#like my ao3 and tumblr are the same as my discord

[governmentmandatedryujinstan420]

I regret to inform everyone we're back in the white space. Expect the fire alarm to go off periodically in typical fashion of whenever it detects a steaming pile of garbage on the way. Like me! [i'll give a cookie to whoever recognizes where the sfx is from!!]

[kitsumidori]

Hello there, here is a new fanfic I made :3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63772234

[cadence-the-hypnotic-floret]

HDG still isn't a fandom.

We are not all writing out there fan fiction of Akash Nele from Glitchy's original story. This started as a collaborative writing project between a handful of queer friends. It's grown since then, but ultimately, if you want to write in this setting, you are not writing fan fiction, you are joining an artistic collaboration. It has rules, it has themes, it attempts to build a cohesive world. And yes, this means that some stories will not fit well into that world. It means that sometimes, the best advice for a story is "don't put it in HDG".

If your attitude is "I can do what I want and you can't stop me"... Okay. We can't. You want your black site torture scene with your serial killer OC given a fresh coat of green paint? There's nothing we can do to stop you from posting it to the tag on Ao3. But do note that you aren't "fighting the man". You're just kind of being an asshole to a relatively small community that this means a lot to.

I encourage those interested in creating in that community to join and be a part of the official HDG discord server. It's where most of the writing gets posted, it's where most of the art gets posted, and it's a great place to seek feedback on whether your story idea works, or how to make it work.

And we get great new stories from great new authors all the time. Have you read "Because You Tried To Run" by Lap_Wing? It's their first attempt at writing anything, and it's stellar! Same with "Your Floret is your Biggest Fan" by miradragonslayer. It's not as hard as some might make it out to be to get into HDG, have a good idea for a story, and then write something that fits well into the setting.

In fact, I'd go so far as to recommend avoiding stories that aren't posted there. Meaning no disrespect to Tumblr users, but if your story isn't posted there, I'm not gonna read it. It is essentially the only thing resembling community quality assurance, and lately we've been getting some weird and kind of gross hatefics on the Ao3 tag.

Anyways. HDG is something that makes me happy, and I dislike grousing over it like this. But like... This is how you end up with fics by people who have only ever read the weird hatefics and don't understand what they're doing at all. And because HDG doesn't have anything resembling a "hard canon", this can lead to unpleasant setting drift. Like yeah, call me selfish, I don't want more fics about affini pulling teeth for the purpose of torture, or about the secret planet owned by one affini(???) where they groom 16-year-olds(???!!). That shit fucking sucks.

I don't really know how to end this rant. My next file is hopefully coming out at some point today or tomorrow, and, honestly, if you see this as elitist or unfair, I'd rather you didn't listen to it. I'm considering no longer posting them on Tumblr, because frankly, I'm worried I'm part of the problem.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going back to reading a really fucking good fic, written by someone who gives a damn about the setting. 🥰

[xxxnightcorequeenxxx]

PSA To the Phantom, we have a Troll/Stalker!

Those who know me know this is somthing I won't typically resort to this, but today, I've reached the end of my long patience. ( one and half a year of patience) There is a Stalker/ Troll whose whole stick is trying to get people to draw Dani and Danny fan art. Thir asks will look like this. They will delete them as soon as you answer. I mod on a few Discord servers, so when I informed people on Discord that I had a digital stalker, someone reached out to me to ask me if this was them, as they didn't want to deal with what I had to put up with. That's how I got a hold of this:

On Deviantart, they try to get into people's good graces by subscribing and donating a dollar. (it's a tip you can do on DA, not required) They ask you to do art, and if you bite, They won't stop pestering you about it. Like you didn't do it fast enough, or you didn't do it. And if you do, they have a new request lined up the minute you post the last. So it's never good enough. They will try to monopolize your time, and you never get time to draw what you want to if you try being kind at first. One telltale sign that it's them is that if you reply to them, they will delete all their messages with you after your reply to avoid detection by moderators.

So here are the usernames I know them by; Usernames of them on DA; DanielFentonPhantom DannyFenton2 DannyFenton3 DannyPhantom11 JacobFritzsching1 JacobFritzsching2 JacobPhantom1 JakeFritzsching JakeFritzsching1 The username of the stalker on Tumblr: JacobFritzsching1 & JacobPhantom

I've tried to block them multiple times, And I suspect DA staff have banned some of their accounts.

They don't understand no and stay away or that people have boundaries. I've reported them multiple times. They have been suspended multiple times (I was lucky enough to get this screenshot for a suspended account)

They have been bothering me since Aug 28, 2023 and the latest block for this person was today.

This is me reaching out to others in my discord communities over time for help, showing what it did to me mentally and why I no longer take art requests. (For the privacy of the other users, I've only included what needed to go in there with their usernames hidden.) The only other user by name than me is the stalker.

I lay myself bare to you phandom community so that you may not suffer silently by JacobFritzsching1 hand. I know I'm not his only target. I've stayed quiet and done what I could for a year and a half. They have not let up, and I fear they are driving good people out of the community through their behavior. I will confess to thoughts of wanting to permanently delete my stuff just to escape this stalker. But I'm not letting them win. I am a Phandom elder, I have been a phan since the show since it aired back in the day; some of you may know me by my old username Jeanette9a, some of you will know I'm sited as one of the earlier ones to keep DP ship names list that now exisits on Ao3, and I have to use my every connection and pull to see this troll/stalker not mess with more of my fellow Phandom community. That so be it. I will pull out my megaphone and scram their misdeeds to heaves, so they may never walk anywhere without people knowing who JacobFritzsching1 is in regards to the phandom. You wanted attention well, here you go may I hope you enjoy what you have sown.

---- If anyone else has more receipts about this person feel free to reblog with a me too and show the phandom just who JacobFritzsching1 / JacobPhantom is. Because I'm just one person finally speaking up. I don't expect people to believe me outright. Not without more people who can attest to their character. Here is another post about the same user that is by someone other than me:

[olderthannetfic]

Not gonna lie, sometimes being a writer in my native language feels... isolated and alienating. However not in the 'AO3 stats be low and less than English ones' that maybe one could thought of it at first, no, I know what I am doing writing and posting my non-English fanfics on AO3. I have really good friends and a minor readership that I love.

The isolation and alienation comes from people hating their own native languages and being so vocal (almost proud with others encouraging them) about it. Bet I am not the only who has see this. And I am sorry, but that just feel like hot bullshit. Why do you hate your own language that much? Why do you praise/treat like a better language English and English alone? Why do you say 'ew, a fanfic in my native language!" like that is a completely normal thing to say? I try to come with responses and their logic that aren't plain linguistic colonialism, but I can't. It feels alienating because I see it so. freaking. much. In Tumblr, in Discords, in Reddit, in Twitter, everywhere! Sometimes I have my lows and think 'man am I the wrong here? should I despise my own language, my own (literature) culture? everyone does it'. I respond with a 'no' obviously, since I keep writing in my native language and encourage everyone who approachs me to do it. That still doesn't erase the fact that seeing 'ew fics in my native language sucks!' comments in the wild are pretty demotivating and, to be quite honest, shitty, even if the people doing them aren't from my country.

This kind of feels like a consequence of how... imperialist (for a lack of a better word, sorry) the Internet has become in the past few years. Rather, the whole world, yes; and the Internet is just a part of it so of course fandom got affected by it. If it got affected by this puritanical, bigoted and radfem-y viewpoints, it was just a matter of time for this issue ('fics in English are superior/better in general/better to write/better to got numbers') to chime in. Damned 'globalization'. It was so fast.

--

I hate it. I hate it so much. It's been constant for decades (with the exception of a few languages like Mandarin). English isn't special! Whatever century's trade language can reach more people, but that's it: it isn't more beautiful, historic, nuanced, interesting, worthy, whatever.

And god is English not less cringey and terrible when it comes to words for dicks or squelchy sex noises or whatever else people find terminally embarrassing to write about. We native speakers had to get over it in order to write. Native speakers of anything can do the same!

Though, yes, Arabic-speaking anon from last time, I grant you that some languages' speakers are going to have to invent a whole new era of writing in the vernacular. Go forth. Write your Canterbury tales if that's what it takes.

[azirafeast]

This year is the 5th Annual #Azirafeast, The Feast Day of the Angel Aziraphale, an inclusive fandom event! It’s celebrated on November 19th! It’s a made up holiday that brings the community together, regardless of how a person participates in fandom.

On Nov.19, everyone is welcome to celebrate The Feast Day of Aziraphale by drinking cocoa and wine, eating good food, reading, being stylish on their own terms, enjoying the company of friends and embracing the spirit of Aziraphale! Please share your pics on socials with #Azirafeast!

On Nov. 19, Creators are encouraged to show Aziraphale indulging in what makes him happy or why you love him (canon or fanon!) Create “Lore” for why Aziraphale has a feast day! What miracles throughout history has he performed? Creations can be dramatic, serious, sexy or silly!

All forms of creation are welcome: Draw, write, sing, act, sew, bake, cosplay or anything else! However YOU want to appreciate our favorite Angel. All variations, versions and representations of Aziraphale are welcome for #Azirafeast

And remember, you don’t have to “make” anything to participate in #Azirafeast on Nov. 19. Eating cake and lying to your boss is a great way to celebrate! Confuse some customers, watch a nature documentary, get drunk, listen to your favorite music, be kind to someone who is new or lost!

Anything tagged #Azirafeast I will reblog, the same on Bluesky, Instagram and Twitter. I’ve had a permanent highlight on my Instagram for the last four years, and maintained this tumblr. Checkout what others have made for previous years!

There is also an AO3 collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Azirafeast

Anything added to it I will promote on my socials for #Azirafeast.

I know I don’t have the biggest following, but the idea is that on the feast of Aziraphale, even fans who don’t have a large social media presence will still be seen, still have their experiences noticed, and will feel part of a community that cares.

Folks can get stressed about creating by a “due date.” I encourage folk to post early if they want, and to keep posting after Nov. 19th if they miss the day or don’t finish in time.

Just make sure to tag your contributions, whether they are pics or creations, with #azirafeast so we can celebrate with you! Please feel welcome to take my words and reshare any way that you would like, and make your own posts to generate awareness! Please do share in any fandom communities your part of, or feel free to try and convince people IRL that this is a totally real holiday.

I do not run, own, control or anything of the sort in regards to #azirafeast. The idea came from Cliopadra and a private discord server, and the brilliant folk there randomly picked a date and ran with it. The reason I made this blog and encourage people to participate is because I think it’s a lovely idea! It is NOT “mine.”

[the-terror-rarepair-month]

Did you miss Rarepair Week last year? Well, I @p0rchc0ll4ps3 and @theremustbeabear bring you Rarepair Month 2025, which is basically the same as a weeklong fest but monthlong instead! Hoping to encourage more fics, longer fics, more art, etc!

This is an all-fanworks-invited month to celebrate Terror ships with under 50 tagged fics on Ao3 as of February the 1st, 2025! This year's theme is "The Way It Goes, Goes Differently with Each Cycle of the Sun."

This is an 18+ event! All participants must be 18+ to participate. No exceptions!

Starting on February 1st, 2025 you can post your fics to the Ao3 Collection HERE or your fanworks to Tumblr or Twitter or whatever Social Media with the tag #trpm25 (but I'll only be able to reblog the Tumblr ones). (also idgaf if you make anything beforehand so long as it's posted after February 1st).

Join our general Terror Discord HERE! We have a channel for the event.

Additionally, feel free to request pairings through this Google Forms link HERE (one request per submission; please don't request the same pair more than once per person. everyone can see you. we'll shame you). This form sends responses to a Google Sheets HERE. Feel free to check the out the stats for the requested pairings (there's a chart on the far right, scroll right)! Please ignore the animals (you'll know when you see them on the sheet), they're load-bearing and I'm afraid things will break if I remove them.

FAQ:

Are you affiliated with Terror Rarepair Week of Years past? --Nope! Just excited to take on the mantle. (And I did check if I was allowed to take it up before starting this!)

What counts as a rarepair? --The pair (or more) must have less than 50 tagged works under the Terror (2018) tag on Ao3 as of February 1, 2025. The pairing MUST BE the main part of the fanwork.

What counts as a ship? --Two or more characters get together. Throuples and beyond count!

Can the ship be platonic? --Absolutely! Both Romantic (/) and Platonic (&) ship pairings are allowed.

Is there a word limit? --Nope! However little or much as you like. We do challenge you to write 1k or more, however!

Can I do art? --Absolutely, MOST welcome. Any type of fanwork is acceptable!!

Must I follow the prompts? --Nope! Prompts are just there to inspire you. Any part of the prompt [Location (sub-location); 3 different options provided] is allowed to be used!

Does it have to be during canon? --Nope! Post-canon, during-canon, AU, anything goes!

Can I mix this with other events? --Absolutely! You can mix this with any other event co-occurring during the month of February so long as that event allows mixing as well.

Can I do OC x Canon; or Crossover x Canon? --Preferably not! I'd like to keep the fanworks to within the general Terror pool.

Can I do RPF of the actors? Or RPF of the real people the show was based off? --Sure, why not. Go for it. It's within the general Terror pool!

Can I submit throuples (3 in a ship) to the request form? --Absolutely! Anything from 2 or more counts. Poly is totally cool!

Is the form required to be filled out? --Nope! You can do whatever you want forever; the form just gives everyone an idea of what's going on.

Can I submit NSFW to the request form? --Yep! But remember, all the prompts will be in one place; there's no separation of SFW and NSFW, and there's no content warnings. Your prompts will be public!

My ship is already on the request form! --Submit whatever your heart desires. The form and its subsequent chart helps track how popular a desired rarepair may be!!

I can only submit one ship to the request form! --You can fill the form out multiple times; but only 1 pairing per submission per person! PLEASE don't submit a ship more than once per person, that's cheating, and we'll hunt you down for it.

Must I follow / pick only from the requests form? --Nope! The requests form is just there for fun to give you an idea of what ships people have been thinking of / a fun challenge if you want to try something different! You're not assigned anything.

Okay that's all, enjoy!

Prompt transcription below the cut.

Week 1 (Jan. 31–Feb. 6): KING WILLIAM ISLAND (On the Shale) Won't Be Coming Home — Wish You Were Here — It All Goes Dark

Week 2 (Feb. 7–Feb. 13): HMS TERROR & EREBUS (In the Water) Shared Interests — Stolen Glances — Fate

Week 3 (Feb. 14–Feb. 20): CARNIVALE (On the Ice) Rescue — Finding You Again — Home

Week 4 (Feb. 21–Feb. 28) LONDON (In Our Dreams) Can't Sleep — Seeking Warmth — The Sky Alight

[mcyt-winter-of-mf]

MCYT M/F & Other Exchange: an Introduction!

Current stage: POSTING!

Hello, everyone! Winter of M/F & Other Exchange is a 15+, multi-mcyt exchange focusing on... well, M/F & Other ships!

You ever want to write about those sweet bi4bi romances? You love poly ships? You love an immortal fish goddess and her normal-he-promises husband? You believe with all your heart SOS Katherine/fWhip have perfect t4t charm? You have a ship that's so dear to your heart and no event to fill up your cold winter months (or warm summer months, for my southern hemisphere peeps)?

Well, welcome to MCYT M/F & Other Exchange! Anything you'd file under M/F or as Other over on ao3, you can nominate! You love cletho? Orionsound and Soupforeloise? Philza and Lady Death? Come on in!

Event Timeline:

Interest Check: December 18 - December 25

Tag nominations open: December 25

Tag nominations close: January 8

Sign Ups Open: January 1st

Sign ups close: January 15

Assignments out: January 20th

First Check-In: February 14th-17th

Second Check-In: February 28th-March 3rd

Posting week: March 6th - March 13th

Final pinch hit deadline: March 20th

Gift Requirement Minimums:

Art (1 drawing, finished to the artist's completion standards) 

Writing (1k words, must standalone as a work) 

Playlist (1.5 hrs, accessible without an account) 

Moodboard (2 boards with 18 elements total, credited)

Web Weaving (1 board with 10 elements, credited)

Podfic (1 podfic of 1k word length, edited to the podficcer´s completion standards)

You can create more if you wish, these are only the minimums. You must reach the minimum for your assigned gift.

Rules:

You must be 15 or over to participate.

You must join the Discord server for communication purposes.

You must provide your Tumblr username, at least three different ships (same or different fandoms), a list of likes and a reasonable Do Not Want list (DNW) in order to participate.

If you do not have a DNW, you must write DNW: No Restrictions in the sign up box for every fandom you participate in.

You must offer at least three different ships to create for in order to participate.

Your gift must center at least one of your recipient's requested relationships. 

Your gift must respect your recipient’s use of / or & in their requested relationship. Ship work must be delivered for a / relationship, and platonic work must be delivered for a & relationship. 

Your gift must respect your recipient's DNW.

Your gift must meet the gift requirement minimum for its respective medium detailed above.

Your gift must be posted to Tumblr, and you must tag your recipient's blog and the event blog when posting.

Your gift must not feature AI-created content.

FAQ:

Which ships are eligible?

Any ship that would fall under the M/F category, such as Life Series Joel/Lizzie, are eligible for nominations. Any ship that would fall under the Other category, such as Dream SMP's Foolish/Eret or Life Series Lizzie/Cleo are also eligible.

Polyamory ships are allowed. Platonic ships are allowed. QPRs are allowed. Crossover ships and genderbends are allowed.

F/F ships such as Life series Lizzie/Pearl or M/M ships such as Empires SMP Scott/fWhip are not eligible for this exchange unless in genderbend form.

How many ships can I sign up for?

The minimum request is three relationships in any given fandom. You may request up to 10 different fandoms with 20 relationships each (so, 200 requests). Likewise, the maximum offers you can make are 10 fandoms with 20 relationships each (so, 200 offers).

How do I sign up or nominate a tag?

Tag nominations and sign ups will happen on Ao3. Guides for both tag nominations and sign ups are incoming!

How do I nominate a genderbend?

To nominate a genderbend of a ship you want, you must specify the iteration of the ship you want with a marker. For example, if I wanted to nominate genderbend Scott/Jimmy from Empires Season 1, I'd use:

f!Smajor1995/Solidarity (Empires S1)

Smajor1995/nb!Solidarity (Empires S1)

And other such variations.

Do I need an Ao3 account to participate?

Matching will be done through Ao3, so you must have an account to sign up! Posting will be done on Tumblr.

Do I need to create for every ship/fandom in my recipient's list?

No, you only need to create for one relationship of one fandom from your recipient's list.

Do I need to include every one of my recipient's likes?

No. Your recipient is likely to offer a list of possibilities varying from the simple to the specific (for example: "Fluff" and "Regency aus" and "Themes of alienation and the forbidden and characters navigating that"). Think of likes lists as an array of coloring pencils, and pick out what would best suit your piece!

Is platonic content allowed?

Yes, platonic content is allowed. Relationships must follow the same eligibility guidelines listed above, but marked with & instead of /.

Is RPF allowed?

Yes, RPF is allowed, and will be requested/offered for under the "Video Blogging RPF" tag. The MCYT creators must be over 18 and famous in their own right. Mods reserve the right to reject tags they feel to be in bad taste.

Is NSFW allowed?

NSFW is allowed. NSFW must be opted into. If your recipient does not opt into E-rated works, you cannot deliever an E-rated fic. If you are a minor, you cannot write nor receive an E-rated fic.

Delivering unrequested NSFW or requesting NSFW as a minor will result in a ban from future iterations of this event.

Is dark content allowed?

Yes. Dark content is allowed as long as it does not violate your recipient's DNW.

Are major archive warnings allowed?

Yes. Every major archive warning except Underage Sex is allowed. However, major archive warnings must be opted into by your recipient, and must be tagged appropriately at the moment of posting.

Delivering unrequested major archive warnings will result in a ban from future iterations of this event.

Are adult/minor relationships allowed?

For ease of moderation, adult/minor ships will not be allowed. A list of characters considered to be minors (under 18, these characters can only be shipped romantically with other minors) and extremely underage (15 and under, these characters can only be part of & ships) will be provided on Discord.

Ageing up underage characters to turn an adult/minor ship into adult/adult will not be allowed.

What is a DNW?

A Do Not Want list (DNW) is a list of items provided by a user of the things they do not want to see in their gifts. This list must be followed by their gifter, and failure to follow it may result in a ban from the event.

DNWs can be as specific as you want. However, DNWs must be phrased politely (YES: "No alcohol". NO: "No alcohol of any kind ugh that's disgusting"), must be precise (NO: "No dark content", YES: "No onscreen graphic violence") and must be practical/feasible (do not box in your gifter to a specific idea, so YES: "No space aus or aus that require characters to be aged down, such as Hunger Games", NO: "No au that doesn't feature the characters as harried holiday workers in a bakery on the year 2017").

DNW Exceptions (Ex: "No royalty aus (unless for Empires characters)") are allowed, and your DNW does not need to be the same across all fandom requests (for example: under Empires SMP you can list "DNW: Onscreen torture" but leave it out of your Lifesteal SMP requests).

Your DNW must be written in full in the Ao3 sign up box. Any elements of a DNW added to a separate source (Dear Gifter letters, personal websites) will not be enforced.

Can I write/draw/create more than the minimum?

Yes, you can create as much as you want for your recipient, provided it is all finished and posted in full by March 13th.

I have someone I do not want to match with. What do I do?

If you, for any reason, do not want to match with a specific user(s), you may send a Do Not Match request to the mods. The mods will then, on our end, make sure you are not match either to make or receive a gift from said user.

Do Not Match requests can be made for any reason, and you don't need to tell us what it is!

[XYZ] happened and I need more time. What do I do?

If you need more time to finish your gift, you may contact a mod, and we can work out an extension of up to four days. Extensions will go no longer than March 17th, in case a pinch hitter needs to step in.

[XYZ] happened and I need to drop out. What do I do?

If you need to drop out, you must contact a mod as soon as possible, and your gift will go to pinch hits. Failure to communicate with a mod about an undelivered gift will result in a ban from future iterations of this event.

Dear mod, why does your url ONLY say M/F and not Other?

Well, mcytwinterofmfandotherexchange was a Bit too clunky for tumblr :pensive: Believe me. I tried.

I have more questions?

Please send an ask in!

[nights-at-crystarium]

As a twitter/tumblr user since 2010-2011, I believe I have sufficient grounds to say that currently we as a community are living through the scariest, shittiest time yet. This post isn’t trying to fearmonger, no I’m not leaving tumblr until it literally keels over, but I suggest that we don’t put all our eggs in one basket.

If twitter/tumblr stay usable, great! In the worse scenario, you’d have kept posting on a new platform and stayed ahead of the curve.

This post shares my personal experience with three potential “new”* fandom places, and is aimed to help fellow content creators. I’m an artist fully depending on internet to survive, my reasoning may not apply to you if you’re a hobbyist. Do your own research, it’s always healthy. * Pillowfort and mastodon have been around for 5+ years, bluesky is ~2 years old.

Discovering new people to follow kinda sucks on all three platforms, twitter and tumblr are eons ahead, but, given the recent chaos and uncertainty, I’m willing to be patient, keep posting on those, and feel safer than I would’ve otherwise been. More baskets good, one basket bad.

All three have poor visual customization, don’t expect custom tumblr themes.

This list starts with the least popular, but most human and easy to join, and what I personally trust the most. All three allow nsfw if labeled properly.

✦ Pillowfort is a barebones tumblr. Intuitive, cozy, but currently very, very small. Be patient with its clunkiness or lack of some features, it’s made by an AO3-like team. I’d personally love if the fandom crowd managed to redirect its attention to it instead of the sus bluesky.

Joining: is free, invite-only, but the waitlist is nearly instant.

Lurk around on their official tumblr: @/pillowfort-social

✦ Mastodon, for me personally, is impossible to explain directly. I’ll use several comparisons.

- Discord but all servers can interact. You’re still on a server curated by some human(s) that might tell you what you can and can’t post, BUT, if you don’t like that server’s policy, you can move to a new one while keeping your followers. - Email, users A and B may be registered on different domains, still they can talk. It’s a weird comparison, but fediverse (please I’m not explaining THAT but it’s a good thing) in general looks like another email story: unlike big sites that come and go, it might stand the test of time. - Someone compared mastodon’s structure to xiv’s dc and servers, if you look at its domain names that way, it might be easier to understand.

Depending on user, mastodon may feel gatekeepy/snowflakey. I haven’t spent enough time on there to form a proper opinion yet, but a warning’s due.

An actually good and hopeful thing about mastodon AND tumblr: the two might start interacting in future. Ever lamented that your fav asian artists don’t use tumblr? If they use misskey, or any other place on the fediverse, it might be possible to follow them directly from tumblr in future, and vice versa.

Joining: is free, however some servers close for new members sometimes, and have human moderators reviewing your request.

✦ Bluesky is a twitter without Musk: today’s average internet user reads this, drops everything and already looks to register there. It’s still sus, but people flock to it like crazy. Most likely to become the next big fandom place in my eyes, even if I’m not happy about that.

I personally have no good feelings about bluesky. Same as twitter, which I hated even before the 2018 tumblr exodus, yet the crowd decided to make it The New Fandom Place, and, grudgingly, I had to give up and also join them in 2022. During the year I haven’t stopped despising twitter, yet, I can’t deny that it helped me survive. I estimate half of my patrons, and, hell, even tumblr audience, comes from twitter. So, if bluesky ends up being the next hot shit, I’ll have to keep up because internet pays for my living.

Joining: is free but hell, invite-only, the waitlist is a lie, your best chance to join is a direct invite.

This’s all I’ve got to say for now. If you have a correction or an addition, replies/reblogs are welcome!

Screenshots of the current interfaces under the cut, you may spy on my profiles o/

Pillowfort

Mastodon.art

Bluesky

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

This is a fandom thing

AITA for accusing that publicly someone of intentionally posting their fics whenever I posted?

For context, I am autistic and write some fics that I post on AO3. But I ended up deleting my account there because some people started leaving me pornographic comments on the fics. All those comments were deleted along with the stories.

I will get to the main story now. I posted fics for a ship that I liked, but I also noticed that the fics barely got any views. So I decided to check the tags and see that someone else had also posted something which pushed my fics down from being the top post. I thought it was no big deal at first.

The second time I posted a fic for the ship, the same person also posts something around the same time. Once again, their fic pushed mine down from being on the top. And from what I saw, they got twice as many viewer interactions as I did. I thought that maybe it was just a coincidence that they posted when I did.

But then it happened a third time, then a fourth time, then a fifth time. Every time I posted for that ship, they posted something for that ship. I spoke to some friends about it and they said that they did not think it was just a coincidence. They were sure that this person was doing it with malicious intent.

Why would they think that you may ask? Because before I started posting my fics, I had said that I did not think it was fair that the ship had more fics for the male version of the mc than for the female version of the mc and that we could band together and post more fics for her. And then that person had made a since deleted post about how "female [character name] stans are the most annoying and obnoxious people in existence. All they do is boo hoo and whine when they don't get their content. If they are so upset, then those dumbasses should make the content themselves."

I decided to message this person because I saw that they had a tumblr account, and they just ignored all my messages. I ended up joining a discord servers they were in and I messaged them about how they kept posting fics when I did. They ignored my dms but were active in the servers. Since they kept ignoring me, I called them out in the server. Only then did they respond to me. They told me that it was just a coincidence and that I was just being overly sensitive. The other members in the server got on their side and called me rude and unprofessional for not keeping it in dms. I told them that I tried to but I kept getting ignored. The other members told me not to take the fic posting thing seriously and that it was no big deal and that I should just drop it instead of being upset.

I kept quiet after that and went back to posting fics for the ship, but the same person continued to post whenever I did. I pointed it out to the rest of the server and they called me an asshole for bringing it up again. So I just deleted everything on ao3 and left all the servers. I feel like giving up on writing now. It sucks because that was something I loved doing, but this experience has soured it for me.

So AITA for accusing that publicly someone of intentionally posting their fics whenever I posted?

What are these acronyms?

[dark-bakura1]

Okay lovelies, now that the year is almost over and there are only a few hours left, I have to use this time to get something off my chest. It's just been on my mind for a while and I want to end the year with a few nice words.

When I found my way into the DCA fandom by coincidence last year, I never expected to find a digital place where I feel so comfortable - besides various communities in the horse art role play game, in which I have been more or less active for years. I never expected to start REALLY enjoying drawing again, but these two characters just made that happen. For years I've been drawing just thinking about how many points I can get out of leveling my horses, how much effort I have to put into an event picture to have a chance at one of the top three places and somewhere along the way I totally forgot to have fun with this hobby. Fun has turned into a compulsion to always aim for the best possible result. I started to overthink pictures for so long and wanted to create something so complex that I ended up not starting at all: Because I could never have realized it the way it looked in my head.

But since I stumbled into the DCA fandom myself - by pure coincidence, I'd like to say again - and started being active on Tumbr, I've found my way back to the 'origin' for myself: Having fun with what you do. This fandom has captivated me so much that I started reading English fanfiction about our two beloved robots - something I NEVER thought would happen. Simply because my concentration is totally limited and it's hard enough for me to read and understand texts in German. For me, it was never even conceivable that I would read something in a language that is not my mother tongue: And now here I am, doing it more often than I thought. Not only that, I've even started writing again myself, have an account on ao3 and upload stories there myself. I take the trouble to write, translate, proofread and upload things… and some people even think it's really great :3

And do you know why? Because behind the DCA fandom there is an incredibly large group of people like me: Who carry around a lot of problems themselves and seek refuge with two fictional characters in a fandom that is incredibly cozy, understanding, lovable and friendly. Of course, I could also create things in a fandom that isn't that… but for me it makes an incredible difference. I have an anxiety disorder around people. Even the monthly supermarket shop is a huge challenge for me. Every trip out the door is exhausting and I don't really have contact with anyone in RL. I have my mother and grandma. I go to the doctors, to Ergo therapy and I have BEWO people on hand to support and help me… but I don't have any friends. Not because I don't want to, but because friendships are incredibly stressful for me. I can't maintain them. I haven't said a word to the person I would most likely call a 'friend' in a year - because I simply don't have the strength. Talking, listening, reacting… it's all incredibly exhausting for me. But as soon as I open Tumblr and especially Discord, I see a bunch of great people. I can join in if I can and want to, but I don't have to. And to top it all off, I see so much self-insert stuff that makes me think, 'Man, you're not so alone after all' - and on top of that, even more people who also think it's good and can relate. I know that not everyone in the DCA fandom is so nice either, but the ones I've had the privilege of getting to know are just balm for my soul.

If someone had told me at the beginning of 2023 that I would find my way into a great fandom with even better people at the end of the same year, I would have declared them crazy. I don't have it in for people and since I've almost exclusively had really shitty experiences so far, they're welcome to stay far away from me. Most of them have expectations: Expectations that I can hardly, if at all, fulfill. But there are so many great people behind Sun and Moon who are simply supportive. Not toxic, not mean, not patronizing. No. They are people who are super wholesome. I don't need someone who pushes me, teaches me, corrects me or otherwise wants to educate me with phrases that they themselves don't live by. I don't want someone who puts even more pressure on me. I want people with whom I feel safe and comfortable. people with whom I can get what other people don't want to give me. When I think that I didn't like Sun or Moon in the game, I find it amazing that they are now my refuge and straighten me out mentally so many times a day. And thanks to them, I found you. Yep - YOU. Anyone who wants to may now feel addressed. Even if we've certainly never had any contact with each other: You are part of the community that I have come to love and that I am addressing here. There is so much hate, I love a Safespace that simply has love for everything and everyone. I've been here for a year now… and I hope for MANY more years with one of the greatest communities I've ever been a part of.

Hugs to ALL of you, lots of love goes out to everyone. Happy New Year, stay healthy and I wish you and your loved ones all the happiness in the world. Thank you for existing and just being amazing people. please keep that forever <3

[marq-lynch]

#Strickpage Strikeout is Here!

It's a Connect 4 Bingo Challenge!

Pick one or more of the four themed StrickPage Bingo cards, and try to create four pieces that connect in any direction. Each card has sixteen spaces, with fifteen prompts and one free space for a wild card.

The WrestleDream card offers softer, more tentative new relationship prompts for a fluffier side or AUs.

The Full Gear card is your classic StrickPage horny violence with lots of vampire undertones.

The Revolution card pulls a lot of weight and no punches, shouldering the angst burden through the All In era.

The All Out card brings us full circle to our modern standing, with a complicated combo of fiery passion and threads ended but untied.

Of course if you get that competitive itch you can always try your hand at a second card. Or even combine prompts from multiple. The truly wild might try for a full card strikeout...

This is not just a fic challenge, and this is a great reminder that AO3 does work as repository both to embed media AND to link out to other sites on third parties.

Mix it and match it up if you want: do a fic drabble one day, a sketch the next, a video edit the third, and round out the last day with a lovely set of memes.

Expanded Cards with Posting Information & Links to TV Tropes Pages Below Read More.

You can add your works, anonymously or not, to the StrickPage StrikeOut AO3 collection beginning Midnight on March 3rd, Pacific Time, remaining open through the end of the month for inevitable 'life happens' straggling.

Please tag your works #StrickPage StrikeOut on social media with a space, and avoid tagging alternative ship name spellings.

We recommend imgbox.com for third party image hosting with ease of embedding and galleries and no sign up required, and Vimeo for the same with videos edits.

There are no real rules to this challenge other than to create StrickPage or Hangman & Swerve relationship fanworks in the spirit of the challenge. Take the cards and make your own challenges.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me by DM on Tumblr, Discord, or Bsky if you have questions, but really the point of this is just to have fun and create as a fandom! Don't put too much pressure on it.

Card #1 - Wrestledream - (Softer/New Relationship)

Love is a Weakness - Love is regarded as a negative influence.

Cupid's Arrow - Falling in love personified by the love god, Cupid.

Rivalry as Courtship - A romance that stems from two characters' rivalry.

I Didn't Mean to Turn You On - Unintentionally making someone fall in love with you.

Laugh of Love - The tendency to laugh when in the presence of your love interest.

Unresolved Sexual Tension - Two characters are obviously attracted to each other, but they never act on their feelings.

Inconvenient Attraction - A character falls in love when they'd rather not.

No Challenge = No Satisfaction - I'm only happy when there's a challenge!

How Dad Met Mom - Come around, kids, this is the story of how your father and I fell in love.

Puppy Love - Romance between pre-pubescent children. [Note: This is on the list because of Swerve's famous playlist choice to include 'Awaken, My Love' for the Deathmatch, which includes the line 'So This isn't just Puppy Love'. Like all prompts on these cards, interpret as you see fit.]

Love at First Punch - Falling in love with somebody who beat you up.

Forgotten First Meeting - Forgetting that you first met your love interest long ago.

Best Her to Bed Her - A man must defeat a strong woman in combat if he wishes to romance her.

Crazy in the Head, Crazy in the Bed - A character is eccentric or outright insane, which makes them more appealing in the romantic and sexual sense.

Card #2 - Full Gear - (Violently Horny Vampire Vibes)

Stalker with a Crush - A character who follows the person they're in love with everywhere.

Stalker without a Crush - Whose obsession is unrelated to romantic or sexual feelings.

Too Much Alike - When applied to romantic relationships (or, less commonly, friendships). Two people break apart because they're too similar to each other; their shared traits clash and/or they have the same traits they don't like in themselves.

It's Personal - It sure is. You hurt someone dear to me. Now I'm gonna fucking kill you!

In Love with Your Carnage - A villainous or morally ambiguous character falls for someone because of their violent tendencies.

Breaking and Bloodsucking - Vampires break into bedrooms to attack women.

Hemo Erotic - A fetish for biting and drinking blood.

Must Be Invited - A supernatural creature cannot enter a dwelling without permission from the homeowners.

Yandere - They're so in love with somebody that they'll murder anybody who stands in their way.

Yandere Couple - Two people driven murderous with love end up together.

Combat Sadomasochist - Someone who enjoys both inflicting harm on (and also receiving harm from) other people.

I Hate You, Vampire Dad - Hating someone who turned you into a monster.

It's Not You, It's My Enemies - Being with your lover puts them in harm's way.

Consuming Passion - Cannibalism with sexy undertones.

Red String of Fate - Two characters are bound by fate to be together.

Arch-Enemy - The main villain of the story is usually (though not necessarily always) the primary nemesis of the main hero.

Interplay of Sex and Violence - Violence and sex happening around the same time as each other, or even using violence as foreplay.

Card #3 - Revolution Through All In - (Angst Vibes)

Came Back with a Vengeance - You ruined my life and sent me away to rot in exile, but I'm back with new skills, a new identity, and a meticulous plan to destroy everything you love.

The Mistress - A woman whom a married man cheats on his wife with.

I Gave My Word - May indicate Honor Before Reason.

Wanting Is Better Than Having - Once you've gotten all that you've wanted, life becomes boring and unrewarding.

Career Versus Man - A woman must give up her career if she gets married.

Awful Wedded Life - An unhappy and dreary marriage.

Reformed, but Rejected - A villain seeking redemption finds that no one trusts them.

Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You - A parent gives an excuse for why they left their child.

Descent into Addiction - A character's story arc involves them becoming dependent on a substance.

Am I Just a Toy to You? - A character confronts the other about how serious they think their relationship is.

Motive Decay - A villain gradually discards the reasons why they became evil in the first place, either losing their sympathy if they keep at it or give up their villainy after no longer caring about their Freudian Excuse

The Perils of Being the Best - Being The Ace has many prices to pay.

Success As Revenge - The best way to repay you for what you've done to me is by living a good life while you end up being miserable.

Accomplice by Inaction - You did nothing to save me from injustice even though you could. Therefore, I'm gonna end you!

Off the Wagon - A recovering alcoholic starts drinking again.

Card #4 - All Out - (Burning Romance)

Rationalizing the Overkill - My revenge ended up going too far/causing collateral damage, but it was well worth it!

Devoted to You - A character who inspires obsessive devotion in those around them.

Victory Is Boring - A character succeeds, but doesn't know what to do afterwards.

Destructive Romance - A deeply unhappy and dysfunctional romantic relationship (sometimes to the point of being abusive).

Fate Drives Us Together - If two people keep encountering each other, it means they're meant to be together.

Ignored Epiphany - A villain considers redeeming themselves, then decides not to.

Loving a Shadow - Falling in love with the ideal of someone rather than the actual person.

Vengeance Feels Empty - I've successfully gotten my revenge... now I have no idea what to do.

Fully-Embraced Fiend - Someone turned into a vampire decides to embrace their transformation rather than fight it.

Grand Romantic Gesture - A big, elaborate event done for someone to show your love for them.

Conducting the Carnage - So what if the world is ending? I'm just going to stand here and move my hands like a conductor. Whatever.

He Who Fights Monsters - Because of my goal for revenge, I've become just like the bastard who harassed me. Good.

Fanatical Fire - YOU SHALL BURN!!!!

Flames of Love - Fire represents the passion in a relationship.

Burn Baby Burn - Destroying something with fire for a dramatic disposal.

[chloeangelic]

addressing the drama (with receipts)

I wanted to have my ducks in a row before speaking out instead of just responding; I’m not doing this to change anyone’s opinions - it’s really not possible change someone’s perception of me even if it’s based on falsehoods - but I need to do this so I know I’ve said and shown what needs to be shown, and people can do with it what they please. 

To the readers and writers who have blocked me, unfollowed me, and mutuals who have stopped talking to me over this - I’m really, really sad you didn’t come to me first and give me the opportunity to explain what was going on. I understand if you wanted to distance yourself from drama but I also need you to understand that this was not discourse-drama I willingly got myself into. This was a month of frequent harassment and slander that eventually turned into bullying by a group of people using false info, hiding behind side blogs and anons, and I hoped it would blow over but it never seemed to stop. With anons turned off for most of the last two months, people have gone to my friends’ inboxes instead to harass them about me (and insult them in the process), and I can’t do this anymore.

I feel so alienated and disliked in this community that I can’t go on the dash without feeling like I shouldn’t interact with anyone out of fear that they’ll get uncomfortable seeing me in their notifs. People keep saying they want the community to get better and then they jump on the bandwagon of vague posting and RBing without taking a second to verify the claims, clearly not realizing how much hurt it causes to perpetuate it. If you’re reading this, I  hope your name isn't the next one they pull out of the hat when they want someone new to push off the platform. 

Explanations, timelines and receipts below. 

-

For anyone waiting for an explanation regarding the posts and anons about me that have circulated for weeks, or waiting for receipts proving or disproving that I’m a mean girl who spends my time talking shit, here you go. I am so beyond hurt, I don’t even know what to say. I’m floored, I’m so disappointed in this community and I’m so sad. In the last two weeks, I stayed up until 4am one night receiving screenshots of posts and anons about me, I cried, I tried to understand why this has happened to me, and I have sat here day after day with no answers. 

If you think I’m being melodramatic, try losing a quarter of your mutuals and having a bunch of people block you when you’ve had either no interaction with them or they’ve all been positive, and see how that feels, on top of constant rumors about you being a terrible person when you know you’ve barely had any negative interactions with anyone on the platform. I can’t be on tumblr any longer without exonerating myself and putting it out there that all of this has been one gigantic mess based on lies about me, seemingly compounded by grievances people have against Gracie (some one whose personal conversations have nothing to do with me). Either I do this, or I log out forever and only post on ao3, cause I feel like the fucking grim reaper here. Posts about me being an awful person are still circulating, despite the original post being deleted and the follow up stating that the OP has talked to me and they have apologized.

I’m not naming names in this. I will be using person A/B/C/D to make it less confusing. I’ve removed identifying information from the screenshots because even though I’m hurt by these people, I know that they will get dogpiled and harassed if I identify them, and I want it all to stop. Several have apologized to me and I have accepted. 

Sometime in December, rumors started circulating that there was a “big/elite writers discord” where they talked shit about small writers (I’m not in any discords specifically for writers and I have never heard of such a server). At about the same time, person A - someone who was very active in my own, now-deleted discord server, started frequently vagueposting about me, calling me a mean girl and, intentionally or not, made it seem like I was part of this “elite group of writers”. This is someone who I have never had a negative interaction with and who seemingly out of nowhere decided that I call myself elite and I’m a terrible person. 

Person B had some grievances with myself, Iris, and Gracie it seemed, so they went to person C and accused us of talking shit in our voice chats. I assume person A and B have talked about me at some point and validated each other’s claims, but I can't know that for sure. Person B messaged me from a burner account and apologized, then seemingly deleted the account after I responded.

Gracie frequently posted about us three chatting, and although I understand this might have felt alienating to some, many writers are open about having group chats with each other. All we did was write, edit, and Gracie sometimes made memes. We talked about non-fic stuff often, and when Gracie had an issue with other writers and she was upset, we talked about it. That’s what friends do. She knows that I believe those situations were handled poorly. One of those situations came to light recently - I had a very pleasant conversation with the writer involved, and we are still in touch.

I have spoken to person C, who posted the most “popular” smear post about me and some of my friends. They retracted their statements and profusely apologized to us, admitting it was based on stuff they heard from person B, showing me screenshots of the conversation. However, their original posts are still circulating through reblogs despite being deleted from their account. 

Person D also posted about me and my friends, however their post was sort of ridiculous, accusing me of spending more time replying to anons than writing. I found this funny, but the way they slut shamed my friend was absolutely not humorous, and dragging a random writer in to criticize them was a strange attempt at adding fuel to the fire. 

-

And for the receipts, 

I blocked person A after seeing a handful of vague posts clearly about me, and after they interacted with every single rude anon posted about me that I saw. I think that’s reasonable, no? I’m not gonna post screenshots of their posts cause I honestly just don’t want to look at them again, they make me feel kind of sick if I'm honest, but if anyone doesn’t believe me, they are welcome to DM me and I will send. 

Person B messaged me, admitted to partaking in this mess, and apologized. This is part of a LONG message:

Person C apologized over message and called me on discord. We had a conversation clearing things up, they deleted their posts and wrote a public apology. 

If you need any proof that person B’s claims were, in fact, baseless, look at this exchange between person B and person C after person C had cleared things up with me.

Person D honestly just creeps me out, cause what the fuck is this? Fine if you don’t like me based on my writing or my persona on here but… Why the witch hunt? 

ETA: Person C asked person D to take down their post and they never responded. This was sent prior to that, I know the full context, I just thought this specific part was worth sharing to show how vile some people allow themselves to be behind burner accounts.

What kind of behavior is this? This was from a sideblog, and I don't know what their main account is. It creeps me the fuck out knowing this person is lurking somewhere in the community.

I have hated every moment of this. None of this has been fun for me. This has completely fucked up my motivation to write and my enjoyment of it, it has made me anxious, it has messed with my self esteem, and it has made me want to log out of Tumblr and not come back. 

Please, I beg, if you have an issue with me, just come to me and I promise I will have a conversation with you. You can’t tell people’s tone over anon and I don’t think that’s a good way to have a conversation, especially one about something that should be solved in private, so they remain off, but my DM’s are open. 

I'm so sick of seeing vagueposts and trying to decipher if they're about me. Having to do that a bunch of times messes with your head.

I'm not sure what to do moving forward, but I needed to say my piece. I don't want to talk about this again, I want to put this behind me. I seriously hope this doesn't wreck my last remaining want to share my writing on here.

Thanks again to everywhere who has supported me in my DMs and comments, you mean the world to me 🤍🤍🤍 And if you found yourself duped by all this but change your opinion on me now or eventually, I won't hold a grudge, and I'm happy to speak again and pick up where we left off.

[irregularcollapse]

Hey, I'm so sorry to hear about how you feel about the mota fandom and what happened to you :/ I meant to send a message earlier but life got in the way. I hope you're feeling better now, and I can only tell you that your fics and writing are some of my favorite in the fandom. Just by reading your stories, I can tell the care that was put into choosing each word to best convey the story and the characters' feelings, and it is really somethinf I admire :) I hope I can be as good a writer as you someday ❤️ And for the mota fandom, I totally get what you and that anon said! If you'll allow me a bit of a rant, to me, the mota fandom is full of well-intentioned people but I found that one of its problems is that, as much as there is enthusiasm, it is going in circles. Many have said it and I've noticed it too, but some have a tendency to jump on other people's ideas without giving credit or even asking if it's okay to expand, and on more than one occasion I found one of my ideas in someone else's inbox just a week after I'd posted it which threw me off posting any kinds of hc or random ideas, I only post full fics now because I'm scared that people will see an idea/au that they like on my blog and decide to expand on it without my consent or even crediting me for the original idea :/ To me that sucks because what I love about creating is the interactions with people, but because of the seldom posting except for full fics I don't get much 😂 And I know I could post snippet or hc, but the overenthusiasm bordering on no fandom manners that I've noticed stops me from doing that. Also, as a writer, it is quite discouraging to see people constantly reccing the same 5/6 fics/authors. Don't get me wrong, those are GREAT fics and authors, but babes, there are over 1,000 works in the clegan tag on ao3, why are we constantly reccing the same fics as in summer 2024. It feels like people only read the fics with the highest hits count, and from an outsider's pov, you'd think there are only 10 writers in the mota fandom 😭 I don't if it's bc the mota fandom is new so there are a lots of people from tiktok/that weren't on tumblr/in fandom before but it truly feels like fandom manners are getting lost, despite the plethora of incredible creators in the mota fandom. So there's this opposition between the enthusiasm over new ideas that seems to die down as soon as a story is posted, except if if it's one of the big fics from the summer. Imo the actual recognition of fics doesn't follow the enthusiasm of ideas and hcs, which is a bit of a shame I think, and to be quite honest, it made me lose my motivation to write for mota bc it just feels like I'll post a fic, it'll get traction for maybe a day or two, and then it'll be forgotten somewhere when people sort ao3 by number of hits or kudos

Anyway that was quite long I'm sorry, you don't have to answer this at all, I just needed to get this off my chest, but I really hope you know that even if it may not feel that way, you are an amazing writer, who clearly loves your stories, the characters and the words you use, and that is translated to the ao3 page <3 You truly are one of the most talented fic writers this fandom has, and I'd support you and your stories in whatever fandom you may be in ❤️

I assure you, anon, that you're not the only person to feel this way! I've had quite a few private conversations with friends and mutuals about really similar experiences and observations, and how disheartened and uncomfortable it's making us feel.

I guess people don't say anything because they don't want to be seen as sowing discord or being mean. I know that there are going to be people who might see this and interpret it as me "fuelling fandom discourse" or "fandom wanking" or "being a cunt" but actually I'm just talking about how we treat creators in online spaces, and the way that people en masse have apparently forgotten that creators in fandoms are people.

I had another anon tell me that someone laid claim to one of their ideas in the tags of their headcanon post, and I don't think you're the only person whose idea has been stolen and passed to another writer. I'm really sorry that's happened to you, and you're so right to not feel like posting anything because of it! This is truly the kind of stuff that makes people not want to participate or put themselves out there. Sometimes it's even writers doing the stealing, blatantly and without credit. It makes me think that a lot of people haven't shared creative spaces before and don't know how to be polite.

I also 100% agree about the fic rec thing. It's really disheartening to see the same fics passed around over and over again, not only from a writer perspective but a reader perspective. Something that seems to have emerged in fandom spaces over the years is deifying certain authors of popular fics - fic authors being treated like celebrities, the concept of a "must-read fic", even people only reading fics and authors that are already seen as popular/successful. I get that some people don't want to spend time scraping ao3 for niche fics, that's super understandable, but that's also why it would be nice to see a bit more adventure and variety in fic rec lists!

There is a low-key competitive feeling which a few people have mentioned to me - the feeling that there are people who want to "win" fandom or be the most popular/most reccd/most recognised writer, or whatever it may be. I just feel like anything that makes people feel like they're better than others is... come si dice... not good. I think it's a shitty way to treat people you're sharing a creative space with, to view them as competition and commodity.

Writing for consumption or writing for audience approval isn't something I've ever done, but I feel like it's cropping up more and more in fandom spaces too - not just MOTA, either. That's sort of a different discussion, but I do feel it's related to the copying/stealing in a way as well.

Now I also have to apologise for this getting too long! I'm glad you got it off your chest, and please feel free to come off anon at any time, because you've got an ally in me (and others too, I assure you). I think that everything you've said here merits consideration from everyone, at the very very least! It's in the interest of pursuing a more inclusive, supportive fandom space.

Thanks heaps as well for saying nice stuff about my writing! I only ever want to tell stories, and to give people something to enjoy that has clearly been created with care and consideration. I write to express things I want to express, and so it means a lot to me when other people see what I'm trying to say and pick up what I'm putting down. Truly madly deeply, my most boundless thanks!!! ♥️♥️♥️

[us3rnam3-r3dact3d]

The State of the Fandom

This is a long, vent post about interaction and culture in the Redacted fandom. If you’re not into reading my rambly stuff, skip.

Folks. What has happened to fandom culture?? I just rebloged a long post that observes a particular problem in fandom culture at large, but I think the problem is very present in Redacted fan spaces and I want to talk about it.

Redacted is a small fandom. We have this wonderful, unique opportunity to interact with each other that often isn’t present in bigger fandoms. There are weeks where there are only one or two fics posted to Redacted’s Ao3 tag. But I’ve found that, excluding a few pieces, they don’t tend to get the interaction I experienced in the early days of posting Redacted fic.

I want to state first and foremost that I am so lucky and grateful for the attention my firefighter au in particular has garnered. It’s blown my mind how much support and love I’ve received on it.

But whenever I post something besides the FFAU, even one shots from within that universe, I receive perhaps a tenth of the interaction that I do on the main story. It seems I struck gold in the main FFAU story and every other writer I know is experiencing the same issue I am with my other pieces. People just aren’t interacting anymore.

I posted a poll recently asking my tumblr followers what they wanted me to write next for the FFAU. Something like 30 of the 78 people who voted in the poll voted for a David/Angel piece. I posted that a few days ago, and I’ve received 2 comments. I’m overjoyed and thankful for those two comments, but that compared to the 30 people who presumably wanted to read that makes me sad.

Writing is a solitary act. By and large, you have to do it alone. It’s time consuming and difficult and often boring. It’s in the act of publishing that that art is shared and given a deeper value, at least for me. That’s doubly true for fanworks. Fandom is about interaction, and when I write, it’s to add to the culture. It’s supposed to be a conversation. I get a taste of that when it comes to my FFAU, but I feel the absence when it comes to everything else I write.

I’ve also noticed a theme of talking about stories in spaces the author can’t see or isn’t invited into. I’ve heard about private discord servers discussing popular stories without the author ever knowing about it. I’ve seen posts in tumblr about “the firefighter au” where people discuss it or praise it, all without tagging me. That’s particularly frustrating, given I have my blog name in the notes if all of my stories AND it and my username on Ao3 are almost identical. I don’t know. I’m not sure how to process that.

Anyway, I don’t know if I have a solution for any of this. What I will say is that I will be making a more concerted effort to read a lot more Redacted fic and commenting a whole lot more than I do. I’ll be going back to some of my old faves, so expect to see me around.

[azirafeast]

I am SO EXCITED for the 4th Annual #Azirafeast, The Feast Day of the Angel Aziraphale, an inclusive fandom event! It’s celebrated November 19th and is a made-up holiday that brings the community together, regardless of how a person participates in fandom.

On November 19th, everyone is welcome to celebrate the Feast Day of Aziraphale by drinking cocoa and wine, eating good food, reading, being stylish on their own terms, enjoying the company of friends and embracing the spirit of Aziraphale! Please share your pics on socials with #Azirafeast!

Creators are encouraged to show Aziraphale indulging in what makes him happy or why you love him (canon or fanon!) Create “Lore” for why Aziraphale has a feast day! What miracles throughout history has he performed? Creations can be dramatic, serious, sexy or silly!

All forms of creation are welcome: Draw, write, sing, act, sew, bake, cosplay or anything else! However YOU want to appreciate our favorite angel. All variations, versions and representations of Aziraphale are welcome on the feast of Aziraphale.

Anything tagged #Azirafeast or I will reblog, the same for Instagram and Twitter. I’ve had a permanent highlight on my Instagram for the last 3 years, and maintained this tumblr. Check out what others have made for previous years!

There is also an AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Azirafeast

Anything added to it I will promote on my socials for #azirafeast.

I know I don’t have the biggest following, but the idea is that on the feast of Aziraphale even fans who don’t have a large social media presence will still be seen, still have their experiences noticed, and will feel part of a community that cares.

Folk can get stressed about creating by a “due date.” I encourage folk to post early if they want, and to keep posting after Nov 19 if they miss the day or don’t finish in time. Aziraphale procrastinated on preventing the apocalypse, you’re just embracing that energy!

And remember, you don’t have to “make” anything to participate. Eating cake and lying to your boss is a great way to celebrate! Confuse some customers, watch a nature documentary, get drunk, be kind to someone (Muriel) who is new but trying their best!

Just make sure to tag your contributions with either #azirafeast so we can celebrate with you! Please feel welcome to take my words and reshare anyway that you like, and make your own posts to generate awareness! Please do share in any fandom communities you’re a part of, or feel free to try to convince people IRL this is totally a real holiday.

I do not run, own, control or anything of the sort in regards to #azirafeast. The idea came from Cliopadra and a private discord server, and the brilliant folk there picked the date and ran with it. I encourage folk to participate because I think it’s a lovely idea! It is NOT “mine.”