#I love love love fanworks and inspiring people however I can

[sisterdivinium]

You know, for a show with so many female characters that so many of us love given how they all get time in the spotlight one way or another and they fill that time up rather wonderfully since they are deeper and more developed than what we're used to seeing in general media, it is peculiar (to say the least) to see so few "alternative" ships to the main one.

I'm not saying the canon ship doesn't deserve its attention -- I'm wondering instead why the canon ship and it alone seem to guide the WN fans who just so happen to enjoy writing/reading fic or fanart or whatever.

You'd think all these cool women would inspire more ships or combinations thereof, but those of us who aren't invested in avatrice just... Float along, around one another, ignored (and, yes, mostly undisturbed too; being unpopular does have its advantages and that includes a lot less weirdos leaving you strange or awkward messages -- it does not, however, shield us from people flooding our goddamn tags on AO3 with fic that has nothing to do with our little ships and I do wish such negligence of the pairing itself meant we didn't have to deal with this spam...)

I am also not saying that fandom activity should be based solely on shipping (and recently someone on Reddit was rather confused by the fact that a lot of it is, which is quite an interesting topic to discuss in itself -- after all, there is more to fan creativity than shippy fic... Or there used to be), merely that, here, it appears that a canon relationship can outshine interest in the other, non-canon ones. It's already there and it was doubtless well-done by the show, so it's natural that it should claim people's attention, sure. It's just that being canon was never the parameter for whether people were interested in these or those two (or more) characters maybe being involved and trying to explore what that could mean through fanwork.

There has always been a complaint haunting fandom spaces concerning the minuscule amounts of f/f fic, art, discussion, w/e based on how few (interesting or sympathetic or relatable) female characters there are in media at large. So what I'm curious about is why fan creations made around WN -- a show that finally gives us a whole cast of female characters that are what we have been craving for decades -- don't also reflect its diversity.

There are alternative ships (I'm here, all happy in my tiny Doctor Superion bubble, and I know there are Camila/Lilith, Ava/Lilith, Mary/Shannon, Mary/Lilith shippers out there, so a warm hello to you if you're reading this), but go on AO3 and compare the numbers of things tagged with these proper pairings to the grand total of WN stories. Better (or worse) still, do so with the "otp: true" trick or simply by excluding avatrice from the search to see how many are left.

It's... A considerable difference. And a mystery, at least to me.

[tua-masked-author]

🌺 📻 Summer remix ‘24 📻 🌺

Hello masqueraders! We are back again for another round of TMA in June (exact dates TBA!). This round, to celebrate the end of TUA, we want to appreciate the contributions of this fandom, so its time to REMIX!

🎭 What is a remix?

A remix is a fanwork of a fanwork!! There are a lot of different interpretations, but to keep things simple we are taking the broadest possible definition. A remix could be a scene written from another character’s pov, a story where the roles have been swapped, or the answer to the question “what if [this] had happened instead?” It could be an illustration of a scene in a fic, or a full blown comic, or a recreation of a drawing with a different mood in another style and setting. It could be fanfic of an artist’s drawing or fanart of an author’s story.

Basically it's a chance to show love and pay homage to another fan work by creating a new complimentary fan work!

🌺 You can find a more in-depth definition of a remix here. 🌺

The fanwork you are inspired by could be any TUA fanwork; fanfic and fanart of course, but also a tumblr post about an au that you are particularly fond of, a fansong; even a gifset with a strong concept or a meta essay you were grabbed by. We’re appreciating ALL fanworks here!

🎭 Do I have to do a remix?

As always the theme is optional; you don't have to do a remix. However, we strongly encourage everyone to give it a shot! We want to look back on all the great fanworks this fandom has to offer and appreciate the fans who have made our community!

🎭 But how do I know if the author/artist will be okay with it?

In place of a prompt sheet this round, we are letting people submit their fanworks to be remixed! (If you aren’t sure you’d like to participate, no worries! The submission form carries no expectation that you draw or write for the event.)

🌺 You can find the link to submit your works here. 🌺

🌺 and here are the works submitted for remixing! 🌺

Additionally, lots of authors will include permission statements on their AO3 profiles, so if you already have a fic in mind it would be worth checking for one. Alternatively, you can contact the author or artist and ask!

🎭 This is still the Masked Author though, right?

Yes! As always, when the posting period arrives (which we will announce in a more in depth rules post soon) you will post to the event collection that will anonymize your work, and afterwards there will be a period where you all put on your detective hats and try to solve who’s who. And if YOUR work gets remixed, then you’ll be getting an anonymous treat and get to try to suss out who gave it to you!

[take-the-hidden-paths]

HIDDEN PATHS: A Celebration of the Smaller Tolkien Canons

Hello, and welcome to Hidden Paths, a fortnight-long event dedicated to the celebration of smaller Tolkien canons!

We all know and love the tales of Tolkien's Middle-earth, but the Professor's creative and academic endeavours didn't stop there.  However, fanworks for smaller Tolkien canons (such as Farmer Giles of Ham, Mr. Bliss, Leaf by Niggle and more) are much rarer than works inspired by their Middle-earth counterparts.  This event was created to be a low-pressure, low-commitment opportunity to explore those lesser known works, and create and share fanworks based on them.

Define “smaller Tolkien fandoms”. 

Basically, any Tolkien canon or text (including academic works and translations) that is not explicitly set in Middle-earth and is not based on The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, or The Silmarillion and closely related histories.  This includes, but is not limited to:

Beowulf/Sellic Spell

Farmer Giles of Ham

The Fall of Arthur

The Father Christmas Letters

Finn and Hengest

The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son

The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun

Leaf by Niggle

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún

Mr. Bliss

Mythopoeia

The Notion Club Papers

Pearl

Roverandom

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Orfeo

Songs for the Philologists

Smith of Wootton Major

The Story of Kullervo

Tolkien (2019 film)

Tolkien's essays, poems, letters and non-ME artwork

We also accept fanworks based on The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (because it collects a number of poems that were not originally intended as part of the Middle-earth canon) and The Book of Lost Tales (because it differs so significantly from later versions of the legendarium), and/or centring characters or concepts that only appear in extremely early drafts of The Lord of the Rings (e.g. Trotter).  

We know that this leaves a bit of a grey area, but ultimately, we will trust and accept the judgement of fanwork creators.  Act in good faith, and assume that others have done the same. 

How does it work? 

At the start of the event (14th February) the mod will post seven optional prompts to inspire you.  There will be a thematic prompt, a character-based prompt, a setting-based prompt, a text prompt, a visual prompt, an audio prompt, and a wildcard prompt.  A second batch of prompts will be posted on the 21st. 

If you like the prompts, then use any or all of them to create and share a fanwork based on one or more small Tolkien canons.  If they don't speak to you, then please feel free to do your own thing – the prompts are there to spark creativity, not impede it! 

What types of fanworks do you accept? 

Anything you like.  Fic, poetry, meta, art, edits, vids, podfic, craft, cosplay, rec lists, playlists, compositions, interviews with fellow fans...it's all good. 

Are there any minimum requirements? 

No, none.  Want to write a six-word story?  Be our guest. 

Are crossovers permitted? 

Yes!  We accept crossovers with the Middle-earth canons, and with non-Tolkien fandoms.  We only ask that one of the smaller Tolkien canons plays a significant role in your fanwork. 

What do you consider a significant role? 

We don't.  The event is intended to be low commitment and low stress for both participants and the moderator, and we trust that people will act in good faith.  We are not going to police fanworks or apply an arbitrary definition of “significant” - we leave that up to the creator to decide. 

Does actor RPF count? 

For the purposes of this event, no it doesn't, unless you are also drawing on elements from a smaller canon (e.g. Liv Tyler encountering the Shadow-Bride).

Where do I post my fanworks? 

We have an AO3 collection, but you may post your fanworks anywhere you like.  We'd appreciate a link back to our Dreamwidth or Tumblr page, though, to spread the word about the event! 

Are there any restrictions on rating or content? 

Nope.  Tag and warn appropriately, as you normally would, but make whatever your heart desires. 

Can I post fanworks that were inspired by or created for another event, or created prior to the event's inception? 

Yes!  The goal is to celebrate and increase content for the smaller Tolkien fandoms.  Please feel free to share your creations and add them to the collection, regardless of whether they were created specifically for this event. 

I want to take part but I don't know anything about the smaller canons.  Help!?

Tolkien Gateway has helpfully collated a list of Tolkien's writings, and some of the articles reproduce or link to the actual text.  This is a great place to start browsing, and to find out more about a text before you invest in your own copy.

Have a look at fanworks for some of the smaller canons and see what appeals.  Innumerable Stars and TRSB both have several works for the smaller canons in their collections, and many of them can be understood with no prior knowledge of the source material.

Lists of characters appearing in the various texts and canons can also be a useful jumping off point - like this one for The Book of Lost Tales.

Many of the smaller canons are just that - small!  If you can get hold of a copy from your local library, book store or from a fellow fan, they are generally quick to read and digest.

If anyone has any other ideas and resources for folks wanting to dip a toe into the smaller canons, please get in touch so they can be added to this list. 

When does the event run? 

Officially, February 14th-28th.  Unofficially, as long as you like; the prompts will stay up and the AO3 collection won't close.

[gallavichthings]

Gallavich Lovefest 2023

Everybody say LOVE!

This Valentine's Day, let's show some appreciation for our favorite fics, fanarts, videos, etc. That's right, for the first time ever, we're hosting an event where the goal is not to create something new, but to shine some new light over fanworks that you think deserve more love.

When will it be?

Since I figured some people will want to post original works for the actual day, we're going to be delaying this a few days and we'll be starting on the 17th. Just like on Gallavich Week, each day will have a "theme", as follows:

17/02 - share something you did yourself that's at least 2 years old

18/02 - rec a fanart by someone else that's at least 2 years old

19/02 - rec a one-shot by someone else that's at least 2 years old

20/02 - rec an edit (gifset/graphic/video) by someone else that's at least 2 years old

21/02 - rec a multi-chapter by someone else that's at least 2 years old (and complete)

22/02 - rec an AO3 fic (yours or someone else's) that's at least 1 year old and got less than 100 kudos

23/02 - share any fanwork (yours or someone else's) that's at least 7 years old

How will it work?

On the appropriate day, you'll make a post recommending something that fits the "theme", adding a link to it (or reblogging the original post, if you can find it) and talking a bit about it. You can say why you like it, what's the best thing about it, why you like the author/artist, etc. If it's your own, talk a bit about it, saying why you enjoyed making it, what inspired you, why you're proud of it...

You can write as much (or as little) as you want, as long as you do write something. Let's give our dedicated authors and artists some praise! Also, please tag me (using @gallavichthings) in the post so that I can make sure to see it and reblog it to spread the love.

Can I post more than one recommendation per day?

Sure thing, you can post as many as you want! However, only one per post, please. I know it's tempting to make a long recs list, but that's not the goal here. We really want each fanwork to get its deserved post. (Feel free to make a masterpost with all your recommendations once the event is over though.)

I have the pdf of this fic that was deleted, can I recommend it?

No. If it was deleted, we're honoring the author's wishes and leaving it alone.

I found a great fanart on Pinterest/WeHeartIt, can I recommend it?

Also no. If you can't find a link to the original, that's a no, sorry. No reposting.

I want to recommend something that's not on Tumblr, is that ok?

As long as you have a link to the original, sure thing. Again, no reposting though.

I hope this covers all doubts, but if not, feel free to send me any questions. I'm very excited about this event, as I've been wanting to show some love for "old" works for quite some time (there are so many people who are new to the fandom, I feel like that's a must). I hope you're all as excited as I am.

Let's spread some LOVE ♥!

[hdcandyheartsfest]

H/D Candy Hearts Fest 2023: Info & FAQ

banner by the talented @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm

Welcome to the second year of the H/D Candy Hearts Fest! For every day in February, we will provide a prompt meant to inspire lighthearted, love-filled works with Drarry as the main pairing. This is a very lowkey fest, so feel free to use however many prompts on whatever day you want! Just post your work on Tumblr (tag us so we can share) or the AO3 collection (hdcandyheartsfest2023) between February 1st and February 28th! Take a look at our prompt list here 💕

Guidelines

The overall theme of this fest is lighthearted works. They can be the sweetest fluff, gentle humor, feel like a warm blanket, or anything in between! It’s perfectly fine if there are some moments of angst, but we’re all about happy endings.

Submissions must have Draco/Harry as the main pairing! However, feel free to change them up if you'd like (trans Drarry, anyone?) Any side pairings are welcome.

Participate as much or as little as you’d like, and feel free to use prompts in any order on any day in February. Want to do every prompt? Great! Want to do just one? No problem, we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Feel free to combine the Candy Hearts prompts with other fests/challenges running in February (such as @kinkuary)

This fest is open to all fanworks– fics, fanart, podfics, fic binding, playlists, moodboards, etc. Please make sure to get author permission if it’s a derivative work! 

There is no minimum or maximum word count for fics.

Mature and explicit works are welcome, just please be over 18 and tag appropriately on all platforms!

How to Participate

💌 Pick a prompt that you want to create for (you can do as many or as few as you’d like).

💌 Make something!

💌 Then, post anytime between February 1st and February 28th to Tumblr, Ao3, or both.

💌 On Tumblr, follow @hdcandyheartsfest and use the tag #hdcandyheartsfest2023 on your works. We will reblog your work here as we’re tagged!

FAQ

What is the point of this fest?

A lowkey daily challenge meant to inspire lighthearted and sweet Drarry works during February.

Do I have to create a work for every single prompt/day?

No! This is like pick ‘n mix at a candy store– do however many prompts you’d like on any day you’d like, as long as it’s posted in February. 

Are mature/explicit works allowed?

Absolutely! We just ask that you are over 18 and they be tagged appropriately on any platform that you post your work to.

What about poly ships?

We ask that the main pairing be Draco/Harry only, but background ships can be as varied as you like!

As usual, we’d like to make it very clear that this fest is very pro-trans people and anti-JKR 🏳️‍⚧️

Any questions? Just ask us!

- Your mod team @softlystarstruck, @lou-isfake & @m0srael❤️

[marveltrumpshate]

Talking about Marvel Trumps Hate on AO3

We love it when folks spread the word about Marvel Trumps Hate—the more people take part, the more money we raise, all of which goes to amazing charities!

We encourage all creators to shout from the rooftops (and their social media platforms) that they're participating in the auction, so people can check out what's on offer. We also really appreciate when creators acknowledge that their work was made for MTH to create awareness after the auction ends.

However, if you want to talk about MTH on AO3 specifically, there are a few things to keep in mind about how you're talking about the auction and your involvement so that you don't break any rules. We don't want you to get into trouble!

You can:

Say that your work was created for Marvel Trumps Hate

Provide a link to the MTH Tumblr, Twitter, or website to explain why a fanwork was created (we also encourage you to post to the appropriate annual MTH collection and use the gifting function to gift a work to the person who won your fanwork)

Refer to your fanwork as a gift (NOT commission or charity/gift commission) for your winner

You can't:

Say that you're participating in a current or upcoming charity auction and link to your auction listing (or anyone else's) in your author's notes, footnotes, or elsewhere on AO3

Call an MTH work a commission anywhere on AO3—instead, say that it's a gift for your winner for the Marvel Trumps Hate event

Solicit money by asking people to bid on you, encouraging donations to a charity and/or including a link to the charity or your auction listing, or mentioning that you take commissions (including charity commissions) on AO3

On platforms other than AO3, you're welcome to talk up your offerings, link to the specific charities that you're supporting through your auction offers, and share your (or others') auctions by reblogging your mthofferings.tumblr.com auction post or linking to your auction listings on the MTH website.

Why shouldn't you advertise charity auctions or use the word "commission" on AO3?

Using the right words matters.

MTH is proud to be inspired by other fandom charity auctions and positions itself within the long tradition of fans gifting fanworks and fan labor to each other. The auction event team members gift their time and talents to organize MTH, and fandom creators agree to gift their creative efforts in recognition of the donation that bidders make to the nonprofit organizations that are listed on our Supported Organizations page.

We want to make sure that people thinking about participating as creators and/or as bidders are 100% clear about what the auction involves and are confident about the integrity of the auction. One way of doing this is making sure that everyone knows how the money travels—directly from bidders to the nonprofit they're supporting, without ever being touched by MTH creators or the event team.

That being said, AO3 is not an advertising space and has Terms of Service around commercialization of fanworks (Section I. D5) that forbids any form of commercial promotion on AO3, even if it's for charity. This is not because exchanging money for fanworks is explicitly illegal but because the OTW legal team believes that one of the ways the archive can be protected legally, as both a collection of transformative works and as a nonprofit organization, is to have a firm "no commercial promotion" policy.

On charity events specifically, the TOS FAQ clarifies:

"The Archive will host fanworks of any origin, including fanworks created in response to charity drives or other challenges. A link to a charity drive to explain the origin of a fanwork is appropriate. Solicitation itself, however, should take place outside the Archive. We concluded that this policy was the easiest to apply fairly to everyone, given the wide range of possible solicitation activities." (AO3 TOS Content FAQ).

If you're reported by someone for soliciting on AO3 and found to be in breach of the TOS, you'll be emailed by their team, asking you to remove all the "commercial promotion" material (i.e., all the money-related words like "bid," "donation," or "commission") from the work, comment, bookmark, or profile in question. This includes tags, descriptions in author's notes, and comments on works. The Policy and Abuse committee doesn't screen fanworks; instead, all reports are made by users of the archive. That means that even though there may be places you violated these rules, the committee may not be immediately aware of it; however, as a violation can be found by a user and reported at any time, even from long, long ago, we encourage people to review the wording they used in reference to MTH—or any fandom charity events, for that matter—and make edits if necessary to be on the safe side.

Note: if this does happen to you, you can always appeal or ask for more time to rectify the issue so don't be alarmed. All Policy and Abuse reports are handled by real people who are volunteers for the organization.

We ask that you follow these guidelines so that if you spread the word about Marvel Trumps Hate on AO3, you do so in a way that won't cause you stress or trouble in the future.

If you ever lose track of this explanation and need to refer to it, we also have this information up on our website.

[swordfright]

Hello there! This ask may be a little out of the blue, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I am currently part of a recursive fanfic event. It's called @mcytrecursive . There's a lot of information there, but tl;dr, it's an ao3-held event for fanworks based on already existing fanworks! I am a really big fan of ouroboros. I'm a really big fan of all your work, but ouroboros is probably my favorite dream SMP fanfic of all time, and I have made every single one of my friends read it with my nonstop chatter about it. I would be super honored, and super stoked, to be granted your permission to be able to make work inspired by this work in the exchange; that's my benefit, and one for you is that you can possibly get a lot of new work from creators who love this fic (almost) as much as I do. One thing that is required to be able to recurse your work in this exchange is a publicly linkable permission statement, like a public answer to this ask, or stated or linked in your ao3 profile, or in the notes section of the fic. The permission can also come with any stipulates or limits you would like it to. Of course, if this is something you are not interested in or comfortable with, I in no means intend to pressure you. It's 100% your decision. I just thought I'd reach out and ask, share my enthusiasm for your work, and ask to open an avenue in which other people can share their enthusiasm too. Thank you for your time. If I do not get a response I will assume you are not interested and will not be pestering you further. I do, however, hope to hear back from you, whatever you wish to decide. Thanks!

HELLO I AM HONORED AND FLATTERED BY THIS ASK❣️

You absolutely have permission to create fanworks based on Ouroboros! That goes for any of my other fics too, and anyone else who's looking for permission. Anything you wanna make, I would love to see it and support/promote it!!

(Also, thanks for letting me know about the recursive event because there are some fics by other users that I would love to write fanworks of, so if sign-ups haven't closed yet I might end up joining myself.)

[bogkeep]

The Independent Online Artist & The Engagement

may i speak plainly for a moment? nobody owes you the Engagement, and staking all of your value and success as an artist/creator on it is a recipe for misery. eggs in baskets and all that. as a Creator myself, i hope you believe me when i say that i absolutely understand the importance of getting feedback and encouragement for your work. i know what it's like to have no audience. i know how gutting it is to feel like you're chucking paintings into a void. i know the difference a supportive community makes. obviously i cannot speak for every Creator, i can only speak for myself and my own experiences, and to be entirely fair - making art is not my main income, even if i've worked on quite a few commissions over the years. people engaging with my art has been a wonderful well of inspiration AND helpful for me getting some extra cash. we post our work online for a reason! i 100% believe in the power of letting people know you love their stuff. there's many ways to do that: you can leave comments and messages; you can reblog, retweet, and share with your friends; you can like and kudos; you can commission them; you can support them monetarily through patreon/ko-fi/bandcamp and suchlike; you can buy their merchandise; you can spread the word of their work; even create fanwork. i'm certain there are many more ways to support creators you love than just this, too! there's a whole wide world beyond just Likes and Reblogs, and different people show support in different ways. now speaking as a Creator Appreciator, i once again hope you believe me when i say this - i truly love artists and creators. when i was working, a huge chunk of my paycheck would go to commissions, indie artist merchandise, and my patreon bill. i follow a lot of artists and webcomic creators on here and on twitter, and i share their work frequently (for those who don't know, i have a reblog sideblog). i think i can safely say i'm singlehandedly responsible for getting multiple of my followers into certain webcomics by sheer power of fanart and enthusiasm. i LOVE artists. i WANT to support creators of the things i love. i LIKE sharing the small indie projects i'm into. it is something i prioritize in my life because i find fullfilment in it - it is not a moral high ground. i'm only one person, though. throwing 1 (one) dollar monthly at an artist i like through way of patreon is a very achievable course of action. the problem is:

i like a lot of artists. it's not possible for me to give the same amount of support to every single one, all the time. i just do not have the time, energy, money, or the attention for it. i don't think anyone expects me to, it would be completely unreasonable! especially because - i'm not alone. i'm not the only Creator Appreciator out here! i am not personally responsible to keep every Creator afloat with my own two hands! HOWEVER, it's not reasonable to expect everyone to do what i do, either. as i've said, it's something i prioritize and put a lot of effort into. i know a lot of people put just as much effort, or more! there's people with more time and money than me out there! but i can and want to do it, and not everyone can or wants to do All This. nor should they have to! they're not responsible for keeping creators alive, either. it's not a job. enjoying things shouldn't be a chore. a webcomic creator i used to follow had to shelve the comic they were working on because it wasn't getting enough engagement, and working on it was unsustainable. a heartbreaking decision on the creator's part, for sure, and also very understandable. making webcomics is hard work, and if you're only one person you have to cover a lot of bases and do the work of multiple people, all the while your creation is free to read and enjoy. i've seen a lot of webcomics put to rest over the years for all kinds of reasons and i understand why! the creator of this comic was fairly pragmatic about it, saying That's Just How The Numbers Are, Nothing To Do About That - and at the same time being very frustrated about it. again, very understandable! the creator has every right to be frustrated about the situation. it sucks big time. i did have to unfollow them, though. it was frustrating for me, one of their patreon supporters, to constantly read threads about how lurking kills webcomics or how everyone MUST show their support to creators. it kinda sucked to have all that ire that i know wasn't directed at me all over my feed. it kinda sucked to feel like i wasn't doing enough somehow, even though their twitter followers are statistically more likely to actually be their supporters. or maybe it was directed at me, after all, for not commenting directly on their comic? was it directed at me for not supporting a higher patreon tier? was it directed at me for not telling my friends all about this comic? was it directed at me, because while i did support this comic on patreon, there were fifteen others i didn't? i'm sure the creator was just working through the awful experience of having to make this decision. still hurt, though. not getting enough support for your work is absolutely a pain point. but people demanding my support is a pain point for me, in turn. i mean, fuck, what a mess all of this is, though! being a creator is hard, being an independent creator is even harder, social media is an fickle mistress and we need to make a living!! besides, not every online creator has the same goal, either! you've got artists encompassing the whole spectrum of "Art Is My Livelihood And I Need The Visibility" to "im drawing for Fun and Relaxation :)" on the same websites, meaning that for some people these social media sites are inextricably linked to Work, and the same social media sites are places other people go to escape work? ARE YOU UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE HERE i think both creators and fans can be quite entitled at times. we're all mere humans swirling around in the internet soup, and we want the Contents and we want the Validation. these are fine things to want, and i do think creators should let people know what the best ways to support them are! but also - do consider how you're cultivating your audience. people are, in general, not out to hurt you or slight you personally. demanding a certain type of engagement is more likely to get you less engagement overall, because people will feel less comfortable engaging on their own terms. lurkers are gonna lurk and prodding them with a broom is more likely to make them scamper away then unlurk. only ever wanting more reblogs will just leave you starving for more reblogs. yes, you can feel hurt by the lack of attention you’re given... but i also think there’s lots of love hiding in the brush. shy love, tired love, silent love, gentle love, waiting-to-pounce-when-it’s-ready love. if you create a welcoming space for it, it may come forth. who’s to say.

[houseofsnarry]

Because the journey is full of meaning and wonder, and the acorn is just as splendorous as the oak tree, the House of Snarry presents a Snarry fanworks rec’ list where every entry is currently marked as not complete.

1) Spicy Polaroids by Soltituss

Format: Art | Art count: 9 Chapters | Rating: Explicit

Summary:

Private collection of photographs. Severus really likes to take them during their spicy time.

~*~

2) Brighter Than Bright by LilaDiurne

Format: Fic | Word count: 183,104 | Rating: Explicit

Summary:

England, 1814. At twenty years old, Harry Weasley is a clever, if somewhat sheltered Omega who has hardly ever left the small town of Hogsmeade, where he grew up. He would not say that he is lonely, just that the days are too long. Now that most of his siblings have moved on, Harry occupies his time the best he can while dreaming of London high society. Nothing much interests him apart from his books and the letters he receives from his brothers, so when the news arrives that the Longbottom heir has returned to take ownership of his father’s estate, Harry doesn’t make much of it. After all, it couldn’t possibly affect him. Nor could the arrival of a certain Mr Snape, the rude and arrogant Alpha who deems Harry “barely tolerable.” No, none of that could possibly affect Harry’s life, could it? Why yes, this is the Pride and Prejudice inspired a/b/o snarry fic you’ve all been secretly craving!Why yes, this is the Pride and Prejudice inspired a/b/o snarry fic you’ve all been secretly craving!

~*~

3) The Potions and Promises of the Half-Blood Prince by elliebennett

Format: Fic | Word count: 105,541 | Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary:

The Ministry of Magic has a fantastic idea, like it always does: The Eternal Entwining Festival. Not only has it got a stupid name, the ridiculous courting festival is about to create a lot of trouble for Harry Problems Potter, who just wants to keep his head down and pass his NEWTs. The last thing he needs is people sending him love letters in the mail - and whatʼs this about bloody ribbons round his wrist? - Or: Slow Burn Snarry with ridiculous wizarding courting thrown in because itʼs FUN, and also a crap ton of magical theory, some introspective character study and even a lil dash of philosophy and humour. And George Weasleyʼs left ear. Because reasons.

~*~

4) The Marriage Stone by Josephine Darcy [archived by HPFandom_archivist]

Format: Fic | Word count: 280,722 | Rating: Mature

Summary:

To avoid the machinations of the Ministry, Harry must marry Severus Snape, who reluctantly agrees to protect the Boy Who Lived. But marriage to Snape is only the beginning of Harry's problems. Voldemort is on the move again, and before too long Harry's marriage may determine the fate of the world.

~*~

5) Wearing Only a Sneer by pluperfectsunrise

Format: Fic | Word count: 92,055 | Rating: Explicit

Summary:

With the war finally over, Harry Potter is dead set on losing her virginity. What will happen when she decides that the perfect candidate for a partner in this endeavor is Severus Snape?

~*~

6) However I Fall by mia_ugly

Format: Fic | Word count: 104,302 | Rating: Explicit

Summary:

In one timeline, Severus lives. In the other, he dies. In both, he falls in love.

~*~

7) More Than Dark by Likelightinglass

Format: Fic | Word count: 27,867 | Rating: Explicit

Summary:

Severus is imprisoned in solitary confinement in Azkaban with no idea of who won the war. He is ill, underfed, and slowly losing his mind. When Harry eventually takes him in and nurses him back to health, he can scarcely believe it's real.

Discord || Recs Lists

[disciples-of-the-old-faith]

What is this blog?

This blog is centered around a collaborative alternate universe for Cult of The Lamb called "Disciples of The Old Faith".

What do you mean by "collaborative"?

This story was written by multiple people who have contributed their time and creativity to help write and create characters that you can see/interact with! All credits can be found underneath posts and on official reference sheets.

What is "Disciples of The Old Faith" exactly?

In summary, Disciples of The Old Faith is an au that centers on the followers of The Old Faith and what happened 1000+ years before the events of Cult of The Lamb. The story mainly revolves around the events of Narinder becoming The One Who Waits, the prophecy that foretells of a lamb taking hold of The Red Crown and ending The Old Faith, and the consequences that befall on the mortals who worship them. For full details, please visit our about post!

What are some content warnings I should be aware of for this story?

A list of content warnings include:

Major/minor character death

Murder

Violence

Religious imagery

Cults

Further content warnings will be provided under specific posts as needed. Warnings listed above are a part of official events that will happen within the story and major themes. If you are uncomfortable with these then you are free to leave the story. Please stay safe out there!

Can I create fanworks of this project?

YES YOU MAY! The creators would love to see what you create! Please feel free to tag this account with any works you may create so we can see it!

May I use this story as inspiration for my own?

We are completely open for stories that are inspired by this au! We do ask, however, to credit us and to not use any of our characters unless we have given explicit permission.

Who mainly runs this blog?

This blog is run by spacedoutflowers/roto-scope. Any likes/comments on posts will be shown under roto-scope!

List of credits?

Director, lead writer and artist:

@spacedoutflowers

Character writers, character designers/creators:

@spacedoutflowers (Mentamori, Alaunus, others)

@tiniestbun (Thriae, others)

@pinkybug (Euthalia, others)

@mamaluigi124 (Payak)

@irldragonart (Icarus, Wildflower, others)

@spadsnnocks (Tātryn, others)

@sleepdeprivedtato (Snowdrop)

Individual credits will also be given under each post for who worked on it and their role(s)!

If I made fanart and wanted to show, how would we have you see it?

Please tag this blog and/or have "disciples of the old faith" in your hashtags! We would love to see any works you make!

If you would like to see more information about this au, please check out the pinned message of the blog or click here.

[javier-pena]

When will part 6 of Hubris be ready?

hi!! thank you for your interest in hubris. however, i won't be answering your question.

i'm not a content creator whose sole purpose in fandom is to entertain others as fast as possible, putting out new content every couple of days. i'm a fan like the rest of you, and i'm writing fics in my spare time, which isn't much in my case. i work 30 hours a week and i have other responsibilities too, and the time i can spend on fics is probably around 3 hours a week.

now i know that thanks to tiktok and other fast apps, it feels like "creating content" takes a minute, but it doesn't. and i don't spend hours and hours working on my fics only for people to be like, "where's the next part?" without even so much as a, "hey, i really like your fic".

i'm one of the fastest writers i know, i write around 1000 words in about an hour. now the fic i'm currently working on is a long read with around 24k words. which means i spent 24 hours writing it. not included are another 5 hours of planning/preparing and at least another 10 hours of editing. all in all, i'm looking at around 40 hours of work that i'm not getting paid for and that i'm doing in my spare time because it brings me joy. even with hubris, writing it took me around 4 hours, editing probably another 2, and that doesn't include my friend dani beta'ing it, which she also does in her spare time, and if she can't read my stuff for several days or a week, then she can't and i'm not gonna pressure her to work faster.

fandom works are meant to be shared with and read by fans who enjoy the same media and who want to engage with the fanwork as well as the original material. fic writers write fics in their spare time because they love a movie or book or tv show, they don't work around the clock to update fics like mindless machines. at least in my case, i need to find inspiration first before i can write something and that takes time.

so please, in the future, if you send a message like this to a fic writer, maybe include one or two sentences about why you enjoyed a fic and/or why you're looking forward to the next part. small kindnesses like that make all the difference and make us want to actually update a fic.

[nolofinweanweek]

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nolofinwëan week? This is a week-long fandom event celebrating Tolkien’s characters that belong to the House of Fingolfin.

When and where is the event taking place? The event will run from November 6 - 12, 2023 on the Tumblr blog. Works can also be added to the AO3 collection.

Who counts as a Nolofinwëan character? Fingolfin, Anairë and all their descendants through the ages count as Nolfinwean characters. This includes people who have been married into the family, adopted, etc. Here’s the Nolofinwëan family tree as a reference.

Is Gil-galad considered a Nolofinwëan character? For the purposes of this event, Gil-galad, son of Fingon, is considered a Nolofinwëan character. 

For context, Gil-galad’s parentage in the published Silmarillion is assigned to Fingon and an unnamed mother. Christopher Tolkien (JRR Tolkien’s son and The Silmarillion’s editor), later noted that he’d made a mistake, basing this his decision on his father’s notes that pre-dated the decision to make Gil-galad a descendant of Finarfin. Here’s a summary of this debate. This event welcomes any reading and interpretation by the fandom community.

How do I participate? You can participate by creating fanfiction, fanart, headcanons, close readings and musings, edits, gifs, comics, or anything else that inspires you to celebrate these characters.

To have your work shared on the event’s page, please mention the blog @nolofinweanweek in your post and include the hashtags #nolofinweanweek and #nolofinweanweek2023 in the first 10 tags.

How do I make sure you will reblog my work? Please see the answer above. You may also submit a post or DM the event with a link to your post.

Your post should be reblogged within 24 hours. If you see a like on your post from @nolofinweanweek, your post is probably in the queue! If it’s been 24 hours and you don’t see a like and your post hasn’t been reblogged—feel free to message @melestasflight directly. Tumblr’s tagging and @ing mechanisms can be faulty.

Is there an AO3 collection? Yes! The Nolofinwëan Week 2023 collection is here.

Do I have to participate every day? Not at all! Please participate as your time and inspiration allow. The event welcomes short posts, sketches, and drabbles. You can also just enjoy other people’s work and support them by showing your love with a like, a reblog or a comment.

What if I don’t finish my fanwork in time for the event? Feel free to post what you have and tag the event anyway—in-progress works are welcome!

Alternatively, tag the blog whenever you are finished and ready to post it—happy to promote Nolofinwëan content year-round!

Do I have to follow the prompts? Nope! The prompts are just for inspiration. All Nolofinwëan content is welcome, following the prompts or not.

Can I post drafts and work in progress? Yes! You can contribute any kind of fanwork you want, even if it’s not finished. This event is meant to inspire folks to do creative work centered on Nolofinwëan characters, and if that means you continue something you started during the event, that’s great! 

Additionally, if your work is already in-progress and you want to update it or promo it during the week, that is also encouraged.

Can I post nsfw content? Nsfw works are welcome as long as the Tumblr post itself is sfw and the content is appropriately tagged. The easiest way to share would be to post your piece to the AO3 collection and create a sfw promotional post.

I’m new to Tolkien’s work and have little experience with these characters. Where do I find out more? The Silmarillion Writer’s Guild has a fantastic directory of character biographies here. Feel free to browse characters by name and explore these contributions by other fandom members.

Can I use generative AI to make content for this event? Sure, use AI or any other digital tools creatively. However, please tag your content appropriately so folks know how it was generated.

Are there any rules? Please be a respectful and encouraging community member! This means:

Do not repost content by other creators without their explicit permission. Please re-blog instead to support their work.

Respect other people’s headcanons and interpretations, even if you don’t share them.

Content and creators espousing any form of negativity, bigotry, aggression or discrimination against others will not be tolerated.

Disrespecting these rules will lead to being blocked from the event.

I have another question: Share it via an ask, or get in touch with @melestasflight

The event directory is accessible here.

This FAQ has been adapted from Tolkien Gen Week run by @arofili

[acapelladitty]

Gonna ramble about fandom for a bit below the cut because I'm thinking thoughts.

One thing I genuinely miss about fandom is the sense of community and fun correspondence between folks who put out fanworks and those who consume them.

I've had many folk find a fic, like it, reblog it without any tags, and then immediately ask for a different prompt. Which is great tbh, and fuck knows that having someone actually reblog something in these stingy times is a miracle in itself, but there's something quite clinical about the whole process. Like, obviously they've enjoyed it enough to reblog and ask for more but it still leaves me a little cold because I have no idea what they actually liked about it and how I can keep that in mind for the future.

^ These were my last two published fics and I'm truly thankful that so many people have enjoyed them enough to like and/or reblog them. However, even if we ignore the grim like to reblog ratio, the overwhelming majority of those reblogs are blank. They're fully devoid of any kind of interaction or critique which shows how people are regarding the works which they're consuming.

If I like a piece of fanwork, then I'll usually like it, reblog it with complimentary tags, and then sent the work to the OP with another comment (usually along the lines of "OP this is incredible! Thanks for sharing and kudos on the skill!" just because I liked it that much. And I think that stems from how much I crave community and I know I'm not the only one because I DO have some small communities like that, they're just much much rarer than they should be.

Blank consumption of all fanworks, be it art, writing, audio, edits etc has led to a decay in relationships and it can make fandom, a place built on people sharing a common love for a specific property, a very lonely place indeed. We live in a consumer age and fandom has also fallen victim to that due to the volume of available works and the rapid ways in which they can be interacted with and moved on from.

If i'm totally honest, I don't think fandom will ever go back to being relationship driven and that's okay, if maybe a little sad, because that's the way that everything is going these days where all things seem to be much more vapid and alogrithm based.

Fandom will always exist because people will always find inspiration and joy in the things they love, but it just won't ever be as rich as it could be.

[zingaplanet]

it’s incredibly creepy to ship real people you don’t even know irl, and doubly creepy to describe their relationships as “canon” as though they’re characters and not actual real people?? literally why just ship fictional characters its not that hard 😭

Hmm ok RPF debates have been ongoing since forever and I absolutely agree that there's a fundamental ethical line in it that CAN NEVER BE CROSSED. Like I absolutely cringe when ppl show the actual people their fanworks of them being shipped with someone else. As well as if fans lost sight of reality and they actually started believing their own stuffs, and even worse, TARGET their supposed significant others, this happened so many times and it's such a toxic culture because it harms so many people and hurt their personal lives.

But on the other hand, I also don't believe that people should be punished for, in its most basic form, basically 'hoping' and 'rooting' for certain people to be together. The thing with RPF is, I think the morale boundary is firm that we only imagine said RP in the capacity of its 'public persona', that is, what they have WILLINGLY shred with us in the context of what they're known in the public for, if they're perhaps an actor, an athlete, etc. My interpretation of someone that I might ship in RPF is exactly only from the media that they operate in, their interviews, their performances, etc, or basically what THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE PUBLIC, (how they are as a tennis player in the tennis world, as a footballer in the football sphere, as an actor in showbiz, etc).

Precisely because we have NO IDEA what their personal lives look like, nor is it our business, that I believe give RPF a little bit of breathing room. Because the part that is 'fictionalised' so to say is the part of them understood to us SUBJECTIVELY through the medium of our social media, press, television, etc. We can never know what they're really like in real life and we only have access to one section of their world, not the others. In a sense, RPF can also be seen simply as another perspective of interpretation, of this 'public persona'. I believe that the way certain people present themselves in media allow multitudes of understandings, rhetorics, and explanations to be made just as with ANY MEDIA CONTENT, without all of them necessarily being true, or even false.

In this context, I believe it'd be wrong to say that there's no element of fiction in it whatsoever either. Because, as much as we'd like to believe it and stay within the moral safe zone, I don't think fictional works are that safe either. A LOT of fictional works are actually based on real people, and a lot of the romance stories or movies you consumed took major part of their inspiration from REAL LIFE events. The difference is, of course, they adopted this persona under a different name, a given fictional name that the writers gave us. For instance, even Holmes and Watson are based on real people and most of the greatest work of fiction has a large chunk of reality rooted in it.

This also answers why RPF is appealing, because in essence, I believebhumans might love dreaming and hoping, but they crave even more to know that there's an element of truth in it, that this story is embedded in reality and that it can also happen to us. Isn't that the whole attractice premises of biopic movies/ historical fictions?

Bottom line is, I think it's frankly hypocritical to morally discredit people who might want to indulge in a different version of reality, albeit if they didn't hide it behind the jargons of fictional names and places. What I think is critical, however and I agree with you here, is that the separation between fiction and reality ALWAYS needs to stay clear, and we need to respect their privacy in parts of their lives that they don't share to the public, but that's precisely why we have safety measures in fanworks, the locked accounts in AO3, how certain posts are restricted etc.

In layman's term, anon, I give you the example of Rick Astley. When rick-rolling became viral, he initially becane really depressed about people mocking him (which in context might even be more horrible than aggressively hoping he ended up with someone else lol as people literally make him the butt of a joke for a decade). But years later, he's come to terms with it and now fully embraces it, singing 'never gonna give you up' to full stadiums, joking about it, even doing a parody of it and generally having a blast reminiscing his youth.

In his own words, he said, "I finally understood that it might be me in all those videos, but it was never actually about me."

I suggest you watch his interview here, he really has some great insights on what it means for the public to 'fictionalise' your real persona and image

[shinraholidayparty]

Frequently Asked Questions

Given how new this is, these are mainly an attempt to head off the main questions I think people might have, based on my own experience in fandom as well as what I've seen others doing in their event weeks.  As questions are sent in however, this will be updated!

💡 What is this?

Shinra Holiday Party is an annual Final Fantasy VII event to celebrate the winter holidays with our favorite Shinra Personnel, be it Turks, SOLDIERs, or board members!  We'll post a week's worth of prompts, and you see if any of those prompts inspire a fanwork.

💡 How do the prompts work?

Basically, there's a post that will have the days listed with the prompt for each day.  You do not have to fill all of the prompts to participate, and if you want to post them out of order, please feel free!  However, please note that if you post them out of order, they will be scheduled to be reblogged on the event blog on the "correct" day, just to kind keep things together.

💡 How do I participate?

By posting a work either here on tumblr or to our AO3 collection!  If you're posting here on tumblr, be sure to either use the #shinraholidayparty tag or ping us (@shinraholidayparty) so that you can get reblogged to the event blog.

💡 What kind of work is allowed?

Any kind of work!  Writing, art, graphics, fanmixes, gifsets, and any other kind of fanwork is allowed.

Traced, plagiarized, and AI works are not considered eligible for the event.

💡 Can non-Shinra characters appear in the work?

Of course!  Our Shinra crew doesn't operate in a vacuum after all.  If you would like to include some of the AVALANCHE team or some OCs or honestly, anyone at all, please feel free to do so.

💡 What if I can't make any content?  Is there any way that I can still help?

Absolutely!  It's called "signal-boosting," and it will greatly help the fanworks reach more people!  You can reblog the prompt list post as well as any entries that you see that you enjoy.  Sharing and commenting is loving!

💡 How do I tag sensitive content?

So I'm going to go a little in-depth on this just in case you're new to tagging in general.

If you are posting your fic to the AO3, you should be using the Archive warning labels as appropriate.  These labels are as follows:

Graphic depictions of violence.

Major character death.

Rape/Non-Con

Underage

If you use "Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings," your work will not be reblogged to the event account.

You must also use the Archive's Rating system appropriately, choosing one of the following:

General Audiences

Teen and Up Audiences

Mature

Explicit

Please see the Archive's guides on Ratings and Warnings if you have further questions.  You may also find the Archive's guide on Tag Types or "How to Tag" useful.

In addition to that, it's generally considered polite to tag/warn for any of the following:

Abuse (including Child Abuse / Neglect)

Ageplay / DDLG / DDLB / etc.

Animal Cruelty/Death/Harm

Any AU settings, including Cafe AUs, Omegaverse (or even just A/B/O Dynamics), Modern AU, etc.

BDSM / RACK

Body Horror / Medical Horror

Drug Use

Dubious Consent

Genderbending

Incest

Kinks in general should be tagged so people can find them!

Kinks specifically regarding bodily fluids, such as Bloodplay / Scat / Emetophilia / etc.

Pregnancy

Racism / Transphobia / Homophobia / etc.

Torture (psychological or physical)

Now, it is not required that you use these tags, although if the work is reblogged to the event account, you may see these tags added where appropriate.

💡 Is this event related to the Shinra Holiday event on Twitter in 2020?

Short answer: no.  Long answer: Still no, but this event was heavily inspired by that one.

💡 Why are there lightbulb emojis?

Because it's for the Shinra Electric Company! 💡💡💡 And because I wanted something cute to break up the visual monotony of all the text.

💡 I have a question not addressed here!

By all means, send in an ask!

[ Directory | Rules | FAQ | Ask | AO3 ]

[fssanctuary]

🕸️FAQs

What counts as a “single work”?

An individual piece of fanart, fanfic, or other fanwork. As long as it can stand alone, it most likely counts! Feel free to check in with us if you have any specific concerns. 

Do I need to sign up, apply, or make a hard commitment in order to participate in this event? 

Nope! We encourage preparation so you can contribute each week without having to crunch, but we do not require commitment or conduct any kind of skill-based evaluation process. 

Can I submit multiple fanworks during the same week? 

Please do! The more, the merrier. Each work counts as an individual vote toward the prompt, so creating more means more votes.

What happens if I submit something for each of a week's two prompts, or if I combine them both in a single contribution? 

Well first, pat yourself on the back, because the act of creation is always a win. For the purposes of voting, however, that unfortunately does mean that your contributions cancel out. If you still want to tip the scales, you can always make another submission for your favored prompt before the week is up!

I ran out of time, but I still want to post my contribution based on a previous week’s prompt! 

We would love to see your work, even if it’s a little late. While we will reblog it proudly, it simply won’t count in the competition part of the event.

Can I submit something I’ve posted in the past, or post something in advance? 

We would really prefer that, in the spirit of the event, people only post their contributions during the appropriate week. However, if you have a personal conflict preventing you from doing so, please let us know and we will work with you to get those votes in!

Can I use one of the dialogue prompts featured with the main prompt?

Yes, you are free to use the prompts as you wish, or you can come up with something entirely different. They're there to inspire you! 

What if I make something for a different event this month (e.g. whumptober)? If it's Four Swords content, can it count for this, too? 

As long as you're using the #fsff23 tag and follow the event rules, your work will definitely count for this event, regardless of other inspiration or prompts you use. Just be mindful of the rules about content.

How do I get my fic added to the AO3 collection?

The collection on AO3 is moderated, which means you can get your fic added one of two ways. Please only do one of them!

(1) When you post or edit your work, type "fourswordsfrightfight" into the box labeled "Collections." When you post or save the work, the mods of the collection will get a notification to accept it. (It may take a day or two.) You're in!

(2) Send an ask or a message with the title of your work and the username, so the mods of the collection can find the work and ask to add it. You as the author will get an email asking if we can add it to the collection (unless you turned on the setting to automatically accept those.) Once you've accepted, you're in!

To find the collection on AO3, go to Browse>Collections, and sort for our fandom or name, or see this link.