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maglors-anion-gap · 3 years

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Fic Writing Asks

Thanks to @samarqqand for the tag! Sorry for the late-ish reply!

how many works do you have on AO3?

I have 8 fics on AO3, with one WIP that I have been neglecting for Ages (so sorry to the anon who requested it, and to user findrahil for helping me beta in, like, march...), and three Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang fics coming very soon!

what’s your total AO3 word count?

Currently 36,972

how many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Mostly Tolkien. One sad MCU fic (it's not finished, please ignore it, I started it in a brighter era where I wasn't exhausted by the MCU movie industrial complex)

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

"Why Breaks Thou the Wand" - Gimli/Legolas (qpl) Tam Lin!AU

The MCU fic that I will not be linking to

"Your Mouth is Poison (Your Mouth is Wine)" - Celebrimbor/Sauron, the events leading up to the sacking of Eregion, also known as "how to bottom in the most manipulative and vindictive manner possible"

"There are Roses That Come Without Seeking" - Curufin/Finrod, midwinter masquerade celebration turned hook-up

"Turning Shadows Into Shapes" - Feanor&Fingolfin, brotherly loveloathing and the aftermath of Finwe's death

do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Every single one. I don't get a Ton of comments so it's pretty easy for me to do and I talk non-stop so.... it's a natural instinct. I love to see what people have to say abut my work, and I love to let them know I appreciate their commentary

what’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Angstiest ending is hands down "Where the Spirit Meets the Bones" because it ends with Maedhros yeeting himself toward his doom... In general a very angsty fic because it's all about failed obligations, self hatred, and being a flawed person.

do you write crossovers? if so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I've never written a crossover, I haven't really found universes that I desperately wanted to smash together. The closest I'll ever get is AU works.

have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes but not on anything posted on my AO3. The commenter left me something mildly obnoxious, but when I checked out their profile they were a huge bigot. Bidoof's law for general assholery.

do you write smut? if so what kind?

Yes. More often than not. Excuse #1: the pandemic is keeping me from being my slutty self and I am projecting. Excuse #2: self-introspection. It's no coincidence that my smut fic is most often either something I find kinky, or an exploration of my identity or something I want to communicate in my life. "Halos Made of Summer, Ribbons Made of Spring" was me exploring my attraction to women (when I still thought I was a woman). A lot of my other stuff was me coming to terms with being transmasc (though I haven't included trans themes in my fics yet - that's gonna change tho).

have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! I don't think my stuff gets enough traction for that (rare-pair hell, my beloved). I also don't think I'd notice if themes were lifted from my work. I treat fandom like a soup pot. It would be rude to take the stock wholesale and say it was your own. That said, it's likely that at some point two or more of us are going to come up with similar flavor pairings. If you're inspired by my work, it's good grace to say so. But swapping ideas is pretty par for the course.

have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope! But you guys are always welcome to do so! I've been meaning to translate my stuff into Spanish, it's good practice for me and I know that fandom can be pretty English heavy.

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope! I would like to at some point, I think the closest I've gotten is like, trsb exchanges.

what’s your all time favorite ship?

Probably Fingon/Maedhros because of my penchant for self-flagellation and bad decision making. It's an old standby pairing for me, and I like its Romance, in the classical sense. Celebrimbor/Sauron is a close second because I like working through how I feel about deception and betrayal and really unhealthy love.

what’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Um... I don't want to say the WIP that's currently languishing in my drafts. I have Got to finish it because I went out of my way to get people's opinions on it. Um, probably this thing I started for Gimli/Legolas, I don't think it was imaginative enough, I have a hard time being imaginative and it feels derivative. I need to significantly re-tool it.

what are your writing strengths?

Setting up a central theme, and characterization. I like implicit meanings.

what are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue is hard, pacing is hard (it's really hard for me to read, so I always want to pare my stuff down when I should expand on it). Executive function is non-existent so the writing process itself is just. odious (/humorous).

what are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Ah, like adverbs and epithets, it serves a purpose (to indicate something specific). I think about a) can readers understand this b) is this respectful and does it fit the situation or characterization c) does it add something special d) do I have a good enough grasp of this language. For MCU fic I won't be linking I taught myself some very basic russian to include some russian dialogue because I wanted english readers to be temporarily out of the loop like one of the characters (like, in dramatic irony the readers know something the characters don't - I wanted a situation where the readers didn't know either). Don't go looking for that fic, my russian is embarrassing to me and others.

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

The lord of the flies :( I was 13

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Probably "Halos Made of Summer, Ribbons Made of Spring" for managing to write something long and detailed :)

I’m tagging @galadhremmin @arofili @undercat-overdog @findrahil @dialux (some of you may have already done this, sorry) - this is the moment where I forget every single one of my followers and mutuals... I'm so sorry, if you're reading this please consider yourself tagged and back-tag me with your replies

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yurimother · 4 years

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'Goodbye Volcano High’ Writer Responds to Backlash Over Article Containing NSFW Cartoons Depicting Minors

This article contains content that may be disturbing for some audiences. Please read at your own discretion.

Goodbye Volcano High, a narrative-based adventure game from KO_OP, was announced during Sony’s Future of Gaming event on June 11. Many people, including myself, were excited by the announcement, as the game features a non-binary protagonist, Fang (voiced by Lachlan Watson) and promises a story full of LGBT representation, with studio director Salemm Dabbous tweeting, “This game is queer as [f***]” following the reveal.

However, some fans on Twitter are expressing outrage after discovering that Goodbye Volcano High’s narrative director and writer, Kate Gray, used to write about porn and sex in video games on video game website Kotaku and in one article had included NSFW images depicting underage characters. The story in question, “Animated Video Game Porn Could Be A Lot Sexier And Less Gross,” was uploaded to Kotaku on September 24, 2019, and appears to be the last article Gray published on the site.

In the article, Gray describes how she and a friend set out to watch bad computer-rendered videos of fictional characters engaging in acts that would never be described or even imagined in the source material. She goes on to graphically describe graphic content from the videos of characters from Harry Potter, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon.

When the article was first released, it received backlash due to the explicit computer-rendered images from the videos included with the article. Many quickly criticized showing the images, which included characters who are. in the source material, underage, such as Ash from Pokémon and Hermione and Draco from Harry Potter. Others still found the written content objectionable, with one user, afriendtosell, commenting:

You hit us with a depiction of underage sex in more than two cases right off the bat (arguable for the LoZ characters; not arguable with the HP or Pokemon characters) and the payoff for that immediate, even if it’s tagged as NSFW, punch in the face is....what, exactly?

However, some seemed to believe that the situation was being blown out of proportion, as the images were of animated characters, not real people.

Kotaku quickly responded to the backlash. On September 24, 2019, at 5:25 pm, roughly three and a half hours after the story was released, all pictures were deleted from the article. Stephen Totilo, Editor-in-Chief wrote in an editor’s note:

This story, part of our regular coverage of the intersection of sex and games, originally included screenshots from several porn parodies with a note that they were Not Safe For Work. We’ve since removed those images. While the intent of this article was to provide a snapshot of the kind of gaming and geek porn that’s out there now, it’s clear in retrospect that, in terms of the images and the analysis you expect from us, we made a mistake. Readers are understandably uncomfortable about these kinds of depictions of characters who are often depicted as or thought of as teenagers. I am, too and apologize. We can do better, and we will. - Stephen Totilo, Editor-in-Chief

The article, with the editor’s note and no pictures, remains on Kotaku.

The article was quickly resurfaced on Twitter after the Goodbye Volcano High reveal on Sony’s stream. One tweet by Twitter use @BluestRose430 gained some traction where they expressed their concerns, writing “everyone’s like ‘wow cool non-binary main character’ as Kill Bill sirens go off in my head.”

Kate Gray responded to the criticism and addressed the Kotaku article in a thread on Twitter (full transcription at the bottom of the article). Gray expressed regret for not addressing the article sooner and acknowledged that she made mistakes in the article, “The article, the pictures, and my uncritical opinion on it, were all grave mistakes.“

Gray goes on to make it clear that more than anything, she regrets hurting people through the article, saying, “I regret a lot of things about that article, but the fact that it hurt people is my biggest regret of all.” Gray writes that she has now stepped away from journalism, although it is not clear if that distancing was due to the backlash the Kotaku article received.

Gray concludes by attempting to reassure readers about Goodbye Volcano High:

For GVH, we have consultants, diverse ideas and backgrounds, and we care so much about what we make. We are all committed to representing our queer and marginalised identities in a way we want to see in games, and representing and uplifting players.

While Gray’s statement has few responses at the time of writing, most people who read her remarks seem to be praising her for the way she addressed the controversy, and some noting that it is not the first time the internet has brought up someone’s past to criticism them. However, the article is relatively recent, as it was published in late 2019, and many people remain understandable upset and concerned about Goodbye Volcano High.

Personally, while I certainly am not thrilled by the content of the Kotaku article and think writing and publishing it was an abysmal choice, I firmly believe that people can grow and change. There is nuance in the situation and, to me, it is apparent that Gray meant to cause any harm. I still plan on reporting on Goodbye Volcano High, and I still look forward to its release, knowing that there are many talented individuals and consultants on the development team. But, I want to turn the question to you, the readers. Let us know your thoughts in the replies and on Twitter @HolyYuriMother:

1. What do you think of the controversy? Are you upset by the Kotaku article? Having read Gray’s apology, do you feel different and believe that she has grown since then?

2. Does the controversy at all affect your feeling about Goodbye Volcano High? Did you plan on purchasing the game next year, and does this story change your decision to buy the game?

Kate Gray’s response:

In this thread, I'm going to be addressing the Kotaku article about Harry Potter that I wrote and was published in September 2019. I will not be posting it here, but please be aware that this thread will be addressing potentially triggering and upsetting content.

First of all, I am sorry for staying silent on the matter. There is no excuse for it, and I am so sorry for leaving you in the dark, thinking that my silence meant that I did not care.

The article, the pictures, and my uncritical opinion on it, were all grave mistakes. No excuses and no "but"s. It was poorly-thought through, careless, and ugly, and it hurt people.

I regret a lot of things about that article, but the fact that it hurt people is my biggest regret of all. From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry. I hope you can trust us with GVH, but I understand if your hurt makes that hard.

I should have known better. I try to be thoughtful and careful in my work, and this was neither of those things. I want to stand up for people, not cause them pain.

I have since stepped away from journalism, and have made sincere efforts to learn from the experience, to become the kind of person who never makes those mistakes. I am far from a perfect person, but I never wish to hurt people like that again.

*Note: Due to the explicit nature of the Kotaku article “Animated Video Game Porn Could Be A Lot Sexier And Less Gross “ we are unable to quote directly from it or link to it. Additionally, for obvious reasons, we are not displaying the pictures that used to be included in the article.

#news #ps5 #video games #goodbye volcano high #Kate Gray #Kotaku #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #non-binary #pride #GVH #gaming #playstation 5

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ziracona · 3 years

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claud/jake/dwight anon here! maybe i’ll just go by wisteria since i’ll be popping up in your askbox from time to time :D

shippy hcs would be wonderful! i was referring to them as an established poly relationship post fic; i actually saw the comment where you were talking about how claudette can fit into different relationships and thought that was so fitting (and such a testament to the beauty of her character, but thats another long winded ask to send another day). once again, thanks for putting out ILM into this world. it’s a joy to read, reread, and treasure <3

Alrighty Wisteria!

Also I’m glad because I initially read it that way and was halfway to answering when I was like ‘wait,’ but my instincts were correct haha.

Claudette/Jake/Dwight is an interesting poly ship. It’s funny, because obviously both of them love her and she loves both of them. Just, I don’t think her priority has ever been having a romantic relationship, and neither has theirs. I also think it just kind of...wouldn’t occur to Dwight or Jake that that was a thing. Like, they know about polyamoury, they know it exists. But I feel like straight up there’d like, be an escape anniversary party or something, and she gives them both super heart felt gifts she clearly loved to make, and they’re both touched, give hugs, pass her their own sweetly made things, last little group hug, she’s like “Love you guys” and as she runs off to go give out other gifts to other loved ones, Jake’s super sincerely like “You too,” and Dwight’s like *looks at him, looks at her, smiles* “Yeah. Love you.” and she’s gone, and someone who they were chatting with before (probably Meg, Nea, or Ace) would joke something like “Why didn’t you two just also marry Claudette? You’d be such a happy trio” casually offhand, and they’d be like “Haha yeah! ... ... ... haha...yeah.... ? (O_O);” type thing that would have to happen, because otherwise they just like, wouldn’t think about it.

Once they did, though, I feel like it would definitely be the same event that clued them both in, so they’d both be like “Hmmm” at the same time, and pick up on that, and talk first, and be like “...Yeah, I mean. Maybe? But would she even be comfortable with that? Is it weird?” And Jake, who has the most secure identity in this area, would not really have any issue from the get-go and would mostly be like “Boy am I stupid for this never occurring to me once”. Dwight would need more time to think and talk stuff through and figure himself out, but is a lot more comfortable than he was. Claudette would be the last one. They’d both approach her at some point, and it would be incredibly awkward and kind of a disaster despite the fact they practiced and thought they had a gameplan, and she’s just like, “What? ...What?” and confused, and she’s a very worry-prone person, so she’d be like “Oh no, did I do something? Is this bad? Do they just feel bad for me? Since I’m not dating and they want me to feel included? Is this a bad idea? What do I even actually want?” and since she’s got the least experience dating, she’d take the longest to think things through. Would talk to Meg, and Quentin, and Philip, and her parents, and Ace. And they’d all help, but Meg would be the most help. Because Meg’s simple. She’d just say, “Well, do you want to be dating them both?” and Claudette would be like, “Well. I don’t know. I love them. And it might be nice to have a romantic relationship with someone I love someday. But I don’t know if this is how I want that, or if it would be good, because I have no idea what this would look or feel like,” and Meg would be like, “Well then why don’t you just like, go on a few dates/hangs like you’re dating, and see if it’s fun and good, or uncomfortable and bad, and if you three all feel like it fits and makes life even better, go for it, and if it turns out to be a mistake like that time Jake and I really thought we’d get some hella traction making out, then say ‘Well that was awful lol. Friends it is!’ and Susie and I will take all of you for drunk lazer-tag.”

And that works, because well, it’s more sensible than any amount of introspection without experience, or thinking, or worrying is. So they give it a go for like a week, and it’s awkward as hell for like the first fifteen minutes, but this is a trio of people who’ve known each other so long and been so fundamentally entrenched in each others’ lives for years, and love and trust each other so completely and deeply, it really can’t be that awkawrd, and everyone has prepped best they can, and kind of laugh at themselves, and just like, spend the day at theme park, and get food, and laugh and talk about life like always, but just this time with a kind of romantic shade, and it’s nice. And there’s a lot of days like that--not all so big, more just, at home, hanging out, doing whatever. And it is weird, because none of them has done this before, but. It’s also fun. And none of them have any weird kind of favoritism insecurities, because they were already pretty well and equally entrenched in each others’ lives before, and it’s fun. Jake is strategic because he’s kind of the planning mind behind this, and gets advice from Meg, and they marathon a lot of Leverage with only Jake knowing this is a sneaky ploy to help the other two get more comfortable, because there’s just not a ton of good filmic poly trio rep, but damn if that show hasn’t got a great one.

I think the trial period just kind of hits the end of it’s week and Jake and Dwight are like “So do you want to keep going?” and she’s like “...Yeah. : ) “ and so they do, and it’s like that for a while. They all move at their own paces, and in their own clearly discussed (and, as well as they know each other, usually already mostly known) comfort zones, and it’s fun, and nice. It also helps that everyone else is not just supportive and chill, but most of them are like, goofily into it.

They’ve been dating for like, four months before any of them explicitly calls it that officially. But it’s cute. Jake wants it to be official so he gets people anniversary gifts and then is kind of embarrassed but more pleased with himself, and it’s very cute and goes over well.

Everyone puts in work to figuring out how to keep this healthy and good, since none of them had a lot of preexisting knowledge for being with multiple people. They all do that their own way. Claudette spends hours and hours doing research online and checking for tips from people online, and really works hard to be a good girlfriend, and it’s very sweet. Meg and especially Quentin both have no real idea how to help her, but clock a lot of hours trying and doing pretty good. So secondarily do Nancy and Susie.

I’m pretty sure eventually they’d have another wedding, legally official or not--and not because any of them really feel a need to, but because they think it would be fun and Claudette should get to dress up too, and tbh it would be cute. I feel like Meg, Ace, and Susie are major factors pushing for this.

All of their parents think it’s a little weird, but their kids were missing for like 4 years getting tortured in hell, and they’re all reasonable people; they don’t say shit. Also, they all like all the other parties involved, so they’re like “Rat’s don’t understand these things” (this is a Muppet Christmas Carol inside joke I use all the time even though only like 4 people get it but I hope it makes some sense from context lol), but figure they don’t really have to to be happy their kids are happy and loved and doing well.

Meg is like “Fuck why didn’t we think of this. Why have I been supporting it when I could have nabbed her for me and Susie?” and Quentin doesn’t say shit but he thinks very loudly, “I know, right? Nancy and me are over here like ‘same hat’ fml,” but genuinely they’re very happy for the three of them and with the relationships they have. There’s just a lot of love to go around.

While there’s probably some kind a wedding eventually, definitely about as soon as they start dating, Jake and Dwight start calling her their wife. She’s flustered and like “But I’m note! I’m just your girlfriend.” and Dwight’s like “Yeah, but that makes it sound weirdly unbalanced,” and Jake who looked this up for this moment is like, “Well, by Quebec common law marriage standards, you actually are our wife--we cohabitated for over three years in the realm, so,” and Dwight’s like “whoa for real?” and she’s just like : o But it kinda helps and she accepts it. The downside is Nea hears the story and tells Meg and together they start just fuckin calling all their realm friends their spouses goofily 24/7 when they want shit like “David, my wonderful strong husband, can you pleeeeease get me a sodie from the fridge? : D <3″ and it’s very funny but it’s also pure chaos. Like, so much more than usual.

#Hope you enjoyed! My day was pure chaos so it took a while but here you go #Anonymous #ask #Wisteria #dead by daylight #in living memory #in living memory (fic)#ILM spoilers #ILM potential timeline author HCs

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bettsfic · 5 years

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do you know anything about like, the development of the purity rhetoric that now seems to be ubiquitous in fandom and how it got there? i used to be on tumblr in like, 2014 and only recently came back to fandom and i remember everyone being generally kind of cool with things like incest ships and morally grey characters (speaking specifically re the frozen fandom and elsa/anna here lmao) whereas now it seems like the conversation about those things has drastically shifted and i am..puzzled by it

this is what i imagine that experience was like for you:

according to fanlore, purity culture started in the homestuck fandom which. based on what i know of homestuck, that tracks. however i’ve never been in homestuck so i’m not sure what that transformation was like. all i know is my personal experience with the disk horse. afaik there’s no cohesive timeline of events across fandom, and i lack the time and resources to be able to make one myself. if anyone knows of one, or wants to make one, please let me know.

i do know that purity culture is a movement started by very young teenagers, who were maybe 13-15 in 2014 and are now 18-20. they were 8-10 when ao3 was founded, and therefore seem to have a limited knowledge of fan history, censorship, and critical thinking. i’m hoping that since they’re now entering college, they’ll get some insight and broader social awareness, and this movement will finally die out in the next few years.

on any other platform, at any other time, their toxic rhetoric would not have gained traction. but here and now, on tunglr dot com where anyone can gain a platform, where mob mentality thrives and inciting an anonymous dogpile is as easy as hitting Post, where the brokenness of this place makes it difficult to control the content you’re exposed to -- it’s the perfect storm. we live in an age of hopelessness. young people grow up with social media as an extension of their identities, tethered to devices that hold all the information in the world. i think it’s fair for them to be afraid of their futures, and i can understand the desire to control the online spaces where they have the most agency, where their voices are the loudest.

that may explain why, but not how. as in, where did they pick up this mentality at all? @freedom-of-fanfic (whose work is a necessity in understanding the disk horse) connected anti-shipping to TERF rhetoric. i’ve linked the fanlore page because it has all of the links and some of the responses. i honestly do believe that the language surrounding purity culture has its ugly roots in TERFdom. at its core, purity culture -- the policing of female and queer sexuality -- is misogyny.

when i started writing destiel circa 2014, fandom was as you described. wincest was a juggernaut on par with destiel. teen wolf was full of underage and noncon. a/b/o was on the rise. it seemed like fandom was a genre without restraint -- anything you wrote, if it found the right audience, would be celebrated unabashedly. people who have been following me for a long time know that i was addicted to adderall at the time and pounding out all sorts of manic nonsense. i remember living on the validation of comments (and at the time, there were lots of comments. not so much anymore, but that’s another story). i got critical comments only rarely, and they were the type that i admired -- readers without judgment thinking through the story, reacting to it earnestly. i made some of my best friends because they left long, critical comments on my work. sometimes they didn’t like it, sometimes they did, but ultimately, they were engaged, and that’s what counted.

i remember my first policing-type comment, i think at the start of all the purity nonsense. it was a destiel fic, and someone very angrily told me i should tag my bottom!cas because it was triggering. i’ve thought about that comment a lot over the years. top/bottom discourse is nothing new, but to say that bottom castiel is triggering? that was ridiculous. but then i realized -- there was a writer in fandom at the time i won’t name, who was known for being extremely sensitive (for bottom!cas especially, which they found triggering), and their very dedicated following offered fic that was safe for their fave to read. i have nothing against this person at all. they were not part of the purity discourse, they were up front about their sensitive nature, and as far as i knew (i believe i met them at a con once?) they were very kind.

but that commenter had been clearly influenced by this person and believed that a specific fictional character receiving anal sex from another specific fictional character was actual, real triggering content, and it was my obligation as a writer to tag for it. which i did, because i felt bad, and i was baffled by that request. at the time, i wanted more than anything to be liked, and conformed wherever i could. if i got such a request now, i would ignore it because it was rudely written and honestly kind of bonkers. i’d happily add a tag for something i may have missed, or even something i’d never considered before, but there’s no reason a person can’t make that request politely.

this situation isn’t about purity discourse proper (the commenter didn’t tell me not to write the fic, and it had nothing to do with morality), but it’s the earliest example i can think of where the process of policing had occurred: a person of influence on tumblr affected their follower’s thinking, and that follower felt entitled to command another writer to conform to that ideology.

i could be completely wrong about making these connections. maybe that commenter truly believed bottom!cas was a legitimate widespread trauma. they did not say the fic was triggering to them, but that it might be to some other people, in the same way purity police say “think of the CHILDREN” when in fact they don’t give a fuck about children at all.

after destiel i moved to stucky, which was, at the time, a juggernaut ship where anyone could write anything. this was also the time when the term “cinnamon roll” became incredibly popular, circa 2015. it was a fun and seemingly innocuous meme, but it positioned the ideas of “purity” and “wholesomeness” in sharp relief, and cemented these ideas by beginning to give it a distinct vocabulary. “trash” was pitched as its opposite. stucky is where i first came into contact with “antis.” in destiel, there had been ship wars, sure, but it was of a different flavor than antis. destiel vs wincest wasn’t about morality in 2014. it was about everything but.

in stucky in 2015, however, the disk horse was running rampant. the MCU had a sub-section of fandom called HTP (hydra trash party) in which steve and/or bucky have dubious or nonconsensual relations with various or many members of hydra. this is the first time i remember being aware of morality becoming a cornerstone of shipping. HTP was loathed by purity police. by the time i wrote a stucky bdsm au, i’d accumulated multiple nasty anons, rude comments from entitled readers, and other nonsense that all said the same thing: your filth is not welcome here in our space of purity. go away.

but the release of the force awakens is what really turned the tide. TFA offered three major ships: stormpilot (as it was called at the time, now finnpoe), reylo, and kylux. the fandom that developed around the sequels was firmly divided. franzeska wrote an amazing meta about this phenomenon which gives some insight into the seeds of purity policing. in short, stormpilot should have been the primary pairing of the sequels, but instead many of the badwrong writers from other fandoms (and HTP specifically, which was how i entered the fandom) flocked to the blank slate of kylux.

it took a long time for the ship to gain traction. a friend told me that kylux had started with angry star wars racists who hated that there was diversity in the sequel trilogy. and i told them no, i was there, there were twelve of us and a cornchip, and all we cared about was the dirty/darkly comedic potential of these two ridiculous villain characters in one of the biggest franchises of all time. it wasn’t that complicated. i don’t mean to dismiss the discussion of race in fandom; i think it’s important to acknowledge that racism, as franzeska describes far better than i can, plays a huge part in fandom, particularly in star wars, and it’s an important and ongoing discussion to be having, especially given what kelly marie tran has gone through, and how it affected (presumably) rose tico’s extremely limited presence in TROS.

the early fics of kylux weren’t particularly taboo. they were post-TFA hurt/comfort mostly, then slowly the bdsm and power dynamics crept in. those of us who wanted to get away from purity discourse had finally found a new home. for a while. 2016 was the golden era of kylux. we were all very happy.

i remember talking to a friend about how there were certain things i couldn’t write in certain ships. being from ye olden days of fandom, she was appalled by this idea, and told me i could write anything for any ship i wanted, wasn’t that was the whole point of transformative works? and i agreed! but i tried to explain, if you post badwrong for a fandom of purity police, you’re going to, at best, get dogpiled in your comments/inbox. at worse they will find you, call your employer, and try to ruin your life. people will tell you to kill yourself. they’ll report your tumblr and try to get your blog shut down. there are real-life, harrowing consequences to writing taboo fic, and many who write fic as a hobby don’t have the emotional energy to field these risks.

around this time, discord became popular, which offered a private space for badwrong writers to congregate. i had started grad school and didn’t have much time to write fic. metoo was happening. tromp got elected. kylux was slowly turning mainstream so a lot of us turned our attention to gradence in fantastic beasts. some went on to hannibal and other fandoms that hadn’t yet caught the attention of purity police (but it was, as it is now, just a matter of time). kylux, i feel, was specifically decimated by a single fan creator, who was like a police chief. they would get wind of someone writing underage or noncon and write a call-out post about them, and that writer/artist would get pitchforked. a few times, my comments or posts got screencapped, and posts were written urging people to stop reading my works because of how heinously immoral i was. this happened to several of my friends too.

the great tumblr tittyban of 2017 happened, which only added fuel to the fire and further legitimized the purity movement. i shifted hesitantly to the 100 fandom, which seemed small in comparison to supernatural, marvel, and star wars. i thought it was a chill place. i was wrong; it was just as toxic as other fandoms. but i also didn’t care anymore, and i appreciated that i was mostly left alone. more importantly, i found a lot of support from other people who were as tired of the purity as i was, and @the100kinkmeme was reborn.

the state of things is pretty abysmal. there are some really amazing writers out there writing under multiple sock accounts, keeping their fandom identities shattered so as not to call attention to themselves. as much as i understand why writers do that, and i respect that decision, i also think it’s sad. it deprives readers the chance to read that author’s other works. it limits the sense of community and our ability to make friends. it fractures the future of the genre.

what’s most important to acknowledge is that none of this is happening solely in fandom. i went to a writers’ conference where 2 of 3 panels were about the history of moral policing and censorship in art. it is worth noting that of the 40-ish visiting writers on faculty, only one (1) was a woman of color (jaimaica kincaid). naturally, older rich white people who have spent their life in the arts are all about death of the author, separation of art and artist. they’re on the total opposite side of purity police, and they won’t acknowledge at all that racism and sexism are a problem in the creative world. they don’t have any nuance on the discussion, or modern perspectives in light of metoo or popular culture.

this went on longer than i anticipated. i neglected to mention YFIP (your fave is problematic) an old blog that started the idea of call-out culture by pulling receipts on celebrities, and how call-out culture led to cancel culture, which also aided in the purity disk horse. i think a lot can be said about how some of this stuff is genuinely good (metoo and holding men accountable for their bullshit) while also being profoundly toxic (punishing criminals via mob mentality, ruining their careers and livelihoods through social media, rather than giving them their due process in court. i understand it -- the judicial system is built by the hands of the very predators we seek to condemn, but still. the jury of the internet is never a fair trial).

if you want to read more, my tag is tsatp (the sacred and the profane). i’m sure i’ve left out a lot, but i can only speak to my experience. i think it would be good if people would share their experience dealing with purity policing, too, so we might get a cohesive timeline in place. feel free to reblog and add your story.

#tsatp #my fic #Anonymous

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dog-teeth · 4 years

Note

do you have any advice on getting more people to reblog my art? i post consistently and use tags and have ~500 followers but im lucky to get one or two reblogs that arent just from me queueing up my own posts. its really discouraging and im not sure what to do about it. one piece i was really proud of got 6 likes and the only reblog was my own

oof i really understand, back when i was first building my blog i had the same problem. even now, i have over 21 thousand followers, and the notes of 4 of my most recent illustrations look like this:

considering how many followers i have u would think my art would get more reblogs, but even my more popular art posts still have waaaaaaaay more likes than reblogs. i think a big part of it is just the way tumblr works. a lot of people dont understand how important reblogs are for artists

so just a reminder to anyone on here that if you see a piece of art someone posts and you enjoy it, a reblog does so so much more to show your appreciation and support, its very helpful to the artist so if you enjoy someones work please consider reblogging! likes are nice bc they add notes but they dont do anything for helping the art get circulated. it would be awesome for content creators if we could shift the culture on tumblr toward actively reblogging artwork more.

i wish i had more advice for you but im really not sure. tbh when i was first building my blog i learned to recognize quickly what would get notes and what wouldnt, and i made content i knew would appeal to my audience, while still retaining my artistic integrity and not just pandering for notes. but to gain more followers and reblogs it can help to draw things that people will like. i wish it didnt have to work like that and ppl would just appreciate original art but sometimes to have your art get traction you have to play into what people will respond to. i really dislike it but esp when my blog was smaller i had to find the balance between being authentic and learning to play the game of gaining followers so that i could actually have a platform to be authentic on. unfortunately the way of social media is cruel to artists in this way. im bonkers proud of my recent illustration w a dragon in it, which has under 200 notes, meanwhile some of my old shitty furry vent art comics have over 20,000 notes. unfortunately getting notes is rather arbitrary, it doesnt even depend entirely on the quality of the art.

so maybe you could draw some fanart for media you like and use the tags for it, and pay attention to which ones of your works get more reblogs and consider why, look at what qualities people respond to in your art

dont get discouraged by a lack of reblogs! i still deal w this even being a pretty successful blog also feel free to send me your art blog and id be happy to reblog them onto my main blog!

#ez answers #advice #art stuff

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xxisxxisxxis · 4 years

Text

Gateway Drug | Part Sixty-Nine

A/N: soooooo, last minute I decided to torture you guys:) I made the chapter into 2 parts, next part will be posted tomorrow night. I'm prepared to be cussed out in the comments 😤 love y'all tho

Also, I'm saving the picture for the next part because *cough cough* so I'm sorry if this appears a little naked.

Words: 2.6k

Warning(s): explicit language, mentions of drug abuse

Tag List: @unknownoblivion @sinningsixx @edwardtriggerhandzz @lemmyjelly @haileynicoleseavey17 @cierrasixx19 @oskea93 @mgkobsessed @vamprlestat @sharon6713 @itsametaphorbriansblog @miriampraez @allie-mcginn @xpoisonousrosesx @rebeccaphillips14 @nicholeh7 @fandomshit6000 @lilmou5ie @tamedhearts @divaanya @kingbouji3 @evrsncnewyork @6ixx6ixx @ratedrkohardychick91 @floregrohlssard @oldschoolimagineblog @thanks2pete @abaldboi @swoopygorl @justjodeye @liith-ium @caos18blog @ytwahsog @shamlessobsession @scarecrowmax @toadspleen @random-internet-user-4471 @solohqrry @loveofmyloif @sparxx27 @kaitieskidmore1 @cruecifymesixx @ijustwanttokiss70srogertaylor @emmaelizabeth2014 @meetthesixxter @sixxsixxsexx @sublimeprincesswasteland @arianareirg @girlnight-terror @mcnibberachi

@fancywasmyname1 @teller258316 @ggorehorror @blowinmeupwithherlove @xrosegoldwolfx @mylifeisjustafeverdream @redlipscrystalskies14 @str4nge-haze

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED

-------------------------------------------------------

S e p t e m b e r 1 9 8 7

“Where are you--”

I’m shut up with the sound of Nikki slamming the door before I can finish asking him where he’s going, and I let out a heavy breath.

"--Going." I finish my question with a heavy sigh.

We’ve only been off the road for a couple days and tomorrow is our last day home, so we decided it’d just be easier for us to stay at the house instead of one of us sleeping elsewhere, but he’s been staying somewhere else every night we’ve been home...I don’t want to know who he’s been staying with or what they’ve been doing, so I haven’t bothered to ask.

I glance at the clock, seeing it’s 5:47pm, and go ahead and assume that since he’s been leaving the house around this time every day and hasn’t been coming back until the next morning, that he’s not coming home again until tomorrow.

Which means I’m by myself, being that Karen is on a small vacation ever since we’ve been home and she hasn’t been having to watch our house.

“Great.” I sarcastically mumble to myself, deciding to start on dinner, Whisky staying under my feet. "If Daddy isn't careful, I'm going to choke him with his own hair." I say to him and he looks up at me with a wagging tail and big smile. "Glad we can agree."

I get one pan out of the cabinet before I’m putting it on the counter, and sighing out.

“You know what? I don’t want to cook.” I state, putting the pan back, shutting the cabinet door, and stepping to the phone, dialing a number.

It rings a couple times before the line is picked up, and I smile at the voice on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Stevie, it’s Viv.” I tell him.

“Hey, babe, what's going on?" He asks me.

"I'm looking for Duff, do you know where he is?"

"He's in the shower." He replies. "You want me to tell him you're on the line?"

"No, it's okay, just tell him to gimme a call ba--"

"--Duff, it's Viv!" I hear Steven scream and I cringe, pulling the phone away from my ear a little.

I hear Duff's muffled reply, opening my mouth to tell Steven that I'll call back later, but I'm being cut off again.

"I said, 'Viv's on the line'!" Steven yells again, hearing Duff respond. "He's coming." Steven assures me.

"Stevie, you could've waited until he was out of the shower." I comment.

"Trust me, Viv, he would want me to interrupt him if it's for you." He states. "Ok, he's here, I love you, bye."

"Love you, bye." I reply.

"Hey." Duff takes over.

"Hey, I'm sorry I interrupted your bathing, I tried telling Stevie you could just call me back later."

"No, no, Viv, you're fine." He assures me.

"Oh."

"What's up?" He asks and I look around my kitchen.

"Um...I was just wondering if you're free tonight?"

The line is quiet for a second and I raise my brows, rubbing my lips together, waiting for him to say something.

"...Hello?"

"Oh, yeah, s-sorry, you wanna do something or something or--I mean, like you wanna hangout? B-Because I'm free, ya know. Yeah." He stutters out awkwardly and I hold back a laugh.

"Smooth." I hear Steven comment in the background.

"Dude, shh!" Duff replies in a whisper. "Um, anyway, yeah, I'm not busy."

"Okay, I was gonna order take out if that's okay with you?"

"Whatever you want is fine with me." He offers.

"Okay." I reply.

There's a long pause and the both of us finally try to talk at the same time:

"Alright, well--"

"Cool, so--"

We stop for a second, the two of us chuckling a little.

"Sorry, you go." He tells me.

"I was gonna say, 'I'll see you in a few minutes'." I say.

"Good deal, I'll see you then." He agrees.

"Okay."

Again, another awkward silence.

"...Okay."

"Okay."

The phone is suddenly hanging up, the dial tone in my ear, and I quirk a brow, before putting the phone back on the hook.

I wasn't sure why things were so freaking awkward with us, nothing had changed, nothing had happened. I hadn't seen him since the Playboy shoot a month and a half prior, so I didn't understand what exactly shifted.

I hear the doorbell ring and Whisky starts barking while I grab the Chinese takeout boxes and some silverware.

"Whisky, who is it?" I ask him sweetly as I step to the door, opening it to see all six feet, four inches of Duff.

He's in a CBGB t-shirt and black jeans, a bag of gummy worms and a six pack of Pepsi in hand.

"Hi." He says, and I step aside and let him in as Whisky immediately starts sniffing at him, starting at his boot, up his leg, and I politely keep him from getting too personal as soon as his nose goes for his crotch.

"Ohhhkay, Whisky, that's enough." I tell him, nudging him away from Duff as he hands me the Pepsi and candy, crouching down to pet him.

"No, it's fine. He's just trying to know me." Duff chuckles, he and Whisky bonding the second his fingers move over the back of Whisky's ears, making him melt like butter in Duff's hands.

After a few minutes of me putting our food on plates and him going to wash his hands, we're finally eating in the living room floor, at the coffee table, with the dog eating his food several feet away, despite coming over to try to eat some of ours every now and then.

"So, like, apparently Nikki's trying to get you guys a spot on the tour." I inform him and he raises his brows.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Slash and Stevie have been conspiring and shared it with Nikki...and he loves you guys so he and Tommy and Vince and Mick are down for it. He's been pestering Doc and Doc said he'd contact your manager a little later." I add.

"Well, we've got some shows coming up to promote the album but, I mean, I don't see the harm in going on tour with them." He shrugs. "It'd be good exposure."

"It would."

"I don't know." He shakes his head a little, swallowing another bite of Lo mein, and I furrow my brows. "I just expected more people to buy 'Appetite'. And they would, if we had our video on MTV, and radio actually played us." He vents. "We're just chomping at the bit, ready to run our asses off the second the race starts, and nobody's firing the fucking starting gun."

The radio was afraid to play them, MTV refused to put their video for "Welcome to the Jungle" on air because John Malone (who owned half of the cable-houses that broadcasted MTV) only saw them as a heroin band, and promoting them wouldn't sit right with his strong Republican, conservative,"christian" morale...so he threatened to drop MTV if they played Guns N' Roses.

"I can talk to Doc and see if he can pull any strings. I mean if they'll play Mötley Crüe--"

"--Tom is vouching for us to anyone that will listen." He explains. "Right now it's not something to worry about, but if it's still like this six months from now, we need to panic a little."

"There's no way in hell it's gonna take six months for you guys to pick up traction." I state in disbelief.

"Viv--"

"--If six months from now you guys still aren't on MTV, I'll harass whoever I need to, to make it happen. I'll go to their houses." I promise and he shakes his head, chuckling.

I was serious, and I ended up delivering on that.

"None of them are worth the trouble. Just a bunch of money-hungry hypocrites hiding behind religion to validate their assbackwards logic." He shrugs.

"You sound like my dad." I point out and he smiles, taking another bite of food as I sip from my bottle of Pepsi.

He stares at me for a moment before I'm raising my brows, silently asking him what's up.

"So, like, how is your dad so cool and your mom is so…" he trails off and I take a breath, shrugging a little.

"That's how she was raised. I mean, I know that's not an excuse but her mom and dad were both that way on her and my aunt--my aunt obviously cracked under the pressure and just gave up trying to please them back when she was a teenager. My grandparents have been dead for years now but my mom still acts like she's trying to make them happy." I mumble. "Which, according to my dad, she wasn't always like that. She did a small 'wild' thing one time, and got knocked up with me."

"What?!" He gawks.

"They got married seven months early to avoid her parents knowing what they had done." I add.

"Dude, imagine losing your virginity and getting pregnant from it." He tries to hold back a laugh.

"My mom always told me I was planned, and once I was old enough to do the math between my birthday and their anniversary, I put the pieces together and my dad finally told me what happened when I turned sixteen."

He nods, and licks his lips, awkwardly clearing his throat before saying:

"So...what about your first time?"

I scoff, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Um, seventeen, Nikki, their roach-motel apartment."

"You've only dated one guy?"

"Yeah." I nod.

"Wow…" he says it like it's hard to believe.

"What's that mean?"

"I just expected you to have dated a couple more guys before settling on Nikki." He replies.

"I didn't settle for Nikki." I tell him, matter of fact. "Being with him was a good idea at the time." I add.

"Nah, I get it. That's how it was with my first big-boy girlfriend."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to her?"

He takes a second, taking in a heavy breath, but trying to keep things light with his smile.

"We were, like, kids basically. Like sixteen/seventeen, and I had to go out of town to visit some family, and when I got back she told me she had hooked up with this dude at a party while I was away. And we broke up, and then got back together, and then things were good for another year until the big heroin epidemic hit Seattle." He informs me. "It got its hooks in her and wouldn't let go. I finally just had to break things off because I couldn't watch her kill herself in an overdose like some of my friends had already done, and I left for L.A. shortly after. I know that's selfish but ignorance is bliss. I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I were to ever find out she'd died." There's a small gloss to his eyes, like he's holding back a few tears.

"That's not selfish." I tell him, shaking my head. "Some people aren't meant to be in our lives forever. Some are just there to grow you in some way and if it's not God's will for them to stay around you he gives you the strength to just walk away." I suggest.

"Is that what's happening with you and Nikki?" He asks next, looking at me. "He's giving you the strength to walk away?"

"God's ignoring me currently so I wouldn't know." I admit. "He wants me to stay with Nikki, but Nikki won't even say whether or not he truly wants a divorce. He just avoids the conversation. I think he feels like if he ignores it, the issue will resolve itself."

"Well...what do you think? I mean, has anyone asked how you feel about this? Like having to make people think you guys are together and stuff."

"It doesn't really matter how I--or even Nikki--feels."

"Okay, Vivian, I didn't ask about Nikki, alright?" He politely tells me and I sigh.

"I'm miserable." I finally get it out. "We pose for pictures in magazines, still, a-and pile on the PDA anytime press is around and it freaking sucks. Because we're arguing more and more lately so it's like as soon as we get inside we're going back to being mean to each other. And I'm over him, like I've accepted the fact that we're more than likely divorcing, I've gotten all of it out of my system, but the waiting and dragging it out for another year is just getting to me." A couple tears topple over my lashes.

"If you want out then get out, Viv." He says to me.

"It's not that simple, Duff."

"Yes, it is. You're just waiting for Nikki to tell you he wants to work things out, and using Doc telling you guys to hold off on any decisions until the tour is over, as an excuse." He states, as noninvasive as possible and I hate to hear the truth. "If you wanna stay, stay, if you want to leave him, leave him. You shouldn't have to explain yourself either way. It's your own business but at least be honest with yourself and call it what it is."

"I will when you do." I argue and he looks at me with raised brows.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, please, Duff, you act like this when you're sober but then when you're drunk you're telling me you love me." I state. "You're not being honest with yourself, either."

His brows furrow.

"Viv, what the fuck am I suppose to do? Huh? You're married. You've been married."

"Barely."

"What do you want me to do about it?" He defensively chuckles out.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Nikki's done a lot for me and the band, and I don't want to disrespect you or him so I've kept to myself, alright? So just leave it at that and let's finish eating because I got rehearsal tomorrow." He tries to change the subject.

"He had an entire mistress, Duff, telling me how you really felt about me wouldn't have--"

"--You wanna know how I really feel about you? Fine. I don't understand how someone so beautiful and insanely kind could fucking exist, but you do. My hands get all weird and sweaty and gross when you're around. I can barely walk at times because my legs feel like jello anytime I'm talking to you. It pisses me off that you're so talented and a fucking genius but all you see is how you aren't good enough because you aren't the 'type' that guys like Nikki usually desire--but I'm telling you now, people stare at you anywhere we go like you're healing lepers or something and it's definitely not because they think you're ugly. I know what my boundaries are and would never purposely do something that would make you uncomfortable. I'm sorry I said that to you when I was shitfaced. I'd much rather have told you when I was sober, but there's never been a point of me telling you because--"

"--Tell me." I cut him short. "You're sober." I point out, shifting to my knees. "So tell me."

He licks his lips, his breathing picking up slightly as he looks me dead in the eyes.

"I love you." He tells me. "I love you, Vivian." He repeats it, more confidently. "I have since the day we met."

I nod a little, my eyes getting teary and I'm kissing him before I can talk myself out of it.

#nikki sixx #mötley crüe #nikki sixx x oc #nikki sixx fanfiction #gateway drug

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kuchenackerman · 4 years

Note

you're an eremika fan so i figured i'll ask haha. i wrote my first EM fanfic and i'm so apprehensive about actually uploading it. i don't think i'm too bad a writer, but self proofing can only go so far and i'm concerned as to whether it'll actually gain any traction or not. do you know if people still read eremika fanfics/how do you gather the confidence to post your work? :/ also ur rad!

First of all, congrats on writing your first eremika fic! I wonder if by this time you already published it though? You sadly sent me this ask when I was focused on writing and editing an update to my own EM fic, so I probably was reserving my last two adhd braincells to be able to finish it lmao, which is why I didn’t reply in time and then... I forgot to do it and for that I’m very sorry!

If you still don’t publish your fic or you’re still interested on my answer, I’ve seen other people go through a similar struggle, and as a fellow writer I can understand your concern regarding of whether your fic will gain traction or not. When it comes to this last thing, it often depends on many factors, like on how active the fandom is by the time you publish your fic, on what people are looking to read about lately (i.e. fluff, angst and/or smut) and on the ship developments (or lack of it) currently going on in the manga. For example, as far as I remember, after chapter 123 dropped people were writing and reading oneshot fics about the “what am I to you?” flashback, and basically the same happens whenever we get some tasty (?) and especially angsty EM-related scenes in the manga (including chapter 112, lol). Writers get inspired to “fix” or develop these panels further and readers crave that content as well, so they kinda jump on it right after it gets published. In these cases, authors often get a quick and decent amount of feedback in a short span of time, which is amazing. When you are one of these authors with the ability to swiftly pull out a wholesome oneshot related to a fresh eremika scene, I guess you don’t have to worry THAT much about whether it will get at least a bit of attention or not, because people are going to be thirsty for that content and will consume it as soon as it’s available. Most of these readers are going to show appreciation for it in terms of likes, reblogs, kudos, comments, etcetera, without you having to wait too long.

When we publish fics that aren’t related to the manga current developments and stuff, the first thing to do is to be able to get the reader’s attention with a catchy summary and the proposal of an interesting plot / situation between Eren and Mikasa. To increase the chances of people reading your stuff, it’s also important to make a post with the fic’s link and info here on Tumblr and on other social media platforms like Twitter, always using the eremika tag.

And yeah, I assure you there’s a lot of people who still read EM fics. There’s even been an interesting influx of new eremika shippers thanks to what’s been going on during the timeskip and in latest chapters. However, between 2013 and early 2015 the SnK fandom overall was way more active and also fic writers got way more feedback. We have to consider that there was a more limited supply of EM fics back then of course, especially in 2013-2014, so I guess the feedback was also way more concentrated while the demand was kinda bigger than nowadays. If you’ve checked old fics mostly on FFnet that were published years ago, you probably already saw and know what I mean. I mention this because it’s important to not compare the amount of feedback that most EM fics receive today with what those older fics got. The reality of the fandom is too different now after the initial hype...

Regarding your question about gathering confidence, well, in my case I don’t have confidence issues in general and less when it comes to fandom. What I do is to just do something I feel like doing, enjoy the process of doing it and then put it out there without further questions. I don’t think I’m the best writer or anything, but I do believe in the value of what I write and of the other things I make. There are a few times when I look at what I’ve written and I’m like “pfft this sucks” and get very critical about it, while at other times I’m like “ohh, that’s some good shit! I really wrote that myself, huh? *pats own back*”, though most of the time I’m mainly conscious about the effort, love and creativity I pour into what I write among the enjoyment (and suffering lmao) I experience when I’m on it, which makes me appreciate it more. In your case, you already wrote something and you know it involved a degree of effort and time, so why not going ahead and sharing it? Even more so when showing it to others was your intent since the very beginning~

I think it’s totally worth it to share what you’ve written rather than never allowing it to see the light of day because of self-doubts. As with many other situations, you take a risk when you put something out there for others to see and dissect, but you also get the chance to receive nice responses that can make your day and, since readers provide you with feedback that help you to be more aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you also get the chance to improve your writing skills.

We love the same amazing pairing and it deserves way more content and love, so please, give it a try and share your fanfic with the fandom!

#JUST DO IT ANON!!#idk if this is coherent at all but I tried ok #eremika #replies #Anonymous #my engrish sucks today so I feel like I wasn't able to properly express myself #anywaaay

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remys-lucky-franc · 5 years

Text

Christmas Eve in Paris - A Queen of Thieves Fic: Remy x MC (Daisy)

Rating: Utter fluff. I mean it. Like the fluffiest of fluff.

Word Count: ~1500

Writer Notes: My 2nd fic for the Lovestruck fandom - please be kind 💜 and if you read (thank you!) and do enjoy it, I’d love to hear what you thought!

Tag List: I don’t have one yet, but if you’d like to be on it when I do, please let me know! @wrath-gutierrez

Image credit - Washington Post

“Wake up, wake up, ma Cherie!”

Bright light pours through the drapes on the tall sash windows of the Paris penthouse, almost turning Remy into a silhouette as he learns up on one elbow. The glow filling the bedroom is strangely still as his soft laughter drags Daisy from her sleep.

“Come on, sleepy...”

She smiles drowsily, mumbling ‘Merry Christmas Eve’ as Remy leans across, smoothing her hair and dotting soft kisses along her neck towards her ear, whispering,

“Il fait neige... You don’t want to miss Paris in the snow, do you?”

Suddenly her dark eyes open wide,

“It’s snowing?!”

Remy shakes his head jovially in disbelief,

“You haven’t heard the traffic this morning?? They’re stuck and blasting horns and yelling at each other... Just like New York!”

Daisy looks dazed, clearly not having registered there was any ongoing commotion... She moves to sit up, leaning on her forearms,

“When did it start?”

Remy shrugs,

“Two o’clock, maybe three? Enough time to make it look like a Christmas card outside.”

Daisy runs her fingers through Remy’s shiny hair, pressing a kiss to his lips as she slips from under the duvet, crossing the room to look out down the street storeys down. Sure enough, there is a traffic jam below: cars have lost traction on the powdery surface, causing owners to abandon them in the worst of places. She smiles as looks out across the city, big flakes still tumbling from the sky, sparkling as they land on the window boxes outside. She feels the warmth of Remy’s body as he steps behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her, breathing in the scent of her hair. Relaxing into his touch, Daisy sighs,

“I have never seen anything more beautiful.”

Remy tucks her long, dark hair behind her ear as her murmurs,

“I have.”

Daisy crinkles her nose as she twists in his arms, turning to face him, teasing him,

“Always so smooth...”

Remy smirks as he pulls her into a kiss, revelling in the touch of her hand on his cheek. Moments later as he pulls back, his green eyes fixed on hers, he asks,

“Of course, you want to see Paris in the snow?”

Daisy nods excitedly, clasping Remy’s hand in hers,

“Yes!! I don’t know what I want to see first though?! Everything will look so different in the snow?!”

Remy laughs,

“Absolutement... We have the day. Don’t worry, ma reveuse.”

—-

As soon as they step outside, Daisy squeals and twirls around in the snow like the princess from Frozen while Remy watches on, delighted. Their first stop is the patisserie on the corner near the penthouse. Breakfast secured, hand in hand, they stroll to the metro. Remy skips them through the gates without paying, much to Daisy’s amusement, the tube taking only moments to arrive. Stepping aboard, they jostle with tourists, last-minute shoppers and business-folk making their way across the city. When they reach their stop, Remy holds Daisy’s hand tightly, heading towards the exit. Recognising the stop, she grins,

“Anvers? Are we going to Monmartre?”

Remy shakes his head,

“Sacre Coeur...”

Daisy’s eyes light up as she follows him uphill in the snow, barely able to tear her eyes away from the beautiful church poised at the top. She’s seen it before of course, but it looks so different today; the gargoyles and statues of saints peaking out from underneath a blanket of snow, the glow of the kaleidoscope stained-glass windows radiating against the stark white masonry and the blank sky. As they stop to admire it, Daisy chatters about how stunning it looks, until Remy holds one finger up to his lips, silencing her,

“Listen?”

A smile tugs at the corner of Daisy’s mouth as she hears Christmas carols echo from the basilica,

“Remy! My abuela used to take me to Christmas service!“

Remy smiles gently back at Daisy, a sweet blush colouring his pale cheeks, his voice almost bashful,

“You would light a candle for your abuelo together, I remembered.”

Daisy’s jaw falls open as she stares at Remy,

“I... You remembered...”

Feeling like her heart might burst she wraps her arms around him, her head resting against his chest. How she loves when his suave demeanour is pared back, showing his kindness and vulnerability. She loves those those little moments where he exposes himself like that; those little moments that others rarely witness.

Brushing some lingering snowflakes out of Daisy’s dark hair, Remy murmurs,

“Do you want to go inside?”

Daisy nods before they slip silently into the end pews at the very back, careful not to disturb the worshippers. The atmosphere inside is peaceful and almost overwhelming; the way the choir music carries upwards into the high domed ceilings, the clarity of the sound, the scent of burning candles and flowers around the aisles... Gold leaf and intricate mosaics adorn the walls and ceilings, the opulence of the decor quite breathtaking. After listening and absorbing it all for a short while, Remy slips a donation into the box as Daisy lights her candle, silently squeezing her small hand in his as she finishes.

Heading back outside Remy frowns watching Daisy shiver, despite her coat and scarf,

“You’re cold, ma Cherie. I know what will warm you up...”

Daisy quirks an eyebrow at her lover,

“Tempting, but we might freeze to death...”

Remy tugs her hand, leading her back towards the Metro station,

“No no no! This way!”

Daisy giggles as she almost has to run to keep pace with Remy,

“Where are we going?!”

Remy looks at her and winks,

“You’ll see!”

Remy once again skips the gate in the metro, winking at Daisy, and a few stops later they arrive at Concorde. Daisy squints up at the sky, flakes smaller now, but still falling and the air bitterly cold, commenting,

“There’s nothing here that’s going to warm anyone up?”

Remy wraps one arm around her waist as he directs her, theatrically sighing,

“Oh well... Your Remy has it wrong...”

A few hundred yards and Daisy begins to grin as she spots it, the Parisian Christmas markets: little wooden stalls dotted from the Place de la Concorde the whole way to the crossroads at the Champs Elysees, every one covered in twinkling Christmas lights. Inhaling deeply she closes her eyes and leans in closer to Remy,

“There really isn’t anywhere in the world more beautiful than Paris.”

Remy simply shrugs like he knew this all along and there is no great surprise,

“There are a lot of tourists, but the food is wonderful and I thought you’d like to have some hot chocolate...?”

Daisy nods her head enthusiastically, confirming his intuition...

For the next couple of hours, the couple stroll around, sampling mulled wine, cheese, confectionary, Daisy oohing at every stall they come to, snapping a couple of selfies of them by the Ferris wheel. Remy’s eyes dance as he watches how much Daisy enjoys the market and the festive spirit. The irony is not lost on him: the girl who stole his heart, together with him in the city of love. The snow has stopped for the most part, only an occasional few flakes still landing, but daylight is practically gone now. The city is seeping into an inky darkness, the streets remain covered in snow, an eerie stillness due to the lack of traffic on the roads.

Remy pulls Daisy to him, his voice sincere,

“I know you love the Tower. And I thought maybe we would go there, but it’s closed to visitors because of the ice. It’s very dangerous...”

Daisy’s eyes widen as she listens,

“Are we going anyway??”

Remy shakes his head, a mischievous glint in his eyes,

“No, I have something better!”

He leads Daisy the whole way up the Avenue of the Champs Elysee under a canopy of the most spectacular and stylish Christmas lights she has ever seen, right to the top. Daisy eyes him strangely when they stop in the imposing shadow of the Arc de Triomphe.

Remy ushers Daisy down a flight of stairs and through a tunnel as she questions where they are going. Remy grins,

“Ma Cherie, we’re climbing the Arc de Triomphe... And when we reach the top, you will see why!”

Many flights of stairs and burning muscles later, Daisy understands exactly why they are at the top of the Arc de Triomphe: when you climb the Eiffel Tower, you can’t see the Eiffel Tower. She and Remy stand wrapped in one another’s embrace as the clock reaches the hour and for the next five minutes, the Tower lights up like the Fourth of July; a million twinkling lights set off simultaneously, making the iron structure look magical and mystical, glittering against the night sky.

Remy choses the moment the twinkling stops to produce a paper bag from inside his coat,

“For you, mon coeur.”

Daisy stares, slightly bewildered, as she unfurls the wrapping material,

“What is it...??”

Her entire face lights up as she reveals a wooden heart tree decoration, with their names and the year etched into it...

Remy’s smile is carefree and blissfully happy as he explains,

“While you waited for hot chocolate, I doubled back... I thought we should have something to remember our first Christmas by... Je t’aime, Daisy...”

Daisy clasps the heart to her own as she beams at Remy; she can’t imagine a more perfect reminder of the first Christmas she would spend with the man of her dreams - in Paris and in love. She kisses him tenderly as she whispers back to him,

“Je t’aime, Remy.”

#lovestruck fic #lovestruck qot #qot fic #remy x mc fic #remy chevalier x mc #queen of thieves fic

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sebastiianstan · 6 years

Text

Tumblr content school: why you don’t always get notes and how to (potentially) get a bit more

So in recent weeks, I’ve seen quite a few posts floating around that centre around the same subject: content creators, mainly gifmakers, not gaining followers as quickly as they would like to and/or not getting as many notes on their original content as they would like to. Most recently I’ve seen people share their like-to-reblog ratio, with a call to users to also reblog content instead of just liking it, which would result in more exposure and recognition for the creator.

Now, while all of those feelings are perfectly valid and you’re obviously allowed to post whatever you like on your blog, the conversation around this is quite unnuanced and, at times, a bit uninformed. I’m not claiming to be some kind of expert, but having been a content creator (gifmaker) on this platform for quite a few years, with my own small share of popular gifsets floating around and having built both my own blog an two fansites/group blogs to at least moderate success, I do think I have a certain degree of insight re: getting notes, so I thought I’d put in my two cents. Please note that I’m not making this post to be condescending in any way, or even to tell you what to do/how to create content, but I thought I’d help as much as I can, based on my own experience.

Below the cut are 1. reasons why I think gifsets don’t always get the number of notes you wanted/expected them to, and 2. tips on creating and posting content in a way that will potentially get you more notes.

Why you might not be getting (a lot) of notes

So let’s start with some general trends re: gifsets not getting as many notes as you’d like/expect, and not as many as they would have maybe a few years ago.

1. Tumblr is past its peak

Based on experience, I’d say fandom Tumblr reached its peak in 2015-2016, and was riding that out in 2017. I’ve mainly been a Marvel blog in recent years, so I can’t speak for other fandoms, but Tumblr was... wild in the lead-up to and aftermath of Captain America: Civil War (2016). Wonder Woman (2017) was a similar situation on the DC side of things.

New Marvel releases (like Ant-Man & The Wasp, Avengers: Infinity War and probably most notably, Black Panther) still get a lot of traction and fandom definitely isn’t dead on Tumblr, but I feel like 2015-2016 were definitely peak years. I only recently returned from a year-long hiatus; I stopped being active in late 2017 and even then my dashboard wasn’t quite as active as it was a year before that. Upon returning here about a month ago, most of my mutuals from back in the day had also become inactive and a lot of gifmakers I used to follow were not creating content anymore.

So it boils down to this: I think it’s very likely that the amount of active users within your fandom has diminished significantly as compared to two years ago. A set that may have gotten 10k notes within a few days in 2016 might now only get half of that.

2. The URL thing

This is a sad truth, but it does seem that having a semi-canon or canon url does at least help with getting a larger amount of notes on your content. I have no tips on getting a canon url (I got very, very lucky with this one), but this is a simple observation I have from over the years. Url trading/selling has basically become a genuine business due to this - canon urls are in high demand.

More importantly, what I can say is that it’s smart not to change your url too often. Becoming a popular content creator on this platform is basically the same as building a brand - and a brand has an easily recognized name. Once you have a url you are happy with, try to stick to it for a while. When you change your url, links break on reblogs of your old gifsets, by the way.

3. The like-to-reblog ratio has always been unbalanced

For as long as I can remember, posts have gotten more likes than reblogs. If your ratio is 2-to-1 or 3-to-1, trust me, you are doing perfectly well for yourself! Again, as with my first point, this might have gotten a bit more extreme since 2016, but it’s not a new thing.

4. Popular users support each other

Obviously there’s nothing wrong with this (in fact, I love that we all support each other), but yes, in general big/popular blogs are friends with each other and tend to reblog each other’s content, which can be discouraging for smaller or aspiring content creators on the platform.

However, please be aware that these big blogs built up the following they have by posting content for years and it just takes time. Also, know that most users on here actually really enjoy being tagged in your posts - so if you gif a movie or tv show you know a popular user (that you follow) likes, tag them in it and if it’s high quality content (I’ll touch on this later), they’ll probably reblog it.

Tips on getting more notes

Alright, on to part two: my personal tips on getting more notes. These are strictly based on my own experience, and as a repeat of my disclaimer earlier: I am genuinely trying to share my knowledge; none of this is with the intent of being a condescending know-it-all.

1. Don’t look like you’re complaining

No matter what the intent behind your post about your lack of notes and/or followers is, it’s very likely you’re going to come off entitled or ungrateful. I’ve personally unfollowed multiple users who post consistently about reaching their next thousand, who make angry/frustrated posts when their followers don’t increase as quickly as they’d like to, when they lose followers, etc. I understand that the hustle is frustrating, but posts like these are really quite annoying for your followers; you’re complaining about followers you don’t have to followers you do have, who are then more likely to unfollow you because it looks like you’re complaining. Your mutuals might understand why you’re posting this, but others probably don’t.

When it comes to posts about like-to-reblog ratios, which I’ve seen a fair few of recently, please consider a couple of things.

When you ask people to reblog your post instead of liking it, you are essentially telling them what to put on their own blogs.

A lot of users on here have carefully curated content; while some users simply blog about everything they like, others stick to a certain set of subjects/movies/tv shows. If they see a post they like that doesn’t fall into those categories, they’ll give it a like to keep track of it and show their appreciation, but won’t put it on their blogs. You can’t tell people to reblog something they don’t want to.

You’re essentially asking people that you do not really personally care about to do something for you. Most of the likes you get on your post are likely from people that you do not follow yourself. I’m not saying that you hate your followers or don’t care for them, but you can’t really ask anything of a user that you don’t even follow yourself.

Look at it this way: Tumblr is basically a mini society, with its own market in the form of content creation. The ones who have a few thousand followers, and who get a few hundred or a few thousand notes on their posts are already the lucky ones. If you’re a user who gets hundreds/thousands of notes on their posts (even if it’s not as many as you like or deserve), you should keep in mind that the vast majority of users on here are small blogs that don’t have the traction that you have. If you post a screenshot of the like-to-reblog ratio on a post that has 2k notes, they’re going to think, “what on earth are you complaining about?”

Posts like these can really only backfire. I don’t think it’s likely that a lot of users will suddenly start reblogging instead of liking because of them. I know those posts are getting traction, because your mutuals and fellow content creators understand your frustration (believe me, I do too!), so they reblog/like/comment on it, but you’re essentially in an echo chamber of content creators. Anyone outside of that circle will not understand it and might unfollow you because of it.

2. Quality

Another disclaimer: I’m not implying that the people who have made posts about notes/followers don’t make HQ gifs. This is simply the “tips on getting notes” section of this particular post, so that’s what I’m doing. Veteran gifmakers can skip this section because I won’t be presenting anything new here.

Here’s the thing: high quality gifsets get notes. I know that what constitutes a HQ gif is subjective, but there is a consensus on this amongst big blogs, so I will summarize it below.

Make gifs from high-quality video sources. If 1080p is available, use that. Don’t gif from videos below 720p. Also, the larger the t*rr*nt file, the higher the quality. If a 1080p t*rr*nt from a movie is under 2GB in size, it’s probably not decent enough to gif from.

Use the new dimensions. Tumblr changed from 500px to 540px over 3 years ago now I believe, and all the big blogs use these dimensions. I rarely see sets like this anymore, but some users do still hold on to the old dimensions. Obviously, you should do what you like, but know that you’ll get more notes if you make the switch.

Do not skip frames. If you use screencaps, extract 25 frames per second. If you are an ‘Import video frames to layers’ kinda gal, like me, import all frames.

Sharpen your gifs! It makes an insane difference. My faq section links to a sharpening action.

Your frame delay should be 0.05. If you have a low amount of frames, you can get away with 0.06, but do not make your gif any slower than that. It will look unsmooth.

Go for natural coloring, where you simply brighten up the gif and enhance the colors (beware of whitewashing tho). I know that using PSD’s from resource blogs is tempting, but it’s very likely they will not work for the particular scene you’re giffing. It’s best if you learn to color yourself and adapt your coloring for every set. Also, it’s up to you what you think is pretty, but extremely vibrant and extremely pale coloring isn’t very popular anymore. Natural is the way to go. (This is with the exception of those gorgeous color edits people have been making recently. Y’all are queens & that shit is hard to make yo!)

If your gif is larger than the 3mb limit, NEVER sacrifice colors in the ‘Save for web’ window. Always delete frames to lower the size of your gif.

Just saying, but Photoshop CS5 has been known to make the best gifs.

For beginners out there, please don’t be discouraged. I’ve been making gifs for years, and they were absolute shit in the beginning. It just takes time to learn, but if you stick to it, you’ll get there.

3. Concept over quantity

Allow me to draw a comparison with YouTubers here - I think we all prefer YouTubers who post one well fleshed out video a week (for example, Safiya Nygaard) over YouTubers who post an okay video every day.

I think a lot of users think the way to get notes and followers is to post a gifset every day. This probably does work to an extent, but I personally think it’s better to come up with original concepts that you post every few days.

When you watch a movie, you can make five gifsets out of scenes from that movie, or you can come up with a concept. For example, parallels between scenes, parallels with other movies, the best lines of a certain character, etc. This takes more work, but sets like these are highly appreciated because they’re original, and they tend to get more notes.

This doesn’t apply to new releases, as you are probably among the first to gif a particular scene, but if you’re giffing a scene from a movie that’s been out for a while, you’re very likely not the first to do it. People will see it, realize they’ve already reblogged something very similar, and keep scrolling. But if you come up with a new idea, that’s what’ll get you more traction.

To give you a personal example; I recently rewatched all of the cap films. Now, I could have giffed popular scenes like “I could do this all day” or “I’m with you ‘til the end of the line”, but that’s been done before... a lot. Instead, I came up with this, and got 6.5k notes. I haven’t posted that many new sets on my blog recently, but posting content like that has gained me some followers and new mutuals.

4. Timing

All this requires is keeping an eye on your dashboard and taking note of when most of the people you follow are online. I sometimes see European content creators posting their sets smack dab in the middle of the day. Lemme tell y’all something: the Americans are sleeping.

I’m in timezone GMT+1. My dash wakes up around 5pm. I never post before 6pm - I’ll post anywhere between then and midnight, so feel free to convert that to your own timezone. The scheduling feature on posts comes in handy if you’ll be asleep or at school/work around that time.

If you post when Tumblr isn’t active, your set will drown in all of the other content, so be smart about timing.

5. Strategic tagging

It seems that a lot of users still don’t know this: only the first five tags on your post show up in tags on Tumblr. Anything past the first five will only be useful for your own tagging/archiving system, but will not show up in any tracked tags.

So first point: always use the most prominent edit tag for the fandom you’re posting in. Examples are #marveledit, #hpedit, #filmedit. These are frequently used, and often tracked by big blogs.

Second point: figure out who the big fansites/group blogs are, and if they track a tag, tag them. Make sure you follow them, obviously. If your post is funny, you might wanna tag bob-belcher (#bbelcher) as well - this blog is popular across fandoms and posts content from all over!

Third: tag users who you think will like your post. Don’t be thirsty with this. Again, only do this if you follow them. Tagging 2-3 users is ok, but don’t be out there tagging 8 to 10 blogs on your post. Not only is that a little pointless (because only the first five tags will show up), it also makes you look thirsty. Users might not appreciate this, and ultimately might not reblog your post because of that. Also, try not to tag the same users on every single one of your posts.

6. Popular content

If your fandom is niche, so is your content. That’s perfectly fine; don’t feel pressured to post about anything that isn’t your passion.

But if your goal really is to get more notes and followers, create content from fandoms that are big on the platform. Examples are Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, film blogs, etc.

7. Join a fansite/group blog

Every big fandom on Tumblr has one or multiple fansites/group blogs. I recommend you figure out who they are for your fandom, and apply to one that’s accepting new members. You’ll likely get in if your gifs are HQ.

I know this sounds a bit counterintuitive, as you’ll be posting content on another blog that will be getting the notes and followers from it, but it actually is a good way to gain more exposure. These blogs have large amounts of followers, and they usually allow you to reblog your own content to them, as long as you’re active. I think it’s a great way to get your content out there.

Alright, time to wrap up this post. I’m not personally calling out anyone who has made posts about followers, notes, like-to-reblog ratios, etc. I’ve seen at least 15 of those posts in recent weeks so I’m just reacting to a trend I’m seeing, by presenting a potential solution to a problem people seem to be having.

My last tip is this: if notes and followers on Tumblr are making you feel down or frustrated, maybe it’s time for a little hiatus or a step back. In the end, you are not getting paid for this and your popularity on the platform has no bearing on your real life. This is supposed to be a fun outlet for your passions and interests, not a source of frustration and anger. Don’t take it too seriously! You’re doing amazing sweetie.

#resources #i guess?#idk what to tag this as #usermichelle

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thestorytellerofkpop · 6 years

Text

Thoughts of a frustrated writer...

So...here's the thing...Tumblr fucked us writers. Literally, with the 100 "paragraph" break bullshit. My newest fanfic has over 100 breaks and even though it's posted and up and available to read, I don't think it's getting any traction because of the stupid, broken tag system and because the 100 break limit is causing it to not be found. I know that if you post texts with over 100 breaks from desktop, it'll show up completely. However. When you tag it does it show up in mobile feed? Does it show up at all?

Or maybe it's just me? Maybe I'm just not making good enough stories, or maybe they're just not interesting enough for people to want to read? I'm writing things I'm passionate about and writing things that I want to read...but over the past few months with the algorithm changes, the banning of NSFW content, and every other fucked up thing Tumblr is doing, it's very frustrating being a small, growing writer on this platform now.

I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated because a year or two ago, I would be getting nice comments, notes, asks, but now it all seems like it's gone away not only for me, but for other smaller writers with Tumblr being the way it is, with our posts getting lost and/or not showing up in the tags.

And I know that numbers don't matter when you're doing what you love. Don't get me wrong, I love writing. I love creating stories and I love immersing myself into a different world. But you have to understand that sinking feeling you get when you've worked on something for weeks, even months or years, and then it gets washed away in a throng of broken code, of broken tags and broken algorithms.

You don't want to think that no one wants to read your work, that the story is just not getting traction is all, but sometimes you do think that way. That what you're writing isn't good enough, that no one wants to read your work, and the numbers prove that sometimes. And it's completely and utterly frustrating.

I'm sorry if this seems like I'm whining, or if it seems like I'm complaining, but at this point I'm in a slump and I don't know how to get myself out of it.

With everything that's going on, I've decided that I want to start to transfer my works onto AO3. Not the reactions, but the actual stories I've written. I don't know what the future of my writing career may be. But if it turns out that AO3 gets more traction than Tumblr does, then I might just transfer to AO3 permanently.

I don't want to, because I have friends here on Tumblr and love and support from them. But it's getting to the point where it seems like posting full length fanfiction to Tumblr isn't worth it for me, as a small writer, anymore. I'm getting no traction, my works aren't showing up in even half the tags, the hyperlinks prevent my work from showing up in the search engine and tags. And I'm just done. Especially since I have a new series that I want to release that I've worked so hard on, but I dont want to hurt myself or my confidence by posting it on Tumblr where no one will see/read it.

For now, I'll still be using Tumblr, but please know that change may be coming for me. The reactions, drabbles, and moodboards will still go up here, but the stories will be integrated to AO3 over the course of February.

If you want to follow me on AO3, I'm @/thestorytellerofkpop on that site as well. If I decide to write full length stories there permanently, I will link the AO3 account in a future post and in my Tumblr bio.

Thanks for reading,

~Germane

#a writers rant #rant im just...#done #frustrated #confused #hurt #and a little broken #i dont know what to do #i dont want to leave #but since im not getting the traction i used to get #then whats the point #ugh #stupid tumblr #im beyond over it #i just #im done #i dont even know if people will see or read this #but if you do then thanks #i appreciate it

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turtle-steverogers · 6 years

Text

Fugitives- Chap 4

Poor Elmer (#fugitives for all chaps)

Ship: Eventual Ralbert

Warnings: Gunshots

Albert felt his heart rate increase as he searched Race’s face, looking for any sign that he was joking. When he found nothing but a cold, hard stare, the blood rushed away from his face.

“So the only other option is to kill me, right?” He asked.

“Yeah, that’s the idea.”

Albert laughed hysterically, “Fine then, just fucking shoot me.”

Race shrugged, clicking the safety off his gun and pointing it at Albert’s forehead, “I mean, if you insist.”

Albert reeled backwards, raising his hands defensively, “Wait, don’t actually, dude. Please.”

The two men froze when they heard a key turn in the lock of the apartment door. They looked over to see Elmer enter, then let out a shout of surprise.

“Albert, what the fuck is-”

Race immediately turned towards Elmer and shot the wall next to his head, then aimed it towards his chest, “Close the fucking door and put your hands up.”

Elmer stared in horror at the bullet hole, “What the fuck, what the actual fuck-”

“Now!” Race shouted. Elmer jumped and slammed the door shut with his foot, simultaneously lifting his hands and placing them on the back of his head. From where he stood, Albert could see that he was shaking.

“Man, seriously?” Albert spoke up, causing Race to look at him, “I know that you’re supposed to be some badass gang member or some shit, but did you have to go and shoot the wall?”

Elmer was still standing in shock, looking between Race and Albert rapidly.

“Well, would you rather me shoot your friend?” Race growled, “‘Cause I can do that, too.” He cocked the gun again.

“No,” Elmer squeaked, “The wall got your point across beautifully.”

“Lovely,” Race smirked, “Do you agree, Albert?”

“Y-yeah,” Albert stuttered, “I agree.”

“Awesome!” Race said, “So, Albert’s friend, what’s your name?”

“Bro, fuck you-”

“Maybe later when I don’t have a gun pointed at your heart. Don’t fucking smart-talk me. What’s your fucking name?”

Elmer gulped, “It’s, uh, it’s Elmer. Listen man, I don’t know what your deal is, but I just forgot my laptop so-”

“Shut up, my god. You and Albert both talk way too much.”

Elmer slammed his mouth shut and Race walked towards him. He pressed the gun under his chin and leaned in to hiss in his ear, “You listening?”

Elmer nodded vigorously, “M’listening.”

“Good. Now, you’re going to leave this apartment and go back to wherever the fuck you were and pretend that you never fucking saw me or Albert, got it?”

“G-got it.”

“Perfect. Just know that if you run your mouth to anyone, I will find out and I will kill you.”

“I understand,” Elmer heaved a sigh of relief as Race lowered the gun.

“Get out,” Race spat and Elmer left quickly.

Albert stood, gaping, as Race bolted the apartment door, “There, so we won’t get rudely interrupted again,” he turned towards Albert, letting the hand holding his gun drop to his side, “Do you need to pack any extra clothes?”

“I-I guess so?” Albert threw his hands up, “Give me five fucking minutes and don’t shoot anything else.”

Race leaned against the door and crossed his arms at his chest, “I’ll be here.”

Albert went into his room and emptied his class backpack onto his bed, then dug through his drawers, haphazardly throwing various shirts into it. He swooped down and picked up an extra pair of jeans and a few discarded socks to bring as well. The weight of the situation was starting to take a toll on him and suddenly, his legs didn’t feel like they could support him. He slid to the ground, knotting his hands in his hair; the sound of Race’s gunshot rang in his ears and he had to remind himself that no one was actually hurt. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He technically got himself into this mess, but he had no idea how he was going to get out of it. To say he was fucked was an understatement.

“It’s been five minutes,” Race called from somewhere outside Albert’s door. Albert groaned and used his doorknob to haul himself up. He swung his backpack over one shoulder and took a deep breath before leaving his room.

Race had moved from his place by the door and was now perched on the arm of Albert’s couch. His gun was no longer in his hand, which made the knot of nerves that had permanently settled in Albert’s stomach unravel a bit.

“Excellent,” Race smiled, pushing off the couch and bouncing on his toes lightly, “Ready to roll?”

Albert rolled his eyes, “Imagine sounding like a white fucking dad while a gun is somewhere in your pants.”

Race laughed and opened the apartment door, nodding for Albert to walk ahead of him, “I’m surprised you’re not freaking out more.”

“Believe me,” Albert said, looking over his shoulder to glare at Race, “I’m freaking out.”

“You’re doing a damn good job at hiding it. Another good quality for Empire. Stoicism.”

“Can I punch you in the face?”

“I have a gun.”

“You’re right.”

“I know,” They didn’t say another word as they entered the stairwell and began to descend down to the main floor. When they got there, Albert could see blue and red flashing lights outside the entrance way.

“Shit. Are those police cars?” Race cursed, “I bet someone called about the gunshot.”

“That’s what happens when you shoot a fucking gun, asshole. It alarms people.”

Race bit his lip, surveying the area, “We’ll leave through the back door,” he murmured, grabbing Albert’s elbow and pulling him along behind him. Race pushed open the back door and the two of them were dumped into the alleyway behind Albert’s apartment complex.

“What street are we on?”

“167th.”

“Fuck, okay. We better get moving, we’ve got a bit of a journey.”

“Where are you taking me?” Albert asked, staying close behind Race as they exited the alley.

“The headquarters for Empire.”

“Where’s that?”

“Shut up and you’ll see,” Race said, turning down another street and heading towards a subway station. He stopped at a map and scanned it quickly before saying, “Blue line it is. You got a MetroCard?”

“Yeah,” Albert answered, pulling out his wallet and extracting his MetroCard. They paid for their ride and caught the incoming blue line. The train was completely empty, which relieved Albert more than he could say. He didn’t think he could handle the risk of anyone finding them out right now.

He and Race sat down near the train door, “How many stops ‘til ours?” Albert asked.

“Six,” Race grunted, pulling out his phone and opening Instagram.

“You have an Instagram? Aren’t you supposed to not be public with anything?”

Race didn’t look up from his phone as he answered, “No one knows it’s me. It’s a meme account. I like memes.”

Albert stared at him, mouth slightly agape, “You have a meme account? Wait, how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-two and yes I do,” Race said, chuckling at a post, “It’s actually gained a lot of traction.”

“Good for you?”

Race hummed and pulled out a pair of earbuds, ignoring Albert for the rest of the ride. As promised, they got off six stops later. Albert didn’t recognize the part of the city they were in, but Race seemed to know where they were going. They walked for another twenty minutes, then Race turned abruptly into a little alleyway near an abandoned theatre. He pushed aside a large piece of scaffolding that was leaning against the side of the building to reveal a stage door. Albert watched as he lifted his fist and knocked twice, then once, then twice again. The door swung open a few moments later and the barrel of a gun pointed out from the shadows.

“Jack, hey, it’s me,” Race said, holding up one hand in front of him, “I think I found us our guy.”

“Did you brief him?” A man’s voice sounded from the other end of the gun.

“Sorta? I mean, he knows he’s gonna die if he tries to run.”

“Perfect, bring him in,” Race nodded pulled Albert into the theatre. Inside, it was dim and smelled distinctly like cigarette smoke. From what Albert could see, there were several hallways leading to other parts of the theatre. A taller, dark haired man, who Albert assumed to be ‘Jack’, was sitting in an old desk chair by a table with several laptops on it. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Albert could make out silhouettes of other people sitting around the table, focusing on whatever task they were doing.

“Welcome to The Bowery,” Race said, holding out his arms dramatically, “Home to the Empire Gang of Manhattan.”

TAG LIST:

@bencookisagod

@we-dont-sell-papes

@suddenly-im-respecsable

@aw-jus-let-em-spook

@well-the-kids-do-too

@spot-conlon-king-of-brooklyn

@thatpoorguysheadisspinning

@newsies-of-nyc

@andthewoildwillknow

@the-newsies-justice-for-zas-blog

#racetrack higgins #albert dasilva #ralbert #newsies #newsies fic #fugitives

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lovehaswonangelnumbers · 6 years

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New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/karmic-tools-weekly-forecast-january-27-february-2-2019/

Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast: January 27 – February 2, 2019

The Karmic Tools Weekly Forecast covers the current planetary transits which affect people in different ways and to various degrees of intensity. Take notice when it is a Personal planet (Sun / Moon / Mercury / Venus / Mars) interacting with a Social (Jupiter/Saturn) or Collective planet (Uranus / Neptune/Pluto). And pay extremely close attention when it is a Social planet interacting with a Collective planet because that means something *big* is brewing that will move large groups of people along their evolutionary paths. Tuning in to the energy and rhythm of the planets can serve as a useful *guide* as you move along your Individual Path. It also helps to understand your place within the context of the larger Social & Collective Story. Below, you will find out how these energies tend to manifest, as well as guidance and direction.

*NOTE* There are some days when there are NO CONTACTS (besides the Moon), please note that there are no missing entries, we just list the actual Activations of each week + the day they happen.

Weekly Forecast: January 27 – February 2, 2019

1/29 ~ Mercury (communication & self-expression) ~conjunct~ Sun (core essential Self & Source energy): This is the beginning of a new cycle of personal self-expression. You may feel the urge to express yourself in new ways, and on many different levels. Communication may also be a focus, just make sure it is reciprocated, meaning two-way and not just one-sided. You may have access to some potent energy that can light up your aura and infuse your goals with passion that can (and probably will) make quite an impression on others nearby. This is also a good time for learning, exploring & any literal or imaginative travel. If you can’t travel far, then perhaps within your own area or nearby parks, and pay attention for things you may have never noticed before now!

1/31 ~ Saturn (reality & responsibility) ~sextile~ Neptune (dreams & spirituality): This is a Social and a Collective planet coming together which happens over a much longer stretch of time, however, it is still relevant for us as individuals and is a supportive energy that helps us make our dreams a reality! The last time these two danced together was in 2015-2016 in a Sag/Pisces Square – which is a push to grow in our belief system and our spirituality, a push to learn & expand as an individual and still honor the whole and it was Fire & Water working together, facilitating a purification of sorts. Those years got really *REAL* in a lot of ways, for a lot of people. Reality versus Illusion and a growth moment where things inevitably changed. How’s it been going for you ever since 2015-16?

Now, they are together activating a major opportunity and working via Earth & Water to create something real and meaningful for you personally. Saturn in Capricorn is restructuring our lives on many levels and revealing what we are and are not responsible for at this time. While Neptune in Pisces is reuniting us with our primordial oceanic womb-like Mother, out of which ALL life springs and eternally bonds us all together. If one life or species suffers, they ALL suffer. So, this week’s activation is really good for deepening your dedication to a spiritual practice that fills you with inspiration, clarity & inner peace so that you can navigate whatever life throws your way. This is the best time to work on your biggest dream because Saturn helps you create a step-by-step process of manifestation and keeps you present to the work that has to be done in order for you to embody this new vision completely. This is an excellent time to develop your relationship to your Council of Elders, Ancestors & Guides and remember your magical roots! A reminder that all that you need, desire & deserve is sourced within you and it’s your job to unlock it all this lifetime and see how it all works and what it really means for your individual purpose for being here, a Spirit in human form. Relevant Reflections: I go into more detail of the larger cycle of Saturn & Neptune HERE during their last interaction, which was in 2015-2016. It too will illuminate more clues as to what you are doing and where you can gain some traction in your manifesting realms.

2/1 ~ Mars (lower will) ~square~ Pluto (Higher will): This is a test of what you are made of, on the deepest core level, and will require surrender and a degree of self-awareness to navigate. This energy challenges you to evolve and will make you want to push through any obstacles but you must be careful not to be so aggressive that you are stepping on anyone to get where you’re going. This is a potent energy that can facilitate major transformation in your life if you know who you are, what you want and what you are willing to sacrifice to get there – that includes parts of your Self that may need to shift in order for you to be more effective in life. This energy can bring power struggles, within or without, so be mindful because this energy is affecting everyone at this time. This is the time to tie up any loose ends if you are close to beginning anew. If you do not finish what you already have in the works, it may get in the way of things you want to do in the future. It is time to align your true inner power with balanced outer actions & choices.

2/2 ~ Venus (love, finances & relationships) ~trine~ Uranus (freedom & liberation): This energy is likely to bring a little excitement into your life, one way or another. It is a good time to do something different, try something new & consciously put your Self in situations where you have to improvise or think on your feet. We are in times of breaking old patterns and re-setting them in more positive, effective ways. You can still live your true values & priorities, but something has changed within you. This blessing from the Cosmos allows you to align with more personal authenticity, which in turn is infused into all that you love & treasure. Relationships will have an unusual energy to them. An established relationship may get shaken up or sparkle with some extra “spice” or a new relationship begun under this influence may be stimulating & unusual but probably short-lived too. This is not a bad thing! It’s actually perfect for improvising and experimenting with new ideas & expressions to see what you actually respond to, what your Heart aligns with and responds to. Use this energy to soak up some good energy & rare wisdom from those who are unique, from those who do things differently and live life to the fullest!

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gottaenjoythelittlethingzz · 6 years

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hi, general question. Do most writeblrs put the whole story on Tumblr or just segments of it so nobody has a full copy of the 'story except the author. I mean what is stopping people from stealing someones story,? Has that been a problem on tumblr. I have been posting all of my rough first draft as it in my wip and not sure if I should be so trusting. I know it sounds stupid but I would hate to write pages so somebody can take the story and make it there own, Are there copyright issues.

Hi friend! I’m not the most knowledgeable on this particular subject, but I can offer some general pointers to get you start. (Any of my lovely followers who have knowledge or experience, feel free to add to or link to your sources so we can help a fellow writer out!)

First things first, there’s a big difference between fanfiction (or any type of stories you write, but have no plans to “publish” or make money off of in the future) and potentially publishable works. Unfortunately I’ve yet to do the proper research as I’m not currently working on anything that constitutes as publishable.

There are however, some posts floating around Tumblr with conflicting messages. Some saying post as much as you want with no restrictions-you can still publish your works later. Some say the polar opposite, that you cannot post even a single sentence or a character trait anywhere if you want it to later be published. I think the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes. The best I can offer you ATM is, if you have any plans to publish a work do some research before you freely share. If its FF or creative writing that you want to share without making money on it than by all means share as much as you see fit.

As a general or personal rule, I will not be sharing anything I deem publishable (should I ever get to the place where I’m confident of my abilities and have ideas that are publishable) as it is a very real and understandable fear that you don’t want anyone to take your ideas for their own.

Secondly, there is absolutely nothing preventing individuals from stealing your work or parts (even individual themes or ideas) from you. Which, saying out loud, is a very scary thought. Plagiarism is an issue on Tumblr, but I’m afraid I’ve seen much more of it in regards to the art community. This is one reason why when you see someone’s art their name/handle is placed/worked right into the actual picture, but even doing this won’t prevent people who steal it from marking it out in some way. And, though it isn’t assuring, you can be plagiarized any where on the internet. The best thing you can do is post your works under your name/handle on your blog and if it makes you feel better many creators will write a note at the bottom along the lines of Please do not repost without my permission. And if you have proof that the project/writing is yours you can always copy strike those who steal your work and claim it back (though this is an arduous process). Be smart, careful, and make informed decisions.

And lastly, it all boils down to how you personally wish to run your Writeblr. I’ve seen individuals (both published and unpublished-for the time being) who will post all or a majority of their works freely on tumblr (I’m afraid I don’t have examples or I’d send you to them). There are some writers who are the very opposite and never post a single excerpt. It is totally up to you and how much you want to share. You can post stuff about your characters and moodboards, or you can play along with tag games (which would involve sharing small excerpts, but not full sections of stories), or you can post the whole story all at once its “complete”. What do you like to see from the Writeblrs you follow and which way would you rather commit to?

I can tell you that the more involved or active you are and the more content you have to share (be reposting and your own content) the larger the following you will receive on Tumblr. If you post a lot of relatable or joke posts about writing you will gain more followers than if you just reblog. If you post excerpts of your writing or full chapters you will have even more followers than if you just post short stories and one off joke posts.

Consistency is key. The more often you post and the more people you interact with the more traction you will gain in the community (and that goes for any community, even IRL). Get involved, make friends, and decide how you want to run things as you go along.

Hope you find any of this useful and I apologizes that I don’t have more sources to offer. But I wish you luck all the same!

#answered #writeblr #writblr community #Writing tips #writing advice #new writers on tumblr #Nevada speaks #how to blog

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