that as your prompt.

What if my [character] doesn’t look like my artist’s [character]? Then you should probably have chosen a different piece of art ;) As the entire idea of this fest is to use a piece of art as a prompt, discarding the artist’s vision for your own is pretty bad form. Pick art you like/agree with!

What genres/warnings are allowed? You may write/create art for whichever genre of fic you choose, as well as any rating as long as your artist is comfortable with it. Remember, you’re creating the fic around the art and the artist’s original vision. 

Can I write with someone else? No, only one person may write. You may use your artist as a sparring partner or utilise the services of a beta reader(which we strongly recommend all authors do), but your story should be yours.

Will my fic be archived anywhere? No, where the story is posted will be up to the author. We will create/reblog MasterPosts to DW and Tumblr, but the location of your fic is entirely up to you.

How does posting work? Each author/artist team nominates their preferred posting day within the last week of August. Each team of author/artist is required to post on their assigned date to the platform of their choice(DW/Tumblr/AO3/ Other).

Each team will also be required to create a masterpost of their collaboration on Tumblr(no matter how they choose to post), including a summary and links to wherever they’ve posted their work.

If you do not have a DW account when it comes to posting time, just email your links/information details to a mod at tolkienrsb@gmail.com and we will make the post to the DW community for you.

Each Tumblr MasterPost will be reblogged via @tolkienrsb to give each team the maximum exposure we can give on their day of posting. Round-ups of all the works created for the Tolkien RSB18 will be posted here too.

An AO3 collection is available for teams to add their work: TRSB18.

See Masterpost Info for more details.

Any questions or issues can be addressed to the mods at tolkienrsb at gmail dot com or by sending us an Ask. We answer all signed-in Asks on private and there are no stupid questions.

Thank you for participating,

Raiyana & Narya, your friendly community mods!

[regrettablewritings]

Writer’s Tag

Rules: Answer all 21 questions, let the one who tagged you know you answered and then tag your writing pals!

I was tagged by:  @locke-writes. What beast hath you released upon these fields?

The Works:

1. Which is the imagine you’re most proud of?

Hmmm...Not a whole lot because it takes me a while to actually be content with the things I’ve written. At this point, however, I’m most pleased with Stripulation because it was my first Barba fic and done while also writing a long-ass essay on Titus Andronicus. Plus, I managed to speak to @ohbelieveyoume in the first place because I bombarded her with my thoughts on how Barba’s secret could’ve been that he was a stripper. I also think that how it was written sets the tone for my general style of writing: Dramatic, humorous, and just plain weird in some cases. HC set-wise, definitely the Kidnapped HCs. I’m rather proud of how they turned out almost like a regular, paragraphical story and I finally got to use some of the angst I disturbingly like to read about when reading rescue stories. ...Ignore that.  Plus, that sucker is 9 pages in Word!

2. Which is your least favourite?

Blargh, what isn’t my least favorite? . . . Okay but yeah, I’ve honestly never been too fond of The One Reason to Love the Glasshouse. I wrote it right before I blew a mental gasket and couldn’t be pleased with anything I wrote, and I think it shows. The writing feels so lifeless and boring . . . HC set-wise, the NSFW Digger Harkness piece, which is a shame because I love Capt. Boomerang. I think I was just in an off headspace at the time of writing it and also wasn’t sure what to do when it came to writing Digger’s accent.

3. If you were to recommend one to read to your mum/mom?

My mom knows I have a blog where I write, but I could never tell her who or what i wrote about. Besides, she’s wicked good at editing and would spot every single mistake I’ve made and I can barely handle the feeling of a classmate reading over my mistakes, much less my own mother. But if I had to -- gun to my head -- it’d probably be How to Be a Good Catholic. She herself is Catholic and would likely widen her eyes at the crap I wrote ( “We don’t do that anymore, crazy girl!!”). I would, of course, be hiding as she reads it.

4. Which one would you consider re-writing?

God, so many if I actually had the drive. I particularly am not entirely fond of how I ended The Hairy Situation; I know I wanted to go a different route with it, but I can’t remember what I initially had planned. I also probably should’ve divided up Day Bi Day: A Documented Study of the Bisexual because that bastard is way too long to hold general attention. I want to add more to the Dating Finn Would Include but may as well just make a second part to it when I had the time. Might rewrite or at least gussy up the NSFW Digger Harkness HCs though. I also wish I could rewrite the ending of  How to Be a Good Catholic. because I have a bad habit of never knowing how to finish a story until it’s already been posted and gained attention.

5. Biggest regret in an imagine?

Writing The One Reason to Love the Glasshouse. It was just so sloppy and I guess I just wanted to write it to force creativity out of me. It fell unceremoniously into a grotto in my opinion. Also, I wish I could remember how to write simpler. You can tell which imagines were from when I was first starting out because they’re shorter than my more recent stuff (with the exception of A Practice in Happy Memories). The reason why is because most of them were written on my phone

6. Biggest success with an imagine?

Writing Day Bi Day to play out somewhat like a documentary was a bit of a nightmare because documentaries are such an audible and visual thing, even with storytelling regarded. But I fucking did it (I think)! I’m also really proud with how the Kidnapping HCs came out, too. I was originally going to keep it short and simple and start with the reader already being kidnapped with very little interaction between Bruce and the kidnappers but it kept flowing out until I decided to give it a beginning, middle, and end

7. Your imagine with the most notes?

M’kay so it took some time (had to go through each one of these blasted things and record their note counts), but I’ve finally come back with the numbers. In terms of an actual imagine in typical fanfiction format, my most popular piece is . . . the Jonathan Byers Soulmate AU. I also looked at my headcanons as well! The most popular one for that format was . . . the . . . Dating Jonathan Byers Would Include. . . .  *sighs heavily and takes a swig from Dr. Pepper bottle* Y’know, I miss when Bruce was my money-maker. And I’m not ashamed to admit it.

8. Your imagine with the least notes?

. . . *skims through shit again* Uhhhh . . . HC-wise, I think my NSFW Digger?? I know there’s much lower but they belong to the basic HC memes. Traditional format-wise, The Hairy Situation.

9. What do you think makes a good imagine? Tips?

I. . . don’t really know. Honestly, I wing most of my stuff. The only thing I can say is write what you want to see with the notion that it’s not already there.

10. When’s the next update on your works?

Aside from the NSFW Frank Castle meme that’s been sitting in the cellar of my inbox since November, the only thing I got is the prize for my giveaway winner. Otherwise, unless somebody donates or whatever, I don’t plan on writing until I got my shit in order.

11. Number of followers before you started writing and after? I made this blog for the purpose of dumping my crap here instead of dumping it on others via their submissions box. So 0. At the time of this post, it’s 1,264. I don’t understand how it got this bad.

———————————————————————-

The Writer:

1. Which character do you love writing for?

The character who I keep winding up writing for is Barba. Since SVU left his personal life wide-fucking open (fucking assturds),there’s plenty to work with. I particularly seem to take sadistic joy in putting him in blush-worthy situations that force him to be more open with his significant other.

2. Which character do you dislike writing for?

There are, but I’ve never had to write for them to begin with.

3. What’s your favourite AU to write for?

Soulmate AUs are generally the only ones I’ve written for consistently.

4. What’s your least favourite AU to write for?

Haven’t written for any AUs other than a buncha soulmate AUs and one mobster AU.

5. What do you hope never gets requested?

Anything rape-y or morally disturbing.

6. What do you wish was requested more?

Hmmm... Well, I don’t really take requests until I’m doing memes to be honest. I can’t trust myself to handle actual requests for a bunch of reasons, though for some reason people only ever request things after I’ve finished asking them for their opinions on things to post.

7. Thoughts on writing Smut/POC/Curvy/MxM/FxF?

H’oh boy. So I’m gonna divide these up by least wordy to most:

1. FxF: I’m okay with it because my sexuality makes it easier for me to put on that mindset. 2. Smut: I can write headcanons, but not full-blown imagines. As a virgin who’s already got some weird situation going on with sex, I know I’m not capable of filling out two to three pages worth of intercourse of any kind. 3. POC: I’m most familiar with writing with a black reader in mind, given that I myself am black. I can try to write for other ethnicities, but admittedly will likely walk on eggshells about it. The thing is, you can’t always or even often write with a POC reader in mind and just leave it at that. While there may be some overlap in circumstances between some groups, each ethnicity has its own stereotypes and situations to confront and conquer in a given situation such as a relationship. Therefore, if I write with a non-black reader in mind, I would still need to ask a person from the group I’m intending to write about just to assure I do right by them. But still gonna be met with extreme hesitancy because that’s not an intersectionality I’m familiar with. 4. MxM: Okay so . . . I can’t do this. I was just explaining to a friend the other day and you can be disappointed in me all you want, but I can’t knowingly write MxM for a couple of reasons. I can try to write gender-neutral (if I remember to), but writing MxM is . . . Okay, just hear me out: I know it may seem like a copout, but I genuinely don’t feel comfortable writing for something I don’t quite understand. Now before you go yelling at me about how I don’t understand a lot of the shit I do write for, let me explain. I am not male. I have never been male. And at this point, I highly doubt I will ever identify as male. I cannot pull or properly fathom the experience of being a queer male, cis or trans. I cannot provide for it the depth I feel that it requires. I know that may seem like a lame excuse, but I mean it. I can write FxF a little better because my sexuality allows for me to comprehend attraction to another female and how it could potentially play out. I cannot draw inspiration or direction from reading MxM fics, either, because I don’t read them. It’s just not my bag. On top of this, a lot of MxM media, both fiction-wise and published story-wise, appear to be written by girls. And while many of them are skilled, I’m sure, my issue is that I can’t in confidence trust them to be entirely spot-on with their interpretations, either. Many interpretations of queer male relationships (at least in Western media) that females initially and even predominantly gain familiarity with come with roots in fethisization and an often occurring desire to see not two consenting males who are emotionally compatible come together, but instead a desire to see two of the most attractive (and often white/white-passing) males come together regardless of how healthy their relationship would realistically be or how much of a foundation it actually has to stand upon. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed, but I had to be honest. I don’t like lying. I just feel that it’s not my place to theorize the happenings of a real lifestyle that comes with struggles I would not and could not be familiar with or feel comfortable winging at. Just like with writing with a POC reader in mind, there are just some struggles that don’t blanket everybody no matter how much you wish it could because it’d just be simpler for you. Everything that isn’t cis, white, straight, and male (aka intersectional) has a struggle that not everyone is going to be able to comprehend with utmost perfection.

8. Which account is your biggest inspiration in writing?

Hmmm... I try to be dramatic and poetic like @ohbelieveyoume, or sensual like @xemopeachx, or nice and homey like @mrsrafaelbarba, or cute and with lovely references and diction like @jonedwardbernthal. I would like to be more broad with my fandoms like @locke-writes, too. Buuuttt . . . I guess what I got going for me now is a’ight. I pride myself off of using my weird sense of humor in my writing anyway.

9. How long have you been an imagine writer for?

One year.

10. Any upcoming secret works? 🤔

Ha! Nope. Just the two things whenever they get done and then that’ll be it unless something happens.

[thisweekingundamwing]

Weekly Recap May 21-May 27

It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time to see all the amazing content created by the Gundam Wing community! 

We’ve taken submissions for all content, but we’ve also gone through AO3 to see what fics were written/created this week. Once again, we want to encourage EVERYONE in the community to submit their work! Fanfic, fanart, moodboards, chats, meta discussions, playlists, cosplay, events - you name it, we want to share it!

Below the cut you will find all the great things this fandom has been busy doing. If any of them take your fancy, please take the time to like, reblog and comment. Any creator can tell you - support and encouragement go a LONG way to inspiring more content.

Thanks and see you next week!

Fanfiction (in alphabetical order by the author’s url)

@amberlyinviolet Knife in Hand

Summary: When Duo learns there’s a hit out on him, he turns to the only person in Chicago he believes capable of helping him. But will the cost of the Broker’s help be too high? Pairings: 2x3

Ammiehawk, Wizards, Gundams and Host Clubs, Oh My!

Summary: Harry Potter finds out he has some relatives on his father’s side and goes to live with them the summer after fifth year, after Voldemort was destroyed in the Department of Mysteries. Along the way he also discovers a wayward brother and many friends and adventures in his new school, Ouran Academy. Originally a challenge by TZAG

@anaranesindanarie One More Light

Summary: Duo goes missing and no one can figure out how or why.

@anaranesindanarie, Random Works

Summary: A collection of complete and uncompleted works. Pairings: 2x5, some 2x4

@the-notorious-bhg @morbidbirdy, Where I Belong

Summary: In the year AC 205 the status of the Earth-Sphere remains relatively peaceful thanks to the efforts of the ESUN and it’s peacekeeping organization Preventer. The five young men who had once fought together for this peace now work quietly behind the scenes to maintain it. Despite their new roles in this world, Heero and Trowa struggle to establish a comfortable place in it. In the process of finding themselves they eventually realize that their place is with each other. Pairings: 3x1

@the-notorious-bhg, @morbidbirdy, Take Me On

Summary: Heero and Trowa run off to Bali and elope. Pairings: 3x1

@chronicwhimsy, Schoolyard Blues

Summary: A new teacher starts at the local town school, hoping for an easy year after moving from the big city. Unfortunately, she wasn’t prepared for the child of two men who don’t understand kids at all…Pairings: 2x5

@claraxbarton, The First Five Times

Summary:After five months in a 'friends with benefits' relationship with Duo, Trowa is asked to pretend to be his boyfriend for Duo's ex's wedding. Ships: 2x3, 1x5, 4x6 Warnings: smut, language, angst

@claraxbarton, My Lover, My Liar

Summary: Set after the war, one of the pilots faces the future. Inspired by Halsey’s “Closed Eyes” Ships: 2x3 Warnings: DEATH FIC

@claraxbarton, Good Things

Summary: Duo and Trowa’s family has a new addition, courtesy of Quatre Winner. Pairings: 2x3, past 3x4

Duointherain, Dark Poetry

Summary: It's ten years after the wars and Heero has now been forced into medical retirement. He had lost track of Duo, but looks him up ... and it's way different than he thought it would be - beyond anything he could have dreamed of. Pairings: 1x2

@helmistress (Talliya), The Assignment

Summary: WuFei's observations on his two friend's rather odd relationship and how he thinks they should just get on with it already. Pairings: 2x3

@i-am-captain-snark, Life After Gundam

Summary: A series of one-shots taking place post-Endless Waltz in the lives of the former pilots, soldiers, politicians, and civilians. Pairing: 2x unspecified female

@kangofu-cb, Just Like Paradise

Summary: Part 3 in the ‘Just One Date’ series.  Duo and Wufei travel to attend a wedding! And buy a house! Sort of buy a house. Pairings: 2x5x2.  No warnings, except NSFW.  Smutty Sunday contribution

@kangofu-cb, Mission: Redacted - Chapter 4

Summary: Post-war, Une has been selected to direct the new Preventers Organization. Unfortunately, following government directives of disarmament and pacifism, criminal enterprises have sprung up, escalating crime and violence. Searching for a solution, she brainstorms a team of off-the-books operatives tasked with protecting the peace at all costs.Meanwhile, the pilots are all dealing with peace and the scars of war in their own ways, not all of them healthy…

LadyJFox, Hard Line

Summary: It's been nine years after the Eurussian Incident and the Earth Sphere Unified Nation continues to experience peace through communication and cooperation. Quatre Raberba Winner, while finishing his doctoral thesis in engineering at MIT in Boston, reconnects with his friend and ex-boyfriend, Trowa Barton. A romantic flame is rekindled while an old enemy plots his revenge. Pairings: 3x4, 2xH, Rx1

@lifeaftermeteor, Snippet Saturday

Summary: Having survived the Eve War, the Gundam pilots are left to their own devices to chart the paths their lives will take in a world that none of them expected to live long enough to see. Peace is disorienting and growing up is hard to do. Pairings: past 3x4x3, 1x2x1 and Sx11xS have started, 5xRx5 is inbound

Luvsanime02, Standby and AO3

Summary: Heero goes in front of the Board of Professional Review, and now she has an important decision to make. This is the fifth story in Navigation, a fem!Heero series.

Nerdybloomers, Golden Hour

Summary: Treize's attempts at traditional courship fall flat on the all-business Une, so he switches strategies. Provides a little more background to the infamous bath scene in episode 4. Pairings: 13x Une

@remsyk-blog, Wine Pairings

Summary: a drabble inspired by a delightful set of Stanley Tucci gifs and @kangofu-cb and @artemisblogs.  Pairings: 1x2, 3x4

Rennitz, Procrastibation

Summary: Wufei is cooped up in the office and is at wit's end. Duo strolls by and, in the course of helping him, starts a flame that neither one of them expect. Pairings: 5x2

Shine, Back to One

Summary: Quatre, an actor, goes on a journey of self-discovery just as his show’s twenty year reunion gets underway. What he discovers about himself and about his four not-really friends leads to a complicated romance everyone but him saw coming twenty years in the making. Pairing: 3x4

@shinigami-of-excellence, Special Needs - They Don’t Care About Us

Summary: Zechs deals with the news of Treize's return, and picks something up on the way home from a briefing with Noin. Wufei delivers some news. Pairings: 2x6, 5x2, 5x13, 13x6, 3x4, 5x2x13x6

@simulacraryn, Ink to Paper

Summary: Dorothy cleans out Treize's estate, but her discoveries only give her further heartache.

@simulacraryn, Speak and Wish

Summary: Late night scrambled thoughts from Catherine Bloom...

TheHiddenBaroness, Resurrecting the Viper

Summary: Following a routine visit to Vingolf, Orga, Mikazuki and Merribit are surprised by the sudden appearance of a practically naked, injured woman. Although Artima seems to have full recollection of who she is, she does not seem to understand the outside world. Against Orga's better judgment, the Isaribi is soon entangled in Artima's quest to find and destroy her old mobile suit - and discover both she and it are relics from over three hundred years ago that could hold the key to Tekkadan's future.

@la-femme-noelle, The Pact

After seducing Quatre, the other four ex-pilots brave the uncharted waters of their new abilities and learn to cope with the unintentional gifts they were given. But as always, power requires responsibility and the humbling acknowledgement of humanity's weaknesses. The struggle to stay true to themselves becomes a dangerous and terrifying endeavor as they skirt the boundary where conscience bleeds into chaos and the dark abyss of temptation. Pairings: 3x5x2x4x1, 3x4, 4x1, 2x4, 5x4

@themanwell, Bungalow

Summary: Duo has a thing for fixing up old houses.  Trowa has a thing for Duo.  2x3. One-shot. Rated M for smut. 4600 words.

@themanwell, “I think you might be pregnant”

Summary: Two out of Three universe, Prompt #52. Pairings: 2x3, HxR (+5)

@themanwell, This is probably a bad time, but marry me?

Summary: Prompt 50. Pairings: 2x3

@themanwell, May Demons Rest: Shinigami Sleeps 2017

Summary: A re-write of my 2004 fanfic “Shinigami Sleeps.” To find and free Duo from his demons, Trowa leaves his uneventful life at the circus for the mean streets of an obscure colony in L2. Pairings: 2x3

Fanart (in Alphabetical order by the author’s url)

@chronicwhimsy made two lovely things this week!

Two chillin’ mermen (Duo and Wufei) 

Two snuggling mermen (Duo and Wufei)

@maevemauvaise made a lovely aerialist Dorothy

@shinigami-of-excellence was VERY busy making LOTS of lovely things this week!

Duo Twins commission for @anaranesindanarie

Duo in a suit commission for @kangofu-cb

NSFW Solo and Treize in the shower

Trowa and pets for @funambulate

Duo and Solo commission for @cylinanightshade

Calendar Events (in alphabetical order by event name):

Summer of Zechs runs June 4-June 17. It’s a two week festival celebrating Zechs Merquise. All content is welcome and there are suggested prompts/themes for each day!

And that’s it for this week! Again, we welcome all Gundam Wing content. Please submit so we can share your awesome things with this great fandom!

[mistye-dawne]

actually you know what? 1-54 lmao. (or just whatever ones you want to answer.)

This took way too long cause my niece has been a wiggleworm all morning and I’m up and down chasing her ever 5 mins lol.

1. Favorite place to write.There is a park about an hour away from me that I go to, if able, when I’ve got writer’s block. I’ll walk about a mile into the forest and sit by a creek that runs into the river. It’s a trip but is worth the effort when I just really need an isolated place to think.

2. Favorite part of writing.Character creation. Even in fanfiction, I always change up the background/personalities a little to add my own touch and present them in a new light. I also love learning and researching so I’ll just look up random things and see if I can’t design something or someone around an idea or belief.

3. Least favorite part of writing.Editing… moving on. I guess I should say editing my own work. Sometimes because I wasn’t the happiest with how a chapter turned out and sometimes because I really don’t feel like re-reading what I just wrote 3 times over only to read it again later and still find typos and parts that just don’t flow quite right.

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?I have to be listening to something. Music, tv, the ambiance of a coffeeshop, etc. Unless I’m at my favorite place I can’t write in silence, but even there it isn’t quiet.

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.Toni Morrison morrison is the first name that pops into my head just because I re-read at least one of her books each month.

6. Favorite character you ever created.Childlike Evergreen for an idea that I’ve been playing with. She’s so cute and nothing like her character as an adult lol

7. Favorite author.Kristen Cashore, author of the Graceling series.

8. Favorite trope to write.

9. Least favorite trope to write.

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about. 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.1. Take pen and paper. Write everything that come to mind then end up trashing more than half of it.2. Write nothing but dialogue to go with everything written in step one.3. Combine both into a word document.4. Edit and make look pretty for others to enjoy.

That’s actually how I do it. I will plot out and idea with rough imcomplete details. If something need dialogue to get it moving a have a seperate journal that I write nothing but raw dialogue in. I color code everything so that it’s easy to reference back to and see what goes with what. Then I literally just splice the two parts together including every possible word before editing and cutting most of it out.

12. How do you deal with self-doubts? I’ll go through some of my older pieces that I’ve never published/shared and compare it to my current work. Idk, seeing how far i’ve improved always give me a boost in confidence.

13. How do you deal with writers block?First, I walk away from a project because trying to force something out can ruin a piece and just spend a little time each day writing something, anything, just so that I’m always keeping up with my practice. I’ll also read a bit more and get out of the house more often cause my writer’s block stems from cabin fever most of the time.

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?With my current piece that I’m writing. I took the idea of herbal medicine and looked up different plants what were used as medicines/ healing aids. Example: Belladonna, deadly nightshade, tincture was used to help aleviate thing like motionsickness, nausea, and even menstrual cramps. I thought it was interesting and since I was writng about dragon slayers and their perpetual uneasiness with transportaion, added into the story. In general though I always do a fair amount of research because I’ve not experienced all there is in the world and want to be able to make a connection with readers by presenting believable and accurate ideas.

15. Where does your inspiration come from?I’ve always felt more comfortable expressing myself through the written word and grew to love books and storytelling when I was little.

16. Where do you take your motivation from?Same as question 15?

17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day?If I’m doing computer work, anywhere from 1500 to 2000 words. I could easily do more if I let myself, and I sometimes do, but I always walk away from it at some point during the day so as to not overexhert my hands since they already hurt my after a while of handwriting or typing.

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?For revisions, I can just cut and add in the document. If i doing a rewrite I will create a new document and write it side by side. I feel like i make more changes that way which is the point of rewrites.

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.He wiped the sweat from his brow as he came upon her silhouetted form on the forest floor.

20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on.“What is you plan to accomplish with this stupid ritual?”

“Oh, I don’ even know it’ll work. I just read about it thought maybe I’d give it a go if the opportunity presented itself. Your cerlestial mage appearing was just that.”

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.Lucy had been so caught up in herself that she failed to asking how Bickslow was holding up. 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?Nothing is ultimately ever done for me. that’s propably why I’m still sitting on a collection of shortstories that I’d like to get published but haven’t yet.

23. Single or multi POV, and why?No preference. Both come fairly easy to me but I think that if done well, single POV provides the most entertainment.

24. Poetry or prose, and why?Prose. I’ve taken poetry classes and had to read said poetry in front of 100+ people in college. I still cringe when I tell that story…

25. Linear or non-linear, and why?

26. Standalone or series, and why?Standalone. I just can’t imagine writing multiple multichapter things centered around the same idea. Idk

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 28. And who do you share them with?Rough drafts are for my eyes only. Occasionally a beta when I find the need but that’s rare.

29. Who do you write for?For the sole purpose of manipulating the emotions of readers. Basically, I like to write trash that’ll make people cry when it suits me. Nah, I write because my head is full of all sorts of ideas and I just have to get them on paper so to speak. Sharing my creative writing is something new for me but so far, I’m not regretting that choice.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.You showed me the world, then left.

31. Hardest character to write.Gray… never was a favorite of mine so I just can’t connect with him.

32. Easiest character to write.Lucy

33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing?Most of the time.

34. Handwritten notes or typed notes?Handwritten. I waste a lot of paper and wish that I didn’t but it’s just most comfortable for me to handwrite the roughest form then expand the ideas on the computer.

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.

36. A spoiler for story _________.

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.You aren’t the man who will make or break me. I have learned those men do not exist… I do not need you in my life. But I really, really want you in it

38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?Meh, I’ll talk to my brother about ideas sometimes. He’s not a writer but he’s a good listener and is one of the few people that actually seem to enjoy it when I talk about writing with him.

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.I do and my favorite one is based off of my best friend from college. This girl and I met a week before classes began and she really like how my name was spelled. We hit it off from there. I’ve actually written a story based off of that first interaction between us. She’s a family woman and has such a passion for teaching english. She’s got an attitude and does what she wants, but she was the mom friend that i needed because I usually play mom for my other friends lol

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?Both. All of my original works are based off of real stories from real people that I know. My fanfiction is where my creativity shines though especially when working with a universe like Fairy Tail.

41. How many stories do you work on at one time?However many that suits me. My exception to this rule is only 1 multichapter fic at a time due to how much time and research I invest into the piece. I’m also far more critical about editing chapter versus oneshots.

42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc.

43. Are you an avid reader?Yes. Reading is what makes the writer.

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.One semester I took a research class and had to design and conduct my methods and gather data. There was one part where we had to develop how we were to gather the data we sought and my instructor told me that it was hard for him to critique my methods because I had already done so in the proposal. I figure leaving a guy who writes for a living unable to write anything is a good thing lol

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.Taking a creative writng class with people who don’t love writing as much as I do. To elaborate, we would be required to write something of our own creation and you could tell who loved writing based on the feedback they gave. I can’t begin to say how many people took to giving me grammar advice because they couldn’t think of anything to say about the content…

46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?Characters.

48. Favorite genre to write in.Adventure/drama

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?Always the beginning.

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.Oh god. Please no. Umm when I was like 15 I started writng this story about elemental angels and they had to save the world or something like that. Idk, when I look back on it I think that it’s weird

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.

52. How did writing change you?Writing has helped me to become more confident in myself and also helped me to cope and move forward from the abuse I lived through when I was little.

53. What does writing mean to you?Writing is literally what saved my life so it’s everything.

54. Any writing advice you want to share?Write. If it’s something you want to do then do it. You only get better the more you pratice it. If you don’t know what to write, try a word promt challenge and write about whatever comes to mind. Just let your ideas flow.

[nebulousneko]

A semi-incoherent MK rant because I’m having Feelings™

Tbh if Gosho is too busy to juggle both DC and MK that’s cool, I get it, but BOY what I wouldn’t give for Magic Kaito to have 900+ chapters worth of content.

I’d love to see 900+ of Kaito’s over the top, flashy, reality-bending heists that always still come back to him managing to pull off outrageous feats of illusion as a magician. I’d love to see more flashbacks of Toichi teaching him the tricks of the trade, his reaction the first time Chikage told him both her history and Toichi’s. I wish we could have seen what everything was like right after Toichi’s death, how Kaito and Chikage reacted, how Kaito has coped or just adapted to be the way that he is now. I wish we knew anything about Aoko’s/Akako’s/Hakuba’s families outside of Ginzo. 

There is literally so much that could be done just around Akako (who I’ll gush about because I’m biased towards her.) I want to know about how she became the heir to the line of red magic, I want to know more about the witches and other types of magic in this world in general. Jii knew that real magic existed and seemed to indicate (if I remember correctly) that Toichi and he both knew that it existed, so did Toichi also have a run in with other witches? I want to know more about Akako’s family, if she has any, if they’re still alive, if they were “witch hunted” and that comes around to what her deepest fear was (according to the Spider ep.) I want to see more of her growing and training and using her magic in different ways, maturing and honing her skills as someone who’s inheriting a line of ancient magic would be! I’d also love to know more about her interests outside of magic and “Kaito will be mine,” although the numerous ways she’s come to his aid when he faces danger is an aspect I absolutely adore. I want to know more about the magician vs witches feud, more in general about the magical side of Magic Kaito since.....you know.

I want to know equally about Hakuba and his family, what made him want to become a detective, it would be cool to see him butting heads with Conan at more Kid heists (although I digress I’d like to see more focus on Hakuba as Kaito’s main detective rival than Conan considering that’s what Hakuba was written for.) I want to see more Hakuba vs Kid shenanigans at his heists, but also more subtle instances of Hakuba helping Kid escape (which we have gotten on more than one occasion which is a direction I really like.) I want to know more about the other cases Hakuba’s solved, we don’t know much about his case past other than “he’s great, he’s pretentious, and he doesn’t get along with Shinichi and Heiji because his demeanor has pissed them both off although they have worked successful together (except one time they did it was Kaito anyway).) I’d also like to know more about his other interests and see him grow into a kind of confidant and friend for Kaito, an interesting contrast to the fact that Kaito and Conan, while they do help each other out every now and then, I don’t think have the potential to be as close as Kaito and Hakuba (because Conan isn’t supposed to be a staple of Kaito’s series anyway.) It would be really nice for Kaito to have a friend he can go to (once they both get over their rivalry that I would see as becoming more of a game for them as they start to actually value each other’s skills etc) and hang out with and complain about life stuff with, someone who has his back and likewise Kaito could do the same for Hakuba.

I’d love to see more of Kaito’s organization! Give me more Spider please he’s awful but such a cool villain to me!!! Give me more Kaito’s org villain shenanigans, give me Kaito catching them in the middle of bad shit instead of them riding his coattails and so he has to dive in preemptively to save innocent people. Give me more of Kaito coming into increasingly dangerous situations with them, needing to do more teamwork with Akako and Hakuba to get out of it (and probably protect Aoko in the process) honestly this type of teamwork is my SHIT. Tell me more about Pandora, where it’s legend originated, Toichi was originally looking for it too, there’s so much flashback material there to work with! Did Toichi actually manage to find it, did he die before he could leave proper clues for Kaito, or did he actually leave proper clues but they haven’t revealed themselves yet? Why did he prepare for Kaito to become the next Kid, is he really dead (because tbh I’m still skeptical about this.)

Give me some more goofy vacation eps and the Magic Kaito crew hanging out, give me Kaito confiding to Akako and Hakuba every now and then about all the shit he’s been through, about how he just needs a hug, and for shipping’s sake let him be more vulnerable with Aoko every now and then. She’s known him for so long and she is a consistent aid and confidant in his life, I know they’re still dancing around their embarrassing crush feelings for each other but something endearing centering around something other than teasing the fact that Kaito is Kid to her would be great.

Give me more Aoko employing those great detective skills she’s probably picked up from her dad. More Aoko bonding (not in a demeaning or superficial/rival way) with Akako and Hakuba. I know that we’ve already seen small snippets of this kind of interaction but think of all we could have if we had 900+ chapters of MK!

This list/rant is getting kind of long but there really is an endless litany of the things I wish we could have gotten out of Magic Kaito had it been the main series instead of DC, all of which has nothing to do with the DC plotline or what it brings to MK. I love Kaito, his world, his relationship dynamics, his story, his villains, everything! There are so many wonderful building blocks that could be expanded into such a fantastic and nuanced story, and the fact that this universe is essentially stuck playing second fiddle to DetCo and is considered inferior in comparison or just as a little extra to provide some more challenge for Conan (to some people) is just such a damn waste and is disheartening. :/

I love Magic Kaito with all my heart and soul and maybe one day I’ll be able to answer some of these questions for myself through fanfiction, but man.....thinking of all the potential here just makes me love the series even more, for everything it offers, everything it could be, and everything it does still deliver, no matter how meager it is, it will always be dear to me.

[toraonice]

Yuri on Ice interview translation - CREA 2017/03 (p32-33)

This is the full interview with Mitsurou Kubo published on CREA. I actually wanted to translate all the YOI interviews together but some translations going around urged me to post this one before the others, as I wouldn’t be able to finish everything tonight.

It’s not really an interview, it’s more like a partial interview and a short commentary of each episode.

The other 4 short interviews are with Kenji Miyamoto (choreographer), Eiji Abiko & Junpei Tatenaka (figure skating animators), Yuuko Sagiri (original costume designer), Keisuke Tominaga (music producer). I will try to post them tomorrow night if I can finish them.

***If you wish to share this translation please do it by reblogging or posting a link to it*** 
***Re-translating into other languages is ok but please mention that this post is the source***

The reality as expressed by 5 people who created “Yuri on Ice”

Reality #1: Story x Mitsurou Kubo

���The reality of emotions” is what Kubo-san gave most importance to when she created the manga storyboard for this series. “Simply listing up the contents of the skaters’ programs and their score and connecting them together is not going to create something emotional. In my storyboard I tried to convey the feelings of all athletes, not just Yuuri, with their performances, to express them carefully, so that other skaters who watch them will in turn be influenced by them like in a chain reaction.” An important tool to express those feelings are the monologues that can be heard during the programs, blended in harmony with the performance. “Watching the footage of the choreographies by Kenji Miyamoto-sensei I realized that, even though he simply created them based on the songs, in many cases they perfectly match the athlete’s feelings too. I was so moved and thought that Kenji-sensei is an amazing person.” As the series is pursuing reality, it does not contain any unrealistic techniques. “If we had included something over-the-top people would have just said ‘that’s unreal’, so I thought that it was better to just go a little ahead of reality, and consulted with many people to decide the difficulty of the techniques to use. However, shortly thereafter real life skaters actually surpassed that level, which really surprised me. We did decide the level knowing that it would be surpassed one day, but we didn’t think it would happen so soon!” The writer Mitsurou Kubo also needed a lot of courage to portray Yuuri determined to win for love. “On the ice rink you can express anything, and that’s why, even if I had never thought about what true love is or represented it before, I decided to try my hand at openly depicting love as fiction. As a result, I myself was encouraged by the story I wrote and felt that I could make a fresh start after that.”

“I ended up being encouraged by the story about love that I openly portrayed as fiction.”

Highlights of every episode by Mitsurou Kubo

#1 Nan no Piroshiki!! Namida no Grand Prix Final “I want you to watch the best figure skating animation” Before the series was broadcasted I was worried, because normally original anime not based on a previous work and airing late at night take a long time to catch the viewers’ attention. However, my fear was swept away by the extraordinary skating scenes of the first episode, and the show gained a good reputation right away. Stunning images can provide the best promotion.

#2 Futari no Yuri!? Yutopia no Ran “Figure skaters feeling more familiar” This part is set during the off-season in Yuuri’s hometown. If we had showed special people battling each other in a faraway place from the very start the viewers would never have felt close to them, therefore I decided to start the story with the Russians, Victor and Yurio, spending time in the onsen of the castle town Hasetsu, eating katsudon and spreading news via the SNS, so that they would feel more familiar to the audience.

#3 Boku ga Eros de Eros ga Boku de!? Taiketsu! Onsen on ICE “You can feel the growth of Yuuri and Yurio” Once the Grand Prix series starts no one can afford to lose anymore, so I created this provisional match between Yuuri and Yurio to emphasize their relationship as rivals but also as comrades. I also wanted to show that a competitive program is progressively brushed up during the season based on each athlete’s pace. Originally I also thought of showing Yurio’s mother rushing to the scene.

#4 Jibun wo Suki ni Natte… Kansei!! Free Program “Yuuri and Victor gradually become closer” In the process of completing the free skating program Yuuri and Victor become closer to each other, both as coach and student and as equals. Yuuri’s gesture of poking the top of Victor’s head has no logical meaning. I think it symbolizes how Yuuri, acting on an impulse, breaks his own shell and steps into the territory of the person that previously was only considered a living legend.

#5 Kao Makka!! Shosen Da yo! Chuu-shikoku-kyuushuu Senshuken Taikai “Check out the relationship between seniors and juniors” Minami-kun, a skater that looks up to Yuuri, appears in this episode. I really like the scene where Yuuri, finally becoming aware that he is going to lead the current generation of Japanese skaters, silently hits Minami-kun’s back. As in the scene where he pokes Victor’s head, once again Yuuri uses a physical action, instead of logic or words, to try to communicate something. When it’s animated it looks really awesome.

#6 Kaimaku Grand Prix Series Yacchaina!! Chuugoku Taikai SP “Check out Chris’ sexiness” The tournament starts and many fascinating athletes make their appearances, but this episode is also an occasion to fully enjoy the charm of Chris’ ass. After watching Kenji-sensei’s choreography I decided to draw a beautiful ass in my storyboard, then its charm was further emphasized in the animation, and finally thanks to the voice actor’s absolutely sexy voice we could obtain the best ass animation ever.

#7 Kaimaku Grand Prix Series Yacchaina!! Chuugoku Taikai FS “An FSP where Yuuri and Victor overcome their fears” Yuuri and Victor were both anxious before the FS, and I feel that the strongly emotional scenes following that were represented in a very effective way. Regarding the last scene, I started receiving lots of questions from overseas, asking “Did Yuuri and Victor hug? Or was it a kiss?” and that’s when I realized how much the anime’s popularity had spread worldwide.

#8 Yuuri VS Yuri Osoroshia!! Russia Taikai SP “JJ’s striking appearance is a must see” This episode is where Jean-Jacques Leroy, aka JJ, one of the most likely candidates to win the gold medal, appears. What is scary about JJ is that he has the ability to paint any story in JJ color, overshadowing even the protagonist. Mamoru Miyano-san, the one who played his role, managed to take JJ to the next level with his natural personality and made him all the more convincing.

#9 Yuuri VS Yuri Osoroshia!! Russia Taikai FS “When the absence of an important person makes you grow” This episode is where Yuuri grows after fighting without Victor next to him. When we went location hunting at the Fukuoka airport there was a glassed-in corridor close to the arrival lobby, and as the director saw it she excitedly said “Yuuri and Victor are going to run side by side separated by the glass!”. I was like “they definitely are!”, and we started taking heaps of pictures. The airport is currently being remodeled and it’s not possible to recreate the scene.

#10 Chou Ganbaranba! Grand Prix Final Chokuzen Special “Ordinary life episode the night before the last fight” As the last part depicting ordinary life before the Grand Prix Final, I wanted to create a relaxing episode without skating scenes while at the same time introducing the athletes, but in the end so many things happened in it that no one could relax and I was told that even animating it was a pain. The ring Yuuri gave Victor also carries the meaning of a symbol that the two of them are like soul mates.

#11 Chou Chou Ganbaranba!! Grand Prix Final SP “The speed leading to the last episode is impressive to watch” The OP footage, that was gradually changed from episode 1 by adding colors, is finally complete. I was happy that we could welcome as voice actors Ken Gamada-san, who actually works as an MC in tournaments and ice shows, and Nobunari Oda-san as himself doing the commentary. With the pace of the story speeding up toward the finale, this episode was just chaos.

#12 Chou Chou Chou Ganbaranba!!! Grand Prix Final FS “A final episode where you can catch a glimpse of everyone’s future” Including Stéphane Lambiel-san’s debut as an anime seiyuu, which is something no one could have expected, the chaotic mixup of anime and reality reaches a climax in this episode. Beside the sense of fulfillment for the victory, I think that the contents also let you catch a glimpse of each character’s future. I was about to faint looking at the beauty of Victor’s tears.

Final note (this is just my opinion, it’s not part of the translation): There is a translation going around where the line about soul mates is translated as “proof”, but actually the word 証 (akashi) can have many different meanings, among which symbol/mark/token/proof/sign etc. In this case, I personally do not think it means “proof” (also to be honest when it’s “proof” usually they write it as 証拠 shouko). It’s more like symbol/token, as in “it’s meant to symbolize Yuuri and Victor’s deep bond that goes beyond a normal relationship”. Although the difference is only subtle, I still think it’s not the same. Also please understand that the Japanese word “soul mate” does not have the meaning that is used in fanfiction... I believe it’s actually the same in English too, but in normal conversation it means “two people that have a strong spiritual/emotional bond (that makes them suited for each other, be it either as friends or lovers)”, not “two people who were destined to be together from their previous life”. That is something you are free to imagine or fantasize about, however please do not twist the creators’ words just to fit people’s headcanons...

P.S.: And please do not misunderstand me. I love Victuuri, but I prefer to draw a line between canon and fanon, and I don’t really like it when words by the creators are “adapted” to accomodate people’s shipping ideas. I think what she says is deep enough even without mistranslating it anyway...

[jippy-kandi]

Digimon Adventure tri. - Chapter 4: Loss | Thoughts

So . . . I thought it was pretty good? I did read a few spoilers and people seemed to think it was really, really bad. So maybe because I expected it to be so bad that when it wasn’t that bad, I thought it was pretty good? If I were to rank the films so far, from best to worst . . .

3 (Confession), 4 (Loss), 2 (Determination), 1 (Reunion).

I liked the opening. I didn’t particularly care for it (because my interest in Maki and Daigo is about -7), but I liked it.

Yokomon being a complete bitch to Sora because she accidentally stepped on her once . . . All the digimon were right to be cautious of the kids at first, but Yokomon acted like Sora was some axe murderer in hiding waiting to get her alone. It was just really weird and frankly felt forced (and lazy writing, just to give Sora conflict). Sora is the one who prepared all the food and made all the digimon happy . . . logically, you would think then, that out of all the digimon partners, hers would warm to her more quickly just for providing food. The other kids didn’t do anything, and yet the other digimon were more trusting of their partners. Logic fail. (And Sora tried so hard to get Yokomon to like her . . . seriously, Yokomon was written as a brick wall. So forced. I didn’t buy it.)

Tokomon warming to Takeru almost instantly was cute.

Tri. tries so hard to force the audience to like Meiko by Mimi and Sora’s sheer affection for the girl . . . and it just doesn’t work. I think Toei regrets making “Meiko”, because her merchandise really doesn’t sell. (I also think Toei initially wanted Meiko to be a “crush” for Taichi, but her underwhelming “popularity” has made them rethink that idea . . ..)

OMG I cannot get enough of the Takaishida brothers. That scene where Takeru is still hitting on his older bro is one of my favourites. XD I like this running joke. Give me more, tri.. :)

OK. The Taiorato scenes. The first scene I mostly liked. I had issues with some aspects of it (Yamato should’ve known what to do . . .), but I thought it was a good scene. It showed the dynamics between the three rather well. What I liked most (other than it being a rather intimate moment between the three), was that it was clear that Yamato was more in-tune and “aware” of Sora than Taichi was, who was completely clueless (as he always has been). It was the second Taiorato scene after that though that I really had issues with (man, Yamato’s characterisation really went down the drain, lol). But more on that in another post, ‘cause it’s very Sorato-y -- though it has to be said that you don’t have to be a Sorato shipper to have a problem with that scene . . . you just have to be able to recognise when Yamato's characterisation is “off”. Because it was.

Yamato asking if they should ask Takeru for help regarding Sora? In what world would a 17-year-old think a 14-year-old would understand a girl his age better? I generally really like tri. Takeru, but there’s a point when someone becomes too-good-to-be-true (and is almost always used as the picture of “perfection”). Takeru’s not a “perfect” person who can make any situation better, and is somehow supposed to have skills to be in-tune with girls’ emotions (that scene prior where Takeru says Meiko is a “normal” girl and accidentally offends Mimi and Hikari comes to mind). They need to tone it down a bit with the whole “Takeru is perfect” thing.

But . . . Yamato and Taichi were incredibly obtuse when it came to Sora’s problem, though. Like, incredibly. As in, forced writing. I also didn’t buy it. It would’ve been one thing if they just didn’t know how to handle Sora’s problem (although I would argue that Yamato should really be better at this than he was depicted in the film . . .), but the fact that they seemed totally clueless as to what was bothering her? I’m sorry, but when all the digimon are completely fine and then you have GIANT BITCH PIYOMON flying around, it defies logic (again) to have them be that obtuse. Weak writing is weak writing. I wish Sora had been given better material.

The scene between Daigo and Maki where he asks her if he could be her new partner . . . was so incredibly cheesy and made me laugh. It didn’t seem to fit in “Digimon”. Tri. turned into a love story between Daigo and Maki for a minute and . . . lol. It totally didn’t fit into what Digimon is. Odd scene.

I did like the reveal (albeit unoriginal) of Daigo and Maki being two of the original Chosen Children. It made them infinitely more interesting (which, because they weren’t interesting to begin with . . . just makes them OK characters now).

How incredibly odd was it for Piyomon to meet Meiko and warm up to her so quickly (A GIRL SHE JUST MET), and still be a total bitch to Sora (A GIRL WHO FED HER AND WAS NOTHING BUT KIND TO HER)??? Sora’s conflict is the core storyline of this film, and its foundation is just so weak. I know I keep repeating myself, but seriously. Some “good” came out of it (what it forces Sora to go through in the film), but it would’ve been so much better if the writers had actually attempted to come up with a logical reason for Piyomon to be a massive cunt to Sora for no particular reason (that is, a reason that isn’t forced as fuck).

Awww, Gabumon and the whole “Yamato-kun” thing was pretty cute. And Taichi’s jealously of not being called “Taichi-kun”, haha. :)

This film had so many parallel moments and homages to the first season. I quite liked the nostalgic throwbacks.

I really loved Yamato’s line, “I expect too much of [Taichi]”. So true. Taito feels, ON.

Meicoomon’s reunion with Meiko was pretty . . . weird. It just felt random (or just badly executed). And it was a bit funny with all her swipes at the air surrounding Meiko’s head (which is not the desired reaction, lol).

LMAO at Sora throwing rocks at “Gennai”. Also he used Meicoomon to boob-punch her . . . I know I shouldn’t find this funny, but I do. XD Funny in a am-I-really-seeing-this-over-the-top-shit-in-a-Digimon-series-way!?

Continuing with the inappropriateness . . . I also found it funny when he licked her. It just totally took me “out” of the whole film, like a jump-the-shark moment. “This . . . is Digimon?!” It was so weird and totally didn’t fit in with what you should expect to see in a Digimon series. I think the tri. writers were trying to be “risque” but instead it just made me think tri. really needed a better writing staff who knew how to keep to a tone. XD; (Also, Sora’s complete lack of reaction to the lick made it even weirder. Girl, some man who wasn’t Yamato just LICKED YOUR FACE. Please react to it to show that it was shocking/uncomfortable/disgusting for you. Again, tri. writers being incompetent, because Sora really should have given some reaction to it. A simple sound of disgust would’ve worked, to at least acknowledge that it was STRANGE. Sora took that lick almost like she gets licked every day by strangers -- and is pretty content to be licked. Her non-reaction was weirder than the lick itself.)

The scene was also getting to look pretty rape-y with him being on top of her for so long . . . and sorry-not-sorry, but get that shit out of Digimon. That shit stays in fanfiction for a reason. STOP BEING A FANFIC, TRI..

Sora pushes “Gennai” off her and he just goes down? Lol. How weak is this dude. Also, it was just weird to see “Gennai” act like a creepy dude. Again, it really didn’t fit what Digimon is.

LMAO at when Plotmon “puppy howls” at “Gennai” and everyone just runs. XD Was it supposed to be funny? XD THAT was their getaway??? XD (But Plotmon is cute as fuck. I want one. :3)

So after Sora tries to protect Piyomon . . . Piyomon decides to remove the giant stick up her arse and recognise how kind Sora has been ALL ALONG. Wow. Random, abrupt resolution there. WHAT IS THIS WEAK WRITING. Piyomon’s entire attitude changes in a blink of an eye. If you don’t have an issue with this, your standards are way too low when it comes to good writing and storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, I love how Sora got to shine and everything, but I wish the writers had backed it up with actual good writing. It really isn’t hard to get Piyomon to be weary of Sora without being an outright, illogical bitch.

OMG, the moment Jou charges at “Gennai”? HOW FUCKING GLORIOUS. It both shocked me and made me love Jou a lot, hahaha. GO HERO JOU!

Yamato can throw Gabumon into the air in water . . . DO YOU EVEN LIFT, BRO!? Apparently, he does. XD

Also, a tri. film where Taichi is in-character and I actually love him? Here, have bonus points, “Loss”. I loved all of Taichi’s interactions with Yamato in this film. Go Taito, go. But . . . that whole part where Taichi and Yamato were underwater and trying to go up for air? It made me laugh so hard. Partly because of the poor animation, but also just because . . . the entire thing was hilarious hahaha. It shouldn’t be, because they could’ve drowned, but . . . XD

Um . . . Machinedramon throwing Sora around – and especially AGAINST A CLIFF – really should have killed her. WTF. Yamato, you’re gonna end up with a woman who cannot die. Be prepared, son.

Sora literally clings to life because she wants to make meatballs for Piyomon again . . . LOL. Phoenixmon was born from a mutual love of meatballs. (OK, I’m just taking the piss. :P)

Why would Phoenixmon let Sora fall off of her without trying to swoop down to catch her? Weird. Also, Jou catching Sora was awesome, but again, totally defies logic that Sora didn’t crush his bones completely upon impact and killed both of them. :P And wouldn’t it have been awesome if Yamato and Taichi had joined them sooner so that Yamato could’ve caught Sora in his arms instead? *cough* (Jou was totally amazing in this film though. THE UNSUNG HERO.)

Patamon’s evolution to his Mega form was too random and easy, like they just wanted to get it over and done with and just stuck it in at the last minute. I personally don’t care that it was too easy, but it was. :P

The film’s ending made me interested in where the plot goes . . . and that’s a good thing!

Overall . . . I thought the film was pretty good, despite its weaknesses. If I seemed too critical for a film that I rank the second best so far in the tri. series, it’s because I really hate giant leaps in logic and poor writing. My criticism of this film basically boils down to the Sora/Piyomon conflict being entirely forced, and for having a few moments that really didn’t fit into Digimon at all.

The strength of this film though is its “action” and pacing, which makes it better than the first and second film. The first film was dull, even with good character interactions – its pacing was too slow. And the second film, though enjoyable, really was just filler. And I did like Sora’s character journey in this fourth film -- I just wish it had been for a better reason than Piyomon being a you-know-what. But Sora was amazing throughout this film and I love her. :P

Can the fifth and sixth film top this? I really hope so. I want to be able to look back on the entire series and think that it was good. That would be great, tri.. Do your best, please. ;)