#feedback culture is dead

[qrowsofafeather]

My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

That's literally what I've said!

A writer friend told me something that broke my heart a little bit today; they're going to quit publishing their fanfic.

My instant thought was that they had been trolled or attacked or that something terrible had happened in their life because this person is so passionate about their writing. It wasn't any of that. Engagement with their works has been going down, as it has for many of us. Comments are like gold dust a lot of the time, and just looking through the historical comment counts on old fics on ao3 demonstrates this trend very clearly. It was not simply the comments dropping off which caused them to decide to stop posting, however.

My friend came across a discord server for their fandom (I should point out here that their fandom interest and mine diverged a couple of years ago, we stay in touch but don't currently read each other's posts because I'm not into their fandom and they would rather gouge their eyes out with a wooden spoon than read anything Star Wars) and specifically to share fic in that fandom. They joined, because we all love a good fic rec, only to discover that their latest multichapter fic, which has almost no comments and very few kudos, is being hotly discussed in this server as one of the best stories ever. Not one of these people has bothered to say this to them on the fic. When they asked, none of participants could see the point in telling the author of the fic they apparently loved so much that they love it.

This discovery has absolutely destroyed my friend's love of sharing fic. They share because they love seeing other people's enjoyment, and fic writers do that through comments and kudos/reblogs/likes because we don't get paid. There is no literary critic writing a blog post/article about how amazing the story is for us to copy and keep/frame. There is no money from royalties. All we have are the words of the people reading our works.

Those people on that server could have taken five minutes of the time they spent gushing about how amazing my friend's story was to other people and used it to tell the one person guaranteed to want to hear that praise how much they loved it. They could have taken a moment to express their opinion to the person who spent hours upon hours plotting, writing, editing, and posting those chapters. Instead, they deprived my friend of thing that keeps them sharing their writing, and in the process have killed their love of it. My friend now feels used and unmotivated.

I won't be sharing a link to their fic, they said I could share their experience but not their identity. I know they plan to post one final chapter. I know they intend to express their hurt at being excluded from the praise for the thing they created, and I know they intend to announce that as a consequence they will not be posting for a long while, if at all.

So please, I beg you, don't hide your love of a story from the writer. It's just about the only thing we have.

[ghostofsnails]

so did you guys know theres this character called tristan vik disventure camp and

[witchthewriter]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄: 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒆

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: this includes ... all types not just one. So it's a bit of a 'preference.' (That's what we called it in the olden days ...)

I would love some feedback; if you want me to continue, or if you want me to add a specific monster or you have a certain scenario in mind!

Also this is 18+, not explicitely explicit but ... we acting like grown ups.

art credit: atnomen_comic

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ | ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ ᴵᴵ

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘: You had no idea this could happen. Especially since your world didn't seem all that magical. But somehow there was another world, just beyond your fingertips. And finally you're able to see past the veil and into the true world.

𝑽𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

・He’s spent centuries alone, convinced that true love is not an immortal experience. Itt's only a mortal invention...

・So he decided if love was no longer available for him, then he would ... have as much sex as possible. Have as many lovers as he possibly could, even have a few fleeting companions.

・But none have ever made his dead heart stir—until he met you.

・The moment he saw you, something shifted. A sensation he hadn't felt ...since he was human. His cold, lifeless existence suddenly felt warm.

・It wasn't just attraction...no. It was recognition. His soul, long thought to be lost to eternity, had awakened at the sight of you.

・His eyes lock onto yours, and for the first time in centuries, he felt hunger—not for blood, but for you.

・He truly knew you two were soulmates when his bite mark did not fully fade.

・The first time he drank from you, you felt a cool, then electric tingle where his fangs met your skin.

・As he started to drink, with his lips pressed against your neck, his hands tightened on your body and you relaxed. It felt right. He felt so right.

・And then it felt as if his very essence started to weave itself into you and yours into him.

・In the vampire culture, soulmates are a rare phenomenon, whispered about in ancient myths. Now that he has you, he will never let you go.

・He has become your shadow, watching over you, making sure no harm comes to you. Even if it means following you. He's only ensuring your safety.

𝑾𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒍𝒇 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

・The moment he catches your scent, it was over. Even his wolf knew before his mind could catch up.

・Everything changed. His heartbeat started to race, his instincts screamed “mine”, and his world sharpened into a singular focus: you.

・Your scent soon became home, like the warmth of a crackling fire after a long winter hunt. Even in a crowd, he can track your heartbeat.

・If anyone dares to look at you the wrong way, he bares his teeth, his voice dropping into a possessive growl.

・Werewolves are very touch-oriented, and he is absolutely no exception. Expect to be pulled into his lap, carried effortlessly, and nuzzled constantly.

・His favorite thing? Falling asleep curled around you, his warmth keeping you safe and cocooned in his embrace.

・Although he does love being the little spoon...

・The moment you both knew you were meant for each other was when he first touched you. Skin to skin—you felt a sharp, burning sensation on your wrist.

・It wasn't painful, but it was intense. It felt like your souls had locked into place. Whatever felt missing, was now whole.

・The mark is invisible, but you can feel it pulse whenever he’s near, whenever he’s thinking about you, whenever he’s longing for you.

𝑶𝒓𝒄 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

・Orcs don’t believe in fate. They believe in strength, will, and battle. Romance isn't a big part of the orc culture.

・So in his mind...this wasn't meant to happen. Not to him.

・He tried to ignore the feeling at first. The swirling, giddy feeling whenever he saw you, or, whenever you're near.

・Soulmates are myths, things whispered in old war songs, but the way his chest tightens whenever you’re near proves otherwise.

・He watches you closely, testing your spirit, your fire, your heart—because if you are truly his mate, he needs to be worthy of you.

・His instincts scream to claim you, but he won’t rush—not until he’s proven to both you and himself that he is strong enough to deserve you.

・It is a little annoying. Confusing even. Because the way he acts around you ... you thought he loved you.

・And then he would stop himself.

・Put up a wall.

・But you understood him once he gave you a certain something.

・Orcs don’t write love letters—they craft. And he had been making things for you constantly:

A knife with a handle carved to fit your grip perfectly.

A wooden pendant engraved with symbols of protection and love.

Your own bow and arrow...the bow had intricate carvings

The pelt of a wolf, to keep you warm. Yes, he had made it himself.

・These gifts are a piece of him. Every time he gifts you something, and you wear/use them, he literally swells with pride.

・You both knew you were soulmates, because your hands burned when you were near each other.

・No, not painful. But the same symbol is left on the top of your hand.

𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏-𝑯𝒚𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

・Dragons do not love easily. They are proud, powerful, and above such mortal concerns.

・Until you both received the soulmate mark.

・It happened like this: you had no idea there was an extremely tall being waiting for you to move in the bookstore.

・And then suddenly, you felt a strong yearning for a particular book, and when you went to pick it up, a large hand bumped against your own.

・Instantly, you started to glow. As if you had been dusted with the essence of pure gold.

・His eyes flashed to you, because the same thing was happening to him.

・An ancient feeling bubbling up from the pit of his stomach and he looked at you. Stunned. And you knew he was because his eyes gave it away.

・In that instant he was feeling a force beyond time and reason. His heart—once untamed and indifferent—now started to beat ... for you.

・Dragons are territorial creatures, and now you are his most treasured possession

・He hates being away from you. He knows your schedule, and whenever you wander too far, his wings twitch restlessly, and his claws flex as if he’s about to hunt you down and bring you back.

・If anyone even thinks of touching you, his eyes flash with molten gold, his pupils thinning into slits.

・His hoard grows with things that remind him of you—a necklace you once wore, a book you left open, even things that carry your scent.

・The first time he allowed you to ride on his back in dragon form was a big moment for him. He preened for days, smug and proud that you trust him so deeply.

𝑫𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

・Demons don’t believe in soulmates. They believe in power, in lust, in domination—not in something as fragile as “destiny.”

・And yet, the moment he lays eyes on you, he feels it—a pull so deep it rattles his very essence.

・His chest tightens with something unfamiliar—not hunger, not desire, but a need beyond reason.

・His claws flex involuntarily. His tail flicks behind him. His smirk falters, just for a second. And then, with a low, sultry chuckle, he leans in and whispers, “Oh… you’re mine.”

・Then a mark, only visible to you and he alone, would glow faintly. A symbol, neither of you know what the symbol exactly is - but it has to mean one thing...

It might appear as black runic symbols, glimmering and glinting on your skin.

However, it may appear as a delicate sigil, an ancient demonic brand woven from flame and magic.

・If you are ever in danger, the mark scorches hot, summoning him instantly—no matter where he is.

・The mark is not always visible to mortal eyes, but it glows faintly when touched by him or in moments of intense emotion.

・He would burn the world down to keep you safe.

・If anyone dares to touch you, flirt with you, or even breathe in your direction too long, his eyes darken, his tail curls possessively around your leg, and his fangs flash in a dangerous grin.

“Oh, I do hope they keep looking...Gives me an excuse to tear them apart.”

・He might act nonchalant, but he watches you like a predator watches its most prized possession.

𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅

・Angels had a very specific job. From a very specific god... They weren't allowed the same freedoms that the other factions & deities had.

・Therefore, angels do not fall in love lightly. They were created to serve, to protect, to remain above mortal emotions.

・They looked out for humans; as gurdian angels.

・Your guardian angel however, didn't have a problem with getting close to you.

・In fact, he was able to physically be around you, touch you even - which was highly odd because only other beings with magic blood could do that.

・When the soulmate mark appeared, it solidified his feelings and changed your world forever.

・A gentle warmth envelopes you, and an instant calm washes over you.

・The mark is no mark at all, but drops of sunlight mixed with moonlight. They swirl on both your hands, fingers, wrists and arms. Like a moving masterpiece of true love captured through a pearlescent light.

・His very essence had trembled, as if the divine itself had rewritten fate just for the two of you.

・His wings shuddered, breath caught and for the first time in his eternal existence he felt longing.

・Usually angels did not receive soulmates.

・But for some reason he did.

・His loyalty knows no bounds. He would never stand against you. Never leave you. Never hurt you in any way possible.

・And though his essence is peace. He would die for you. He would challenge anyone or anything for you.

・There is no other path for him, but you.

[lovelies-translations]

MDZS Chapter 1 EN Translation ✨by me✨

This has been a long time coming! I aim to translate all of MDZS from the latest unlocked 2024 version on JJWXC. My focus will be narrative flow and cohesion, as many cultural references as possible while maintaining textual accuracy.

Do also have a scan through my lengthy translation notes (that killed me to write more than translating): You may find new and interesting information about the text! (Or not)

Thank you to @uhcasual for beta reading and giving feedback~

Chapter 1: Rebirth | 重生 (Part 1):

translation disclaimer | MDZS chapter masterlist | blog intro | danmei yapping blog @dearmyloveleys

[qrowsofafeather]

If I see a kudo I will frequently refresh the page for a full day in the desperate hope of a comment.

Don't get me started on "bookmark but neither kudo nor comment".

I've double checked and ABSOLUTELY have guest comments enabled so there's no flippin excuse.

pulled an all-nighter and then promptly passed out, i drew this sometime and have no recollection but i think i get what i was going for

[outlawruben]

I often think about Young Arthur/John experiencing a culture shock when receiving positive feedback from Hosea/Dutch when they do something well.

Like for instance; Arthur learns how to shoot a bottle from a distance, and he finally hits it dead on.

Hosea, earnestly impressed with the kid, compliments him wholeheartedly, and seeming a little more giddy this time, runs to grab another bottle.

Arthur, not really used to this kind of affection, sheepishly looks down at the gun in his hand with a small smile.

Or for John; I can imagine him and Dutch practicing how to write his name.

“J O H N M A R S T O N” he reads out every letter as he writes it. Dutch, impressed that he got it on the first try today, happily congratulates him. “Can you read it?” He asks. And John sounds out the letters with perfection, and recites everything he’s learned about pronunciation rules, as he reads it. To which Dutch is VERY impressed.

John embarrassed about all the praise, asks to move on with the lesson, which Dutch is happy to do. However John thinks about the interaction for the rest of the afternoon.

[loveofdragonage]

2nd Love of Dragon Age Event

Valentine's might be for romance, but for these prompts, feel free to celebrate platonic as well as romantic love! The collection on AO3 is live if you want to add your works to it, and we have a canonical tag too!

Use #Love of DA 2025 for this event. Prompts can be used after the event if you like!

No hate speech, play nice with others, tag your works accurately, etc. Basic internet stuff.

All media formats are welcome. Make a Solas-shaped pancake if you want. Draw a heart around it with maple syrup. I'm here for it.

Remember that tumblr has built-in community labels, and please use those if you need them. On that note, NSFW content is permitted. Just tag and label it.

You don't have to participate in every single prompt. This is just to give people a selection.

You won't like every work you see, and you're responsible for curating your own experience. Keep criticism to yourself unless expressly asked for feedback. I'm trusting you folks to be respectful, so don't let me down.

I'll try to reblog your works, but I've got my own stuff going on, so it may not be prompt and I might not catch everything. @ this account in your post if you want to be sure I see it (since event tags can be different if you type yours with or without spaces, etc).

Copy and paste the prompts below:

Feb. 1st: A Lifetime of Devotion

Feb. 2nd: Thought You Were Dead

Feb. 3rd: Queer Culture

Feb. 4th: Against All Odds

Feb. 5th: Playing Cupid

Feb. 6th: Assassins

Feb. 7th: Romantic Tradition

Feb. 8th: Angry Because They Care

Feb. 9th: Convoluted Confessions

Feb. 10th: Found Family

Feb. 11th: Mutual Pining

Feb. 12th: Discovering Poly

Feb. 13th: Time for a Bath

Feb. 14th: Courtship

Extra Prompts:

Bickering

Duels

Platonic Flirting

Awakening

Chantry Bashing

My Lover is a BAMF

War Table

Crafting

Parties & Gifts

Rune Recipes

Crossovers & AUs

Black Sheep

[liveyun]

an unknown library.

⊹ liveyun reads of 2023 so far !! joon and seokjin version.

man 😮💨 i really should've made this earlier to avoid the pile-up. there are so MANY golden fics from many underrated authors here which deserve so much more. i’ve been reading for over three years and sadly, the fics compiled here would be the ones which i managed to find in the brink of time ㅠㅠ

there unfortunately have been MANY blogs who've either deactivated, or are inactive since a long time. it personally saddens me a lot, whether they're still into bangtan, whether they're still writing, whether they're all okay.. and more, but above all, i really hope that they're doing well. this is optional, obviously, but leaving a feedback to content really boosts up spirits a lot <3 whether it's an inactive blog or an active one, if it's possible, try communicating or atleast reblogging. it helps a lot :)

most of these fics are rated M, and abiding by the author's wishes, you have to be 18+ in order to read them. however, i’m not responsible for the content you consume online, hence, reader's discretion is adviced.

[ ★ ] : favorites | [ f ] : fluff [ a ] : angst | [ s ] : smut

[ ♪ ] : series

—ꗃ kim namjoon

⊹ bloom by @hobidreams ( a, f, s , 20.7k ) ★★★

⊹ cien anos by @icedmatchatae ( a , 15.1k ) ★★★

⊹ how to not train your dragon by @almostkoo ( f, 2.1k )

⊹ brightside by @lavienjin ( a, f, 8k+ )

⊹ you set my heart on fire by @hayjeon ( a, f , s , 21k ) ★

⊹ out of the woods by @angelicyoongie ( a, f, s , 26.7k) ★

⊹ forever rain by @ddaenggtan ( a, f, s , 18.8k )

⊹ moonstruck by @jeonbunnie ( f, s , a , 4.1k)

⊹ the bodyguard by @rmnamjoons ( f, s, a, 62.9k )

⊹ mr and mrs kim by @jjkeverlast ( s , action, 4.6k )

—ꗃ kim seokjin

⊹ the obsidian pearl by @angelicyoongie ( a, s , 16k ) ★★★★

⊹ 9 months to fall in love by @floralseokjin ( f, s, a, 100k+) ★♪

⊹ the light of the dead stars by @ahundredtimesover ( f, s , a, 150k ) ★♪

⊹ take you down by @lookingforluna ( f, s , 3.5k )

⊹ sunday by @here2bbtstrash ( s , 5k )

⊹ counterfeit culture by @ggukcangetit ( comedy, f, s , 29k )

⊹ to kill a king by @foxymoxynoona ( a, f , s, 70k + ) ♪

⊹ met him last night by @dollfaceksj ( s , 10k)

[megamindfandombookclub]

Rage Rage FUCKING RAGE

About the AO3 "No Guest Comments for a while" warning

If you're not following any of AO3's social media accounts you might be in the dark as to what kind of "spam comments" have engendered this banner at the top of the site:

These spam comments have been posted about a great deal on the AO3 subreddit for the past couple of days. Initially they comprised a bunch of guest (logged out users) bot comments that insulted authors by suggesting they were using AI and not writing their own fics. Some examples, from the subreddit:

But it then escalated to outright graphic porn images and gifs being posted in comments, again by logged out 'Guest' accounts. Obviously, I'm not going to give examples of those, but between these two bot infestations, AO3 has clearly decided to act and has temporarily closed the ability to post comments for users who are not logged in with an AO3 account.

Unfortunately, this means that genuine readers who don't have an AO3 account won't be able to leave comments on fics that they enjoy.

If you are a genuine reader who doesn't yet have an AO3 account, I strongly suggest getting yourself on the waiting list for one. More and more AO3 authors are now locking their fics down to registered users only - either due to these bot comments or concerns about AI scraping their work - which means you're probably missing out on a lot of great stuff.

Hopefully guest commenting will be enabled again at some point soon, but I suggest not waiting until then. Get yourself on that list.

Wait times are going to be longer than usual at the moment, due to the current Wattpad purge [info on Fanlore | Wattpad subreddit thread], but if you're in line, then your invite will come through eventually.

Update: There's now a Megathread about this on the AO3 subreddit.

[juniperskye]

Bangin’

Summary: I’m back with more hair stylist reader!!!  Eddie finally graduated from Hawkins High and moved to New York City. There was definitely a culture shock, but he was finding it easier to fit in there than back in Hawkins. The one thing he was having trouble with however, was his hair management. His neighbor in the trailer park, Ms. Sweeny, used to cut his hair for him, but now living in a new city…he needed to find a good salon. The events of season 4 did not happen.

Eddie Munson x Hair Stylist (Fem)Reader (she’s kind of sunshiny emo lol also she’s described to have colored hair, tattoos, and piercings)

Fluff

Word count: 977

REQUESTS ARE OPEN - not edited - please be kind. Requests are open and feedback is welcome if it's constructive!

Warnings: My blog is 18+, minors DNI, no use of y/n, half assed salon info, let me know if I missed any!

I do not consent to having my work translated or reposted to any other site. That being said I do not own the characters portrayed in this story.

Eddie let out a huff of air in attempt to blow his bangs out of his eyes. His hair had been pulled back into a low messy bun, to keep it out of his face while he moved stage equipment for tonight’s show.

He had moved to New York six months ago after finally graduating from Hawkins High. The big move hadn’t come as a surprise to his friends back home, they all knew that Eddie was destined for greatness. The day he left, he made a promise to Garreth, Jeff and Grant, letting them know that the band wasn’t dead, and he’d be waiting for them to join him in the city when they graduated. That same day, Wayne handed Eddie an envelope, letting him know he had been saving it to ensure Eddie could get by until he had a steady job.

Wayne had pulled Eddie into a tight embrace and they both sniffed, ensuring to keep themselves composed. Refusing to shed any tears. They had separated, shared a curt nod and then Eddie got in his van and drove off.

New York had been everything he had dreamed of, the hustle and bustle of the city was far more his speed than that of suburban Hawkins. He had gotten a job at this bar; it was a few blocks away from his apartment and they had needed someone to bartend and help out with the bands that played there. Eddie had jumped at the opportunity, and he had mentioned his band upon his employment.

The owner of the bar had told Eddie to get him a demo tape and that he would decide if they would play there. He’d been overjoyed when the manager expressed interest after hearing the tape, telling Eddie that as soon as his friends got to NYC they’d have a place to play.

But that was still a few months off. Until then, Eddie would have to make himself useful at the bar. Which is how he currently found himself setting up amps on the stage for tonight’s show. The bar was pretty warm, heating had kicked on to combat the chill from outside. Which is exactly why Eddie had pulled his hair into a lazy bun, only now it wasn’t the heat that was getting to him, but his unruly curls that framed his face.

“Hey man, once the stage is set, you’re good to go for the night. I appreciate you coming in on your day off to help.” Carol, the bar manager, informed Eddie.

“Thanks Carol!” Eddie said, blowing his bangs out of his face once more.

“Cutting Edge.” Carol said.

“What?” Eddie questioned.

“Cutting Edge, it’s a salon over on Bleecker. The hairstylist there can fix up those bangs.” Carol informed as she walked to the back office.

“Hey, thanks!” Eddie called after her.

Once the stage was all set up, Eddie grabbed his stuff and made his way over to Bleecker. He walked past an assortment of restaurants, shops, barbers, until he found your salon. Tucked between Joe’s pizza and The Paw Spa was a tiny salon, on the front window painted in clean white letters were the words “Cutting Edge” with a pair of scissors painted below.

As Eddie entered, a small bell rang out from above the door. He looked over to see two hair cutting stations and two shampoo stations, there was a narrow hallway that seemingly led back to additional space. The salon was designed using mostly black and white accents, checkered floors, bright walls, polaroids lined the wall behind the front desk. In the pictures, Eddie took note of the incredible haircuts and colors that the patrons in the images wore.

“I’ll be right with you hon.” Your warm voice called out over the buzzing of the clippers.

“No rush, thank you.” Eddie replied.

He watched as you faded the sides of this guy’s haircut. The top had been longer, curly and blue, but you had brought the sides in with a perfectly blended fade. As you turned the chair Eddie noticed the design you had lined in his hair. He was in awe of how meticulous you had been in your work.

That is when his gaze shifted to you. You took his breath away, with your black and pink hair, your septum piercing and the tattoos that littered your exposed arms.

“Alright Theo, your total today is, $15. Thank you so much for coming in!” You greeted.

“Thank you! The cut is great, and the color has been holding up well. I’ll call you to schedule a root touch up soon.” Theo suggested before making his leave.

“How can I help you?” You greeted Eddie, finally noticing how handsome he is.

“I uh, I just need a trim. My hair is in my eyes all the time and it’s driving me insane.” Eddie explained,

“Absolutely! Come on back and have a seat.” You gestured to your station.

Eddie sat and you asked him a few questions to gauge how short he wanted his hair. You had inquired about the last time he had a trim and what his current haircare routine was. Once you’d started cutting his hair, he’d been able to ask you a few questions. He’d asked about your taste in music, how long you had been in New York, and how you got into hair.

By then you were done with his hair, and he couldn’t help but feel saddened by the fact that it was over. He wanted to keep talking to you, it had been so easy, he didn’t want it to end.

“Are you done for the evening?” Eddie inquired.

“I am, I just have to close up.” You explained.

“Would you want to come see this band at the bar I work at?” Eddie offered.

“I would love to.” You smiled.

[solitude-of-stars]

Yesterday I got accused of using AI for my writing

At first, it simply baffled me. Then I thought about it for a while until I didn't really know what to think or feel anymore. Anger? Amusement? Resignation?

A bit of context:

This December I posted an Advent Calendar for the fandom I'm most active in. One fic a day for 24 days. Various ships and other relationships, various plots and AUs, and all that jazz. I'm assuming this is what the person is referring to by mentioning "mass production".

Now, I know there are people out there that actually write a fic a day. I might have even tried something like that had I been younger, but these days I'm working full time, I'm married, and I need to do annoying things like chores, so I definitely didn't have the time or mental capacity to do that. Instead, I started planning and writing the fics in mid October and it took me almost two months to finish all of them. I don't know exactly what mass production in the context of AI fic means, but I have a hunch that writing roughly 27k words in the span of two months is not that.

I am also not a native speaker. I've been writing fic on and off for over 15 years, but I've only really started writing in English less than two years ago. I take great pride in it, and I've always gotten very positive feedback. Not a lot (because my fandom is mostly dead by now), but whenever people comment, they are very kind and supportive.

Nevertheless, deep down I still expect criticism of my writing. Bad grammar, wrong use of idioms, awkward wordflow ... you name it, I've probably worried about it. There's this feeling that probably a lot of non-native speakers experience: that you have to be better than most native authors to even be considered good enough. Every little mistake, typo, every awkwardly written sentence is proof that you're 'faking it', and that people will see you for the fraud you actually are and tell you to just go back writing in the language you're used to. No one has ever actually told me that, fortunately, but it's a feeling that has been persistently nagging at me since I changed to writing in English.

So yeah, I expected criticism. I just didn't expect this particular brand of it.

I understand the concern about AI fanfics. Really, I do. I read about fandoms getting flooded by authors churning out fic after fic after fic. Personally, I am very lucky that the fandom I write for is so small that AI is basically non-existent (as far as I know). There's only been one author who openly wrote a fic by using generative AI, but the fandom collectively chose to ignore it. No hits, no comments, no interaction all together, until the author deleted the fic.

Now, the only use of AI one could maybe accuse me of is that of an online translator, in the rare case I'm searching for a word/sentence and it's not this abstract feeling but something I can actually pinpoint in my native tongue. But that's it. I've never even considered using AI for one of my fics, because writing has always been enjoyable to me. Why would I leave something that gives me joy to a machine to do it for me?

But, in all honesty, I don't think the bad part about the comment I got was that the person thought I might have been using AI. Because I know I didn't, and most of my readers know it as well.

No, the devastating part to me is that the person feels the quality of my fic can be compared to whatever it is AI would spit out. That's what's getting to me.

I don't actually mind constructive criticism. Maybe it's a generational thing, but I grew up on fanfiction sites where you were actively encouraged to tell the author how they could do better. There were how-to-write-comments that gave you pointers what to focus on, and what could be considered helpful constructive criticism.

Or maybe this is actually a cultural thing. Coming from a country of people that are generally considered very -and sometimes uncomfortably - honest, I don't mind people telling me if there's something specific I could improve on. Will it sting? Yeah. But keep it nice and civil, and I won't be angry at you for it - I'll appreciate it.

Comparing my writing to, or even accusing it of being written by AI, feels like something entirely different. It's a very simple way of saying that what I write is something even below mediocrity. That it reads like it was written by an algorithm that can't understand and will never experience human feelings. Can't comprehend emotions, something that can't be captured by lots of 1s and 0s. Equates me to a thing that takes the stories and feelings other people created, before bunching it all up into one big pile of words, lifeless and replaceable.

And that's what's getting to me. I always thought my fics were good. Not great, but good enough that I personally enjoy rereading them. Writing helped me through some hard times, helped me find joy in creating again, something I remember from when I was younger but hadn't felt all throughout college. Writing was fun, a wonderful way to pass the time, and a way to connect with other people who enjoy the same nerdy stuff as me.

Now I don't feel like writing anymore.

Some people will probably say I'm exaggerating. That it's just one comment among many positive ones. And they'll be right. It's only one comment, but just like one bad day can make you feel like all the good ones you accumulated before don't matter, one bad comment can negate all the positive ones.

Fortunately, I had many people come to my defense already. Geat people that keep telling me I have worth. That congratulated me for writing 24 fics in time, that tell me I improve with every fic I write, and that never get tired of being simply awesome human beings. I'm lucky to have them.

My anxiety keeps telling me they're all wrong. That the one person is right, and that I should just stop trying. That I'm not good enough, that I will never be good enough, and that it's a miracle I've managed to fool them this long anyway.

Now, I will get over it. I know I will. I'll meet my friends and celebrate New Year's, I'll read a good book, listen to some music, play some Skyrim, and, before I know it, I'll be back in the mood for more writing. I can handle it. Because my enjoyment will be more important, in the end.

But you know who wouldn't have gotten over it this easily?

16 year old me. She would have been completely gutted over getting a comment like this. And I know there are many teens like her out there who are probably getting similar comments on their fics. And they don't deserve this.

So I guess what I want to say with my elaborate rambling is this:

Please stay kind. I know, AI is terribe, and seeing people using it to do something that you enjoy, and take over all those safe spaces we have built for ourselves, flooding carefully curated and beloved tags, is incredibly frustrating. And I'm afraid that I don't have a solution for that.

But please think twice before throwing around accusations like the one I've gotten. Maybe you actually find somebody who secretly used AI. They probably won't care enough to stop. But more likely you'll find someone who's just taking their first steps, deciding to write and post something they care about. That takes incredible courage, especially for people that write in a language that isn't their native one. They simply want to reach people, want to interact with them in a way that wouldn't be possible in their own language.

Don't ruin it for them.

[bread-squid-uwu]

Rewrite Map

Completed 🌟

Some information -

Gal'Ruk was once much bigger, with more islands scattered behind their main one. Over time, those have vanished.

Tu'La is filled with peach, yellow, and orange sands and deserts on one side, and vibrant red orange forests and thick areas of flowers on the other, alongside gorgeous beaches compared to paradise. The large stone Kings castle has sadly killed off an area of the forestry.

Starlight is an area of land not belonging to any of the regions, despite being associated with Irene of Ru'aun.

O'Khasis has been separated from the Ru'aun region since the war against Tu'la and many places within Ru'aun, this makes O'Khasis the only separated village, and technically labeling itself as it's own region entirely.

The Lycan Islands and the surrounding dead land have a shared ownership between Ru'aun and Gal'Ruk, as the Divine and mythologies associated with the land have strong connections to the Warlocks Forest, and the lesser known Falcon Claw.

Sun Beach in Tu'la is more commonly known as the very popular Love~Love Paradise resort, and has over time become more accommodating to tourists and visitors than its own people and culture.

Feel free to send asks about any locations!

[ feedback is very appreciated, I tried to lay this out like a real minecraft world, so I can recreate it in minecraft in the future, but I'm not entirely sure on that decision!! ]

[babybruno]

Ok personal opinion, I feel like a lot of ppl HC Bruno as being kind of passive with his mom. Everyone is absolutely entitled to their own HC’s, but personally I have a hard time picturing him being like 100% chill with his mom after what she had done.

Think about it, from his perspective everything was really chill. His dad worked hard, his mom was very loving and caring, they all ate dinner together and all had a pretty chill time, then one day his mom just… decided to leave. Out of the blue, with no explanation, and just left and after a while stopped coming around completely. I feel like he’d would feel a certain way towards her after that.

I think he’d think one of two ways: being indifferent (not passive) to his mom, or holding some sort of resentment.

The first route would probably just be “I don’t know where she is or what she’s doing and I don’t really care and don’t want to see her”. He wouldn’t exactly HATE her, just be like “eh idrc”

The other route is him being kinda pissed, which is valid. I mean, she up and left, and in a child’s mind, maybe in some way he might blame her for what happened to his dad. His thought process might “if she didn’t leave, maybe he wouldn’t have had to work extra hard and he wouldn’t have gotten involved with those gangsters and gotten killed”. Keep in mind, Bruno’s dad got shot when he was like what, 12? I think it would be totally rational for him to think like that.

That aside, what kid WOULDN’T be a angry for a parent just up and leaving ? Imagine having what you would call a picture perfect family just for it all to like disappear in one day ? And remember, Italians are HUGE on family. I myself come from a very large Italian family, and if it’s one thing that’s incredibly important to them, it’s family. So with the addition of Bruno being a kid and his cultural perspective on family, why wouldn’t he be angry with her ?

On top of that, I always thought it was incredibly inappropriate to have Bruno decide to either be with his mom or dad. Then when he chose his dad, his mom cried and pretty much begged him to come with her. That’s detrimental. No wonder Bruno has such a self sacrificing attitude, he’s had to do that since age like 10.

No wonder he goes around and picks up all these lost abandoned kids and feels the need to “save” or “fix” them in some way, he tried to do that with his parents and couldn’t, so he’s probably constantly looking to “fix/save” someone to fill that void.

Bruno is a very caring and understanding person, but I feel like it would be reasonable for him to kinda be like “yeah wtf is ur problem mom???”.

Also just to throw it out there I refuse to read purple haze feedback but I know his mom does cry at his grave. Which is also like u had NO IDEA what ur son was up to ??? U didn’t know he was involved with the mafia ? Do u even care that he spent years at the hospital with his dying father and had to do some pretty dark shit in order to take care of him ?? And now bro is dead ??? All because u wanted to live in THE GOD DAMN CITY ??? Girly wtf ??

That also probably adds to his grief, knowing his mom wasn’t there for him when his dad was dying.

ANYWAYS I do not like Bruno’s mom :D

TLDR; Bruno probably had terrible mommy issues.

[skyeventide]

taking a stab at the whole valinor trauma rebirth tragedy thing

without getting into the various iterations of mandos throughout its development, the fact that it shares the etymological root with angband (angamando in quenya) or its use as both a prison/punishment place and as the temporary "afterlife" of elves, I think it should be obvious why "mandos cures everything" doesn't work for most people. it's simply narratively unsatisfying. we know that, technically, spirits are solitary in mandos and don't tend to interact with each other, and we know (iirc) that nienna does most of the healing work, when those spirits don't reflect on things by themselves.

healing in complete isolation might work one rare time, but it's otherwise simply not how healing works, how adjusting to a new life works. being way too in your own head is discouraged. healing all your traumas because a goddess did it via magic counseling gives, at best, uncanny vibes, at worst erases the struggle and journey of adjusting, with help, into the life you're actually living. so people either say that spirits can actually meet in mandos and figure things out among themselves, or subvert the narrative and have people come out of mandos either not truly healed or only partially so, and needing the real living feedback of society to exist within it again. a reading which allows mandos to still function as a recovery, but whose achivement is to "prepare" for the journey of spiritual healing, to bring elves back to a stage where they're able to face the circumstances that generated their trauma (aka the living, embodied world, and maybe more precisely even the people involved in it).

this barely touches on the grievances that dead elves might have with the guys who are running this show. this isn't just feanorian followers (or the exiles more at large) who renounced the valar's authority, it can also be the avari, who now either get valinor or they get valinor. it can be the falathrim, who wanted to go to valinor and lost the chance. it can be those sindar who were waiting for a full intervention from valinor, and it didn't come until earendil came around. it's hard to envision healing within a system when the system itself is what you take issue with. it requires a personal compromise, or an acceptance of the system's authority, and that's simply not always possible, nor can fanworks always easily tackle it — which is also why I think fics where living relatives "bully" or like, strongly entreat, the valar into releasing specific elves from death are popular. it's one way of giving that specific problem a solution, though it may in effect be unrealistic. it's less about realism (I for one don't believe the Valar would ever do that) and more about trying to find a way through wanting to see those characters heal without having to bend and accept the system and its authority.

which also brings me to what comes after and the necessary divide, real or perceived, between people who were always in valinor and people who returned to life after conflict.

to put it simply, making sweeping statements about whether amanyar elves can understand the trauma of exiles and other reborn elves is not possible and in itself pretty silly. even the amanyar themselves don't perceive their experiences of trauma and the darkening in the same way! the teleri refuse to set foot in beleriand despite their own kin being there, and despite the fact that noldor and vanyar embark on a valar-sanctioned war. it's pretty obvious that their own internal experiences and cultural understanding of the darkening or of valar authority is still vastly different, that even going by the imprecise and generalising divide of clan, that trauma was processed differently. or not processed at all.

and then, would those who fight the war of wrath understand the trauma of a continent-wide collapse? yeah, surely in a sense they can, they live through it. but can they understand it from the point of view of a sinda who had lived in beleriand all their life and didn't simply come here with the understanding that this was war? who saw their home be destroyed slowly and painfully, and in the end, when the saving arrives, it's a saving with such an immense and heartbreaking price? maybe they can empathise, maybe they can't. the darkening, by the time of the war of wrath, is no viable term of comparison. even among the living, this isn't cookie-cutter.

so what of those who die and return? I think it's obvious, in the text itself, that someone can go through a death, real of metaphorical, return to their old home which has itself gone through some considerable trauma, and realise that no matter if both you and your home have changed, both have bled, you're still unable to readjust to it the way others can. other people who were with you in your journey can integrate, they find old friends and loves who help them in this. you can't. I'm obviously talking about frodo.

it's not the same for everyone and it will never be. and I do feel as though the reading of valinor being in itself unable to take back people who went through trauma is a push-back against the idea that valinor must inherently be blissful, healing, and perfect; but the text presents us many situations where the environment of valinor plants the seeds of dissatisfaction; the fact that it doesn't work as neatly as it seems is at the core of the early conflict in The Silmarillion (even without pointing out stuff like: troubled people, Frodo included, go to the gardens of Lorien in search of that healing and peace of mind that the rest of the land can't actually provide. it's just a land. it's mostly free of toil because there's literal gods providing things, but it's just a land). valinor is not perfect, but its status as blessed realm invites a certain unease in many readers. I believe this unease leads easily to cotradictory and equally extreme positions, ranging from "no one would or should feel out of place after rebirth" to "actually no one would understand the trauma of someone who died and returned".

plus, of course, the obvious: someone's trauma, collective or individual, and how people process it, doesn't somehow erase someone else's and how they process it. the two things can come in conflict with one another, but they're not, like, mutually exclusive.

[anim-ttrpgs]

Hi! I'm a huge fan of Eureka! and hoping to have a chance to play someday. I had a question for y'all about supernatural pcs and what kind of stories they do best in. I've seen the post about how converted Call of Cthulhu modules work well with the system, but do they generally work well for supernatural characters? I'm really interested in the Eureka! take on fairies but I wanted to hear how you would integrate them and other monster PCs into your stories in general.

Well for the most part, just like you’d integrate a mundane PC, especially since they’ll always be introduced as a mundane PC. There’s a mystery, they have some kind of reason for sticking their nose in it, and maybe they solve it. There’s not much special that has to be done to integrate them in to any particular adventure, and it certainly isn’t the GM’s job to do so. Eureka resists and discourages preplanned plots and character arcs, so there’s not really much that having a monster PC instead of a mundane PC in there could “mess up.” The story will become about what happens when these characters end up in this situation. Sometimes the presence of a monster may “derail” the investigation temporarily, but pretty much always in a way that makes things much more interesting.

There are a few words of warning we do give, and those come when we think that the presence of a monster or any particular type of PC would make things annoying or otherwise less interesting. For example, the Eureka adventure module The Eye of Neptune which you can get on our patreon, advises against vampire PCs because the whole thing takes place on an offshore oil rig, and vampires don’t do so well when they’re above running water.

I think that, especially in a D&D5e and Critical Role dominated play culture, it is a common concern that things will go bad of one PC is “overpowered” compared to the rest, but that really isn’t a problem in the kind of game Eureka is. There’s no mind control, mind-reading, talking to the dead, or anything like that, so a monster’s powers aren’t exactly automatic mystery solvers. It turns out no matter how physically strong you are, you can’t exactly stop a bad guy in a mystery unless you solve the mystery to know who they are and where to go to stop them.

Also sorry I wasn’t really able to answer this question about fairies, we actually don’t have a lot of feedback on fairies because very few players have played them and reported back to us, and I’m pretty sure no one has played a fairy since the big fairy rules overhaul in October.

[megamindfandombookclub]

This ^