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Introducing the FAW Summer Asynch Session!

Many people have mentioned that the times I lead the spring and fall workshops aren’t accessible for those with busy/unpredictable schedules, but they would still like to participate in the workshop and join the FAW community. To address that feedback, I’m running an asynchronous summer session. An asynch session doesn’t have a set meeting time. Instead, you’ll read up to 2 pieces presented each week by fellow participants, write them crit letters, and participate in discussion over Discord. 

The only required* meeting is an individual 30 minute Zoom call with me any time during the two weeks prior to the start of workshop. We'll use that time to go over the syllabus together and I can answer any questions you have. You'll book via Calendly once I send the welcome email.

*Optional for previous participants

Participants of the workshop receive:

Attendance in a 4-6 week asynchronous course during which you’ll provide feedback to your peers and workshop one piece of your own work, up to 6,000 words.

Access to the Fanauthor Workshop Discord server, an active community where we host weekly accountability meetings, writing sprints, a twice monthly short story club, and other events.

A 15-30 minute pre-workshop consultation with me to go over the syllabus and any questions you have.

A 30-45 minute post-workshop consultation with me to discuss the feedback you received, come up with a plan for revision and/or publication, or anything else you’d like to discuss regarding your writing.

Open enrollment option in future workshops.

Timeline

Applications close: June 14

Syllabus calls: July 1 - 12

Workshop begins: July 15

Workshop ends: Before August 23, depending on the number of participants

Cost

The recommended amount is $150. If you’re experiencing financial hardship and unable to pay, or can't pay the full amount, please let me know.

How to apply

Eligibility

Anyone over the age of 18 who considers themselves a participant of fandom and who is familiar with fanfiction may apply. A stable internet connection is also required. Submissions must be written in English.

Application requirements

To apply, you will need:

A brief cover letter discussing your fan history and goals as a (fan)writer (more specific instructions on submittable).

Maximum 1,000 words of your writing, either original work or fanfiction. This may be previously published/posted.

You can apply via submittable. Applications close June 14. There is no fee for applying.

FAQ and other info under the cut.

FAQ

Are there any content restrictions to what I can workshop?

The only restriction is word count (max 6k), with the following caveats:

If you workshop a piece in a form other than prose (for example, a script), your peers may not be able to offer constructive feedback on that aspect of the work. Participants are asked only to have a familiarity with prose.

Content warnings are required for each piece (if applicable), and participants who are uncomfortable reading certain subject matter may abstain from your workshop.

What is the time commitment of the workshop?

As a participant of the workshop, you'll be asked to:

Workshop any piece of your own prose up to 6k words, which will need to be uploaded no later than the Sunday prior to your workshop week. For example, if you sign up to workshop in week 2, your submission will be due July 14. Participants will have a week to read it and write their crit letter, and discussion will begin over Discord on July 22.

Read 2 pieces per week, write a 1-page crit letter for the author, and participate in the Discord discussion.

What are the benefits of being in the Fanauthor Workshop community?

We have an active Discord server open only to those who have participated in the workshop. Once you've completed the workshop, you'll have access to attend our weekly accountability meetings*, writing sprints, our twice monthly short story club, and other events we host.

*I'm working on figuring out an asynch accountability group.

You'll also have an open enrollment option in future workshops, where in lieu of applying again, you can pay a portion of what you intend to pay and secure your seat in the upcoming workshop.

I'll be working on rolling out additional events and benefits throughout the year.

Can workshop participants submit to OFIC Magazine?

Yes! Part of the reason I run the workshop is to inspire and promote the original work of fanwriters. You can follow us on tumblr @oficmag.

Who is running the workshop?

@bettsfic! In short, I lived a dreary cubicle life as a banker until I found fanfiction at 24. I loved it so much that I quit my job to get an MFA in creative writing. I loved the MFA so much that I became a writing teacher. I have some publications, awards, an agent, and 2 million words of fic on ao3. I don't have a book out yet but I'm getting there.

Currently I'm a writing coach and freelance editor. I also have a lowkey writing-related newsletter. And I've been answering writing advice asks on my blog for 10 years.

If you want an idea of the kind of writing activities I create, last summer I worked with @books on a workshop series which includes craft essays and some fun prompts.

If you're interested in my original work, my short story "Not If, When" is a good representation of my writing. For something darker, check out "Shut Up and Kill Me."

What is the workshop like?

Check out G's experience of attending the workshop. And here's some feedback from previous participants.

One final note: This is the first summer asynch session so there may be some hiccups. I've taught asynch classes before so it's not totally new to me, but there's still bound to be some pivoting when the workflow that makes sense in my head doesn't work super well in reality. It happens sometimes. I'm always taking feedback and trying to improve the workshop.

If you have questions about the workshop or application process, you can shoot me an ask, DM me, or add me on Discord (I'm bettsfic there too). Or you can email me at ekweeks@gmail.com.

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Completed pieces, as promised.

Two down, two to go.

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My version of the obey me brothers minus lucifer because ngl i got lazy

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Been thinking about the whole “demons should act more like demons” discussion and… maybe accidentally wrote a drabble that turned into that but uh…

Anyway, what do you suppose that involves exactly? Because my first instinct was that the demons actively try to tempt/corrupt humans. Like the traditional purpose of demons is to tempt humans to sin so their souls end up in hell, right?

But then in canon we know demons will also eat humans.

So is demons being more demonic when they actively kill, eat, and/or tempt humans?

Or are we talking more about how they are amongst themselves? Like you think maybe they fight a lot? Perhaps originally it was every demon for themselves and so they might fight due to the competition of who can corrupt more souls?

I just think that considering it’s Diavolo’s entire goal to unite the three worlds, the demons can’t really do that stuff, you know? The human world won’t want to participate in such unity if the denizens of the Devildom are regularly tormenting them, right?

There’s also the fact that most humans seem to be ignorant of the Devildom & CR, so maybe the rule is you can do whatever you want as long as it’s not a human who knows stuff. Like sorcerers and what have you.

Who do you think Diavolo has been discussing unity with in the human world? Solomon? Various world leaders? Some kinda head witch? What school did the demon exchange students go to? The Sorcerer’s Society perhaps?

I shouldn’t be thinking about this stuff it’s gonna make me spiral.

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Obey Me! Set to Silent Mode

Summary: You have no way to charge your DDD in your very human home. Pairing: None, if you squint it could be read as GN!MC x Mammon Word count: 851 Warnings: angsty goodness, mentioned drinking, mentioned death, spoilers for chapter 16 and i guess chapter 20 A/N: A very short little dabble. I know canon says everyone keeps messaging and calling after MC returns home for the first time, but I like the idea that MC was really cut off from Devildom and has to work their way through it.

Mammon was promising some terribly stupid business idea for your return when your DDD died. Now it sits on your bedside table, right next to your actual phone. You know, the normal one that used normal, human electricity to connect you to all the people you know and some of the ones you loved. Earthly little pings probed you upon your return- rebirth- some concerned, some angry, but all keen on untangling the story of how you faked your death. Oh, it was like I’ve died and was reborn again, you’d joke over brunch. Your mimosa would sparkle against your lips, the tart sweetness of the orange juice covering the hint of bitterness; bottomless, bottoms up.

Sometimes, in the small hours of the morning, you imagine a devilish glow casting strange shadows across your bedroom wall. They’d dance in the pre-dawn light tempting you with wastefulness, but flee with your dreams as your mind finds your body.

Once you accidentally grabbed it instead of your functional, operational, and relevant human device. You caused something of a minor traffic jam standing in the middle of a busy intersection staring at it. Ruri-chan stares out with a sort of delusional optimism from the confines of her clear acrylic prison while the cross-walk sign blink threateningly. Behind her a Devildom lotto ticket and a coupon for Madam Scream’s Macaroons compete — unsuccessfully— for your attention.

The driver of the gray pickup truck lays on his horn and you skitter to the sidewalk. After a moment you realize you’ve gone the wrong way.

You were late to the psychic’s, but the old woman didn’t seem to mind. The bangles on her wrist jangled as she sits you at her little table in the back room where the sights and sounds of the outside world are caught between layers of velvet and dried eucalyptus. You supposed, in retrospect, that that should’ve been your first warning. No witch worth their cauldron would be caught dead with eucalyptus. She peers at your palm, then your tea leaves, them her cards with gentle scrutiny before surmising you had experienced a great loss. It was enough to knock some tears out of you, but the real crying would happen later, at home, relieved of some $30, burdened by the ever-growing guilt of having left Mammon on read.

Texting 666 on your regular, dinky, human phone did not work. You resisted the urge to throw it against a wall.

Slowly you found psychic visits woven their way into the fabric of your life until every soothsayer and fortune teller became something more than strangers but less than friends. Through the psychics you found the mystics; through the mystics you found witches; through the witches you found despair. A witch’s jealousy to be an ugly thing. They danced around you, play-tracing sigils into your skin and flicking harmless spats of magic into your face. Pact-marked and pigeoned-holed they called you, as useless as you had been before the exchange program. Back home you stared into the mirror, tracing the witch’s sigils on your skin then onto paper. They made for poor art and poorer signs of power laying as dormant as the pact marks scattered across your body.

One day, drowning in a nap-gone-too-long, you imagine Mammon calling for you outside your window; it would be the last time you cried.

Life was less a ride than it was a chariot, dragging you across a bloodied arena for the entertainment of some higher power. Your first order of business was to move your Harrison Porter charm to your keys; looking at it made you feel a little like Alice in Wonderland. Rent was due, so a job was found; then a better one. You counted the bills, paid your debts. You set aside spared bills and change in a little yellow treasure box on your dresser that sat beside a growing collection of nail polish and skincare that never failed to make you feel —dare you say it— pretty. You swam and cursed your way through summer, fostered a sizable clan of cats in the fall, then decided to become a recluse in the winter, watching winter’s stars drape across the sky from the comfort of your home.

The promise of a new life in a new city lured you out from your cave. You went to RAD with so very little, so you decide to part with all but a suitcase of the essentials, then opted for a backpack. The edges of the little yellow treasure chest pressed into your lower back as you hiked your way across the city to a hilly park with a view. Winter still clung to this part of the world; the sparkling of snow was nearly indistinguishable from the steel and glass of skyscrapers; a sky so clear that the horizon retreated into a white nothingness. You soaked in the view, then turned.

At the edge of the outlook a familiar shock of white hair caught your eye. He waves. You could feel the edge of the acrylic Harrison Porter charm, smooth after months of worry.

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Lol another wip. I swear i'll post all of the finished pieces eventually.

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2021 Level Design Updates (except Lucifer…sorry bud.)

I never uploaded these since I never finished the full set, as I stopped after updating Satan due to other things. So I thought you guys might enjoy seeing the newer versions after having worked on them from 2020.

I included Lucifer anyway for those who may not have seen these before.

A sort of master post of them all, I suppose!

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A WIP for Levi’s birthday.

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howd i get here

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First Post!

I deleted my old tumblr because... man idk why it was covid-times and the prefrontal cortex was not in the room with us!! Anyways, I was reminded by my lovely friend @repecca that tumblr exists, and that some of my work has been going around on here, so I decided to post some of my work up officially! Starting off with my most notable (?) work to date, here's my LOTR: The Middle Kingdom Project. Now, it's been over a year since I posted this, and at the time I was... really searchingfor myself artistically, and I decided to go all in on something that I'd been ruminating on for a long time.

So, hello, again. I'm Leia. I do visual development/BG design, and I'm also a writer of things. I love fantasy and transformative work. It's nice to meet you.

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Hi!

I was wondering how do you elevate or better flesh out a very vague premise (e.g. A man falls in love with his boss). But there are many ways to take vague ideas like this and it’s hard to make it more.

there are really only two paths: the easy, long road; and the hard, fast road. on extremely rare occasion you may hit the jackpot and find an easy, fast road, but in my experience that is like winning the lottery.

the easy, long road:

you write the idea down somewhere. you let it incubate for a really long time. you have faith in the universe that all the pieces will begin to click into place until you go, "i've got it," and start writing.

i call that moment "ignition." when your vague "what am i even trying to write" idea clicks into "wait wait wait, i'm onto something here" and your brain starts churning out ideas for scenes and plot points.

there can be a lot of false starts, where you try to shoehorn your vague idea into another vague idea and see if they make a less vague idea, but sometimes that doesn't work. you may also start working on something else and realize you're unconsciously writing that vague idea you had 3 years ago. but overall it's a passive process. you have to wait for specificity to find you.

the hard, short road:

you write the idea down somewhere. you stare at it until you get a headache, and then you take some ibuprofen and stare at it some more. using the "ignition" metaphor, this is like your car not starting so you just keep turning the engine until it either starts or you flood it.

if you brute force your vague idea, you can potentially ruin it for yourself, but if you're motivated to take this path, i think your first step is to get out a notebook and start brainstorming. if the premise is "a man falls in love with his boss," write a list of industries where they might work. then circle a few of them and start researching those industries to see if you can find a nugget of information that clicks with your idea until you get some kind of conflict churning.

if you can't find anything, you make more lists. list out potential endings, plot points, inciting incidences. character traits and arcs. countries, cities. for every item of every list, make a list of possibilities. if this, then this and this. if that, then that and that. and you go on and on and on until you maybe have enough to get some words down.

an example:

my sister, a copywriter, started doing social media for a welding school. she told me she was learning a lot about welding and that i should write a story about a welding teacher. this school specifically is one of the best in the country, and my sister said something to the effect of, "people come from all over the country to live in this shithole town for six months. that seems like an interesting story."

in my A4 rhodia, on december 19, 2023, i wrote,

story of welding teacher at best welding school in the country

lonely ISTP casey affleck kinda guy (that was my sister's idea; she meant it in a derogatory way)

being taken care of by his grandmother?

all i had was "welder" kind of in the back of my head. fast forward to earlier this month, watching season 3 of the Bad Batch and having a lot of feelings about Crosshair's shakey hands (i've also developed a tremor in my hands).

and then i thought, a welder whose hands begin shaking. that's a conflict, that's an inciting incident. his whole career might be in jeopardy.

i wrote this paragraph:

He'd never admitted to his wife that he wanted kids. They didn’t have any, though, for the same reason he never became a farmer—he didn’t want to raise something just to see it slaughtered. Who knew what kind of war the country would cook up in eighteen years? Turn of the century, sending kids out to god knows where, just the right number of years from Vietnam that everyone would’ve forgotten it, the way that by Vietnam they’d forgotten Korea.

i managed to weave this general idea into the bigger plot of a novel i started a long time ago, and it reignited my interest in that project, and now i'm feeling really good that this 200k monstrosity i thought i would just throw away now might have some potential, more importantly some focus, all because of a vague idea i wrote down months ago.

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Obey Me! Pandora, the Curious Reaper

Pandora, my Reaper OC appears alongside a few Obey Me doodles & studies. Been trying to learn how to render and it's nice to have a muse or two. I'm rather happy how realism-Satan came out but tbh the Beel doodle is my favorite (if you've seen the reel/tiktok, you know).

More about Pandora below the cut.

Pandora, the Curious Reaper

The second Reaper in Diavolo's exchange program, Pandora is often seen as more subdue than Thirteen, but in reality it's just cause she's sneakier. After centuries of traveling across the Human Realm, Pandora grew to love the oral story telling and history making that characterized early human civilization, which really just translates to loving juicy gossip and mystery stories.

Gasp! Didn't you hear Clair was actually secretly with her ex? There's no way she could have been at brunch to poison Charles. Either she's got an accomplice or someone's got a dirty little secret.

She's older than Thirteen but younger than Satan. Unlike most Reapers, she was bound to the Human Realm for several centuries, tasked with carrying a box and collecting notable souls from humans, witches, and sorcerers throughout human civilizations. As such, she's unusually ignorant of the Celestial Realm and Devildom culture for a Reaper, a fact she is quickly rectifying.

Other mincs thoughts:

Reaping Specialization: The curious; humans who looked too far, sorcerers who dug too deep, demons that learned too much, and angels who questioned too often.

Skills: Word-play & story telling, spell casting, cloth weaving, lock picking

Weaknesses: Curses, healing magic, keeping secrets

Favorite Places: Knitting circles and book clubs for old women, anywhere with clear skies and a light breeze

I've so much headcanoned about her I should really just move her into some original work and change up some of the details. Suffice to say, our girl's gone through some shit. If, for whatever reason, Pandora tickles your fancy, feel free to use her as a secondary or background character.

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Headcanons: Reiatsu Descriptions

We all know that people in Soul Society can figure out who’s who based on their reiatsu but what does each person’s reiatsu feel like?

Jushiro Ukitake:

When calm: It’s like the ocean breeze at night, with the waves washing over you, the scent of the salty air hanging over you like a mist. It’s cool, relaxing, and calming. 

When at battle: Imagine the worst storm you’ve ever seen on the open ocean. Not a single patch of land anywhere. The water is churning mercilessly, the waves 100 feet in height, threatening to swallow up the earth into its depths. You’re trying not to drown, forever lost to the abyss. Dark, desperate, and lost. 

Shuhei Hisagi:

When calm: Rock concert on a summer night. There’s good, happy energy there, the kind that makes people want to gather together and celebrate. Vibrant, positive, cheerful.

When at battle: Abandoned amusement park at night. All the people are gone, and no one has been by in a long time. All the good times have come to an end. Creepy, desolate, with an eerie feeling that something bad is about to happen. 

Kuchiki Byakuya:

When calm: Tea ceremony vibes. A bit of tradition,a bit of indulgence, the tea bringing your senses alive, while the pastries bring about a touch of sweet and savory. Nothing is overdone, it’s all balanced, in harmony. 

When at Battle: World War II trenches. I mean, we’ve seen how pissed this man can get when he was fighting Ichigo. Despair, the smell of blood fills the air. It’s hard to tell if anything is alive. Cold, damp, and dead.  

Kensei Muguruma:

When calm: Summer road trip when the company is good. Non stop conversations, rest stops, seeing unique things, singing in the car, and bonding. Happy, warm, and sentimental. 

When at battle: Army tanks invading an enemy territory. It’s loud, and commanding, crushing anything in its path. Powerful, world crumbling, and terrifying. 

Renji Abarai:

When calm: Beach day. Sunshine, warmth, the strong kind of energy that comes from swimming and laying out on the sand. 

When at battle: Hospital ER after a mass attack. Panic, worry, and a struggle to find order through the chaos. It’s confusing, painful, a fight till his last breath. 

Ichigo Kurosaki:

When calm: This boy feels like home. He’s the place you go to when you’re tired or had a bad day. It’s where all your comfort stuff is and where you can just exist, without having to deal with anyone’s expectations. Welcoming, non judgmental, and friendly.

When at battle: Atomic bomb blast. There’s nothing left. Just blankness. Smoke, ash, and debris.  

Shinji Hirako:

When calm: Carnival! Bright lights everywhere, cotton candy, enjoying yourself on the Ferris wheel. It’s enticing, warm, and full of excitement.

When at battle: Earthquake. Everything rumbles and collapses, threatening to swallow anything it can find. Loud, devastating, and damaging. 

Rose Otoribashi: 

When calm: A ballet theater on opening night. There’s high expectations to see a visual treat, the energy from the dancers and music thrilling you every second. Entertaining, beautiful, and a must have experience.

When at battle: The faint noise of a music box dying. The notes choke out in an unsteady manner, trying it’s best to continue before the mechanism gives out. When it stops…run. Because the music box stopping isn’t the end. It’s the beginning. 

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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Dorothea Arnault, Ferdinand von Aegir & Sylvain Jose Gautier Characters: Ferdinand von Aegir, Sylvain Jose Gautier Additional Tags: Angst, Pining, War, Implied/Referenced Character Death, not quite canon, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Minor Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier Summary:

In the foothills of Hyrm, Ferdinand watches for the return of his heart.

Ferdinand knew he was running himself ragged. This was no place for a lovelorn knight. That’s what Sylvain had said when he climbed the scout’s tower. Not on the ancient malice’s doorstep. Not here. Not war, the reality of which is so divorced from the tales he grew up with that Sylvain raises his flask towards the mountains with a sneer.

I’ve been clawing myself back to the writing desk after several months of struggle. This fic is moody, meanders in it’s own bathwater, and is the exact thing I need to clear the cobwebs. Most of chapter 2 has been completed, with only one section that still needs to dental work to pick out the plaques. Should be posted by the end of this week. Chapter 3 also has had lots of work done, but I’m still playing with how it will progress. I’ve got my long-form original project and a shorter original piece on the horizon and I’m looking forward to getting to them after so long away. Writing feels good.

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Obey Me! Reaper Headcanons Pt 3

More nonsense but to be honest I'm starting to run out of headcanon material. If anyone has reaper-thoughts, send them my way, I'd love to see them I need more please help.

If you want more: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Reapers, through a combination of their personality, talents, and specializations, come to embody different aspects and circumstances of death. It's more of a consequence of their taste in prey than a conscious choice.

Grimm, the original Reaper, has come to represent the passage of time, of which no one can escape, including himself. In his immense old age, he enjoys warm weather, sand, and lecturing the youth. Secretly delights in dropping bad news while letting sand slip through his fingers really it’s quite rude, can’t you give this conversation the gravitas and attention it deserves no I don’t think time heals all wounds I-

Thirteen is associated with bad luck, unfortunate coincidences, superstition, and over-confidence. Sure, she’s got some… interesting trap names but that’s no reason to let your guard down around a Reaper. Many a prideful demon/human have fallen victim to her craft.

Common aspects of death include accidents, malice, jealousy, unforeseen circumstances, poor judgement, heartache, and overindulgence. Less common are curiosity, despair, madness, zealotry, and sacrifice.

They find their little niche, like finches on a tropical island, cause, as it turns out, there are only so many souls.

Most Reapers pick up a hobby or two to make ends meet. From tapestry weaving to sword blacksmithing, Reapers have drawn from both the Celestial Realm and Devildom to make some truly wicked pieces of art & engineering. Grimm makes those sand art desk decor things.

Did you really think Muramasa was human? Did you know Excalibur was Reaper-made too?

Speaking of swords, let’s talk scythes cause it’s an associate that Reaper’s haven’t been able to shake for the past handful of millennia. It’s flashy, it’s big, it’s impractical, and it’s a big neon sign telling every human, demon, and angel that a Reaper is around.

Some Reapers love love love the attention. Most of the time those are the Reapers you don't have to worry much about. Thirteen hasn't used one since (whatever constitutes as a Reaper's) teenage years, having way more fun success with traps. Other Reapers end up making themselves a more suitable weapon, or discard of it entirely, preferring the arcane arts or their god-given hands.

Personalization is the name of the game for Reapers.

I got a Reaper OC that I want to release into the world. I do have a brother I ship her with, but I much prefer thinking of her as another secondary character. There were two of every other transfer student, and I think Thirteen needs a friend.

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more stuff about becoming a god being inherently dehumanizing pls