#usernames for the comments are not creative sorry for that but you get it

[mirrortouchedsea]

Day 12

Hi everyone welcome to my quiz “What ghost from your past haunts you?” I’m super excited for everynyan to take it, please tell me what you got in the comments!! Okay now first question and I know that it’s basic buuuuuuuuuuuut what’s your favorite color? 

> Green 

Oooo great choice great choice. Now, what do your parents do for a living? 

> Community leaders 

Ahaha, someone has important parents I see. How about… have you ever sinned? 

> Many times 

At least you’re honest. Okay just a few more questions now! I can already feel what ghost wants to talk to you ^.^  what’s your dream job? 

> Singer 

Ambitious! Well I’m sure if you try hard enough someone will recognize you. Two more questions now! Oh why did I decide to do this :/ uhm… do you have any siblings. 

> No 

Only child are we? Alright last question before we get to meet your ghost! Do you believe your sins will be forgiven Tatsumi Kazehaya? 

> No 

Your result: Kaname Tojou 

You know exactly what you did, Tatsumi Kazehaya. Kaname Tojou was a young and bright idol who was going to make a name for himself in the industry despite everything and you ruined it. Do you stay awake at night wondering what he felt in his final moments? Do you ever regret what you did to him? Kaname Tojou still haunts your every waking moment and he wants to know why you never came back for him. How does it feel, Tatsumi Kazehaya? He loved you and you abandoned him. 

Comments: 

From: alkapriest 

What an…interesting quiz. 

Reply to alkapriest from kanatoj 

Tatsumi-senpai, please come back. 

[directdogman]

Commenting on DT fan OCs!

Alright, I'mma take a look at some DT fan OCs! I've been sent quite a few, so I'll try to keep my comments for each one short 'n' sweet!

great name, snappy dresser. diggin' the bowtie! the pins are also a fun accessory!

Another snappy dresser! Tied well to an existing location in-game and the idea to explain the stickers is cute! attire is unique/memorable and the blues/browns compliment each other well. solid design. I do appreciate him!

Yo, this guy was in the last one! what is this, a crossover episode???

the bandage on side of face is a nice touch! digging the pinstripe pants too! graveyard shift at a convenience store is also quite an authentic job for a DT side character to have too! very nicely done.

Solid OC! well-drawn, unique job and her fit's stylish (it probably goes without saying that i'm a sucker for TV heads with dogs on them. that's gotta be a given, right?) The stickers on the back of the head are also a nice addition! well done!

Stanley's a real cad, huh? pizza delivery guy with a novelty pizza phone head is genius - making him flirt with milves on the job is just inspired though. i almost wish i'd come up with this guy, as i can totally imagine people around town talking about him. excellent job!!!

he's aptly named for an arcade dude! dig the fit too, especially the black + purple fingerless long sleeve gloves! the decals on the phone are neat too!

I approve of his activities but the lack of a visible mouth threw me off, since i've seen these old toy phones before, ofc.

i was about to ask "how does he drink ocean water without a mouth", before realizing that id been bamboozled into asking the fandom-favourite question of: 'how does he eat without a mouth?', only to then remember that practically no DT characters have visible mouths.

i hope you know that you've strained my weary brain today. cool OC, though.

banana phone's a fun concept! also, i must say your username's quite fitting. crept up on me from my peripheral as I gazed upon the banana phone, like a bizarre centipede of some sort. well, i'd assume so. in hindsight, most centipedes i've encountered have been pretty straightforward with me. i guess i should be grateful for that.

i like mary's fuzzy phone matching the trim of her dress but martin's really got my attention. cool name, neat quirk (he kills people, that takes moxie. hell, even pizzaz too, dare i say?) The dial being a lil clock is a neat touch since it ties his interest into the design. also quite like the cord tail matching the phone head's colour. solid design!

i like his head-type and the attire/pale skin gives a nice bit of contrast!

hard to say how randy'd feel about him, as someone who's only seen his design and 2 lines of dialogue (as someone's personality dictates randy's opinion on them far more than their appearance.) if you feel they'd get on though, you're probably correct! (randy isn't too picky, after all!)

Funnily enough, one of the earliest sketches for crown has a similar bolted plate stuck to a mostly intact phone head. it was even sticking from one of the sides. or corners. i'd have to dig up the notebook, as it's been like 4 years since I came up with the character. Sorry, just made me remember since the earliest sketches had one too.

Copper phone head's a neat idea. Contrasts well with his attire as well (nice and complimentary.) if only his attempts to deter jesse from the za worked out as well, eh?

Alright, that's it for me! thanks for the submissions, these were real creative! good job, everyone!

[leeyanyanyaaan]

Kayn x Graffiti Artist!Reader

16 / 11 / 2023

hi hi~ welcome to the start of my heartsteel x headcanon series "creatively charmed"! sorry, i cant think of a better title atm LOL anyways, this is gonna be a series of the heartsteel band with a lover who's got a creative side to them XD that's all, hope you enjoy! next up will be sett ^-^

Started with another one of days where Kayn decided to go out and wreak havoc by vandalizing everything LOL

When he does he often comes across a lot of grafitti art, this one in particular has a certain style to it

He always lets out a little chuckle when he sees it.

Now, as a fellow artist himself, he is respectful enough to not ruin that person's art, but he does his own grafitti nearby. For him it always includes his HEARTSTEEL icon and if he's feeling good then some song lyrics or a joke

This time, it was shortly after HEARTSTEEL's debut MV released, so when he left to do his usual vandalizing, he wrote "two sides to a story but they never tell my side" with a bunch of doodles. He was particularly proud of this piece, so he was planning to continue working on it the next day

What he didn't expect, however, was for someone to continue the lyrics, with "never been the kinda guy to stay inside the guidelines" written underneath, as well as some art of Kayn's scenes and even a headshot drawing of him from their single's thumbnail

Kayn was surprised and amazed to see it, and broke out into an excited shit-eating grin once he saw the artist's signature that he saw in all their other pieces

"So, looks like I captured this person's heart too. Ever the popular star I am, no?"

And so, he continued the lyrics to his verse, secretly hoping this grafitti artist will continue it again.

Which they did, and gradually, that specific wall gradually filled up with PARANOIA's lyrics from their gradual exchange, even with additional doodles of the other members, Ernest and Rhaast, and some of the funny scenes of the MV

Even mini conversations started with side comments on each others drawings, for example:

"This dog -> true MVP of HEARTSTEEL"

"The dog in the MV? His name's Ernest. (But Kayn is the real MVP)"

"LOL u come up w that name? I can see it tho ngl"

Oh right, this person doesn't know this is THE Kayn Shieda they're talking to

Anyways, this exchange made Kayn excited to come back every time (even his bandmates questioned why he goes out every night looking all excited)

Same with Rhaast actually LOL, but Kayn doesn't let him because he knows how crazy he gets when it comes to vandalizing

"I WANT A TURNNN KAYNNN" "No! I don't need you drawing 100 dicks on the wall again!" "THAT'S HOW MUCH OF A DICKHEAD YOU AREE-"

But alas, all good things must come to an end, after... 2 months, I guess? They had finished writing all the lyrics of the song and the whole wall was full of just HEARTSTEEL PARANOIA. Okay, so that's the end of it then.

Until a paper plane hit the top of Kayn's head. Annoyed, Kayn immediately lifted his head up to the direction it was thrown, yapping angrily at whoever had the fucking audacity to do that

Just as he was about to crumple the plane, he noticed writing on one of its wings, "read me!" Raising a brow curiously, he opened up the paperplane, where it revealed a username with a discord logo drawn next to it, along with your artist signature :)

I love how writing for Kayn gives me the free reign to swear AHAHAHDJSN

[saturngalore]

hiii i just wanna say thank you so much to everyone on this list and those following me because in some way you’ve all made my year! i really enjoy seeing yalls posts and knowing that y’all are creating something truly unique for the simblr community whether that’s via your own sim creations, creating builds and cc, writing nicely written stories, and/or just supporting those around you! and i think most of y’all are black so yasssss go black excellence 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾 black simblr >>>>

@invisiblequeen @riverofjazzsims omg thank y’all SO much for helping me test almost all my cc and always creating such lovely sims, stories, and backdrops to go with my hairs 🥹 y’all have kept me going and really motivated me to keep creating my hairs because i know that y’all will give me much appreciated feedback and support no matter what 💗

@prematurehag @yngblkarawak @simphic @daminini @blackskorpi0n @simsadilla y’all are literally so creative that it blows my mind like every single post y’all do especially the renders are so so good like they’re all masterpieces! y’all just leave me in awe every time so pls keep doing what you do bc simblr would be extremely bland without y’all 🫶🏾

@xmiramira i used to watch so many of your sims 4 videos and gta livestreams on youtube and your melanin skins were literally a godsend when sims 4 first started like almost everyone couldn’t create a black sim without your skins so thank you so much for being one of the best black simmers ever and tysm for showing me so much love i could literally faint knowing that you follow me and like my content🫶🏾🫶🏾

@browntrait i know you’re not active rn but and i already told you this but you’re literally one of the main reasons why i wanted to create a simblr! your edits and your sims especially zenya had such an impact on me like i literally saved your edits on my phone bc i wanted to do something similar with my own stuff. you are my inspiration!!! 🙏🏾

@thaplumbob @yuyulie @fizzysugar @aghilasims @helloavocadooo @gnael @darlyssims @sims4bradshaw @earthmoonz @hdmiports @l-e-i-k-o @koibish @cowboycid @armadoth @francescalater @orphyd @boneheelda @mangosimoothie @minaevesmoths @mrsimqle @chaunceydollz @sleepingsims @thestarboysims @starshinesims @zohrou @bonneblah @kimorasimz @meoanii @simtric @glazeio @faestelle @kyaikoo + many others (im so sorry my memory is terrible 😭) i don’t want this post to get too long but the rest of y’all are amazing in your own ways like creating sims that i can instantly recognize that they’re yours without looking at the username, commenting or leaving such sweet tags on my posts which is my favorite thing ever, helping me test my cc or posting your sims in my cc (like !!!!), inspiring me almost everyday, or making me laugh or smile thru a brief yet lovely interaction with you! just thank you so much again and have a lovely 2024!!! 💗🫶🏾🫡

[ihopesocomic]

Sorry for the mini-essay but I think people massively underestimate how much hard work and dedication goes into a Passion Project. People think that creators who make free content, who do their work as a hobby and not as a job, must only get enjoyment out of it.

That’s not how it works. Doing it purely because you want to doesn’t automatically make the more challenging, frustrating, or (gasps) TIME CONSUMING parts of the project any less burdensome. If anything, it makes it worse because you aren’t being paid for all of that labor. You’re just doing it for the sake of doing it, and as rewarding as it can be, it can also be demanding.

Im finally publishing a fanfic for the first time and don’t get me wrong, it’s been great to get feedback on my work and interact with a community. I love that there are usernames and profile pictures I can actually identify because they’re regulars on my work.

But does that mean I don’t have to constantly redo work because I don’t like how it turned out? No. Does that mean I always update on time? No. Never get burnout? No. I still very much go through all of the things paid writers do, because the Creative Process is difficult and demanding no matter what they paycheck is or isn’t.

And all of that is just if you guys WERE missing updates, which you’re NOT. So like… these complaints are not only very entitled and ignorant, but also just confusing. People really just be mad for the sake of being mad, I guess?

Anyways yeah, free content creators are still content creators, and passion-driven hard work is still hard work. You two are cranking out absolutely STUNNING visuals, compelling characters and engaging worldbuilding every single week and that’s amazing. Thank you for your hard work and I’m sorry about the twerps that don’t appreciate it enough!

Ah the price we pay for being human and having a brain, amirite haha

It's to be expected, to a certain point, that people simply don't understand that things like comics and cartoons take time. General impatience is something that can be ignored. If people asking for updates bothered us, we wouldn't post anywhere ever haha You gotta have at least SOME backbone if you want to do a comic. Or anything really.

Comics are a TON of work, and I knew this going in cuz I've done shorter comics before. It is not to be treated as if its easy. (Well, its easier than animating a whole series by yourself LOL) There's a lot of pre-comic planning that people don't tell you about. And that's just the stuff you have to do before you even start drawing. Of course this only applies to long-form storytelling, there's different rules for different kinds of comics.

And I won't even get into what it takes to making the comic itself, there's a lot of parts that need to be considered like formatting, time-management, what shortcuts you have to take to save on labor, and getting across as much information as you can in a short amount of time, while using mostly visuals. It's a skill, so it can be learned haha

A lot of doing comics is on-the-job training. Which I know can be frustrating for perfectionists, but from a reader's perspective, part of the joy of webcomics is seeing how far the art has come. And you can't exactly get out a webcomic if you keep redoing things over and over. You'll burn yourself out even faster. This is why it's important to have a plan lol it just makes it easier to adjust if you have to change things, than if you have no plan at all.

Even if RJ and I for whatever reason no longer felt passionate about this story, and wanted to move on to something else entirely, we wouldn't leave everyone hanging. We'd tell everyone what happens one way or another. Because too many people just abandon a story just to tell another one, and that's not fair to people who were here to read a story that appealed to them.

But the entitlement of people sucks, the constant heckling, the fact we can't moderate our own comment section, and more importantly Webtoons just sucks as a site anyway. - Cat

[moonbaby26]

MASTERLIST / ABOUT ME

Hi! Welcome! I am only active in the One Piece fandom currently. Everything is DoflamingoxReader unless noted otherwise. Please assume everything is NSFW as well, but individual content warnings will be on the works once you click them.

I will try to update this post regularly. But if looking to see all fics, you can also check my AO3 Here . All new content will always be crossposted to both. Thank you!!! 🦩

My ongoing long fic is Doflamingo’s Marine, which you can start at Chapter 1 Here if interested (latest is Chapter 19 Here).

Wine

The Gift

Blood and Feathers - Rosinante x Reader x Doffy

Their Favorite Parts - multiple character x Reader

If I Was a Worm - multiple character x Reader

You’re Coming Home with Me

It Could be Worse

Who’s Hotter

-chapter 20 of Doflamingo’s Marine

Homing’s Death

Doflamingo Wakes From His Nightmare

Doflamingo Arrives in Dressrosa

I’m a she/her in her thirties living in the U.S. I work a lot, on top of having a family and pets. But I’ve loved writing short stories ever since I was little. I’ll never be at a professional level, but it’s a hobby I enjoy and am happy to share and indulge in.

I stopped writing for a couple of years after first becoming a parent, and that was pretty depressing. But I feel like I have a better hold on the balancing act of serious adult life versus the fun creative stuff now.

So I’d like to keep trying to make regular content and contribute to the awesome One Piece fandom that inspired me to start writing again.

Doflamingo is my muse and hyperfixation. But I’ll talk about anything One Piece for as long as you’ll let me. Sorry if I get excited and too hyper sometimes when messaging/commenting. When I write fic, I can edit it later and slow things way down. But in real time, my mind is all over the place and quite often disjointed. 💕

See below the cut for more random facts about me. 🥰

Random facts:

-My username is directly from the Godsmack song of the same name Here.

-My favorite color combination is shades of light blue or blue/green mixed with pinks (mermaidish?)

-My original background was in biology. I got credited in a published scientific journal exactly one time (as a lab assistant to the doctor submitting the findings), before saying nah and moving to another part of the country to chase a different career. It’s worked out so far though? 😅

-Only my earlobes are pierced, but I keep having to re-pierce them myself because I don’t wear earrings enough.

-I don’t have any tattoos, but if I did it’d probably be of a male Eastern Bluebird in flight on my leg.

-By my birthdate, I’m a Leo. But I don’t know if I act like one? I know nothing about astrology. 🦁

-My favorite food is a plain turkey sandwich. Because I can make it in barely a minute and don’t need to dirty any dishes or cook anything. I will eat said sandwich in silence, probably while reading One Piece smut on my phone to decompress. 🤣🤣🤣

[whalesforhands]

it’s nearing 2024, so i want to say some pretty swell things but i put it under the cut bcs i get really cringey and im a crybaby and im embarrassed

hello everyone! thank you for following/reading/interacting with me for the past (nearly) 6 months! it’s been a joy to be able to write and have an audience, since this is the first time this ever happened. i even sometimes wonder how it’s possible for you all to even like my writing, haha. thank you for the follows, likes, comments and asks! believe me when i say that on breaks, i just scroll through and read past asks and comments to smile again.

thank you for all your patience, and i’m sorry i can’t write every suggestion and past request. it really is dependent on my own creativity and imagination :(

thank you to all my anons;

omori anon, twt bird anon, 🍊anon, 💫anon, ☀️anon, 🗣️anon, brush anon, my first ever anon (these are just ones i remember off the top of my head :)) of course, non-character anons and non-anons who have ever sent an ask ever, even people who have trickled in from AO3; i genuinely cannot say thank you enough! (even if you don’t remember me)

also, although i don’t know if the ‘regulars’ i see are comfortable with being mentioned (like full on username on blast call out) i just wanna say thank you to you, even if you’ve never sent an ask or anything. but do know that i do see you and very much like you like how you consistently like my posts; whether it be you only read fic posts or me just talking, whether the content may be on my kofi or tumblr, im very appreciative of you following and liking my content.

you all managed to bring me a lot of joy in my time spent here, and i’m very very happy if you would be willing to put up with me for another 6 months so that i can officially say i’ve been with you all for a year!

thank you very much, here’s to a 2024 that will make you find more enjoyable times for both you and me! ♥️🐳

[just-jordie-things]

not been here in a hot while BUT IM BACK WITH MORE AUTHOR RAPID FIREEEE or challenge whatever you call it!

what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

what made you choose your username?

what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app? 

what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings

Self ship hcs please

you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?

on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

Rizzlord anon is back follkkksssss

OH MY GOD THIS IS NUTS and why won't tumblr let me put in a keep reading link ??? so sorry for this length of post alkshdgalksjdfn-

what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

hm not much? all that comes to mind is certain vocab being used... like i'm a hater of 'orbs'

2. tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them

@delzinrowe and i'd tag her a million times over!! tumblr bff/wife :) she's so kind and creative and chill and supportive even when my writer's block takes me away from this app for like... months... she's inspired SO MUCH of my content with her thoughts and brainrots, i can't give her enough credit <3 she makes me believe in the power of internet friendships LOL i adore her so whole heartedly <3 <3 luv u stef <3 <3

3. what made you choose your username?

jordie was a nickname i had in middle/high school (it's not even close to me real name lol) and i guess i thought it was cute to replace "just girly things" with jordie

4. what's your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

i LOVE reaction images !!!!

5. what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

slow burn enemies to tolerant friends to lovers with extra slowburn on the side pretty PLEASE all of my favs would write this so well and honestly?? i want everyone to write their own extra long version of it so i can read all their takes even if the plot is the same i don't care i'm devouring nom nom nom nom

6. what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?

7. what's the fastest way to become your mutual?

ppl can straight up ask!! i'm good with it as long as ur 18+ !! so prolly that! but also if u write for my favs i'm in :3

8. share a headcanon from one of your favorite ships or pairings

itadori is extremely ticklish and freaks out upon being tickled. megumi isn't the least bit ticklish, despie itadori's best efforts to find a spot that makes him giggle. this always ends up in a near-wrestling match as megumi retaliates by tickling him until eventually it gets out of hand

9. self ship hcs

AHHHH ino would keep up with all my work drama!! he knows every colleague by name and actively listen to all the tea and complaints of the day <3

10. you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?

my wife, obvi!!

11. on a scale of 1-10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

perfect 5. i either love it when i'm proud of a fic or hate it when i know it's not my best work (and therefore don't do it HA)

[anathemaloren]

Do you wanna come over? p.2

[had to post it in 2 parts, also i decided to not write more username because of... creative issues]

jann_music_ ☑ • 5 hours ago

London

❤ 🗨️

678,297 likes

jann_music_ couldn't keep the secret anymore

View all 2,876 comments

username1 I KNEW IT

username 2 she's so pretty bye

lukeblackmusic she's right for you

liked by jann_music_

jann_music_ i know right?

yourusername ☑ • 5 hours ago

London

❤ 🗨️

1,438,981 likes

yourusername this boy has made me happy since day 1. he is sweet, caring, intelligent, loving, fun, incredibly talented and, most important of all, he is easy to love. that might be one of the things i love most about him. loving him isn't complicated or messy, and i don't have to hurt myself to be happy in this relationship. i'm with someone who encourages me to be who i want to be and who is with me every step i take. it is absolutely terrifying how much i love him and how far i could go for him. i want to be together with him until we grow old and ourt tattoos get wrinkly and we drink tea at night. i want to have kids with you, with your eyes and your hair and your talent and compassion and ability to love, and hear their little feet come wake us up at 9am on saturday and wanting to get rid of them because we just want to sleep 5 more minutes, but getting up instead and make them panda pancakes. i want to travel the world with you and feel at home no matter where we are. because i am always home when i am with you. i sometimes feel i could explode with how much love i feel for you. i know you will probably read this in the living room and then come to the bedroom with tears on your eyes telling me how much you love me and that you feel sorry for not doing a big ass letter like this on your post. that's who you are, but i want you to know that it doesn't matter. everything you give me everyday is 12 times better than writing a post. you are my carl, my kaz, mr.darcy, patrick verona, my jake peralta, my luke, my marshall and every other guy i say i love. because you are everything i've ever wanted embodied in the most beautiful boy ever, MY most beautiful boy. i hope you never forget how much i love you as well as i won't ever forget how loved you make me feel. and i hope you know that, every time i wake up and see you next to me, my day starts a little bit brighter, because i know i will be able to see stars in your eyes all day and look at the moon with you at night.

and i know the best way of knowing god is loving many things, but if i have to meet the devil to only love you for eternity, i will be alright with it.

comments have been restricted

THAT'S IT FELLAS

[insanitysilver]

(Hi, sorry to be awkward and barge into your inbox, but if you’re still giving writing advice, I’m hoping to get an opinion on how to let of my anxiety about writing. But if not, please feel free to ignore.)

A while back, I tried to write my own take on a character backstory for my fandom. The fandom already had a well-known and beloved backstory fic that was recced all the time for the character and that also established much of the standard fanon. So I was very insecure about my version that didn’t use the known canon and instead uses my own ideas. Still, I managed to push through my self-doubt, complete my fic, and post it. But my fic utterly bombed, no one remembers or cares about it, and even though I like the fic, I frequently think about deleting it because of how everyone ignored it and preferred the astronomically more popular fanon-fueled version. (I don’t believe kudos are a measure of quality, but I do believe they’re a measure of how much fandom wants your writing.)

The problem is that whenever I get a fic idea for any fandom at all, if my plotting/brainstorming produces ideas I know go against popular fanon, I feel like I can’t use them, or else my fic will suffer via stats. I constantly worry about if I’m writing the most popular and accepted version of the character, but it’s so frustrating that I can’t include any of my own ideas. This conflict of writing for the audience vs. writing my own ideas constantly paralyzes me, and I generally feel that if I write, the characters will just be cardboard boxes of the standard fanon. Because if I diverge from what’s popular, I might end up with another humiliating flop of a fic that most readers didn’t want or notice, and I’m not sure if I can stand the 2nd realization that I’ve been screaming into void the entire time.

What do I do here? How do I let go of past failures and start concentrating on what I can do, instead of constantly angsting about if I’m wasting my time by writing an idea that doesn’t align with what the fandom itself values?

Firstly, congratulations on publishing your backstory fic! Sounds like you had to fight your anxiety to do so, and that’s always a worthwhile victory!

Let me challenge this: “I do believe [kudos are] a measure of how much fandom wants your writing”. For this to be Good and Proper Science™, we’d need everyone in the fandom do a blind taste test with both usernames redacted and then keep a record of which everyone preferred.

But, that’s not how fics are experienced in the “wild”. Lots of Ao3 users sort by popularity metrics to find fics. Kudos accumulate so older fics have an advantage, and popularity compounds on itself. Readers aren’t making value judgements about you and your work. They just have five minutes to wait at the bus stop, so they whip out their phones and grab from the top of the metrics bag.  It’s really nothing personal.

The median number of kudos on AO3 is 12 (and that’s counting works that have been around forever). I’ve been posting various forms of art on the internet for 10+ years.  Most never found an audience. 1 note, 5 notes, 0 notes, a 200k word fic that I worked on for four years that approximately 3 people have read per year since (if that). And yeah, that can sting. I get it.

So, what’s the solution? My advice is two-pronged:

1.) On Wanting Fandom Recognition

A desire for internet metrics is actually a specific need in disguise. These excellent posts go into this far more eloquently:

@ao3commentoftheday's 'People Don't Actually Want Comments, They Want Community '

@sinigangsta-ao3's 'On Fandom and a Sense of Belonging Part 1' & 'Part 2'

What do you want from that fandom interaction? Prestige & respect? Encouragement? A creative peer group to bounce around ideas? The more specific you can get, the easier it will be for you to work on a solution that fills that need that isn’t reliant on the capricious whims of the greater internet.

Prestige? – These authors write a lot. Relentlessly. Also typically involved in the fandom somewhere offsite and tend to build things. Events, rec lists, secret santas.

Encouragement? – Voice this need in your relationships. Don’t have writer friends? Drag irl friends in or look out for positive fandom subgroups. If there’s a discord server, maybe ask about making a channel just to celebrate wins? If not, invite fandom ppl you’ve interacted with in and make a server of your own.

Idea Sharing? – Nearly the same as above. Groups, in my experience, thrive with something to do. I wanted to practice fundamentals more, so I dragged a group of friends in and made a writing circle where we followed a prompt to write a short story every month. At the end, we shared and critiqued each other’s work. Massively nourishing. (I can post the “curriculum” if there’s an interest.)

2.) On Writing for You

Two practices have helped me on this front. First, I put the watcher away. I make work I never intend to share. I see that blank page and say “whatever happens here is for me only, and I’m going to stick to that”. I also advise hiding your ao3 stats. [This site skin will replace your personal stats page with an image of choice]. [This site skin will hide every stat on every work except word and chapter count]. (I use both together when my brain gets naughty on me). [How to Use AO3 Site Skins]

Second, digging into what excites me. I made huge list of my favorite characters, tropes, themes, narrative tricks, everything. Found patterns. After that, you just cram as many as you can into one story until you’re obsessed with it. Until it haunts you and you simply can’t stop yourself from writing it regardless if anyone reads it.

All-in-all though, noticing your brain is pulling a fast one on you and wanting to make a change is much further then a lot of people get, so I am very serious when I say you should congratulate yourself and celebrate that. You’ve already done the hardest part. What comes next won’t be effortless, but it will be worthwhile. 🌱☀️

But, I’ve rambled enough, and I’ll open the floor up. Anyone else want to weigh in? If you have a writing buddy, how did you meet with them and how do you stay in touch?

[ahhnini-tarot]

Hello!

Can I ask why do I lately dream about red or blood water and today I dreamed about the river turning dirty then black and then red again.... The pool too... I left for a few seconds and I came back nobody was in the pool....

thank you for the request! <3 also i’m so sorry I didn’t really know how to pronounce your name (i saw your other ask) so in your question I just asked upon your username! once again, my apologies! feel free to clarify your name in the comments!

i’ll also try my best to answer this question!

disclaimer - take this reading with a grain of salt, tarot is used for entertainment purposes only. nothing is set in stone! if reading does not resonate, please let me know so I can re do it!

question — why has tea-lover-flowers been getting dreams about red/bloody water?

king of pentacles - upright

ace of cups - reversed

the world - upright

the magician - reversed

knight of cups - upright

important note - I usually only do three card pulls but these are the cards that kept coming up when i kept shuffling.

you seem to be a pretty abundant and wise person, but you may not feel that way. this blockage may be emotional. it seems that your mind may be in constant internal conflict, wanting to express creativity but a voice in your head is telling you doubts and tricking you. your dreams may be wanting you to follow your heart instead of your head.

[olipopsoda]

Cracked open a cold ginger lemon. The fandom isn’t like imploding like too much. I exaggerate a little and indulge in a little bit of creative license. It’s only imploding a little bit Context required: There are two (major) portions of the fandom. There’s the tumblr community portion and the reddit community portion. Both portions of the fandoms don’t really like each other. The owner of the reddit sub is like a weirdo and also thinks they are a badass. I will not comment on either of those descriptions of her. My opinion is not important to this story but that’s just something you need to know. In the reddit sub, there’s also a weekly post full of user submissions (nicknamed ss). The tumblr portion of the fandom hates this for two reasons 1. The owner of the sub cannot decide if they only want it to be serious and taken seriously or just for entertainment and none of it is verified. 2. The owner puts in some really defamatory stuff. Tumblr users send joke submissions in ss but it’s not as much of a thing anymore. There was a joke a while back about three people who are not on good terms becoming polyamorous lovers who make out. It was obviously a joke but was still being put in ss and taken seriously. Lol. There’s also someone who reuploads the whole thing with zero edits to tumblr. Today they (+ an anon or two added their thoughts to this) decided not to post it publicly because it was so bad and just icky. I believe it was spread to trusted blogs through dms though. Not 100% sure on that last part. Theres currently a huge fandom event (might even the biggest event) that happens once a year. Huge competition and last year the fandom imploded over the winners (negatively). So everyone is super active at this time of year but also a bit distracted with it. There’s also snitches in the tumblr fandom that sends screenshots to the owner of the reddit sub. What happened: A user jokingly submitted an anon to one of the biggest blogs in the tumblr fandom who’s blog is basically just an anon chatroom at this point. They get a lot of anons. Earlier in the year they hit the post limit because of the anons they get. The user submitted an anon about becoming a mod of the sub (as a joke). An ex mod of the sub spilled some tea about the sub and what it was like being a mod. Apparently one of the things they experienced was being removed as mod from the sub with no warning. Also how they used to have to search reddit usernames on tumblr to make sure tumblr users didn’t get into the sub (not effective tactic btw, there’s so many tumblr users on the sub). Someone from tumblr sent this to the owner of the sub and clearly something happened there (that I may or may not know more about. Some things stay secret 🤫). There’s a huge post blaming the ex mods, the tumblr community and a bunch more stuff. Basically justifying everything they did and complaining about the tumblr community hating them. A lot of people are joking about this and making fun of the sub owner. Also one of the snitches revealed themselves and said the snitch just because they find the drama funny. I’m not too invested aside from causing parts of this while I’m drunk. I definitely don’t agree with major parts of this drama but it’s really funny to read as a fandom member. Also like all the posts are public to read so people who are snitching aren’t really posting anything private lol There’s a lot more to it but I think I’m getting close to anon limit and also sorry if there’s mistakes, I’m not rereading this.

For anyone else curious about the anon fandom drama

[kylorexy]

If THG's characters are a fanfic writers/readers, what do you feel would be their AO3/ffn account name and icon?

Also, what would be their preferred read (example : rating = K, T, G, M, E; type = canon, canon-divergent, modern AU etc.) and what kind of comments would they leave on a fic?

You can include as many characters as you can or want.

Thank you so much 😊

@curiousnonny

Oh geez, what a question! I feel like I'm not creative enough for a question like this, I can hardly make up my own account names. Let's see here...

Katniss: I feel like she would go classic, she's not trying to be flashy but she's also trying to not be obviously her, either. For fanfic, I think she's trying to get away from her reality a bit, so I'm going with canon-divergent and modern au reader and writer. She's reading up to Mature, but she skips sex scenes unless she's in the mood and she does not engage with gory fics. period. Username: WillowReads (nickname: Willow)

Peeta: Okay, I really truly believe Peeta would have at least two accounts, he's got his public account for all his reading. Obviously, it's called BakersBoy. And mostly he's reading G canon. His second account is his writing account, and he's writing all of it down. He's writing canon E, he's writing canon-divergent M, and modern au G/M. He needs to get the images in his head down on paper. If he's not writing it, he's making art to go with his favorite fics. Username: OfPetalsAndMutts (nickname: Pet)

Primrose: Primrose is Reading. It. All. I don't think she's much of a writer, but she's definitely a fic commentator and promoter. She's the cheerleader of any fandom she's in, and nothing is off limits for her. Username: Buttercup13 (nickname: Buttercup)

Gale: I'm not convinced Gale would do a lot of fanfic reading, but I can see him writing a quick snippet now and then. Mostly canon and canon-divergent, nothing rated over M. Username: GThorne (nickname: Gale. He's not trying to hide anything)

These are all the characters I feel I really know well enough to do. Maybe I'll take a crack at Johanna someday!

P.S. Mrs Everdeen 100% is involved with fandom and has written some of the most beautiful and devastating fics, and starts many of her chapters with "sorry I couldn't update last week, I had to pull a double shift at the hospital, my daughter broke her ankle (again!) and I had to take care of her, my late-husband's birthday was this past weekend and I needed some time to process that, and I'm taking on more medical students (my other daughter starts medical school soon!) starting tomorrow. but next update should be on time! xoMissLily"

[xxspringmelodyxx]

FAQ:

Are requests open?

Yes they are open! And if you feel like just talking, that’s totally cool! I’d love to hear from you :)

What are your restrictions for writing?

I don’t have many restrictions actually, so feel free to ask! Don’t be discouraged, my dear! I write sfw/nsfw, AU’s, angst, and fluff stories and am happy to do so, though if there are any requests that make me uncomfortable or I decide not to write about them, I will either reply privately or just delete the request :) However, that being said, I do only write for female readers x male characters because it's the only thing I’m good at. It’s in my comfort zone and the last thing I would want to do is attempt something I am not qualified for, only for it to hurt/disrespect someone else.

How to Request?

Please send your requests in through my ask section. This will be easier for me to see rather than requesting through my comments section. Please be as detailed as you want so I can make sure the story is to your expectations. Again, I will only do requests from people who are above 18 <3

How to be added to/removed from a Tag List?

To be added, you have to be above the age of 18 (Sorry for repeating myself on this, I just want to make it clear that I will only interact with adults, not minors) You can be added to a tag list by sending an ask! Just let me know what taglist(s) you would like to be added to and I’ll get that done ASAP! I’ll then respond to those requests to let you know when you have been added. Please also let me know what @username you would like for me to use so I can make sure to use the correct one. If you want to change the account associated with the taglist(s), just let me know and I’ll update the tag list so you can get notifications on any account you want :) Please also explicitly state if you would like to be added to the tag list. The same goes for if you’d like to be removed from taglists!

Who am I? (Not really an FAQ, but just thought I’d add this for anybody who cares, Lmao)

I am currently a college student and planning to work in the medical field. I will be very busy with all my classes and hopefully a new job in the hospital…this means that once school starts, I might be a little slower in writing, but I will still write. I also promise not to delete this account this time, haha. Writing helps keep me inspired and creative, which is something I never want to lose, especially with how life is sometimes. Once this starts, I just kindly ask to be patient with me as it might take me a while to get writing. 

What fandoms have you written for?

I have written for Genshin, HSR, Spyxfamily, Black Clover, Fairy Tail, MK11, Diabolik Lovers, Black Butler, Marvel, BNHA, Howl's Moving Castle, Harry Potter, etc. If none of these are to your interest, please still ask me and I will do research if I don’t know the fandom. That’s how I used to do all my writing when I was younger for characters I didn’t know about. It was actually fun too! I also have watched many different anime/games that I just haven’t written about. <3

Any other rules?

I do write nsfw so please, if you are under the age of 18, DO NOT read those. I put those warnings in the stories and any other story that might have some suggestive/adult content, so please respect my boundaries. If you read my sfw, that’s alright, but please don’t interact with me nor my nsfw stories if you are underage. Nothing against you, I just feel uncomfortable interacting with people younger than 18. Please also be kind to one another. I believe that no matter what, we should all respect each other!

If you still have questions after this, please let me know and I will get back to you ASAP! Love you!!

[akamikazae]

What has been your most memorable chapter of LM?

what was one of your most memorable comments?

As always love your work! (And you are dope)

Hello dear anon! Sorry for taking so long to answer this—hopefully you’re still floating around and will get to see it. :)

Oh gosh mmhm I think it’s a couple of scenes that are memorable rather than entire chapters. If I had to pick it would be between Chapter 18: 'The Edge of Seventeen' or Chapter 25 :‘Kintsukuroi’

Writing chapter 17 came so easily to me, like the setting, the characters, the dialogues the tiny set ups for later all just flowed. It was a bit emotional for me to write too—so I think thats part of what makes it memorable and that I think it really showcases the ugly parts of life and Akami and Kakashi’s friendship, and how grief changes people. 

I think chapter 25 for similar reasons, and because it’s the first time that Sasuke gets a sense of camaraderie between he and Kakashi--when they visit their respective fathers graves. Also for Sasuke’s prodding into Akami’s parents and her reasons for not sharing. And any instance when they cook together is special but here (and also in Chapter 22: Practice) Sasuke gets to have an ounce of freedom and creativity in a safe space where it's okay to make mistakes. And writing that is special to me.

Oh god memorable comments, honestly all of them are memorable. Anyone taking the time to leave me a comment is so so nice, I try to answer every single one, and def remember peoples usernames and stuff because they all truly mean so much to me<33 

I can't pick one so here are some honorable mentions. I’ve gotten a couple that have mentioned that they find Akami complex, fascinating and understandable--one person even wished she were canon and I think I died reading it! And one where someone made note of the realistic dynamic between Kami and Kashi and how it might not always be healthy but its more of a reflection of the world they live in and how they compartmentalize their feelings than the love they have for each other. On a chapter that I grappled with someone commented this ‘Both of them trying to save each others’ humanity through tarnishing theirs’ --which Is like the essence of their relationship in a way, and I guess what I was trying to get across with that chapter and the few before it but couldn’t find the right words, but then they did with that comment—so that was very special. And then similarly with another one much later where I had forgone a lengthy monologue that just didn't feel right and had Kakashi very bluntly and simply tell Sasuke ‘I Care’ someone had said that they ‘loved its brevity that delightfully contrasted with its significance’  And omg I could keep going, but I will end it by saying that I also very much enjoy all the comments I get from people stating their enjoyment of the inclusion of food in my story. Food is a love language and I think it can be used in so many ways to humanize characters and bring them together and I will write about it until someone tells me to stop lol. I also think that food In this world has such a more complex meaning so I really enjoy seeing other people love that too. 

 And with that thank you for coming to my ted talk—sorry this is so long, but if you have read my work I suppose it comes as no surprise. Lol 

Thank you very very much my kind sweet anon you are dope too<;33

[twochildreninamoteldemo]

Do you also sometimes feel discouraged or bad abt your ff when it doesn't get as many kudos or comments compared to other fics? I'm trying not to let it discourage me especially bcos ik there's ppl who do love it from the few who do comment, but ngl it's making me want to delete everything and stop trying. Ik I should write for me and I do, but it still feels bad knowing ppl don't see my ff as comment or kudo "worthy". Sorry for sounding pitiful, but do you have any advice on getting over this feeling? :(

I do; i think it's really hard not to, especially since we live in a world now where so much of our worth is defined by attention via numbers (social media). And I don't just mean in a "everyone wants to be an influencer or be popular" way, but that's literally how authors market their books now, it's how indie music artists can get big...anything creative in the publishing world depends on this type of marketability. and in turn that marketability, obstensibily, defines our worth.

so it's hard not to take these assumptions of a creative trying to make a living in the real world into fandom. even if you don't create for a living, seeing how authors have to grovel on booktok is a little disheartening, and even more embarrassing when i realize i do it on tumblr for my fic. I'm thinking of this one long fic i've written that has gotten many in-depth comments from the people who've read it and loved it, but at the same time, disproportionate kudos, and it does make you question your skill, even if that doesn't make any sense. One thing you have to remember is that people click on fics all the time and mark them for later--this is especially true for longer fics, or fics of darker subject matter that someone might need to be in the right headspace for. And keep in mind that kudos are public--someone might not want to have their username plastered to a fic with questionable content lol (to that, i encourage people to log out and give a guest kudos instead, if possible!).

with all these things I sometimes feel like I'm trying to rationalize, but what it ultimately comes down to is that there's fic that's going to be something everyone wants to read, and there's fic that's not everyone's jam. being in the spn fandom--especially wincest--i know that while the unhinged fans will remain for many more years, it's no longer a fandom at its peak, and i'm more likely to receive curiosity hits than actual people who will read and kudos it. none of that is an indication of how good a writer you are. And beyond that, fandom is anti-capitalist, and thinking of it in terms of the "marketability" I mentioned earlier or even just "popularity" undermines the point. So while it's difficult not to, I try to ignore the numbers as best I can, and all I can do is encourage people to comment, because it truly is quality over quantity. a good comment can make a person's whole week.

much love to u anon, and please don't ever delete your work! <3