#my own little zine obsession

[lclrgsl]

maybe we created him. all of us.

for @kastleexchange, day 3, who we are

[duck-in-a-spaceship]

Been working on making a mixed-media, foldable, Disco Elysium inspired zine! Did a bunch of scans today for one of the pages, so I wanted to share my progress here and hopefully get some opinions.

For context, the lines for this page are:

"The world is ending

And it sings, radio waves plucked along the E-string"

On the left here we have Scan 9, and on the right is Scan 14. The biggest feature I like about Scan 9 is that those fine tuners are BRIGHT. This is a common feature on early scans that sort of got 'fixed' as I kept going. Scan 14 doesn't have this, but in exchange you can see way more of the strings. In fact, 14 shows off the violin as a whole pretty well, you can even see the f-holes if you squint! It also has better string placement for where words need to go, especially up top there.

Here we have Scan 15 (left) and Scan 16 (right). These were the last two scans I did, acting on an idea that had kind of been living in the back of my mind since I started doing these. Since the theme of the zine is 'Porch Collapse', I thought the idea of someone reaching out from the pale was really cool! It also shows off the scanner's capabilities a little better. My main concerns is that the addition makes things too busy, and since I didn't have this idea in mind as I wrote this zine, it isn't directly reflected in the lines for this page.

It does look cool though! I did 15 first and wasn't quite happy with the finger placement (this was a very awkward position to get right haha) but after doing 16 I think I might like the first one better? 16 has a kind of 'trapped' desperation to it, but 15 fades away so nicely. Idk! Again, I'd love to hear what folks think.

[sunderwight]

Shen Yuan with a Luo Binghe dakimakura is great but sometimes I stop and think about how a role reversal would have looked (i.e. Binghe as the reader who transmigrates in, Shen Yuan as the fictional character he was obsessing over) and oh my god. Fan Binghe who grew up with chronically online geek culture would have been next level in the absence of an actual, physical Shen Yuan/SQQ. Fan Binghe would have owned everything. He probably would have had to commission it all himself, either because the novel wasn't popular enough for the level of desired merch or because the mainstream commercially produced products were too cheap or flimsy or inaccurate for his specifications or probably both. Perfect hand fan recreations. Replica Xiu Ya (it's an actual sword) hanging on his wall. Fanart both done in a classical style (as in, 'what Shen Qingqiu might actually have hanging on his walls') as well as a variety of character portraits and erotic art zines. Printed and hand-bound copies of his favorite fanfics. Somewhere in China there's an amateur bookbinder who is making BANK off of this obsession, producing the most high level gorgeously bound copies of the filthiest smut and fluffiest hurt-comfort teacher/student fics.

Luo Binghe would be controversial in fandom because he is just as nitpicky and wank-y as Shen Yuan, with an extra dose of turning up in the comments sometimes to act like a jealous/possessive boyfriend accusing writers of being a little TOO lustful towards his unlikely waifu, but on the other hand he is rich and he will pay through goddamn nose for anything and everything that caters to his preferences. So a solid chunk of the fan creators just do things they think he'd like because they want in on the cash cow, while much of the rest of the fandom hates his guts because they feel like he hijacked everything with his own fanon and headcanons and obsessions. Shen Yuan isn't even that popular! Most of the rest of the fandom is kind of down on him as a cliche clueless danmei protagonist, they're all there for the score of blueballed love interests. Beautiful Liu Qingge and darkhorse Shang Qinghua and mysterious, tortured Yue Qingyuan and whatever the hell is going on with his evil doppelganger, Shen Jiu. Luo Binghe doesn't ever commission Shen Yuan with any of them, though! He's always solo, or maybe with a faceless tentacle monster or something!

It gets weird. There are probably Woman Buying Wonder Bread-esque memes about Binghe's highly specific kink commissions. On the other hand, Luo Binghe comes down harder than the actual artists on unsanctioned reposts because he commissioned Shen Yuan in that sexy lingerie fondling a really huge sword and it's not just for anyone to go around putting that up on whatever website they please!

He would own several dakimakura and they would arguably be more normal than a lot of the rest of his collection, is what I'm saying. He'd have them in different poses and seasonal outfits and versions that were acceptable for company and ones that had to get tucked into a drawer under the bed every morning because they were for Binghe's eyes only. And it wouldn't even just be the sexy ones, but also the ones where Shizun looks soft and fond and gentle and affectionate. The man was definitely working his way up to commissioning a lifelike Shen Yuan sex doll when the universe did absolutely everyone a favor and yeeted him into a transmigration scenario.

[bernardisgross]

Bim bam boum ! Here's the whole comic i drew for Crossroads @zine--garden , a zine focused one showing and sharing love for Hunter x Hunter ^^

I chose to focus on my two favorite teachers !!!

Bonus, making of & talk in the read more⬇

I was very happy to be able to participate and even more happy to finally share a headcanon i've had for years about Bisky and Wing's meeting.

I don't know how clear it is but basically, Wing is a young nen user who happens to have been taken in by a big criminal family. The boss is using his abilities to forge precious gems from cheap materials, passing them as precious gems he bought for his collection. As a renown collector, he also sells the gems and makes tons of money from it. As Wing's skills become sharper though, his forged gems become more and more precious, making it difficult to tell them apart from real ones.

Having sold a good gem in a batch of "bad" ones, the boss is trying to get it back, framing his client as a thief. He calls for Bisky (a "young" hunter with a good resume) planning to trick her into committing insurance fraud in his place. Unfortunately, she's got a better eye than he thought, and asks for the good gem as compensation.

Feeling antsy about his money, the boss accepts, already planning to get rid of her once the job is done.

Bisky can sense the residual nen from Wing the moment she meets him, that's why she demands he comes with her. She wants to make sure at first that this is a normal child in the wrong place rather than the boss's actual associate.

Making him her disciple just came along the way because she honestly didn't know what to do with that kid LOL but didn't want to return him to a bad place. Also, she saw his potential. Here's a rejected final page (rejected bc I couldn't tie the text properly and wasn't very happy with the visual) where it's a bit clearer that she's got back with the good gem and values it a lot BECAUSE it was made by Wing. (also metaphor, analogy blabla)

I love teachers/masters in stories, i love that trope so much!! It's always so interesting to me to have someone older and wiser share their knowledge with the young waiting for nothing in return. Nurturing and loving, becoming a support with the only satisfaction to witness the growth and blossoming of someone else. I think it's so beautiful to help others in this way, to give a little of yourself with kindness.

I think if touches on other tropes i'm sensitive to like found family etc... So of course, i've loved Bisky & Wings for a looong time, and i'm even more obsessed with the fact they're on the same line of teachers 🥺💕

I was always curious about how they could have met and what could have moved Bisky to take him under ... her ..................... wing.....🔥🔥🔥 lol... anyways !!! I went full indulgence and comics are not my thing at all so if you've enjoyed it, i'm very very, very blessed and happy ^^ !!!

I've also included a rejected sketch of the cover with big Bisky :3

and here's a look at all her outfits !! I love Lolita alt fashion soo much, i do tend to latch onto characters who dress like this... and love making my own outfits for them too !!!

I also made a sticker of Palm for the merch bundles !!

Thank you so much if you've picked up Crossroads, it was great from the start !! I'm so lucky and so grateful to @/gachahugs and all the contributors for having me ^^ !! thank you thank you !

[punkitt-is-here]

How can I cultivate the same, "just keeping making stuff all the time" kind of energy you have? It's very impressive and something I wish I could do!

well, theres a couple reasons i think! one is that i just found ways to be satisfied with small amounts of work. its in part because of my ADHD, but my parents were always trying new things (motorcycles, leatherwork, acrylic paint, collage art, photography, video editing) so that definitely rubbed off on me; i had a great example of people just wanting to try stuff. i keep making stuff all the time because i love trying out new things; you don't have to be an expert to try something new! you just have to have a desire for it! wanna make a zine? google it! wanna write a comic? give it a shot! wanna get into woodworking? buy a carving knife and find a stick or something! i think theres plenty of ways to find entry points into interesting stuff and you gotta let yourself be okay with making shit that sucks just because its fun. which leads me to my second point!!

im okay with being dogshit at stuff! i try new things, i kind of suck at them, and i think it's either 1. cool that i made it this far or 2. kinda funny that this is what its like at the moment. i know that sucking is never permanent, everything can be improved with time, and rarely does anyone ever magically get good at something first try. i think of myself as a talented artist, but its over the course of 2+ decades of drawing; im always improving, and no matter what im going to find things i want to get better at, so why fault myself now for not being perfect? a couple of months ago i really wanted to try woodcarving, so i made spoon with my dad. did it turn out great? not really! you cant even use it as a spoon! but im glad i tried it, it was fun, i had a great time with my dad, and now i know a little bit more going in next time. the idea that you have to be perfect or make tangible progress every single time you try something new is a recipe for burnout. i promise you, it doesnt matter if something doesn't come out like God's Gift to Humanity! Did you have fun? did you learn something? are you satisfied in some small part? good!

(pictured: tha spoon)

last, im just really easy to please myself! I'll make a doodle or implement an idle animation in my game or color a piece and go "wow! thats so cool i did that :)" and it really is just a matter of realizing that its fucking COOL to create stuff, no matter how small! whatever you made didn't exist before you, especially in your own unique way, and now it does! doesn't that rule?! i'm obsessed with it! even if its just a stick figure, its a stick figure you made, and it wasn't there before. thats fucking awesome!!! art is so cool!!!! i think that being happy with small goals and victories is a great way of trying out new things and showing off cool stuff u made, no matter what skill level. :) this turned into a whole big thing, but i hope this helps! tl;dr is try things if they seem fun, be okay with not being good at them, and find stuff about it that makes you happy or satisfied!

[cartoonistcoop]

ShortBox Comics Member Interview: Bennizone

Throughout the month of October, the Cartoonist Cooperative will be sharing interviews with members of the Co-op who have a new comic available at the ShortBox Comics Fair 2024! 

NOTE: The Cartoonist Cooperative is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way formally connected with ShortBox.  

Today’s spotlight is @bennizone and their new comic for ShortBox, Stagnation Seed

We’d love it if you could introduce yourself and tell us about your background in comics.

BENNIZONE: Sure!

I’m Benni (she/her), or “BENNIZONE”. I’m an independent comic-artist, making an effort to fill my life with as much art as possible. My work usually centers around lesbians and/or gender-nonconformity, in some shape or form. I work with a lot of mixed media; traditional art is my one true love!

As a kid I’d scribble my own little sequences in stapled booklets. They’d be lying around everywhere, in every drawer and cabinet. As I got older, I got into comic-zines which are homemade, stapled booklets! Exactly what I’d always been making! Who knew they had a whole community based around them. To this day, zines are my favorite medium.

Tell us more about your new comic?

B: Yes, Stagnation Seed! It’s the story of Candy and Violetta, two roommates(?) who try to fix themselves and each other… by pouring their emotions into the project that is The Android Girlfriend. And then having second thoughts! It’s been rummaging in my head for years… It’s a love story, almost a tragedy… but the ending makes me happy!

It’s a narrative that reflects a lot of pent up emotions of mine… The feeling of not progressing fast enough, projecting your feelings onto others, trying to run from yourself while being convinced that you’re chasing the right thing… it’s tough. The comic is special to me for sure.

What are some early experiences as a cartoonist that shaped you or your process?

B: Hmm, I was always just… trying to make connections to others, through art. I wanted people to feel how I felt. The internet wasn’t as big when I was a kid–I didn’t have any friends who shared my passion for comics; I thought I was alone in being absolutely obsessed with them. I think I’m still just trying to reach out, anytime I draw. An endless game of Marco Polo.

What were some challenges you faced with this comic and how did you overcome them?

B: The ending changed a few times. I wasn’t sure how open-ended it should be… it was important to me that there were loose ends to be explored by the reader after the story concludes, since it deals with themes in my own life that I haven’t figured out a solution for. I didn’t want to answer a question I didn’t know the answer to, but I also wanted to deliver a message. In the end, I went with something that felt true to me.

In the same vein, the story jumps back and forth in time, and there’s some sequences that aren’t logical. I wasn’t sure just how experimental I could go, without losing grip on reality; it was a constant dance.

Read the rest of the interview HERE! And dont forget to check out the Shortbox Comics Fair to support these lovely creators!!

[antariies]

how to build a chair........... director's cut ∠( ᐛ 」∠)__ this is about to be a very long very self-indulgent post where i just talk about my own writing. i also doodled on all the pages i think it makes the whole thing more fun to go thru. welcome to my ted talk

SIKE before i begin. credit where credit is due, this post was the start of it all. it changed my brain chemistry my jaw was dropped i was in awe i was obsessed and before i even finished it i knew that i would eventually have to make something similar for the commander or else i would be cursed to think about it for the rest of my life. and i Was cursed for like two years every day i would just be like........ is today the day i sit down and draft the commander chair fic of my dreams....... maybe tomorrow......

and then i got accepted as a writer for the gw2 zine ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ the chair idea was actually my backup option in case my first idea didn't pan out, and thank god it didn't, bc this one worked so much better. (still working on my initial idea, just turning it into a full fic! it was wayyy too long to be a zine submission.)

this is the chair i used. i downloaded the assembly instructions and tried out a bunch of different free pdf editors until i found one i liked, which ended up being sedja. if anyone's interested in doing something like this, i recommend printing out the pdf and writing directly on it! it was a lot easier for me to just figure out everything on paper first and then digitalize it after :P here's a picture of my physical copy

okay actually getting into it for real this time !!!!!

1. yeah i could've just erased the ikea logo and left a blank space but then i realized i could turn it into an in-universe joke. and then i ran with it.

2. i ripped this straight from the product description on the website. thanks ikea

3. i'm not sure if anyone went and looked it up, but it's a real item code!

hehe :3c

4. if your commander willingly goes to therapy i'm happy for them but TO ME? you'd have to drag the commander kicking and screaming. it's not that they don't know that something is wrong with them, they know, and they know YOU know. you're just never supposed to talk about it. they don't look at their own psych eval results bc that's none of their business.

5. i normally avoid specifying the commander's race when i write them bc i enjoy the challenge, but for the zine i was assigned to write about a norn commander! as a human main i was uhhhh very ill-equipped. but that just meant i had to study up on my norn lore (•̀ᴗ•́)و i spent hours on the wiki, then went around interviewing norn mains for their opinions, which was great fun :D it all helped me narrow the focus of my piece: joining the war on commander objectification on the side of commander objectification (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ and no one self-aggrandizes quite like the norn commander!

and to balance that i knew my narrator had to be patronizing as shitttt. they've clearly been following the commander since the beginning and seem to know a lot of intimate details about their life, despite not thinking very highly of them. wonder who that could be :3c

6. i can't stop making references. so the original part number is actually #122620 in the manual but i've changed it here (and on the previous page!) to #082812, as in 08/28/12, the date gw2 was released! no real reason for it, @dalennaugw suggested it for funsies and i liked it. if you're my pal and i show you a wip and you have a cool idea for it, chances are i Will put that shit in. hi dale if you're reading this

7. another thing about me. i loveeee repetition. here the word "over" is repeated four times to match the picture. honestly a lot of the creative process for this piece was just staring at the pages and figuring out how to tie the pictures to the commander in ways that weren't extremely corny or trite. idk why i enjoy writing like this when i could be frolicking in the beautiful prosaic meadows of a word doc instead but. it's like i see a tiny little restrictive box and i'm like OH BOY can't wait to think inside of that thing!!! i like when the format matters just as much as the content and in some cases informs the content. am i making any sense here. well all you need to know is that i'm a virgo and my favorite book is house of leaves

7. aw fuck just realized i wrote 7 twice. whatever i'm not changing it this is 7 part two now. the theme of my piece is glory, what it means to the norn commander, and how far they're willing to go for it.

8. does norn culture place emphasis on seeking individual glory Yes are norn also very community-oriented Also Yes. i think it's common to see norn kids napping together in a big pile, usually after they've worn themselves out playing games outside. it makes sense practically (apes together warm) and socially (pack bonding good) but that's just my hc. growing up i used to share a bed with my cousins all the time so it's normal to me.

a young, naive not-yet-commander, with no real combat experience, has no point of reference to compare a "blaze of glory" to. but the way everyone talks about it, it must be a good thing. a wonderful thing. a reward fit for a life well-fought and a legend hard-earned. so they imagine it must feel like falling asleep surrounded by the people they love, who love them in turn.

9. .........i was playing a lot of ace attorney when i wrote this page. i wish i was joking 👍🏼

10. ohhh shit the truth come OUT this whole chair thing was all a ploy just so i could write about the departing. again.

will i ever stop thinking about her. reply hazy, try again later.

11. out of all the pages, this one has the most emphasis on text placement, like comparing the enlarged picture of the screw to a sword, the numbers counting the screws, and "up up up" being arranged to mimic a wisp of smoke.

i also wanted to lean into the viking/norse mythology influences with my word choice.

12. more nods to norn culture. i didn't know they referred to the six human gods as "spirits of action" until i was doing the research for this piece :O

and the domain of the lost is called a hall of ghosts....... cause valhalla.....

13.

i'm sorry this so funnyyy. SAYS the guy who literally clawed their way back to life for a rematch.

me when i'm in a sore loser competition and my opponent is the COMMANDER!!!

14. arms as in "limbs" and also arms as in "armaments" :•]

15. haha get it because the picture makes it look like there are two mirrored speech bubbles while the text paints two opposing interpretations of the norn commander. one that's selfless and humble versus one that's selfish and vainglorious.

16. and the best part is IT DOESN'T MATTER which one is true bc at the end of the day no matter what their motivation, balthazar is dead by their hand. ofc i'm of the opinion that the most compelling interpretation of the commander is both, simultaneously. contradictions are good for the soul.

17. i could've name-dropped kas, the only person present that would do something like that, but i felt it was better to leave it ambiguous.

18. low-hanging fruit. the metaphor was so obvious here but i had to do it. for the culture

19. the alternate title for this piece was "THIS COULD BE GLORY". "how to build a chair" was only supposed to be a placeholder title til i figured out a better one, but the innocuousness of it grew on me. also i came up with the other one too late and had already advertised under the chair title lol

20. my first instinct was to end it with something more reassuring, like "what you have built so far is enough" but that would've been an ooc switch-up for a narrator who has been nothing but snide and detached this whole time. gotta stick to my guns

21.

obligatory chair joke as the last line. for realsies though it’s meant to be an earnest appeal to the commander to take a break, to have a seat, but it’s also a challenge. are they willing to lean on their friends? are the bonds they’ve forged strong enough to hold their weight? are they willing to put their faith in someone else’s hands? are they brave enough to try? well. only one way to find out.

also guess what that wasn’t even the real last page of the manual. it's THIS

but no way i was letting this be the image we ended on. IT LOOKS LIKE A DICK AND BALLS!!!

and on that note, THANK YOU if you made it this far!! a very special shout-out to @hawkepockets, my lovely boyfriend and beta reader, without whom this piece would not be nearly as polished. i would bring him pages to look over and he would say Scrap half of those lines you can do better than that. kill your darlings. i would complain and argue for a few minutes then we would revise. rinse and repeat until we had honed this thing to perfection. i can't stress enough the importance of having a second pair of eyes on your work throughout your creative process, even better if it's someone who challenges you. i don't even pay him 🫶🏼

and if there was anything i didn't cover that you still have questions about, please feel free to shoot me an ask! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ thanks for reading! see u later dudes ;P

[the-100-days-of-junkan]

Day 35

This is not a false alarm dear audience, i actually have things to say about this one!

Would you believe that I have barely any memorabilia relating to Danganronpa. Because I barely believe that myself, you’d think with how obsessed I’ve gotten lately, along with this series having played a pretty big part in my life I would have way more expensive items purchased off of ebay at my disposal. Nope! I have a Plush Miu Keychain, a Monokuma bracelet, a few manga volumes, and if you count it, a Tokomaru Zine which came with some keychains and stickers. Which I now realize is the most substantial boost to what I own in months. 

I don’t own a single piece of Mikan or Junko merch, official or otherwise. Kind of an oopsie moment on my part, that said I was gonna buy some stuff way back, and then just didn’t because I have the memory of a small pebble . . . also because my transformers collection has slowly taken up most of my shelf space, BUT THATS BESIDES THE POINT! 

Anyway it was these Identity V Figures! I thought they were cute, and it’d be nice to put em next to each other. 

At the time when I was first looking at them they were 50 dollars each, meaning a total of 100. And I haven’t checked ebay since, because if i’ve learned anything being a Transformers Fan, it’s probably 200 together now. And I just fucking know I’ll still buy em.

Anyway, to make up for the severe lack of irresponsible financial choices in my life at that point in time, I drew art of the cute little chibi designs! Because I’m like half sure I didn’t realize they were based on designs from a mobile game crossover. I also colored this one after the fact cause the sketch was a bit of a fucking mess.

As soon as I get another proper bookshelf I’m gonna use it for 2 things. Putting my Fairy Tail collection in a nice arrangement. And Junkan Shelf. 

As always, Reblogs, Comments, and Little Notes in the tags are appreciated!~ They always make my day!~ 

[void-flesh]

“You’ve Gotta Check This Band Out” A multi-bandom micro essay zine

Is there a band you’re obsessed with? No matter if its 00s pop-punk, folk music from 1960, a rock band you saw in your friends basement and never forgot- If you’re excited about a musician, I want to hear about it.

The details: What’s a micro essay?

A micro essay an essay around 200-700 words in length. For the purposes of this zine, it can be any format or style, no matter how experimental, as long as its nonfiction.

What can I write about?

This zine is going to focus on bands but is open to works about any musician or musical scene that you feel passionate about

What should I write about?

i’m most interested in looking at how music functions in a broader cultural context, but anything you’re passionate about, I wanna see. This can include but isn’t limited to: - How the sexual politics of a time period affected music - Analysis of how a cover song affects the original piece - Why this band you saw that one time was so rad - How various identity politics and music intersect and interact - Why everyone is wrong about [Insert widely hated album name here] - Why DID that secret chord David played please the lord?

Submissions will be open until June 7th!

You can send plain text and I will lay it out, or if you want to design your own page, including text, illustration, stickers, cut/paste, etc, please make it 5.5in x 8.5in and 300ppi resolution JPG

Please send submissions to merlin.sabal13@gmail.com

Some other rules/FAQs

YES it can be a piece thats already been published as long as you include where it was first published (your blog, another zine, etc)

YES its ok if its a little bit longer or shorter- the word limit is a soft guide, if its 756 words etc thats fine

YES comics are ok as long as they are nonfiction

If you an illustrator who wants to work on illustrating essays, email or dm me!

Contributors will receive a print copy, zine will also be posted online for free, and will be sold at-cost in my shop.

If you have questions plz ask!

[eliotlime]

End of September Update

Just as a heads up, I'll be closing my commissions after the first week of October (06/10/2024) just so I can focus on other projects! If you'd like to order a bug from me or get any of my other regular commissions now's a good time to do so!

(Bugstyle | Regular Comms)

I made a really brief post on twitter about what I'm up to but since tumblr supports more text I'll just go into more depth on what projects I'm working on at the moment and general life updates!

I used to write blog posts on wordpress for school and it's just hilarious that I stopped doing that considering it feels like I was born to blog!

In general, I've been trying to crawl out of this very odd mood swing-y state I've been in for the past year. I've been semi-public about it but I graduated with a degree in animation same time last year and have sort of been recovering from the absolute burn out of that as well as watching the animation industry essentially collapse just as I left college.

I'm hoping to get into UI/UX design this coming October and try to piece what little control I have of my life back together. I don't really know what I'm doing to be honest and it feels like I'm just pawing in the dark with a lot of this stuff.

In lighter news I've been trying to get into something I've always wanted to for years which is comics! I'm not sure how much I can speak about it at the moment but I just got into an anthology which is very exciting.

I applied to shortbox last year but didn't get in :( but fingers crossed I'll get in next year! On a related note I've made a Cara profile which I'm using as a comics portfolio and archive.

--

Those of you who've been following me for years know that I've had a webcomic project called, Happenstance (which I've restarted endlessly for about 10 years at this point). While I don't really have a concrete update of that for you guys I will say that the story is more or less fixed and whatever version of it I have now is most likely the version I'll proceed with in the future.

I did try to get the ball rolling with this at the start of the year with a pilot comic but it made me so miserable to work on it I abandoned it and started making an unrelated zine instead haha

I do have plans on finishing this eventually and it'll be up on my itch.io and gumroad like everything else!

Speaking of the zine, I'd just like to thank everyone who purchased Cute Thing! I think for my first independent book project it did pretty well! It was incredibly embarrassing and nerve wrecking to promote it but I'm glad I did it.

I don't know why there's an 18+ warning on this considering this zine is pretty tame.

I guess it also helped that that stupid ass diary comic i made blew up at the same time so I got to shill my wares in relation to it. Even though I think it gave me some kind of psychological damage but every time i gain minor internet fame i shrink back into my shell anyway, this is just the first time i really felt so much.. vitriol from randos lol.

It's just hilarious it overlapped with whatever guilty gear obsession I had at the time as well. Thank you to everyone who stuck around and uh.. sorry! I walk wherever the wind takes me and it's frequently towards my own characters.

But! Speaking of Guilty Gear, I am working on an Abacelsus zine I briefly talked about on twitter a couple months back. The title is sort of pending at the moment and while I did say it might be free as a digital download, I'm probably going to charge a couple of dollars because of how much effort I'm putting into this.

On the plus side that means I'll probably be putting more effort into it! I'm aiming for 24 interior pages of stuff and hoping to release a digital version of it by Halloween 2024!

I'm trying to work on more prints and stickers for conventions as well and I never posted about my convention escapades here all too much but you can check out this instagram post for what I had up the last time I boothed!

That's kind of all for the stuff I'd like to get done within this year but other projects that I'd like to aim to get done by 2025 is a continuation of my Cute Thing zine that I'm aiming to collate by Valentines Day, hehe how romantic.

There's nothing terribly concrete for that at the moment but I do know I want it to have more pages than Cute Thing. It's called My Boy and yes it's named after another Car Seat Headrest song.

I've got a lot of irons in the fire and another iron is that I'm also planning a 4-panel comic series for my band characters that I've posted some pilots about before!

Pretty messy planning but most of my long form stuff looks like this.

A 4-panel comic series is just less intimidating than a fully coloured webcomic series (Happenstance) that I know will be finished decades later. I've also seen a lot of webcomic artists I've beloved just.. abandon their years long project and it's kind of scary to me that will definitely happen to me!!!

--

The long and short of it is that I've got a lot of projects and a majority of it is not making me any money. I'm extremely lucky to be surrounded by people that support my work but it gets hard to just do all of this by yourself with no guarantee that it'll go anywhere.

Patreon's a beast I've tried to tackle but it's kind of an ass of a website to use so I'll probably try to use ko-fi a bit more. I've kind of never really liked the subscription model and really do prefer to launch curated PDFs of my work every few months, but again I'm really just clawing at the dark and grasping at anything I can.

Let's wrap up this long post by mentioning that I might want to give streaming a shot! I used to stream a little when I was a teenager but I'd like to give it another go!

I don't think I'm going to have a dedicated persona or vtuber avatar but a small little png-tuber would be frankly hilarious. Maybe something casual to start of with, it gets pretty lonely spending everyday working on images alone.

--

Thank you for reading! It's an extremely long post to all but say that I'm scared but working on projects still! If you'd like to support me, here's my ko-fi page and while I'm working on getting more stuff on there here's my itchi.io & gumroad as well.

As I mentioned before I'm closing my commissions on the 6th of October to work on my Abacelsus zine so if you'd like to get a bug or any of my regular style commissions now's a good time to do so!

(Bugstyle | Regular Comms)

I'm hoping to make more update posts like these in the future and not psyche myself out every time because they're really good for me to collect my incredibly jumbled thoughts. Thanks again to everyone who's followed, supported or even just looked at my stuff it really means the world.

If you have any questions or just generally want to talk to me about my characters, my DMs and askbox is always open! Any professional enquires can be shot towards me email as well: eliotlime@gmail.com

XOXO, Stay weird!

-Eliot :)

[shhimagiraffe]

Fantasy High + Pokemon

I was inspired by @candaceaprillee and their art that they made for Hootgrowlithe zine! I had to go all in and make their teams, based off everything that's been released as of FHJY episode 3. There have been more episodes by this point but nothing that has happened since has influenced any changes!

Gang, I thought about this a lot...this is a lengthy post. This genius simply couldn't be contained. There are some that are based on vibes, and some that I dug a little deeper with Pokedex entries. Rest assured my explanations should suffice my reasoning! These Pokemon are not in any particular order btw!!

Adaine

Adaine's team is just Peak Blue/cool color Vibes. Was not intentional! I picked a lot of spherical shapes and mon that happen to exude calming energy/auras. I do think that, for now, Adaine keeps her Orb Pokemon from evolving because they're the perfect shape.

Spheal - Spheal is the perfect orb shaped Pokemon. I could not leave it out of the line up. Additionally, Spheals have soft fur and I think when Adaine's having a panic attack that soft fur would be good for grounding. As Spheal evolves it also learns to "identify" things with its sensitive nose, reminiscent of the Identify Spell.

Natu - Another phenomenal orb. While it's no owl, it will evolve into a psychic, fortune telling mon some day. It does have prophetic abilities in this version, but it seems to be more about hopping about and staring at things. Something about that feels right for Adaine.

Gardevoir - Admittedly, Gardevoir did not initially make my list for Adaine. I did get to thinking that since Adaine comes from an extremely rich family (albeit a neglectful one), her parents would want to give her a fancy mon to exert her status. I don't know if they'd give her a straight up Gardevoir as a kid, but in any case the whole line up is fairy/psychic; I thought since the Abernants are high elves that they would lean towards fairy type Pokemon to link back to their heritage. In any case! Gardevoir ALSO reads the future!

Dragonair - Dragonairs have that blue orb in them, plus they exude a "gentle aura," again another helpful thing for Adaine. They're also part of a pseudo legendary line, which is a great match for our legendary oracle. There's something very elegant about Dragonair, and it evolves into a cute lovey Dragonite!!!

Riolu - I originally gave Adaine a fully evolved Lucario, but given that Riolu evolves with high friendship, I don't know if Adaine would be emotionally ready for that. It still gets the same vibes across with being able to detect auras of others. I'm HC'ing that she got her Riolu as part of an official Welcome to the Family gift from Jawbone :') Riolu is basically an emotional support dog, after all.

Feebas - :) Gang :) I'm taking some liberties here. Wouldn't it be angsty and sad if we envision small Adaine, sad and alone, ignored and chastised by her family, off on her own and happens upon a sad little Feebas? And finds comradery in this lil fish that's considered the ugliest thing in the world? She brings home her very first mon she caught herself and her family tears her to shreds for it but she still loves this mon with a bad rap? I'm obsessed.

Fabian

Fabian's mon consist of a mix of fighting types, dancing vibes, and trauma based dex entries! That's really all I can say so summarize his team. I'm sorry to my boy but he's so fun to play in the angst space with.

Lombre - My HC is that Bill Seacaster gave Fabian his first Pokemon, maybe as a small Lotad. Lombre, in the anime, is one of Ash's mon that gave him a hard time, and I think that Fabian would have at least one mon that wouldn't completely respect him in the same way. Once Fabian sheds the expectations of his father, then Lombre accepts him and their relationship blooms! Bonus points! Lombre evolves into Ludicolo, a dancing Pokemon!

Cubone - This is my biggest brain idea. Cubone's whole thing is abandonment because of his mother dying. While Fabian's mother is not dead, she might as well be since she's off traveling with Gilear. Even before then! She was emotionally absent in his life. Sure the skull could be from his literal dead father THAT HE KILLED...there's just something about the mother/son relationship (or lack thereof) that's *chef's kiss*

Hitmontop - This Pokemon is purely fighter, but he's got sick dance moves and if this isn't the Pokemon version of Fabian I don't know what is.

Kirlia - Sigh. Okay. So. The dancing theme is obvious. Unfortunately, I think Fabian would be the kind of guy that would sexualize Kirlia's evolution, Gardevoir. I could only hope that he wouldn't fall in love with his mon but JY Fabian has me fucked up with his character development. I originally gave Fabian Kirlia before I gave Adaine her Gardevoir, so I think he'd probably go with Gallade for his evolution? I do think that this mon, whatever happens, would knock some sense into Fabian like Brock's mon do in the anime, hehe!

Bisharp - Bisharp reflects Fabian's initial work with swordfighting and fencing. Its description about leading groups of its unevolved form plus getting kicked out if it loses a battle to become boss.....gives me Fabian's Very Bad No Good Day on Leviathan vibes to me.

Absol - Absol's deal is that it is something of an unlucky charm -- but it can actually warn people of incoming dangers. I truly think Fabian needs a creature like that in his life. He probably wouldn't know how to interact with a mon such as this, but I believe in him.

Fig

Fig's team consists of fire types, music based designs, and illusion/trickery Pokemon. I'm realizing that I'm HC'ing that a lot of Fig's mon evolved with her around the time that she learned she's actually a tiefling. I borrowed that idea from Candace, particularly with Houndoom!

Jigglypuff - Jigglypuff is SUCH a match for Figueroth Faeth, I'm talking pre-campaign Fig. It's cute, it's bubbly, and is fully capable of being a menace. Fig would absolutely egg on her mon to do something like, I don't know, marking up their sleeping audience out of anger. Plus it's a singer so it could be a cute lil back up singer for Fig! Jiggly is also sweet and fitting for Fig because it evolves through high friendship. I know that Fig says she keeps her emotions wrapped up but miss thing would absoLUTELY have best friendships with her mon.

Loudred - Loudred feels right for Fig, especially if we assume that Fig started with Whismur, this shy timid lil pink first evolution that has a piercing scream. It's basically a big speaker as well (even though it would not be ideal for a concert with it being able to level houses...Fig would probably love that though) It is a pretty destructive Pokemon, but if it gets to evolve it'll mellow out some. I don't know Fig will ever truly mellow out, but who knows! Anything's possible!

Salazzle - Salazzle's deal is that she emits pheromones that attract males which I think goes well with Fig's penchant for flirting with random guys. Maybe Fig found her Salazzle while in Hell and wasn't an initial part of her team, as they are found in volcanoes and other craggy places. She's also generally cunt and Fig deserves a member like that on her team :)

Zoroark - I love Zoroark for Fig as it is an illusion based Pokemon that is extremely loyal to those that have good bonds with them (I'm being liberal with this, they're more loyal to other Zoroarks but I think Fig's would see her on the same level). It can transform itself and makes large crowds believe their illusion. It just matches Fig's vibes!!! Could I go into how its first evolution, Zorua, transforms itself to protect itself from danger and that parallel with Fig's transformations to protect her emotional state?? Sure, but y'all get the point.

Houndoom - Houndoom is a given for Fig. It's a demon fire dog. For our tiefling archdevil that occasionally shifts into German Shepherd mode? Yeah, nuff said.

Shelgon - Shelgon's line is based on being so determined and literally head strong to get what they want. There's the obvious trait we see here, which is that hard shell that Fig often comments on. Both creatures are reorganizing their cells to better reflect their true/ideal selves. Plus Shelgon turns into a dope dragon and I wouldn't put it past Fig to love that for herself and her Pokemon.

Gorgug

Gorgug's mon are a majority grass/bug based, which I think works with how he grew up with the Thistlesprings in the tree. I gave him two "new" members of his party to reflect his artificer second class. Pretty much all of them could work for both of his classes!

Timburr - Timburr's a cute lil guy that absolutely would start out with Gorgug training to be a barbarian and turn into a lil helper with Gorgug's artificer tinkering. Should Timburr be more evolved than its base form? Yes. Do I think the rest of the line is ugly? Also yes. Sorry about it.

Roselia - I needed to reference Gorgug's very sweet tin flower in some way!!! If taken care of, and we know our boy would absolutely would, it releases a calming scent. Maybe this scent helps calm down Gorgug before he enters a rag e outside of battle, or just to help him relieve anxiety at the end of the day.

Rillaboom - Gorgug 100% would have first gotten its first evolution, Grookey, as his first mon. It'd fit in perfectly with the tree, plus it's whole line is about drumming and rhythm!!! What more can you ask of a mon?

Heracross - I think Heracross is Cute. And strong to boot! For a long time, it's the only one that can keep up with Gorgug as far as strength goes. It's described as docile unless it's disturbed while eating honey; a great match for our sweet barbarian!

Rookidee - I'll be so honest, this choice was based off Cloaca Chloe. I originally gave him Beldum, which is literally a hunk of steel. But I thought about it some more, especially with Chloe being a metal bird, and how could I *not* pick a Pokemon that eventually turns into this giant badass steel/flying type Corviknight? Plus, this mon is bold and always up to the challenge of fighting. What better for a creation that goes "I SUCK" all the time unprovoked?

Tinkatuff - I think that Gorgug found this mon while in the Nightmare Forest, or perhaps right outside of it scared and alone. She's figuring out tinkering along with Gorgug and I know this giant/tiny duo would kick so much ass. Will Tinkatuff end up wanting to fight Rookidee all the time? ...Maybe, but I'm sure Gorgug will find some kind of solution for that to be chill with each other.

Kristen

I had the hardest time with Kristen, because I can't really pin down her personality and ideals in Pokemon. I think it's because she doesn't know who she is currently. I love Kristen, but most of these mon are a read on her.

Bellossom - Bellossom is one of the handful of Pokemon out there that has the healer ability! It could certainly be the final evolution of a mon Kristen could have had as a cleric of Helio, Oddish. Also, picturing Kristen and Bellossom doing ribbon dances together? That'd be cute as hell.

Cosmog - Cosmog is veeeeery Cassandra to me. It's a borderline legendary Pokemon. It is characterized as taking an immediate liking to anyone who gives it the time of day. Something about the frailty of this mon reminds me of Kristen's current god. And if any of The Bad Kids were going to have a legendary mon, it'd be Kristen. Given episode 4, we might be looking at an evolution soon...

Psyduck - Psyduck is constantly plagued with headaches that makes it constantly confused! While Kristen doesn't get the headaches she doesn't necessarily quite know what's going on and why she does certain things. It looks like this season she's on the ball with battles though so we'll see! I'm also thinking of Misty's Psyduck and how she treated hers...while I don't think Kristen would get pissed off with her Psyduck, I think she wouldn't see its value in her party all the time.

Eevee - The beauty with Eevee is that it simply could be anything depending on its environment. I think, if anything, this mon most reflects her current religion with Cassandra in that nothing is set in stone and that's okay.

Bidoof - Kristen picked Bidoof for the meme. I just know she would have at least one joke Pokemon. And yet...I don't know, Bidoof just works with Kristen for reasons I can't explain.

Quaquaval - This is the gayest Pokemon I've EVER seen. Imagine seeing this guy ribbon dancing with Kristen? SICKENING!!!! On a more serious note, it does take things more seriously especially while training. Kristen needs someone to whip her into shape, take things more serious.

Riz

Riz is obviously our crime solving lil goblin kid. Of course, he's going to initially pick mons that could help with a case. But he's also got SUCH a big heart and would wholeheartedly love all of his mon for who they are outside of being helpful. I also just had to go in and do my best to make sure that Riz has a balanced team -- I refuse to think of him as someone that wouldn't have an answer to counter a weak point for any of his Pokemon.

Zigzagoon - I've HC'd that Zigzagoon as Riz's first ever Pokemon! Found him in the grass while he was snooping around for something, and Zigzagoon are naturally curious and restless creatures, so they became quick best friends. I think they're always side by side working on a case!

Spoink - Ok hear me out...I was thinking about how the Night Yorb happened because of Riz trying to figure out Garthy, essentially creating the Night Yorb for the universe with that bit. So I fell on Spoink with it's orb on it's head. But then I got to thinking...Spoink can never stop bouncing because it will die if it does. And if THAT is not Riz Gukgak I don't know what is. Boy doesn't know how to relax; his literal worst fear is resting.

Rotom - Honestly I think Rotom would be super useful for Riz! I'm thinking with the arcade in Freshman Year, if Riz had a Rotom that encounter would have been a bit easier! It is a little bit mischievous, and while that's not really Riz's steez, I think he'd find it endearing to a degree.

Klefki - I think that Riz would love to collect things like keys he thinks are relevant to a case. The great thing about Klefki is that it will hang on to keys that it likes and I think Riz relates to wanting to hold on to things he obsesses over! I know that Riz trusts Klefki with his keys, in general. It apparently jingles itself at attackers, and the mental image of a ring of keys jingling while Riz hisses in Goblin Mode™ is so funny to me.

Greninja - Greninjas give me rogue energy. By this time in its evolution it's a pro at devising battle strategy and is a sharpshooter like its trainer. Plus you KNOW Riz would have Battle Bond with Greninja, they'd be a great fighting pair!

Golbat - Originally I picked a bat Pokemon to relate back to Riz's goblin race; goblins live in dungeons, bats live in dungeons, fantastic! Plus the teeth and open mouth? Riz and Golbat going toe to toe in hissing games. Ok let's get serious, cutthroat. I feel as if Riz would find kinship with its unevolved form, Zubat, because of how they are perceived as small annoying things (I personally was always annoyed encountering zubats in the games, idk if this is a widespread belief). Bonus: Golbats evolve with high friendship into Crobat! I don't know why I didn't give Riz a Crobat, just didn't feel right I guess.

And that's the end! Hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Pokemon, Fantasy High, and dare I say character analysis??? I don't know, that might be a little generous to my word vomit. Get in the comments!! I'd love to hear other takes and see more discussion!!

Anyways uhhhh stream Fantasy High Junior Year on Dropout and play/watch some Pokemon k bye

[lots-o-doodles]

On the brink of Madness Reason left my weary soul I keep walking on but I feel alone And no one knows the darkness 'till you meet him in the day He'll steal your lies, he'll run away

(Artist ramblings under the cut.)

Howdy! This is a rework of a comic that I made in the late summer of last year all in one evening in a hyperfocused fugue state because I am totally normal about Trigun (and Vashwood)... Then me and the friend that gave me the Vashwood brainrot decided we were going to make our own little Vashwood zine and I definitely wanted to come back to this to see if could improve upon it. The original lives here if you want to take a peek.

I feel like I've grown a bit in a couple of months and I'm itching to draw some more Vashwood stuff for our little zine as a kind of self-indulgent project. Shout out to Lornaka and Llama for letting me pester them for critique and naturally to lotldraws for my Trigun obsession and fellow Vashwood collaborator.

[spirk-trek]

Hiiii

so I just found your blog today and I'm so glad I did! I'm obsessed with tos and I really wanna see and read some of the older fan works.

I usually do my fic reading on AO3, but I know fics used be be shared physically and then posed on ff.net and others. do you know where I could look to find older fics? or what to search? I've been reading reuploads on AO3 but it's hard to know the og published date

thanks again :D

Hello! Here's some stuff!

Spockanalia - The FIRST fanzine and beautifully preserved (but it may be hard to read the fics in this way)

ScotPress - lots of stuff here, mostly from the UK if I'm not mistaken

TransformativeWorks - they mainly link to Ao3 but it's a good list for what it is! Not updated often though

SimeGen - preserved by the author Jacqueline Lichtenberg on it's own site. It's a little clunky to navigate but it's all there :)

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can request items from the Online Archive of California. I plan on doing this out of sheer curiosity, but have not yet, so I'm not even sure if it's actually possible.

I also recommend sifting through fanlore's list of slash zines because they often have poems and little ficlets preserved in there! The down side is having your heart broken when only one page is available... sigh.

Unfortunately, many are simply lost to time as is inevitable in those days, so this is all I have for now :(

[ikkaku-of-heart]

Finally someone gets it!

As a transman I can't get it how forced genderbend it a nice thing.....I just am so worried they would get horrific dysphoria for their first time and it irks me.....

Genderbend is not bad if it's done well and not sexism (how oda does)

Glad to help people know they aren’t alone in this whole thing. I don’t necessarily hate genderbend - I can enjoy it occasionally in a fanservice way - but honestly most of the time I just find it unnecessary.

Forced genderbend? Fuck that. What happened in chapter 1063/episode 1093 shouldn’t have been treated as comedy. It should have been horror.

I get people thinking fem!Law is hot but the whole context around the scene is just so fucking disturbing that it should have been fan-disservice. I mean, I can only imagine being forced into a body that isn’t your own is nothing short of terrifying. Especially when you consider that this happened mid-battle against one of the most powerful antagonists in the series, so you’re now suddenly in a body that feels *completely off* when you’re fighting for your life. Even without the sexist implication that being in the female body made Law weaker (hate that bullshit and fuck you Toei and Doc Q) it’s still jarring ashell and something like that could get you killed in this kind of situation.

I could get into the full implications of just how dark and horrifying I feel this scene really is (and perhaps someday I will with it being tagged as such), but for now, I have to say that, while Oda was sexist, I’m more disappointed in the fandom over it than him. Oda I sadly expect to some extent. The fandom? Yeah, the obsession they immediately had over it and the way the tag has been flooded with people going gah-gah over it and fetishizing it and (in the case of one zine server that I ended up leaving in part because of this) even using it as an excuse to ship Law with Blackbeard instead of calling out the sexism and transphobia and fetishism and recognizing it as horror…

Yeah, not a fan. It’s not canon as far as I’m concerned. I can accept people thinking the fem!Hearts are hot, and people can draw and write what they like. I won't bash anyone for it and I respect that some people see it as harmless. But I’m just really not thrilled that more people aren’t calling out how problematic the whole scene is. I’d probably be a little less pissed at the fandom if I saw it more balanced, with both simping AND pointing out how bad that scene really was.

Alas, fandom gonna fandom, and I won’t let them ruin my love for the Hearts. I'll just keep doing what I always do and write them being awesome, funny, competent pirates who absolutely are their captain's hype squad. They can say he looks great as a girl and believe he can kick ass in any body, but the reaction they had over it, and the fandom's continued reaction, just gives me the ick.

[bluntforcefem]

happy halloween 2024 new pinned post. hi my name is ATTICUS (he/him, any neopronouns) and i'm a fic writer-turned-guy obsessed with kits own ocs. if i get a good enough pitch i will get into any media given 2-3 business years to do so. i also write ttrpg hacks/playbooks sometimes. despite the url this isn't a nsfw blog but i reblog nsfw content on occasion so blacklist that tag if you want to & somehow haven't already

you can find me on itch.io, archiveofourown, & neocities (site not updated since like early 2023 but bear with me here). i'm also on both pixel cat's end & santae as paopuleaf if you're a petsite guy come say hi & meet my beloved digital creatures

also you should listen to INTERSTITIAL AN ACTUAL PLAY PODCAST now hosted on the RILEY HOPKINS AND THEIR AMAZING FRIENDS podcast feed. since the last time i made a pinned post, a new season came out and it fucks hard. do you like infinity train? metafiction? shadow the hedgehog? mean girls? yuri? listen to interstitial infinity

current project list beneath the cut:

PROJECTS:

SAUCE SMP (shortened to sauces): a multiple-season minecraft-based private roleplay series. currently in its second season. it's been running for like three years & i'm utterly obsessed with it. this is where most of my ocposting comes from. guys of note: declan shepherd & eli foster, among others. there's a lot of little drabbles/art in this tag

SPILLWAYS: a cookie run alternate universe that diverges around chapter 10 of cookie run kingdom. a what if? that asks: hey wouldn't it be fun if dark choco cookie accidentally adopted three kids and decided to defect from the cookies of darkness earlier about it? the dominos that come from this are extensive. this project is currently on the backburner & has been for a while, but you can read the first fic on ao3 here!

HEART CHAMBERS: a four swords - breath of the wild fusion au, where link is placed into the resurrection chamber, and a hundred years later, four people wake up in his stead. it's about identity, memory, and the comedy & tragedy of Being Four Guys. also a backburner project, but i'm literally always looking for an excuse to talk about it!!!

INTERSTITIAL HOMOPHROSYNE: working title for my collection of unofficial interstitial 2e supplementary playbooks. these include an updated version of the anchored; a playbook about being divinely favored called the blessed; a playbook about pretending to be another guy called the masquerade; & a pair of playbooks about piloting a giant mech pacrim-style called the ranger & the mech. i also love talking about these godwilling i will format them for use one day

VOICEMAILS: hey wait this project's finished. i'm proud of it anyway so it's going here – this is a series of fics about luis acevedo and tot clark from blaseball, and their immortal love story. the zine can be found here; the ao3 series with an additional oneshot can be found here.

[khepiari]

Rant Post: Imagine crying over fanfic stats! Laughable!

Imagine crying over fanfic stats! Over fanfic. If you don’t have enough fics, write your own stories. If you don’t have enough art, make it. These days, people think fandom exists for just creating content!

If you are a passive fan then behave like one. No one owns you shit, and using words like “misogyny” and “comphet” will not help your cause. And this obsession with numbers! The AO3 site works on how you use your brains to find the fic you want to read. Suck it up. There is no pot of gold sitting for the shippers at the end of topping these rainbow stats.

There is so much mutual clowning that happens outside the AO3 website and Twitter spaces too! People have Discord channels, Facebook groups, events, zines, and Instagram broadcasting channels to share their love for their fandoms and ships.

Yet here we are, people obsessed with AO3 stats.

And when people are willing to create new things for their respective fandoms, there is a dearth of interaction. A plant can grow from the cracks of the concrete, but it will need sunlight, water, and nutrition to blossom flowers. For fandom creators be it wlw or mlm or gen creators; positive and supportive interactions are their light, water and soil.

How can you expect to be fed but not reciprocate in return? If you don’t do the bare minimum of hyping your creators, what's the point of being in a fandom? Why will someone put their labour out there if all they get is endless negativity? One of my favourite fic writers entirely stopped writing for the wlw community of her fandom because of negative interactions and hateful campaigns. This is one of the main reasons many writers quit wlw spaces and abandon writing or creating anything!

I remember when I was publishing My Little Husband on ffnt more than a decade back. I had readers "who couldn’t write well" according to themselves, who often gave me prompts and scenes to add to the story. They also helped me correct my typos, plot holes and syntax because I was a very young and inexperienced writer writing something very ambitious. It was one of the best and most positive experiences of my life because the story was truly an interactive experience! That first encounter has shaped me as a fic writer today.

That’s why I love the current culture of Threadfics! They are so much fun! Fic writers who have a bone for an idea but not enough meat throw it at us the readers. And then all of us rush to it like a pack of hyenas but pull a reverse hunting by adding in the meat to this bone and creating something fun and weird.

Instead, of using the fandom space as a positive and creatively enriching place, so many of you have driven away people with negativity. And it's not just about wlw shippers any more, it's a comment on the entire fandom atmosphere post-pandemic!

Some of you want a seven-course meal catering to your 3-star Michelin appetites from the home kitchen of a hobby cook! This is not how it works!

P.S.: If you want to read: My Little Husband, here is the slightly cleaner version on ao3.