#is it considered fanfiction if it's a concept that the publisher actually needs to do?

[cuubism]

13 books

What’s up readers?! How about a little show and tell? Answer these 13 questions, tag 13 lucky readers and if you’re feeling extra bookish add a shelfie! Let’s Go!

Tagged by @softest-punk. whoops. this is from April 😅

1) The Last book I read:

I've been rereading Narnia and I recently finished book 3, almost finished book 4 too. It's honestly delightful. I hadn't read them since I was 10. I've got portal fantasies spinning in my mind now though. Prince Caspian was giving me thoughts. There's a universe where there will be a Dreamling portal fantasy, if I get to it.

2) A book I recommend:

A recent read I really enjoyed was Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb. It kinda called me out on all my worst impulses though.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Entire Stormlight Archive series. It fed my poor, starving, "needs excessive levels of enrichment" brain. I'm on the last one, I don't know what I'll do when I finish the series. Wait for the next one? Goddammit.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

I don't reread books that often, other than Narnia I guess, but with that one it's been so long it's not really rereading anymore. I don't have a huge amount of time for reading so I'm more often reading new things.

5) A book on my TBR:

Recently I've been thinking that I want to read more Borges... I even had a dream about it last night 😂 wherein I was back in university taking a class on South American literature, except the class was in Spanish and I don't speak Spanish so really not sure what that was trying to tell me.

6) A book I’ve put down:

I dropped Wolf Hall halfway through although I'm hoping my brain will come back to it. I just got kind of mired in it and lost track of what was happening like 15 times 😂 maybe audiobook-while-doing-manual-labor wasn't the medium for this one... though the audiobook narration is great.

7) A book on my wish list:

I've been moving around at least every few years since college so I'm not really "collecting" books atm and don't have a wishlist of ones to own... The closest thing would be like niche media studies books from university that are barely in print that I want copies of XD considering how often I'm looking it up I should track down a copy of Jerome Christensen's book on studio authorship which was actually foundational to my conception of the systems and structures that mold storytelling, especially in the US.

8) A favorite book from childhood:

I was a Warrior Cats kid 😎

9) A book you would give to a friend:

Normally if I'm trying to pawn a book off on someone else it's because it's super cursed and I want them to experience it too 😂 an example: this published Obama & Biden fanfiction that I actually own

one of my weirder possessions to be sure

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own:

There are many, but the one I'll always keep is my signed copy of Night Sky With Exit Wounds, even though it took me like 7 years to read it, because I'm slow at reading sometimes.

11) A nonfiction book you own:

They are mostly all media studies--a great one is Listening In by Susan Douglas which is a history of radio in the US.

12) What are you currently reading:

I always have a ton of books laying around the house that I'm "currently reading." When I remember they're there. Primarily right now it's Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive 4) and House of Leaves. And Narnia of course.

13) What are you planning on reading next?

I should probably finish The Tatami Galaxy which I started a while back and then forgot about 😂 it's just sitting there neglected. More generally want to read all the random books I already own so I don't have to lug them all with me the next time I move.

woof, this thing is actually so long no wonder it took me 4 months to fill out. tagging @magnusbae, @arialerendeair, @beatnikfreakiswriting if you even want to do this many questions 😂

[evelhak]

I felt implicitly tagged by @lilypheria. Here's the template too.

It may seem like I only write KnB these days but I don't consider myself to be done with my SPOP comics yet.

Tagging all my writer friends but I'm going to mention @active-mind-15 because you're kind of new to me. But I really want to hear about all my writer mutuals and followers. By the way if you've written one unfinished fic or tried to start to write your ideas but can't, or haven't written for years, or have any other struggle that makes you feel invalid, you count as a writer.

Going to elaborate under the cut because I felt like it.

My old account was FinFanFun, a Finnish site I used mostly for reading Facebook wall fics about that which should not be named.

AO3 is where I publish my KnB fics though I've considered branching out to see if there's still some fandom corners I haven't reached.

I'm slowly introducing myself to writing smut but the only story I've published has been called mild and soft smut or smut-ish, and I doubt the rest will be much different.

I frequently beta-read for friends, though fanfiction is the minority.

I used to have two beta-readers but they're unable to do it anymore so all my fics rely solely on me for now, which makes me really anxious sometimes. I am pretty desperate for a new beta-reader so if KagaKuro and a million words of "homework" doesn't frighten you, please jump into an adventure with me!

All my fics are self-indulgent in that they're what I want to see play out in the story. They are not personal fantasies, or necessarily what I want to see in real life, but it's what I envision for these characters.

I'm always reading old favourite fics again and I need to branch out actually.

If I'm in need of a short fic to read I will probably pick fluff.

Have written m/m and f/f (and m/? and m/f) but honestly it's weird to put them in the same category when m/m is so overrepresented.

I'm not actually sure if I consider fanfiction as a genre or rather a medium, because all genres exist inside fanfiction. Medium is probably more true but I seem to have checked it anyway because I feel like the point here is whether fanfiction is valid literature and that it is.

I don't know if two fandoms with one being dormant would be considered multifandom so maybe no.

I do anxiously wait for feedback since I'm very community oriented but I'm also very introverted and internally motivated so the lack of it doesn't discourage me. I have patience and I can wait for connection for years and years. Not that lack of connection doesn't affect me, of course it does, but giving up is just a very antithetical concept to my beliefs and life.

I have one on-going long KnB story and one unfinished She-Ra fic that is waiting for a better time. Which is an exception since I tend to finish what I start before moving on.

Editing fanfiction is actually not as bad as editing original fiction because I put much less pressure on myself, partially because you can always edit your fic again.

Always listening to hours long conversations in my head between characters when I'm trying to sleep. They're really bad at shutting up and I'm supposed to remember this stuff in the morning?

I was mildly drunk for ten days straight to write Anything Can Happen. Haven't done that since but it was really fun.

My main KnB storyline gets most of my attention. It's just my thing, I pour everything into it.

I didn't check 'wants to be a professional writer' because after three traditionally published books I consider myself to be that already. I actually went the other way around than seems to be the norm: I was an original fiction writer first and then branched out to fanfiction in my twenties. I can see it greatly affects how I write fic, and it's probably the main reason I feel like a bit of an outsider.

[ao3gobi17]

I just finished reading the latest chapter of custody and mannnnn it was fantastic, I already put all my thoughts about it into an ao3 comment, but I had another thought I wanted to ask you about.

Custody is an Avatar fanfiction, but it's a modern AU and a lot of the characters are so different from the canon-universe characters that they're basically unrecognizable. If you changed the names and a couple of details about the characters, this could totally work as an original story and you could publish it. Pull a 50 shades of gray lol. I think it would make a great YA thriller!

Would you ever consider doing that?

Omigoodness I read it, thank you so much 😭😭🙏

And thank you for thinking Custody is that good!! I have been asked this question before about my BTS fics (well, at least one of them!) and my answer is kind of the same.

I do design fanfics around the character numbers. So 7 members of BTS generally means 7 main characters and here the 12 recoms meant Q's team has 12 people. It would probably be easier to edit as most of the 12 are supporting characters, but I would absolutely be cutting their numbers down if it was an original fic. Which would impact quite a few areas in the story and be a lil bit of work to do. Even something like the Sully kids... I'd probably have 3 of them instead of 4 if I wasn't trying to actively write them specifically.

I also don't usually know the entire story when I start a fic and in this case it was super true. I wasn't even going to write more than one chapter originally, unless the feedback was good! I didn't know who Paz's killer was till like chapter 5-6 and I think I only actually chose Spider's hometown in this second-last chapter lol! So if I was going to do it, I'd probably need to do a proper re-write, insert hints of things to come etc, fix up continuity, look at the entire plot from a distance.

So probably not, is the answer...? I would love to be published for real and have definitely thought about writing something original to self-publish on Amazon, so I guess I could borrow concepts or ideas from fics I've written, but I'd probbbbably write something fresh. I'm also not sure if I'd be expected to take Custody (for example) down from Ao3 if I was self-publishing it with name changes, and I would feel like that was too unfair on the Ao3 readers.

Thank you for such a lovely question though. <3

[whattimeisitfic]

3, 16, 29, 30, 32

Ask game answers. I’ll put a below the cut thing because I don’t want to force anyone to read or scroll past my blocks of texts of they’re just scrolling for fun pictures in any of the tags. However if you ARE interested in Lucifer-centric angst fics PLEASE consider giving my Ao3 fanfiction “What Time Is It?” a shot! _______________________

3 - Tell me about one of your fics you think is underrated/underappreciated.

Okay, not a Hazbin Hotel or Luci fic (go figure I’ve only posted two and both are pretty well liked) but a Voltron one (again, go figure, the onky other thing I have publish. At least on Ao3). It’s one of the one-shots I have in my collection fic (probably why it’s under-appreciated). It’s called “Notice Me” and I won’t go into too much detail b/c this is definitely NOT the fanbase for it, but basically it’s just some yummy angst, pining, and just Lance feeling like shit after months of being ragged on. With a delicious little panic attack that I had lots of fun writing (there’s nothing wrong with me I swear—)

16 - Is there a type of fic you would never write?

Hmmm… that’s a good question. Definitely nothing that’s like… the really taboo shit like incest or non-LGBTQ related M!preg (sorry y’all I am NOT on the Lucifer birthed Charlie train). Also will probably not, as of right now, ever write a Lucifer ship fic with any canon characters (expect MAYBE Lilith, but even then it won’t be the focus). It’s just… NONE of his ships appeal to me (maybe b/c I just want him so bad but I didn’t say that). And obviously angst is where I live so I probably wouldn’t write anything super smutty. I’ll read it any day of the week, but I’ll stay in my little bubble of giving Lucifer a million mental breakdowns tyvm!

29 - What's your most popular fic?

Gee. I wonder:

30 - What do you struggle with most when writing?

Hmmm… this is a good question. I think there are a couple main things.

One, trying to fulfill the wishes of my ducklings while also not taking forever w/ certain plotlines. Obviously I’m not gonna please everyone all the time, but I try to include requests pretty soon after I read them if I don’t have a specific plan for them to show up in the future (B/c otherwise I WILL forget).

Two, sometimes motivation is a real bitch man. I’ll have all these ideas floating around, then open my fic and realize I can do ANY of that yet because I’ve gotta finish writing this specific part that I’m stuck on how to make it flow right. Also this is gonna sound weird but sometimes I think I straight up zone out while writing. Like if I’m bored, I’ll write and convince myself that everything I just put on the page was trash B/c I didn’t absorb any of it.

Three, proof-reading. I love it and hate it. I need to do it B/c if you’d SEEN some of the whack ass typos I’ve made you’d been pointing, laughing, stomping me into the dirt. But it also takes so much time. It’s much better in the tummy angsty chapters where I’m genuinely excited to read through it again. I’m always so worried about my lacing in certain scenes, whether it’s too fast, too slow, etc. Though, I have noticed, I am a LOT easier on myself when I proof-read in the morning or afternoon as opposed to at night. Which is a little strange but whatever.

32 - What's a fic you'd love to write, but probably never will?

Oooo… there are a LOT of like… ‘head fanfictions’ that have been kicking around up here for YEARS that I know I’ll never get around to B/c like… ugh. Here are a few that are Lucifer/Hazbin Hotel based:

Cast of HH reacts to the show fic. Okay, call me cringe but I actually eat those types of fics up and there is NONE out there. I just want people to react to how BAD Lucifer’s living and mental situation is right now and coddle him, is that so bad? But I know I never will because those kinds of fics take SO! MUCH! WORK!

When I’m not thinking of this fic, there’s this other general concept that gets rolled around with Lucifer basically like… sacrificing himself for both Heaven and Hell in front of like… everyone. He lives in the end b/c like they all cliché stand in a circle and sing and their ‘good’ energy comes together to help him. But like it basically gets heaven and everyone to see him in a new light and realize just how much he ISN’T the monster he’s been pained to be. And what rlly hurts is me imagining his ‘last words’ to be something like: “I didn’t fuck it up this time.” Because. You know. Angst.

OOOO and one where like… it’s set somewhere in the future where Heaven is actually being nice and giving the Hazbin Hotel a chance. Multiple sinners have been redeemed at this point and the angels are down in hell having like a celebration at how far things have come. Lucifer feels both jealous that HE will never get that chance, and just absolutely hates himself because like ALL THESE SINNERS got the chance to go back, but he’s too horrible of a person to be able to have that forgiveness. Lots of feels that I actually DON’T wanna say too much about B/c after WTiI is finished I may want to try and make this happen. I’m only putting it under THIS ask because… u know… I have no clue where my headspace will be if/when WTiI does reach its final chapter. ________________

Thank you for sending in the asks! These were so fun to respond to!

[ao3-softwarecorruption-exe]

📖 Writer Interview

Tagged by @writing-for-soup!!!! (unoffically lol) Defo go check out her interview, it was a blast 2 read! :D For my own answer- please continue reading after the cut!

When did you start writing?

Technically I've been trying to write ever since I was a kid. Doing small comics and writing the first pages of stories to never be finished. I loved the idea of making my own characters come to life, and to manage to write something of my own, but the task was always so daunting for me.

Then sometime during middle school I discovered fanfiction, and that made me want to writ fanfiction, though I never dared until Uni lol.

During middle school was when I started actually getting married to the idea of one day exploring writing. We had a lot of creative writing assessments during English class, and my English teacher was a wonderful lady who gave me such wonderful feedback, and she always, every single assessment, said she hoped to see me as an author one day. I hope I can tell her one day that she was the biggest reason that I never gave up on writing.

Then during Uni I finally managed to write. I found writing to be a great way to destress, and it was fun, and when I posted and got nice comments I started to lose that beginning anxiety that my words were awful and it became easier to actually get words on the page instead of just dreaming up ideas in my head.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

Perhaps Sci-Fi? I do enjoy Sci-Fi, but I don't think I could ever wrap my head around all the sci-fi-y terms and rules haha. It requires so much thought to world building and at least a basic understanding of science to start with before you start making up your own science lol.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

My favorite author might be K.A Applegate when I read all her animorphs books, and I've always enjoyed her blunt way of storytelling. I like getting to the point. But I wouldn't say I am only emulating her writing style.

I steal and take from authors everywhere, be it published authors of fellow fanfiction writers. I see a style, I consider how to mesh it with my own, until I have something a mix of all in some Frankenstein's Monster creation.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

My main writing space for max productivity is the gas station right down the street of where I live. Free wi-fi, barely any people, cheap sausages, and free refills of coffee. It is my ideal environment for calm of mind, though it can get quite freezing during the winters.

Other than that there is, of course, the mess that is my room. And sometimes I will treat myself to write at a café after my lectures, or else write during my lectures. (not a good thing for my grades lol).

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

Probably songs. I've found that if I have a song I really like, and also connect to a certain piece of media I like, listening to that song on repeat will make me think up ideas and concepts and scenes for the characters or media that I connect it with.

It can truly be random. It's very rarely a song actually connected to that piece of media. I just decide by a whim.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

I've found that I enjoy writing characters who use denial as a defense mechanism. Avoiding problems, or more often the truth of their situation or their own emotions, is something I think I force upon many a character.

I asked my fantastic friend @lily-alphonse for help with this one, and she mentioned that I also use loneliness in a lot of my works. Which I believe is true. I do adore loneliness as theme or something to have a character suffer with.

What is your reason for writing?

It is fun, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of the art of creation. I love consuming art, but sometimes I need to scratch an itch that no-one can reach but myself. I am my own dumb scratching stick haha.

I've always loved the idea that when you write, you create actual little universes. Like there's a power in it, in creating, and having others see that creation and get something out of it. Art is so wonderful, so beautiful.

Also it's just so goddamn human. We can explore so much that we can't otherwise, we can get a better understanding of ourselves, the world around us, people so different or so alike. It makes me so insane, the way art can surpass us. I mean art has been around since the most early humans! Drawings, and architecture, and later writing. The earliest goddamn written story that we've found explores the same human concepts that we still ponder about today!!! Gilgamesh's intense existential dread, his fear of dying after his closest friend dies. Hello?????? Insane, wild, fantastic. Its fucking crazy, honestly, and it has brought me many spirals of existential dread and wonder at the same time.

And I mean- have you thought of how fun it is to see the same concepts shaped by the time they were written in? When I was reading Frankenstein in High School I was so fascinated by how Frankenstein acted when stressed and anxious, and how it was always explained away by him coming down with a fever. He did not have a complete mental breakdown that left him unable to leave his house for weeks due to how stressed seeing certain things would make him, no. He was sick with a fever. This was used multiple times. I found it so absolutely intriguing.

And I also just cant bare the thought of dying one day and having contributed nothing to the endless, beautiful wonder of art. I get to make things, I am so so lucky I get to make things, and I get to share what I make, and that's just. So fun. So fucking great.

Stopping myself from ranting further lmfao.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

God comments, I love you so much. Anything from a single emoji to a multi paragraph essay. I love you. It brings me so much joy, makes me so flustered.

The comments that have always made me fawn in utter appreciation, are those that have pointed out things I do in my writing which they enjoy. Especially concerning characterization, which tends to be the thing I'm the most anxious about when writing. When someone tells me they feel I've captured a character's personality/vibe, I feel so warm.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Someone who made them feel something, if only for the duration of the read. Even if it's just momentary contentment. :)

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Again I had to run to @lily-alphonse for help! She says that it's probably introspection, which might be true! It's something I really do love writing. God, to get into the head of people- its so fun. I love writing the way characters rationalize and think and decide on things.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Hahahha, my friends @lily-alphonse and @writing-for-soup will know that I am never at all consistent with how I feel about my own writing.

I've learnt during my journey of posting what I write, that I often love my work up until it is posted. Then I will go through a cycle of barely daring to touch it or read what I've written, and when I eventually force my gaze upon my wretched creation, there's a high chance I'll suddenly decide it is wonderful and the best thing I've ever made and wow look at me I'm such a genius I can't believe I wrote this.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

I mostly write for myself, though writing completely in self indulgence is something I have to work myself up to! I still write the ideas I want and daydream about, but some ideas, often of the darker and more dead-dove-do-not-eat designs, I must hype myself up for.

And I am of course influenced by trends and popular headcanons in the fandoms I am in haha.

Tagging (with no pressure); @steamyearlgray @vilukissakakskaks

[if-confessions]

I've been in the IF fandom for almost two years now, and I don't think I've ever found a fandom I've liked as much. I like the community here, the stories, creativity, how diverse the games are compared to other media I see.

I like reading IF, but more than that I'd really to create an IF game myself. I've been creating stories since childhood and I've always wanted to tell them to other people. However, I was never able to find a suitable medium for doing so. Creating video games is a passion that met reality and died too fast, writing traditional books makes me incredibly anxious, and comic and visual novels require way too much drawing when I'm a concept artist at best. And IF... IF seems to be exactly what I was always searching for. But here's a twist.

I'm not a writer. I'm really not. The amount of writing that I've done that wasn't for my studies is... not a lot. Which makes me extremely self-conscious of my writing, and I'm a very anxious person to start with (and English not being my native language doesn't help). I just don't know where to start, I've never even written fanfiction. And then if I end up actually writing something and posting it for people to see, I'm afraid of what they'll say, of me not being good enough, or of people being uninterested in anything I create. It's dreadful really. And I know that this feeling is possibly shared by so many other people, but I just don't know what to do about it.

I had wanted to post this earlier, but Tumblr ate my essay again...

Welcome, Anon, to the wonders of IF! Have a seat, and a cookie, and enjoy the ride! It's quite the experience, you'll see...

Totes understand your worries. With so many good projects out there, it's easy to not feel... adequate (in writing or proficiency); and with many in the community having opinions, to be unsure whether to publish said work.

But here's the thing: many of us in the IF community (especially as hobbyist) have not studied writing (for a while or at all)* or are writers either, and quite a few of us are ESL (hi, hello!)**. So you are in very good company!! *sidenote: some of us consider ourselves game dev/creators before writers too. **Dear... you wrote an essay of an ask with no mistake (that I could find) - I would not have guessed you were not a native speaker, if you hadn't said it before.

To relieve those anxious feelings, here are some advice, from one ball of anxiety to another one:

You don't have to publish anything you don't want to have public. If you prefer to write for yourself and yourself only, it's more than fine. Having fun is what matters.

There are ways to "hide" your project from searches (on itch or tumblr) to have a bit more privacy, as well as disabling replies/comments/ratings...

Setting boundaries from the beginning with people interacting with your projects (whether it is in asks, or doing beta/feedback rounds/etc...) can also be quite helpful (even if some people don't follow them...).

Join writing groups and share snippets/ask for feedback. It's helpful to get some boosts of confidence and get pointers on how to improve.

Have beta/playtest rounds for longer feedback needs (like when you are ready to upload/update a demo, to catch bugs or typos and stuff).

Joining game jams with small projects can help with testing ideas/stories/gameplay, and get comments/feedback from people.

Anyway, we all start somewhere, and very often (most always) that somewhere is not good at all. But that's ok :) There's always room and time for improvement and change (until you're finally happy with it). The beauty of online games is that you can always tweak it and fix it when something doesn't feel right. Nothing is ever set in stone!

Good luck :)

[chloesolace]

Masterlist - Request Info - Discord Server - Ao3 - Taylor Swift Series - Published Works - Book Reviews - Goodreads

Hello, my name is Chloe and I'm glad you found your way to my blog! I am 23 years old and currently doing my master's in English literature. I decided to just introduce myself with this post and help you navigate my blog a little bit better. All the general links are above this little paragraph!

Information: Many of my stories contain graphic descriptions of violence and sexual themes. Reader discretion is advised. Warnings will always be stated above the story.

Who am I?

As I said, I am 23 years old and study at university. The name I introduced myself with is actually a pen name that I use for fanfics only, all my properly published work is done so under another - yet still similar - name. Gothic fiction is my favorite, however I also enjoy fantasy, science-fiction, historical fiction, and a good old romance. I have a couple of pets, too! One dog, and five tarantulas. They're my entire pride and joy.

What do I write?

As far as original work goes, I prefer writing dark fantasy and gothic tales, however I am way more flexible with fanfiction. I mainly write fanfiction to practice, and I am proud of how far I have come as a writer. Without it, I doubt I would have ever managed to actually publish something, especially considering that English is my third language. And although so far I have only published two short stories, I believe it is a small step towards actually getting a novel out there! Fanfiction, however, is still the best practice for any writer, I believe.

You can find my fanfic masterlist linked above and here.

If you would like to request a one-shot you can find all the information you need here.

Post Schedule

I usually alternate between original one-shots and requests. So my general post pattern is request - original - request - original etc.

My thesis

My bachelor's thesis is a comparative analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It deals with the concept of the sublime as a metaphor for repressed homosexuality. Currently, I'm in my master's program.

[luciferfemme]

I'm gonna go on a bit of a tangent here but I have to say like... copyright is such a scam. And like there are two main factors that expose the lie that is copyright and this idea that like if copyright didn't exist then anyone would be able to claim a work as solely their own. a) public domain works b) fanfiction

Every other year a public domain IP is rebooted and we all just kind of intrinsically understand that this reboot or reimagining is not the final version of it. It is not the original, the creator of this reimagining is not taking credit as the creator of the thing and for that matter no matter how many times a story or a concept is retold we always know that the original was always there.

Fanfic is much the same way in the sense that as a general rule 9 million fanfic writers can write a coffeeshop AU featuring a different pairing or even the same pairing and we all know that the characters belong to the original creator and as long as it isn't like word for word plagiarism then we can all just kind of agree that we all have our own interpretation of these characters and scenery and scenarios.

For that matter, we should also talk about officially LICENSED "fan works" which is to say someone who was not the creator of the thing but has permission to write and create their own story within that already copyrighted canon. Take a massive property like Star Wars which has had multiple novels written, video games, spinoff series and the like and all of these things aren't written by the original creator but they're still in that same field. They're in the same set of IP and therefore because they were given the greenlight by their respective copyright holder (which can be transferred eg: Disney now owning it from Lucas) suddenly these works that could in any other context be considered officially sanctioned fanwork is now considered canon.

The fact that "copyright" I think initially was meant to protect creators but has since become entirely corrupted and used to only protect large corporations (eg Disney) tells you everything you need to know about why I say that copyright is ultimately a scam.

It's one thing to say like I created this thing, it is my intellectual property therefore no one can claim that it is theirs over me; it is quite another to say, I created this thing that is similar to 500 other things but if you use it without my permission I can now sue you into oblivion also I'm a corporation so I have the funds to do so infinitely for things that will not actually harm my IP.

And I recognize that there may be the argument about what about stories that could potentially damage the original IP and it's like... ehhhhh. I still find myself going back to the same argument of like... Cinderella has been made a thousand times. And we can all have our favorites and say this version is better and ignore other versions. So I'm not sure the strawman argument of suggesting that the potential for abuse is greater than the current abuses of the copyright system that currently take place.

It's worth noting that for the vast majority of authors when their book is auctioned to a publisher they don't keep the majority of their copyright. So if for instance, a publisher wants to make a film of that book they are under no obligation for that film to have much of anything to do with the original storyline. And I would argue if a film is made of a novel and the film becomes more well known than that novel and the film has little to nothing in comment with the novel itself is that not more damaging to the original IP?

[thebreakfastgenie]

Technically, many famous books and pieces of media could fall under the fanfiction umbrella and I feel like it’s hard to make an argument that Paradise Lost or Wicked or hell, even Hamilton don’t have cultural significance overall.

I have no idea why you sent me this considering I have been abundantly clear that I am not arguing that fanfiction does or does not have cultural significance. I am quite literally arguing that it does not matter.

Your definition of fanfiction is questionable. What exactly do you think Hamilton is fanfiction of? It's fiction based on real people, not existing fictional characters. That's called historical fiction. RPF of the founding fathers that is unrelated to an existing portrayal is just amateur historical fiction.

I dislike the characterization of works as "bible fanfiction" or "bible fanart." I believe the bible is a work of fiction, but many of the writers and artists who made those works did not believe that. It may be technically true, or at least something you can make a case for, but it's a stretch and misleading. Religious fiction and art are a recognized category.

Wicked is actually a good example. Wicked is not officially fanfiction because the source material is in the public domain. A lot of things fall under the umbrella of transformative works, but fanfiction as a concept exists because of intellectual property.

If you are arguing that fanfiction can be culturally significant and should be protected on that basis, what will you do when someone says "okay, you've convinced me that Paradise Lost is fanfiction, but I don't think this other stuff is important?" It's not like this is a fanfiction specific issue; plenty of original, published fiction is not widely considered important or culturally significant. I'm saying "whether it's important or not, it needs to be protected."

If you want to argue that fanfiction is culturally significant just make your own post. It's a separate point from the one I'm making.

[riewritten]

what do you do when inspiration suddenly hits you? like do you just memorize it in ur head or note it somewhere or do u work on that idea immediately?? im very very curious about ur creative process PLEASE OVERSHARE because i believe there are things that are new to me. like you write and draw and it's amazing how tou do both! i'm more curious about ur writing process because i don't write much (nowadays i only journal or write diary entries, in the past i did write fanfictions but they're almost all oneshots or unplanned dropped after 2 or 3 chapters). (how) do you plan your storyline? do you consider yourself flexible (like are u comfortable with changing plans in a big project where one change could lead to other changes?). Do you beta read by yourself or is there anyone who does it? if you do it by yourself, what do you feel when re-reading your writings? i literally have sm questions but i don't wanna overwhelm you 😭😭😭 you don't need to answer if you don't want to, that's alright!!!

when u said i could overshare

for whenever the inspiration hits, i tend to start on it immediately. writing is such a mood booster for me and i'm in a low mood most of the time so i seize the moment whenever motivation comes :'D sometimes when i'm busy (let's say school/work) and a great idea pops in (usually in quote format), i just lay it down in my gdocs. for oneshots, 1 doc would suffice. for longfics, the docs per chapter are contained in a folder.

i don't think i'm great in fan arts (i just get the boost from those who draw well—like u!) so i'm glad you appreciate it as well <3

regarding my writing process, someone actually asked me about it before! but to generalize my answer there, i ponder on 3 things (plot, characterization, & chapter study). my first fic (and my first series in general) was dusk in the brightest. i worked on chapter study first: detailed sequence of events from C1-10, vague concept in 11-15, then the rest is just 2-3 sentences of how i want the story to end. the 2nd one, character study, was smth i learned from a professor in one of my subjects when i submitted a one-act play script to her and she heavily criticized my characterization (like so badly i still get jitters remembering it) 😭 since then, i've been very wary with getting things accurate and consistent with my characters. for my plot-heavy fics, that's what i'm most serious for.

i think my flexibility (i dont even think i got that) was v challenged during the last arc of DIB because i suddenly had a complete change of mind with the ending (exactly what u had mentioned: changes that would lead one thing to the other). it was def not comfortable but a great tip (i think) to work around it is that: go back to your earlier chapters, pick up the most random scenarios you had made, then come up with a reason why that random thing ensued. an example of executing it is how isayama worked around aot's first scene (child!eren crying & mikasa being the first one he sees) by connecting it to his last scene in the manga (ofc i wouldn't assume isayama just thought abt it midway. it's just with how he executed it).

i don't have lots of friends in this app so i usually do the revisions all by myself. i'm a type of author that releases chapters impulsively—i'd publish smth that i hadn't proofread yet, read it in the app, then just do all the editing there. i'll repeat the process until i finally get satisfied. i think it's easier for me to point out mistakes when i feel the urgency to do so (like omg i have to hurry in polishing this bc readers might click anytime soon 😭) though someone helped me change POVs (from 1st to 2nd) in DIB C1-13 and let me tell u that i never thought having someone help me beta read my work could bring me so much delight.

and pls don't worry about overwhelming me! using this app and dumping all my work here are literally what keeps me sane from the overwhelming things in my life atm. to have u appreciate it gives me joy & comfort. thats why i'd be honored to answer all of ur questions :'D

[the-missann]

So, this is to my followers and anyone else who fits the bill.

After reading a post about the chance of Google using google docs in their AI learning, I had a large urge overcome me and I really want to do something as a small ant.

As much as I don't like bugs, ants aren't very strong on their own, but we all know the damage they can do as a group.

So, I've decided to make a writing group and if you're interested keep reading. This also isn't just a writing group, it's a group for anything related to writing. So that can be an artists who draw character concepts.

Again, read more if this piques your curiosity...

The Unserious Writing Group

Writing is a serious craft that needs some fun brought back into it. I've been inspired by several people in the last few years and I want to try something to contribute to my favorite thing to do: writing. I've tried to join other groups and it simply doesn't work since my writing doesn't fit into a neat category, so I feel isolated from the group rather quickly, in order to avoid that feeling I'm making as many of the things I do a part of the group's core. I'll also be considering my anxiety into this knowing how tasking it is for me to interact with a group I'm being overwhelmed by.

Plans: I'm better at organizing than actual execution, so I'm making this list of things I want to expand on (06/15/23)

Monthly (or weekly) Prompts

Shameless sharing

Friendly Discussions

Writing Assistance

Review Swaps

Editing Help

Projects

Book Club

Check-ins

Venting about writing

I don't want this group to be just for writers or just for poets, I want to include everyone that I can because I write in almost every genre and include almost every interesting element I can. As long as it's related to writing in some way, you're more than welcome to join!

This includes:

Novelists

Short Story Writers

Poets

Artists

Fanfiction writers

Avid readers

Editors

Critiquers

Playwrights

Song writers

Publishers

Hobby writers

And more!

Every aspiring author or published author knows networking is important and with how little accessible support there is for writers, I want to try and create a space for writers to feel as everyone else does in their field. I can only speak for myself but my journey to publication has been nothing but dead ends and it's very discouraging. Nothing I've tried works and I can't find the exact source to the problem and therefore can't fix it—I don't know if I'm a bad writer or if it's just my cover that's bad.

I want writers to feel like they're heard and supported no matter if you're writing the next Star Wars or a story about pieces of paper thinking they were trees in a former life. I want writers to be acknowledged for giving the world their fandoms.

Despite my ambitions, I obviously have some concerns I feel will come up:

I get overwhelmed easily (and guess what I already am overwhelmed and no one has even joined yet 🤢) and I would need someone to assist me as a co-leader essentially. If anyone would be interested in that role, DM me.

If this moves to Discord or some other platform, I will have no idea how to set that up. For now, I was considering just having a large thread.

Unfortunately, until I can get moderators or any other form of help, I can't have the group open to minors. It would be 18+ only until then, I wanna allow people a safe space to discuss anything.

Activity is a big issue in most writing communities. It comes with it, but I want to have something going on whenever possible.

[jazminesays]

Hi Briana!

I’ve been meaning to send over a message, however AO3 isn’t always accessible to me heheh. Luckily I found your tumblr!

I wanted to say that I read your work Adtitulo and it was amazing! It was incredibly written in practically every aspect. Each act had a complete arc, there were no loose ends, at every point I felt satisfied that my questions were answered. I think about your fic a lot, and it’s an incredible concept. I can tell you put lots of work into it. It surprised me to see it was one of your only fics, I implore you to write more!

When it came to the characters I felt you handled them well, and realistically. You set up Tom to fail, as well as kept Harry and Draco’s interactions balanced. Too often I find with stories that depict an assault, the survivor is treated with bird bones. I didn’t notice this with Draco, so well done!

One thing I noticed the frequent scenes of assault. Now usually I recommend to authors is not to include actual scenes with dialogue and the like at all. Scenes of sexual assault can be incredibly jarring and potentially triggering for readers. However, I felt you held this task maturely. The scenes weren’t immaturely handled, they had the intended impact on the reader. I think you handled this well, and I trust you’ll continue to improve in tackling big issues in later writings.

You’ve got it, kid! I wrote in my notes here: “WOW. Complete. You’re going to Hollywood kid. So jam packed, and each act had an arc. Iconic.”

Do you write original work in addition to fanfiction? I think you should consider it!

I’m looking forward to reading more from you. Keep writing, and keep up all the great work I know you’re doing. When I get a chance on AO3 I’ll throw you a message too!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read the fic. I look forward to reading more in the future!!

<3

Where do I even begiiiin omg 🥹

Thank you so, so, so much for reading and sharing your thoughts with me ❤️ *Adtitulo* is like a child to me and the whole process, from the first brainstorming sesh to when I published the last chapter, was an incredibly exciting and vulnerable undertaking. It’s the longest thing I’ve ever written and I put a lot of heart and soul into it. So, when I see other people interacting with it-sharing their comments, leaving kudos, etc.-it makes me so, so happy. I appreciate everyone who gave my lil story a chance 💕

Thank you, also, for your feedback regarding the Assault scenes/arc. I did my best to handle them with care, as I felt they needed to be included to better explore Draco’s psyche and to further characterize Voldemort. My main goal was to let bad stuff happen to Draco without it crossing the territory into “torture porn”, does that make sense? 😅 Regardless, I’m always learning and growing and I appreciate that you see a future where I can continue to do that with my writing. 💕

As for original work, I’m actually working on a book currently! It’s more of a hobby right now, but writing is always something I’ve loved and hope one day to be able to call it a career. I’ve got so many ideas and I really hope I get the chance to share them one day. Also, I love that you mentioned Hollywood, one day I’ll get Warner Bros Studio to listen to me 🤣

Feel free to send me a message anytime, whether here or Ao3! Thank you again for reaching out and Happy Reading!

[ragnell]

This is either a flippant or deeply disingenuous way to describe the origins, evolution, and recording of King Arthur mythology, its use in literature and nationalist propaganda, and the way this is different from the way fanfiction interacts with a canon.

I do love a good deep dive on King Arthur but I'm just gonna comment on this one from the other angle, because I am NOT an expert on the historical and political climate of the time but I think we need to address a truth about fanfiction that a lot of people don't understand.

I've made that Lancelot joke too. But this is something behind the statements that such and such is Biblical fanfiction, or all of Greek myth is fanfiction etc...etc.. which are all funny statements that some people seem to seriously believe.

We don't classify them as something different from fanfiction because they are old. We classify them as something different from fanfiction because these stories come from BEFORE the time that cultural icons were considered the intellectual property of their creators and corporations that had a detailed accepted list of approved stories.

When The Knight of the Cart was written, nobody knew who created Arthur or if he was an actual person. The relationship between fan and intellectual property owner did not exist at the time. There was no corporate interest serving to delegitimize the work, and there was also nothing to stop other authors from just up and using Lancelot for their own purposes.

It's not that age lends legitimacy to fanfic, it's that fanfic is a concept that exists as a result of how money and creative endeavours are intertwined in our legal and economic systems.

In cases of cultural legend like King Arthur and the Greek Myths no one OWNS the official canon, the term "fanfiction" is meaningless. It's just fiction of whatever the genre is. This is not because fanfiction is "bad writing" or "amateur" or "trash" or "lowbrow." It is because it is YOUR intellectual property and not someone else's.

It's a matter of law and modern creative works, which I am not an expert on but I do know this one thing.

The aforementioned daughter of Persephone, Mespyrean (sp?) was not "someone's OC" because she wasn't writing fanfiction. She was writing her own story, and that goddess is a modern invention that SPECIFICALLY belongs to that writer. This makes a difference if you publish a story using her, because that teenaged girl can get a lawyer and sue you. Now, in fandom circles they usually don't because people usually don't publish and make money, but unlike with a Percy Jackson fanfic, she COULD.

However, if you wrote a story where you made up your own daughter of Hades and Persephone, or just used the Furies or Mellinoe who are listed in the Orphic Hymns, then you are public domain.

The historical aspect that comes into this, though, is that there is no historical religious tradition that recognizes Mespyrean while the others are in the Orphic Hymns. The story is not something you can use to learn anything about antiquity, though the speed at which it caught on in the tumblr community could probably tell us a lot about this culture.

When it comes to your own personal religious and spiritual practices, your mileage may vary. Though there may be grounds for a lawsuit if you establish a religious organization that features Mespyrean as a key goddess, if you are raising funds. Consult a lawyer if you plan to do so.

People on this website will really mock anti-vaxxers and flat earthers for ignoring scientists and getting their alternative facts from facebook, and then turn around and insist they know more history than historians and more archaeology than archaeologists because they read an unsourced tumblr post once

[crestfallenchimera]

Yap session cus I just spent 2 hours doing dishes at Subway

Every year or so I decide to write a new fanfiction to better my writing. In order (mostly), all of the fanfics from all the different fandoms

Three Dimensions of Hell - Batim. The original is lost to time, the handwritten pages rotted in a landfill. I tried to rewrite it after a year and gave up. I have only a vague idea what it was about and I remember thinking that fanfiction was an original concept that I invented. I do know that it was greatly inspired by the music video for Masterpiece by CG5

Shattered Glass - Cuphead. I still have the handwritten chapters in a drawer and I cannot bear to gaze upon the pages. So cringe. As was I. But it was my first experience with actually planning chapters and an important step in my writing. I got about 20 chapters in before I gave up.

Happy Pills - Spongebob. The first fanfiction I fully completed and still have record of. Its still on my Wattpad because I cannot bear to erase my history again. I condemn it.

Breaking Walls - Creepypasta. Was intended to be a story where I slowly killed off every single creepypasta in somewhat fitting ways but I lost motivation about 7 chapters in because I left the fandom.

Pessemistic - Friday Night Funkin. My masterpiece. In 2021 I spent the months of March through August crafting this garbage and I hold it so dear to my heart. Unfortunately, I cannot reread the story because it was written during the time where Keith was the headcanoned name for Boyfriend, and because of a deeply upsetting experience that name makes me nauseous. This has prevented me from doing a rewrite of the story, which I tried to do almost every year after I initially completed it. I might just rewrite it as an original story someday.

Sticks, Stones, Stupid Ghost - MHA. Like my creepypasta fic, I only got about seven chapters into the story, which was long enough for me to kill off Deku. I lost motivation quickly, which I do mourn because I would love to see how it would have turned out if I had finished it. I lost interest in the fandom disappointingly quick.

I took a break from writing fanworks for a year or more, with the exception of the satirical shrek fic that I still update to this day. Between my job and working on an idea for an original novel (which I have almost entirely abandoned) I had limited time.

Loser Boy Blues - South Park. Currently still updating this and its my longest fic yet. I am incredibly proud of myself so far. The entire story is plotted out, about halfway written (draftwise) and I've been experimenting with angst related subjects that are not (entirely) related to self injury and ending one's own life. It's a huge step from my roots, as rather than the aforementioned topics, the story deals with struggles of grief and anxiety (although, we still have the best friend to lover pining. I cannot uproot myself entirely.) I've been working on it for nearly a year and have written almost 30,000 words.

Oath of Mortar and Oak - Regretevator. Not yet released but I'll be publishing soon so I figured I would mention it anyway. I am excited to write a shorter angst fic, one that (hopefully) wont take months to complete. No need for filler. Also partially to help me practice managing several works at once.

This of course doesn't consider any that never/barely left the drafts, so I'll give an honourable mention to:

All Figured Out - Miraculous Ladybug. I did not infact have the plot of this figured out

Monstrous - Monster High. Was intended to be a short story about Draculaura and Clawdeen falling in love because every time they appeared in my dreams they were sooooo gay

Unamed fanfiction - Steven Universe. I am grateful I threw away the pages because what the actual hell was wrong with me. I will take the contents of the story to my grave

The Other Side of the River - Stardew Valley. Pierre x Morris? What was I on when I was planning this out?

Sugar, Spice, and One to Many Romance Novels - Pico's School. I discovered there was no Nene x Cassandra stories and took it upon myself to write two and a half chapters before giving up

Breaking Worlds - Creepypasta. This was a Ticcimask fic. I have learned the errors of my way and I think its a weird ship. Was intended to be 40 something chapters but never made it past 3

First Aid Kid - MHA. Was a Bakudeku fic where Bakugo became all soft (slowly) that I gave up on after writing one chapter because I realized I didn't like Bakudeku

Revengers - Helluva Boss. Loona x Reader. Again, I wrote one chapter and gave up (although in this instance it was because I jumped in with no plot or plan)

I think that's all the fanfictions I've ever written/attempted to write (with exceptions of oneshots). I've got just as many original novels, of which not a single one has left the drafts, but I do have a few that someday I'd like to work on and I might just yap about them as well.

Yap session over

[hihopelessromantics]

❤️ and/or 🥳 for the ask game :)

Eeee! Thanks for the ask!

So I started writing fanfiction because, well, I already am a dedicated daydreamer, and the only thing stopping me from turning it into something that gets down on paper is 1) that I’ve been a lurker all my life, avoiding most forms of social media, and don’t have much online confidence and 2) I thought that with the way I daydream anything I tried to write would become a hot mess. Before now I restricted myself to only writing original work as a way to try and make sure that I got any writing done at all. I was also afraid that the online people (bots now I guess) would do that thing where they steal other people’s work and sell it and I already had some of my work deleted from existence by my own mistake, I don’t want any more bad things happening. Growing up seeing people argue “social media bad” and “always on that damn phone” made me very defensive of our generation and optimistic about the beautiful experiences people can have together online, but at the same time, I avoided participating in any of it. I desperately wanted to be considered Not A Lazy Child. Feeling like you have to morally justify every single thing you do in your free time to be considered Good Enough by human standards is trippy. I was adamant about not having or needing a phone until the day I got one near the end of 8th grade, and then I was like hey, you can play music on this thing! I can talk to my friends easier now!

Once I got over the fear of Doing A Thing on the Internet, I started feeling like I’d always belonged in places like this. I mean, I was getting inspiration from Tumblr years before I even had a smartphone. If I had been in online communities as a younger teen and known the kind of welcoming environment that writers can find online, I would have started creating and publishing my work years ago. I hope to publish some of my original work eventually too. I have little hope at this point of actually becoming an author, but if people enjoy stumbling across my work on here, or somewhere else, that would be enough of a success for me. I just don’t want my precious writing to be collecting dust in the google docs for as long as I live. I love writing, I love sharing writing, and I love people who share their writing, so basically, fanfiction is one of the most fascinating art forms I know. It has its own special set of elements. For instance, there's a certain kind of freedom and a sense of indulgence that is difficult to find when writing original projects. The guidelines and restrictions that simply don't exist when you're writing original fiction can challenge you and provide a relaxing space to experiment with new themes and concepts and characters that you've grown to love. Cool stuff! It reminds me why I'm so happy to be a writer. I love imagination and creativity probably more than anything else that exists.

[nicknederson]

you know what i want?

a nancy drew reboot of the old mysteries with a modern take similar to the first person perspective of the nancy drew diaries

so anyway i wrote the first chapter of secret of the old clock (edit: chapter two; chapter three; chapter four)

"Can you wash cashmere?"

“Nancy Drew.”

“Don’t yell at me. It was a joke, Bess Marvin.” Not a very good one, I’d admit. But lately, Bess was on edge about her cousin’s upcoming wedding. I could have cracked the best joke of the century and she would have told me she didn’t have time for humor because she had to focus on flower arrangements. I seriously couldn’t even remember what cousin was getting married. But I was being a good friend. Which is why I was here. At the department store. Picking out our rehearsal dinner outfits.

“Nancy, I cannot deal with this right now,” Bess said with enough dramatic flair to star in a school play. That was one of her new favorite words- cannot. I guess can't just wasn't cutting it anymore. "I have a bridesmaid dress fitting in about ten minutes and I'm pretty sure I gained about ten pounds so they're going to be making even more alterations to it!"

"Maybe stop eating your weight in chocolate-covered strawberries," I tried.

"Oh, what do you know?" Bess complained. "Just buy whatever off the rack and you can return it if I don't like it."

"Yeah, I can return it," I said about as dryly as I could manage. "Because I clearly don't have anything else to do with my life." I really didn't. “But Bess, I think you’re taking this a little too seriously. Laura-“

“Lily.”

“Lily probably doesn’t want you stressing this much about the wedding,” I said. “I mean, you’re a bridesmaid. Not the maid of honor.” I had more of my speech. All about how weddings were archaic and really just a means to trap women in a cycle of impossible standards and unnecessary self-punishment.

“Yeah, that’s great, Nancy. Get me something blue. It’ll match my eyes.” And then she hung up. Well, so much for my speech. It was a good one, too. George Fayne- Bess’s cousin who wasn’t the Lily side of the family and my other best friend- would have liked it. Unfortunately, George was up in the mountain for a summer sports camp and could be reached by pigeon more reliably than cell phone. And here I was- shopping for clothes at our sleepy town of River Heights’s only department store right back at home. No big summer plans or schemes of grandeur before school started again.

That said, I couldn't really complain. Summer was supposed to be the best thing in the world when you were sixteen and didn’t have much to do. Plus, I did need to do some shopping for new clothes, anyway. And I had the benefit of my dad being nice and footing the bill for me. I was originally supposed to get a job this summer- something underpaid, underappreciated, and with a silly uniform presumably in the form of a hat shaped like a hot dog-, but that didn’t happen. Simply put, I forgot. There were probably applications buried somewhere in my room.

I would pay my dad back, don’t get me wrong. But for the time being, I preferred the term ‘appreciated’ to ‘spoiled rotten’. Though that term could easily be applied to two girls I happened to spot talking to a sales associate one aisle over. The place that I picked to shop at wasn't exactly high-end, but it obviously wanted to be. And that was also a fitting description for the two girls.

"This is abhorrent," one of them was snarling at the poor sales rep. Both of them looked to be about my age, but this one just looked older. Maybe it was her greasy hair, maybe it was her major overbite- personally, I thought it was both. She was short, stout, and angry in contrast to the rather vapid-looking girl standing next to her with her eyes sort of glazed over. She was rail thin and sort of pretty if you looked at her from exactly the right angle. Potentially on a full moon with the planets properly aligned and an eyepatch over one eye to make her seem further away from you than she was. "Do you know who we are?"

I'll admit it- I was curious. I have this natural inclination to be nosy and it's gotten me into a few weird situations. But I love drama as much as I love intrigue so I was all ears for this conversation. Pretending to peruse a rack of ugly skirts nearby, I expertly eavesdropped on the conversation. "My apologies, Miss Topham," the sales rep sputtered out. "But I was helping someone else until just now and-"

"My sister and I are about to be very rich!" the stout girl spat. I don't think the tall skinny one knew how to use her mouth to form words. "And we will remember how awful your service is when that happens, do you hear me?"

I will also admit to another weakness of mine- I hate watching people get treated unfairly. It was what made me stick up for kids getting picked on on the playground since I could first walk two steps in front of me. And what was happening a few feet away from me definitely looked like bullying. So when the shorter sister sent the sales rep scurrying off to find something for her, I continued to pretend like the ugly skirts were actually the best thing I'd ever seen just to make sure they didn't do something else awful to the poor sales lady. It didn't take very long for them to do exactly that. "What is that?" the short one harped when the sales rep presented her with a dress. "Isabel, have you ever seen something more hideous?"

The dress wasn't bad. It was a cute powder blue slip that had tulle design near the top of it. It was something Bess might like- especially because it was blue. Still, the taller girl- Isabel- nodded fervently to her sister's claim. Keeping an amicable expression was clearly the sales rep's greatest achievement for the day. "Oh, but this is just in off the designers from Paris. It's haute couture." I wasn’t much of a fashion plate, but I could tell that probably wasn’t true. I wasn't going to fault her for trying. She probably made commission.

Still, the stout sister stuck her nose up at it like it were covered in dog poo. "I don't know what that means, but it certainly doesn't mean 'even mildly fashionable'," she threw out before snatching the dress away from the sales rep. "Go find us something else that doesn't make our eyes hurt."

I could tell by the sales rep momentary slip in composure that that was not her usual job. She practically slunk off to do the girl's bidding and didn't look too happy about it in the process. Meanwhile, Isabel peered at the dress with her big, dewy eyes while her sister held it up and sneered at it. "It's not too bad," she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear it from where I was lingering near the ugly cardigans. I don't know why they thought putting them next to the ugly skirts was a good arrangement. "Mama would like it." Isabel's voice was worse than her face- a high, reedy voice that sounded sort of like a kazoo that someone had left in the sandbox.

Her sister checked the price tag on the supposedly 'ugly dress' and scoffed. "It's too expensive. Daddy would throw a fit if we started spending all of old Crowley's money before we even got it." Now that was an interesting sentence. "But we can just make an adjustment." An even more interesting sentence. Coupled with the fact that she reached up one grubby hand to rip some of the tulle on the dress right off had me nearly drop my jaw in shock. "There," the squatter sister cooed, seemingly pleased with herself. She switched back to sour-faced a second later when the sales rep returned with an arm full of dresses. "We've changed our minds. We'll take this one." She pointed to the blue dress in her hands. "But we will not pay full price."

The sales rep looked like she'd just been punched. "But that's one of a kind!" she said, clearly flustered. "It's the only one in the store."

"Well, it's damaged," snapped the stout sister. Isabel just stood by blank-faced. I realized she kind of looked like a ferret. Her sister, on the other hand, was just a plain rat. "We want 25% off."

"But-" the sales rep couldn't even finish her sentence. I couldn't blame her.

"Where is your manager?" the stout sister trilled. "I demand to speak with him."

At that exact moment, a balding man walking by reeled around on his heel- face serious. "I'm the manager," he announced. "What seems to be the problem here?"

The sales rep went pale as the shorter girl peered at the bald man. "Your associate here just tried to sell us a damaged dress at full price," she insisted.

"No, I didn't!" the sales rep yelped. She snapped her mouth shut the moment her manager levelled her with a look. The 'how dare you be rude to this customer' look that every retail worker feared.

"I'm very sorry, miss," the manager said with a bow of his head. "We'll give you a discount if you'd still like the item. And we'll even pay for the damage to be repaired by a top quality seamstress."

From the looks of the dress, it didn't even deserve that much. But while Isabel had a rather self-satisfied look on her face, her sister didn't look like she was done. "One more thing," she said sweetly. Granted, her attempt at 'sweet' reminded me of black licorice that melted on a dirty sidewalk. "You should take the fee for the repair out of her salary." She pointed at the sales rep and the woman visibly looked ready to faint. "It's only fair."

The manager hesitated for a second before he nodded. "Of course-"

I'd had enough. With a funny little hop, I was over to the group in seconds. "Excuse me," I called out. I flashed a smile- hopefully not looking super awkward. "Yeah, hi, I was just over there and saw the whole thing. She-" I pointed to the sales rep, "Did not try to sell them a damaged dress. They-" I pointed to the two sisters who were giving me the evil eye. "Ripped it when she wasn't looking to try and get a discount."

I could tell I was the sales rep's new best friend. And that I was the Topham sisters' new worst enemy. "She's lying!" the short sister shouted. "I would never do something like that."

Figuring she'd say that, I grabbed her wrist- turning it to reveal some small blue strings of fabric on her palm. "You have some fabric on the hand you ripped it with," I provided fluidly. "And you'll see that there is also some on the floor by your feet. Not anywhere else on the floor- meaning that the dress was only ripped and losing threads right around here."

The girl jerked her hand back as her face went bright red. Her sister looked ready to bolt straight out the door. "I don't know who you think you are-"

"Given the evidence," the manager coughed, interrupting them. "I'm going to have to ask you pay for the full price of the dress you damaged."

The short sister looked like her face was going to explode. "I don't want it!" she shouted. Some other shoppers were starting to linger around the spectacle she was making the same way I had. And of course, the manager was quick to notice.

"I'm sorry, but you damaged the dress so you must buy it," he insisted. "And then I have to ask you to never set foot in my store again."

It seemed a little rash, but the short sister's reaction was worse. She straight up threw the dress onto the ground. "I won't buy that! You can't make me!" Then she stormed off- her sister trailing in her angry wake all the way to the door.

Once they were gone, the sales rep gave a sigh of relief. "I can't thank you enough," she told me. "The repair for that would have cut my pay more than half!"

I just stuck with smiling. "It's no problem," I assured her. "If anyone had been around to see how awful they were to you, they'd have done the same thing." That didn't seem to stop the sales rep from looking at me like I’d accessorized with a halo and matching wings that morning.

"Regardless," the manager spoke up, clearing his throat again. "We're still going to have to do something about this dress."

"Wait-" I reached forward a took a hold of the dress to take a look at the tab. "I'll take it."

The manager looked just as shocked as the sales rep did. "But it's damaged," the manager had to remind me.

"It's not too bad," I assured him. I touched some of the ruffles that the shorter Topham had ripped. "I could probably fix it myself."

"Well," the manager huffed. "At least let me give you a complimentary discount. Both for your help in exposing those two young ladies as crooks and for helping Loralei here."

I didn't argue. I just considered it a bonus. As Loralei rung me up with the 50% discount, I couldn't help, but poke my nose even further into other people's business. You know, as I'm wont to do. "Who were those girls anyway?" I asked. "I mean, did you know them?" I’d never seen them in school before over at River Heights High. After that display, I really didn’t want to.

I could tell by Loralei's face that she did. I could also tell she didn't really want to reveal that information. But I just waited patiently until she caved. Despite everything that had just happened, Loralei was still a sales rep- they loved to gossip about customers. "Those were the Tophams. They've been in here before. Ada and Isabel." Knowing that Isabel was the skinny one, I assumed Ada had to be the stout one. It was fitting because I had never heard of someone with a more unfortunate name. Very invocative of covered wagons and long trips overland with plenty of dysentery. "Don't get me wrong, they spend money when they're here so they're technically good customers. But what you just saw was pretty much the standard fare for dealing with those two."

I just nodded along like this was all news to me and I was a completely impartial party. "I think I heard them mention something about an... old man Crowley?" I had, in fact, heard that, but Loralei didn't need to know that.

At the mention of the name, her eyes went wide. "Oh, you're from around here, are you?" I nodded. "I’m from a town over- in Hayworth. It’s been the subject of debate around there for the last few months!" She paused to look around for other customers before leaning across the counter to elaborate. "See, Josiah Crowley was this eccentric old man who lived around here. He never really had a home- always stayed with relatives no matter how distant- but he was supposedly loaded up to the eyeballs. Well, the last family who got stuck with him was the Tophams- Richard and his wife Cora. And when Crowley passed away, they came forward with a will that gave all his properties, money, and stocks to them!" I made the appropriate face so that she knew I found this just as shocking as she did. "Normally, who cares about those sorts of things, but the Crowley will just struck so many people as strange. He wasn't really a big fan of the Tophams. Fact, they hated him up until they found out he was dying and they'd profit from it. But Crowley used to promise a lot of his other- much nicer- relatives that they'd live comfortably after his death." Loralei gave an unaffected shrug. "Those poor people will never see a dime. A few of them were even contesting the will."

"Really?" I didn't have to feign interest now. I was definitely interested in all this talk of a mysterious will. Hayworth was a little town off the side of a little town- that kind of drama was uncommon for such a sleepy place. And I could swear the name Crowley sounded familiar. Not just ‘two seconds ago when I asked about it’ familiar, but ‘I’ve heard it somewhere before, but didn’t pay too much attention to it’ familiar. "Do you think they stand a chance?"

Loralei gave me a level sort of look as the machine spat out a receipt. "I don't think so." She ripped the receipt off and handed it to me. My 'savings' happened to be in the triple digits and I was sure Bess would just love her new rehearsal dinner dress. "Crowley was a weirdo and not all there on a good day. Chances are, those Tophams coerced him into re-writing the will in their favor." She put a manicured finger to her lips. "But you didn't hear that from me."

I smiled back. "Of course not."