#and I'm not the best at it either!

[mythals-whore]

Some thoughts on fandom engagement

Post got long but TL;DR engagement is low, Never Ever Stop Creating! fandom is community and everyone needs to participate

extended thoughts and personal anecdote under the cut:

For writers:

I have turned off Kudos emails from ao3. I found myself checking my email and feeling discouraged when I didn't get them. So i turned the emails off so I wouldn't know I wasn't getting them. Even now when I go to my dashboard, I specifically do not look at the bottom of the work to see those numbers.

This is not me telling you to do the same thing. It is easier said than done, and I understand that. But that's what I had to do to have a good time.

Because for a little while, posting made it less fun. I felt like people didn't like it. I was being overly critical of myself, couldn't write more than three sentences without feeling like I was garbage and my work was garbage and I should just quit. I would post a chapter and then immediately want to take the whole thing down. But then I realized...

I have about four half-finished projects in my WIP folder. I have written like 500,000 words that no one has ever read. Because I had fun doing it! Because I enjoy writing!!

And the point of this isn't to say writers shouldn't want or expect engagement. That is not at all what I'm saying!

What I am saying is that if you enjoy writing and you find that posting your work is making you feel unmotivated, discouraged, and you're not having fun anymore it is okay to take it down. It’s okay to make your work private for a while. It's okay to turn off Kudos emails or even comments. Whatever you need to do to make it fun again, do that. If you enjoy creating, please do not let the lack of engagement stop you!

It's been really helpful for me to find a community of creators! Without the support of @thedissonantverses @flowersforthemachines and @basedonconjecture I may have deleted my work months ago!

And that said, if you want someone to read your work, there are so many people (including and especially me) who would love to read and promote you! Participate in WIP Wednesday and Writing Weekend! Promote your own work!! Promote other creators' work! This is how we build community!

For readers:

If you love fanfic, and fanart and fandom in general engage with it. The urge to take down your work is real! And not unique to me! If writers don't get kudos or comments or replies on tumblr, they will delete their work. If there's a fic you find, and you enjoy it but you don't engage with it do not be surprised if you log on one day and it isn't there anymore. Or if it gets orphaned. Or if they simply stop updating it.

Fandom is meant to be a community. The whole purpose of it is to enjoy the things you enjoy with other people. If you're consuming free work (be that fanfic, fan art or something else) and you're not liking or reblogging or commenting then those people will stop sharing it.

And my personal take, while we're here: I do not get it.

I do not understand why there are people out there who do not jump at the chance to directly engage with authors and artists who make things that you enjoy. You can tell them personally how much you like their work! You can ask them questions! You can send them your unhinged ramblings on The Character.

And before anyone comes to my replies and says: I never know what to say ))):

Here is a non-comprehensive list of 10 slightly unhinged things that I've actually commented on fics (some edited for brevity)

I am chewing on glass.

bye i’m putting my fist through the wall 😭

These two are consuming my every waking thought

That ruined me i fear. I have passed away

THIS IS LITERATURE. absolutely tore my heart out.

You are sick in the head my friend

Im gonna sip on this sentence a while.🤌🏻

how could you do this to them? writing about this in my burn book brb

A) You absolutely cooked here B) how fucking dare you?

 kicking my feet and giggling!!!!!

And this isn't just for ao3/fanfic writers. Fanartists deserve love too! Artists love feedback!! The more unhinged the better!! Tell us we're evil! Quote our work back to us! Tell us you're smashing through walls like the Kool-aid man! Tell us that our work is making you scream and cry and blush!

No one is expecting you to leave several long paragraphs with an actual annotated review (not that that wouldn't also be welcome). Comment! Engage! Community is the whole point!

This also goes for finding Tumblr mutuals, by the way. If you want to make friends with people on here engage with their content! Like their posts! Reply to them! Send asks and messages!

Stop being afraid to enjoy things! That is like...all we are doing here.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The Yiling Band Tour!

[demaparbat-hp]

seeing your ZK art with katara's burn scars I imagine zuko kissing her scarred hands 😭 and ofc she kisses his scar too !!!!!!!!

Scar kisses are my everything.

[knifearo]

being aromantic is like. hey btw you're going to live a life that is the culmination of most of society's worst nightmares. sorry lol ✌️ but then you turn around and take a really good hard look at it and it turns out that living in that nightmare is fucking awesome and you get to wake up every day and take that fear that other people have and laugh and hold it close until it's a great joy for you instead. and being happy is a radical act that you define instead of someone else. and you're sexy as fuck that's just a fact of life i don't make the rules on that one

[yhwcomeback]

The Master of Fire.

poster on redbubble

[thekittyokat]

you ever just have a lot, a LOT of feelings all at once about a character and not even remotely enough words or brainpower to FORM the words to describe everything you're feeling. so it feels like you may explode. yeah

[yeagerbitchh]

I like to think Dick would react like a crazy big brother when he found out about Jason and Roy getting together.

Like he'd feel so betrayed, how could his best friend and his baby bro start dating and not even tell him for months? And oh god now he'd have to see them kiss? He could never get that image out of his head. He'd have to get used to seeing Roy at the family dinners and sure Jason looked happy but couldn't it be with literally anyone else? Didn't Roy know better than to go after his little baby brother? I mean seriously he's just a baby he is not ready to be a dad. How could he take care of Lian if he can't even take care of himself and-

And that's when it hits him, that technically Jason's her dad now, given the seriousness of the relationship and the fact that he did overhear the girl calling Jason Jaydad, so Dick is oficially her favourite uncle.

He is suddently very ok with their relationship.

[benevolenterrancy]

so I've started reading Journey to the West, and I more or less knew what to expect from Sun Wukong going in, no surprises there. Tripitaka, on the other hand, completely knocked my feet out from under me... I am enchanted

[kithmet]

see, i really love when buddie fight. i love it because within fighting (and especially because their dynamic relies heavily on the unspoken) there's this element of, "oh, finally they're communicating, even if it's fighting! they're saying these things out loud! progression is being made!" and it's not pretty, but life isn't always pretty. i love the messiness of a satisfying fight, where both are dealing with their own shit and misstepping how they're handling a situation, or throwing words around carelessly, or projecting onto each other. people who love each other as much as they do don't go into an argument that intense without knowing that in the end, things will be okay again. buck even said this in s4: "it's easy to lash out on the person that you know is always going to forgive you." i think subconsciously they know that sure, they might fight, but they will always be okay.

that being said. yeah, i love when they fight, but i do often hate how people talk about it. there's always this strange element of viewers trying to choose sides, which completely misses the point the show is trying to make whenever it depicts raw emotions and how those complicated feelings can intersect in relationships to spark conflict, conflict where nuance does exist. and this happens time and time again on the show and the aftermath—people are always so forgiving towards one of them, and less forgiving towards the other. yes, when times are tough, buck gets self-centred and unable to see past his own hurt, and yes, eddie hates seeing that gets mean about it. we've seen this during the lawsuit! we've seen it before eddie left for texas! and we're seeing it again now after bobby died. this is a consistent character trait for both of them, it's a thread that has remained true in their relationship and will probably continue to remain true because it's somewhere where they don't mesh well. it's juicy! but i don't think one of them is more or less right for feeling the way they do. the point is that they feel what they feel, and they get past it always despite clashing. and ultimately the whole concept of "choosing sides" when two characters clash is rooted in projection or relatability (or protection) of one character, which honestly lacks empathy and understanding of the fight itself, both character's motivations, and their relationship dynamics. the writers don't want you to choose sides. they want you to understand that sometimes situations are complicated and as humans, we butt heads but still love each other no matter what. it's really not a hard concept to grasp. and yet... we as a fandom go in circles about this topic every single time they fight.

[ghouleh-ghouleh]

Rite Here Rite Now (2024)

Swiss ghoul singing in Kaisarion.

[waveridden]

weird day to have been an rt fan several years ago

[gnomewithalaptop]

Rereading the Our Worlds at War tie-in again and God I miss their friendship every day

[fauchart]

BRING YOUR OC TO THE DINER!

Does anyone remember those old fandom fads of "everyone puts their OCs in the same picture so it looks like they're hanging out"? No? Well I'm bringing it back anyway :]

Ann and the diner is waiting for their patrons!! Feel free to add in your OC if you want to participate! ♥ (Make sure to pick the most recent addition to the post to edit with your own character, so we can slowly fill out this very empty diner :D)

I've made it so the background is easily loopable on the left side if there's ever a need to make it bigger... Had to cheat with perspective to make it work though but it's not too jarring i think :']

Empty variants of the background below the cut just in case:

[seokminfilm]

"better half" ── lee seokmin

🤍 pairing, lee seokmin x reader

🤍 warnings, non idol-au, college au, short, photography major seokmin, graphic design major reader (neither majors are really focused on), fluff, classmates/friends to lovers, confession, kissing, lots of giggling and laughing (reader and seokmin are both so soft and shy around each other they don't know what to do)

🤍 summary, your confession to lee seokmin, photography major did not go the way you were planning it to.

🤍 author's note, this was requested by dawn (@realmofclouds) like a month ago....😭 when i got this request i was slowly entering a writer's block and then got out of it and forgot about the request for a while 🧍sigh hopefully this goes the way i want it...i rewrote this fic like 12 times when i was in writer's block sdjdjskfkdjfs

🤍 now playing, dream (seventeen)

🤍 word count, 900 | for @kstrucknet, @maestro-net

"what, you never did that as a child? you never kidnapped ladybugs and tried to get them to marry each other?" you ask with a laugh, and seokmin shakes his head, slightly bewildered as he flushes.

"i was scared of most bugs when i was a child, so probably not," the laughter that erupts from both of you fills the whole study hall, and you're convinced that half of the student body can hear that you two aren't doing the project you were assigned to complete.

you and the photography major class were paired together for a graphic design project, and lee seokmin was chosen as your partner. the two of you had talked many times before but never had a full conversation until now.

seokmin was a great student and doubled as a great partner and even better talking buddy, and the two of you had grown close over the months. he was like your best friend now, hanging out with you and helping you out when needed. you don't know where'd you be without him.

the two of you sat on the floor in one of the study rooms as you finished up the final draft of the design. the warm spring sun was filtering in through the windows, and you could feel the warmth on your hands as you worked on your laptop.

seokmin looked illuminated by the sunlight, smile radiant and laughter contagious as his dark eyes watched you with intent. seokmin had worn a button-up today, light blue fabric soaking up the warm light.

you had found yourself looking at him more and more as the months went on, and you couldn't answer the question of whether you had a crush on him or not. your friends had caught onto the way you talked about him, and you couldn't bring yourself to deny it anymore, either. maybe you did like lee seokmin.

"hey, i'm really glad we've talked over these few months." seokmin says randomly, and you lock eyes with him, warm blush on your cheeks as you smile.

"oh, um─me too! this whole project has been an experience for me, but i'm glad you were the one i experienced it all with." you nod, unable to stop smiling at the way seokmin's grinning at you.

a brief but comfortable silence stretches between the both of you, and you hold each other's gaze, unable to look away. seokmin's dark eyes are so warm as he looks at you, and you feel your face heat up, unable to stop the words from tumbling from your lips.

"seokmin, do you know why i was asking you all of those random questions earlier?" you say, and seokmin's eyebrows crease slightly, shaking his head as he tilts his head.

"i just thought you were being nice or trying to make conversation. i like talking to you, so i went along with them, even if they were a little...." seokmin trails off, smiling nervously at you as you flush an even darker red, nodding.

"random and weird, yeah." you laugh lightly, and seokmin chuckles along with you, watching you with curious eyes.

you sigh, taking a step back from the situation at hand before you take a deep breath and wet your lips. "i was asking you all of those questions because i like you."

seokmin falls silent, and you watch his face, studying his expression. his eyes are widened as if he's in disbelief about something. before you know it, a small smile is spreading across his pretty features, and he chuckles softly, taking your hand in his in a high-five-like gesture as he winks at you.

"well, i really like you, so─we're even." seokmin nods, and you can't help but grin from ear to ear, still slightly in disbelief that you had even confessed to him. "really?"

"really." seokmin says softly, and now, you notice how close the two of you had gotten to each other. your laptop had been moved moments ago, and you two now sit in front of each other, eyes on each other's figure as seokmin's eyes trail to your lips first.

"is it okay if i...." seokmin trails off, the tips of his ears turning red as you nod eagerly, letting him cup your cheek as you smile softly.

"yeah, it's okay. please do," you whisper, and seokmin does just that, placing his lips on yours in a quick moment. it's quiet, but you're sure that you can hear your heart beating a mile a minute. you let seokmin lead, letting him softly mold his lips to yours in a way that leaves your cheeks burning.

once you pull away, both of you are red, and seokmin's hands are still interlocked with yours, smiling at you as he studies your face.

"this was not how i wanted this to go." you giggle nervously, head dropping down as seokmin chuckles. he lifts your chin up to him, grinning from ear to ear as he consoles you with his touch.

"you had a whole plan for this?" seokmin asks innocently, and you nod, laughing nervously. "keyword there being 'planned'." you sigh, and seokmin smiles, face radiating joy as he giggles.

"i don't care how this came about. i'm just happy it happened, you know?" seokmin questions, and you nod, kissing his lips softly as you lock eyes with him.

"yeah. i'm happy it happened too."

[zincfingermotif]

devotion

[xitsensunmoon]

Mermaid Moon, Sun and Eclipse have a different visible light spectrum so they actually can see your lovely human stripes!!<3

You often would carefully trace their own patterns with your fingertips when any of them allowed you that close. And the sound of purring would always let you know that they don't mind.

But you never could really understand why their caress followed a specific pattern as well. It was interesting, as each of them always followed the same direction, their claws gently gliding over your skin when you weren't wearing your diving costume. You doubted they secretly agreed to mess with you in that way. Plus, their eyes followed some invisible path too... You could see their scleras dilate every time.

Whatever they saw, they found it beautiful.