#now posted to ao3 also for archive reasons etc

[bizarrelittlemew]

going down (with the ship)

[ explicit, s1e4 canon-divergent, Ed/Stede, ao3 ]

"It's September 1st, boss." "What's that, mate?" "It's September the 1st." "Dickfuck, no it's not."

Turns out it is. Dickfucking damnit.

And now Ed is lying spread out on the sofa in the captain's cabin, drinking brandy straight from the bottle and waiting for the sea to take him. At least it's some damn smooth brandy. All things considered, not the worst thing to be the last thing to taste on this Earth.

Unless—

Well. Ever since seeing him naked when they switched clothes earlier, Ed had kinda started to hope that he'd get a taste of Stede Bonnet at some point. Hadn't planned on bringing it up this early, though. He hasn't even had time to plan how he'd go about that. And he likes a good plan.

But plans have already betrayed him tonight, and if they're going down with the ship anyway, what's the harm in asking?

Now he just needs a smooth opener.

"Have you ever tried fellatio?"

Or, like, dive right in.

Stede looks up. Looks somewhere between surprised, bemused, and curious, but not horrified. That's something.

"You mean sucking dick?"

"Whuh—" Ed nearly chokes on that, like he'd like to choke on—anyway, he clears his throat. Did not expect that from this fancy man. Promising, though. "I mean, yeah. Yep. Or like, getting your dick sucked."

"Can't say I have, no. Unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?"

"Unfortunately."

They let that hang in the air for a bit, just looking at each other.

"Well... uhm. Do you wanna?" Real smooth, Teach.

Stede's lips curl into a slightly nervous but mostly excited smile.

"I guess there's no time like the present."

"Not much time at all, mate."

And the nervousness completely dissipates, replaced by sheer eagerness as Stede nearly trips over himself in his haste to get out of his arm chair, falls to the floor, walks on his knees to Ed's side, and starts unbuttoning the fall front on his breeches before Ed can catch up to what is happening.

"Wow, hey, I meant—you know what, never mind." Ed is not going to protest if Stede really wants to suck his dick, even if he imagined it the other way around, and damn, it seems that Stede really, really wants to suck his dick. He wonders if all fancy, rich lads are this hungry for cock. Maybe that's why they're like that.

Maybe not. Ed gets a feeling that Stede is different.

Different from anyone else who has ever touched Ed's dick before, too, and oh god, Stede is touching—licking his dick, sucking the head into his mouth and moaning, going at it as if Ed's cock contains the secret that might save them all if only Stede can suck it out.

Ed groans and buries his fingers into Stede's hair just as he starts bobbing his head, making up for any lack of finesse with pure enthusiasm, and okay, Ed is more than a bit bitter about this being his last night alive, because if this is Stede's baseline, Ed would've liked to be along for the ride while Stede developed his skill to its full potential.

Too bad that it will all be ending too soon—their lives, and the glorious experience of stuffing Stede's face full of his cock, because the way Stede closes his eyes and sucks around him is rapidly drawing Ed closer to the edge.

He only just manages to warn Stede before he comes, tries tugging at his hair to let him know he might want to pull off, but Stede just hums with encouragement and takes him deeper.

If this is to be his last orgasm, he might have found peace with his fate.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Ed slumps, staring up at the ceiling, then takes a swig of the bottle still in the hand he isn't using to pet Stede's head. He is just about ready for the sea to swallow him up like Stede just swallowed him down.

And yet.

Ed got a good look at Stede's equipment earlier, and he's still determined to get the close-up experience. Also, there is a sizeable bulge at the front of Stede's—Ed's—pants, and if Stede comes in his leathers, it will sort of suck to clean them up later. In case there is a 'later', if they somehow miraculously escape this.

"Alright, c'mere." Ed pats his chest.

"What?"

"Come up here, fuck my face."

"Are you—what?" Stede looks like one big question mark, but despite that, he is already climbing onto the sofa above Ed, knees on either side of his shoulders.

"C'mon, we don't have much time."

Stede opens the fall front, letting his cock spring free. Ed licks his lips.

"Maybe I can choke to death on cock before the Spanish get me."

"Let's try to avoid that, shall we?"

Ed is not sure he agrees, and shows it by grabbing Stede's hips and shoving him forward, taking in as much as he can of it in one go, which turns out to be half of it. Stede's yelp turns into a groan, and he quickly gets the picture, soon thrusting into Ed's mouth with rough abandon. He turns out to be even more of a natural at face-fucking than cock-sucking.

Yup, this is a much better last thing to taste (and fill his throat). Only surpassed by the last last thing, the taste of Stede as he coats his tongue with come. Ed doesn't even get emotional over the sweet things Stede babbles as he comes, all while stroking Ed's cheek with his thumb.

Okay, maybe he gets a little emotional. Mostly sad that he doesn't have time to do this, like, five hundred times more. At least.

As Stede sits heavily on Ed's chest, catching his breath, still mumbling something, Ed blinks and turns his head to the side. Catches sight of the thing Stede had been sitting with in the chair, the thing he dropped in his rush to get on his knees by Ed's side.

"What's that painting?"

[bamsara]

Why did you start writing? From what I can tell you put a lot of passion into the works you make, where did it all start for the lovely stories you make now?

Wayyyy earlier when I was 9-10ish, and even at that age I was writing a lot, with just pencil and notebook paper. I know I have written earlier than that, but I have no evidence of it.

I filled up an entire 3inch binder with an entirely hand written story about a girl who lives who her grandma and has a dog named Trout, almost dies in tornado at school and finds out the tornado as a sentient being that was trying to kill her because she has some connection to a random dude that can control the weather, and a elegant queen lady who controls ice that basically adopts her and turns her into a scout to find other people who have elemental powers. She doesn't have any herself, but for some reason she can tell who does, and then can steal it. I still have that binder in my closet. Would not recommend reading it though lmao

I started publishing my writing online, fanfiction specifically, when I was 11ish and totally not supposed to be online yet. My first fanfic I wrote and published was for Soul Eater, and that account and those stories are still up to this day. (cringe warning for the exact kind of thing you would expect an 10-11 year old to write) I actually had two fanfic.net accounts, this one where I wrote L4D stuff too.

I switched from fanfic.net to Wattpad after I got into FNAF and wrote a bunch of Fnaf stuff from an AU I had in 2015, and that AU is what led me to making a tumblr account that year, mainly to post my art for my stories. (I had always been drawing, too, but I didn't start posting that until wattpad)

And then I switched to AO3 around 2018 and my stories have been there since. I have, quite literally, been writing for nearly 15 years, with pretty much all of my work well-documented online since I started.

I hate my older works from when I was a teen/kid, and even work from just a few years back, and even removed them at some point, but decided to keep them up for archival purposes. Especially since you can kinda see how my writing style has changed, my standards in writing like the wordcount going from 80k at 11yrs old to 200k something for my long fics, my viewpoints and beliefs, etc etc. I am also very...picky about the stories I read, so if I cannot find what I want, I will make it myself.

Writing is absolutely the best and most practiced coping mechanism I've had since forever. I will write even if I do not have any readers. I still write things that I do not post online, so overtime what was something I deeply enjoyed as a hobby and an outlet to process difficult and low parts of my life becoming something enjoyable to other people is kind of wild to me, still.

And I'll continue to do it even if one day this account explodes or something. When I said 'Writing and creating art is the only thing keeping me sane' I was not trying to be quirky /lighthearted. I'll dedicate entire days to writing chapters in a row.

But yeah I've been writing for a long while, I'm glad you guys really like it! Look at my cats

[elexuscal]

The "Top" fics in fandom are not the "Best"

I've seen a couple of posts here in there implying that the ways to find the best fics in fandoms are just to go to ao3, and sort by 'Most Kudoses', 'Most Bookmarks', 'Most Comments', etc. I've also seen some folks say they feel like their fics are failures if they don't make it to the front page(s), or at least near there.

But the simple fact: this is not true.

Now, I'm not saying that the top-rated fics in a fandom are bad.

Far from it! They're often very popular for a reason. Well written, fun dynamics, cool plots, etc. A lot of my own favourite fics have made it to the first page when you sort by "Most Kudos"-- but then, a lot of mine also haven't.

Why?

Because those selections are inherently biased.

What do I mean by that? Just that there are other factors influencing what stories accumulate the most comments/kudoses/etc in a fandom, meaning none of these serve as a neutral metric of quality.

I'm going to explain some of these biases briefly, just so folks get a sense of what I mean:

Age Bias This, I think, is the easiest to grasp. A fic that is three years old just has had more time to gain views than a fic that's three days old. Also, consider that pretty much any fandom needs time to grow. If you're in the first days/weeks/months of a fandom, there probably just isn't that much content being made. If there's only 10 fics on the archive, then 11th one stands out. It'll get a lot of attention. But if that same fic were to come out a couple years later, when there were 11 fics published in a single day, well, people are more likely to miss it. If you doubt me, take a look at the front page of 'Most Kudos' for a fandom of your choice. You'll probably see a lot of the stories there are on the older side- and this is exactly why.

Multi-Chapter Bias There are a lot of ways people find new fics to read, and one of the most basic is just: look at the front page of the most recent updates. Now, this way of sorting fics is exactly what it sounds like. A list of fics in order of when they were most recently posted/updated. But, obviously, if a fic has multiple chapters, it's going to appear on that front page way more often. A 50 chapter epic has 49 more chances to get seen this way than a one-shot. This issue becomes even more intense when you consider the Most Comments sort option. For a one shot, a person is probably likely to only comment once. Maybe if they really love the story and revisit, they'll leave a second or third. But multi-factor fics? By design, people come back every update. And that means a lot of people leave comments every single time. (Or at the very least, after big plot developments and twists!) This is what leads to long-running multi-chapter epics dominating the 'Most Comments' rankings in most fandoms.

Popular Pairing Bias Again, this is just obvious. Some pairings are more popular than others. A rare-pair fic can be just as soulful, hot, and well-written as a story featuring the fandom's powerhouse fic, but if only 30 people are interested, well... [shrug] Less people will click on it, kudos it, and leave a comment. To a lesser extent, you can expand this to any trope. 'Coffee Shop AUs' just seem to be more popular than, say, '1930s Mobster AUs'. That effects what tags people search, and what fics they find. But shipping is such an important element of many fandom cultures I thought it would be the most illustrative.

Positive Feedback Loop Bias And honestly, this is maybe the real clincher. Because I've established some of the things that can cause a story to start gathering lots of kudos, comments, and bookmarks in a first place. But once that starts, you get a positive feedback loop going. Because what's one of the first things a person does when they're looking for good stories in a fandom? They sort by 'Most Kudos'. And then they select the first story on the list, and they like it. So they leave a comment and kudos and... Yeaaaah.

So... What do we do about it?

Well. Nothing really. This isn't really a problem. It's just something to be aware of.

Any attempt to put metrics on something as subjective as art is going to fall short. So don't go rating the quality of your own stories about how well it performs, and don't go chasing those coveted top spots. You'll have a lot more fun if you just write stuff that you enjoy, make some friends, and recognise a lot of factors influence fanfic statistics beyond just quality.

Searching via most comments/kudoses/bookmarks remains one of the easiest and quickest ways to start diving into a new fandom. It's often the first things I do, and found stories I love that way.

That said: I highly encourage you to search for fics beyond just that method. Here are some of my suggestions if you want to figure out ways to get started:

Search up Fanfic Rec Lists. Lots of people put them on their blogs, and websites like TVTropes even have that as a whole feature

Ask for fic recs! Seriously! Post about it in the fandom's tumblr tag, join Discord communities, etc, and just say, "Hey, I'd love to read a story where... [insert the general themes, characters, or plot points you like". People will be EXCITED to share.

Search by specific tags Like, do you really, really love time loops? Search the 'Time Loop' tag in your favourite fandoms. A lot of specific tropes, AUs, etc. are canonized, so you can find a lot of stuff up your alley that way

Browse the most recently updated fics Yeah, I know, it's old school. But seriously, you can find some awesome stuff there-- including stories from new authors just starting out, who could really use a boost!

And hey... if you find some stories you like... Consider writing some fic recommendation lists of your own. Spread the love!

[an-indecisive-nerd]

Alright so for some reason the world y'all were most interested in... was Earth???

Don't get me wrong, I'm actually pretty happy about it. Getting to talk about how my world differs from our Earth is pretty fun. It's also the most developed of the worlds (since I didn’t technically have to do anything), so it's the easiest for me to talk about.

So, history and culture were tied for the subject most people wanted me to talk about, so we'll start with history.

As far as world history goes, like the stuff you'd learn in class, not much differs other than the fact that I added a war that started in 1786 and ended around 1793.

Why did I add a war there?

Vibes mostly.

Also because I'm ever so slightly illiterate.

Anyway, that's it for the known/common history, now on to the stuff you have to be some brand of special to learn about.

Let's start with why Earth was created.

Little bit of background that I've mentioned but not gone into detail about: Each world was created by a specific god. The other gods helped, but the concept and breath of life that went into the world belongs to one god and one god alone.

Earth was created by Darkness. It was created shortly after Eorianor was destroyed. Ordinarily Darkness would have been last in line to create a new world, but since Eorianor was created by Sun, and Darkness is seen as Sun's opposite (shocker), it seemed natural that he try. Because obviously Eorianor didn't go well.

In actuality Eorianor was not at all Sun's fault, and Darkness and Sun are quite similar, at least personality wise. Their perceived differences were enough to reassure people that things will go better this time though, so they went with it.

Now then, last but not least, the history of the Order of the Universe, the group that's mainly being focused on on earth.

The Order of the Universe was created by Melantha Tollemache when the gods asked her to get them more followers on Earth. (The reason they didn't have many will be mentioned in the religion post for earth)

So Mel created the Order of the Universe, also known simply as the Order. It's pretty much a cult, but don't tell her that (she gets it enough from her little sister).

I'll admit I'm still a little hazy on my timelines, but the Order began sometime in the 1810-20s, and has slowly grown since then. It's founder drops by every few decades or so to check in, take over again, stamp out any corruption, make important adjustments, etc. But over all it's pretty self sufficient.

Nowadays the Order of the Universe exists as a town with a population of 8,577. It rests on the edge of a forest in the middle of nowhere. It's a very peaceful town, you wouldn't know it's in the middle of a war by looking at it.

Did I say war? It seems I did.

The Order is currently engaged in a war against the Organization. The town is their safe haven, a place the Organization can't reach.

Yet.

@thelovelymachinery @unforgettable-sensations @littleladymab @megamijadeheart @my-bright-legacy

@ominous-feychild @thecomfywriter @wyked-ao3 @anamelessfacelessnerd @differentnighttale

@mysticstarlightduck @leahnardo-da-veggie @the-letterbox-archives @paeliae-occasionally @tr4sh-p4nd4-404

@lovey-dovey-wovey @sidon0isnt0here @damonk13 @aalinaaaaaa @sm-writes-chaos

[deityoftherain]

post-concert highs - Gem and the Scotts Fanfic

Rating: Gen

Relationship: Gen

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Status: Completed Oneshot

Word Count: 1,436

Summary: Gem and the Scotts recently finished performing at a concert. They are just vibing as friends after it. That's it. That's the fic.

Full fanfic underneath the cut! Please reblog, leave kudos on the AO3 fic slash notes/likes here on Tumblr, comment either place, and etc if you enjoy the story :D

Sweat dripped off Gem’s face, down her arms, and soaked her clothing. Working under the heat of the spotlights for an hour and a half would do that to anyone. She was sure she smelled and that her clothes would need to be run through the washing machine twice but these shows always felt so exhilarating that she couldn’t dwell on the discomfort for long.

“Woo!” Impulse enthusiastically threw his hands up in the air once they entered the room. They had recently finished performing and talking to fans at a meet and greet. “Fantastic job, everyone! That was great!”

“I’ll never get over this high.” Scott looked exhausted but the grin on his face was wide. He bent over to grab a few water bottles from the flat for himself and his bandmates. When he turned back to them, he called out, “Hey, catch!” The first bottle was tossed to Impulse, who caught it with ease. Gem was thrown the next one. She had to reach a bit to be able to catch it before it hit something other than her hands but she did manage it. Scott and Impulse both cheered for her.

“It’s so cool that they love our music.” Gem felt pride build in her chest. They had released their first album “Cherry Blossoms” and they were overwhelmed with love and support. Gem wasn’t sure how so many people discovered their little band from the middle of nowhere online but she was not going to complain. Impulse had always been the one to handle their @gemandthescotts social media accounts and then the label whom they now work under. He would be the one to know all of the behind-the-scenes work on that front. Maybe she should ask him in-depth about it one day. “I wasn’t sure if we would’ve ever gotten out of my mom’s garage.”

“I knew we would.” Scott leaned forward to grab one of the towels sitting on the coffee table. He used it to help some of the sweat drifting off of him but he made sure not to touch his eye makeup. The blue would mark the white towel easily, seeing how much sweat would combine with it. “We did win our town’s Battle of the Bands three years in a row.”

“We also sucked for a long time though.” Impulse chuckled as he thought back to when they were still learning and finding their sound. “Your mom tried to be polite but I think we are the real reason she soundproofed the garage when we were ten.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Gem snorted at that. “She did always die on the inside when I said Scott was coming over.”

“Which one?” Scott asked, greatly amused at Gem’s words. Her mom had always been great to all three of them and they all loved her but they did like to joke around about being her annoying children. “Impulse Scott or me Scott?” “Both, duh. Mom would live in fear, never knowing which Scott was coming to haunt her doorstep!” Gem put on her best ghostly voice, even adding little ghost “oooo”ing noises at the end.

“She must have been so relieved when we started calling Impulse by a nickname.” Scott shifted his gaze to Impulse, a sly look in his eyes. “That way she could remember that Impulse was the one bad at the drums.” Impulse gasped, returning Scott’s sly expression with a flabbergasted one. “What do you mean? Are you saying I haven’t always been this perfect? I will let you know that my rhythm has been impeccable since I first held a pair of drumsticks.” “I could say I would pay to experience that again but I value being able to hear too much so I will have to graciously decline.” Scott continued to tease his friend, which just made Impulse gasp dramatically again.

Their lighthearted quips went back and forth for several moments. Gem just smiled lazily at them, taking sips of her water as she listened. She was grateful to have her closest friends as her bandmates. “You both are idiots.”

“How am I an idiot when I am supposed to be the smart Scott?” Impulse’s attention turned to her for a moment before shifting to side-eye Scott. “That guy though… hmm…” “Oh, shove off.” Scott tossed the now-empty water bottle at Impulse. It managed to hit his knee but it didn’t do anything more than make a few little crinkly sounds.

“I don’t know why we’re even friends.”  Impulse wiped several non-existent tears from his eyes. “You’re so mean to me.”

“You love me.” Scott blew him a kiss in response. Impulse grabbed the blown kiss from the air and placed it on his cheek. “Hey, where is my kiss?” Gem scrunched her nose at them, a false hurt written all over her face. “Last I heard, it’s ‘Gem and the Scotts’, not ‘Dumb and Dumber’! Don’t I deserve some love too?”

Impulse and Scott shared brief eye contact, mischief radiating off of them now. Oh no. What did she manage to spur both of them on about at the same time? Did all guys named Scott have a telepathic link that she didn’t know about?

Next thing she knew, Scott had plopped down to her right and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Impulse came in on the other side soon after.

“Hey!” Gem squeaked at their sudden attack. “Gross, I can feel your sweat. I said a kiss! I did not say ‘Everyone, jump on Gem!’” “We’re all sweaty already so it’s all good!” Impulse’s yellow face paint smudged against the black side of her shirt. The yellow side would have faded in more but she knew they would get cleaned enough to get the stain out.

“It can be both,” Scott responded at the same time as Impulse. He placed a quick kiss on her cheek and Gem just laughed at both of them.

“Okay, okay! You win!” Gem spread herself out as a way to nudge them off of her. She wasn’t mad at them but she did require to have her space again. “Off now, please. I am already hot enough without you two breathing on me.”

They complied instantly, getting off of both her and the couch she was sitting on. All three of them were laughing to the point it was a struggle to breathe. Their bodies were reacting to their little exchange, the adrenaline from the show, and the exhaustion they all felt weighing on them. Impulse was even doubling over and Scott had his head thrown back as they did so.

“I need to take a shower, change into something soft, and then pass out as soon as I’m under the covers.” Scott yawned loudly, putting his hand over his mouth as if to cover it.

“I need to take a shower and such too.” Impulse agreed with Scott’s plan of action. “Probably before the post-concert energy wears off.”

Gem groaned, leaning her head back against the couch. “I think it’s already worn off for me.”

“This is just an excuse for a sleepover.” Scott slid off his transparent, blue coat before tossing it on the back of the couch. “We will just do the sleeping part a little earlier than usual.”

“Ooo, yes!” Impulse lit up at Scott’s suggestion. “Gem, would you do us, the Scotts, the honor of having a sleepover in your room?” “You two act like we don’t have sleepovers almost every night.” Gem rolled her eyes affectionately. Everything was an excuse for a sleepover with these two. The question wasn’t if they were going to, because they usually were. It was more of debating if they were going to sleep early or if they were going to do whatever various activities they wanted to before sleeping. “Honestly, you two are so clingy.”

“Maybe,” Scott shrugged a shoulder with a cheeky smile on his face, “but you love us.”

“That’s debatable.” She stretched her arms up with a yawn, joints popping as she did so. Gem breathed out a soft sigh of relief as some of the tension left her. She did feel a little bit better but her body was still sore.

“Hey, you don’t mean that!” Impulse gave her the worst fake pout she had ever seen.

“Mhm, fine. I love you both.” Gem reassured them with a content smile. A happy buzz sent sparkling sensations throughout her body. One of her childhood dreams was becoming her reality and she was doing it with two people she cared deeply for. Nothing could be better than this.

[just-zander]

Next

Nearly four years ago, I had a plan to draw a Treasure Planet and Breath of the Wild crossover comic, combining two of my favorite universes. I'd been daydreaming a plot for 6 months by the time I started to actually write down and organize the story, and then I wrote for another 6 months before I ever shared the first chapter on AO3.

I kept promising here that I would start drawing it, but then I gave in to imposter syndrome and convinced myself that I couldn't do it; the story was too big, I wasn't a good enough artist, people wouldn't even read it, etc etc.

Well... I wrote it and posted the story. It wasn't the best story I've ever written, but it was mine and I loved it and even if no one read it, I at least could say that I did it and that was something to be proud of. Even if I didn't draw it, it was still done and I thought that would be the end of my fanfict career.

The funny thing is, I made a friend who loved my story and urged me to keep writing and who said I inspired then to begin writing again. I was blown away. Ngl, I cried. I never thought of my writing as inspiring or worth reading, and here someone was telling me that I gave them a reason to be creative again.

We wrote a story together.

And then another.

And another.

Dozens of stories written and shared and now I finally feel confident enough to share my art.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I'm still nervous about messing this up, even though it scares me to put my art out there, even though I don't think my art is worthy of a comic, I'm doing this and I'm going to see it through.

So thank you for checking this out.

Note:

I've linked the original story below, but I'm currently in the process of rewriting it, so the plot will vary and will pull from both new and original versions.

The cover is also based on the cover art for BotW, with Treasure Planet aspects tied into it to bring them together.

Lastly, everything is over on AO3 as well, including all tags giving warnings for what's to come. There are adult themes, but nothing explicitly NSFW will be included in the comic.

Updates are every Tuesday. Early access on Patreon (link to come soon).

Finally,

Happy 21st anniversary Treasure Planet! ❤️

[unforth]

I started to write this as a reply to @vex-verlain but realized it should be it's own post.

To be clear, this is about @end-otw-racism and why I support this movement (even if I don't agree with all their proposals).

I am profoundly anti-censorship. It has been one of my biggest personal issues my entire adult life. I will absolutely defend the speech rights even of people I think are utterly reprehensible, even the rights of people who want me and my family dead. I think their speech has a right to exist, full stop.

But.

Being anti-censorship in no way means being anti-moderation. I often see people who are pro-ship, anti-anti, or "too old to use a name for telling yall you're clowning" say that AO3 is supposed to be a safe space for WRITERS, not READERS, and that to me is one of the big ways that the current harassment and moderation policies are badly failing writers of color. There's no way to 100% protect all writers, period, on AO3, and to me it seems like a no-brainer that if the goal is "protect all speech, avoid all censorship, minimize harm to real people," the only way to accomplish all those goals it to have a really robust, well-moderated system that prioritizes reducing harassment - ALL harassment - without looking the other way on certain topics just because they're harder and thornier to sort through. A way to section the groups that are oil and water away from each other, through blocking, powerful filters, comment options, etc (some strategies we do have now, btw! They HAVE been adding functionality in this direction, but it's clearly not enough.)

Currently, protecting people who write bigoted shit is causing active harm to fans of color. We see the impacts of this harm constantly; I personally have seen many, many Chinese and Chinese diaspora fans driven out of white danmei fandom circles for all sorts of reasons, and if yall are in fandoms that often have bipoc in them I'm sure you've seen the same (and if you are in a fandom that doesn't have many bipoc it might be wise to take a moment and consider why it doesn't.)

I just really want more people to take a step back and ask themselves why they think an anti-censorship position necessitates an anti-moderation stance, and also why they think being pro-moderation is the same as being pro-censorship.

I defend the rights of bigoted shit to exist.

What I don't defend is the right of the people who create that stuff to weaponize it against vulnerable people.

Regarding AO3, I personally support a solution that involves some way of sectioning off the bigoted shit. I'm not sure exactly how that would work but I think some kind of major archive warning is a solid start. Also maybe a way of flagging authors who are frequent offenders. And to be clear...it's not my job or responsibility to know exactly how to accomplish this. I'm no expert. That's why I'm supporting a movement that explicitly says AO3/OTW SHOULD HIRE AN EXPERT. And I know it would be expensive...and I know many, many of us would donate to a funds drive to raise the money to cover that expense.

I've seen too many friends get profoundly hurt, and I'm so tired of (overwhelmingly white) fandom circles pearl clutching over this not being an issue, that the real problem is that this will lead to censorship of (checks notes) Nazi shit, spitefic, and the other dregs of fanfiction (which, again, has a right to exist! But God why are so many of y'all favoring IT over ALL THE FIC THAT WILL NOW NEVER EXIST BECAUSE BIPOC GET BULLIED OUT OF WRITING IT.)

It's clearly an issue.

And we have to speak up and demand better or it will continue to be an issue.

Please, please listen to the bipoc who've managed to not be driven out of fandom and understand that *things need to change,* which means, for us white folks:

1. A lot of listening to the people who've been harmed

2. Using our voices to amplify theirs

3. Standing up to bigotry we see in our fandom communities

4. Shutting up when they ask us to shut up

5. Checking our own behavior and doing our best not to be part of the problem, and, if and when we go awry, owning it with maturity and apologizing and doing our best to make amends and not repeat our mistakes

...and probably more but those are the first things to come to mind.

Please stop siding with people who've decided they are entitled to spew vile shit, stop prioritizing their writerly protection over the safety of equally valid writers who also deserve protection and are being targeted and hurt. All you do by siding with the assholes is amplify their voices while silencing bipoc and create a space that protects bigots. Is that REALLY the hill you want to fight on?

None of us know it all. We can all learn to do better. I'm personally here to learn, and listen, and improve.

And I'm here to shout from the rooftops that we can be anti-censorship and pro-moderation.

I am, and you should be too.

[fandom-trash-goblin]

relevant links!

daily clicks for palestine

donate to feed refugees in rafah

spreadsheet of gofundmes to evacuate families

fundraiser for esims for gaza

orgs to donate to

if you still feel hesitant about where to donate, consider donating to Mohammed Alanqer, husband to Enas Majed and father to 4 children, one of them newborn.

As of 24/9/24, they've reached €60,268 raised of €70,000 goal. they're very close!!

NOW, onto other things->

HI, I go by Isaac! Welcome to fandom-trash-goblin, where i do my best to tag stuff. You'll find many, many, many fandoms here <3. Including, but not limited to SVSSS, MDZS, ORV, other Danmei, some random books i'm reading, BBC Merlin, ASOIAF, HOTD and tonnes of other fandoms that come on my dashboard, i really can't recall.

Tell me if you need something tagged, usually i tag triggering stuff like sexual abuse, rape, child abuse etc. I don't believe in censoring these words, sorry. FORMAT-> #tw (stuff to be warned for)

If you're having a not so nice day, check out #advice for a bad day. people on tumblr can be really wise sometimes. somewhere between ao3 worship and slash shipping.

Few other of my favourite tags here -> 1. #lovely stuff, #funny stuff 2. #stories 3. #fave 4. #tumblr ; #how to tumblr ; #tumblr archive 5. #internet; #firefox; #tech stuff.

Here, I should tell you that you will come across posts that preach about our lord and saviour Firefox. I am a firm believer.

I have a tendency to like, and put reblog posts in my queue, so unless you have a message declaring not to do so on your blog, you will find me in your notifications, most of which will be queued instead of immediately reblogged unless there's like a poll, or fundraiser and the like.

As a rule, I don't reblog personal posts unless they've got more than 25 notes, and if i really, really need to, I'll send an ask or a message. After 25 notes, it's free game.

Still, feel free to tell me not to browse further, and also if you want me to delete any posts, i promise to do so if it's reasonable.

I also immediately follow any/all gimmick blogs, people with interesting (fandom or otherwise) URLs, and also people who comprehensively tag everything, which is how i find blogs and posts I'd never come across otherwise.

Adding to that i follow people who have pretty tags and cool commentary!

Again, feel free to reach out to me and ask me not to, because i often don't see DNIs in a spree.

If you're here for the webweaves, check out the tag #*mine: graphics. I don't post them often, but eh.

If you're here from AO3, go to @yitzvah, it's where you'll get update if any !!!

LAYOUT: ICON Credit to @/nemfrog, on this post, and Header Credit to @/girasois, from this post

BIGOTS, RACISTS, SUPREMACISTS, XENOPHOBES, (Gender/Sex)-PHOBES really not welcome. Feel free to turn back, and especially don't tag/comment your rhetoric on posts reblogged/written by me, I WILL AND I ALREADY HAVE BLOCKED & REPORTED SEVERAL PEOPLE.

cheers, have a nice day <3

[thelaurenshippen]

I'm just a starting writer, I did a little nanowrimo this year and wrote 39k words about a vampire gamer, I've always been a vampire girl, but here's the thing I don't know what to do with it.

Currently I'm unemployed for a variety of reasons but I'm lucky enough to have a partner who has a salary that can support us both.

But also I love writing, all my life I just wanted to write and being unemployed this year during nano gave me the opportunity to try and do that.

And now I'm curious is there a way to get paid to be a writer? Not as a marketing copy writer but a fiction writer, or essayist?

So what does one do?

Should I just publish whatever I wrote on a blog and put up a donation button?

Should I just publish on Tumblr?

Should I do it on AO3/Wattpad?

I'm at a loss.

I also don't have social media only use Tumblr and a little BlueSky after twitter exploded, and I really don't want to go and "build an audience on TikTok and booktok" (please gods no).

ah, yes, the eternal question: "how do I make money as a writer?"

I wish I had a good answer. I wish I had any answer. and I would love for other writers on here to chime in with their perspectives, because I am constantly struggling to answer this question for myself!

to answer the specific questions first: there are websites that post jobs for writing gigs - fiction, essays, etc. the one I'm most familiar with is upwork, though I've never gotten a job myself through there so can't speak to the experience. I will say that writing jobs tend to be in high demand and writing in general can be quite competitive, so working on your resume and improving your craft is an important thing to do whether you're just starting out or have been writing professionally for years.

self-publishing is absolutely an option! if you do, I would recommend getting a beta reader (or just a few friends) to read through your manuscript before you publish - it's always good to get feedback and to get other eyes on your work, no matter how complete or polished, for typos/grammar/formatting/etc. I'd also recommend reading about the best ways to self-publish - again, I can't personally speak to this as my three novels were traditionally published, but I know that folks publish through Amazon a lot and there certainly have been successfully novels (and especially graphic novels!) that have started out as blog posts/blogs. I don't recommend publishing an original story to ao3 or Wattpad if you're hoping to make money (if you're publishing for fun, go for it!) - ao3, my beloved, is an archive and therefore does not allow you to link to any kind of patreon/kofi/etc., so can be difficult to monetize. I'm less familiar with Wattpad, but I do know that they are actively trying to get into the publishing game themselves and sometimes pluck stories from their site to bring up to trad publishing, which I've heard can be....a mixed bag.

but there are a lot of authors on here and on their personal websites writing about self-publishing, so there's definitely better info out there about how to do it and how lucrative it can be!

a very good rule for self-publishing imo - whether that's through a site like amazon, your own blog, a podcast, a webcomic, whatever - is always give people the option to pay you. so, yes, put that donation button up. it doesn't matter if no one has read or listened to your thing yet, just making sure the option is there from the start is a good thing!

that's about the extent of the straightforward answer I can give you. if I were to give you a step-by-step guide of how I got to a place where most of my income comes from fiction writing, it would look like this:

write your own fiction podcast, get some actors from acting class to come over to your apartment and record for free, and produce the whole thing yourself

publish said podcast and then spend the next 2 years spending as much time on social media, at conventions, conferences - anywhere there are fiction podcast fans and creators - as you can talking about your show, all while writing and producing the show for free

get lucky and have the show take off. start to get some ad money that allows you to pay your collaborators. watch the show get better as a result. see the show take off even more. keep grinding away at social media

get a cold email from a book agent who wants to talk to you. convince that book agent to represent the YA novel you want to write in the world of your podcast

expend whatever leftover energy you have on ensuring that when people think of fiction podcasting, they think of you, even if other names are coming first. be everywhere. talk to everyone. keep grinding away at social media.

get a cold email from a fiction producer in England who wants you to write on his show. convince him to let you co-showrun it with him.

use your growing network of audio friends to get an agent and manager. use those people to get a pitch to marvel. convince marvel to let you write a podcast for them.

finally quit your day job, after doing 4 seasons of a successful podcast and selling spin-offs to a tech company, getting a 3-book deal with a major publisher, being hired to co-showrun a big budget mystery, and selling a show idea to marvel. then make all of those shows.

finish the podcast you started with, now seven seasons long. try to pitch out other ideas to all the people who wanted to buy that podcast off of you. watch them say no to anything new.

get lucky and sit next to a netflix exec at a dinner. convince her to let you write a stranger things show.

keep pitching. use the money from your other jobs to fund your indie shows. sell one show. lose another halfway through development. have your ideas optioned for television over and over and get used to hearing no's when you go out to pitch. produce and direct as much as you can to pay the bills. keep grinding away at social media.

????????

profit

that's obviously a simplification of my journey but I'm currently in that ???? stage. I don't say all of this to freak you - or anyone else - out. being a creative is hard. it gets easier in some ways and stays just as hard in others. I'm better at my job than I used to, so making shows is easier, but getting jobs and getting audience feels as hard as ever, even if I am several steps ahead than where I started. I thought I could build off the success of @thebrightsessions to make my other originals instant successes and that's just not how it works at all. you're building from the next step up after every success, not the top of the staircase.

but, like I said, I'm not trying to scare you - the thing that's positive in my weird crazy journey is the reality that there is no one right way to do something. there's a million different ways to make a creative career, especially in the age of the internet. which means that my advice to anyone who asks me how to start a career in audio fiction specifically is: just do it. don't wait for someone to give you a budget, don't try to cater to what you think the AD audience wants, just tell your story as you want to and get it out there. the best job application is being able to point to your own original work that's already garnered an audience.

I have no idea if that could as readily apply to prose writing/publishing. that is definitely beyond my knowledge base, but I'd say if you want to get a taste for what it's like to be a freelance creative, apply to jobs on upwork or similar sites, work on your original work, and find a platform that works for you on which you could potentially build an audience. and then get to know as many people as you can in your given field - I would not be where I am at all without folks like Gabriel Urbina, or Jeffrey Cranor, or Jenny Turner Hall. making friends in audio drama from the start who could recommend me for jobs - and being sure that I do the same now that I have more power - is vital. make friends with your peers (also bc they're great and you'll learn so much from them).

finally, I want to pass on advice that my uncles gave me when I was a teenager wanting to go to broadway--both of them work in musical theater (one conductor, one musical director, they are quite the power couple and my heroes) and when I was growing up, they told me "if you can think of anything else that will make you just as happy, do that instead". it sounds like harsh advice, but it's good advice. people don't pick creative careers because it's easy and stable--if there's anything else you're equally passionate about that could make you money and be more stable, there is absolutely nothing wrong in pursuing that and then writing for the love and joy of it, without the pressure of making a living. and that doesn't mean that that won't eventually lead to you being a successful full-time writer! but choosing to pursue writing full-time because it's what you want to do with your life is a very particular kind of path.

anyway, I've gone on way too long. I hope some of this was helpful - the last-last thing I'll say is that a) I obviously have a very limited perspective so nothing I say here is the be-all-end-all way of viewing things b) I had a very stable data entry job while I was making my first show that was very flexible and work-from-home (oh, to be able to get that job back now...since the pandemic, those types of jobs are obviously in high demand) and c) I got lucky. luck and timing are, unfortunately, a huge part of success in creative careers. if anyone tries to sell you on the idea that there's a guaranteed path to success that you can control if you work hard enough, they are lying to you and probably want you to buy something.

finally-finally, a vampire gamer story sounds so fun!! I love that idea!

[lofisteddie]

Submissions Open - Lo-Fi Steddie Zine Project

Link to Submissions

About this Project

The goal of this project is more to collect than to create. 

One of the ways I got so into Steddie was through engaging with community online through Twitter and Tumblr. But even though the internet is forever, some ideas get lost. 

The goal of this zine to collect snippets of Steddie fanlore and preserve it in zine form for future enjoyment. 

The current open categories for works are:

Canon Threads

Alternate Universes

Omegaverse

BDSM

Contribute vs. Create

As stated about the goal of this is to collect not create. 

What that means is that all content submitted should already be published on your timeline. This is for two reasons:

As creators of fic, drabbles, threads, and art, we don't need another project to do

Keep the project cost low - basically the cost of printing and postage. 

Creators deserve to be compensated so their work so this zine is entirely voluntary and a labor of love. I will not be taking tweets and Tumblr posts from anyone that did not give permission.

What Can I Contribute?

For all zines the following items can be contributed:

Tweets and Twitter threads

Tumblr posts

Discord screengrabs

The parameters for the first zines are as follows:

Canon Threads

Anything and everything as long as it fits within the following "canon" - (1) Everyone lives and nobody dies ala pre-vol 2; (2) Steve and Eddie are aware of each others existence; and (3) No alternate universes that aren't plausible within the Stranger Things universe as it stands. 

Examples of this include - characterizations, future plans, how they get together, upside down interactions, babysitting the kids, coping after the upside down, reunited in the future, etc. 

Alternate Universes

Any sort of AU that is outside of ST canon

Any sort of AU that isn't A/B/O

Omegaverse

Anything in the realm of omegaverse is fair game

BDSM

These boys are spicy and we are too! Submit all your bdsm headcanons, flagging theories, and top/bottom thoughts. 

If you aren't sure feel free to ask or submit whatever and see what sticks. 

Rating wise we're going to stick with the E rating on AO3, and there will be SFW and NSFW options for purchase if there is high demand. 

Please avoid DDDNE and Dark themes as the editor is a sensitive bean. Angst is fine.  

Submission Lengths

About 2500 words

This includes thread fics (that are about 15-20 tweets) and tumblr posts. 

If that thread went on to become a fic later in time, link it too so I can share that with readers.

All usernames will be kept on the contributing posts. You do not have to be active on twitter right now to submit, so archived and private tweets can be submitted, just allowed the @lofi_steddie account access.

Some examples of thread fics and headcanons are below

Example 1

Example 2

What Will It Look Like?

Lo-fi. Very lo-fi.

This is going to be me, taking screenshots of tweets and posts, gluing them on a page, and then copying it on a Xerox

It will not be in color. It will look DIY. 

If you want to contribute art it will also be black and white.

The goal is to keep costs low and color ink is pricey

Do Contributors Get Copies?

Yes! You'll be the first to get them. If you contribute I'll do my best to make them free to you. If you are outside of the US a PDF version will be made available. 

Interested in submitting? Go here

[sunnyrealist]

Chapter 71: Risk and Reward

The Sun, the Moon, and All Our Stars

Summary and Details…

Previous Chapter Recap/Context: Weeks ago, Sebastian was sent on a mission for the Kelpies, and it resulted in him obtaining a Time Turner for the dangerous gang. Rees Cuddy, their leader, told Sebastian that he would finally be initiated as a reward for guarding it until the Kelpies are ready to use it. Sebastian knew that he would do anything to prevent that from happening and that he had time to come up with a plan. He also decided, at that moment, not to inform the DMLE about the Time Turner, wondering if he should use it for his own purposes. In this chapter, Sebastian has a work day in the field as a double-agent for the Ministry. He is summoned to Rees Cuddy's private chambers, deep within the Kelpies base, to speak about the Time Turner again.

Pairing: 25-year-old, post-Azkaban Sebastian Sallow x 24-year-old Kate Mayflower (my OC), the assistant librarian at Hogwarts

Content warnings: In general, this story is rated 18+, so minors should not read or interact with this story. In this chapter, there is a very tense situation, worries about the safety of a loved one, fear of one's own death, thoughts about changing the past, hiding information from a loved one, etc.

The full chapter is available below the cut; it can also be found on AO3 (link is posted below). I truly appreciate any feedback.

Chapter 71: Risk and Reward

Sebastian surrenders his wand at the door, entering the innermost chamber of the Kelpies base. Rees Cuddy, the leader of the gang and the sole person in the room, gestures for him to sit down. Sebastian steels himself, unsure of the reason for his summons, and strides towards the empty plush velvet couch opposite Mr. Cuddy, who puts down his cigar to offer whiskey to his guest. Sebastian accepts it wordlessly, staring at his host. 

In his 50s, Rees is a large man, solid and muscular. His clothes are tailored to accentuate his physical prowess. Save for a hat, his head is completely bald, and he is clean shaven. Thick, dark eyebrows hover over sharp, deep brown eyes.

“Come now. Relax, Sallow,” Rees tells him. “I’m here to make an offer that will change your life - all for the better.” 

Sebastian blinks, attempting to keep a neutral face. Over the years, he has learned that, with the Kelpies, the less he opens his mouth, the better. 

“You’re a man of few words, aren’t you?” the gang leader notes.

In response, Sebastian nods, glancing at the whiskey that is now in his hand. He doesn’t drink it; instead, he places it on the table.

“I’ll get right to it, then,” Mr. Cuddy continues. “You’re the reason we have the Time Turner in our possession, and you’re the member we’ve assigned to guard it. I’d like to ask you to take it a step further. I’d like you to learn how to use it.” He leans forward. “Someone has to do it, and I believe you’re the man for the task.” He stands up, walking to the desk in the center of the room. He picks up three books, handing the stack to Sebastian. “You’ll read these tomes. Learn all you can about the theory of time, the potential mechanics of the Time Turner. And in two to three weeks’ time, we’ll begin to experiment. When it is perfected, the Kelpies will go back in time three decades and begin to infiltrate the Ministry.”

Sebastian’s heart rate increases, and he inhales sharply. He studies the face of the gang leader. “Of all of our members… why me?”

Rees smiles with sharp teeth and leans forward, his eyes narrowed, like that of an apex predator. “Several reasons. As much as we appreciate you securing the Time Turner, you’ve recently failed a mission. This shall make up for your mistake and put you back in our good graces prior to your official initiation. I suspect, provided all goes well, that that momentous occasion shall be… at the end of the summer or perhaps early autumn. You’ll make a fine stallion - I know it.”

Sebastian raises his eyebrows and leans forward, putting on his best act. “I have been waiting a long, long time for this moment.”

“I am aware,” Rees replies, nodding. “It’s been quite a journey, Sallow. You must understand our reasons. It could not happen sooner due to the circumstances of your joining us. I know you didn’t have much of a choice at the time. We had to ensure your loyalty and true belief in the cause.”

Sebastian’s mind flashes with the image of a masked gang member on a broomstick, reaching out to him in the darkness. “Join us! It’s the only way out!” the man had pointedly shouted. Screams from the nearby cells sharpened his confusion into realization - this truly was his only opportunity to successfully flee Azkaban. His dislocated ankle caused him to wince, but he extended his arm, hand outstretched. The man hoisted him onto his broom, and Sebastian held on tight as they rose, faster and faster, higher and higher, past a dementor and into the open air outside the prison. Sebastian gasped as the moonlight blinded him. High above crashing waves, they flew as quickly as they could away from the stone fortress synonymous with death, torture, and madness. If the price of his escape was investing his future and safety in an organization of Dark wizards, he would do it - he would do anything. Anything.

He grounds himself in the here and now by looking about the room. His focus begins with the golden chandelier, followed by the view into the lake outside the windows, and then the ornate wooden table upon which the whiskey and ashtray rest. 

“I’ve proven myself time and time again,” Sebastian insists with gritted teeth. 

“Yes, true. And you’ll prove yourself once more,” Mr. Cuddy says with finality. “Not only will we see you as ready to take on the role of a true Kelpie, but you’ll be able to… alter your life. Alter your past.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “What… What do you mean, Mr. Cuddy?”

“Come now, Sallow! I do not mean to be rude, but… there must be so much about your life you would wish to change. In assisting us in our mission, you could return to the past. You could go back to your teenage years and fix the circumstances that lead you to Azkaban Prison in the first place. You could complete your education and, thus, have a completely fresh start as an adult. Imagine the possibilities.”

I have, Sebastian thinks, keeping a straight face, trying not to give away his internal monologue.

“You could save your sister. Stop her from being cursed - and keep her alive. You could avoid all of that unfortunate business with killing your uncle. You’d just need to find a way to just stay out of trouble. Ah! Your girlfriend. You could even find her earlier in life - you could have married her straight out of school,” Rees suggests with a knowing grin. “You could easily have had children - an entire family - by now. Have a career of your choice. So many paths you could take, Sallow. And it will all be within your grasp with this next mission.” 

His mind fills with images of a perfect life - having a “chance” meeting with Kate in his fourth year, sweetly kissing her hand as she flushes breathlessly; watching Anne, in full health, compete next to him as his partner in Crossed Wands; raucously celebrating graduation with all of his friends at the Three Broomsticks; buying the cottage for Kate - the exact same one - on his own with the inheritance he had been denied; setting up his own classroom as a professor at Hogwarts; watching Kate walk down the aisle in a white dress at their wedding… and then holding her hand tightly as she gives birth to their first child…

Wait. Sebastian’s breath catches as Mr. Cuddy’s words catch up to him. Find your girlfriend earlier in life.

They know about Kate.

How do they know about Kate?

Is she… Would they ever…?

He looks directly at Rees, narrowing his eyes. They’ve followed me. They had to have followed me. They know who she is. They must know where we live. They know… they know too much. Do they know about the DMLE? Do the Kelpies truly think I’m working for them against the Ministry? Or do they not trust me? This could be an opportunity for them to… dispose of me…

Sebastian’s hand balls into a fist, but he maintains eye contact, trying to play the part of a cool and collected ally. Pretend, pretend, pretend. Worry later!

“Time travel is precarious,” Rees continues. “It is rife with risk. But with your propensity for research, you are our best choice to figure it out and use it to our - and your - advantage.”

“What are the risks?” Sebastian asks.

Rees takes a sip of his whiskey, then sighs. “I won’t sugarcoat it. Death. You could be trapped in the past… or the future… if you haven’t mastered the use of the Time Turner. If your past self sees your future self, it can supposedly cause insanity. These are the issues I understand. I’m sure you’ll discover more as you research, Sallow.”

Sebastian nods slowly and warily.

“So, will you accept this mission? Will you do what must be done so that we may change the past?” Mr. Cuddy asks in a serious tone. “If you succeed, we’ll initiate you, and you’ll be able to alter your own life for a better future.”

“I’ll do it,” Sebastian responds without hesitation.

Rees shakes his hand. “Best of luck. I will see you again in a matter of weeks, Sallow, to begin our experimentation.”

I’ll never help you, he says to Mr. Cuddy in his mind as he is escorted out of the room. I’ll never help the Kelpies. But I’ll help myself. I’ll change it all. He’s right. It’s high-risk, but… what a reward I could claim…

“Sebastian?” Kate calls from deep within the cottage, her voice flitting through an open window. “Is that you?”

Sebastian grinds his foot into the pebbled pathway leading from the road to the front door. His arms are in a spellcasting position, his wand arm aloft and the other outstretched and strained. He wills himself to ignore Kate’s calling, muttering enchantment after enchantment and waving his wand in intricate patterns. His warm brown eyes observe as a translucent dome finally appears, surrounding the little house. 

Just as he finishes the protective spells to ward their home against those who might do them harm, Kate appears, opening the door.

“Sebastian!” she shouts excitedly, rushing to meet him and pulling him into an embrace. He presses his lips to hers, a kiss of relief. She’s fine. All is well. He won’t have to worry about her safety in their cottage ever again. When they pull apart, she smiles brightly, her yellow hair illuminated by the sun. “I’m so happy you’re home.” 

“As am I, love,” he replies softly, gently taking her hand and strolling towards the door.

Just as he is about to step inside after her, he realizes he has left the books Mr. Cuddy gave him on the grass. He squeezes Kate’s hand, then trots to grab them.

“New books?” she asks.

“Yes. Just… some research for the job,” he tells her nonchalantly, catching back up to her.

He glances about the property, scanning for anything off; then, he enters the cottage, where his devoted girlfriend has dinner waiting just for him. 

[abitoflavender]

undertale reset is a comic/story I've been planning since 2016. my hope is to actually begin making some headway on it this year, and so I wanted to throw out a bit of information about the series, and what sort of things you can all expect!

reset will be about frisk and the monsters' lives after being freed from the underground, after a countless amount of resets, different routes, etc. they all finally have their "happily ever after", because, for whatever reason, frisk has been both freed from the soulless ghost of chara; who's pleasantries over all of their runs had grown into impatience, and a desire for something more than just mercy, as well as...something else, being gone.

after living on the surface, with monsters being integrated into humankind, for a year, frisk lives with toriel in ebott. one day, sans and frisk take an innocent trip to the mountain, and down to snowdin--once a month, frisk would go use a save within the underground, just in case something were to go awry. they find that they're unable to access their save, and them and sans go and investigate.

within the ruins, the two find something truly, truly puzzling--the first fallen human, chara themself, lying unconscious--but alive--on the bed of golden flowers.

---

I have drawings and note sheets from over the past few years I'd love to post soon, but I also have some recent character designs and even more note sheets, of which I've made in the past month. I don't have those drawings with me atm, so whenever I do, I'll post them here!!!

for now, I'll try and hype up the series as I work on it, as well as having 2 jobs and being a college student.

simply due to wanting to get this story out there--and this fun little thing called tendonitis that makes drawing hard sometimes--I'll most likely write the story first, and throw it up here and/or on my ao3 account, which is linked on this post! (I have a really, really angsty and well-written aruani/attack on titan fic on there that I wrote a while back, if anybody wanted to see some of my writing, aside from the one-shot I've posted here inspired by reset)

anyway...yeah! let me know if anybody has any questions about the series, or whatever! I'm excited to dive into it. thanks! 💜

[fountainpenguin]

Fanfic Schedule News - 2024

You can find this post later in my Pinned Post links

Overview

- Fairly OddParents - On hiatus while buffer building. Weekly Friday updates when ready, probably in summer. Origin and Knots are planned to alternate to show both sides of the war, but can be read independently. - WordGirl - On hiatus while buffer building. Weekly updates when ready, but lower priority than FOP. I'd like to post a few one-shots in spring and summer. - MCYT - Weekly Tuesday updates (Dog's Life until Chapter 30, then other 'fics while Dog's Life is on break). I'm also posting on Friday, but am moving towards posting on Sunday. - Total Drama - I'm not writing new content for the TD fandom, but I have 40+ 'fics I posted on FFN, but not AO3. Now that many are 10 years old, I'd like to archive some on AO3. - Every year I say I want to post my Mario drafts, but... I don't think 2024 will be that year. We will see.

Fandom-Specific Series

I post 'fics under my AO3 account, FountainPenguin.

If you'd like to get notifications for new works but don't want to follow me as a user, consider subscribing to some fandom-specific series:

Fairly OddParents

130 Station - All pieces in the 130 Reasons Why I'm Fairy Trash series.

These are further broken down into "Trains" (Ex: Main cast, Anti-Fairies, Pixies, shippy stuff, etc.) - Find info HERE

Notable pieces that are not 130 Prompts include Origin of the Pixies, Frayed Knots, Come What May, and Reedfilter Rules, which may be best subscribed to individually- They do not have a series at this time.

WordGirl

Heroes' Journey - Stuff about WordGirl and Huggy learning to share Fair City with Kid Math

28 Million Degrees - Character studies

MCYT - Not RPF, but the 4th Wall is very thin

Pixels Imperfect - Pixel people (who are all mob hybrids) live in a server hub and roleplay with their friends. Lots of interpersonal and social drama mixed with humor.

Neighborhood Watch AU - A serious take on the Life series lore and mechanics, ft. a semi-medieval world where the first 5 Life seasons take place in a single timeline.

Roundabout - Misc. MCYT content

These pages also have links to character relationship series.

Total Drama

Riddle's Drama - Total Drama 'fics I wrote 2013-2016.

These are also on my FFN, where I cross-post my FOP and WordGirl content as well.

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Fairly OddParents

I'm working on a buffer for Origin of the Pixies and Frayed Knots chapters so they can alternate during the war. At the moment I'm posting content for other fandoms, but once the buffer is ready, these will roll out weekly. Hopefully by summer.

- Origin is caught up and ready for the war meeting next chapter, so we're just wrapping up Anti-Cosmo's school and relationship drama in Knots :) - We're in the era of 2016 draft chapters, so it's a combo of "Lots of stuff is already written" and "Lots of stuff needs to be updated."

Origin and Knots will update on Fridays when the time is right (alternating weeks).

The 130 Prompts wrapped up Arc 2 in December and is on hiatus.

If you missed the Arc 2 finale, check out "Grudge"- It's about Happy Peppy Gary and Crocker striking a dangerous deal and I think it's cute :)

Ideally, I'd like to finish the whole Come What May draft before I post more chapters (so we don't have more of these long lurches between chapters), and Reedfilter Rules is in a similar boat.

Origin and Knots are my priority, but once Come What May starts, I'd like to do weekly or bi-weekly updates until it's done.

WordGirl

Factor It In - I'm very happy with how the story has come out so far. It's fully outlined, but this is a "serious and fluffy" story and I've been on a "silly and angsty" streak lately, so the mood isn't there.

- I'd like to circle back to it soon, but don't want to post more chapters until I have a nice buffer. - I'd like to post again in autumn 2024 and keep up weekly updates for several months. Origin and Knots are higher priority, but I really like this story and look forward to more.

I have some WordGirl one-shot drafts I've been sitting on for months. I haven't been satisfied with them enough to post, but you might see them soon as I finalize them. There's no schedule for these, but they include:

- Local alien girl is SO brave about Rex's problems while they lie in the grass discussing love and culture - Local alien boy loses his fawn spots, comes of age, and hits up Hal Hardbargain for alien-strength deodorant - Character study for Victor Best (My horrible son) - Character study for pre-series Rex living on Hexagon (My somehow more horrible son) - Other drafts from 2018 that need polish

I so desperately want to show the world my "Hopelessly romantic life planner since he was born" x "She can't commit to anything including this" marriage of convenience superhero drama... He's oblivious... She's dying inside... He is so embarrassing... Do u understand my vision?

MCYT

- Dog's Life Session 2 will end with Chapter 30. I've finished up to Chapter 28 and just need to tweak the remaining chapters. It will then be on hiatus for a few months while I work on the Session 3 buffer and other projects.

Edit - Session 2 will actually be 37 chapters, so another month

Expecting 4 to 5 months of hiatus from regular updates with some intermission chapters a few weeks apart (Full moon arc, my beloved). I have 'fics I look forward to posting (including new multi-chapters that already have nice buffers and will post weekly), so there will be plenty of MCYT content, but it seemed wise to leave Dog's Life on break to avoid burnout. I hope you enjoy these new stories! When Dog's Life returns, it'll be with weekly updates for several months as per usual :)

My "first half of 2024" goal is to close out as many of my existing MCYT multi-chapters as I can. Thank you for your patience with multi-chapters that have slow updates- I plan to finish them soon :)

I recently completed For Sale: Bird Wings (Never Worn) with weekly updates and am on track to finish One and a Half Birds with weekly Friday updates.

After this, I would like to finish the last 2 to 3 chapters of Criminal Experience (which has always had Friday updates as well). I don't want to post the next chapter until I nail down the story's end, so there's been a delay, but I'm glad I've wrapped up other multi-chapters and I look forward to finishing this soon.

After this, I plan to post MCYT content Tuesdays and Sundays, leaving Fridays for my other fandoms.

What's on Tuesdays?

At the moment, Dog's Life for 7 more weeks. Session 2 ends with Chapter 30 on April 9th.

Edit: Chapter 37 on May 28th

I've started new multi-chapters while chasing inspiration bursts, but I held back from posting them, so now I have buffers for those. I look forward to sharing them throughout 2024. Two notable ones are:

- Chalaza - Quick story about Martyn arriving in New Star Station. Bdubs voice study, some practice writing short scenes, and this is the story that helped me nail down pixel person anatomy. ^ Highlights include Bdubs trotting around with Martyn's dissolved soul in a fishbowl and regaling Etho with tales of how the Phantom Dragon carries phantom hybrids in her mouth. Also, Martyn hides under Etho's couch for 4 days. - Herobrine's Guide to the Between Dimension - A meta story about my Between lore, hybrid anatomy, and hybrid culture. No plot, but I think it's fun.

These are expected to post Tuesdays while Dog's Life is on break :)

What's on Sundays?

At the moment, nothing- I'm posting on Fridays (weekly updates to One and a Half Birds for the next several weeks).

I've also got a draft called "Scar's Castle" that's about Grian doing chores during 3rd Life... we'll see if that turns out nice.

Now that Secret Life is over, I've been able to do more worldbuilding and story planning for Neighborhood Watch AU. I plan to post some one-shots soon. Highlights include:

"Goodchild Oscar" - Oscar Goodchild's lovely parents put out a hit on his soulmate. He drags Grian around the Hearts Club Ball in his attempts to thwart it. Title's subject to change, but this is a fun one :) "They Never Found the Desert" - Local Green Life parrot can't get Red Life soulmate motivated for anything. Desperate times call for desperate measures. "Ethograms, Etho Slab, and Something About Ethics (Probably)" - Joel studies wolves... and the single(?) dad who keeps coming around with his kids.

I've also been working on the big multi-chapter for this universe, which centers around the Clocker family: Arsenic Waltz. It's fully outlined and I'm 5 chapters into the buffer, but it doesn't feel "fun" to read yet, so... Hmm.

- If anyone wants to beta read the first 10k words where Martyn arrives at the Clocker residence and meets his soulmate Cleo for the first time, lmk? Been struggling with the pacing of action vs. world lore for months and it'd be nice to get outside thoughts. - My plan was to start posting in April after Dog's Life ends, but it might need more time. With weekly updates, it should finish in December or January, but I'd like a nice buffer first. Possibly, this story will start in the summer and end in early 2025.

EDIT - I ended up killing all these darlings and moving them to a separate story, which will be released at a later time. The pacing was just not working :)

Additional multi-chapters to wrap up:

Closed Door Policy - Can't finish until Criminal Experience is done. Will post Tuesdays or Sundays as appropriate (Expecting 2 or 3 more chapters).

Dear Future Captain - Waiting for Dog's Life to catch up to this part of the timeline (Between Sessions 4 and 5?) - I like my draft for Chapter 3, but I'd rather wrap up other stories first.

With Acid In Your Eyes - Outlined and expecting 10 chapters. This is a high-tension story I was excited for, but it's on the backburner while finalizing lore, social dynamics, and plot points. It was ambitious to post this one before things were solid, but I look forward to returning when I'm ready :)

If you're interested in being a beta reader for any of my work, you can get in touch. I've not worked with beta readers in fanfic before, but if you're interested, we can talk about it!

Thanks for reading! Happy 2024!

[erstwhilesparrow]

I just saw that post you reblogged about archiving MCYT stuff - is there a particular reason stuff disappears so often? (That's very cool people are putting in so much effort to preserve it, though; big respect to that tbh)

reyni! :D okay i should be clear upfront that some of my information may be incomplete here because (1) i don't have twitter and (2) i'm not directly involved in any mcyt archival efforts. also putting this under a cut because it's long and i do need to reference recent events involving abuse and sexual assault:

despite mcyt = minecraft youtube(r), a lot of stuff relevant to mcyt happens like. exclusively on stream? really, really ~plot-critical or deeply characterizing stuff happens on stream sometimes and never makes it into a youtube video! and on twitch at least, unless you explicitly set it to save your vods, twitch will just delete them after a certain number of days. i don't know exactly how this works if you stream on youtube but also my impression is that a significant majority of people are not streaming on youtube anyway. since fairly early in my time in mcyt fandoms, there's been concern about creators not saving their own vods, and on top of that, sometimes you save a vod and it gets taken down anyway for copyright infringement (playing copyrighted music, the creator themself asked for it to be removed, etc). so like. as baseline, there's a sense of inherent ephemerality to the medium. that post i reblogged is explicitly pushing back against the description of mcyt vods as "a constantly burning library of alexandria," and in light of the evidence that follows i agree (and also am a little weepy about the efforts people make to save these things), but that sense doesn't come from nowhere, you know?

speaking of that post though, i suspect this archival stuff is coming up More now because it's been a rough couple of weeks in mcyt fandom. several really influential creators in the space were recently outed as being abusive or predatory in a way that's caught a lot of attention, and many people in response have been (understandably!) deleting their fanworks or otherwise distancing or removing themselves from mcyt fandom. i want to be clear, i know stuff gets deleted all the time in fanspaces -- the internet is kind of just Like That in terms of how easy it is to lose things -- and it's incredibly fair to go "no, even if there was a strong distinction between character and creator this leaves a sour taste in my mouth and i'm not doing this anymore." i don't want to pretend that no one has ever deleted a fanwork outside of mcyt spaces, and i don't want to insinuate that it's bad to vocally revoke your support of those creators -- those people have done awful things and generally failed to meaningfully apologize or take accountability, and it is worth remembering and saying so. but to give you a sense of numbers: antimony-medusa does monthly stats on mcyt fic on ao3, and dsmp, which even after it's kind of died off has seen monthly increases in the range of hundreds of new fic per month, saw a decrease of roughly 800 fics. other fandoms have similarly seen decreases, and video blogging rpf, which ao3 treats as an umbrella for basically all mcyt stuff, saw an increase of 51, as compared to last month's increase of (approximately) 3500. and that's just fic -- there's also a rich trove of animatics, fanvids, fanart, etc that i don't have any numbers for, but i've seen people talking about deleting those, too, you know? you see how people might be worried about what we are losing.

at this point i think your question is answered, but if you'll forgive some baseless speculation here, i wonder to what extent mcyt is also. complicated by how closely character and creator can sit? i don't know how other people feel, but there is a difference to me between "i've written fic about This Person Specifically (or, arguably, their streamer persona which may be somewhat divorced from the Real Life Human Being Behind The Screen)" and "i've written fic about a character this person plays." i dunno, there's a sense to me of the flimsiness of the line between creator and character and then also of the line between creator and fandom that i think makes it harder to be like "okay, i am doing my own thing, separate from the creator, so i'm going to keep my stuff public even if i don't stand by it 100% anymore." i remember when i first joined mcyt fandom, there was a period of time people were really worried that the creators were actively on ao3, or that fans would try to send their fanfic directly to the creators. i thought to myself, "well, if anyone Tries Shit with my work, i will simply delete all my relevant accounts and disappear." that's... not really a back-up plan that i feel good about these days, but. you know. it's been a thing, if not always for the same reasons, and i do understand the impulse.

[not-poignant]

I don't know if this is happening to any other patrons but my mail service has started marking all patron emails as junk and I have to manually check. Just an FYI for any others who might not have gotten updates.

Unfortunately Patreon has sadly been hinky with different people in different ways for like the last 2-3 months (other folks have had problems for longer, but it's hitting more people now). I'm sorry you're now experiencing this too! That really sucks, and I really appreciate you reaching out and telling me, and also giving other people a heads up!

it's one of the reasons I actually started mirroring my updates on Ream, because for a start, some people just couldn't sign up at all, and if some banks are like 'mmmHHHH' (Patreon is now using the same payment processor as Etsy - i.e. tax haven crap in Ireland) then it makes sense that eventually some emails are going to be too.

Some emails will let you whitelist an address in settings which can help! In Gmail, starring and marking an email as 'important' etc. can also help. Opening an email before archiving it can help, even if you don't click on the link!

One of the reasons I update like, here on Tumblr and also on Discord (and Twitter) is because sometimes you never know which notification people are using. I thought no one was using the Twitter links until I accidentally posted the wrong chapter and someone told me. I don't have metrics on my end for who is using what, but I try and keep options open (and of course nothing beats subscribing to my stories on AO3 for just direct emails - but even they can be delayed!)

I really hope things with Patreon smooth out soon. They've released a bunch of creator-side changes, and I'm hoping on the other side of things they get a bit more reliable from a bank and

(Patreon is still safe - but if they suddenly switch all their banking processes and don't tell any of the big banks they're doing this, the big banks go 'did you know you're using a tax haven and also all these micropayments seem dodgy' without really looking too deeply into it).

Anyway, whitelisting might help in the meantime. I've had AO3 emails start going to spam before, which was like 'WHYYYYY.' (Meanwhile Gmail keeps thinking I want Facebook out of spam and it's like 'no, Gmail, I have never wanted anything less' lol)

[dawnfelagund]

Independent Archive Survey

What concerns about OTW/AO3 do you have?

Check all that apply.

the organization is slow to respond to fandom concerns: 59% consolidation of most fandoms and fanworks onto AO3 increases the risk of a mass loss of fanworks: 57% volunteer safety is not taken seriously enough: 45% concerns about racism within the organization and AO3 are not being adequately addressed: 38% the organization is slow to respond to individual fans who need their help: 28% moderation of potentially harmful content is inadequate: 27% the organization is not transparent enough about decisions: 22% AO3 users' safety is not taken seriously enough: 18% the AO3 code is not properly documented and maintained: 18% organization leadership (e.g., Board members, Legal, committee chairs) wield too much power: 17% I don't have any concerns about OTW/AO3 archives: 12% (note: 2 of the 10 respondents who chose this did select concerns from the list; eliminating these responses, 10% of respondents had no concerns) I don't know: 2% Responses in the "other" field:

Other projects besides AO3 seem to fall by the wayside (e.g. fanlore); AO3 is hostile to outside fixes for code problems; volunteers are burned through quickly; volunteers must go through an intensive onboarding process that weeds out people who actually want to help; functions of AO3 don't work as intended/advertised (the exchange interface, the prompt meme, tagsets)

I have concerns as noted but I also hope and want Ao3 to improve and succeed (while also supporting the existence of more archives!)

Moderation of illegal content is inadequate

My main concern with OTW is that it has grown too large as an organization/project to continue operating solely on volunteer labor. To be honest, most of their issues stem out from that main problem or are exacerbated by it, in my opinion. But it isn't some simple thing to start bringing on paid staff either. Anyway, in short, the org has outgrown its model, but switching to a new model will also take time and there will be more growing pains as a result before things improve.

Not enough moderation in general. Hard to remove/report harassing comments, spam fics, etc.

for how long it's been around, the feature set is surprisingly immature (e.g., blocking/muting is just now being added, the time-based posting bug)

No sense of community

The size makes for a lack of community; the weight placed on quantitative measures (work stats)

I use it too little to personally experience the negative effects, however I'll support people I know and trust who do.

administration of the site feels to far from the individual user

Responses: 82

Analysis

I hesitated to include this item at all. I really do not want this to become a small archive vs. AO3 issue or to be presented as an either-or. We can and should have both, and for the 999th time, I want the OTW and AO3 to succeed for a variety of reasons. However, getting a sense of concerns seemed important as we move forward into crafting next-generation small archives that meet the needs of their creators, visitors, and fandoms. So the question went in.

Not surprisingly, fewer people overall are concerned about OTW/AO3 than small archives. About one in ten respondents did not have concerns at all, and no single concern was selected as often as the top ones in the corresponding dataset for small archives. Again, this is not a surprise. Despite the past few months, many of the concerns on the OTW/AO3 list remain hypotheticals, whereas concerns about small archives have happened at one time or another (if only because there have been thousands of small archives and just one AO3!) Furthermore, many of the concerns on this list were in response to some of the whistleblowing of recent months, and it's possible not all respondents were even aware of what was going on.

What were the concerns? Two dominated. The organization's slow response to fandom concerns, was top—also not a surprise. It's nearly cliche to point out that the wheels of large bureaucracies grind slowly, and one needn't be versed in the latest discussions around the OTW to have likely seen this at some point in its almost fifteen-year history. I will note that this is an area where smaller archives can succeed ... but aren't guaranteed, of course. On the SWG, it has always been a policy to take no longer than twenty-four hours to respond to a task, question, or issue, and most of the time we are significantly quicker than that. (Sometimes actually fixing the issue takes longer, but even that is rare.) However, you have to commit to doing this. The potential is there (where I'd argue it's really never going to be for an organization the size of the OTW), but it needs to be realized.

Secondmost was the worry about consolidation and the possibility of the mass loss of fanworks. I have been yelling about this for years, so I'll admit that it felt pretty good to see that those words haven't gone entirely unheeded. Is this unlikely? Yep. Is it possible? It is. Sorry, sweet summer children, it really is, and if it does happen, it is devastating in a way that the closure of a small archive never will be. And for the last dataset about small archive concerns, I made the case that the data around archive closures possibly reflected the Tolkien fandom's "collective trauma" about the unannounced transfer of ownership or closure of small archives. (And I imagine most respondents participate in the Tolkien fandom; my signal boost wasn't passed that widely around.) Of course, this happens against a backdrop of Fandom's collective trauma around unannounced content purges. Point being, these possibilities are on our mind.

There are a couple responses that pair naturally between the small archive and OTW/AO3 datasets. There is much more worry about the technical stability of small archives than AO3. Again, we've seen small archives fail and degrade due to tech issues, so this isn't hypothetical in the way it is for AO3, for all that's been said about spaghetti code. On leadership and the power given to a site's leaders, the two sets are remarkably even. This does surprise me! For all that's been revealed about the OTW's governance in recent months, they do have a process of governance that is more transparent than most archives, and they do offer points of democratic input, whereas many small sites do not.

The "Other" option was also more used for the OTW/AO3 dataset than the small archive dataset and includes some interesting responses that elaborate on the concerns from the list and identify some new ones. A couple mentions of "community" jump out at me here—and again, this is what small archives have to offer (potentially! again, "potential" and "actual" can be quite starkly divided) and what AO3 really cannot in most circumstances (and I'd further add was not intended to. I've argued before that a universal archive cannot offer the community features many people want and need by definition.)

What is the independent archive survey?

The independent archive survey ran from 23 June through 7 July 2023. Eighty-two respondents took the survey during that time. The survey asked about interest in independent archives and included a section for participants interested in building or volunteering for an independent archive. The survey was open to all creators and readers/viewers of fanworks.

What is an independent archive?

The survey defined an independent archive as "a website where creators can share their fanworks. What makes it 'independent' is that it is run by fans but unaffiliated with any for-profit or nonprofit corporations or organizations. Historically, independent archives have grown out of fan communities that create fanworks."

Follow the tag #independent archives for more survey results and ongoing work to restore independent archives to fandoms that want them.

Independent Archives Survey Masterpost