#if anyone does any fanworks based on this content

[viablemess]

I researched Polites history / myths so you don't have to

I wrote an overview of what I can find about Polites in the Odyssey, other source material, etc.

I'm hoping this is helpful for folks who are curious, looking for inspiration for fanworks, new and returning Epic fans alike. This was intentionally done very casually so all mistakes are my own. I’m also not a mythology/history/Greek scholar in any capacity, so my sincerest apologies for any catastrophes I committed. Did I copy paste some Google scholar work cited without fixing the errors? Yes. Am I okay with that for a Tumblr post? Absolutely. Lmk if you need help finding any referenced texts :)

To preview what I will be covering—first I’ll go over mentions in the Odyssey and how they vary across translations. Then I’ll get into some other content that folks have written either about the Odyssey / the Greek language in more academic circles, or other works that are less formal (they’ve published and I think they’re fun, and they relatively are similar in content to the Odyssey). Next, I’ll add in some more “out there” published works that are more loosely inspired. Finally, I’ll do a deep dive into two specific concepts that I have seen (werewolves, ghost story, taken from an acadenic article about vampires) which relate to Polites.

Before we get started, a few disclaimers: Polites is a type of butterfly, so there’s that. There is also a Polites called Polites of Troy. He is King Priam and Queen Hecuba’s legitimate son and Hector’s brother. So, there is a Polites who is related to Hector, and is likely one of the “kill the brothers of Hector” that Neo is tasked with in Epic. So, when you’re looking up Polites info, if you’re new to the realms of Greek literature (like me) those are some weeds to dig through. The deity Iris does at one point speak through Polites (Hector’s brother) as a side story.

Now, transitioning to the Odyssey…

So in the Odyssey Polites is briefly mentioned at best; some sources say he is "The dearest friend of Odysseus" others say "the dearest to me of my crew" etc. The translations vary. Also, he lead the group into Circe's palace, and he eventually talked Odysseus into leaving Circe's Island. This would mean that in comparison to Epic, Polites lived longer in the myth figure. So, it is ambiguous when he died based on the Odyssey alone.

That said, Polites feels like an ambiguous person based on the Odyssey as source material. He cares about Odysseus (closest friend) and wants him to return home to his family and people (gets him off Circe's Island). That's about all we got.

And now for the other materials:

Odysseus by Geraldine McCaughrean is fascinating. I've not read the whole thing but again my goal here is to connect source materials for inspiration for the sunshine character. Polites gets much more screen time here than in the Odyssey. He is still odulysseus' best friend, and he commands some of the fleet at the time. He still shows respect for Odysseus calling him "captain, my lord" But also "master" in some instances, perhaps hinting that he is/was a slave? He and Odysseus are the only ones who know about scylla, which creates a new dynamic and is the one to tie Odysseus to a poll and try to calm him down during the sirens, so he does not jump overboard. Polites does, however, drown to his death in this version having gotten tangled in ropes and swept overboard.

In Goerne, N. Gender Roles in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome: Odyssey and Aeneid in Comparison. the author mentions that Polites did fall victim to Circe's song specifically and walked into her hall, Eurylocous was the one who was able to return to Odysseus because he hung back.

In Moorman, C. (2014). Kings and Captains: Variations on a Heroic Theme. University Press of Kentucky. Polites is acknowledged as Odysseus' favorite in contrast to Eurylocous who serves as Odysseus' foil.

Cole, D. R. (1976). 'ASTY'AND'POLIS':" CITY" IN EARLY GREEK. Stanford University. Brings up the good point that POLIS as a word is representative of a city, as is the word ASTY. Polis only shows up in Polites' name, asty shows up more frequently including but not limited to Astyanax. Other scholars have mentioned how this is a geopolitical tension of what makes a city, but I'm not sure if I'm reading those scholars correctly and welcome other opinions. This is by no means my area.

I'm chomping at the bit to find a copy but Polites is frequently mention in The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead by Simon Armitage. The pages I can find on Google are slim but I think Circe mistakes Polites for the captain? Or Polites is referred to as captain because he has a position of leadership within the fleet.

TRIGGER WARNING TO SEXUAL ASSAULT BELOW. Based on Daniel Ogden, The werewolf in the ancient world. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2021. Pp. 288. ISBN 9780198854319. Daniel Ogden's book argues that Polites is one of the original depictions of a werewolf in Greek literature, more specifically, the ghost of a werewolf. Pls note that I am getting this material based on a review written by Scott Bruce of Fordham University, “Chapter 5 argues at length that the wolfskin-wearing ghost of Polites, a crewman of Odysseus, should be considered a werewolf.” this also refers to the Hero of Temesa by Pausanias of Magnesia, if you want to Google that story. I believe they are the same. I also got material from the article Ogden, D. (2022). Did the Classical World Know of Vampires?. Preternature, 11(2), 199-224. The story goes that in Temesa Polites got drunk and raped a local woman and as a result was stoned to death (other stories depict a different crew member raping a woman and being stoned to death). Then Polites comes back and haunts Temesa as a demon/ghost, and an oracle says if the townspeople sacrifice a virgin to him once a year he won't kill them. Then, Euthymus of Locri fell in love with the woman intended to be sacrificed and chased Polites into the sea, ending the curse. Other readings if the same story say that Polites eats the victim, not just murders and or SAs them. Some readings also mention him wearing a wolfskin, which could be an early nod to him doing these activities under the influence of being a werewolf.

If I find more sources I will be back, but for now that's all folks.

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Exposing SVSSS Fanon: 4/∞

CHRONICALLY/TERMINALLY ILL SHEN YUAN

Rating: FANON - UNSUPPORTED

It isn't an uncommon thing for fans to headcanon their favorite characters as disabled, or queer, or otherwise having experiences that relate to the fan's own identity or promote fandom diversity. This in itself can be a very positive and affirming thing.

I will reiterate, of course, that this blog is not meant to say that anyone's headcanons are bad or invalid-- no matter what canon says, anyone can have whatever headcanon they please.

However, there is a difference between headcanon and incorrect interpretation.

The idea that Shen Yuan, prior to transmigration, was chronically or terminally ill is something that falls more heavily into the latter category. Rather than being known as a headcanon or even acknowledged as fanon, this idea is often taken as canonical fact or "default" in western fandom.

It does not stem from one person's creative interpretation of a character, but instead from an inaccurate TL note on a passage in an earlier fan translation of the novel.

In this early translation, the following passage:

不过沈清秋要求真的不高，在这边混吃等死，颐养天年，他就心满意足了。反正跟他前生过的日子也没啥差别。

was translated as:

However, Shen Qingqiu didn’t have any high requirements. He’d be content to just while away his time here and wait to die. At any rate, it wasn’t much different from his previous life. (CNoveluv/BCNovels Ch. 3)

Attached to this was the following Translator's Note:

Previous life: Bit of a subtle hint that our main character probably had a terminal illness or something that would have taken his life in time.

(many thanks to @furbygoblinxiv for quotes!)

This TL note is where the idea that Shen Yuan was canonically chronically/terminally ill originated.

However, the assumption is wholly incorrect. The phrase "混吃等死" is a saying which translates literally, to "aimlessly eating meals and waiting for death," but refers to a lack of ambition and general listlessness, or someone who just wastes their life away, not making anything of themselves.

This is in line with Shen Yuan's original description of himself:

From early on, he’d known that even if he idled the rest of his life away, he’d never want for food. Perhaps due to this carefree upbringing, devoid of either competition or pressure, he came to believe that ranking in the top ten of a competition was good enough, so long as it had more than ten people. (7S Ch. 1)

In fact, this same phrase 混吃等死 is used here in the original text, where the translation says "idled the rest of his life away."

In fanworks, Shen Yuan has sometimes been referred to as a "pretty boy waiting around to die," specifically in reference to having poor health in his previous life. This comes from another section later on in the novel:

He based this body on the appearance that he, Shen Yuan, originally had in his past life. It wasn’t as good as Shen Qingqiu’s immortal demeanor, but it could still be considered a pretty good body. The only thing was that it gave off a bit of a dispirited feeling like he was a pretty boy sitting around waiting to die. (BCNovels Ch. 44)

Yet again, this is a translation of the same phrase as before, and while not incorrect in terms of a literal translation, the true intention of the phrase does not carry over well to western audiences.

Within the novel itself, there is nothing that directly implies that Shen Yuan was terminally or chronically ill. The headcanon itself is valid as a headcanon, but not if it is taken as a canonical fact.

Of course, it cannot be entirely disproven either-- which is why this post is rated as fanon-unsupported instead of fanon-conflicting. One could argue that his cavalier attitude toward Without-A-Cure could be a result of past experience with chronic illness, or his general disconnect from his past life and body, and that would be a fair enough interpretation-- however, it could also be explained by something like depression (while I am well aware that depression is a chronic illness, the fanon of chronically ill Shen Yuan almost always is referring to specifically physical chronic illness). Either interpretation would be equally arguable, and fans should choose whichever resonates with them personally to use in their works or otherwise for themselves-- or neither, if they would prefer!

However, it should NOT be argued that chronically/terminally ill Shen Yuan is a canonically-proven fact, as it is based on an inaccurate interpretation by a translator, not on the original text itself , and it should not be spoken of as if it is any kind of erasure for Shen Yuan not to be portrayed as chronically ill.

The idea had already circulated throughout western fandom circles by the time the official English TL came out-- so it was deeply entrenched within fanon by then, and many fans likely didn't pay too much attention to the changes because of this. However, the official translation interprets the two passages listed above the following way:

Still, Shen Qingqiu was a man of few needs; he would have been satisfied just idling away to a ripe old age. In that way, it wouldn’t be that different from how his previous life had been going. (7S Ch. 1)

[Shen Yuan's appearance] just had a bit of a certain listlessness—the listlessness of a worthless pretty boy idling his life away. (7S Ch. 9)

This translation, while not word-for-word, is far more accurate in spirit, and much harder to misinterpret.

Because of misunderstandings such as this one, I highly recommend that fans who have not yet read the official translation do so, as many other such inaccuracies and misinterpretations have been clarified in this translation.

[destinationtoast]

*waves shyly* Hello!! First off, I absolutely adore all of your stats and get excited when you post new ones -- thank you so much for all that you do!

Secondly, a friend and I have been discussing fandom longevity lately, and I wondered if you have thoughts? Subjectively, it seems to us that new fandoms tend to have more quick bursts of fandom activity when a new season/movie/book/etc comes out that fades quickly with time, whereas older established fandoms have more staying power. I'm curious if you have any insight about whether this is objectively true in most cases or not, and as to whether or not the type of canon source material matters (eg show-based fandoms vs book-based fandoms). I hope you're having a great day <3

Hi there, and thanks! :D This is a great question, and one I have been having a bunch of conversations about lately.

I share this subjective experience -- it sure seems like the attention span of fans and lifespan of fandoms is shorter than it used to be, when I think of how quickly people stop talking about a bunch of newer movies and TV shows these days. And then I see some of the older fandoms like Harry Potter still producing a ton of new fanworks, and I think, "Wow, maybe new fandoms just don't have the staying power of older ones." At the same time, I also question how objectively true/simple that story is for a few reasons, including:

Memory bias: When we look back on the past, the fandoms we remember most are usually the ones that lasted a long time. So our estimates of past fandom longevity may be overly generous.

Changes to fandom size: Maybe any changes to fandom lifespan are mostly due to some other change, like fandom size... Attention is more splintered these days than it used to be across more streaming services/etc, and I think there are more, smaller fandoms than there used to be. Maybe if a fandom doesn't get really huge, it's just not likely to last that long.

For TV fandoms -- changes to canon release schedule: most TV shows used to have seasons that lasted most of the year, so they had a lot more reason to stay in the public mind longer. Now many seasons are shorter and sometimes drop all at once. Perhaps if we compared popular TV procedurals with 22 episodes/season from now vs. ~a decade ago, we'd see similar patterns of fandom activity?

I've been thinking about ways to try to gather quantitative data about the changes, and testing out a few methods. A few ideas I've had:

Look at the Tumblr official lists of top fandoms and see whether the top fandoms tend to leave the top 20 rankings faster now than they used to. (The Tumblr rankings go all the way back to 2013 on a yearly basis, at least -- I'm not sure how long they've been releasing the weekly lists; those may have started later.)

Look at AO3 fandom activity after new canon infusions - how quickly does activity drop off after a new movie/book/video game release, or after a TV season ends? How has the rate of activity dropoff changed over the years? (And how much of that seems to be explained by other factors, like fandom size?)

See how quickly AO3 authors/creators tend to migrate to new fandoms, and how that's changed over time - many authors tend to be active in multiple fandoms, so we'd have to define what it means to migrate to a new fandom, but I think we could do so in a way that would allow us to look for changes.

Look at Tumblr, Twitter/X, and/or Reddit activlty after new canon infusions - same as AO3, but on a platform where people are posting shorter content and there's more of a discussion. (This data would be harder to collect, though.)

I'd love to also hear other ideas. I think I'm going to need some volunteers to help gather data if I do any of the above, though... Readers, if you'd be interested in helping to gather data for an hour or more to help investigate this question, please reply/DM and let me know! And/or join the new fandom-data-projects community.

Also if any readers know of anyone else who has looked into this/similar questions, I'd love to hear about it!

[elfwreck]

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

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

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

Which problem is up for debate.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am not worried about the future of AO3.

[ilikekidsshows]

The most ironic part of people defending Marinette in Ladynoir and Marichat is that hardly any analysis I've ever seen about her "being soooooooooooooo adoring to her Kitty uwu" ever EXPLAIN Marinette's feelings either.

Even her own fans mostly only write abuse and neglect excuses and talk about some endlessly vague softness, some at this point meaningless heart eyes, and whatever short lines of kindness of the week on her end of the ship are thrown in there.

Even Marinette's own fans apparently can't not go in depth on her "boundless love and devotion" for Chat Noir because the show drags everything down with her writing. It's always the same surface level crumbs. So how are WE supposed to get more out of it then?

If even her own defenders mostly only really talk about Catrien doing 95% of the work in Ladynoir and Marichat in Canon, then how are WE supposed to say something different? We are complaining for the same reason as they are focusing on Catrien: he's canonically actually contributing to the damn SHIP in ways that are pure enough to talk about.

All canon ever does for Ladynette's side is explain what use, excuses and comfort she gets outta his presence. That's also all her canon self ever truly highlighted in her crush era besides him bein hot.

Even her own defenders reduce her crush on him to thirsting. I've never seen anyone actually talk about the scenes in Passion where she for real showed effort and progress cause, I guess, that would require of her fans to acknowledge that she prior to this acted wrong in the first place. And of course the critical people won't make the posts cause when her damn fans can't be asked to acknowledge the rare REAL moments where she actually TRIES then I'll sure as hell not do their damn job.

Cause it's almost hilarious, right? For as much as Marinette defenders yell about us being too harsh, I've truly wanted to read analysis posts on her feelings for Chat to be convinced. But for 2 whole seasons her own fans failed her. They hardly say anything of substance and mostly count on Catrien to make up for her lack of contributions in the ships. Even massive fan Blogs like Buggachat for example are constantly showing that writing flaw in their content. That Adrien has to put up with and has to romantically do WAY TOO MUCH to make up for Marinette’s writing that sticks even in the most best faith (and often to at least some extent ooc, if not entirely) characterization.

When even her own fans spew nothing but endless excuses then don't blame us for picking up on that.

When even her own fans say hardly anything but abuse apologia to defend her then don't blame us for picking up on that.

When even her own fans say that she should be thanked and rewarded for having failed Chat Noir in basically ever possibly way, but hey, at least she stopped being an aggressive Jerk about it, then don't fucking blame us for picking up on that.

We're the ones who can at least argue with Canon scenes and whole episodes to make our point that Ladynette treats him badly. Her defenders say that canon doesn't count whenever they don't like it and otherwise point to their fanon as arguments. Forgive me for thinking that our side has the stronger case, our arguments are the ones that hold up when put to the test by Canon.

---

Yup. Stanning Marinette has to be based off vibes and made up stuff at this point, because the canon is giving us nothing to root for other than her being the protagonist. All the likable aspects of Marinette are so downplayed in canon these days, that the fans have to actively ignore canon to make her a better person they can view as an undisputed hero. And that's without getting into all the abuse apologia and excusing of bad behavior they engage in whenever they don't outright claim Marinette didn't do something she actually did in canon.

It's basically what that person who wanted writing tips for Marinette said; how can we make fanworks where Marinette is a good person who cares about her partner, when the character in canon, based on her canonical actions, probably doesn't care? Well, I try to avoid Buggachat’s stuff these days specifically because all I've seen from said stuff these days is trying to make the toxic stuff look quirky and cute. This isn't the only fanwork that's like this, though. Like, I remember when the Paris Special came out and people started wondering if the alter versions of the heroes were gonna tell each other their secret identities and work more closely together and all the fanwork with this concept was just: “Haha, the main verse lovesquare can’t count on each other for anything and the supposed villains support each other better! It's so silly!”

Like, the toxicity does sometimes get depicted in fanworks but it's always just funtimes, and not actually a problem because they treat it as a two-sided thing, where Adricat participates in the mess in their relationship, when he's the only one trying to be wholesome. There are so many comics of Maribug doing something absolutely horrible to Adricat and the artist’s comments are just: “they're such disasters, lol” when Marinette is the only “disaster” in the equation, but they have to be equally guilty, because then they can brush it off as just “communication issues” instead of Marinette being a self-obsessed jerk.

Like, the reading of the lovesquare as mutual communication issues is understandable to a point. In seasons 1-3, the typical dynamic was “Cat Noir hides his problems, because they're home-related, and Ladybug remains oblivious that he isn't always happy”. However, Cat Noir did tell Ladybug, all the way back in Syren, that he doesn't want to be left out of the loop, which is all Marinette does in season 4. The season 4 “Ladynoir Conflict” isn't based on Cat Noir hiding something Ladybug is oblivious to, even though everyone is used to treating their dynamic that way. In season 4 Cat Noir does tell Ladybug what's wrong, tries to do so repeatedly, only for Ladybug to shut him down by ignoring him, giving him excuses or by repeating apologies she doesn't actually mean because she has no intention of changing the way she behaves with him. The more I looked into what actually happens in season 4, the more I realized that the “the Ladynoir conflict is mutual communication issues” take is wholly inaccurate. Marinette alone is the one keeping secrets.

Marinette Stans have to make stuff up and ignore huge junks of canon in order to depict Marinette as a good partner and person these days, because the stuff the writers have her get away with keeps getting worse.

[hssrarepairs]

🎄 HSS Rare Pairs 2024: Rules 🎄

Find more info in our FAQ!

🎁 Schedule 🎁

Sign-ups: Aug 13-Sep 3 Gift Submissions Due: Nov 15 Gift Giving: Dec 1-Dec 25 Creator Reveals: Dec 30

🎁 General 🎁

This exchange is open to anyone aged 18+ (by the time sign-ups open) with an AO3 account! 

We recommend following us on Tumblr (@hssrarepairs) or joining our Discord, although it is not required.

As this is a gift exchange, you will make a gift for someone and receive at least 2 gifts in return (possibly more!).

This exchange is focused on HP rare pairs. That means any HP ship that is not a common ship. The excluded common ships: Dramione, Drarry, Harmony, Harrymort/Tomarry, Hinny, Jegulus, Jily, Romione, Snamione, Snarry, and Wolfstar. 

Polyships of any kind are welcome! Trans, non-binary, and GNC characters are welcome! As are non-human characters and other character variations. 

The main ship should be a HP rare pair involving established characters from canon. Common ships or OCs may appear in the background of works as long as they are not the main focus.

We highly encourage being open to trying new ships for this exchange. It will make matching easier, and you never know what amazing ships you may discover!

This exchange is anonymous! Please do not share details about your works outside a limited number of alpha/beta/cheer/sensitivity readers until after Creator Reveals on Dec 30.

We follow the Three Laws of Fandom: SALS, DLDR, and YKINMKATO. No ship-bashing, hate speech, or kink shaming will be tolerated. We are open to all types of ships, genres, and content (including dark and/or triggering content) as long as it is tagged accordingly.

🎁 Sign-Ups & Matching 🎁

Sign-ups are open Aug 13-Sep 3 through our Sign-up Form.

This form is long and thorough. Please make sure you fill out the entire form according to the instructions. There will be sections for Participant Information, Character and Ship Preferences, Receiving Preferences, Gifting Preferences, and Bonus Questions (optional).

The mods will match you with other participants based on your sign-up form. The more details you include in your form, the better your matches will be!

You will be able to edit your form until the end of sign-ups. Check your email for the editing link.

Matches will be sent out via email within 1 week of sign-ups closing. You will need to confirm your matches within 1 week of receiving our email. Please check your emails regularly!

If you have any questions/concerns about your match(es), please contact the mods ASAP.

🎁 Gift Submissions 🎁

Gifts are due Nov 15! Upload gifts to the AO3 Collection then complete the Submission Form, one for each gift submitted.

You will have approximately 2 months to work on gifts starting when matches are sent out.

Gifts must be new, complete, standalone creations made for the sole purpose of gifting to your recipient as part of HSS Rare Pairs. It cannot be part of a series or a sequel/prequel to an existing work.

AI-generated works are not allowed.

All creations must be in English, include an English translation, or link to an English translation.

All HP rare pair-themed gifts are accepted! That includes: fics, ficlets, drabbles, craft gifts, art works, gif sets, story banners, moodboards, fanvids, podfics, podfic cover art, meta, poems, recipes, playlists, translations, etc. — basically, any type of fanwork that can be uploaded to AO3! See the FAQ for more gift examples.

Although only one gift is required, if at all possible, please create more than one gift (please we are begging you 🙏).

When creating your gift(s), please make sure to follow your recipient’s squicks/DNWs. If the mods find that your gift does not follow your recipient’s DNWs, you will be asked to edit/resubmit your gift.

All gifts will be proofread and tag-checked by the mods before being accepted into the AO3 collection. We will contact you via email about any revisions or additional requirements. Please check your emails regularly!

🎁 Gift Guidelines by Type 🎁

For written gifts or gifts based on written works, the minimum is 200 words. There is no maximum. See the FAQ for more info.

For artwork and crafts, you may include a watermark/signature, although gifts will still be “Anonymous” when revealed.

For podfics and audioworks, you may state your name in the recording, although gifts will still be marked “Anonymous” when revealed.

For derivative works (podfic, translation, remix, etc.), you must have permission from the original creator to make a transformative work, either a blanket statement, personalized note, or permission from the sign-up form. Please link back to the original work via the “Inspired By” function on AO3.

🎁 Anon, Extensions, & Dropping 🎁

If you wish to keep your gift anonymous after the end of the exchange, please let us know on the submission form. The mods will be in touch with further details.

If you need an extension, shoot us an email and we will give you a 2 week extension, no questions asked.

If you need to drop from the exchange, email us ASAP so we can contact a pinch-hitter.

🎁 Gift Delivery & Creator Reveals 🎁

Gifts will be delivered Dec 1-Dec 25 by Santa and his helpers (aka the very excited mods 🎅)! We will deliver gifts on AO3, Tumblr, and Discord.

Creator Reveals will be on Dec 30. Until then, please refrain from discussing giftees, sharing snippets, or giving away details about your creation. We want gifts to remain a secret, hence the Secret Santa part.

After reveals, you are free to share, post, and squeal about your creation as much as you want.

Please remember to comment on your gifts! They may be small and they may not be exactly what you want, but they were made with love and made especially for YOU. We want all gifters to feel appreciated for their hard work!

🎁 Contact 🎁

If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to chat, don’t be afraid to reach out to us! We can’t wait to see all your wonderful rare pair creations 🍐!!

Email: hssrarepairs@gmail.com

Tumblr: @hssrarepairs

Discord: HP Rare Pairs

[silmarillionwritersguild]

The SWG Hosts Tolkien Fanworks

Fandom creators may be looking for alternative and additional archives, in light of the multiple critiques currently being made of the OTW and AO3.

This is not intended as commentary on the many issues raised about the OTW and AO3 in recent weeks, although an unofficial position of our organization (as a small archive) has always been that it is ideal to archive your fanworks across multiple sites, and multiple options for archiving should exist. Rather, this post will provide information about who we are and the fanworks we accept so that Tolkien fanworks creators can decide if our archive is a viable option for them.

What is the SWG?

The Silmarillion Writers' Guild was founded in 2005 by @dawnfelagund, and our archive opened in 2007. Our mission is to provide an online archive and community for anyone interested in The Silmarillion that values civility and openness in discussing and making fanworks about Tolkien's legendarium. You can read the SWG's complete mission here.

We currently archive just over 5,000 fanworks by 414 creators. In addition, we offer monthly creative challenges, publish a weekly newsletter that features research by our members, maintain a reference library and beta-reader directory, compile a listing of Tolkien fandom events, and host events such as live readings, fanfiction book clubs, and collaborative creative sessions on our Discord.

What fanworks does the SWG accept?

The SWG is an archive for Silmarillion-based fanworks. We try to define the term "Silmarillion-based" as broadly and inclusively as possible so that we can welcome as many fanworks on our site as possible while maintaining our purpose as a Silmarillion group. Significant use of a source, character or character group, location, or time period featured in The Silmarillion, as long as it is not also covered in detail in The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings, qualifies a work for our site. Our detailed FAQ on how we define "Silmworks" can be found here.

We accept crossover, alternate universe (AU), and multi-age fanworks, as long as a significant component meets the "Silm fanwork" definition above.

Non-Silmarillion Tolkien Fanworks. We recently added a section to our site called Beyond the Silmarillion, which accepts all fanworks based on Tolkien's writings or Tolkien-based adaptations (films, shows, games, etc.) SWG members become eligible to post in this section once they have archived five fanworks or 10,000 words with us, whichever comes first.

Types of Fanwork We Archive. The SWG currently accepts the following types of fanwork: writing (fiction, nonfiction, plays/screenplays, and poetry), artwork, audio, video, link collections, playlists, series, and multimedia fanworks that include two or more of the formats above. If you need to archive a fanwork that doesn't match any of the above, the site moderators will help you archive your work with us, if it's possible to do so. With the exception of video, we host all fanworks on our server. (Videos must be posted to a video hosting site.)

Ratings and Adult Content. We accept all ratings of fanwork. The only adult-rated fanworks we cannot accept are images or videos that include "graphic depictions of sexual activity, sexualized nudity, and any representation of an underage character in a sexual situation" because these fanworks violate the Terms of Service of our webhost.

AI-Generated Fanworks. We do not accept fanworks entirely or partially produced through prompting an AI generator. Our AI policy can be found here.

What are the conduct expectations for SWG members?

Simply put, the SWG "is a positive-focused, open-minded space." We require civility in all interactions conducted on our archive and affiliated social sites. The SWG is a moderated site and community, so we do hold our members to our expectations. You can read our complete Site Etiquette and Terms of Service here.

How is the SWG governed?

The SWG was founded and is currently run by Dawn Felagund, assisted by a team of moderators. Active moderators are Russandol, Grundy, Lyra, Saelind, and Janeways; they make the ultimate decisions concerning the archive. Other volunteers aid other tasks needed to run the site and community and may contribute to decision-making as well.

The SWG is not a democracy in that we do not hold formal elections and there are certain aspects of our mission that we are unwilling to change, even under majority preference. However, we consider member feedback as part of our decision-making process whenever possible—especially with regard to decisions on controversial or impactful issues—and some of the policies and features we've implemented over the years have come about by member request.

Members who need assistance, have a concern, or wish to make a suggestion can contact the moderators directly or use the #town-hall channel in the SWG's Discord.

We aim (and are generally able) to reply to all communications from members within twenty-four hours.

Because we are a small organization with relatively few decision makers, we can generally implement change relatively quickly. Our recent AI policy offers a good example of how governance in our group works. The issue of AI-generated fanworks was raised in a discussion among the site and Discord moderators on May 5. In this discussion, the moderators shared information and came to a consensus on how they wanted AI-generated fanworks handled on the SWG. Dawn drafted an AI policy, which was put before the other moderators for feedback on May 9. By May 13, the site admins had researched and implemented a block on AI scraper bots using all known strategies. Also on May 13, the AI policy was opened for public comment through May 26, during which time members and other interested parties shared suggestions via email with the moderators and in discussion in the #town-hall channel on Discord. During this time, the draft policy was revised twice using those suggestions. On May 28, the finalized policy was announced on the SWG's site and social networks, and relevant documents on the site were updated to reflect and link to the new policy.

How does the SWG handle racism and other attacks on groups that have been historically marginalized in fandom and beyond?

As stated in our Site Etiquette, as an organization, we recognize that fandom and the Tolkien fandom specifically has historically been and continues to be hostile to and dismissive of fans from marginalized groups, including fans who are Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC); women; LGBTQIA+; and fans with disabilities. We believe strongly that, as a fandom organization that has benefited from the status quo, we must also be part of the solution to ensure that these inequities do not persist.

Specific solutions we have implemented on our group include:

Our Site Etiquette and Terms of Service strictly forbids "[a]ttacks on other members based on personal characteristics (such as race, color, religion, ethnicity, nationality, age, sexuality, gender identity or expression, disability, or medical condition)" and states that "[a]busive or derogatory behavior will not be tolerated at any time or in any part of the SWG. We do not welcome or allow any content in our group that is designed to be hurtful or insulting." While we generally observe a three-strike policy for rule violations, "[i]f moderators feel that someone is acting deliberately to harm SWG and/or its members … we reserve the right to suspend that person's account without prior warning." Our hope with this policy is to allow members who mess up the opportunity to improve while also having the ability to remove bad actors immediately.

We currently require fanworks on our site to be correctly labeled with warnings, including fanworks that include "in-universe intolerance," such as racism, homophobia, and misogyny. Creators have the option of labeling a fanwork as "Choose Not to Warn" if they do not want to label their fanwork. Our ratings and warnings policy is here.

We maintain an inclusivity focus group that we consult on policies and issues related to inclusivity or that may have a disproportionate impact on some groups of fans. Any SWG member who is part of a group historically marginalized in fandom is welcome to join this focus group and participate when and how they feel comfortable. Any member can request the input of the inclusivity focus group on a moderator decision.

If I want to archive my work with you, what is the best way to do this?

First, review the Site Etiquette and Terms of Service, and if you believe our group is a good fit for you and your work, register for an SWG account.

A moderator will approve your account before you can begin posting or commenting on the site. We aim to approve new accounts within twenty-four hours of registration; typically, it takes much less time than that to be approved.

Once you are approved, you can begin posting your fanworks! We do ask that new members who are archiving many older works with us to backdate these fanworks and exclude them from the Most Recent list to allow creators posting new work to have that spotlight.

Questions on how to use the site, SWG policies, or how best to archive past works with us are welcome via the site's contact form, by emailing the moderators at moderator@silmarillionwritersguild.org, or reaching out to the mods via any of the SWG's social media.

[jkvjimin]

So...genuinely curious based on your post about likes being worthless...by saying reblogs are the only interaction of value...aren't you also saying that anyone's individual reblog is only valuable if they also have an audience? What if I don't? What if it's just me here, trying to find some other ppl with similar interests? But I don't create anything so there's no reason for anyone to follow me? Is my interaction not worth it to the creator? I'm starting to feel like the bottom tier of a pyramid scheme and my only value on this platform is if I can sucker someone else to join below me...

Tumblr has a diff system from other social medias. If you don't have any followers or don't create anything it doesn't mean your reblog is going to be "obsolete" for an exemple... You don't HAVE to be the number one reblogger, but likes doesn't help a creator or original posters in anything. Tumblr might show a post that has been in your interests in your dashboard once in a while but if doesn't have a mass reblog interaction that post would never show it to you. But this is just seeing of the pov of one thing (likes vs reblogs), when the basics that is interaction that also does not happen when your just like someones post. How would you consume things that you like if there's no interaction? That’s how it works around here. Fanwork is not ‘free dlc’ for your favorite media, and it isn’t meant to be passively consumed. Art is communication and fandom is a conversation, imho. The lack of it, it is what is killing this site. Our brains are becoming so trained on quick hits and content that 'expires' and tumblr is not it, this is what I meant in my post.

And yet if you don't want to interact or don't feel comfortable of it, that's why sideblogs exists. You don't have to show yourself or open up to strangers if that's what concerns you…

[tfemshoutoweek]

What is Transfem Shouto Week?

Transfem Shouto Week is a fanweek event organized by @herovamp and @personaschords to encourage the creation of fanworks featuring transfeminine or trans girl Todoroki Shouto from My Hero Academia! As long as transfeminine Shouto is the focus, go wild!

What is a fanweek?

A fanweek is a weeklong fandom event which highlights a specific pairing, concept, character, etc. Prompts are given for each day of the week, and participants create fanworks based on those prompts. They then share those fanworks with the eventrunners, who promote the works by reblogging/adding them to a collection/etc.

How do the prompts work?

There are a total of 3 prompts per day of the event. While the prompts are organized into specific days, participants are free to use any prompt in any order or combination.

Who can participate?

Anyone who wants to! Literally. However, participants or entries that violate the event guidelines will not be reblogged to the event account or added to the Archive collection.

What do I get for participating?

This is a no-profit, voluntary event; participation is meant to be a matter of celebration and appreciation and is not compensated.

What kind of work is allowed?

Transfem Shouto Week accepts fanworks of any kind that don’t violate the event guidelines. The event does not accept moodboards, fanmixes, screenshots, official art, anything machine generated, or work that has been traced or copied from another source not created by the participant. Work hosted offsite must not be paywalled or locked behind a privacy filter.

Fanart, fanfiction, cosplay photos and most other fanworks created by the participant exclusively for the event are accepted. Fan animations and 3D renders are considered fanart, cosplay and custom dolls are considered photography, and poetry and song lyrics are considered fanfiction.

What does “characters must be recognizable” mean in reference to AUs?

Alternate universe renditions of characters are allowed and encouraged, but shouldn't delve into My Immortal territory. If the only similarity between your rendition of the character and the way they appear in the source material is their name, this is considered "unrecognizable."

My work wasn’t reblogged to the event account!

Oh no! There’s always a chance of things slipping through the cracks with events like these, so if this happens to you please reach out! While it’s likely that your work is in the queue, it’s also possible that it didn’t show up in the tag search, that the event account wasn’t properly pinged, or that the post or work violated the event guidelines in some way. Drop an ask with a link to your post and we’ll figure it out!

What if I have “a history” of tracing / copying / something else prohibited in the guidelines, but I don’t do those things anymore?

People make mistakes all the time, that doesn’t mean they can’t change! If you’re worried about your work not being reblogged to the event account due to something that happened in the past, drop a non-anonymous ask and we’ll talk it over. Anonymous asks on this topic will be ignored due to the inability to respond in private.

How do I tag/flag sensitive content?

On AO3, participants must use the Archive’s warning labels as is appropriate, and for this event may not use the “Creator Chose Not To Warn” option. These labels include: “Graphic Depictions Of Violence,” “Major Character Death,” “Rape/Non-Con,” and “Underage.” Ratings must also be applied appropriately, ranging from “General Audiences” to “Explicit.” See the Archive’s guides on ratings and warnings for more information.

All participants should also tag or warn for commonly triggering content as applicable. Transfem Shouto Week, will tag content on our page as applicable and as asked.

For posts hosted natively on tumblr, participants should not violate the community guidelines, are expected to tag their work with warnings in line with those used on the Archive (in order to make it easier for Transfem Shouto Week to apply the right tags when reblogging to the event account), and must apply the correct community filter. 

Does the event account have a tag structure that can be used for blacklisting certain content warnings or viewing specific types of work?

Fanworks reblogged to the main event account will be tagged with appropriate content warnings as the organizers see fit. Posts are also tagged for organization purposes as either #fanart, #fanfiction, or #photography, as well as with the year of the event and the prompt used for the entry.

I’m organizing a fandom event myself, can I link it in my posts?

Absolutely! In fact, if you’re putting together a fandom week, challenge, fanthology or zine, why not drop an ask so we can talk about it and see if it would be appropriate for Transfem Shouto Week to signal boost it for you on the event account?

I’m not interested in Transfem Shouto Week.

This event isn’t for you, then! Have fun over there!

I have a different question!

Awesome! Send in an ask so you can get an answer!

[b5popup]

FAQ

Is this event 18+? Anyone of all ages can participate. We will reblog participants' entries, and therefore ask that any nsfw content be placed behind a cut or link off-tumblr (e.g. to AO3) with appropriate tags and warnings or we won't be able to reblog it. Prompts are SFW, but intended to be open to interpretation if you want to write NSFW!

Is art permitted? While this is primarily a writing-based event, yes! Art is definitely permitted! A quick sketch counts as a drabble. A completed drawing - a clean, finished line art piece on unlined paper for art - counts as a 1k word fic. To match the 5k word fic, a completed drawing - a clean, finished line art piece on unlined paper for art - must also be either coloured or shaded, and incorporate 5 prompts. (B&W crosshatching is fine, but must be not messy.)

Art can be:

Drawn, whether with a pen, brush, tablet, or mouse

Point, all form of pixel work

CG 3D, art made by modifying 3D shapes in a cyber space

We do not accept:

AI images generated by GenAI (e.g. DALL-E, Stable diffusion, GPT-4o, Gemini, etc)

Can I do some art, some writing? Yes! You can pick and choose.

Can I write/draw more? Of course! You can always write and draw more. But you can't win the same condition twice, so you won't get two badges if you write 4 fics of 1k each. You'll still be a double winner in our hearts. 💖️

Can I do all the challenges? We won't stop you! No one can stop you. 👀️

Will you reblog submissions? We sure will! Please use the tag b5@30for30 / b5at30for30 (we track both) when you post. (If you prefer your posts don't get reblogged, simply use 'don't reblog' in the tags. Then we will track the entry towards a win but not reblog it.) NB: If you don't see it reblogged within a couple days, your tumblr might be shadowbanned, in which case your posts won't show up in tags. Please reach out via DM / ask if that's the case. NB2: Don't forget to add the fandom tags 'babylon 5' / 'b5' so others can see it too!

What do I get if I win? The personal satisfaction of having completed and posted some things! But also you will receive a lil personalised commemorative gif as a badge to put on your neocities or tumblr or dreamwidth or wherever you like.

What does the gif look like? It's a secret. 😉️

I don't like my prompts. Can I get new ones? You are permitted one re-roll with no guarantee the prompts from your first set won't also show up in your second set. But there are 2000 prompts, so it is fairly unlikely. You cannot see the list of prompts beforehand to exclude some. You are permitted to reinterpret the prompts extremely liberally with maximum creativity and it's not necessary that it be obvious how you got from the initial prompt to final execution. And lastly, if you don't like one prompt, there are still 29 remaining.

I like this prompt but it doesn't fit these particular characters... can I be flexible about the order of my list? Sorry, no can do. The list binds you, so select your characters wisely! You can, however, rework which character is which. E.g., "6 asks 8 to dance", and 6 = Lyta Alexander where 8 = Londo Mollari, you can write Londo asking Lyta to dance.

How many prompts can I use per fanwork? The rule is one prompt per fanwork, and once you use that prompt, you can't reuse it for the other fanworks remaining to win. So to win with two 1000-word fics, you must use two different prompts. (You are always free to incorporate more if you want! This is your world, you can do anything you want in here! 🎨️) To win with twenty 100-word drabbles, you must use twenty out of the thirty prompts, and it's one prompt per drabble. To win with the 5k fic, you need to incorporate five separate prompts.

Can I use OCs/self-inserts? You sure can! This can be an all-OC list if you wish. However, 'Reader' as a character will only be available for one character slot - you will need to pick 7 others.

I need an extension! There are no extensions. You must finish and post your work by Sept 30 at 23:59 (UTC) to be eligible for the win. We'll still reblog it later when you finish it! You just won't get the shiny badge and the bragging rights. 😞️

[harushinkai-daily]

State of the Blog and Plans Going Forward

Hello friends! I wanted to share my plans for this blog now that we've gone through all the episodes and documented more than four years(!!) of good, good Harus.

The bottom line up front: this blog will still be updating, but there is going to be a drop in frequency, and I will take requests via the askbox if there's something you want to see! The rest is under the cut to spare your dash, but read on if you're curious!

First of all, I want to assure everyone that this blog is NOT going away. I care about it way too much to just abandon it. That said, I really don't have it in me to keep it updating daily at this point. There are nowhere near enough "new" Harus I could post, and while I suppose I could start the anime over again from the beginning, I want to make this transition on a high note, and there's nothing I could do that would be more satisfying than (somewhat-accidentally-but-then-totally-on-purpose once I saw it was possible) lining up the end of the anime to coincide with Haru's birthday. Plus, I always want this blog to be a labor of love and joy, so I really do need to make this adjustment before it starts feeling like a chore or obligation to update ^^;

So what does that mean? It means there will still be some new posts to this blog, but they're going to become much more sporadic in nature. I haven't exactly figured out what this looks like yet. It might be every week, it might just be when I feel like it. I still have some manga panels to go through and some anime-related "bonus materials." Plus, there are some stats and compilation-based photosets I want to make (and my personal top 10 Harus? You betcha!). Not to mention finishing the poor, neglected blog index, if you've ever looked at this page on desktop!

That actually brings up another one of my goals for this project: archival and general Appmon news/promotion. In terms of archival, I want to export the contents this blog (screenshots and captions) somewhere outside of Tumblr; I'm thinking a Neocities page or something. I also might use this space to reblog whatever Appmon-related news we might get in the future (few and far between, obviously, but it could still happen!). There are also some other Appmon-related projects that are rattling around in my head that I would also like to get out there (character comparison by director and/or Caught-Up Old Man supercut, anyone?). So things might look kind of quiet as I do some work on some backend HTML and other behind-the-scenes stuff, but progress will probably be happening on those fronts, slowly but surely!

All that said, if you really can't get enough Haru, there are several ways you can help to keep this blog going!

Send me a date on the calendar, ANY date, and I'll reply with all of the daily Harus that got posted over the years! The only exception to that rule is July 1, since that day's dedicated to reblogging fanworks :)

Send me ideas for photosets! With 4 years of backlog, I'm sure there are some interesting ones that could be made.

Send requests for gifs! I only did this sporadically during the original run, but if there's something you want to see that I didn't make already, I'll do it.

Let me know what YOUR favorite Haru(s) are. It doesn't have to be all about me! :D

Send me Harus or requests for Harus that I'm missing? This blog has always accepted submissions. But please note I will not post more than individual Appmon manga panels, because Naoki Akamine, the mangaka, has requested that any art they've shared and posted on social media not be reposted. If it's not directly from the anime, I also have a strong preference for original, official images WITH SOURCES, because I've noticed there are a few AI-upscaled versions of things like card art floating around out there. I will always do my best to track down the original image, and will not use images that have been enhanced with AI on this blog. A sure way to tell: any text on the image looks fuzzy (and wrong!)

Last but not least (and I know I say this a lot, but bear with me): thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for sticking with this blog, whether you're a longtime follower or a relative newcomer. This whole project started on a whim, as a passion project early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and I could not have guessed that it would have taken me this long to make it through the whole series, one good Haru at a time. I have spent a truly shocking amount of time working on this blog, but an equal amount of love, for one of my absolute favorite Digimon series and gogglehead protagonists.

Love from your HaruShinkai-Daily mod,

@citrus-cactus

[gingermaple]

Hello! I absolutely love love LOVE your RvB au art! Your designs and choices for the characters are so good and it gets me so inspired! I also wanted to say that I’m going to be participating in an exchange where people make fic inspired by existing mcyt works such as art and I was wondering if you are okay with people making fic/art/web weaves/other fanworks based on your art. If there's anything else you'd like to know, or any specifications you'd have if someone did this, Id be happy to clarify things! Have a great day!

hearing this literally makes my day, rvb au is something that brings me so much joy because it's a merging of two of my favourite pieces of media. it was honestly something that i didn't think would gain much traction (rvb being literally as old as i am) and while i was okay with that because it made me happy, it's been such a pleasant surprise to see that other people are enjoying it and being inspired by it!

i am MORE than okay with people creating art/fic/etc for or inspired by this au, and while i'd like to be given credit (especially if it's based directly off this au), i would love to be tagged in/mentioned in/sent whatever content is made so i can see it!!! people being inspired enough by what i make to create their own content brings me indescribable amounts of joy and i am so grateful to everyone who does.

and for you or anyone else who wants to make content for this au, or who simply likes it, and has questions about things i haven't shown or revealed yet such as specific character claims, dynamics, or general information, please feel free to ask because i would be happy to share! (i could ramble about this au for hours if given the chance)

[choicesjunechallenge]

Got content?

Did you know you can submit any type of fanwork from any Choices/Pixelberry creation to the Choices June Challenge?

From Sims to playlists to fanfics to fanart to social media edits...we want all your content!

This month's prompts take inspiration from Nature, Seasonal Food, Folklore (witches from Kindred, anyone?) and Special Occasions. Does your MC or OC share a selfie and post it to social media? June is host to National Selfie Day and Social Media Day.

Did you know that it's the Solstice this week (summer or winter depending on where you're based)? We've got a prompt for that too.

Complete guidelines found here.

[atthebell-moved]

Admittedly, as a Phistin main writer who was so desperate for content where Kristin didn’t she started an entire damnn discord server for it, I do kinda understand why people kill her off

Especially back in dream SMP’s height it was very intimidating to write her at all because there was very little canon information to go off of at the time

Plus it was pretty hard to find any good long fanworks to use as some kind of guide to write her personality like I looked for one and there just wasn’t a lot

So for new writers who wanted angst but didn’t want to kill off the characters they were more confident in writing Kristin was an easy solution

So, for a fandom where most people were new at writing fanfic, I absolutely understand being intimidating or worried you won’t get her right because I was very worried while writing my fic. I basically started writing and hoped I was doing it right based on what I knew

To anyone who wants to write a fic where she’s a main character and is scared you’ll get it wrong, I say just go for it! Take some chances on writing her, you can only get better by doing! Fanfic is for fun and trust me Phistin fans will appreciate anything where her main role isn’t dying of illness and being a tragic mother figure lol

I also have a friend who is a very good Kristin writer and loves her streams and she made a little guide with tips for writing Kristin

So to nervous writers, you guys can do it if you just try! She’s a very fun character to write if you want to try writing someone new! Just be confident in yourself while writing because I believe you can do it!

i understand what you mean and i agree that kristin doesn't have a ton going on in canon which could make things difficult for many writers. however, the issue at hand is not inexperienced writers, it's misogyny. the dead mom/disposable woman trope is incredibly common in media and it is a way of furthering male character development by killing off or doing horrible violence to female characters .

kristin is being killed off in fics not in service of her own character potential but purely to make it so wilbur and tommy (and sometimes techno) can angst over their dead mom and so phil can mourn his dead wife. it's fridging. it's providing male characters with reasons to further their development to the detriment of a woman. it's not poor writing aside from that i think sexist writing is bad (and i hope you do as well) but that does not by nature make it poor quality, and that's not the issue at hand.

like. the reason people aren't confident writing kristin is absolutely in part because she's not a major character and there's very little foundation, but that's not what's actually causing them to use her as angst fuel. it's because the disposable woman trope is so common and people are so much more willing to kill off a woman for angst than they are a man.

this is not to say writing kristin whump is wrong or inherently sexist, but i would ask people to think about whether you're doing it in service of her character or in service of someone else's (usually a man's).

as a final note from the article Mother Deadest: "Women in literature, especially mothers, need to exist as more than a means to make other characters more interesting."

[lwoorl]

Ok but when people bring up the idea that "Dante's inferno is fanfiction" they aren't saying it has the same cultural significance as any story found online, rather, the point is using the comparison to ask what the actual line between published literature and fanworks is, and if that line exists at all. Assuming people believe it isn't culturally significant just because the comparison is just the worst fait take you can possibly get from it.

If I, right now, write a story in which Jesus is a character, is that fanfiction of the bible? What if I publish it in AO3? It does have a fandom tag for the bible. What if I publish it with a publishing company? If the content is the same, does the difference lie in how it's distributed?

What about the many alternative versions written of water margin? After the original novel became popular there were plenty of stories based on it in which everything was the same but the ending was different, or a character died, or a character didn't die, it wasn't seen as high art back then either, so does that mean these are fanfiction?

What about the unofficial continuation of the quixote? What about the many stories written of Sherlock Holmes not made by the author? The icelandic translation of dracula? Is there really any way to classify a story as fanfiction and non fanfiction from content alone?

You can't say it isn't fanfiction because Dante talked about philosophy, religion, and used common cultural symbols to talk about the issues of his time, plenty of fanfiction do that too, and plenty of books don't, you can't draw the line there, that's fucking stupid.

Or do you mean the difference is it was politically motivated? Because plenty of published literature, even literature based on other properties, has no agenda.

You can't say fanfiction is amateur and that's what makes it distinct either, because anyone can write an amateur original story, not to mention, assuming a level of quality based on wether something is published by editorial or self published is reductionistic.

You can even say "It isn't fanfiction because it is culturally significant", but most published books are not culturally significant and those aren't fanfiction either!

Assuming there's a fundamental difference in the content of fanfiction an non fanfiction stories is simply untrue, for any rule you give me there's a counterexample. At the end of the day it goes back to wether something is copyrighted, and the medium through which it was published.

"Dante is fanfic" is not an argument against its cultural significance nor an attempt at putting it in the same level of quality as amateur writing, it isn't even a judgement on the intention of the author. Rather, it's just an easy mental excercise to call attention to the fact fanfic and published literature are arbitrary categories characterized for the way a story is published, not the contents of said story.

[rexobibang]

About the 2023 RexObi Bang

What is this?

This is a Star Wars big bang event focused on the Clone Wars characters Captain Rex and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Also known as the RexObi ship. 2023 is our very first year, so please be gentle with us!

Okay cool, but what’s a big bang?

A big bang, as described by Fanlore, is:

“A Big Bang (or “Bang” for short) is a specific type of challenge usually involving long fics and accompanying artwork. This type of challenge is a reprise of the old zine tradition of collaboration between artists and writers for internet fandoms.

Most Big Bangs have a similar format: Writers sign up to take part in the challenge and begin writing stories. When the early drafts of the stories are available, each one is assigned one or more artists, or artists might claim stories from posted summaries. Artists create fanart to go along with the story. This art can take the form of illustrations, manips, photo collages, vids, icon sets, etc.”

Awesome, I’m with you. Who can participate?

Writers and artists are both welcome, and you can sign up to be both!

Typically, writers create one fanwork of a minimum word count and artists create art for that work. We have three paths a writer can choose from and, based on that path, an artist (or multiple artists) will create works of art based on their fanwork.

We encourage all types of art–traditional and non-traditional. We encourage both artists and writers to approach this event as an opportunity to collaborate with each other, to create something unique, and to enjoy the act of creation together. Bangs should be fun! Stressful and hectic, but ultimately fun!

Okay, so what are the paths?

We have 3 paths to choose from, which are standard in most bangs:

Does anything go? Or do you have limitations?

For writers, your fanwork must focus on the relationship of Captain Rex and Obi-Wan Kenobi, whether it is romantic, platonic, or queer-platonic. They are allowed to be in relationships with other people, but the focus of the story must be on their relationship. So, if a writer wanted to write a CodyWan fic but focus on Rex and Obi-Wan’s time on Kadavo, that would be acceptable. Threesomes are also acceptable.

Any rating is allowed, but your work must be rated.

All stories must be 100% completed by the posting date, or the amnesty period. We have three check in periods, with word count minimums, to check to see how on track writers are (and artists!) so we can spot any pain points in advance and work with anyone who needs it. 

All works (art and stories) must be posted to the AO3 collection. Once the collection has been revealed, stories can be posted anywhere the author or artist chooses.

Beta readers are not mandatory but are strongly recommended.

We require all content to be appropriately tagged.

You can find out more on our Rules page.

Awesome, I’m stoked! But who’s running the show?

Uh, that would be me, Jynx, or Karma. Nice to meet you. :)