#thanks for all the reblogs/subscribes/comments/kudos/etc

[anincompletelist]

happy rwrb thanksgiving! :D

in honor of how ridiculously grateful I am for the space and community this fandom has brought to my life, I wanted to create something to give back in the lead up to thanksgiving!

below the cut you'll find an (incomplete) list of ways that you can support the writers and artists that continue to give us such wonderful content. <3

+

firstly, of course, you can support casey + the crew by streaming the film or buying the book!

ways to support writers/fics:

(on ao3) ☆ subscribe to the author ☆ leave kudos ☆ leave a comment ☆ bookmark + add a nice comment in the bookmarkers tags (they're public!) ☆ check the recent works for the fandom to find some lesser known works + subscribe to the pairing for notifications ☆ if you don't like/agree with something or don't have something nice to say, kindly press the back button ☆ this is a good source for other ao3 related support! ☆ this is a good source for learning how to compose comments on ao3!

(on tumblr) ☆ reblog the author's fic posts ☆ leave nice comments in the tags ☆ send a nice ask/anon about their work ☆ create a fic rec list ☆ comment underneath the post ☆ follow their blog for updates/etc. ☆ follow the tags you're interested in to stay updated on the latest works ☆ once again, if you don't have anything nice to say, you can always choose not to interact with the content! be kind!

ways to support artists/artwork:

☆ purchase from their shops (if they have one!) ☆ commission them (if they accept custom orders!) ☆ 'buy them a coffee' / donate to their ko-fi (if applicable) ☆ reblog/retweet/share their art on whatever platform they post on (but do NOT repost/remove watermark/etc.) ☆ reach out to the artist to find out how you can best support them ☆ follow their accounts to stay updated when they post new pieces! ☆ talk about what you liked in the tags or in a comment/message ☆ if you don't like the art/etc., kindly scroll past!

self-promo:

☆ reblog/re-share your own art/writing to make sure it reaches different time zones and demographics ☆ make sure you're tagging your fics and art accordingly to reach your target audience ☆ interact with your readers/viewers for more engagement ☆ get involved in tag games etc. here on tumblr ☆ join (or create!) fests and challenges that you and other writers/artists can take part in ☆ support others in return & be kind!

--

feel free to reblog and add your own ideas if I missed any! there are a million ways to show appreciation, but this is a good start!

no matter why you're here -- whether you're an author, an artist, any other kind of creator, or someone who enjoys the art created by them, publicly or privately, you play such an important role and are actively making this space an uplifting, inspiring community to be a part of. thank you, and continue to create, support, and be kind to one another! :D

I hope you're all having a lovely week, and happy early thanksgiving!

-- anincompletelist / sarah

[not-your-babyy13]

just realized i’ve written and uploaded 22 fics for this fandom on ao3😭 nearly 340K words for a couple with 15 mins of screen time 🙈

since i’m a sentimental POS, I just wanna take a little moment of appreciation to all of the fexi writers that inspired me to start writing, whether we’ve ever chatted or not, follow each other or not, you’re in the fandom anymore, you read my stuff or not, etc. it’s all love. I’ve been obsessed with your incredible brains and the way you pour your hearts into your works. you guys are so talented, it blows my mind 🤯

also a little appreciation to anyone who has ever taken the time to read my stuff, and then decided to comment/drop kudos/reblog/like/subscribe. it’s still kinda surreal that more than one person (that person being yours truly) reads what I write, and enjoys it to the point where they support it in anyway. 

writing/being in the fandom has really become an escape for me since my mom’s diagnosis and my own things going on. I’ve talked to some pretty stellar people. so thank you thank you thank you thank you ♥️

[srprincess]

Fictober Prompt 11 “It’s not always like this.”

fandom - check please

Part 11 of the spookydooAU

Will pulled the truck up close to the house. Well, close as he could get with all the fallen tree limbs.

What had happened to this place, he wondered, getting out of the truck and surveying the mess.

The leaves weren't surprising. After all, they were into fall. Most people didn't even bother raking their camps with how the trees blocked any sun that would have grown grass. But the gutters overflowing? Porch being covered? Even the lattice at the bottom of the porch was half covered with the sort of trash that blew in when the less considerate tourists would hit the beach. Empty chip bags, food wrappers, water bottles and the like.

This was a ‘clear up at the season start’ sort of mess, not the kind you'd expect at a year long residence. And, between the fallen tree limbs and the random brush and twigs, there was wood everywhere except for on the log rack against the cottage, which looked near empty. No way to start the colder seasons.  

He was so distracted he didn't even realize Nursey had gotten out of the truck until he startled at his voice right beside him “Was there a big storm recently?”

Will shook his head. “Not for ages. Storms likely won’t hit the inner point hard for another month yet. Could you hold back here? Let me make a run round the house first.”

He grabbed a flashlight out of the cab before making his way around. There were a couple smaller trees downed in the back, one leaning against the house, but thankfully no broken windows. He really needed to stop back by in the light of day. See to those gutters at least, before she was replacing a roof. Clean up the trash. Maybe cut up and add the scattered branches to her woodpile.

Damn what a mess.  

This sort of mess didn’t pop up overnight, outside of the stormy season at least. And, like he had told Nursey, that hadn't even started yet. That meant all of this had to have been building up for a while. Surely she knew she could have asked for help, right?

 As he came back to the front of the house he saw Nursey with a plastic sack that he must have pulled out of the truck cab, filling it with the litter from the base of the porch. He grabbed another bag and joined him.

”Hope this was alright, ” Nursey held up the almost full bag.

”Oh yeah, I mean, thanks,”

”No problem, I felt weird just standing here.”

“Thanks just the same. You know It’s not always like this.” Will told him, tipping his head towards the debris while wondering if that was technically true. After all, when was the last time he had been here? He couldn't say exactly when, but it’d been a while. She just kind of showed up at his all the time. And with her place pushed back in the trees, even though he could see the shoreline, he didn't have a good view of the house. Maybe it had been bad for a while. He knew pride was a thing, but still. She could have asked and he would have been right over, no questions.

He was jarred out of his thoughts by Nursey shaking out a tangled wind chime, “Hey, isn’t this like yours?”

“Yeah, she makes them. Must have gotten knocked off its hook, blown loose or something. Probably should hang it back up. Spot me?” Will asked, already climbing on the porch rail near to one of the empty hooks and reaching back for the chime. A quick wipe to get rid of a spider web, and the chime was hanging again.

Will was grateful for the hands hovering around his hips when a movement, caught in the corner of his eye, had him spinning on the railing to face the house. Nursey’s quick grip helped turn what would have been an awkward backward fall into a, nearly graceful, hop back to the floor and into his arms.

”Did you see that?” Will asked, pulling loose from Nursey’s hold and trying, unsuccessfully, to peer through the dirty window.

”My sweet save?”

”No, idiot, the curtain. I swear it twitched.”  He knocked on the door, calling out, “Hello? Anyone home?” No answer. He didn’t think she would have stood in the house watching anyway, but he was so sure he saw something. Weird. He pressed his ear to the door, but couldn't hear any sounds of movement. Maybe it had just been a draft?

Will shrugged and hopped back off the porch. “If you want, I can finish up with this while you... I don't know, do whatever it is you do with that stuff in your duffel?”

“How about one more bag first? Like as a thanks for letting us come by. Maybe it will show the spirits I’m friendly and they’ll talk more, yeah?” Nursey reasoned.

“Sounds like nonsense but not like I’ll turn down a pair of hands right now soooo”

Will grabbed the floodlight he had out of the tool chest in the truck bed, hoping he’d remembered to charge it after the last time he used it. He gave a little cheer when he set it on the porch and it turned on. He flashed it in the direction of the lighthouse and watched to see a couple of smaller flashes back.

“Well, they haven’t gone in yet.”

“You know they’ll be thinking that was a ghost or something, right?” Nursey pointed out.

“Then I’ll be sure to do it a few more times before we leave,” Will joked. “Maybe wave it around like it’s floating.”

“Your mind. Evil!” Nursey said, “You would have been so much fun back at the Haus in school dude. The pranks we could have pulled.”

“I don’t know, I’m not much of a space sharer. Like keeping to myself.”

“Really? The grumpy lighthouse keeper isn't a people person? Shocking.” Nursey grinned, “Way to perpetuate a stereotype, dude.”

Will smirked back and flipped him off.

”We’d have worn you down, look what we’ve done in a couple days. Hanging out with the common people, causing scenes,” waving his hand towards the cottage, “trespassing after dark. You’re practically one of us.”

“Not hardly,” Will scoffed.

“One of us. One of us. One of us.” Nursey chanted.

“You are ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously charming?” Nursey asked, plucking a leaf from Will’s hair and handing it to him.

“Ridiculously obnoxious,” Will lied, wondering if it was dark enough to hide the blush on his traitorous face.

Nursey’s thoughtful look made him think it probably wasn’t. Damn. Probably didn’t help that he put the leaf in his pocket instead of tossing it to the ground? Why did he even do that? Like he was some preteen girl going to add it to a scrapbook or some shit? Ugh.  

“I’ll have to work on it then.”

“How about, instead of that, you work on whatever it is you think you're going to accomplish here tonight,” Will said as he plucked the full trash bag out of Nursey hands and took it over to the truck. Coming back he dropped the duffel at his feet. ”Don’t go too far, shout if you need me.”

Nursey gave a mock salute before pulling some things out and heading towards the tree line.

Will had finished picking up the trash before the first check-in calls came through. Listening in, it sounded like everything was going okay. Nothing big to report. Holster did ask about the lights, Nursey blowing him off with a ’maaaaybe’ and an ’I don't know’ with instructions to keep watching the coastline just in case. Will tried to keep his snort of laughter quiet enough to not be picked up.

He'd spent another 20 minutes trying to separate the scattered brush in trash, kindling, ’chop up for the pile’ later when the floodlight started to flicker. He cursed when it completely shut down. Not fully charged after all then. Damn.

He did have a spare but thought it better to save in case of emergency. And his flashlights and lantern were fine for walking around, but not so great for clearing a large area like this.

Figuring he should probably talk to her before doing much more anyway, he tossed the spent light into the truck cab, making a mental note to recharge it later, before catching up with Nursey.

 Seeing him behind a shrub Will quickly jumped towards him, grabbing Nursey’s sides, and yelled ”Did I miss anything?!”

”Fuck! You are the worst!” Nursey yelped and shoved back at him. ”God. Damn.” He blew out a breath before continuing, “Nothing yet. Before you tried to scare me half to death, I was about to take another walk around the perimeter and do some Q&A.”

”Q&A? Okay, but, ummm, I’m not sure what else I can tell you?”

”Not with you.” Nursey held up a recorder and explained, ”I’m going to ask some questions to whoever is out there, and see if I get anything back. I'm recording it so I can play it back louder. Then if there is something the others could hear it later too.”

”And what's that?” Will pointed to the small box Nursey held. It had a pair of square buttons with a small bulb next to each. One marked with a y and the other an n.

”This” Nursey answered proudly, ”is the Answer Machine. I invented it.  With some help from Chow. And supplies from Lardo. And naming by Jack.”

”Huh,” Will tilted his head, ”How does it work?”

”This is it's first time out but, in theory, if I ask a question and the spirit doesn't want to, or can’t, answer verbally a little pressure over the switch here will make the bulb above it light up. Green on the left for yes and red in the right for no.”

”So a flashy ouija?”

”No. An Answer Machine.”

”An answer machine is what used to take phone calls, that is - hold on.” Will addressed the box. ”Are you a poor man’s ouija gadget?” He clicked the left button and saw it light up green, ”Oh-hoh! What do we have here? Yes!”

“Smartass,” Nursey went to pull back his gadget when they were both startled by a crash at the porch. ”Wh-what was that?” he asked, shakily.

”Windchime’s down again.” Will said with a frown. ”Give me another hand?”

 He grabbed some string from the truck’s toolbox and rehung the chime. This time he wound the string around the hook and over the chime hanger to hold it more securely. He gave it a slight tug from side to side and it stayed hanging. Satisfied, he hopped back off the railing and he and Nursey returned to the equipment bag.

 ”Ready?” Nursey asked, as he started the recorder and handed it to Will.

When Will nodded, he flipped on the ’answer machine’ and started asking his questions, pausing between each. As he talked, they walked their way around the edges of the property closest to the house.

 ”Is anyone there?”

”Can you tell me your name?”

”How long have you been here?”

”Do you know what happened to you?”

”Did you tell anyone where you were going?”

”Or what you were doing?”

”Did you have any family?”

”Is there a message you want us to pass along?”

”If you can hear me, give me a sign.”

As the questions went on with no response, or least not one that he could hear or see, Will interrupted, ”This is so cheesy. You're basically talking to yourself in the dark. You get that, right?”

 Nursey just continued on, but louder. ”I’m here with Dex. You might have known his great grandfather. Is there anything you would like to tell him?”

Will pulled a face, and Nursey cracked up.

”What was that? A little louder?”

Will narrowed his eyes. He hadn't heard anything, still.

”Oh! You think his jacket clashes with those pants?”

Will growled and pounced.

Nursey choked out through his laughter, ”and the shoes are a disaster?” He was laying on the ground where he’d been tackled, but tried to roll away before adding, ”I agree but I meant about your disappearance?”

All of the sudden Will froze, staring at that stupid ’answer machine’, ”It's lit. What is that supposed to mean??”

Both the lights were lit up.

Nursey pulled himself sitting and shook the box. ”Maybe I hit the switches when I went down?”

He clicked them both off, but the red light clicked right back on. He clicked it off again, and then it stayed off.

 Will helped him to his feet, and they headed back towards the front of the house. Nursey repeating his earlier questions. He got as far as ”Is there a mess-” when he tripped over something in a pile of leaves.

The box went flying, green light lit this time. Suddenly the wind picked up, blowing harder than it had yet, nearly pulling the wind chime down again even with the extra reinforcements.

The walkie talkie app went off with Bitty’s voice yelling something, wind there too judging by the background noise, but neither of them were listening.

They were both staring at what Nursey had tripped over.

It was a rusting ‘For Sale’ sign from a real estate company in the city.

[monster-bait]

That last post really called me out! I'm that person who reads my favorite fics over and over again and wishes there was the way I could let the author know. Can I ask if it's not offensive, how you like to be shown support for your wonderful writing?

Hello! Thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it! 

Soooooo, I’m going to answer this as two different questions, because that’s what you (unwittingly) asked. If you’re a person who reads and re-reads your favorite fanfic or original fic or Mandalorian meets the Hobbit gang and they all wind up backstage at a Harry Styles concert doing jello shots with Hozier fic or Monster Romance stuff, and you’re wondering how you can better support the creator of your favorite work, YOWZERS have I got great news for you!

...you just did it! You saw my post, clicked my inbox, and sent me a message. It’s really that easy. Do it on anon, do it in the comment section of AO3, shout your name loud and proud if you want, write an epic mutlti-paragraph review or just a keyboard smash. Send a little note saying “I love this.” That’s it! That’s all it takes!

(My normal caveats attach, as always: don’t do things that make you uncomfortable, take care of your own mental health, etc etc infinity. If you don’t have the emotional energy to leave a comment, take care of yourself. I am, however, going to verrrrry gently remind you that the person who created the thing you love so much has their own well of emotional well-being to keep up. Creation comes at a cost, and if they’re not in a position to refill that depleted well on their own, they’re going to be hoping for an outside bucketful. If those buckets dry up, the creative well may run dry.)

The comment culture on sites like AO3 and its ilk can really run a writer down. It’s very easy for people to become addicted to that sweet, sweet validation, and watching your hits climb and the kudos and comments remain stagnant can be gutting. I totally get that sometimes you just want to scroll to your favorite hurt/comfort fic and indulge without feeling like you need to write some effusive praise. That’s fine. Enjoy the content however you want, however you’re able. But if you can, send the creator a message or leave a comment when you’re feeling up to it.

When I reblog posts like the one to which you responded, I’m doing it to pay it forward to my fellow writers who ARE posting on comment-driven sites like AO3 and FFN. I was there once, and I get the frustration that can come with watching your hit count go up and your comments stay empty. I sound like a broken record, but: support the things you love, in whatever way you’re able. Leave a kudos, leave a comment (any comment!) reblog, send a message...lots of ways to show support!

Now...if you’re asking to support *me* personally? I don’t post my work on sites other than my Tumblr and now Patreon. I don’t really care if you guys leave comments on my work. If you do – wonderful! But it’s not something I’m losing sleep over or staying up until the wee hours of night to obsessively read and re-read. (I do check out the tags on reblogs because sometimes you guys are fucking hilarious.)

Honestly, the best way you can support *me* right now is simply by following me on other channels and signing up for my publication alerts. I’m going to be putting Girl’s Weekend up for pre-sale soon, and making an author profile on Amazon & Goodreads, and believe me, y’all are gonna hear about it. You guys can like my author page on Facebook and join the reader group there (once it launches) and follow me on Instagram. My inbox here is always open, and I love getting your wacky/hilarious/insightful asks.

In general, the best way to support creators on *this* platform is to reblog their work.

If you’re in a financial position to subscribe to Patreon or give a ko-fi, awesome, thank you, I appreciate it. If not, that’s fine too. I lost my job in July and my industry is in complete shambles right now, so believe me, I get it. (which is why the work I publish on Patreon will be exclusive to Patreon—I appreciate the support and that’s my way of making it worthwhile for my patrons.)

The ways you can support the creators of the content you love are myriad and plentiful. Just remember that it’s creator content to which most of us turn in times of distress—art, music, comics, fiction, poetry, movies, etc. 

Support the things you love so that the things you love stick around.

[wanderingcas]

2019 Fics

[eeveevie]

and that’s all she wrote!

I’ve posted my last fic for 2019 so my final total for the year is now 208,257 words which is pretty freakin’ decent all things considered 

I would like to take the time to say thank you to everybody who has ever contributed to reading, subscribing, kudo-ing, commenting, bookmarking, subscribing, reblogging, tag-flailing, etc.... on any of my fics. I read every notification and I truly try to be as interactive as possible :)

Your readership and encouragement has kept me going all these years (and not just on Ao3). 

Cheers to 2020! 

Love you all. 🥔 🦀🥳

[dolphelecat]

For the fanfic reading asks 12, 18, 20 :) hope you are having a nice day! ❤

Aaaa! Thanks!! :-)

12. Do you subscribe to authors or stories? 

I do! All the time! I haven’t checked the email account I use for FFN for a long time, so I’ve probably missed some great stories. I do check my AO3 email all the time. Of course, sometimes it doesn’t work out and I unsubscribe, but sometimes the highlight of my day is opening my email and seeing that an author I love has posted a new story.

18. What kind of commenter are you?

If I do leave a comment, it’s usually short and sweet. If my anxiety is acting up, I don’t feel guilty for not leaving a comment. I like, reblog, leave kudos, subscribe, and bookmark fics all the time.

20.  Have you ever read a fic more than once? What is it about that fic that made you read it again?

Ohhhh yes. I have a few favorites that I’ve read dozens of times. There was one Star Wars fic that I once made a tradition of reading every time I was on an airplane. I’m not sure I can articulate why I reread fics. Why does anyone ever reread a book? I want to revisit the characters, the story, the writing, my favorite moments, etc., or the fic helps me work through sad or angry feelings, or sometimes it just always makes me happy.

I hope you’re having a nice day too! Thanks for the asks! ❤

[zacekova]

Tagged by @jaygirl987 and @k-itsmaywriting thanks ladies!

Tagging: @akai-vampire @the-universalfiction @ptw30 @ruledeargremlinchild @tierfal @kolivans @perksofbeingawaifu

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

It was a poor, ignorant attempt at translation into Japanese and I don’t even want to know what it probably actually says because I know it’s not what I meant it to be. I don’t wanna talk about it.

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/favorites, follows/subscriptions, visitor hits, kudos)

On AO3 Every Hour Has Come To This. It’s a Stony fic based off of this fanvideo. On tumblr, Legacy.

3. What is your FFnNet/AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

The same as my tumblr icon, because Kurogane and Fai will always be one of my favorite OTPs, no matter how many years go by or how much I get sucked in to other fandoms.

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

The obiyuki community is usually pretty about commenting, but I don’t think I have an single favorite person.

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Um, different ones for different fandoms.

Literally anything by tierfal for FMA;B is a delight and a half and I remain determined to read everything of hers but I keep going back to reread stuff like her Leading The Blind AU.

I’ve read the Kurofai fic Entanglement like 8 times by now. It’s sweet and sensual and full of feels. Such a nice, peaceful “ending” to the chaos that is the manga.

@sabraeal ‘s Rarely Pure and Never Simple and @superhappybubbleslove Watchtower are my favorite Obiyuki fics and I think I’ve only read them twice each but they are a delight.

And there’s like half a dozen or more Voltron fics I’ve read multiple times.

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

49 subscriptions and 114 bookmarks. But some of those subscriptions are for authors, not fics.

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

Modern day.

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

20 people are subscribed to me specifically, but there’s 167 subscriptions to my works in full. 508 bookmarks.

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

Maybe, but I like reading it more. And I’m not feeling brave, I never even reblog stuff for it because I just... can’t. I’ll enjoy it in secret.

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Oh updating for sure, which basically means I wish I were better about just sitting down and writing because even if I’m not really in the mood I know if I just force myself to I can usually get a decent amount written.

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

I think it’s probably an even split, or close to it.

12. How many stories have you posted on FFNet/AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

Fifty-seven.

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

Just nine, most of which are already published, I just haven’t done anything with the docs.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

I’ve been writing them down lately since I’m getting more ideas than I can keep up with.

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Nope. I don’t think I could unless I felt like they and I had the same style, or that the characters we switched between fit our styles. And that I felt like we were of very similar skill levels in writing.

16. How did you discover FFNet/AO3?

FFNet came as a by product of being in the fanfiction world but I stumbled upon AO3 while looking for doujinshi. I hadn’t even known fanfiction was a thing at the time, or had such a stereotypical view on it that I legitimately didn’t understand what it really is.

It’s really not all kinky porn

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on FFNet/AO3?

Um, I have some of the most Harlock x Yama|Logan fics on AO3 but I don’t really communicate with the few fans and authors much. It’s a really tiny, disconnected fandom, as far as I can tell.

Beyond that, no, not at all.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

Just my name.

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

Writing in general, no, not really. As for fanfiction, well... Sin_of_the_Fallen and I were chatting back and forth on a Harlock fic and lamenting the low number of stories for our favorite pairing and they said that someone needed to lead the change, that that someone could end up being me. It stuck with me and literally two weeks later I published the first chapter of what ended up becoming the most popular fic for that pairing. And here I am.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

Don’t be shy, don’t let nerves stop you. I spent the entirety of those two weeks fretting over whether I was good enough, if I would ever finish the whole thing, if anyone would like it, etc. etc. And there’ve been plenty of things since then that didn’t go as well as I hoped but in general I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my writing, and a lot of joy, that I wouldn’t have if I’d never taken that first step.

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

I am getting better at plotting things out, at least the longer stuff. With short fics I still tend to wing it based on the general idea I have in my head.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

No, thank goodness. I have a fragile heart, lack of commentary is bad enough.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

UST. Sexual stuff in general, I think.

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

- Editing a few things I’ve already published, just cleaning them up.

- rewriting/editing and publishing a modern day CSI obiyuki fic

- a handful of old fics in various fandoms that I am determined to finish one day but haven’t touched in months or years

- an absolutely massive Thulaz arranged marriage AU that is still mostly in the plotting phase, figuring out exactly how I want things to go and wrap up before I commit to posting anything. Any of my wonderful Voltron friends want to help me out with plotting and beta-ing?

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

Oh all the time, as you can see from the above.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

Unofficially, like 500 words, but I’m so bad about meeting it that I pretend it doesn’t exist.

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

Definitely.

28. What is your favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Currently, Another Chance, For You, an Izanayuki (Shirayuki x Izana) reincarntion AU.

29. What is your least favorite story(s) that you’ve written?

Kuro-mean. I don’t even know why I published it, it’s so dumb. I was honestly surprised it got any kudos at all.

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

Not much different than where I am now, just better, hopefully.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

Scene descriptions/setting, world building, backstory.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

F-ing dialogue.

33. Why do you write?

Because I love creating stories and sharing them with people who will enjoy them.

[velkynkarma]

Get to Know the Author

@bosstoaster has been tagging me all night :P

1. How did you come up with your username and what does it mean?

I’ve had the name ‘Karma’ for about 17 years now? I don’t even remember where it came from. The ‘Velkyn’ got added a little over 10 years ago when I decided I wanted to get back into fic writing. But I was still in that phase where you think you’re supposed to ‘grow out’ of fandoms and writing fanfiction, so I didn’t want any of my friends to know I was doing it. I was embarrassed. It was silly. I picked a different handle, VelkynKarma, which actually means ‘hidden Karma.’ Later I just liked the name and also got over my embarrassment for fic writing and just started using it everywhere.

2. Which fanfic of yours has the most feedback? (bookmarks/subscriptions/hits/kudos).

No matter what statistic you look at, Routine Maintenance wins across the board by a large margin. Parasite Knight only has 1 less subscription, though, so I guess it’s a fair contender on subs.

3. What is your AO3 profile icon, and why did you choose it?

Same as my tumblr icon, it’s one of my OC’s, Morrigu Lovel. He is a little smartass and I love him.

4. Do you have any regular/favourite commenters?

Oh for sure, there’s a few lovely readers that come back every time and always have something to say. I love you guys :) And a few others that don’t comment on every chapter or every work, but the comments they leave are always phenomenal and make my day.

5. Is there a fanfic that you keep going back to read again and again?

Depends on my mood, and I don’t necessarily read the entire fic, just the paragraphs/scenes/chapters that really stick out to me. But yeah, I’ve got some favorites I return to a lot.

6. How many stories are you subscribed to? How many do you have bookmarked?

Oh geez. This one’s hard to say since I watch stuff on AO3 and FF.net. A lot? I think a lot of those fics are dead now though.

7. Which AU do you find yourself writing the most?

Mmmm I don’t really have a tendency to stick to any particular series or AU for very long? I guess in terms of general themes I’ve done zombie AU’s the most, between Age of Heroes for Young Justice and Road Trip to End Times for Voltron...something about zombie apocalypse scenarios just fascinates me, especially since it can be done so many different ways.

8. How many people are subscribed and bookmarked to you in total? (you can view this on the stats page)

252 user subs, 444 work subs, 2039 bookmarks. I didn’t even know that until now, huh

9. Is there something you’d like to write about but are afraid of people judging you for it? (Feeling brave? If so, share it!)

There’s some character interactions that are such hot-button topics in the VLD fandom I’m cautious about approaching them because I don’t want to deal with people complaining or begging for things to get escalated. Like, I love Keith and Lance’s interactions in canon, but don’t have much fic centered around them because ship lashback is real.

10. Is there anything you would like to be better at? Writing certain scenes or genres, replying to comments, updating better, etc.

Short fic. What is brevity even? I can’t do zines or commissions because I can’t figure out how to manage a damn word count.

11. Do you write rarepairs or popular ships more often?

Nope! I don’t write any ships at all. I just write platonic interaction. Though I guess I wouldn’t be adverse to a platonic ‘rarepair’ as long as I liked the characters’ interaction potential.

12. How many stories have you posted on AO3 to this day (finished and unfinished)?

So far, 25. 23 of those are Voltron, 1 is Young Justice, and 1 is Supernatural (experimenting with cross-posting on both of those last two, some fandoms are just hard to break into or not on certain sites).

13. How many stories do you have saved in/with your writing program?

Oh boy. In progress? I wanna say 3. Notes? A lot, lot more.

14. Do you write down story ideas, or just keep them in your head?

I jot down notes! Or email myself ideas if I’m at work/out and about. Or speak them into a little portable digital tape recorder I keep next to my bed, if it’s the middle of the night and I have an idea, but lack dexterity to type.

15. Have you ever co-authored a story?

Not in a long, looong time.

16. How did you discover AO3?

Through TVTropes. Every time I finished a new series I’d swing by to read tropes pages and see if there were any decent fic recs. At first they all went to Fanfiction.net or livejournal but, over time, this ‘Archive’ thing kept showing up. I made an account to lurk or subscribe to things but didn’t actually start posting to it until at least a year later.

17. Do you consider yourself to be a popular or famous author in your fandom(s) on AO3?

Moderately well known in the platonic corner of it probably assuming people know bosstoaster and I are not actually the same person lol but probably not well known outside of that. Once upon a time I was a Big Name in the One Piece fandom, but after the timeskip I fell out of the fandom and lost my pirate king throne. That’s okay, it was fun while it lasted.

18. Do you have a nickname or fandom name for your readers?

No but you all are too kind

19. Was there an author who inspired or encouraged you to write?

In terms of ‘official’ authors, Brandon Sanderson is everything I ever aspire to be as a writer, and I take a lot of inspiration from that. For fic? My buddy BlackFriar was super helpful during the Young Justice era. More recently in the VLD fandom, @maychorian was big for just...getting me to stay in the fandom at all? One of her fics got me hooked and I stuck around, and then felt compelled to write, instead of just drifting off to the next interesting thing. And the Think Tank ( @bosstoaster @butteredonions @ashinan @mumblefox ) have all been huge for getting me to keep writing, between writing sprints and interesting discussions and a lot of encouragement, so that’s been huge for me this past year.

20. What writing advice would you give to a beginning author?

At the risk of sounding like that one video...just do it. It’s scary to put yourself out there, but just do it. You learn by doing. You also learn by absorbing new things around you, so read a lot and try new stuff; you never know when something completely random or a personal experience might actually add a lot to your story. And finally, write for you, first. Write the stories you want to see. Writing for comments/bookmarks/reblogs only goes so far. It means your motivation is reliant solely on people liking your work, which means you start writing for other people and not for yourself...and if reception is lackluster, it can kill your ability to finish a project, which hurts your practice at follow-through. It’s a slippery slope and starts to make the whole thing a lot less fun and a lot more of a chore. Write things you want to read, and if you feel like sharing them after, other people might like them too, but it’s important that you like it, first.

21. Do you plot out your stories, or do you just figure it out as you go?

Has to be plotted completely. If I try to wing it I meander or get hung up on trying to keep track of details. Turns into total garbage.

22. Have you ever gotten a bad comment on a story? If so, what did you do?

A few times, sure. Happens to everyone. Most often, it’s people begging, demanding, or insinuating that my platonic fics should include a ship, especially if the fic focuses on the interactions of two specific characters. Those are very frustrating because I’m always upfront about the fic being friendship only, and there are usually a million other ship fics already out there. Leave my platonic fic alone! I usually ignore the comments, or just politely remind people it’s friendship only and will remain that way. In one bewildering instance in a different fandom I had somebody who had been thoroughly enjoying the fic up until the climactic battle, whereupon they were furious at how it was resolved, and took great pains to tell me just what they thought. That one stung. I had to sit on it for a few days before I worked up the nerve to respond, and chatted with a few friends over it too. In the end I realized that it was more comparable to a fan really enjoying a canon work but being mad about a sudden twist that just didn’t seem right to them. It happens. I thanked them for reading, explained that I disagreed with their comments but did hear them, and thanked them for their time. Best I could do.

23. Is there a certain type of scene that you have a hard time writing? (action, smut, etc..)

I am straight-up incapable of romance, period. Even so far as to slide into ‘fake’ romance (I once got prompted for fake marriage/dating and literally couldn’t envision how to do it? It’s just so foreign to me). Or flirting. I can’t even identify flirting IRL. Basically anything in that general area of writing is completely out of my league. I can write intense scenes that are intimate in non-romantic, non-sexual ways, but those are really difficult for me to do too and I’m constantly second-guessing myself in case it’s maybe too much.

24. What story(s) are you working on now?

If I told you I’d have to kill you. But no, srsly, I don’t like to share ideas in progress until it’s almost done, just in case. Sometimes I share and then immediately lose interest, but I’ve already raised peoples’ hopes, and that’s just a dick move.

25. Do you plan your next project(s) before you finish your current ongoing story(s)?

I’ll have outlines, or sometimes need to plan around prompts. I don’t usually do series, so I never really need to plan too far ahead though. Sometimes if I’m plotting a crossover/AU I’ll obtain the source material and read/watch/play it to start gathering notes for that fic while working on a different fic, so that by the time I’m done writing the current story, the AU’s skeleton is plotted out and I have a place to slot in all the characters.

26. Do you have a daily writing goal set for yourself?

No. I’ve gotten better habits since working with the Think Tank but I still tend to be more of a ‘burst’ writer (no activity for days or weeks, and then suddenly word vomiting 100K in a month).

27. Do you think you’ve improved as a writer since you first started?

By a HUGE margin

28. What is your favorite story that you’ve written?

Oooh, that’s a toss-up between Phantasmagoria and Prince of Memory. The former because I love writing horror and it’s an idea I’d wanted to tackle for a while. The latter because it was a personal writing challenge to myself that I honestly wasn’t sure was going to go over all that well, but the response was stunning, and I was quietly surprised.

29. What is your least favorite story that you’ve written?

Caged Bird, from a different fandom. I make it a personal rule to never delete stories that I’ve posted, but ooh man, I wanted to get rid of this one really bad. I was happy when LJ gutted it. I actually don’t have any real dislike for any of my Voltron stuff.

30. Where do you see yourself (as a writer) in 5 years?

Still writing because I’d die if I stopped. Like a shark. But with writing.

31. What is the easiest thing about writing?

That flash of inspiration, when you get an idea and suddenly it’s building itself almost too fast for you to keep up. Dialogue. Action sequences.

32. What is the hardest thing about writing?

Getting started. Titles. Editing. Research. Any particularly emotional moment.

33. Why do you write?

Because fandoms are fun but I have so many questions after. “What if X happened? What if Y was a factor? Why not Z?” I try to hunt down answers to these questions in fandoms and if the fic isn’t already written, I write it. Also to challenge myself to do things that haven’t been done in the fandom yet, or to tackle things I haven’t tried yet.

I think everyone’s been tagged already so...feel free to play if you want, I guess!