#yes your creation can be through fanworks

[mercale]

Hey all.

Today or tomorrow do something small to better your personal space if you can. Have you been putting off a scrub down of the top of your stove? Take a few minutes for that. Is there a picture you bought you want on your wall and haven't gotten to putting up? Get out the tools and place it where you can see it well. Is there some planting you wanted to do or some cleaning you were putting off or a minor clothing repair you really need to do?

For your own sake, do it. Take charge of your environment in small ways. Give yourself control over something around you. It will help a little to get you out of the immediacy of the doom.

Then, do yourself a favor, and do some form of art. Color something. Draw something. Go to the dollar store, buy some cheap play-doh knock off, and build a silly little creature. Write a poem. Dig our sidewalk chalk and make a garden. Cook something lovely. Fold a thing out of paper. Lose yourself in fiber crafts. Make a thing. Sing a song. Practice an instrument. Build a house in a game. Be creative.

Finally, find someone to talk to. Online or in person or on the phone. Tell them of the little act of control you got up to and how it made you feel. Tell them about your act of art and share pictures if you can. Prompt them to do their own acts of control, of art, of connection.

For we are human. And humanity thrives on connections.

For we are human. And humanity finds time and time again that emotions can be poured into, stored within, and expressed through art.

For we are human. And humanity sometimes needs to control and shape the world around it to thrive.

This is the hard part. But we need to take each next step forward with care and determination. And the best way to start is through the little actions that help the brain move a little bit better. That help it shake the darkness off, even if only for a minute.

Good luck, and I love you.

[icarus-suraki]

I don't like wading into Ao3 debates, but I want to give my professional opinion on Ao3 with regard to archives vs. libraries.

I am a professional librarian (MSLS) and I have worked in both archives and public libraries and a lot of the confusion and concern I see surrounding Ao3 is a fundamental misunderstanding of How Archives Work.

An archive is a collection related to a subject. That subject is often a person but sometimes a field or concept or project. And the purpose of an archive is to keep everything. And I mean everything. I was going to say "short of biohazards" but since I know there's a sealed R. Crumb Devil Gal chocolate bar in the UNC Chapel Hill archives, we really do mean everything.

When a collection of materials--which are usually unique and original and can be photos, manuscripts, letters, recordings (audio and/or visual), notes and notebooks, objects, published books, whatever--on and/or from the subject arrive at the archive, they are examined, preserved for longevity, accessioned and cataloged (added to the archive's records), and added to the archive. You measure collections in linear feet. As in, once it's all preserved and boxed and secure, you note how many feet of shelf space it takes up. And some of y'all on Ao3 have a lot of linear feet to your name (and I'm proud of you).

This is an archive: it is designed to preserve the original materials related to a subject. That is its purpose. Archives are how we have the original scroll manuscript of On the Road, for example, or the Lomax recordings of American folksongs, or Tijuana Bibles, or James Joyce's loveletters to Nora.

Now you, a member of the public, can access some archives. Some are easier to access than others. The one I worked in was open to the public; good luck getting into the British Archives without a good reason.

So now apply this to Ao3--which is an archive both in name and in purpose. It is intended to preserve fan-created content long term. And this means everything, whether you personally like the materials or not. It is a repository for as much as possible.

And the "whether you personally like the materials or not" is important, hence why I mentioned Jim's loveletters and Tijuana Bibles in particular. (RIP Jim, you would have loved pegging.)

If it's made by fans and it exists, we should keep it to document the history and progression of fandom. That is the point. We have lost enough materials related to the subject of fans of media and we don't need to lose any more.

The fact of the matter is that Ao3 is only one facet of the OTW, which preserves other fan-related materials (convention booklets and zines, for example). Somehow Ao3, an archive on the subject of fanfiction, has been divorced from the rest of the project, mostly by way of "purity culture" and panic over "dangerous" fiction.

The fact that you can go through an archive and find interesting information is the other side of archives. No, they shouldn't be like the banker's box of old letters stuffed in my closet. Yes, they should be organized and as accessible as is appropriate for the state of the materials.

It's really, really cool to find stuff in an archive, I'm not even going to lie. I have done it before and I will do it again. And yet there are other items in an archive that I might not want or need or be interested in at all--but they're still there. That's the cataloging and accessioning: to keep up with what's there, to stay "on topic" with collecting, and to be able to find things in that archive. Bless the tag wranglers who are doing the cataloging at Ao3.

The pearl clutching seems to come from 1. the creation of "dangerous" fanworks and 2. public access to those "dangerous" fanworks. These are issues of "purity culture" and opinions on censorship and should not involve Ao3.

Ao3, under the umbrella of the OTW, is a documentation and preservation project first and foremost.

[rinchfest]

Coming this September to an internet near you: Rinch Fest 2024, a ship week for Harold Finch/John Reese from Person of Interest! This is a low-pressure event meant to encourage the creation of more fanworks for Finch/Reese or Finch & Reese’s friendship. Fic, art, gifs, vids, podfic, you name it—all are welcome, as long as they’re Rinch-centric.

Posting for Rinch Fest will run from September 24 through September 30, 2024

PROMPTS:

Day One – September 24 Fluff• Pining• "Always" • Dark• Domesticity

Day Two – September 25 Be Nice To John• Established Relationship• Road Trip • Food/Drinking/Cooking • Art

Day Three – September 26 Be Nice To Harold• Belly• "Beach Cabin in the Woods• "Five+1" • Pets/Animals • Music

Day Four – September 27 Kids/Babies/Pregnancy• Hugs• Clothes • Setting/Genre Change AU• The Machine

Day Five – September 28 Bed Sharing• Wedding/Marriage• Crossover • Canon Divergence • Tropes

Day Six – September 29 Finch Whump • Reese Whump • NSFW/Kink • Retirement • Home

Day Seven – September 30 Free-For-All/Catch-Up Day

Keep reading for more info!

Who’s running this? ArgylePirateWD. Hi! Now with mods @alexsrousseau and @stingalingaling

Any changes since last year? None! As in previous years, Reese&Finch friendship is also allowed

Why not call it Rinch Week? It started out as Rinch Fest on The Rinch Loft on Discord, and that’s what stuck.

Plus, Rinch Fest and Reese & Finch share the same initials.

What’s allowed? Complete fanworks focusing on Harold Finch and John Reese in a romantic or close platonic relationship with each other. Fic, art, vids, remixes, sequels, you name it! No length requirements, no style requirements, all ratings allowed—do what you want!

Anything not allowed? Works where Finch/Reese or Finch & Reese is not the primary relationship (additional ships are fine), works that are incomplete at the time of posting, and remixes or other transformative works for other people’s fanworks that are done without the original creator’s permission. Anything else is fair game, as long as it’s labeled.

Also, don’t be a jerk.

What about [insert controversial topic here]? Can I make something with x?/OMG someone made something with x! Anything else is fair game, as long as it’s labeled. This includes works featuring tropes and kinks that you may not like or approve of. As long as it’s warned for, it’s fine and allowed.

Please warn for the usual AO3 warnings (Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Rape/Non-Con, and Underage) and any subjects others may find deeply unpleasant, and clearly label any NSFW works.

What about poly? Gen? Poly is wonderful, but this is a Finch/Reese or Finch&Reese event. Sorry.

Finch & Reese gen is allowed!

What do I do with x prompt?/Can I do [insert concept here]? Anything goes! Seriously, however you want to interpret a prompt is fine.

Do I have to make something for every prompt? No! You can if you want, but it’s not required. Feel free to skip days, combine prompts, create multiple fills for each day, anything! This is as flexible as it gets.

If it fits multiple prompts, when do I post it? Whatever day works best for you!

What if I want to do something NSFW? There's no nsfw prompt this year. Is it still allowed? YES! Bring on the spicy if you want!

What about a multi-chapter/piece thing where each chapter fulfills one day’s prompt? When do I post that? Post an update each relevant day until you’re done! (Just make sure you can finish it by the end of the event.)

What if it doesn’t fit a prompt? That’s what Day 7 is for! :D

What if I need to post my fill(s) on a different day? Life happens. The AO3 collection is set to Unrevealed, so I can reveal early submissions on the right day, but if that doesn’t work for you, I’m sure we can work something out.

Can I work on a previously-posted WIP? As long as it’s finished when you make your post for the event, sure! If you’re just updating a WIP without finishing it, no.

Can I start working now? Absolutely! That’s why I’m announcing it now—so there’s plenty of time for people to make things.

Can I talk about/share previews of what I’m working on? Sure!

Wait, there’s a Rinch Discord server? Do I have to join to do this? Of course not. We’d love to have you at The Rinch Loft, and it’s a fun place to hang out, but Rinch Fest is for anyone into Rinch.

If I want the Discord link… Send in an Ask to the @rinchfest Tumblr, contact ArgylePirateWD somewhere, or ask around. It’s open to anyone who likes Rinch or Person of Interest. I’m happy to give it out to anyone who wants it.

Where do I post? On Tumblr, post to your blog and use the #rinchfest23 or #rinchweek23 tags. You are They are being watched. 👁 And maybe add @rinchfest in your post to be sure. Tumblr is as hungry as Bear and Shaw.

Submissions are also open.

On AO3, you can post it here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/rinchfest23/

Do I have to have a Tumblr? AO3? As long as you’re on some kind of platform and can get a link to the work to me somehow so I can share it with the world, you’re welcome to play.

On October 1st, I’ll make a round-up post full of links to all the shiny things people made. If I know you made it, it’ll go in!

What time zone? The daily prompt posts will be going up at 12 am Central Time, but as long as it’s the relevant day for your fill somewhere in the world, go ahead and throw it in!

(And if you want to sneak in some Day 7 things a little after, as long as they get posted before the Master Post goes up… 😉)

Sounds fun! How do I sign up? No signups! Just post your stuff somewhere on the right day(s), and you’re in!

[azrisweek]

Azris Week 2024 Prompts & Rules

We are delighted to announce the prompts for Azris Week 2024! Each prompt is accompanied by a few suggestions to help spark creativity. Don't feel obligated to follow the suggestions. We intentionally kept the prompts very open to interpretation this year and can't wait to see where the inspiration leads.

Day 1: Contrasts

The chilled darkness of the night, the warming glow of a fire's light. One spends his life pulling strings behind the curtain, and the other is center stage dancing to several tunes beyond his own. Born to privilege, born to poverty. One's family found, the other's fractured. "Contrasts" is a broad theme, how will you explore it?

Day 2: Familiars

Take it to mean the noun—hounds, shadows, horses, other pets, maybe sentient little flames, companions, friends, family, etc—or expand your interpretation to the adjective and see where it takes you.

Day 3: Contact

How do the heir of Autumn and the Shadowsinger communicate? Through letters or texts, maybe, or through heavy gazes and the brush of fingers on exposed skin. Have they always spoken with each other this way?

Day 4: Free Day

This is self-explanatory.

Day 5: Slice of Life

So much of this enemies-to-lovers ship is full of strife, pain, and betrayal. But what about the quiet moments? Whether in the midst of chaos or with lower stakes, how have they learned to love each other?

Day 6: Changes

What changes? What remains the same? Change for the individual, change for the pair. Think of shifting opinions, a changing world, personal growth, and developing relationships. One of the reasons we ship Azris is our love for their dynamic. How dynamic can they be?

Day 7: Solstice & Equinox

Autumn Equinox, the shift in seasons from light to darkness, a time of harvest and plenty. Winter Solstice, the longest night, the turning point. One can predict that the Autumn Equinox in the Autumn Court is as grand of a celebration as the Winter Solstice in Night. We're closing out the week with a hearty dose of holiday spirit.

1) Be respectful. We're here to celebrate Azris and appreciate the creations made in their honor. This is a positive, inclusive space which won't stand for bashing of any kind.

2) Please direct any event-related questions to this account, not to the mods individually.

3) Tag us and use #azrisweek2024 when posting here or on Instagram so that we can reblog/repost. If you are posting a work to AO3 add it to the event collection here.

4) Creations of all kinds are welcome and encouraged! Fics, fanart, mood boards, headcanons, incorrect quotes, edits, playlists, etc. We will not be promoting AI generated/altered images or fanworks.

5) A caveat to the previous rule. This event won't tolerate characters being warped to fit heteronormative roles and/or relationship stereotypes. For example (thanks to @cauldronblssd for putting it so clearly,) fem Eris or Azriel as queer identities or gender non-conforming characters, yes—fem Eris or Azriel as a substitute for a straight woman, no. With this in mind, we reserve the right to use our discretion and not engage with content, regardless of how it is tagged, if said content perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

[strangerthingskinkmeme]

Hello and welcome everyone! This is a blog dedicated to the Kink Meme concept, where fans can submit prompts as well as fill prompts that have been submitted.

What is a Kink Meme you ask? Kink Meme’s are ways for fandom communities to share fan creation desires (Prompts) and for fan creators to fill those desires (Fills)! The first recognized Kink Meme was created back in 2007 in the Bleach fandom and have over the years, inspired many fandoms to do the same.

This one in particular is for the Stranger Things fandom!

If you would like to participate, read the following under the Keep Reading for information on how to begin!

Quick Index

FAQ Submit an Ask Submit a Prompt/Fill AO3 Collection All Prompts Filled Prompts Tags

Do Prompts & Fills have to be Kinky?

No! Prompts & Fills can range all the way from Citrus to Grapefruit in the Citrus Scale. This means that you can submit Safe For Work and Not Safe For Work prompts!

What is the Citrus Scale?

The Citrus Scale is something that stemmed all the way from fandoms in the 1980s with the term “Lemon” being used to label erotic fanworks. Over time, the Citrus Scale was expanded upon to be more detailed! This can come in handy when wanting to denote exactly how explicit a fan creation is.

CITRUS Rated General Audiences No romance, sexually suggestive actions, violence, strong language or dark themes. Hugging, hand holding, cheek kissing, clothed cuddling, etc are all within Citrus range. ORANGE Rated Teen & Up Mild or sparring uses of romance, sexually suggestive tones/words, violence and dark themes. Making out, clothed cuddling with heavy petting, blood & cuss words are all within Orange range. LIME Rated Mature Romantic themes, sexually suggestive actions, violence, strong language and dark themes. This range is typically used for the lead up to a sexual encounter, meaning everything BUT sex. This can also apply to violence without the imagery being explicitly shown/written. LEMON Rated Explicit Graphic sexual actions, violence, harsh language and dark themes. This is for when sex happens, when violence is shown/written in detail and all things not typically “Safe For Work” is present. Kink falls within Lemon range. GRAPEFRUIT Rated XXX This scale is for when certain actions, themes or kinks are for the not widely used or ‘bazaar’ Lemon concepts. This can include uncommon kinks, or often times triggering themes. This is different from Dead Dove Do Not Eat (read below) Dead Dove Do Not Eat What You See Is What You Get DDDNE is a Tag Modifier that suggests that if you see a certain tag that you should understand that it is telling you exactly what you are getting. (Ex. If a fan work is tagged DDDNE, Cannibalism, then you should expect to see or read about people eating each other.)

SUBMITTING OR FILLING PROMPTS

How should I submit my prompt?

Using the form below, Submit a prompt or Fill a prompt.

PROMPT SUBMISSION ANON: (Yes/No) PROMPT: (Prompt should be typed) CHARACTERS: TROPE/KINK TAGS: RATING: (Use Citrus Scale) FILL SUBMISSION ANON: (Yes/No) PROMPT LINK: (Link to Original Prompt) FILL LINK: (Ao3 Collection, Tumblr Link, Twitter Post, etc) CHARACTERS: TROPE/KINK TAGS: RATING: (Use Citrus Scale)

Need help? Here's a few useful resources!

You can find a comprehensive list of kinks here; https://datingxp.co/list-of-kinks/

If you need inspiration on what types of Tags & Fandom Tropes to use, you can always brows AO3 or look at the website https://tvtropes.org/

Can I submit a Prompt or Fill Anonymously?

Yes! But not through Anon Asks.

When submitting a prompt or a Fill, please state whether you would like to be Anon in your submission. The owner of the blog @/ TheDikTatorTot & the Mods (To Be Added) will NOT post your submission off Anon if it’s been requested, nor will your submission be shared or spoken about outside of that submission. The submission (after it has been posted Anon) will be deleted from the queue as well so no history of it’s existence remains.

Obviously most Fills will end up being posted with the author attached as unless you use the Anon feature on Ao3, there aren't any genuine ways to stay anonymous. You can create your own separate Tumblr account to post from, but that's about it for this website.

Why can’t I use the Anon feature?

We want to curb potentially harmful actions by those who might try and trigger the mods on this blog. Leaving Anon off will curb that potential.

What is NOT allowed to be submitted as a Prompt or Fill to this blog?

There are few stipulations that need to be followed in order to get your prompt accepted;

Stolen Prompts. Please do not submit prompts that you have not been given specific permission to post or were created by yourself. This does not mean that you can't have similar prompts, but no copy & pasting a prompt from somewhere else (that isn't yours) just to try and get it filled.

Double Posted Prompts. Please do not re-post your prompt to the blog more than once. If it has been accepted, it is available to be filled and will not get more or less attention from being re-posted.

Previously written works. Please submit only newly created fanworks specifically created for submitted prompts.

Untagged fanworks. Please tag your fan works as best you can with the tags provided so the mods can know what they are reviewing.

Prompts or Fills with the Young Teen characters (Will, Mike, Lucas, Max, El, Dustin, Souzie, Etc). If you submit a Prompt or a Fill with these characters you will be permanently blocked from submitting in the future.

Bestiality with Non-Monster animals will NOT be accepted. Aka Cats, Dogs, Horses, etc. Only MONSTERS & Monster Humanoids will be accepted.

How many Fills can a Prompt have?

As many as you want! Multiple people can fill a prompt if they choose too, there is no limit. All fills will be linked/connected too each Prompt so it will be easier to find.

Anything else I should know before filling?

Yes! If you have filled a prompt, you may submit your Fill to the Ao3 collection linked in the home page of this blog. You do NOT have to submit to the collection.

FINAL COMMENTS

Fandom is a place of all desires, walks of life, experiences and levels of comfort. If you see something that has been Prompted or Filled that you do not like or find triggering, the best option for you to continue enjoying your experience on this blog and all others, is to block tags of the content you do not want to see.

Not all content posted here will be up the alley of the owner of the blog or the mods but there will be no judgement past purposefully hurtful actions. I can’t truly give examples as to how to define that line between dark themes, and purposefully hurtful, but if your intentions when prompting or filling is to upset, trigger or demean the fans of certain characters, pairings or tropes, then it will be easily spotted.

Do not let this stop you from posting dark content. That is not the intention here, but please be aware of how you portray certain themes with certain characters and their fans when Prompting or Filling. Thank you.

[thatonebirdwrites]

Fandom creators tag game

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of?

I write stories. Usually original science fiction, but in the past two years, I've branched into fanfiction. I also create art and music.

I'm damn proud of my rewrite of Book 2 of Legend of Korra in my Shared Moments series.

I wish I could find a publisher for my original fiction; then I could share what I'm most proud of but alas. The publishing market is incredibly hard to get into and I don't have the health to self-publish, so we'll go with the Korrasami tales for now. For art, I'm damn proud of this piece I did of Lena.

2. What fandom(s) do you create for?

Korrasami from Legend of Korra.

Supercorp from CW's Supergirl

Rojarias from CW's Supergirl.

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it?

Korrasami. Not controversial much at all. (As a side note, Supercorp feels like an angstier Korrasami. Might be why I like that ship equally well. Supercorp doesn't seem controversial?)

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon?

Yes, Korrasami is canon. (Supercorp isn't necessarily canon, but there's so much evidence of it in the show that it might as well be.)

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you?

First fandom I created something for? Or first fandom where I dived into and read everything I could? Because if it's read everything I could, then it's Star Wars before Disney threw out the old Canon (still salty about that). I'd have been pretty young -- still a kid when I was devouring all the Star Wars books. I didn't have any favorite ship though while I did this.

For something I created, Korrasami was the first one I wanted to create art and writing for to be honest. That was three years ago when I started writing Korrasami.

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date?

Oh, that's a Supercorp one. I was inspired by a weird camera glitch, and wrote an unhinged horror set after season 6. The first part of it is in tumblr. I have yet to publish to AO3 mostly because I want to finish more of it before I do. Sort of loosely based on Lovecraft's Color out of Space.

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it?

Three years ago I first started drawing and writing Korrasami. Then I branched out into Supercorp.

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations?

Only my trusted friends and siblings.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made?

If anyone did, they have never shared it with me. I would love to see it, and I'd treasure it always!

Though if I'm being honest. I doubt I'll ever get fanworks. Why would anyone go to that much trouble for something I wrote? I doubt anything I write is worth that much.

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations?

I want to show possible healing journeys that aren't the most painful angstfest known to humanity. I want people to feel the journey too, to capture the world within the character's senses so that their tale feels real.

Whether I achieve this, I have no idea. Some people have written very kind comments stating that I have, and I am delighted by those comments.

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it?

Two people have said I made a place feel alive through the storytelling and worldbuilding I did. That compliment haunts me in all the best ways, and I have done my best to try to keep that tradition going.

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!)

It was a Supercorp art piece, but after searching, I can't seem to find it again. It was Lena leaning backwards into Kara's arms, while Kara gently holds her. Colored piece, digitally drawn I think. They look almost like they were swaying back and forth.

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share)

Korrasami:

Korra looked at their entangled hands. “Yeah, yeah, it’s just some stitching.”

“And yet, that ‘some stitching’ made something wonderful.” Asami was determined to remind Korra of what she could do. It’d been her mantra for the past six months. She wanted Korra to regain her confidence, but it'd been difficult. Thanks to Asami's foolishness they'd both backslid.

Korra had called it Asami’s paranoia.

Maybe they were both right.

Supercorp:

Lena rises before dawn, prepares her corporate armor, and heads to her full-time job as CEO of L-Corp. Today’s agenda includes four meetings, one of them with the board, an hour of lab time, a brief lunch, and a visit to Florence in late afternoon.

It’s the visit with Florence that troubles her the most. The exposure to the strange artifact gave her unsettling dreams, and she woke in a cold sweat after a particularly gruesome one. In that one, she’d had no control over her body, only watched in horror as another person used her abilities to harm all she loved.

Kara had woken too, and her gentle reassurances had helped Lena fall back asleep, this time with no dreams.

Diving into work to escape the nightmares is how she copes. Perhaps not the healthiest, but undoing all her bad coping mechanisms will take far longer than just admitting they exist.

Rojarias:

Tomorrow morning? Sam reeled from the news. That gave her very little time to pack and prepare Ruby for Sam being gone a week or two.

Yet here she was again, unable to say no. Especially not when two beautiful women were looking at her expectantly.

Damn, Sam was too gay for this. “All right. Tomorrow it is.”

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several)

Yes, I have. I'm not entirely sure what exactly they published on AO3 however. I found the tiny Kara piece absolutely hilarious.

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style?

I do leave comments, yes. I share my enjoyment of the piece, sections that really stood out to me, and/or an overall feeling I got from the piece. I'm trying to be more consistent about it since I know how much comments mean to me as a writer, and I know other writers enjoy them too!

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all?

Original fiction: (on hiatus but I do plan on finishing) 3

Korrasami: 2 (plan on finishing them, yes).

Supercorp: 3 (yes, plan on finishing them.)

Rojarias: 1 (yes, I need to get on this as it's due next month actually).

Art for Supercorp: 1 (I also need to work on finishing this before the due date next month. I got the rough sketch and need to run it by the author to make sure it's what they want, before I go to town inking it).

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?

Shared Moments: Books 1 through 3 (the finished ones) took me a year. A million words no less. Whew. I'm working on Book 3.5 now. I tend toward longer works, which takes a few months to complete.

My shorter fiction (the ficlets) take less than an hour usually.

For art, it takes me one to three weeks.

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published!

These paralleled kisses shake their world. (A chapter for Unraveling Realities)

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it?

I'm not really sure what counts as being "in" a fandom or not. If I enjoy something, I'll engage with it, but does the engagement mean I'm "in" the fandom now? Or do I have to create something and talk with others in the fandom to be considered "in?" How does this work?

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers

I absolutely adore Make this your home by pcrtifacts so much I even made fanart for it. It's not finished, but it's regularly updated and so, so good.

Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.

A mutual you have never actually spoken to but think seems cool -- All my mutuals are really cool! And I'd love to read more of their stuff. Thanks all of you for sharing your stuff!!

The most recent person whose content you engaged with (eg read a fic, reblogged art, whatever form you feel best fits) -- I'm not sure? Maybe the person I reblogged this from?

Someone whose content you saw via tags/reblogs and you followed them because of it @luthordamnvers (I honestly love the indepth knowledge of the show nic has, how willing to share that knowledge, nic's kindness, the fics they write. Honestly, all around wonderful person.)

Someone in your fandom that you think makes cool things @ekingston (Shape of Soup being my favorite plus the art is amazing.)

Someone in a different fandom that you think makes cool things (this is hard. I really only seem to follow or find Korrasami, Supercorp, and on rarer occasions Rojarias or Dansen. There's some Star Wars folks that do fun things, but I can't remember their usernames tho.)

Someone you always tag on things like this @nottawriter

Someone you have never tagged before (I can't remember who I tagged before, so I guess whoever wants to play this game?)

Someone you would like to get to know better @pcrtifacts (love, love their make this place your home fic. And chatting in comments with pcrtifacts has been lovely.)

Someone who makes art you like -- @snazzy-korra (honestly, she's an all around amazing person, and Iove all her art and chatting with her. So grateful for our chats too.)

Someone who writes fics you like: @fazedlight (I seriously love everything mel writes. It's all so damn good. I even wrote a fanfic continuation of a piece I really liked of mel's ficlets. First and only time I've ever done that.)

I suspect some of these people have been tagged multiple times. My apologies if so. But I did want y'all to know how you're appreciated and how much I enjoy your content too. :)

[waytooinvested]

Fandom creators tag game

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of? Mostly I write fanfiction. Sometimes I make little needle felted character dolls. Over all proudest is probably still The Hands I Used to Touch (Call the Midwife), but for my current fandom (Supergirl) it's Forgotten, Not Forgiven, as that is my latest big project and home to all the fluffy supercorp that I need in my life (okay not in the published chapters but IT WILL BE EVENTUALLY I PROMISE)

2. What fandom(s) do you create for? Right now just Supergirl, and I have only written three fics for that one so far (but hopefully more to come!) Before that it was Call the Midwife.

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it? Supercorp, ie Kara/Lena for Supergirl (I know, I’m so quiet about it on this blog you would never have guessed). It occupies an interesting space of being simultaneously entirely non controversial in that it is by far the biggest ship I have ever engaged with, while also being extremely divisive, both within and beyond fandom spaces. But I arrived here LONG after most of that had happened, and am now just happily playing in the sandpit of creative space while the bones of drama stay *mostly* buried. Always a bit of a shock when one rises up to try and kick down your sandcastle though (yes, I am aware that that is a mildly horrifying visual)

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon? They are not (TECHNICALLY), but there is enough raw material in canon to build The São João Baptista, and that is enough for me. That and the 21,302 (and counting) fics with their relationship tag on AO3.

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you? The first I actually engaged with other fans over was Call The Midwife in my early 20s, and that was because I snapped after seeing one too many tv lesbians get hit by a car.

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date? Unhinged is not really my brand so I don't really have anything good for this one. Is Kara gets accidentally miniaturized unhinged? Or a bait and switch Lena "villain" arc? I think probably not really to either, but that's the closest I've got for this fandom so far...

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it? The aforementioned incident between Delia and a car, which left her with amnesia and taken away to Wales mere moments after she and Patsy had moved in together. But I’m over it. Honest.

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations? Not usually, I get shy about it. The exceptions are my wife (but we met via fandom so that one maybe doesn’t count) and on occasion my best friend, who talked me round by being an enthusiastic sweetheart.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made? A few people have made fan art for my fics and it felt like the absolute highest compliment that could be paid to my writing. It was amazing to know that something I wrote meant enough to people to inspire them to go and create their own thing from it, and I loved getting to see other people’s takes on the version of the characters/story I had created. I think it's one of the best things about fandom communities! But I do understand why other people might feel differently about something they have poured so much of themselves into making, so I guess the main thing is trying to be respectful with it, crediting the source, and accepting people's boundaries. Basically I think we should all just be kind to each other and have fun.

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations? I'm generally seeking my own catharsis through writing fix-it fic for painful things that happened in canon, so I guess a certain amount of pain followed by the eventual fluffy feel good satisfaction of resolution, but honestly I consider it a win if I can evoke a whole spectrum of emotions along the way.

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it? Someone once liked my fic so much that she married me about it, so it’s hard to beat that haha. But on a more usual level, people making fanart for my fic was a HUGE one. And also just when people have left particularly in depth comments, commented on every chapter, told me they're rereading or that a fic of mine was their favourite etc... Basically just knowing that something I made has really meant something to someone gives me all of the warm fuzzy feelings, and I am very grateful to each and every person who has taken the time to tell me so!

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!) Originally I had the bouquet toss ficlet by @fazedlight here, because it just captures the characters so beautifully, but then I left this sitting in my drafts and it is now more than 24 hours ago that I saw it, so I'll add this adorable art by @awaitingrain, because LOOK AT IT! They are so cute??! Also I relate to gentle nomming as a display of affection XD

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share) "Lena Luthor was dangling from the side of a cliff, nothing between her and the vast chasm of space below but the small jutting nodule she was clinging to to keep from falling.

How the hell had she ended up here?

Well. She knew how of course.

Kara Danvers was how."

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several) SO MANY!! it’s hard to pick a favourite of hers honestly because she is a RIDICULOUSLY good writer, but I’m going to go with The Next Best Thing by @cynicalrainbows. I don’t tend to read many kidfics but this one is the absolute best I have come across, she captures the child perspective fantastically well while also being incredibly engaging and entertaining to an adult reader. It is what successfully pulled me into reading Six fanfic despite (at that point) never having seen the musical. Even if you haven’t either, I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out. Or go and read her new Paperdolls fic and help grow that fandom, which I think currently has all of two people in it!

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style? I do! I know how much I love it when people do it for me, so I try to leave comments on every chapter of the fics I read (or add tag notes for tumblr art/fic reblogs), and give specifics about what I like about it. Sometimes I just fully liveblog the fic reading experience, which is always fun. I also find it makes you engage and appreciate the work more because you’re taking your time to really think about it, AND it makes an author happy to receive (at least so I hope), which makes me happy.

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all? Not counting a couple of dump documents of ideas and snippets, technically 3, I guess? One is Forgotten, Not Forgiven (Supergirl) which is my big one and will definitely be finished. The others are less certain – Storybooks and Siren Suits (Call The Midwife) is the one kidfic I have ever written, and is both my longest story at 151,020 (published) words, and also the one I am least likely to finish, because it has been stuck on the same chapter for around 3 years now. The other is Small Problem… (Supergirl) which could be counted as a finished oneshot, but I will probably end up adding further Adventures of Tiny Kara at some point.

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?Well, see above re: 3 year stall on new updates. For actually fully finished and published stories I think it was around 6 months.

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published! Lena discovers Kara in Lex’s bed, then decides to lure her into friendship under false pretenses. Alex helps her do it. Forgotten, Not Forgiven.

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it? See above re: getting into fanfiction for Six!

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers That’s tough because there are so many amazing ones, but I think I will go with I Guess I Live Here Now by @fabulousglitch, because it was both the first fic I really got into for supercorp and also contained everything I wish the characters could have had in canon. I know I am several years late to the party so if you are in the supercorp fandom you have probably already read it, but if you haven’t read it GO READ IT, IT’S SO GOOD!

Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.

A mutual you have never actually spoken to but think seems cool @nottawriter

The most recent person whose content you engaged with (eg read a fic, reblogged art, whatever form you feel best fits) @sideguitars (and I still owe you a comment on AO3 for that!)

Someone whose content you saw via tags/reblogs and you followed them because of it @sssammich

Someone in your fandom that you think makes cool things @fazedlight

Someone in a different fandom that you think makes cool things @havaamina

Someone you always tag on things like this @cynicalrainbows

Someone you have never tagged before @thatonebirdwrites

Someone you would like to get to know better @thecasualqueer

Someone who makes art you like @pea-green (I don't know if you still do fandom drawing/writing these days, but your commissioned art is still up in my house/in my profile picture and I love it so much)

Someone who writes fics you like @fabulousglitch

[allvalleyskillschallenge]

All Valley Skills Challenge FAQ's

What is it? The All Valley Skills Challenge is a monthly event designed to encourage all forms of creativity within the TKK/CK fandom.

How does it work?

Each month, we will select a theme and post 3 correlating moodboards, which will serve as visual prompts. Choose the one that inspires you the most - or choose them all! - and get creating! Whether it's writing, art, or other forms of media, the goal is to inspire creativity and community participation, in all its many and varied forms. What's the time frame? The theme and moodboards will be shared on the first day of each month. You will then have the entire month to complete your creation(s). If you wish for us to share your work, please make sure you have submitted a post by noon, CST, on the second to last day of the month. This should give mods enough time to reblog any submissions before the start of the next prompt. We will schedule deadline reminder posts for each month and include the deadline in the moodboard posts. We reserve the right to make adjustments to the schedules depending on the amount of submissions, we will post updates whenever any changes have been made. Be sure tag us so we can reblog it here. How do I tag you?

@allvalleyskillschallenge and #allvalleyskillschallenge Sometimes, things slip through the cracks on this hellsite, and sometimes life just gets in the way. If we somehow missed your post, please feel free to shoot us a politely worded message and one of our mods will take care of it as soon as possible.

What kind of fan works are allowed?

This is a skills challenge, so it's time to step onto the mats and show us what you've got! Our goal is to showcase all forms of talent and creativity in our badass little fandom, including but not limited to:

Fanfiction

Fan Art (Digital or Traditional)

Comics

Meta

Edits

Playlists

Moodboards

Mixed Media/Arts and Crafts

If you have any questions about the eligibility of your submission, please feel free to message us and one of the mods will be happy to clear things up.

Does it have to be CK/TKK specific? 

Generally speaking, yes. We ask that all works be connected to TKK/CK in some way. Any TKK/CK character, whether major or minor, is fair game. AUs, crossovers, and actor RPF are also welcome.

What pairings are allowed?

All pairings either directly or tangentially related to the TKK/CK universe are accepted. This means that if you wish to include a character from a The Karate Kid or Cobra Kai actor's other projects (i.e. Shootfighter, Naked in New York, Blue Beetle), we'll accept those works as well.

To make things easier on our mods, please make sure to tag all pairings accordingly. Include the names of the characters, the actors and the shows/movies they originate from.

What ratings and types of content are allowed?

Works of all ratings are allowed for this challenge, as are works that contain sensitive content, provided they do not violate Tumblr’s Terms of Service. But please be courteous and tag your works appropriately.

Please note that the mods reserve the right not to share or promote works that ignore these guidelines.

What about NSFW Art?

We recommend that any uncensored NSFW Art be posted to ao3. Please be advised that if you are sharing explicit art directly to tumblr, it should cropped/censored to abide by the community guidelines. We have also created an ao3 collection for your submissions. If you would like to add your fanworks to this collection, you can find the link here.

How should I format my submission?

Along with your submission itself, please state which prompt(s) inspired your work, the rating, the main characters/pairings included, and any valid content warnings.

If you do not wish to use warnings, please place your content under a Read More link.

To keep things neat, we also ask that any writing longer than a few paragraphs be posted under a Read More, along with all NSFW content.

If your work is hosted on another site outside of Tumblr (such as ao3), please provide us with a working link, along with a brief summary. Is there a word count minimum for written submissions? Or a maximum?

The minimum for a written submission is 100 words (or haiku length for poetry). There is no maximum. From drabbles to epics to in-depth meta, feel free to write as much (or as little) as you want. Just keep in mind that your work must be submitted before the end of the month in order for us to reblog it. Can I submit more than one thing? 

Yes, absolutely! Our goal is to inspire you to create!

That being said, we will only reblog 6 posts per participant, per month. This is mainly to keep from spamming everyone's dashes.

So if, for example, you choose to write multiple drabbles or connected drabble sequences for a prompt, keep this limitation in mind. Consider either posting them to ao3 as a collection and sharing the link, or condensing them into one tumblr post.

Again, please only @ us in 6 posts per month. Posts that exceed this limit will be disregarded.

When will my post be reblogged?

Our current plan is to reblog your submissions in batches, twice a week. There will be one drop in the middle of the week, and another over the weekend. So if your post isn't reblogged right away - don't worry! We will do our best to make sure everyone gets their time to shine.

We are also currently working on creating a tagging system to keep things as organized as possible on our end. We ask for your patience while we sort things out.

One last thing!

Remember, this a challenge, not a competition! The goal is to further develop and showcase your skills - and most of all, to have fun!

We know it's a slow time for the fandom right now, but we hope this event will encourage participation and foster a greater sense of community. Reblogs and comments are encouraged! It is our dearest hope that you will support each other's efforts and cheer each other on!

That being said: While we will do our best to tag ships and any sensitive or potentially triggering content, please remember that this is a fandom-wide event. Any and all pairings and ratings are allowed.

This may include content that you are not personally comfortable with. But while you are free to explore themes of intolerance or bigotry within your work, hate speech and harassment directed toward your fellow participants or mods WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Under ANY circumstances.

Someone wrote or drew a ship you don't like? You disagree with someone else's opinion or are squicked by a particular kink? Be respectful or just keep scrolling. Unsolicited critical feedback and bashing are not allowed in this dojo.

To paraphrase Mr. Miyagi - our root karate might be the same, but we all choose our own way to grow. Everyone's form of expression is unique. So please be respectful when engaging with creators and their works. Anyone found to be harassing their fellow challengers (or the mods) will be banned and disqualified from participating in future rounds.

If you have any other questions, comments, or suggestions for future themes, please feel free to contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can! Our asks are open. And if for some reason you need to contact a mod directly, your senseis mods with their inboxes open and ready to answer questions are: @desolateice and @wicked-jade.

[olderthannetfic]

Wait I’m genuinely curious about the mechanisms of this - so I know about ao3 and copyright law, but what about zines? I think the earliest are from the 1970s but how have they, as a media form, survived for so long if they’re also technically breaking the law by profiting off an IP? I get a lot are for charity and companies would be reluctant to sue projects for charity but I’ve seen some being sold that aren’t?

And also what about authors who post early updates on patreon or have patreon exclusive fics? That surely has to break copyright law?

Possibly answering my own question but maybe it’s because companies don’t care about this but I also did live through Nintendo viciously taking down let’s plays because they thought it breached their copyright by disincentivising people from playing the games?

Companies can be really strict about their IPs, so I’m really curious as to how this is happening and how people are protecting their works.

--

Getting away with shit and shit being legal are two very different things. ;)

And, to be fair, shit being illegal and companies threatening you with legal action are also very different things.

The oldschool ones were not for charity. You could make a fair use argument, but most zines survive simply because rights holders don't bother to go after them. Small print runs of physical objects are often not seen as significant enough to bother with. Zine makers often argue that they're only charging because they need to cover the printer's bill. Some prices on old zines bear this out; others don't.

Plenty of zines did get shut down by rights holders, however, from big-for-sff-publishing names like Chelsea Quinn Yarbro to Hollywood types like George Lucas. The reasons ranged from "My historical figure vampire is super original and your random-ass zine is endangering my copyright" (Fuck you, CQY. I'm never reading a page of your crap!) to "I just don't like Luke/Leia for some reason but won't tell you why" (LOL). I hear Lucas went after horny zines in general too. I wasn't around for any of this, obviously, but there are writeups online, including on Fanlore.

I presume modern zines benefit from the greater awareness around fair use and around bad press from suppressing fanworks, but they could still be in danger from big rights holders. Being legal or illegal is less important than who has the money for lawyers. Sometimes, a fan can get a big corp to back off by brazening it out, but you have to tell them your legal name and go "Come at me, bro!" Who wants to do that?

Fic Patreons are not only on shaky legal ground, but Patreon does not allow that use of the site. It's a private company, not a public service, and it can pretty much do as it pleases. Here are the guidelines in part:

Restrictions We don’t allow creations and benefits that violate our terms or policies. You can learn more by visiting our Community Guidelines and Benefit Guidelines. A high level summary of those rules is that we don’t allow:

illegal creations or benefits;

creations or benefits that are abusive towards other people;

creations or benefits that use others’ intellectual property, unless you have written permission to use it, or your use is protected as fair use;

or creations or benefits with real people engaging in sexual acts.

If your fans include people under the age of 18, then please remind them that they need their parent’s or legal guardian’s permission to purchase an offering or membership subscription on Patreon, and that those under the age of 13 cannot use Patreon. We are not required to allow any particular person or group of persons to be a patron or otherwise access Patreon services.

Now, yes, they do make an exception for fair use, but I doubt they'll side with the majority of fanworks creators on their particular Patreon works counting as fair use. (Actually, they might be more lenient on RPF. That "real people" rule is about porn starring live actors, not about RPF.) They might rule in favor of the person selling their fic on there, but they very well might not, and even if you were willing to fight it out in court, you probably couldn't since Patreon would be denying you service on their site, not suing you. They can deny service to whomever they want any time they want.

I don't advocate tattling to Patreon simply because I don't think there's any social contract around respecting Patreon's wishes, nor are Patreons I don't back super visible and in my face. Patreon is built by people who get paid to do that; the extra ethical issues present on AO3 are not present here. I don't really approve, but I'm also not going to go out of my way to rat on people. However, I'm sure that fandom enemies of BNFs with Patreons do tattle. I'd advise anyone monetizing this way to have other contact info for their patrons in case they suddenly get kicked off.

--

Basically, people are flying under the radar, and then periodically, there's a big drama where a rights holder or hosting site destroys everything.

[365runesoftheamalgamations]

The Not Yet Forgotten Introduction

hello and how are you?

This has been far too long since we have been active and we've wanted to get back into the flow of things! And we believe it is time for a Reintroduction! So, without further ado,

A Proper Introduction

Welcome to the Writing Blog! We are the Not Yet Dead Authors, the Natsume Rune! You may refer to us as Natsume as a whole, or say hi to any of the specifics who run the blog/do the writes! Our pronouns are we/they, and we are an aromantic/asexual genderfluid cluster of whispers drowning in the Void for more than two decades. So just another set of Wanderers who wish to reach out and touch the Worlds in a more pronounced way!

Full Writeblr Introduction under the cut!

Getting To Know Us

We are most comfortable writing and conversing in italics! It just feels like it speaks with our souls, so please be aware that most of the posts and such will be within that realm of writing.

Our most comfortable sense of writing is in third person present tense! We also write in first person (sometimes) and second person (rarely) but our comfort lies in others and their present.

We write mostly fantasy but also dabble in horror, science fiction, dystopian and other works and writing styles. We do hold our own universe, the Storyverse, that we will hint, note, and talk about, depending on things, as well as a multitude of Worlds that will be given over to the Stories happening within in. Hardcore about both worldbuilding and storytelling, so we will probably have a lot to say about both the Worlds and Stories that come with our hyperfixations.

Our writing forms include: fanfiction, short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, novels, poems, and role playing! We enjoy rolling through forms and trying out different ways of telling and sharing stories, so please note that there will be a lot of everything on here.

We follow from the System's Blog, @365runesofthesystem, and will try to be really active in the community, so if you see us around, then feel free to indulge us! We love to be tagged in games and sent asks and the like and will try to get to all of them in due time. [ yes, we do hoard Tag Games, shut the fuck up about it. ]

If there is anything else anyone would like to know, do not hesitate to ask or message us! But be aware that we are not afraid to deal with anything impolite or inappropriate, we have a zero tolerance standard and we will keep it without hesitation.

The Amalgamations of our Creations

We have a lot - and yes, we mean a fuck ton - of Works and Stories that we want to tell at some point in our lives, so this list will definitely grow and expand and shift as we go through our journey.

If you want a full list of all of our Works, check our both our Original Works Masterlist and our Fanworks Masterlist!

All Links to WIP Pages and Intro Posts will be added as we get things sorted and settled!

But here are a few of our more pronounced Works, [ yes, they can and will probably shift and change. No they are not in any particular order, we hate figuring out orders. ]

Grayland's Shadow

Original Work | Fiction, Low Fantasy, Horror Elements First, Second, Third Person | Second Drafts

Ecstasy. The screaming, the struggling, the pleas for mercy, he loved them all. He loved the way they always seemed to think that he would set them free. That, if they were good and tried hard enough, he would just let them live, bleeding and knowing. As if he would ever let anyone go. He never did. He never wasted an opportunity either. So when a girl, around her way into adulthood, sat down next to him on the bench that day, he had no intention of letting her go. None.

Constellations By Orion

Original Work | Fiction, High Fantasy, Action and Adventure Third Person Present Tense | Scene Drafting/Worldbuilding

Orion is the first one she goes for, as he always points North. "I am just saying, your little stowaway is pretty cute." "I don't need a man Orion, I need directions across the sea." "Trust me, if you want a purpose, you should find Ursa Major. She's the guide of adventure, new life." "And where can I find her?" "At the heart of the ocean. She is the Guardian of Polaris and her baby, Ursa Minor."

The Queen & The Heir

Short Story | Fiction, High Fantasy, Medival Third Person Present Tense | Scene Drafting/Prompt Response

She hates herself for hesitating. She stares at the note, gentle cream instead of stark white in order to hold the same connotations of the maid notes that she, and more importantly he, was accustomed to seeing. She glances at the Guard, barely catches the door closing completely, locking her in with the words that would prove herself justified. Or truly and quietly mad.

The Rapunzel Witch

Short Stories | Fiction, High Fantasy, Fairytale Retellings, LGBTQIA+ Third Person Present Tense | Chapter/Scene Drafting

Vibrant and sharp, it is another small check to his identity; the Queen is staring at him, though instead of the hard determination of a leader, he stands before the soft gentleness of a person unused to such direct contact. Something shifts in those eyes; the Royal Majesty frowns more before he lets his eyes drop to the ground between them. “Well, that’s that then, isn’t it?” The Knight feels a soft pang; he almost takes a step forward, hand twitching at his side before the Royal spins around and walks away from him. “Your obligations are fulfilled; the Rapunzel Witch lives.”

The Plague Begins With Me

Original Work | Dystopian, Horror Third Person Present Tense | Scene Drafting

Lost to the devastation of the Plague and destroyed by the aftermath of Humanity’s Fall, the World of Zeomia holds nothing but the dystopian devastation of disease and decay. Shouldering a responsibility that no one else is allowed to know, Zero tries to give mercy to those who have fallen from her own twisted fate.

Main Tags of the Blog

rune ⊹ writings | general writing tag rune ⊹ works in progress | where you can find all of our works rune ⊹ wanderlust | general tag for other blogs rune ⊹ nonsense | fun and silly things outside of the writings/writeblr rune ⊹ beloved | general tag for the mutuals of the writeblr rune ⊹ asks | tag for answering asks and anything from the inbox rune ⊹ authors | writing updates and softer thoughts of us rune ⊹ background noise | anything to do with the blog

[merry-chissmas]

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Well, not really, but a little fic or fanart does go a long way.

I started Merry Chissmas in the winter of 2020, and did it again in 2021. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with cancer in February of 2022, and with radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, I wasn't in shape to do anything but sleep through the holidays. I'm in remission this year and wanted to create another no-pressure fest.

The bingo card with this year's prompts will post to @merry-chissmas @chissmas-elf and @contentment-of-cats on November 1. The card will also be posted on the Merry Chissmas Ao3 page.

No works will be posted on the Merry Chissmas blog or Ao3 until December 1.

The rules:

The fanwork must be Chiss-centric.

You can post to Ao3, Tumblr, or both - just send me a link.

If you are submitting anonymously, the work will be posted on the blog with no attribution, and as under the Merry Chissmas account on Ao3.

All Chiss characters from any source are allowed. Yes, you can use your OCs.

In-universe crossovers are fine - for instance your Chiss OC meets Inferno Squad.

Posting schedule for the blog and A03 will be after 5:00 PM US Pacific time zone.

No submissions will be accepted after December 31.

Please tag entries for content.

Please use the tag 'Chissmas 2023'

How to submit:

Submit to Merry Chissmas directly - moderated. Will not show up immediately.

Email a document to merrychissmas@mailfence.com - you can ask that the work be posted anonymously or for additional privacy, you can submit to this address susing a burner email.

Post your work on your own Tumblr and DM @chissmas-elf@@merry-chissmas or contentment-of-cats with a link to reblog.

Post your work on Ao3 (I have account creation codes available if you don't have an Ao3) and I will send an invite to add your work to the collection.

For extra-super-double-secret anonymity, you can use an anonymous file-share and send the link via an anonymous Tumblr ask.

PS: I do not ask for any personal contact information. If anyone contacts you and asks for this information for Chissmas, it's bullshit. There are no other blogs for Merry Chissmas other than @contentment-of-cats @merry-chissmas or @chissmas-elf

[polutrope]

🔥⏩🪄💀

🔥 Give us your hottest Silm hot take. Lol you would ask this one. Disclaimer: I don't really like offering hot takes because when I was newer to fandom I'd take them as criticism of my own headcanons and creations despite the illogic of that. So please, if you also do this - reminder that you will never be able to please everyone, and most of us can still enjoy things we don't agree with.

So: Maglor is not an attention-seeking, melodramatic, vain diva. It's funny to use for comedic effect in fanworks, and I have, but as a serious character interpretation I don't care for it. There's just nothing to support it canonically imo. I think it's derived from modern conceptions of musicians and singers that do not directly translate to the world of the Silmarillion. Arrogant and boastful about his talent? Thinks his interpretations of events are the right ones? Willing to use performance to manipulate feeling and opinion? Image-conscious (in ways that are compatible with the ideal warrior/bard image in his culture)? Yes, all that works with the historical bardic traditions he is (fictionally) a part of and I love to see it. But not diva.

⏩ Which section of the Silm did you read through the fastest? (Couldn't put it down!) It was twenty years ago so I don't actually remember, but probably Of the Flight of the Noldor and Of Turin Turambar. Watching characters hurtle towards doom and destruction 👌.

🪄You can change how one (1) Big Event goes down in the Silm - either in favor of something in HoME or something you made up. What happens instead? Tell us the cool stuff! Fix-its are a fun imaginative exercise but I'd never actually want to fix canon because it would make the story either less compelling or just not the same story.

So this is a small one from HoMe, but I'd use the version of the third kinslaying in Annals of Beleriand (The Lost Road) where Amrod and Amras are the main drivers who "ravaged Sirion" and Maedhros and Maglor were only there reluctantly and "sick at heart". It makes A&A more interesting as characters, and it makes M&M's (ultimately unsuccessful) redemption arc more coherent. (Might as well just call these Maglor Asks at this point 😆.)

Maximum chaos bonus question (💀): You have a "Get out of jail 'Doomed by the Narrative' free" card. Who do you give it to? Cheating, but (almost) all the women. Not to get them out of their tragic ends (see above lol), but to give them their own narratives, to raise them above the role of plot device in the stories of male protagonists. But that's what fic is for!

[rinchfest]

Coming this September to an internet near you: Rinch Fest 2023, a ship week for Harold Finch/John Reese from Person of Interest! This is a low-pressure event meant to encourage the creation of more fanworks for Finch/Reese or Finch & Reese’s friendship. Fic, art, gifs, vids, podfic, you name it—all are welcome, as long as they’re Rinch-centric.

Posting for Rinch Fest will run from September 24 through September 30, 2023

PROMPTS:

Day One – September 24 Huddling for Warmth • Belly • Nesting The Oh of Realization • Hurt/Comfort

Day Two – September 25 Family • Flowers • Food/Drinks/Cooking Time Travel/Loop • "Always"

Day Three – September 26 Pets/Animals • Road Trip • Beach Cabin in the Woods • Music

Day Four – September 27 Dancing • Bookshop • Declaration of Love Surprises • Retirement

Day Five – September 28 The Machine • Only One Bed • Bird Watching Mutual Pining • "Five+1"

Day Six – September 29 Power Outage • Outsider POV • Boundaries Wedding/Marriage • Gender

Day Seven – September 30 Free-For-All/Catch-Up Day

Keep reading for more info!

Who’s running this? ArgylePirateWD. Hi!

Any changes since last year? More prompts for each day and Finch and Reese friendship works are now allowed.

Why not call it Rinch Week? It started out as Rinch Fest on The Rinch Loft on Discord, and that’s what stuck.

Plus, Rinch Fest and Reese & Finch share the same initials.

What’s allowed? Complete fanworks focusing on Harold Finch and John Reese in a romantic or close platonic relationship with each other. Fic, art, vids, remixes, sequels, you name it! No length requirements, no style requirements, all ratings allowed—do what you want!

Anything not allowed? Works where Finch/Reese or Finch & Reese is not the primary relationship (additional ships are fine), works that are incomplete at the time of posting, and remixes or other transformative works for other people’s fanworks that are done without the original creator’s permission. Anything else is fair game, as long as it’s labeled.

Also, don’t be a jerk.

What about [insert controversial topic here]? Can I make something with x?/OMG someone made something with x! Anything else is fair game, as long as it’s labeled. This includes works featuring tropes and kinks that you may not like or approve of. As long as it’s warned for, it’s fine and allowed.

Please warn for the usual AO3 warnings (Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Rape/Non-Con, and Underage) and any subjects others may find deeply unpleasant, and clearly label any NSFW works.

What about poly? Gen? Poly is wonderful, but this is a Finch/Reese or Finch&Reese event. Sorry.

Finch & Reese gen is allowed!

What do I do with x prompt?/Can I do [insert concept here]? Anything goes! Seriously, however you want to interpret a prompt is fine.

Do I have to make something for every prompt? No! You can if you want, but it’s not required. Feel free to skip days, combine prompts, create multiple fills for each day, anything! This is as flexible as it gets.

If it fits multiple prompts, when do I post it? Whatever day works best for you!

What if I want to do something NSFW? There's no nsfw prompt this year. Is it still allowed? YES! Bring on the spicy if you want!

What about a multi-chapter/piece thing where each chapter fulfills one day’s prompt? When do I post that? Post an update each relevant day until you’re done! (Just make sure you can finish it by the end of the event.)

What if it doesn’t fit a prompt? That’s what Day 7 is for! :D

What if I need to post my fill(s) on a different day? Life happens. The AO3 collection is set to Unrevealed, so I can reveal early submissions on the right day, but if that doesn’t work for you, I’m sure we can work something out.

Can I work on a previously-posted WIP? As long as it’s finished when you make your post for the event, sure! If you’re just updating a WIP without finishing it, no.

Can I start working now? Absolutely! That’s why I’m announcing it now—so there’s plenty of time for people to make things.

Can I talk about/share previews of what I’m working on? Sure!

Wait, there’s a Rinch Discord server? Do I have to join to do this? Of course not. We’d love to have you at The Rinch Loft, and it’s a fun place to hang out, but Rinch Fest is for anyone into Rinch.

If I want the Discord link… Send in an Ask to the @rinchfest Tumblr, contact ArgylePirateWD somewhere, or ask around. It’s open to anyone who likes Rinch or Person of Interest. I’m happy to give it out to anyone who wants it.

Where do I post? On Tumblr, post to your blog and use the #rinchfest23 or #rinchweek23 tags. You are They are being watched. 👁 And maybe add @rinchfest in your post to be sure. Tumblr is as hungry as Bear and Shaw.

Submissions are also open.

On AO3, you can post it here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/rinchfest23/

Do I have to have a Tumblr? AO3? As long as you’re on some kind of platform and can get a link to the work to me somehow so I can share it with the world, you’re welcome to play.

On October 1st, I’ll make a round-up post full of links to all the shiny things people made. If I know you made it, it’ll go in!

What time zone? The daily prompt posts will be going up at 12 am Central Time, but as long as it’s the relevant day for your fill somewhere in the world, go ahead and throw it in!

(And if you want to sneak in some Day 7 things a little after, as long as they get posted before the Master Post goes up… 😉)

Sounds fun! How do I sign up? No signups! Just post your stuff somewhere on the right day(s), and you’re in!

Finally, thank you to everyone who participated last year, and to everyone on The Rinch Loft that contributed prompts for Round 3!

[eddiemonth]

FAQ

When does the event begin?

The first day to post is October 1st, and it will run through the entire month, until Halloween (the 31st).

Where are all the prompts?

We’re releasing them a little at a time, so they don’t overwhelm you all at once and to give you a little something to anticipate ;) There should be a new batch of prompts posted every 5 days—so the 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, and 23rd of September. The masterpost is here, to see the most recent update!

What can I make?

Anything that could be considered a fanwork. Fanfiction, artwork, gifsets, edits, moodboards, playlists… canon ships, reader inserts—so long as your creation features Eddie Munson, have at it!

How do I make sure you see my work?

Put @eddiemonth in the caption!

Is NSFW allowed?

Yes, so long as all characters involved are over 18. Just be sure to tag it with #eddiemonthafterdark, and put any explicit content under a read more. You may also consider using Tumblr’s community labels, and artists might prefer to host their art elsewhere. That’s perfectly fine!

What should I tag?

Use #eddiemonth, and if it’s NSFW, #eddiemonthafterdark. Do please make sure to properly tag individual ships as well, or x reader fic as #xreader, for people’s blocklists. We will also be tagging diligently, so anything that slips through the cracks should still be filtered out on this blog. We’re here to celebrate Eddie, not get into ship wars!

Do I have to do every single day?

Boy, what an undertaking that would be! No, you do not have to do all 31 prompts this October, unless you enjoy the sort of challenge that provides. You can pick and choose which prompts you are most inspired by, do every other day, one per week—it’s up to you!

Can I use a prompt, song, or trait on its own, or do I have to use all 3 at once?

You can pick and choose which you take inspiration from! We tried to coordinate the tone of each so they can be used in tandem, but if you don’t like the feel of one or another you’re welcome to omit any part and just use whatever you are most inclined to.

Are late works accepted?

Yes, no need to worry about lateness, we’ll keep checking back a couple weeks after the event is over!

Is there an AO3 collection?

Yes, here it is! If you need help posting your work to it, we have a tutorial here. You’re welcome to post your works to it, but it is in no way required.

Is there a playlist of every song?

We’ve got one we’ll be adding to as the prompts come out, here!

[flyingcatstiel]

@impostoradult answered to my previous comments here. This is a huge discussion and fandom is barely starting it. Emotions run high because there’s sense of dread and helplessness, so, no, not all arguments are very rational but the thing is. The thing is we are talking about fandom space. Hobby space. Place where we are supposed to create and relax, and interact with other fans. Connections are supposed to be between humans. I want to know which blorbo lives rent free in my mutual’s head because I care about my mutual, not which blorbo is being squeezed through AI algorithm. 

Fandom is barely coming out of creators/consumers debate debacle. I’d say that lots of fans are still struggling with the idea that monetizing your hobby is bad for you and the hobby (and posting money links on AO3 is against their ToS). And now we are facing possibility where one person’s hobby will have to compete with AI product based on all fanworks combined.

Here’s some points from @impostoradult’s comment I wanted to answer directly. 

And so, to address some of your other points in more depth - if someone writing fic doesn't have an original take (and isn't even necessarily trying to have an original take) we still don't consider that a problem in fandom.

The reason why fans have no problem with repetitive fics in fandom is because we value people behind those fics, and because we consider those people integral to our fandom experience. Yes, their fic may be repetitive, amateurish and full of cliches but that is not their only contribution to fandom. A lot of fic writers run excellent fandom blogs, reblog posts and support of other creators, make gifs, mod challenges and discords. Even if they’re just lurkers, they contribute to fandom in many small ways. No AI is gonna do that for us. And it is accepted that every writer has to start somewhere, their first fics may not be the best, but they still will reflect on fandom trends. If we want to read amazing fics some day, we must support beginner writers now. When I see a bunch of similar tropey fics in my fandom, I know that my fandom is thriving. There’s a person behind each fic, there’s dialogue, there’s collective creative ping pong, there’s belonging to a group. (and then there’s Goncharov)

In fact, often times we value stories BECAUSE they so closely imitate things we've consumed before. We JOKE in fandom about the fact that we'll read 500 stories with the exact same premise that all end up the exact same way. We often overtly VALUE the highly imitative nature of storytelling (both in fandom and in wider world).

Yes, we JOKE on tumblr that if there are 500 fake dating fics, we will read them all and ask for more. But we NEVER read them all when we go to AO3. Sure, a popular trope will get an eyeballs on the fic and give it some hits, but it does not guarantee that people will kudos, comment and keep reccing the fic only because it has that popular trope. I speak from my experience as a destiel fic reccer. There’s time when fake dating was very popular and lots of authors wrote fics with this trope for dcbb. Well, not all fics got the same attention and feedback. Sometimes even, fics with great tumblr promo posts and thousands of tumblr notes had very modest stats on AO3. Because at the end of the day, supporting idea on tumblr is easy. Reading the fic, and then engaging with the author, takes effort. And most people spare that effort to fics they really liked. This is fandom dichotomy between “I want to support all my friends” and “I want to read only good fics in the limited time that I have”. 

Fic authors are very aware of this unbalanced feedback loop. It will get only harder if AI fics will flood the tags and take away some eyeballs. I think this is the main reason why so many fic writers and readers balk at the idea of untagged artificially produced fic. Such creation goes against the very nature of fandom. Commenting on a fic can lead to fandom friendships or just a positivity boost of “Hell, yea! I made another human happy with my comment!”. I’ve no idea how should I react to a fic that is a product of data filtering and squeezing even if I could admit that the end result is actually decent. Commenting on an AI fic is a dead end, ChatGPT will not write me another fic or discuss my blorbo with me.

A month or two ago, a troll or a spam bot was leaving comments on AO3 fics saying something like “ Work scanned, AI use detected “ which stressed out a lot of folks who didn’t know how to prove that they wrote the fic themselves. AI generated content is already being disruptive and it will impact and change fandom. The thing I’m trying to say here is that, AI fic is not bad because it’d be low quality or “without a soul”. It is bad news because it is disruptive to fandom as we know it in ways we can’t really predict yet. And that is scary.

[the-owl-tree]

Do you have any advice on writing? I have so many storyboards and ideas that I just can't portray correctly. It's all too dry, any ideas on how to fix that? And how do I make a rough draft? Do I just jot down ideas?

I'm so sorry for all the questions, you're just really creative. I'm so sorry to annoy you, have a good day Owl!

okay for starters

THAAANNKK YOUU that's so nice!! but unfortunately i would not consider myself the best person to ask for fictional writing since i don't do it as much as i'd like to. also tend to just do short idea posts rather than any real writing (stares at my google docs yearningly) but for my general creative process when i do write:

-jot down ideas as soon as they come, even if you can't relate them right away. it doesn't matter how silly they may seem, sometimes a silly idea can be the best one

-find the story that speaks to you and just stick with it! this one is something i struggle with (as u can see by many frantic ideas on this blog, there are so many NON wc shit stories i have simmering in my phone notes lmao). don't go for long form stories right away with these, try short ones that you can see an ending to (that isn't in like. four years).

-if it's fanwork, always adopt a "my way or the highway" approach. having fun and staying silly is very important, do what you enjoy (and just by doing it you will improve)

-rough drafts (for me) are giving myself a barebones idea of how the story will go and then proceeding to work through the details: character a needs to go to x -> why does character a do that? does something force them? Do they go on their own? If yes, why do they feel they need to do that? (and this can be hard!! so honestly don't be afraid to just sit back and let it simmer for a bit. i honestly get most of my inspo for when im out on walks and then i have to hurriedly jot down shit on my phone lol)

-don't be afraid to just do some short writing without a plan! just have fun, get an idea in your head and wing it. it gets you back in the swing of how you wanna write and it's a great way to experiment with different perspectives, detailed writing, trying to recapture energy you got from other books, etc.

-if you're struggling with portrayal, trying doing some research! if you're writing xenofiction, the best part is learning more about the animal you wanna write about. i've wasted so many time reading about cat colonies.

-read books of the same genre you want to write. im being hypocritical here cause ive not read nearly enough but trust me it’ll help you in knowing the structures of these genres + general atmosphere to catch

-never base the worth of your creations based on internet engagement. this one is sooo difficult to avoid and i struggle with it but also remember you are target audience number one

there are tons of creative writing blogs on here that pull together writing advice and share short stories as well, i like to look them over when i'm feeling a bit dry on what to write.

that's about it from me, these are things that i find helpful but i hope you find some more stuff that works for you! good luck with your writing, i hope i get to see some of it :D