#sometimes I'll post bits and pieces to make fun of myself lol

[aggressive-almond-cookie]

We’ll see how this goes I guess.

[py-dreamer]

Long hair Macaque, my beloved-

No but srsly, one of my favourite designs is just long hair mac and in this au Mammy's figure is just mostly hair.

I was trying to recreate this screenshot:

Obviously there's some difference like I tend to draw a bit chibi (big heads) and I didn't want to make Mac's hair THAT voluminous-

I wanted to achieve sort of a gypsy vibe with these little skrimblos

AND THEN I FOUND THESE:

And I could NOT pass it up.

So yeah...

Oh! And I also gave the sparkly drip to their ears

(Sh!t I just realised, I forgot the shadow creatures... I'll see if I can add them in later)

I COULDN'T for the life of me figure out the hundred yard stare to match with Mac's sharp eyes (how I draw him) and not make it look goofy so I made them spoopy and glowing instead

I sadly don't have much to say about Bai He here since her black hair didn't leave that much room for shading in a darkened environment (I'm so sorry) And this piece was to show off Mac's design more anyway (I promise Bai He will get her spotlight)

(Also Bai He, nor Mk nor Macaque wears shoes. Wukong is the only one in the family who does and I find that funny)

But oh! The hair? Here comes the fun part

(No his hair isn't purple, I just used purple to shade here)

You see I WAS going to use black hair for this photo but i soon realised how much of a pain it was just to shade it (cause i couldn't) and I was just WISHING I could use his white fur instead

And then I realised....

The white fur could be his winter coat.

Some animal's shed their fur in the winter (I think some rabbits do) and grow a new coat, occasionally with a different colour.

Therefore I could make the white fur the winter coat and during the story, his fur could be black to show how much time has passed since Bai He last saw her Baba...

Mwuahahahahahhahahahaha I'm so evil

(I was very proud of myself)

(Also I know macaques don't grow winter coats but just let me have this one ok?)

And why doesn't Bai He have white fur as well then? Well maybe she's just a different kind of monkey or perhaps it's just an age thing.

Funnily enough, when I showed this to my friend, she said he looked heavenly which is funny cause. As much as I love him, Macaque is a smug bastard and he knows it.

Like I know a lot of it was due to trauma BUT STILL

I just personally dislike how the fandom sometimes makes him seem like he could do no wrong and he is "uwu delicate babygirl that needs to be protected at all costs" when this boi is fockin FERAL man.

So despite taking a bit of a back seat in the main plot for this au, Macaque is still a smug bastard behind the scenes as much as he is a good dad

(Gosh sorry for the rant, I just had that pent up for a while now and needed to get it off my chest)

I wanted to post this yesterday on Friday 13th but oh well,

I hope I achieved the mysterious spoopy vibes as the original lol

(Click photo for less sh!tty quality)

(Also pls reblog, as much as I really appreciate feedback in general, I really like this piece and want to show it to more people...)

Gosh we are on a roll with this Shadowalkers au huh?

[ovaryacted]

hi nic!! any advice on how to start writing on tumblr? i have so many ideas for Leon fics (like, i swear, my head is about to explode) but this place terrifies me sm, i just want to write cheesy stuff about that man and give him a break

Heyyy anon! I know you sent this a couple of days ago but I hope my answers will be able to give you a guide. I also may not be so proficient on this since 1 - I started taking writing seriously in late August of last year and 2 - I'm sort of an inconsistent writer when it comes to fanfics lol. But regardless, I'll give you some tips that helped me along the way. This also may be a tad long so I apologize but I will try to make this cohesive lmao.

1 - For one, write what you want, not because it's popular but because you want to write it. In the beginning, I was always somewhat anxious about how other people would interpret my writing especially when it came to my understanding and experience of kinks, and as a result, I burnt myself out and stopped writing for a while. I also grew detached from the very thing that I enjoyed (Leon), and it made being a part of the community less fun even if it's crazy. Write what you want because you want to, not because it's popular or trendy but because it will make you happy. Don't do shit for clout or popularity either, especially if you're not interested in writing smut, because believe me you will start hating your comfort character and you don't want that to happen. The right people who like your content will find you and stick around, believe me. It's easier said than done to not get discouraged, but it's not impossible. KEEP GOING!

2 - Develop a style or aesthetic. You don't necessarily have to do this part, it's more of a personal preference thing, but I think finding a specific way to organize moodboards, pictures, or fonts will make your work stand out. It took me a while to figure out how I like setting up my posts in the certain way that I do, but it pays off because it feels more like I have ownership over my own work. Plus, it's fun making your posts cute, all the more reason to do it.

3 - Write things in the way you can best describe it. What I mean by this is don't feel discouraged that you don't use big extravagant words and metaphors in your writing. Sometimes, people will use very descriptive language that authors use and it can be hard to consume for people who want to come online and destress, now they have to figure out what words mean. (No hate to authors who do that either, very appreciative of them actually and they're very inspiring). All I'm saying is that you don't need to write like you're writing a thesis from Oxford, write how it comes to your head, and edit it after, no pressure. Writing is supposed to be fun, not stressful, so don't stress yourself out more by using words you don't need. Writing is a skill, which people often forget. So the more you do it, the more it will come naturally to you and you will develop your "writing style" on your own. What you should take away from this, is to just write what's on your mind anyway.

4 - When writing, have a plan. You don't always need an outline, and some people can write full pieces on the fly or just blurbs of small ideas that come to mind, but some brainstorming really helps. Usually, once you actually sit with an idea and plan it out a bit longer, you can find out other things you want to add to the piece you're putting out. It also just makes things more concrete, but then again, everyone has different ways to write. There's nothing wrong with testing out a few ways before doing it in the best way you understand.

5 - Follow creative writing pages for inspiration on prompts or writing tips. There is nothing wrong with seeking out material for inspiration or at least a start, or even following other writers and getting inspired to do your own twist or take on something they wrote (with credits obviously). There are so many pages out there that are meant to give creators a guide on how to strengthen their writing and ideas they can use for themselves. People don't own tropes or ideas, the world is your oyster, don't be scared to choose one thing and get that extra push you need to create what you want.

6 - Last thing I'll say is don't be scared to interact with other people. Tumblr is literally meant for interactions, without that we have nothing. I know this site is scary sometimes, but there are people on here who are in the same position as you right now, wanting to get started but don't know how. Sometimes, you just have to start and worry about all the other "professional" shit afterward. There is no right way to manage a blog, you do what you want to do on your space. Be weird! Be crazy! Be different! As long as you're having fun, that's all that should matter.

7 - And another thing, don't be afraid to use the tags. That's what they're there for, use them. You're not spamming the tags or being annoying, use them to give your posts visibility and keep it pushing.

Also big note: don't worry about other people, block who you need to block, and stay out of the drama. Believe me, it will make your time on here much easier to digest and less scary. The discourse is never worth it, because you don't know these people, and they don't know you. It's the internet, shape your own experience and what you want to do on here.

[mugeesworld]

Rules / Master Lists! ♥︎

Not in the best mental state currently. I want to start writing again soon but it doesn't fit into my schedule sadly. With Summer coming up I might have time tho! Thank you for looking at my page! Feel free to still leave requests tho! I'll come back to them🫶- May 18 23

Small introduction~

Hi there! Welcome to my page! Please refer to me as M or mugee! I'm 19! He/she pronouns. You can refer to me as a man or woman but Im not a woman....yeah. I feel like a man but I don't fully wanna be one. YUH. I would prefer to be referred to as dude, man, bro tho. But calling me stuff like girly is fine makes me giggle. Im still new to this app so please bare with me! I have a wattpad if you are interested! (It's the same user name) I'm open to writing anything! But mostly do head cannons:D. I'm plus size and cater to writing for the plus size community since it does get enough representation. If you are plus size please stick around! Id love to be your mutual♥︎! I write as a out let and to make people happy. I absolutely love helping the plus size community feel more loved/ making them happy! Cause everyone is truly beautiful and I want YOU to know that! Feel free to read if you're not plus size though. (I have my eye on you though.... No hateful comments) My blog is a safe place for everyone! Unless your racist, homophobic, fatphobic, etc. You will be blockedꈍᴗꈍ. Feel free to message me! I love chatting with people! Also if you want to me mutuals just ask! I swear I won't bite!!! I talk about random stuff on here sometimes. Like random random. I one made a post about women and how beautiful they are. And it wasn't small. IT WAS BIGGGGG. I love women.

Rules/Info♥︎

DO NOT. AND I MEAN DO NOT. COME ON MY PAGE TO BE RUDE. YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. I WON'T SAY WHAT ELSE WILL HAPPEN FOR LEGAL REASONS!!!!!!!!!(joking....maybe)

Minors dni

No diet culture people, fatphobics, Ed twt people, fat fetishist, anorexia supporters

Do not talk about Ed's on my page I will round house you. This is a safe spot for all body types and I don't want that on my page! I'm sorry if you struggle with that tho as someone that has in the past I understand♥︎. I hope people can understand that and not find this offensive 💀

I'm fat. Don't like it? Then leave. That simple! I use the word fat in my writing. Ik people use that word to be rude but fat is not a bad word. So when i say "fat" that's not being mean. Thats me being honest or whatever. I call myself fatass sometimes. Cause I am one. Don't say stuff on my page like. "You're not fat! You're beautiful" cause fat is not a bad word. Fat is beautiful. It doesn't mean ugly. Fat is just a word ok. Let's not give it weird meanings⁉️

If you don't know! Then ask! I'm a big big talker so answering questions is very fun. Literally say anything. Even if it's just a dumb emoji or something. I will reply 75% of the time.

Don't be scared to message/request something! I will not punch you in the face I swear! Theirs no need to be scared!!!

I'm pan romantic (finds every gender hot) demi sexual (yes that's a real sexuality. It's when you have to have a strong bond before doing anything sexual. Sorta like friends to lovers) that being said I can do any gender character. No preference.

I do head cannons, matchups, and small fics!

More info about explaining thoses are here:

No incest, urine, scat, underaged crap.

I do NSFW/Smut. You've been warned! Want a certain kink wrote with a character? (Choking, pegging, spanking) ASK! If it's in my comfort zone. I'm on it! I'm also a switch so if you want it dom/sub/switch I got your

I'm in school so I don't have all the time in the world! Along with ya know my everyday life. So I write at night lol!

I do mostly one piece but I can do others! (Please read the post I linked a little bit above for all the anime's I do)

GO READ THE THING I LINKED IT EXPLAINS STUFF MUCH BETTER!!

I like pink. I use Pinterest to find all these cute little things. Or I find a pic I want. (Not someone else's art. Usually a piece of manga) then go to the picstar app and put a pink tint on it! If I do ever accidentally post someone else's art PLEASE tell me. I would never do that on purpos. But if you draw about would like be to use your art I will happily do so and give you credit and all that :3

Requests are: OPEN!

BEFORE YOU REQUEST ANYTHING! READ THIS:

Master Lists! ✰

My Hero Academia~

One Piece~

Haikyuu~

One Punch Man!~

Match ups~

[gracefireheart]

Lil' update time for my TF2 x PMD AU now that the poll for what pokemon the Mann brothers would be is over 💃

So, first off, it ended in a tie between the Regis and the Unovan Dragons (I'm not counting the Sinnoh trio 'cause one of the votes was from me, which I usually don't count). I guess the question for myself is: Do I want to have fun drawing them (Regis), or do I want to tear all of my hair out when drawing all that detail (Unovan Dragons)? Atm, I'm heavily leaning towards the former of the two, but I'll try and figure that out later.

A bit earlier, I was writing down lil' details about the mercs in this AU. Mostly what certain items some of them would know a lot/quite a bit about, to the point that they can probably make/grow 'em themselves or knows where to get it.

For now, I've written down that:

Engie knows a lot about all the different kinds of Orbs and can make quite a lot of them, especially the ones that teleports the user(s) or foes, changes the room / the whole dungeon floor or reveals it's map, or does some kind of status effect on the foes.

Spy knows quite a bit about the different kinds of Orbs, but mostly makes the ones he uses the most (such as Invisify to make himself invisible, Trapbust to destroy traps, and Radar to know where all the foes are on the current dungeon floor).

Demo knows how to make TMs or HMs, and can open treasure chests no problem (yes, in the games, you need someone to open (small) treasure chests for you lol). Maybe he knows a bit about what kind of buffs some of the accessories gives you, or maybe he could make pretty good juice from berries, gummis, and so on. Idk yet, so I gotta tinker with this one a bit more later.

Medic knows a lot about and can grow different kinds of berries. He also knows how to get Life and Reviver seeds, tho' the latter of the two is much harder to get a hold of. He also knows how to make medicine like Protein and Zinc, but it's not easy to make.

Pyro knows quite a bit about the other types of seeds and how to get them, especially the Blast seeds. Gotta have a fuckton of 'em for themself, Demo, Soldier, and sometimes Sniper to use.

Sniper knows a bit about the different kinds of seeds, but has a lot of knowledge about toss items (such as Iron Thorns, Silver Spikes, Cacnea Spikes, and so on), the latter of which he also knows how to get a lot of.

I still need to tinker a bit around this, as well as figure out some stuff for Heavy, Scout and Soldier. I also gotta work on the stuff they did before making the Fortress Guild, so uh yeah, I'll be working on this slowly but surely so I don't explode my brain 👍

Besides that, I have chosen what pokemon each of the Classic mercs are gonna be in my AU, which are all Gen 1 pokemon. I'd say most of them I've picked out a pretty good pokemon for, but y'know, with how lil' we know most of the Classics, I can't get it 100%.

I do want to draw 'em at some point- maybe like a duo-piece to my first TF2 x PMD AU drawing of the squad- so I won't spoil what pokemon I picked for most of them. I will say tho' that, yes, C. Engineer is also gonna be a Raichu (tho' I will probably try and modify his appearance a lil'), and I've already said it in the tags of a different post that C. Heavy is going to be a (potentially shiny) Nidoking- the pokemon of which I will ignore the canon height of in order to make him the tallest of his crew.

That's about it for now. Time for me to chill before I try drawing later 🚶

[nburkhardt]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@strangersteddierthings tagged me and I thought it would be fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

14 and most are steddie haha

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

35,072 I only just started posting on there like five months ago?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Stranger Things but its mostly Steddie and/or Steve base lol. I have written for glee (posted on fanfiction.net lol) and Hart of Dixie (also posted on the other site) annnnd just for myself because I refused to enter the crazy that is the mcu fandom, I've written fics for that one too.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Be Your Alibi

Lower The Noise (Won't Be Putting My Heart on Display)

Feels Like the World's Gonna End (But I'll Get You Through)

Wanna Share a Last Name?

Oh Sugar, Sugar, I Love You

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes but mostly no. Its because of anxiety :D Just know I get super excited reading comments.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably Somewhere Along the Bitterness I think I nearly made some people cry over it. 😅

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

It's gotta be Oh Sugar, Sugar, I Love You I think. Its a very sappy fic tbh

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No? I don't think so, if I do they never comment.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have but I've never posted it lol

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I never posted it, but I once wrote a crossover for glee & mcu hahaha

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No clue.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Somewhat haha I wrote a bit of something and @estrellami-1 added to something! It's my Steve has death powers and Star wrote this lovely piece!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Steddie, but also Nick and Adalind from grimm!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'm going to be completely honest, I don't think I can finish Does The Ghost Know? I just don't know how to make it go anywhere, which sucks because I love the idea

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm great at describing things. Mostly emotions, angsty stuff.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Not outlining haha. Also dialogue annd spelling. I'm such shit at it.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've never really thought about it before. It's fun to read, weird for myself to do since i only know english.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

......... glee.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I got a few!

Love Is....

Really, Him?

Wanna Share a Last Name?

No pressure tags: @gloomysoup @t-boyeddie @estrellami-1 @artiststarme @simplebtromance @momotonescreaming

[tokyokookmin]

I'm so glad to hear you're back here in tumblr. Its been quite long since you took your break from this platform. Of course you are also a human and you need a break sometimes but I really missed seeing those notifications on my phone saying "tokyokoomin just posted a post". I'm excited to know that you'll be posting regularly now. After all, you are our jikook queen, one of those people who entertained us throughout the covid period and would share with us about your favourite jikook moments etc. You remained unproblematic and you love to chat with us and reply to comment..... Making us feel really welcomed. I have been here since 2021, anyone else? Besides that... I enjoyed to read your top 10 or fav moments and you never neglected our feelings. You would always reply back and you're extremely friendly! You always gave us true news and confirmed culture related asks, you would share with about bits and pieces of Asian (being one yourself) culture and therefore i love your content very much. Welcome back our jikook Queen 😍💜. Looking forward for more posts!

-🦋Anon

Omg this ask melted my heart 🦋 Anon 😭😭♥️ you're the sweetest!!

I briefly took a break from the community in the second quarter of 2022 (I think I hit 1000 followers that time) as I needed to focus on myself and sort all my things out. I barely opened tumblr. I did sometimes but I wouldn't post anything. The break I took in 2022 was really good and I enjoyed it very much. I was silently active in the bts community. Just because I didn't post anything, doesn't mean I didn't know what was going on 🤣. Well last year was a roller-coaster for the bts armys and my personal life as well. So much happened lol!

I will post regularly now. Yes anon, more jikook moments posts are coming. Actually I'm in the midst of editing one moment ask so that will be out really soon!

I tend to post content which will able to produce a positive impact without any harm or malice in any possible way. I hope whatever I posted throughout the years managed to carve a smile on your lips 🥰💜

I would like to continue my Asian culture segment too! Its really fun to explain regarding our culture and what similarities Korean culture has with SEA culture! Be it food or traditions or sports, we are united! 💗

I really like to reply to all of your comments as well. I'm a social butterfly, I love to interact and discourse with people. All of your comments are certainly not ignored by me. It's my duty as a responsible Blogger/admin to reply and give my take on your thoughts about the topic I mention in my posts. Be it an emoji or a few sentences, I'll make sure to reply to all of you 🥰

As for my jikook posts, I'm really happy to know that some armys have actually turned into jikookers/ they support jikook from reading my posts alongside with a few other blogger posts. It's always nice to hear that your posts gives a positive impact on people's thinking and perspective of relationships and body language. I poured my heart out creating every single jikook posts. So yes, I really appreciate it when people compliment my posts and blog. A little support won't hurt, aren't I right? I love every single one of yall 🥰💜

I vividly remember opening my tumblr app during the day for a few hours to respond to yall and complete my drafts in 2021 😭. I only intended to write a few posts but I never knew I would be that committed to a blog lol 🤣.I met some really cool people through this community and yall are really sweet people. My moots too! They're amazing people and I absolutely love their content 💗.

I met a lot people here, even Korean jkkrs that spoke to me in the DM's and some of us are mutuals in twitter haha 😂💜. I'm glad I was able to establish a better and safer community here where we are gushing over our faves without being judged or anything. I really appreciate this platform to be honest 🥰

Any changes I noticed throughout the break?

As for jikook? Things never changed, they're still the same, same old glances, same old interactions, same old behaviour and body language ♥️. Yall are most welcomed to ask me jikook asks and contact me for any post recommendations! Bora💜💜!

Bts? That same old band I knew in 2018 are still the same. Never changed and never will, they're our humble Kings 💜💜

I have actually seen a few misconceptions about me in a few asks that I received recently. FYI (to all my new followers) I have been here since 2021 and I'm a jikook and BTS based blog. I post both jikook and bts related content. Just because I'm more leaned towards jikook in this blog, doesn't mean I can't post bts content.. I am a 0T7! I love bts with my whole heart and I will post regularly about bts members. Be it group posts, dynamic posts or bts solo career posts. All 7 of them are precious.

I miss all them but I hope we will embark on this new journey called Chapter two together 💜

I hope to be more active this year. Yes anon, your hype blogger is back and is ready to rock and roll!

I'm here to entertain y'all with lots of content this year! Psst... Currently, I'm working on my masterlist. Basically compiling all my content together and separating them into their folders. I hope to work faster on that and obviously more moment posts are coming. More posts of my perception of jikook moments, like the old days. I'm not going to engage in any hate posts anymore. I'm looking forward to make more of jikook moments and dynamics posts😉. Stay tuned guys 🥰

This blog is a safe place for 0T7 stans and jikook stans. Nothing else than that.

Also! We're close to hitting 1.5k followers! Thank you everyone for supporting this blog and sticking here with me! Your support is kindly appreciated. I never thought this would be possible but y'all disproved this perception of mine. The jikook Tumblr community is huge! Even though I was on a hiatus, my blog was still active. I gained 500 followers and received lots of love from y'all. It's remarkable, it really is.

🦋 Anon, I truly appreciate your love, your the sweetest! I just want to wrap you into a hug 😭💜

This whole post is a mess but it's a heartfelt one. I hope y'all enjoyed this little update from me. Hoping to make more meaningful memories here 💜🥰

Sincerely, tokyokookmin (that one Asian girl that expresses her love for bts and kookmin, doesn't really type in a bombastic way. Just a simple girl which types in simple terms. A STEM enthusiast) 💜

[silvercap]

Do you have any tips for new writers?

Also is there a way to not get too caught up in engagement and stats? I'm kinda having this problem and it is taking the motivation out of things a bit 😭

That's a good question! This post got a little long, so I'm implementing a break lol

I don't exactly have specific rules, but I think my biggest tip for someone writing for the first time is to go easy on yourself and give yourself time to get better. I struggle a lot with perfectionism and the nasty habit of being harder on myself than anyone else ever will be, but it's important to acknowledge that we are our own worst critics and that improvement is only measurable by practicing through the early stuff. I encourage a lot of experimenting, especially when you're starting out--try new things and ways of writing and slowly collect the ones that work for you. I've taken plenty of classes on the logistics of writing and technical tips, but those aren't necessarily helpful for everyone to focus on when they're starting out. I think in first drafts and initial writing, it's better to write from whatever urge possesses you to do so and not get caught up in the technicalities. Those are often more helpful when editing, but it really depends on the way your brain works!

Over time, you'll start to build up a sense of flow and style and the general rhythm of writing engaging paragraphs, which brings me to my next point--reading. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: Reading is one of the best ways to develop a sense of rhythm and effective imagery/idiom/etc. I've also spent plenty of classes analyzing the effectiveness of (I forget the exact word) elements like metaphor or allegory or symbolism or anaphora or any other technical term you can think of that is commonly used to convey specific literary concepts. Reading, on its own, is a great tool for subconsciously noticing the flow of writing and getting a sense for it, but sometimes just taking notice of certain paragraphs that feel right to you or just hit in the right way can allow you to analyze them more deeply and find out what exactly it is about the words that works. Everyone has their own preferences! That might seem daunting, but often the best resources we as writers have is each other, and everyone is inspired by someone else at some point. I'm totally here to take asks and answer any questions I may have brought up because I'm rambling a little bit and like I said: technical aspects aren't necessarily helpful to focus on all at once, and I recommend trying one out at a time to see how it works for you. If that makes sense!

My biggest piece of advice is to have fun with it! Experiment. Put in that weird little thing you think nobody else will like, because often those are the best parts of writing. Do what you feel sounds right! Not to Wayne Gretzky you, but you can only get better or 'succeed' by trying it out and seeing where it takes you. We write because we have ideas we want to share or explore for ourselves, and trying to force yourself to write something you're not passionate about is rarely lucrative.

As for engagement and stats--now, that's a whole other beast. We all want to be noticed and appreciated and commented on, and it's hard sometimes to post a fic and have less engagement than you hoped, but I have a couple things I like to keep in mind for this. It's discouraging, for sure, but people on ao3 or similar sites don't always show their appreciation even if they read and liked your fic. The only way we can fix this as a collective community is to lead by example and comment/kudos/share the fics we read in the hopes that it will catch on and to spread the love to everyone else. I also find it helpful to think about the people who do leave kudos--even if there are only one or two of them--as not just random usernames, but actual living, breathing people who read your fic and enjoyed it. There's that post somewhere about ten likes not seeming like much in the scheme of social media and the influence that virality has had on the internet in recent years, but to have ten people standing in a room with you giving you a thumbs up? That's a lot of people. Even if you get very little engagement, that is not a reflection of you as a person or even necessarily your skill. I know that this can be draining, but the only way to try and build an audience is to post. Sometimes it takes a long time for fics to be noticed. Sometimes things fail. It's up to you how you want to take that, and I can't tell you any of this for certain. I just know from my personal experience that finding a community is only accomplishable by interacting and posting and sharing and existing, and often someone will come along when you don't expect it.

None of this is guaranteed. Hell, take everything I say with a critical eye and more than a few grains of salt, because this is only my experience and god am I still learning. These are things that help me, and I hope some of this is helpful to you, too! What I can tell you for certain is that I encourage you to write and pursue it as far as you want to, and even farther than that. It takes hard work. It can feel like nobody is listening. And ughhhhh the writer's block suuuuuucks. But, you're not alone in this. Anything you've felt is something another writer has felt before, and I think, at least, that there's comfort in knowing you're following in the footsteps of even the writers we consider to be great in both their success and flaws. Maybe I'm being a little lofty ahaha, but it comes down to whether or not you want to write. You can only decide how this goes, and it takes time to work through the barriers of both skill and the anxious fear of not being seen. I see you! And I'm here in the asks anytime you want :)

And even if you fail and give up--you're no less of a writer for it, because you tried, and I think that matters. The lovely thing about being alive and being writers is that we can change and grow, and there will always be a place for you among creators if you choose to join them, no matter how amateur you feel or how long you do it for.

[sugxrslushy]

hello!!

I randomly felt compelled to finally log back into his account and let you all know I'm still alive lol. I do feel a bit bad about disappearing randomly and leaving so much unfinished but I think it was something I needed a lot

I started falling out of love with writing and actually hating it due to running this blog and trying to balance it and my unhealthy obsession with perfection. I took on a lot of projects that I probably shouldn't have and never really set myself super solid boundaries which became draining fast :( it kinda messed with how I felt about one piece and the fandom too which just ended in me harboring a lot of negative feelings and making this blog more of a burden than something fun. at some point everything I wrote I hated

although disappearing without saying anything probably wasn't the greatest idea, I think it was a quick and easy fix for me. I'm not as much into OP as before, but my interests change and flow and sometimes it comes back. I got to indulge in a lot of my other interests on other blogs which was very helpful for me, I've been slowly improving a lot mentally too!

this isn't really a giant announcement that I'll be back and I don't want to make any promises I can't keep but I may post here and there (again no promises!). I just mainly wanted to give an explanation and say I'm still so so grateful for all the support I've been given while I was here and away <33

[desultory-novice]

Been awhile since I had seen your stuff, and I really enjoy what you’ve been coming up with! Glad to see you’re having fun

(Also, how did you start here, so to speak? I would love to be an active creator in the kirblr community, but since I just lurk and rb because I don’t have the energy/confidence to create, I just feel like an unwelcome stalker LOL. Sorry if this is too much!)

Oh, gosh, thank you so much! I'm a little impressed at how things have turned out after barely two years(?) here myself!

I don't know if my methods could ever work for anyone else as they do me, as I attribute a lot of "this" to serendipity but...

...It seems to me I really took off after opening my inbox up to doing detailed ask memes about the characters. Again, this was kind of luck on my part because I spoke very lovingly (albeit truthfully!) about a few mega popular characters, which caused two of their fandom BNFs to kindly reblog my posts, and that sent a bunch more asks for the WHOLE rest of the Kirby cast my way!

I'm sorry to say, it does take a lot of energy though. But I do get the struggle, as I'm often exhausted by life/lots of jobs. However, if you can find any sort of mental "trick" to keep yourself going, you might discover you have more energy than you think inside you!

(Me, I'm very visual, and I keep a collection of my favorite fanart on hand. If I think I've exhausted myself on a character/ran out of ideas of things to talk about, I'll browse through my personal "gallery" and it will help me to remember characters/events/interesting points.)

As to the matter of confidence, you've probably heard the whole "fake it to you make it" bit and to a degree, at least, it's true. I've had a couple of posts where I've flooded the tags with things like "OMG this is so bad and I'm so sorry!" or "I had no time to work on this and it shows~" or "if this sucks it's because life is crushing my soul and I just want to sleep for a thousand years..." annnnnd unfortunately...

...even if it's how you're feeling At The Time, those things can make people feel like they're intruding into your space by liking or reblogging it. It's like, if you're telling us something so personal and private, maybe you really only want to hear from a friend right now, and not a stranger...? What I've done is I've told myself it's okay to write out those low self-esteem thoughts elsewhere but try to let the people who are here for the art/images/videos/writing/discussions just enjoy your art/images/videos/writing/discussions.

If you've got something to get off your chest, don't feel like you have to hold it inside, but don't hold your audience captive either.

(Also, something else fun about this: if you cast out positivity, you may find that it comes back to you, and when you look again at that thing you shared, it was NOT as "awful" as you thought.)

Now, a lot of that was about "external" confidence or what you display. As for internal confidence, that's... kind of a constant struggle. We all -- and by all, I I mean even famous published creators -- have times when we think our work isn't good enough. Annnd...

...Well, it isn't always great. But the fact that something isn't great now (even if it's the absolute best we can do at the time) doesn't mean we have no skill at something! We all have to start somewhere. And sometimes "somewhere" is a piece of art or writing or theory or humorous content that only 1-2 people think is "...Eh, not bad."

My first "hit it big" piece? My "Moon's Haunted" Kirby meme? Ohhh man, I can't STAND to look at now! I redrew it a few months back and if I were to redraw it today, it'd look better still, probably. The key is that I tried (...and that I meme-posted when the game was going viral >.> ) and I think that shone through??

(...It might be silly, but there IS a Nintendo Direct tomorrow. Probably no Kirby news, as I assume Vanpool's closure will bring an end to us getting multiple Kirby titles a year, but if you really want to try and take that ^ path, you can always get up early/stay up late and ready yourself to post commentary on any news!)

That doesn't just go for art, but writing/theories/HC as well. I myself find it a little sad when someone starts on a post and then will just trail off with "...lol I dunno, didn't think about it that hard."

"Don't say that, person on the internet," I cry! Do you realize how much information is at your fingertips right now? You can google for things even if you only know it as "that thing in that one movie about the fruit." You can watch a Youtube video in 5 minutes explaining the mechanics of something you've never seen or ever hope to do before! You can even watch a Youtube playthrough of a Kirby thing you forgot instead of saying "You forgot!" Don't know how to draw cloaks? Pinterest has millions of references! Don't like Pinterest? Just google "cloaks, Pinterest" and click on the images tab and you will never have to log into that accursed site! It just takes WANTING to.

Though sometimes, I think people write that out of embarrassment? Maybe they DID think about it but they don't think anyone would be interested? Or maybe they really didn't think about X or Y but didn't want to feel like they were neglecting anybody and that something is better than nothing. Which it is, but LOVE is even more important!

...And love, especially in a fandom space, can be ~complicated~

Like I mentioned above, I'm LUCKY that my top favorite characters also come close to topping the rest of "the fandom's" list. But as I've said before, I love every character in Kirby. Even the ones-people-want-to-throw-off-a-bridge-into-a-waste-treatment-plant..

And if I'd started off my tumblr as a "The Susie Haltmann Appreciation Blog!" as opposed to my actual "Hey I'm Completely Obsessed About Marx and Magolor and I Think About Them All The Time (...but I also like the Haltmanns from a story perspective for their heartrending tragedy that hits close to home for me...) Blog" I don't know if we'd be having this conversation right now. ^^;

(It doesn't just have to be all about controversy/"discourse" related stuff either. I could have started a "Daily Sillydillo" blog and had to retire it in a month due to low levels of interaction. The concept of fandom favorites might not be very egalitarian, when every character deserves to have their story enjoyed, but sometimes, strong love can make up for the lack of eyes on a thing. Occasionally ^^)

...Anyway, you might not have the energy, at least not all the time, and confidence might be a little low right now too, but you love Kirby, right? You have passion for it? Passion can get you a lot! And also, there's a few methods of interaction that, for personal reasons, I could not choose that have done wonders for everyone else!

For example, I have some old, unhealed trauma about OCs, but there's a whole hu~ge section of Kirblr that loves OCs and, as far as I've seen (??) tries to be really supportive about them?

Lastly, I can guarantee you, you are NOT a stalker and anyone who thinks being a "quiet supportive fan" equates to being a stalker should consider moving away from thinking of themselves and/or others in that negative way. You have stalked nobody! You have only shown an active interest in others! That is a POSITIVE thing!

And on that note, you're definitely not unwelcome either! Especially if you're one of the precious, wonderful people out there who reblog lots! If you want to get your toes wet, why not test the waters and build your confidence in this space by adding some of your thoughts onto your reblogs? You could build a rep/connections that way!

TLDR, sometimes gaining an audience/a space is a magic trick that no one knows the secret to. Other times, it is the result of months and months and months of hard, lonesome persistence.

The best advice I can give you is advice I would give myself:

-Be kind if you can, if you cannot, then be understanding -Demonstrate care about your interests and those of others -Forgive yourself for being at the beginning of your journey

-Enthusiasm, sincerity, and love are warm lights in this world of ours that can, at times, seem so dim and dreary. Light a little lantern for yourself and remember to laugh loud with joy that life is also so amazingly, ridiculously magical and before you know it, others will find their way to your light to add their lantern to yours!

[cqtlatte]

hiii your art always make my day better, so hope u had a good day too. But can I ask what brushes you usually use in your arts? Like the way you use brushes and colors are so good TuT I can't fathom it sometimes. How do u make those kinds of textures. I'm new in this tumbler, so apologies if it's already been answered before. <33

Heyo anon, thanks for asking and no problem! I've answered this a couple of times before across all my platforms, but ig this is a good opportunity to answer and add to my carrd FAQ! <3 Let me break down what I use them for a bit too. (lots of blabbing below so I'll but a read-more tab)

Main:

 (sketching) Design pencil (default in CSP, you can probably find it on the assets store because it was from the earlier version of CSP)

(sketching/coloring/general use) G-pen

(sketching/coloring/general use) Dense watercolor (same case as the design pencil)

As for brushes that I use for texturing and painting, I use the Daub brush pack for CSP. My favorites come from the aenigma, pigmento, and basiliscus sets. You can find them on gumroad, or just google! I believe they have brushes for procreate and photoshop too but I think the brush packs aren't the same across platforms. 

For making the texture itself, it's kind of a random process that idk how to explain properly lmao. Let me link my Kokomi timelapse so you can see how much I jump around the canvas to carve out the textures:

 I like to use different blending modes and layer tons of different colors. The color jitter function is super amazing too for that purpose, but probably shouldn't be overused for the sake of balance. (personally still trying to avoid over-saturating my works with textures tbh)

To be 100000% honest though, I tend to jump around a lot, and I certainly don't use all of those brushes in every piece.

I used to lurk around a lot myself and hoard tons of brushes other artists were using, until I saw a comment of an artist I admire: "sometimes the brush you use really isn't important. Without practice the painting will be ugly."(not the most accurate translation probably because it was written in another language)

After that I had like… an epiphany moment where I really believed them, and drew a Bonanus fanart in June. I made the lineart with a g-pen (which I never used cuz I always thought I'd be somehow inhibiting my creative power using default brushes or something), and the piece ended up blowing up on twt much to my surprise.. LOL. After that, I started to care less about other's brushes and instead of looking for more, try to figure out how I could make cool textures and strokes with the ones I currently had at my disposal.

(said bonanus art)

This isn't a statement to say "stop looking for other artist's brushes, copying brushes bad, etc" because there is a LOT that you can learn from using other artist's brush inventory.

But you can also have a lot of fun drawing when you focus less about what other's use, and more about what brushes YOU are comfortable using + feels right to you. Sometimes you may even need to tweak them a bit in their brush settings instead of using their default form before they feel comfy for you! It's a matter of exploring and figuring out what works and what doesn't in your workflow, hehe.

Anyways I hope this answer helps as we all continue our art journey together. Sending positive vibes your way anon! <3

[mlobsters]

supernatural s9e8 rock and a hard place (w. jenny klein)

i had to go look up the dragon episode because i couldn't remember if there were actually dragons. right, dragons that conveniently are human shaped LOL and i've definitely read that wiki article before. brain refuses to retain it 😂

same sam, same.

DEAN You're sick. SAM No, I'm not sick. I'm just, um -- I feel like my battery can't recharge.

*staring at dean*

okay i was like aww these are some sweet hugs, lemme get screenshots. then when i did i'm like. why is sam grimacing, why is dean glaring, what is happening here lol

reminds me of some temple buildings i've seen in documentaries about the FLDS cult.

just putting a cut to make these posts less annoying

LOL the wide eyed earnest but also completely not-earnest face making me laugh. oh padalecki

DEAN "The A.P.U."? BONNIE Our chastity group... "Abstinence Purifies Us." SAM Oh.

stop making these faces lol i'll never get through this episode

SAM W-wow. You mind if we sit in on that, maybe see if it's for us? BONNIE I'm afraid it's members only. I'm sorry, but it can get pretty personal. SAM Then count us in.

it's like the tumblr post going around about fanfic is putting your guy in situations. this is a very cracky fanfic ~situation~.

SAM "Purity pledge"? BONNIE It's a commitment to your virginity. DEAN I don't think we can really un-ring that bell. You know what I mean? BONNIE [A little taken aback] Oh. I see. Well... If you just ask for God's forgiveness for your sins and make a new vow of chastity, well, then, you'll be born again as a virgin in his eyes. DEAN So, you just hit the "virginity do-over" button, and all is good with the man upstairs? BONNIE [Looking shocked] It's not a button. And...this isn't just a piece of paper. I mean, this is your clean slate, your chance to be a virgin until marriage. DEAN Well, you had me at "clean slate". Let's do this.

BONNIE Congratulations, Sam and Dean Winchester. You are both virgins. SAM and DEAN Ah.

a) you're such a ham, jackles b) no fake names and aren't they a teeny bit concerned what we know with actual gods and such about signing something like this that they're gonna break?

bracing myself for this chastity group meeting scene. sex scenes can hit weird awkward embarrassed buttons (dunno if it's a me thing or an ace thing) so whatever dean's about to do, just hope to not expire from embarrassment.

(also would like to point out i have no problems reading sex in fic, which i do frequently and enjoy it, but there's something about actually seeing [and hearing but mostly seeing] my faves that freaks me out)

meanwhile we got meeting leader lady here who is like. 90s era supermodel gorgeous. but we'll make her ~casual~ and ~chaste~ in a green hoodie.

SAM Well, I guess because every woman I've...ever... had relations with, uh...it...hasn't ended well.

LOL cute nod to the trope

i get that this whole situation IS the point but it would have been a lot simpler to just pretend to be virgins :P

DEAN Uh, hard to say, exactly. Yeah. Sex has always felt -- I don't know -- good, you know? I mean, really, really good. Uh...But, uh... Sometimes, it just makes you feel bad, you know? You're drunk. You shack up. Then, it's the whole morning thing. You know, "Hey, that was fun." And then, "adios," you know? Always the "adios." But, you know, when you get down to it, what's the big deal, right? I mean, sure, there's the touching and the feeling all of each other, my hands everywhere, tracing every inch of her body, the two of us moving together, pressing and pulling... Grinding. [All the women start shift uncomfortably.] Then you hit that sweet spot, and everything just builds and builds and builds until it all just... [DEAN makes a exploding noise. TAMMY crushes her paper with the written verse in her lap.] [SAM gives DEAN the bitchface and clears his throat again.] DEAN Yeah. Uh...But the whole thing was just a little too, uh...sticky. So, uh, I got my "V" card back. [slaps his leg] The end.

appreciate the person who transcribed this episode used bitchface to describe that. i hope people out there enjoyed hearing dean say that. i had to pause about 5 times to make it through :p

DEAN [walking up *grinning*] Guess who's taking the teacher home. [gives a straight face] Research. SAM You really think you're gonna hit that? Dean, she's the chastity counselor.

LOL okay so breaking the pledge gets the dragons-not-dragons after you? so now dean is putting himself and the lady at risk?

DEAN Not now, Kato.

wiki says this which seems... unlikely to me (and different spelling, kato is in the captions too):

Dean: Not now, Cato. "Not now, Cato" is a reference to Inspector Clouseau and his manservant Cato Fong from the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again.

i assumed he meant kato kaelin but i still don't understand the reference. maybe it's been too long since the trial, my internal record is: kato kaelin, oj simpson trial, guest house, blond

making the church ladies horny was already a lot but now i gotta watch him put the cheesy moves on this lady too 😩 ah cockblocked by the crying. is she also a bad lady? like the last time he had sex

JODY You know, for being born again today, you sure look like crap. SAM Wait a second. Did you...get -- JODY Born again? SAM Yeah. JODY Oh, Sam. I don't make promises I can't keep.

super cute

JODY It's just...I enjoy church. I mean, after...after Bobby, Crowley...I needed something that made sense to me -- you know, comfort, I guess. SAM Yeah, I guess we're all looking for that. JODY Except those that got it. [SAM looks puzzled.] JODY Come on. You and Dean? That's something special, don't you think?

lol okay, jody ships it. what a funny thing to say. she knows what a mess their lives are, at least in broad strokes. but anyway they know we'll eat that up with a spoon. please outsider pov, tell me more about sam and dean's relationship 🤗 while sam squirms under the microscope

well that explains the hair and makeup and overall bombshell-ness

okay, cockblock lifted, i'm clearly not getting through this today. back tomorrow. gotta figure out a more efficient way of doing this :S (keeping your trap shut, duh)

[magpiefngrl]

22, 23, 33, 37 for the writing asks <3

Hey there, anon! Thanks for the awesome questions!

22. What is it about watching the same two idiots falling in love over and over again?

Yes, what is it?? Science should answer that lol

The only ships that generate this obsession in me are the non-canonical ones. I'll read canon ships, sometimes, but with the exception of wangxian, I don't get obsessed with them. If a ship is canonically together, then I feel fulfilled. Damen and Laurent are happy in canon, I'm satisfied and I feel the sense of completion. I might (rarely) read AUs or a PWP but canon-set fics don't interest me much.

With non-canonical ships, it's like there's an inch that I need to scratch again and again and again. An unexplored potential that is so vast that I need many many stories to explore the depths and breadths of it. Their getting together could've happened a million different ways: perhaps during a canon event, or maybe post-canon when one becomes a bartender or a spy or a recluse or a pop-star. There isn't an official version so I need all the other versions, every single one.

23. Dialogue or description? Why is the other one so hard?

I'm not sure if the question is which one I prefer writing or which one I find easy, but the answer is both. More or less. Not easy in the sense that I get them right the first time, but they're both elements I enjoy working on. I love the challenge of giving a short but evocative description of the setting and I tend to include descriptions in my stories. I do appreciate fics with a strong sense of setting.

I'm also a huge fan of dialogue and I spend a lot of time working on it. In Hush, darling, I spent a good two hours editing six lines of dialogue. But when I got them right, the feeling of satisfaction was immense. They conveyed precisely what I wanted them to. I pay a lot of attention on dialogue while reading, too. It's not easy to get it right or to make it stand out, but some people are fantastic at it.

The thing I don't find easy: plot.

33. Give your writing a compliment.

Ugh this isn't easy. I'd say that I write decent dialogue. I think I'm good at that.

37. Do you research before writing or while you write? Is it fun or boring for you?

I do, both before and during, if necessary. Not for the short fics--many of those are a case of sitting down and getting 2-3k out on a doc and then posting it.

But for the longer fics I've often done research. There are two types of research I do: the first, before I begin writing, is more a gathering inspiration activity. I'll try to find a song to capture the mood I'm going for, look at art and photographs of settings and landscapes to be inspired, let myself wander and browse and see what clicks. This is something I do enjoy.

The second type is the actual research, as in looking up a specific piece of information like what kind of plants grow there, or the average rainfall in wherever. In The Miseducation of Draco Malfoy I did LOADS of research, and it's one of the features of the fic. Even in 9 ½ Days, which doesn't require much research, I did spend a fair bit of time examining the google maps of an area where my characters wandered in.

I don't find it boring per se. I feel I need to do it and I do it, I don't have a lot of feelings about it. If I do get bored by something I'm researching, I usually give up and avoid writing it. Life's too short for boredom.

yet another writing ask

[gintokiu]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love ❤

love love love getting Tumblr messages, especially if they come from Rena! thank you so much for thinking to tag me and get me back on this ye olde blog. I will do my best to answer since most of my favorites are unfinished and waiting for me to have time to complete them asdfgh anyway, starting from the bottom:

5. Unfinished, unposted work: Worth the Wait

This one is fun because it's something I'm currently working on and I am soo obsessed with it; it's an AU of a fantasy game that I've put way too many hours into recently. I think that the overall premise of the story is something akin to finding things in places that you wouldn't expect them to be, which I always love when it comes to Gintoki and Hijikata, because that's kind of like, their thing? It's set right now to be three or four chapters long and ahh I can't wait for it to be done. I hope, like usual, that the AU doesn't shy people away because they might not know about it/played the game. :') I can't help I only like writing AUs I'm sorry adsfgh

4. Fahrenheit

This story has such humble beginnings and such a warm place in my heart. It was actually the first ginhiji fic I ever wrote and oh god, it was fucking horrible. Rewrote it when I matured more as a writer and am hoping that I figure out where exactly I want this one to end because it's a bit of a toss-up. Right now, I am simply enjoying writing all the modern-day fluff and antics (and sex) until the plot decides to cement itself properly in my brain.

3. Hirudinea

The big one, the one that my brain refuses to write even though I have the plot all there waiting for me to write it. The powerpoint for this story is crazy. I'm looking forward to one day getting to tie this one up with a nice little bow and give it the proper love it deserves, but I want to finish other things first. Forcing myself to write things only ever ends in me hating them and I refuse for that to be the case with this story because there is so much love for it in me and seemingly in the community <3

2. Ninety-Nine and The Flight, the Fall, and the Forsaking of a Crow

There are two for this spot because I can't make up my mind. The Flight is another one with very humble beginnings. I wrote this, god, six or so years ago originally? Rewrote it when I started posting my work and fell in love with the new rendition of it so much. I'm such a sucker for transformations and gaining new understandings of the world, which is exactly what Gintoki gets to go through, which is why it means so much to me. The pacing is there, the emotion is there. Truly one of my favorites of mine that remind myself that I can write sometimes, LOL.

Ninety-nine I love because it is so easy to write. It's the child that never backtalks, never gets in trouble-- it's just golden. The plot for this is fleshed out all the way to the end and the powerpoint is thirty slides longer than Hirudinea's at a whopping 91 slides. It's a beast. I have end chapters completely written, just waiting for the rest of it to catch up. While definitely not my most popular piece, it's the one that I love to work on the most and I hope I can give it the ending that it deserves :') ahhh there's so much I want to say but can't so I'll just leave it here and talk about it later when it gets closer to being complete.

Things That Happen During the In-Between

Certainly did not expect this work to get the recognition that it did when it was posted. When I tell y'all that I hated this story for the longest time because I reread the same scenes fifteen, twenty times over, edited each one at least three or four times super in-depth to the point where it became beyond predictable in my mind. So then I post this, and people are all like "I cried!" I'm like HUH what do you mean you cried? this work sucks?? So then I waited like a month, reread it, and understood that yeah, okay, I actually didn't do that bad of a job with this one. My personal favorite aspect of this story is the characterization, because there are so many parts where I can read through it and say with confidence that that's a very "them" thing to say/do. (I also just love and adore the second movie, it's such a good film and I'm glad that I was able to do it some justice with this story.)

this was such a treat to do, once more thank you @renamusing for tagging me <3 I'll send a few out to some authors who I think are active on my tumblr so if you get one then consider it a little forehead kiss mwha

[daydreamerdisease]

So this is a thought post to this lovely podcast episode featuring @sleepstxtic on the @fanficmaverickpodcast about the POC experience in fandom. I don't actively listen to podcasts much, but she shared about it in the @harrypocter discord server and had me intrigued (which I HIGHLY reccommend you check out)!

Podcast episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4B79Q1LLzt96tcLTjec84v?si=7hYs-rxAQDSp4LToiv7i4w

I'm adding my thoughts below a read more, because it can get long, but please let me know if there is a more accessible way to do it!

Note: I have shit memory and I'm hard of hearing. So there will be no quotes because, unfortunately, there are no transcripts (a convo for another time about disability and fandom maybe?). I'll try my best to be concise and not misrepresent anything said but, please do correct me if I say something wrong!

Most of this is not in any particular order to the podcast itself, and definitely just the tip of the iceberg of this topic, so there is absolutely so much left unsaid. Please feel free to add your own thoughts, experiences, etc.

First off, it's unsurprising and I agree, but it is interesting that we don't tend to read fic that are specifically about POC even though we do enjoy the idea overall as POC. I do have to wonder how much of that has to do with the fact that we are not already written into canon itself and how that might affect how we interact with fanon/headcanons? It might be different depending on the fandom, but for HP, the few characters we do get are certainly not the ones we focus on overall. It is kind of changing with Harry (and James, typically) being headcanoned as Desi, though!

I have to agree though, that fanfic isn't really about being the most "correct" representation of anything, and that fandom is not inherently activism. It can certainly help facilitate it (see Fandom Trumps Hate, for example) but ultimately it's about having fun and engaging with the works and others who enjoy it, whether fanon or canon. Not even us POC are 100% actively trying to include the "best" representation in all our works all the time. Sometimes it isn't about that at all, sometimes it's the entire point of a piece of work. But it varies and can be a bit of a spectrum of inclusion! And that's ok.

I also loved the point about how there is no one specific representation that is going to indicative of everyone's experience. Humans are so diverse. There are certainly things that are going to hit more people than others (and things we can conclude is offensive too usually) but wholly universal experiences don't really exist for a lot of, if not most, POC. I believe when you narrow it down, by things like where you're living and stereotypes that most people know, it can get very specific. But POC are not a monolith and neither are their experiences.

I absolutely vibe with the idea of seeing the richness in culture within fandom though?? It's one of the ways that I absolutely engage in fandom myself. Whether for perspectives on being POC, things like sexuality and gender, and including all the intersections. I really do think the HP fandom pockets I've been part of are some of the most diverse and richly creative spaces I've been in?? Sometimes they are niche corners but not always! It is just so vast, has touched so many parts of the world, which means that the creators are diverse too. Even if we don't write it explicitly into our work, it can influence it, because of who we are.

I do think that fandoms like HP are kinda unique for being that way though. It is so huge and long lasting (maybe even immortal lol) and not a lot of fandoms are like it. It has been given the time and space to grow, to change, and for the people in it to do so.

But also the idea of using fandom/fanfic as a medium for being diverse when we're surrounded by things that are not that way is absolutely amazing. Whether you're POC or not, it is deliberately creating a space for that diversity!

It makes it possible for some of us, like sleepstxtic and I, to even realize we can see ourselves in these fanworks we consume. That we can freely create them and tangibly be part of this space we're in.

Also, the absolute enjoyment of sharing culture with each other!! Of learning together, of creating a space to learn, is so important. Especially for those of us who are sometimes disconnected from our family's cultures or heritage, who are more assimilated, etc etc for so many reasons. It is so important to be able to question and learn from each other. Especially using characters like Harry, for instance, who is so painfully wrenched away from his culture. We might not always find someone with our 1:1 experience but it does open the door for being able to find connection to our own heritage and culture. It can be painful and absolutely lonely and finding that place within fandom can be so healing. 😭

I definitely think we are still growing as a fandom, we have plenty more to learn when it comes to encouraging and including POC and what we have to give to the fandom, but I am happy to see us having these conversations!

And I loved learning about sleepstxtic's culture during this podcast, the way she fell into writing fanfic, and the thoughtfullness put into it. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us!

I hope you all check out the podcast episode but either way, what are your thoughts and experiences? I'd love to hear what other people have to say, whether negative or positive, and if you wanna share your favorite POC-centric fanfic/fanart recs...

👀 I won't turn those away!

[bisexualshakespeare]

BTS: I’ll write a DVD commentary about my personal favorite passage from Harvest Festival series :D

Question from this post

I think I'll do the part in Eckleberry Pie where Graydon goes to find Boorman to apologize

Boorman wasn’t far. Graydon found him downstairs in the dining hall, eating a piece of pie and sweet talking one of the maids cleaning up.

“Effie,” He said when Graydon sat next to him. “This is my friend. The pouty one that I left to check up on, causing me to nearly miss your fantastic eckleberry pie. Obviously shouldn’t have done that.”

originally this was blackberry pie because I love blackberries and didn't want Boorman to be drinking. Sometimes around when I was finishing I remembered Elora's task to grow an Eckleberry bush and thought that would be a fun call back. Also a bit of a callback to sad-angry-frown-prince

Effie smiled at Graydon, glanced at Boorman, and shook her head fondly.

I remember I agonized over Effie so hard. I was like 'what does she sound like? does she like boorman? is she bothered by him? what are they gonna talk about?' before I was like ok this is just an excuse to get them to fuck. she doesn't need to have extensive character motivations, she can just walk away 😆

Graydon cleared his throat as she retreated. “So. Thank you, first of all, for checking on me. That was nice of you to think of me.”

“You’re welcome.” Boorman said with his mouth full. Boorman talked a lot with his mouth full. Graydon was pretty used to it by now.

Sometimes when I'm trying to keep my mindset in canon, I will just reference things in canon to remind me I'm okay? This is me being like 'yeah you're writing boorman right. remember when he talked while eating the probably-not-men-who-were-turned-into-pigs at nockmaar? you're doing great' lol

“I admit I was a little harsh before. I was upset and kind of mad at myself and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I hope I didn’t offend you or make you feel like you weren’t wanted.”

Boorman straightened a little. “I wasn’t offended.”

Graydon slowly put a hand on Boorman’s arm. “Because you are wanted.”

a couple people in the comments have said this is surprisingly smooth for Graydon? I honestly was just trying to be like 'boorman is not a substitute for elora! graydon's not using him! i want to be clear here!' this is me waving my hands around

Boorman looked at him with surprise, and with berries in his beard. Graydon couldn’t believe he was going to have his first time with this huge goober. Then again, that huge goober was kind of his best friend.

Boorman is great but he is without a doubt the grossest of the group. He drank spoiled wine at nockmaar, ate the worms at the shattered sea fishery. I have no doubt that if he was in his feels about being rejected he would eat half a pie no problem. I don't know how much I was thinking about it as I was writing it, but in hindsight I think I wrote Boorman as having a crush on Graydon prior to the fic. Even if he didn't, I think he's a dramatic enough person to use any excuse to cry into dessert.

Boorman patted his face with a napkin in an attempt at nonchalance. “So what changed your mind?”

Remember when this said non nonchalance and we were both confused? lol

Graydon winced. “You know that consummating you mentioned? I kinda ran into it in the showers.”

Boorman gasped. “In public? Elora Danan’s not as vanilla as I thought.”

Graydon's mind briefly went to the marks he briefly saw beneath the robe.

I am just now noticing I put briefly twice in the same sentence. damn i was distracted thinking about elora in only a robe lol

He shook his head. “But also, you know, I’ve never done anything before. If you were interested, it would be nice to have someone-”

“So handsome and experienced in the art of love making?”

“I was gonna say, someone I really care about.” He smiled a little.

Graydon's just so sincere and sweet and truthful! and also can you tell I really REALLY wanted it to be clear he liked Boorman and this wasn't just a rebound?? That's literally all this scene was written for! if I didn't care about that, Boorman would've just been in the room when Graydon came back and they would've immediately started fucking. Which now that I mention it is basically what happened in Lightning Strike 😂

Boorman brushed a lock of hair from his face. “Well I’ll have to think about it while I finish my pie.”

“Of course.”

Boorman picked up the plate and poured the rest of the pie into his mouth.

“Alright, let’s go.” Boorman grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the hall as Graydon shrieked with laughter.

This is the funniest image to me! It feels so right for Boorman to be like 'well i'll save face' and then immediately not. I don't know if "shrieked" is the right word for how the actor would actually laugh in response to this but it is how *I* laughed so it went in! 😂

Thanks for asking! 😘