#the most i got was rude comments on my fanworks

[anti-spop]

sure, a lot of fandoms are crappy, but the spop fandom is quite possibly one of the most hostile fandoms i've ever been in. like i'm not joking. i've been accused of so much shit for not liking certain characters or ships. hell, not even the r/egular show fandom was like this, when it still had the love triangle plot going on.

and it's so odd bc spop is literally the queer "power of friendship" cartoon. i mean, the show itself has its shitty things, but i never thought the fandom would be worse.

#i post #spop critical #you could mention the su fandom which was also shitty #but i was never stalked by an angry su fan #the most i got was rude comments on my fanworks #but in the spop fandom i was called antiblack or 'spicy white' for criticizing how spop handled the black characters #srsly this fandom is bananas #i've heard from other crits that they were accused and harassed similarly #anti stans

[ao3commentoftheday]

Hello!

How do you leave a good comment on a work when you notice a large error? Or a small error,m I get so nervous to leave a comment nowadays because not many people have clear statements regarding criticism. So, I'm hesitant to point out anything out/ leave a comment that's anything but positive.

I remember a few months ago, on a BNHA work, I corrected the timeline of canon events that author got wrong (because the WIP seemed to be going down that route of "canon adjacent" work that spawn from a canonical event). The author had a message beneath the chapters that "all comments were welcomed," so I thought it was okay to leave the type of comment I did. But I dealt with several aggressive messages from the author and the author's friends about needless critique and how rude I came off as afterwards (I apologized,but I still got messages for a while).

The whole thing freaked me out a bit because I hate any semblance of confrontation ,so now I'm nervous about commenting any work- even those with explicit statements on criticism (welcome ,not welcomed,etc). I leave kudos and such ,but sometimes I debate over whether or not the author needs my comment about their typos. I try to sandwich a critique between two compliments like everyone says,but then I end up with a paragraph-length comment, and I worry about coming off too strongly.

I'm rambling,sorry.

Is there a guide to good comments for criticism in fanworks? Besides not giving criticism when criticism would not be welcomed??

Thank you for your time.

First of all, I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience. I'm sure that was awful for you, and I totally understand why it would freak you out.

When it comes to correcting things in fanfic, there are a lot of things to take into account.

Why does correcting the error matter to you?

How well do you know the author?

How long would it take to make the correction?

There are others, but these are the bigger "buckets" I see most of them fitting into.

If the error matters to you because you get annoyed when you see typos, for example, then that's more of a "you" problem. You can download the fic and edit out the typos and then when you reread it, you won't have to worry about them.

If the error matters to you because you'd be embarrassed if you had posted a fic and there were typos in it, that's also kind of a "you" problem. If the author feels the same way, they'll likely have an author's note indicating that they want to be notified. Otherwise, they're likely resigned to the idea that typos will happen, and if they reread their work themselves, they'll edit them out if and when they catch them.

If the error matters to you because it's non-canonical, this one is more of a wait and see. Maybe the author made the error by accident, but it very well could be on purpose. Perhaps that small change is relevant to the overall plot they're developing. Maybe it's just a thing that they personally hate in canon and have decided that they don't want to include for that reason. Maybe it's a genuine error that they'd be horrified to notice later. There's no way to know.

And that last one is where we come to the second item above. If you know the author well, you can message them and have a chat and bring it up there. I'd recommend just starting out by talking about the story as a whole and what their plan is for it. As I said, maybe what you see as an error is actually a conscious choice that they've made for the story that they want to tell. During that conversation, you'll be able to figure out whether it's actually an error and whether they'd want it pointed out or not.

If you don't know the author well, you could point an error like that out in a comment but then you need to think about the third factor.

Typos take seconds to change. Plot points take hours, days, weeks, or longer. Asking someone to put in a lot of time to make a change to something they've already been working hard on can be really demotivating - even crushing.

For a lot of authors (possibly even most?) they put a lot of work into their fics before they ever get to the point of posting them. They've read, revised, planned, and plotted. They might even have additional chapters already written that are in the revision process and just haven't been posted yet.

Especially in long works, authors look to the comments as a cheering section to urge them on towards completion, so posting corrections or pointing out errors can feel like someone standing up and booing. I think that's what happened in that BNHA situation you referenced in your ask.

That's why the general suggestion when it comes to commenting with corrections is just to not do so. If you want, you can comment about all of the things you like in the fic and then ask if the author wants a beta. That would allow you to have those conversations about their vision for the fic, and it would also allow you to offer feedback before the work is posted and while it's still being edited and worked on.

Otherwise, if it really does bother you, I'm afraid you might just need to dip out and find a different fic.

#asks and answers #long post

[forestshadow-wolf]

This isn't my normal posting but, I just saw a reddit post where an author got bullied off of writing their own fanfic. Not everyone needs to hear this, in fact most people are decent human beings. But I feel like there are still a few things that should be restated that EVERYBODY needs to keep in mind when consuming fan works.

First and foremost "don't like, Don't read" simple as that. On just about every platform that you find fan woks on you can choose to not see it. Such as scrolling or filtering

Ao3 has a filtering system for a reason. Learn it, use it. If you don't know how, there are resources to help, or I have a very basic understanding of how to use it. I'm always willing to look and see how to help filtering. (The exclude function is one of the most useful tools)

IF you read something that you don't/didn't like then just leave. There is no need to leave rude comments, or even polite critiques (unless the author/artist explicitly says that you can)

^^^ this goes especially for Ao3 because it doesn't have an algorithm (and it never will) you are responsible for your own media consumption. Refer back to point 2 if you're confused

Please. Please. Please keep in mind that the creators of fanwork are creating for themselves, they do not owe you anything. Unless you've payed them for a specific work, and even then that doesn't give you a right to be rude, because you gave them creative freedom within set boundaries.

I'm aware I cannot make anyone do anything but i beg you. If for any reason you feel a need to point something out, don't be rude. I promise anything mean you want to say can be said a million different ways in a polite manner.

For Ao3 petitions won't bring it down (at least from my understanding) because it is all funded by the people. Again if you are unhappy with what you or someone else is seeing then go back to points 2 and 4. Or you may need to change tactics, such as what you are searching.

Don't harass a creator to make more or less of their works. You never know what their situation it, plus things like writer's block or aritst block (art block?) Have an unexpected way or appearing at the most inconvenient times

If you like a work please say so (in a polite non-pushy way) 99.9% or the time the fan artist will appreciate it. And it never hurts to share it as well (as long as the creator hasn't said not to AND you must credit them

If you want to create any type of work based on another person's work, please ask. 9/10 times they will say yes, and to tag them because they want to see it as well.

Edit: to the fan artists of any media. Remember that the consumers don't owe you anything Either

#ao3 #fandom #fanfic #fanart #fanfiction

[pearlcaddy]

[Image ID: An AO3 comment by an unregistered user who named themselves Updates pls. Comment reads: “I know it’s been 500000 years but I am respectfully requesting updates. This is my favorite universe atm and I will die if u don’t give me more of it 😐” End ID]

Okay.

I’ve gotten a lot of these lately, and normally I just delete them and move on with my life, but I got this on a completed fic, so it really sent my irritation to new heights.

If I’m being generous, I assume people who leave these comments don’t realize how awful and entitled they are. They think the fact that they’re demanding More™ is inherently complimentary, or they think that throwing a wee compliment in the middle makes up for the rudeness, or that words like respectfully or politely are magic spells that somehow counteract everything else they’ve said.

(This is the second one of these that I’ve gotten in the past twenty-four hours, and I’ve noticed a formula to it: A reference to how long it’s been since you last posted something, as if you’re an employee overdue on an assignment. A very brief compliment, immediately followed by a demand that you update, or else they will suffer/die/cry/whatever guilt bait they’re using.)

But to be honest, I don’t really feel like being generous because I never get the sense that people leaving these kinds of comments have thought about the person receiving them at all. They’re basically treating the writer like a vending machine: insert enough guilt and demands, and a fic may fall out.

So here is your daily reminder that fic writers write and post fics for free in the available time we find in our lives. We make time around our work, school, loved ones, caring responsibilities, health needs, etc. to do something that brings us joy. We write for ourselves, and when we share what we’ve made, the one thing that most of us are looking for in return is that readers who like what we’ve shared let us know in whatever way they’re able: a kudos, a reblog, an encouraging ask, a comment, a fic rec.

The things that have brought me back to fic writing in the past are comments that actually make me feel good about my writing. That remind me what I loved about a particular verse/fic/ship. That tell me my writing has some kind of impact on people who read it. Comments that make me and my writing feel valuable and enjoyable for both me and readers.

So what do I do when I love a fic and hope a writer updates it or creates more things in that verse? Comment. Or comment again if I’m re-reading. I let them know how much I love the thing they’ve made and tell them the things I like about it. And if I want to encourage more, my go-to phrase is “if you write anything else in the verse, I’ll be first in line to read it”—centering my enthusiasm for their work rather than screaming for More.

I can’t speak for other fic writers, but personally? Whenever I get update pls comments, I put off writing for longer. Because sharing another fic starts to feel Sisyphean if people are just going to keep banging on the table demanding More no matter what I do.

Part of the reason this particular comment set me off so much is that the fic is complete. In fact, there are multiple completed fics and tens of thousands of words in that verse. There is a lot of More already.

And one of the aspects of fandom that I’m finding really disheartening lately is how loud the screams for More are, as if a thing only has value as long as there is a constant stream of new stuff coming. As if a TV show is only worthwhile if there are new episodes being released. As if fandoms are only relevant as long as hordes of fans are actively creating new fanworks. As if WIPs only matter if they’re being updated.

Instead of valuing and celebrating works for existing even if they’re short or unfinished, there’s such endless demand for More that it feels like things are only valued if they’re infinite. And to quote Angel:

It just don't work. It's like a song. Now, I can hold a note for a long time. Actually, I can hold a note forever. But eventually, that's just noise. It's the change we're listening for. The note coming after and the one after that. That's what makes it music.

Stories end. Stories need to end. Both for their own sake and because creators need to move on to new stories. And even if a note is cut off early—if a show is cancelled or a WIP isn’t completed—it doesn’t diminish the beauty or value of the note. It usually makes things even more beautiful: the flash of lightning in a bottle, the thrill of promise suspended in amber.

Instead of always demanding More, could we not show appreciation for what already exists?

Or, at the very least, could we stop being entitled brats in AO3 comments?

#ao3 #fanfiction #ao3 comments #fandom #this comment was on the milder side of Update Pls bullshit but the fact that it was ona completed fic and not one of my wips fucking sent me #the irony is that i was thinking of sharing a prompt list this week and writing more stuff in some of my verses #but now i'm grumpy and i don't want to #i'm like the pouting luke meme #also #very very sick of the number of people who tell me they'll die if i don't write more! #fuck off with that!!! #even as hyperbole how do people not get how fucked up that is?? #pearlcaddy.txt #500

[iruka-week]

Iruka Week 2021 Masterpost

Here’s the final list of works posted to Iruka Week 2021. Thank you to everyone who participated, and to those of you who have supported the creators by liking, sharing, and commenting!

✨ Stats ✨

In total, you all created:

Art: 67 Poems: 2 Videos: 2 Drabbles (100): 46 Ficlets (100-1000): 42 Fics (1k+): 39 Total works: 194 Word Count: 196,533

That’s so much amazing, new Iruka-centric content, and we’re absolutely thrilled by your enthusiasm!

Below you’ll find the works split into days, and then further separated by media type. We hope you enjoy browsing all of the fantastic fanworks!

In case viewing everything on Tumblr isn’t your thing, we put together a 61 page Google doc with everything in, which you can view here.

~

Day 1: Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Scars

Artwork and Physical Crafts

sweetysamaa Overworked & Sleep Deprived

Iruka-Simp Scars

animetrashmuffin Scars

katedoesart Scars

ultramarinetwix Scars

Iruka-Simp Overworked & Sleep Deprived

anniemaar Scars

dayonnight Overworked & Sleep Deprived

yamivdum Scars

microrockets Scars

radkoko Scars

rocketpunchhh Scars

Fics and Meta

Exam Week by FreakyPseudWriter Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Umino Iruka/Reader General Audiences | 1/1 | 1342 Summary: There are some weeks Iruka absolutely dreaded, as they were stressful, hard for the mind and body, and mostly filled with lots of tears from his students. Exam Week. Not to talk about the sleep deprivation and the many, many tests he had to correct. No miracle he lived off of coffee, but that his state would lead to a happy ending... He would've never guessed.

Sensibile al tocco by RainbowLSparrow Scars | Mizuki/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 636 Summary: " Aveva sempre avuto un rapporto conflittuale con la sua cicatrice. Non ne faceva un problema estetico, quello per lui non era mai stato così importante. In fondo a Konoha non era di certo l'unico ad avere cicatrici, era probabilmente molto più comune di quanto facesse piacere ammettere. Il suo problema era quello che quella cicatrice significavano per lui. "

Sensitive to touch by RainbowLSparrow Scars | Mizuki/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 643 Summary: " He had always had a conflicted relationship with his scar. He didn't make it an aesthetic problem, that had never been so important to him. After all, in Konoha he was certainly not the only one with scars, it was probably much more common than he was pleased to admit. His problem was what that scar meant to him. "

Solo un'altra correzione e poi vado a letto! by RainbowLSparrow Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou General Audiences | 1/1 | 679 Summary: ""Ruka... Per favore, vieni a dormire!"" Era già la seconda volta che veniva a chiamarlo, ormai era notte inoltrata e sapeva che Kakashi questa volta non avrebbe accettato un no come risposta. ""Correggo solo un altro compito e poi ti giuro che vengo!"""

Just one more correction and then I'm off to bed! by RainbowLSparrow Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou General Audiences | 1/1 | 718 Summary: "Ruka ... Please, come to sleep!" It was already the second time he had come to call him, it was now late at night and he knew that this time Kakashi would not take "no" for an answer. "I'll just correct one more paper and then I swear I'll come!"

Even When Overworked by tmo Scars, Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Mature | 1/1 | 500 Summary: The Mood can hit at any time, even when you're tired and overworked. But who could refuse Iruka, really?

Incense and Bubble Baths by lazy___mastermind Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Umino Iruka/Reader Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 2912 Summary: You were having a rough few weeks and just needed to wind down. Iruka knew this. So, when you got home to turn in for the end of the work week, your boyfriend of two years already had the perfect you-tailored evening planned.

Tracing stories. by JustAnotherFool Scars | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 1422 Summary: Scars are stories embedded on skin. On a too hot night, Kakashi finds himself tracing Iruka's stories.

Hatake to the Rescue... and Dinner? by Jubokko Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 1530 Summary: Years worth of training kept Iruka from faceplanting. Fatigue, however, caused one hand to shoot out and grab hold of something to keep himself from losing balance. Unfortunately, as full awareness returned to him, he realized that the “something” that he’d taken hold of was none other than the collar of Kakashi’s flak jacket. The stupid jounin was blushing again. “What—the hell are—you doing?” Iruka wheezed. "You ask me on a date, then try to run away before you can hear my answer? How rude!” Kakashi seemed to squirm under Iruka’s scrutinizing glare. “Well, I—uh—” [Or—Iruka has a long day and waltzes out of a restaurant without his dinner and flak jacket. Kakashi seizes the opportunity to ask an important question... and completely loses his cool]

wounds heal, but scars remain by MagnusTesla Scars | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Sometimes at night, the pain is too much.

got me sleep deprived by jessicamiriamdrew Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 270 Summary: “You work too hard,” Kakashi says, and settles down next to Iruka on the kotatsu. “It’s the weekend; you should come to bed early.”

the perfect cure by stupidbadgers Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 211 Summary: iruka is overworked and sleep-deprived, but the perfect cure for that is being wrapped in his lover's arms

I'mperfect by JKirin Scars | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Do our scars make us imperfect?

Early Morning Reminiscing by irukapng Scars | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 952 Summary: Some scars are easier to heal than others.

In Need of Rest by vulcanhighblood Scars, Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 3989 Summary: Iruka is spending too much time taking care of other people and not enough time caring for himself. Kakashi decides to do something about it.

Introspection by kaoruhana Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/ Maito Gai (Implied) General Audiences | 1/1 | 3362 Summary: Iruka muses on the fact that the kids he once knew as pre-genin at the academy are all grown up, getting married, and starting their own families. He tells himself that he’ll find someone to settle down with too. Except, that’s easier said than done with his already packed schedule which becomes even busier when the Rokudaime gives him one more task to do. But Iruka doesn’t care. Not when it’s all for the kids anyway.

Role reversal by R_4_L Overworked & Sleep Deprived General Audiences | 1/1 | 1143 Summary: Iruka finds himself hospitalized and Kakashi is by his friends side. This time Kakashi is giving the lecture, he just needs to make sure Iruka hears it.

scars by roymustaangs Scars General Audiences | 1/1 | 213 Summary: He had them all over his body; on his chest, his legs, his nose. He was a ninja. This was bound to happen.

internal inferno by NianaiBell Scars General Audiences | 1/1 | 494 Summary: not all scars are visible

you drew stars around my scars by MelanatedRavenclaw Scars | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Mature | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka didn't know where he would be if he hadn't met Kakashi. He had been in a dark place, but Kakashi had patiently shown him there was still good in the world.

Come to Bed by llsilvertail Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka needs sleep.

It Never Goes Away by llsilvertail Scars Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Even after it's over, it's not gone.

Will Release Ever Come? by mandapandabug Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Explicit | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka comes home from work to find a randy lover who wants to worship his body all night long. It sounds romantic, but how much can one man take!?

easy on my mind, this time by NianaiBell Overworked & Sleep Deprived | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 1726 Summary: Self-care keeps Iruka prepared to deal with the multitude of roles he takes on in his village. Sometimes he just needs a push in the right direction.

Day 2: Bonds | Folklore & Mythology

Artwork and Physical Crafts

sweetysamaa Folklore & Mythology

anniemaar Folklore & Mythology

microrockets Bonds

rocketpunch Bonds | NSFW

cosrune Folklore & Mythology

yamivdum Folklore & Mythology

dayonnight Folklore & Mythology

happymonger Folklore & Mythology

helenasugar Folklore & Mythology

animetrashmuffin Folklore & Mythology

radkoko Folklore & Mythology

Iruka-Simp Bonds

Iruka-Simp Folklore & Mythology | CW: Blood

Fics and Meta

Best Man Duty FreakyPseudWriter Bonds | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto, Umino Iruka/Reader, Umino Iruka/Original Character(s), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 1127 Summary: In the moments before his wedding, Iruka has a heart-to-heart-talk with Naruto.

Il calore di un abbraccio by RainbowLSparrow Bonds | Umino Iruka & his students, Sarutobi Hiruzen & Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 665 Summary: " Per Iruka il sentire caldo o freddo, non era solo una questione di temperatura, Iruka ricavava calore dalla vicinanza con gli altri, dalla felicità che gli procurava il condividere del tempo con gli altri. "

The warmth of a hug by RainbowLSparrow Bonds | Sarutobi Hiruzen & Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka & his students General Audiences | 1/1 | 687 Summary: " For Iruka, feeling hot or cold was not just a matter of temperature, Iruka drew warmth from being close to others, from the happiness that sharing time with others gave him. "

Queen of the Nile by tmo Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Explicit | 1/1 | 500 Summary: They were women legendary in their own rights. Most thought of them as rivals, others as friends, but their bond remained a mystery to all but them.

Oji-san by kaoruhana Bonds General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Boruto calls Iruka Ojii-san for the first time.

the ties that bind us by MagnusTesla Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: A slight tug at the bond that wraps itself around Iruka's soul is all it takes to know his mate is safe and sound.

bonds by roymustaangs Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 1379 Summary: Destiny could work in interesting ways sometimes.

Dolphin of the sea by RainbowLSparrow Folklore & Mythology General Audiences | 1/1 | 496 Summary: " He loved his position as a spirit of the Naka River. He had once been a dolphin, he was part of the great Ryujin's court. "

Delfino del mare by RainbowLSparrow Folklore & Mythology General Audiences | 1/1 | 485 Summary: " Amava la sua posizione di spirito del fiume Naka. Un tempo era stato un delfino, faceva parte della corte del grande Ryujin. "

Friends to Family by JKirin Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: They are more than friends – they are family.

Time by Jubokko Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 614 Summary: Closing his eyes, Iruka dug into the pocket of his bathrobe and withdrew a small, velvet box. He didn’t need to see the inside in order to know the familiar pattern inscribed on the ring. It had been burned into his flesh for decades, just as it had been on Kakashi’s, binding them together—two unwitting souls divided by pain and conflict for so long. Too long. Iruka breathed, fingers tightening around the box. Today could have—would have—been the happiest day of his life. When the tears began to fall, silently tracing down his cheeks, he did nothing to fight them."

you are the one i was meant to find by MelanatedRavenclaw Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Soulmate AU where one feels intense pain when they are near their soulmate for the first time.

אמת by jessicamiriamdrew Folklore & Mythology | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: The letters are scarred into Iruka's forehead, hidden under jutsu.

bonds that hold you by stupidbadgers Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: a quiet moment of happiness

sea shanty for shinobi by NianaiBell Folklore & Mythology General Audiences | 1/1 | 2570 Summary: Kakashi didn't think this mission would involve vengeful sea spirits today. Thankfully, there's Iruka.

The Transformative Power of Love by mandapandabug Folklore & Mythology | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: There's a fable of an aquatic mammal that becomes a beautiful human. So what if Kakashi embellishes this tale to fit his own love life better?

A Pocket Full of Pixies by llsilvertail Folklore & Mythology | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Pixies are capricious creatures. One quickly learns to not piss them off.

The Tying of New Bonds by llsilvertail Bonds | Mizuki & Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Old knots are untangled and new bonds are forged.

wreck me like you mean it by kageillusionz, mytsukkishine Bonds | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Explicit | 1/1 | 5331 Summary: Iruka gets wrecked by the Hokage.🥺

Day 3: Edo Tensei | Fake Dating

Artwork and Physical Crafts

animetrashmuffin Edo Tensei | CW: Blood

dayonnight Fake Dating

sweetysamaa Edo Tensei

nki-stories Edo Tensei

radkoko Fake Dating

animetrashmuffin Fake Dating

Iruka-Simp Edo Tensei

Iruka-Simp Fake Dating

microrockets Edo Tensei

Fics and Meta

Hold Back the River by mandapandabug Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto Teen And Up Audiences | 8/8 | 41390 Summary: Naruto has been annoying his two favorite sensei about their (non-existent) love lives ever since he found love with Hinata. They decide to indulge Naruto and pretend to date because Iruka wasn't ready to date anyone for real. Turns out, Kakashi's enemies were just waiting for the opportunity to get revenge. Too bad they weren't really dating... or really in love... were they? It takes a long time to get there, but Iruka finally sorts out his feelings and maybe he's ready for something real. Luckily Kakashi is patient and a smitten-kitten.

Fake it 'til you... by FreakyPseudWriter Fake Dating | Umino Iruka/Reader, Umino Iruka/Original Female Character(s), Umino Iruka/Original Character(s) General Audiences | 1/1 | 5964 Summary: Flying doesn't bother you. Most of the time, you tend to your job, writing emails, planning appointments for your boss, or simply sleep the flight away. Though, on this flight, your seat neighbor is obviously scared to death by the prospect of leaving the ground, to the point you have to intervene. Everything to save your most comfortable flats from halfway digested food.

love's a curse by MagnusTesla Edo Tensei | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka's not mad, no. They're all wrong. Can't they see that his love knows no bounds?

Just Go With It by tmo Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/2 | 500 Summary: Their best-friend vacation accidentally turned into a boyfriend vacation

Goodbye by NKI_Stories Edo Tensei | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Tears ran down his face as he refused to let go.

kiss me like you mean it by roymustaangs Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: For Iruka Week 2021, prompt three: fake dating!

Make No Promises You're Unprepared To Keep by vulcanhighblood Fake Dating General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: He'd always known it would end. He just didn't expect it to hurt this much.

on one condition by stupidbadgers Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 241 Summary: iruka is tired of his friends butting into his dating life, so he does something about it

Doing The Research Early by mandapandabug Edo Tensei General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Kabuto heard Iruka was an expert in seals. While he was in town, he may as well try to pick his brain for information on... future ventures.

Il padre che non sono potuto essere by RainbowLSparrow Edo Tensei | Namikaze Minato & Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 662 Summary: "Grazie per essere stato per Naruto il padre che non sono potuto essere!"

The father I couldn't be by RainbowLSparrow Edo Tensei | Namikaze Minato & Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 676 Summary: "Thank you for being to Naruto the father I couldn't be!"

Why aren't you? by JKirin Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka asked an upperclassman for help but is now regretting his decision, or is he?

seeing home once again by mytsukkishine Edo Tensei | Umino Iruka & Umino Kohari Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 479 Summary: Iruka meets someone dear to him during the war.

forever, maybe by MelanatedRavenclaw Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka expected bringing a date to this wedding would get his friends off his back. What he did not expect was to fall for his date.

half empty/half full by NianaiBell Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 996 Summary: Kakashi has a plan. Iruka has a headache. Naruto can't dance.

contracts by jessicamiriamdrew Edo Tensei | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: “What’s a little Edo Tensei among friends?”

They were fine with it by RainbowLSparrow Fake Dating General Audiences | 1/1 | 861 Summary: " Iruka had been to many parties in his life, but it had never happened to him to find himself in a situation like this, of course, there is a first time for everything, but he really hoped to be able to spare this one. "

A loro andava bene così by RainbowLSparrow Fake Dating General Audiences | 1/1 | 806 Summary: " Iruka era stato a molte feste nella sua vita, ma mai gli era successo di ritrovarsi in una situazione di questo tipo, certo c'è una prima volta per tutto, ma sperava proprio di potersela risparmiare questa. "

I Love You Both by llsilvertail Edo Tensei | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: The hardest part is the final stand.

Everyone Will Know By Lunchtime by llsilvertail Fake Dating | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka doesn't get paid enough for this.

Dead Drops and Sake by Jubokko Fake Dating Mature | 1/? | 1922 Summary: Iruka and Kakashi are sent on a mission to retrieve information from a spy stationed in the Hidden Sound. Much to Iruka’s dismay, said mission has rather… unfortunate requirements.

Day 4: Fūinjutsu | Any AU

Artwork and Physical Crafts

microrockets Any AU

radkoko Any AU

katedoesart Any AU

animetrashmuffin Fūinjutsu

Iruka-Simp Fūinjutsu

Iruka-Simp Any AU

microrockets     Any AU

rocketpunch Any AU

dayonnight Any AU

Fics and Meta

Project Work by FreakyPseudWriter Any AU | Umino Iruka/Reader General Audiences | 1/1 | 1846 Summary: Working on a project for a course you're barely interested in is already bad enough, but knowing you have to work on a project with the absolute gorgeous, kind, gentle Iruka... Needless to say, you can't really concentrate on the matter at hand.

To Be Trapped With You Forever by mandapandabug Fūinjutsu | Shiranui Genma/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka and Genma have been training together for months now. Somehow today is different. Today Genma didn't feel bad being trapped by Iruka's fuinjutsu at all. In fact he felt elated.

Sur un nuage by sweetysamaa Any AU | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 284 Summary: Iruka souffre. son chirurgien est en retard.

On a cloud by sweetysamaa Any AU | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 268 Summary: Iruka is in pain. His surgeon is late.

lurking beneath my skin by MagnusTesla Fūinjutsu | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Doesn't Kakashi realise that this is one beast he cannot tame?

home run by roymustaangs Any AU | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: For Iruka Week 2021 prompt 4: any au! I chose a baseball au because I love baseball and I think it'd be interesting to see them playing baseball!

Yamato-san by kaoruhana Any AU | Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou, implied General Audiences | 1/1 | 1100 Summary: One of Iruka's kindergarten students is the mayor's son. This student has a stalker. So Yamato-san, is assigned to become Iruka's undercover TA to catch him. Told in Eleven Drabbles of 100 words each.

like any good shinobi by stupidbadgers Fūinjutsu | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 250 Summary: a nice soak is all iruka wants

JŌ'real Photoshoot by JKirin Any AU General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Behind the scenes of the photoshoot for JŌ'real Shinobi Hair Care ad as featured in Jō-gue!

who can stop me if i decide that you're my destiny? by MelanatedRavenclaw Any AU | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: The day has come and Iruka has to choose from the array of eligible suitors to rule beside him. It wouldn't be a problem if he wasn't already in love with someone else.

Restart by RainbowLSparrow Any AU | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 312 Summary: " He had done it for love, Iruka. He wouldn't do it for any other reason than that. He would have never leave home, with his boyfriend and his little brother. "

Ricominciare by RainbowLSparrow Any AU | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 310 Summary: " Lo aveva fatto per amore, Iruka. Non lo avrebbe fatto per altri motivi se non quello. Non sarebbe mai andato via di casa, col suo ragazzo e il suo fratellino altrimenti. "

the fine art of ink spots by NianaiBell Any AU General Audiences | 1/1 | 2496 Summary: Iruka runs a perfectly respectable tattoo parlor. His clients didn't seem to get that message.

Lace and Paperwork by Jubokko Fūinjutsu | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Mature | 1/1 | 3068 Summary: Iruka's fingers brushed against the Hokage robe, skin, and then a very… silky something. He froze on the spot and gently set down the pen he’d been holding. “Kakashi... are you wearing anything?” A grin split Kakashi’s face, clearly visible from beneath the mask. “Maa—course I am, Sensei.” “Lace doesn’t count.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” “Kakashi.” “The robe counts.” “Kakashi!” Iruka spluttered, feeling heat rise in his face. “Good god—we’re in my office!” [Iruka has to do some last-minute paperwork over vacation. Unwilling to let their evening be completely ruined, Kakashi brings his surprise to the Academy office]

Is This the End? by llsilvertail Fūinjutsu | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: We give up many things for our countries, our lives are one of them.

Disengage, Parry Riposte by llsilvertail Any AU | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka teaches and Naruto learns.

Stuck In The Middle With You by tmo Any AU Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 500 Summary: As an apprentice blacksmith, Kakashi hadn't ever expected to find himself deserted on an island with a filthy pirate.

Day 5: Missing Nin | Pranks

Artwork and Physical Crafts

Iruka-Simp Pranks | AMV

animetrashmuffin Pranks

Iruka-Simp Missing Nin

nki-stories Missing Nin

microrockets Pranks

radkoko Missing Nin

happymonger Missing Nin

dayonnight Missing Nin

Fics and Meta

Don’t come near! by jinxkirin Missing Nin General Audiences | Poem

Tough But Fair by SpellCasterLight Pranks General Audiences | 1/1 | 1078 Summary: "I am Naruto's teacher, and while he is on The Academy grounds, all my pupils are entrusted to me by the village to look after them and well," Iruka shamelessly took the empty parental seat beside Naruto then. "We are on The Academy grounds so I am technically his guardian."

Everybody Loves a Good Prank by FreakyPseudWriter Pranks | Umino Iruka/Reader, Umino Iruka/Original Female Character(s), Umino Iruka/Original Character(s) General Audiences | 1/1 | 1305 Summary: Iruka has no idea why someone is playing pranks on him. Though, he can't help but to feel intrigued, as the pranks are pretty elaborate and seem to have his delight in mind...

Iruka, a nukenin ? by sweetysamaa Missing Nin | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 1586 Summary: Irukas has suddenly dissapear. Why ? For sure Kakashi had something to do with it.

Iruka, un nukenin ? by sweetysamaa Missing Nin | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 1603 Summary: Iruka a disparue. Pour sur que Kakashi a quelque chose à avoir avec ça.

always looking over my shoulder by MagnusTesla Missing Nin | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka and Kakashi tried to make things work in Konoha, to love their village in spite of all her flaws.

#couplepranks by tmo Pranks | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 500 Summary: Iruka is the best boyfriend, according to his TikTok

All That Glitters Is Sometimes Gold by mandapandabug Pranks | Maito Gai | Might Guy/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Gai is just trying to see Iruka when he gets caught in a trap made for someone else. He's hoping to make the best of it and Iruka is happy to comply!

twinkle twinkle big star by roymustaangs Pranks | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: It was a harmless prank, really.

Kidnapped, missing, or...? by hkandi Missing Nin | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruko, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruko General Audiences | 1/1 | 2456 Summary: Naruto swears that Iruka has become a missing nin, and drags Kakashi into looking for him. Kakashi has some other plans in mind, and it looks like now they include helping Naruto learn how to actually gather intelligence and information...

i laugh like me again by stupidbadgers Pranks | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 247 Summary: iruka rarely had time to plan out a good prank, but when he did, no one was safe. not even kakashi.

erased by jessicamiriamdrew Missing Nin | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka won’t be used by Konoha again.

Trying not to see the sea while standing on a raft by RainbowLSparrow Missing Nin | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 472 Summary: " For years Iruka had kept his eyes closed. He had been faithful to Konoha with all of himself, he had only seen its greatness and never its mistakes. He couldn't understand how he could have done it, it's like trying not to see the sea while standing on a raft. Impossible! "

Cercare di non vedere il mare stando su una zattera by RainbowLSparrow Missing Nin | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 459 Summary: " Per anni Iruka aveva tenuto gli occhi chiusi. Era stato fedele a Konoha con tutto se stesso, aveva visto solo la sua grandezza e mai i suoi errori. Non si capacitava di come avesse potuto farlo. è come cercare di non vedere il mare stando su una zattera. Impossibile! "

and the world will wait while you're here by NianaiBell Pranks | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 584 Summary: Iruka hasn't stopped being a trickster. His pranks just look a little different now.

Pranks by RainbowLSparrow Pranks General Audiences | 1/? | 350 Summary: " How many jokes they had played on him over the years... They were very creative in that, they were up to all sort of things. "

Scherzi by RainbowLSparrow Pranks General Audiences | 1/? | 323 Summary: " Quanti scherzi che gli avevano fatto lungo il corso degli anni... Erano molto creativi in quello, ne combinavano di tutti i colori. "

Day 6: Family | Jutsu Gone Wrong

Artwork and Physical Crafts

Iruka-Simp Family

sweetysamaa Family

animetrashmuffin Family

katedoesart Family

microrockets Jutsu Gone Wrong

radkoko Family

animetrashmuffin Jutsu Gone Wrong

dayonnight  Jutsu Gone Wrong

Fics and Meta

What Makes Iruka So Special? by mandapandabug Family | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 2421 Summary: It is their weekly Ramen dinner and Naruto has had something on his mind for a while: how come Iruka had such a similar story to many of the "villains" of his story, and yet he was so good? Iruka had faced the death of his parents, his only family, and been alone most of his life, but he didn't turn to evil means. Even when it was revealed that his "best friend" had betrayed him and used him his whole life, Iruka was still open and kind. What set him apart? Naruto wanted to get to the bottom of it, but he isn't so great with words and expressing himself. Iruka on the other hand is just grateful to still get to be in Naruto's life at all, even though he's an annoying little brat still, Hokage title or no.

Good Jutsu Gone Wild by mandapandabug Jutsu Gone Wrong General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Had it been a good idea to work with Naruto on a new combo move? No. No it had not. Since when had the boy gotten so strong?!? Now their Swirling-Burning-Inferno-no-Jutsu (trade mark: Naruto) is on a crash course for their village and they are helpless to stop it. Luckily a certain lazy pervert was in the area.

The Photographs Under the Hutch by kaoruhana Family General Audiences | 1/1 | 6560 Summary: It strikes Iruka then that in depriving Naruto of the knowledge of his parents' identities, the village did Naruto a grave injustice. And did the Yondaime and Kushina-san a great disservice. Iruka has never thought twice about what it must be like for Naruto who doesn’t know anything about the identity of his parents save for the last name he carries. But now, in his apartment, when Naruto shyly asks if there is something he can do to honor them, the way Iruka does his, it really hits him that Naruto is a lonely child who has been... left behind by the village. No, not left behind, but...neglected by them. Iruka can never imagine going a day without lighting the incense in front of his parents’ photo and bowing to their photo in the morning. He can’t imagine how Naruto must feel to be deprived of such a thing. “I think you don’t have to worry about your parents Naruto.” He whispers. “But, if you want, we can see if we can make a little memorial for them so that you can honor them too.” And as he says it, Iruka realizes that he means it. He will somehow find a way to give Naruto this small thing when so much has been taken from him.

i only have eyes for you by stupidbadgers Jutsu Gone Wrong | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 247 Summary: there are many reasons to be wary of small children

Failure and Success by FreakyPseudWriter Jutsu Gone Wrong | Umino Iruka/Reader, Umino Iruka/Original Character(s), Umino Iruka/Original Female Character(s) General Audiences | 1/1 | 2063 Summary: Iruka had never been this embarrassed. Hell, usually he would've been able to do this jutsu in his sleep! But no, today he had to fail and of course, today you were on shift in the hospital...

Family is a two-way street. by JKirin Family | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: Iruka is supposed to be the one supporting Kakashi, not the other way around. Right?

family means no one gets left behind or forgotten by roymustaangs Family | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: They'd both wanted this for a long time and it was finally time to make it official.

I Will Be Here, Don't You Cry by MelanatedRavenclaw Family | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 903 Summary: Naruto has a bad day at school and Iruka and Kakashi try to figure out what to do next.

unintentional catboy by MagnusTesla Jutsu Gone Wrong | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: In Konoha, Iruka is known as a master at seals, but even a master sometimes makes major fuck-ups.

A Place To Rest by vulcanhighblood Family | Uchiha Itachi & Umino Iruka, Uchiha Shisui & Umino Iruka, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Shisui & Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 10052 Summary: Umino Iruka finally gets out of the hospital after his first C-rank mission ended... badly. Unfortunately, the healing wound in his abdomen turns out to be the least of his worries when he finds out he's no longer welcome at the orphanage. Fortunately, he has a Genin teammate who knows just the place for him to rest and recuperate.

Konoha's Sublime Green Tree of Prey by JKirin Jutsu Gone Wrong General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: How do I even write a summary for this? 🤣 🤣 🤣 Read the title – make a guess LOL

Iruka: The Free Diving Mouse by kaoruhana Jutsu Gone Wrong General Audiences | 1/1 | 3109 Summary: Iruka’s eye ticked. At this current moment in time, he very much wanted to yell at Kakashi, scold him even. And he really wanted to drag Kakashi in by the ear to one of his lectures, particularly the upcoming one he is supposed to give on the use of proper hand seals tomorrow, and remind him why one should always be careful of what hand seals are used when trying new jutsus. Which is what he will classify this as. Because the jutsu to substitute someone with a log should not turn someone into a mouse.

Wearing Your Scars by mandapandabug Scars, Kekki Genkai | Hatake Kakashi & Umino Iruka Teen And Up Audiences | 9/9 | 23850 Summary: Iruka had a secret. His parents always told him he was lucky; he could grow out his hair and hide the rough scar. He was of Konoha and shouldn’t have to bear any burden of their sins. What were their sins? He wished he had asked, but he was a rambunctious 10-year-old and was happy to just run freely about the village. He made some friends, but his parents were loners. They didn’t like Iruka to be out late or with people he had not introduced to them specifically. Now he understands their trepidation. Now he wishes he had more information. Now it is too late.

Sunshine by tmo Family | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Mature | 1/1 | 500 Summary: He was supposed to be their sunshine through the clouds after trying to get pregnant for over a year.

Iruka-sensei's Post Academy Lesson Plan by NianaiBell Jutsu Gone Wrong | A slight moment of KakaIru at the end, Team Seven - Relationship General Audiences | 1/1 | 2856 Summary: Even if they aren't technically his students anymore...Iruka's willing to help them out. Just this once.

Snuggling with an Uncle-Grandpa (or Two) by kaoruhana Family | Umino Iruka & Yamato | Tenzou General Audiences | 1/1 | 1434 Summary: Iruka smiled as he realized that their bed would be invaded soon. He loved Metal and Sarada both, but there was a special place in his heart for the little girl. Yamato teased him and said it was likely because she was a cuddler. A small part of Iruka agreed. There was something special about being one of the few that Sarada always sought out to cuddle with. Knowing that she, as a tiny child who needed protection, sought out him when it was naptime or she was sleepy, made love swell in Iruka’s heart. Sarada wasn’t yet a Shinobi, she didn’t understand how important it was to be able to trust someone to relax in their presence and sleep when they were around. But when she’d first toddled up to him two years ago, arms outstretched, and had fallen asleep on his shoulder, Iruka knew it was special. And that Sarada was precious. And that he would do everything in his power to show her that. And if that included cuddling up with her and having her small body wriggling its way under the covers of the futon he shared with Yamato, snuggling up against his side, he would welcome it.

And in return I ask for nothing, just a smile by RainbowLSparrow Jutsu Gone Wrong Teen And Up Audiences | 1/2 | 6825 Summary: "It took them a long time that evening to put Iruka to sleep. He refused to listen to anything they tried to say to him, he collapsed in a corner of the room and ignored them. They tried to feed him, but he refused the food. They had to. wait until he was too tired to resist to be able to take him to bed. Kakashi and Naruto had stayed close to him, had tried to console him, but apparently, the wound for that Iruka was still too fresh to think of anything but everything he had lived through. In the end he cried himself to sleep."

E in cambio non chiedo niente, soltanto un sorriso by RainbowLSparrow Jutsu Gone Wrong Teen And Up Audiences | 1/2 | 6595 Summary: "Ci misero molto tempo quella sera a mettere Iruka a dormire. Si rifiutava di ascoltare qualsiasi cosa provassero a dirgli, si era accasciato in un angolino della stanza e li aveva ignorati. Avevano provato a farlo mangiare, ma aveva rifiutato il cibo. Avevano dovuto aspettare che fosse troppo stanco per opporsi per poterlo portare a letto. Kakashi e Naruto erano rimasti vicini a lui, avevano provato a consolarlo, ma a quanto pare, la ferita per quell'Iruka era ancora troppo fresca per poter pensare ad altro se non a tutto quello che aveva vissuto. Alla fine aveva pianto fino a quando non era crollato."

Day 7: Kekkei Genkai | Free Prompt

Artwork and Physical Crafts

bargeld Free Prompt | AMV

animetrashmuffin Free Prompt

katedoesart Free Prompt

blepsoo Free Prompt

Iruka-Simp Free Prompt

radkoko Free Prompt

microrockets Free Prompt

dayonnight   Kekkei Genkai

Fics and Meta

Golden Rays by JKirin Free Prompt | Poem

Making Lemonade From Lemons by mandapandabug Free Prompt | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: When Iruka pranked Kakashi with a very public proposal on their mission, he didn't expect the man to agree! Even more, he didn't expect him to immediately drag him to the court house. If it weren't for the mission and the citizens present, Iruka wasn't sure what he would have done. But maybe it isn't so bad after all.

The Simple Things in Life by FreakyPseudWriter Free Prompt | Umino Iruka/Reader, Umino Iruka/Original Character(s), Umino Iruka/Original Female Character(s) General Audiences | 1/1 | 657 Summary: It's the first day of vacation for Iruka, and he couldn't spend it in a better way.

Iruka's boyfriend by sweetysamaa Free Prompt | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka Mature | 1/1 | 1021 Summary: Iruka has a boyfriend. He feels terribly lonely though. Why ?

A Rose A Day Keeps The ANBU Away by coolgirl3890, mandapandabug Kekkei Genkai | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Original Female Character/Original Female Character Teen And Up Audiences | 1/1 | 3345 Summary: Tiger is tired. The headmaster was mad at the Hokage for some stupid reason or another (what else is new) and the Hokage was taking it as well as usual. He decides to make his elite fighting force operative deliver apology flowers. Is this really the best use of resources? Luckily for Kakashi, the number one rule of ANBU is don’t disobey your Hokage.

nothing is ever lost by stupidbadgers Free Prompt | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 245 Summary: as the sun crested the sky though, life seemed to come back to the two men

secret sharingan by MagnusTesla Kekkei Genkai | Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Uchiha Sasuke & Umino Iruka General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: In the wake of his grief, Sasuke discovers he isn't as alone as he'd believed.

The Turn of the Screw by tmo Free Prompt Explicit | 1/1 | 500 Summary: The children had been doing strange things but that was excused by the grief of losing their parents. That was why Iruka had been hired, after all. To take care of them. And take care of them he would.

Beneath the Scar by R_4_L Kekkei Genkai Not Rated | 1/1 | 2848 Summary: Iruka gets injured by Mizuki while trying to save Naruto and while he’s healing his new scar catches the eye of Kakashi for a completely different reason. Scar itch while they heal right? But what if there was something underneath the scar something new? Iruka may have a rare family kekkei genkai and Kakashi is the first one to find out and help him through it.

Blooming Sunset by JKirin Kekkei Genkai | Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou General Audiences | 1/1 | 100 Summary: When hair gets in the way there is only one thing to do... A YamaIru soft moment ❤️

and I know it's going to be a lovely day by NianaiBell Free Prompt | Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto General Audiences | 1/1 | 1500 Summary: In a life post-war, there is good news to share

#irukaweek2021 #iruka week 2021 #iruka umino #umino iruka #masterpost #fanweek #character week

[mylordshesacactus]

A note on fic comments:

Because I, like most ficauthors, have gotten both of these comments many times. One of them I love, the other fills me with frothing unholy rage.

There is a huge difference between 

“I never liked this character in canon/never understood what people saw in this character until I read your fic, and I totally get it now” 

and 

“Oh I like this character when YOU write them, unlike in CANON where they SUCK ASS [optional rambling haterant about the writers or the source material in general].”

The first of those things? That’s a compliment! It genuinely is. Some ficauthors have a knee-jerk reaction to it because we get the SECOND kind so fucking often, but frankly....that is a mistake on our part, if we have it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with not liking or connecting with a character until you find a fic where they’re in-character and lovingly explored in an interesting way. There’s nothing wrong with not “getting” a character, and then seeing fanwork that sparks an understanding of why other people like the character so much that totally opens your eyes. 

That’s WHY we write fanfiction, to explore the characters and the setting, to pour what we love about them into our work.

If you’re thinking about saying ANYTHING THAT EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLES the second one, though?

Don’t.

Fuck you

Fuck off

Fuck your grandma

I hate you

So does everyone else

You fucking asshole

Unless the author has made it explicitly clear that they’re writing a spitefic--a “fixit” isn’t enough, because writing “fixit fics” does not inherently mean the author hates the direction taken by the source material, you can want to write a “fixit” where your favorite character is alive but still believe that their death was narratively appropriate--unless they’ve said IN WORDS, in the tags or an A/N or in a reply to previous comments, that they HATE an aspect of the show?

If you can’t say something nice, shut your fucking mouth.

People don’t generally dedicate hours of their lives to crafting 300k epics, marinated in lore and worldbuilding and character interactions, about media in which they hate the lore and worldbuilding and characters. People don’t write character-study fics about characters they think suck.

People who write AUs? Unless they’ve explicitly stated that they’re doing it because fuck canon (the poor, poor GoT fandom, man. And hey, I myself have a running WoW fic where the tags make it very clear that I’m writing this fic the way it’s written because Battle for Azeroth can eat my entire ass, so it’s totally fine to come into my comments and go “oh, this is so much better than BfA”)...There are a LOT OF REASONS people write alternate universes and universe alterations.

It is VERY RARE ACTUALLY that the reason is “fuck canon”. Most of the time, we’re telling a story because we think it’s an interesting story. Not the only interesting story, not a story that is more interesting and also better than the one told by canon and is the story canon should have told instead. An interesting story, one of many. 

Odds are, the thing you’re about to “””compliment””” us on? That’s sooooo much better than that stupid icky canon version of the world or the character you think sucks so hard? We didn’t just make that shit up. We’re portraying accurately what we actually saw onscreen.

We’re not gonna get mad at you for not noticing it was there until we pointed it out. That’s not just a compliment, it makes us happy! I LOVE when something I created helps another person see something in the thing I love that makes me love it! But insulting something that we clearly care about enough to dedicate hours of our free time to writing about it? And insulting our own reading comprehension by acting as if we’re just...delusional, that this is just wishful thinking, that the things we dedicated time and energy to picking apart so we could accurately reproduce them, are just shit we made up?

Don’t do that. Shit’s rude as fuck.

Instead of using fanfiction that makes a character speak to you as an excuse to ruin a ficauthor’s afternoon by being a hateful snot, maybe try approaching it as an opportunity to better understand what made us care enough to write the fic in the first place.

You might just gain a new appreciation for that thing you originally hated.

#I'm gonna regret making this post aren't I

[giuliafc]

The Live Interview

Ao3 || FFN

Summary: When Alya asks Ladybug and Chat Noir to take part in a live interview with fans, the heroine didn't expect to enjoy the task so much, especially listening to what her partner had got to say (written for Snippet July/LadyNoir July, day 7 - Symphony/Height Difference. Story wordcount 989 words)

Written by: JuliaFC

Beta: Rescue Wolf, Lots_of_free_time, Mini_N_Furious

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc, TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Written for the "Snippet July" challenge of the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server @miraculousfanworks AND for LadyNoir July @ladynoirjuly Day 7 — Symphony/Height Difference. Let me know what you think!

oOoOoOoOoOo

When Alya approached Ladybug and proposed that they'd participate in a live interview with direct questions from the fans, the memory of the time Nadja Chamack was akumatised into Prime Queen came back to Ladybug's mind. She shuddered, afraid that people would again try to use the occasion to dig out information about her relationship with her partner. However, Alya put it down as a charity event, so eventually and grudgingly, the polka dotted heroine gave her consent. Chat Noir only nodded and said that he would follow her lead so… There they were, in front of a webcam, a screen behind it showing the faces of the fans who joined the live session.

"I'd like to remind everybody that Ladybug and Chat Noir have very graciously agreed to take part in this interview and it's not fair to embarrass them, or ask them identity-revealing questions they cannot answer. If we want our city to stay safe against Papillon, it's important that their civilian lives and the lives of the people they love are protected. Have I made myself clear?"

The many heads on the screen all nodded at the same time.

"Good. Now, first question. I will go in the order that people have joined the zoom call."

The questions started to come in, some a little more innocent than others. The two heroes were asked many details they had never found out about each other. In some cases, Ladybug found herself embarrassed at answering, but looking forward to hearing what her partner would say. She discovered some very interesting things about her Minou, for example that he played the piano, and that he had a very restricted diet.

"If you want to keep this purr-fect shape, you need to suf-furr!" he joked, causing both her and Alya to facepalm. But seeing their reaction didn't make his confidence falter: "Ah, you love my sense of humour, M'lady!" he joked, earning himself a glare, but looking so smug that Ladybug doubted he cared.

The following question was one that she nearly refused to answer:

"If you were to use a metaphor, how would you describe your relationship?" asked a blonde girl with glasses.

Ladybug raised a hand in a defensive pose, but Chat Noir grabbed it. She turned around towards him and he gave her a little smirk and a wink.

"We said that questions about ourselves or about our identities were out of the question," she hissed and Chat Noir's smirk widened.

"Oh come on, Buginette. They're not asking for details. They only want us to describe our relationship." He winked again and turned towards the camera, looking as if he was thinking very hard, and even Ladybug took her time to focus on what to say.

"Okay," she said after a long moment of silence. "If I need to use a metaphor to describe our relationship I would say… that it's like a symphony." She saw the confused frown on Chat Noir's face and put her hands up. "In a symphony all the instruments have their own role, and they're all important. That's how I see the dynamics of our team," she explained simply, feeling quite proud of herself for having found a good metaphor, until she noticed the gaze of her partner and his disappointed look.

"Well, if you want to use a music metaphor," he objected, "I'd say that the relationship between the two of us is like a duet. A sonata. You're the soloist and I'm the piano in the background."

Ladybug pouted. "No way, Chaton. You don't take the second seat, we're both equally important," she said, but his gaze became even more distant and almost hurt.

"If you say so, M'lady…"

Alya interrupted them, "Thank you for the wonderful answer guys. Now… next question!" She selected the following icon and a young boy appeared on the screen.

"Hi Chat Noir!" The black clad superhero smirked and gave the boy a two finger salute and a wink, which made the boy smile. "I wanted to ask how it feels to be bossed around by a person who is much shorter than you." The boy blushed. "I don't want to be rude, Ladybug, but I'm short and I admire how you can direct people that are nearly twice your size. I certainly couldn't do it."

"Now, now… I'm sorry you feel inadequate when dealing with people taller than you," said Chat Noir. His body took a more relaxed and composed posture, one leg crossed on the other, both elbows pinned to his thigh, his fingers fiddling in front of his mouth. "But it’s not about who’s taller. I respect Ladybug. She has a brilliant mind and I'd never be able to come up with plans as complicated and genius-worthy as she does, literally in seconds, after calling a Lucky Charm. She's brave and resilient, and I trust that she will find the best solution or, if she makes a mistake, that she will find the way to correct it and save the day. My trust in her is endless."

Ladybug felt her face warming up and put both hands on her surely flaming cheeks. "Flatterer," she said, but he tsked.

"I'm only telling the truth." He turned back to the boy on the screen. "The most precious gifts are in the smallest boxes. You shouldn't feel any less only because you're short. It's like your heart and your arms. The arms are bigger, but they wouldn’t survive without the heart." He smiled and winked again. "Makes sense?"

As Ladybug saw the boy nod and smile, saying thank you to Chat Noir for his encouragement, she found herself looking fondly at her partner, who was ending the conversation on an optimistic note. Chat Noir was a jokester, and his sense of humour could've done with better timing, but one thing was sure; he had a big heart and was the most genuine person she knew.

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

Author's Note

Hello! So… that's day 7 out of the way. A much lighter story for once, a bit fluffy :)

I hope you liked it and will leave me a comment. You know that comments are my bread and butter!

Until (hopefully) tomorrow, bug out!

#ladynoirjuly2021 #miraculous fanworks #miraculous ladynoir #miraculous lb #miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir #miraculous ladybug #miraculous #miraculous chat noir #miraculous cat noir #alya cesaire

[sword-and-stars]

can i ask you for some advice? i've been writing a fic with a controversial kink and i want to publish it, but im scared. everything would be properly tagged and everything that happens in the fic is fully consensual, but a lot of people aren't like you and your YKINMKBYKIOK attitude towards a/b/o (my fic is actually a/b/o, which is why your ask about it got me thinking). i'm worried ill get lots of negative comments. any suggestion on how to buck up and not care about the haters? thanks!

Hi! You have come to the right fucking place if you wanna talk to someone who’s been harassed about what they write.

I think one of the big things you need to remember is that most shitty people online are cowards. Very rarely will someone say something in public with their whole chest for everyone to see, so if you need to, you can always moderate your comments or not allow interaction from logged-out people. I would have a cheer-reader, or even more than one, who can read your fic and gas you up to feel good about it so that if you DO get some negativity, it’s easier to brush off. If you’re very concerned about how it might be perceived, nobody says that you can’t make a second ao3 account to see what the fandom reaction might be before anyone brings out pitchforks.

BUT. Say that you do all, some, or none of these things, and somebody decides to come to you and make it your problem? It sucks even when it comes from some rando that you don’t even know and don’t care about. But you’ve gotta fake it. The point is that you wrote the story for you because you enjoyed it. You tagged it appropriately, and if someone comes into your house to be rude to you, you can tell them to fuck right off and get out of your house. It’s not for them.

It’s for you and for anyone else who wanted a fic like that.

The biggest and honestly I’d have to say only downside to fanworks being so accessible these days is that it makes people feel entitled to your work or your time or your thoughts, or that if something isn’t for them then it isn’t for anybody. And people like that can eat it.

Be proud of what you’ve made, post it because it made you happy, and if someone’s gonna be a shit then they can come fight me about it.

#shove it up my ask #writing stuff

[ao3-sucks]

An Archive of Someone’s Own: my experiences being groomed in fandom circles on AO3

TW: Childhood sexual abuse, grooming, mentions of incest and rape.

I used to be a big writer of fanfiction. It was the logical choice for me. I loved to write and create bold and immersive worlds, and I craved an audience who would enjoy my work as much as I did. Since my writing wasn’t actually good, I needed a community of other amateurs who wouldn’t mind that, and by tweaking my characters and settings into ones from canonical media, I got the audience I so craved.

I started writing fanfiction online when I was 14, posting initially on FanFiction.net and then moving to AO3 a few months later. As I got back into writing original fiction towards the end of high school, I lost interest in this community, and it’s been a long time since I posted anything much on AO3.

I’ve always struggled with the fact I display a lot of symptoms of CSA, and for the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why. Throughout my teen years, I refused to get changed or bathe when anyone was even vaguely nearby, constantly paranoid about being spied on; I developed a severe touch phobia, and would have frequent panic attacks from something as small as brushing arms with a passerby; I resolutely identified as asexual and refused to get into anything resembling a relationship with others because the very concept disgusted and repulsed me.

Weird, considering I had grown up pretty normal and all of these symptoms had started around my early teens. It was only when I told my friends about my friendship with a 30 year old I had met online that the pieces started falling into place for me.

Child grooming is usually discussed in the context of one adult going out of their way to befriend a child with the goal of lowering their resistance to sexual abuse, through normalisation and friendliness. I’d like to talk about how that worked on the fanfiction website AO3. Since it’s an open website and most communication takes place between anonymous users or accounts in the comments section of a work, there is very little delineation between spaces for adults to discuss whatever dark topics they like and spaces for kids to do the same.

This frequently leads to pretty inappropriate conversations between people of widely varying ages and life experiences, which is how I ended up talking sex as a fourteen year old with people ranging from a couple of years older than me, who were generally okay, to more than twice my age. The 30 year old in question listed on her profile how many pedophilic ships she loved, and she knew my age but pushed me to keep discussing sexual topics with her. Sounds like a red flag, yeah? Well. I was 14, and very stupid.

This 30 year old woman, who I will call Aku (because it’s similar to her screen name and because it’s funny to name her after the bad guy from Samurai Jack) would start conversations with me whenever I posted anything to AO3 and would refuse to take no for an answer when I tried to back out of conversations with her, and since these conversations were public and occurring within comments, I didn’t want to be rude to her since this was taking place on content I was trying to promote.

I told her my age multiple times and she would either pretend she forgot from last time (saying her memory is super bad) or continue as though it was just trivia about me and not a sign she shouldn’t have been pushing me. My primary objection to what she would say to me (since most of it was just her being annoying) was her insistence on sexualising everything I wrote, and her determination to push me into writing pornographic content, which I eventually gave in to.

Yes, she was a terrible person. She emailed me using her personal email address, so I know her full name and place of residence, because she’s an idiot. These emails also contain sexually explicit materials. Nothing much ever happened between us except for these very creepy interactions and the fact we remained online friends for a few years. But here’s the thing: she wasn’t the only person pushing me into creating sexual content. Lots of people would comment on my writing demanding that I show explicit sexual content when I really didn’t want to.

After a while it felt like I couldn’t write a longer, romantic fanfiction without including explicit sexual content. Like my work wasn’t valid without it. Other, more popular writers were usually sexual in their content, and I wanted to be like them and bring in the views, right? So, when I look at my back catalog of works, I can see how my content moved from completely non-sexual to featuring sexual content over time, and the views usually came with. In this way, I was in an environment that was encouraging me on many levels to sexualise my own work, which impacted the way I thought about my creative process.

Here’s another example I remember. When I was a young sprout, I remember reading down someone’s list of fanfiction recommendations and seeing a work called Hug Therapy, which I promptly read. While the work is marked as explicit and containing the Loki/Thor pairing, the use of relationship and rating tags on AO3 is so poorly regulated that it didn’t really mean anything to me to see either of those. People tag hardcore material as non-explicit and tag friendships as relationships, because there’s no motivation to tag properly. Plus, someone I followed here on Tumblr had recommended it to me.

Now, you wouldn’t know from the listing, but while this piece starts out as comedy, it turns out in the end to include rape, incest, and BDSM in very explicit terms. The fact it was tagged as being explicit didn’t slow me down, because the liberal use of these tags could mean that an explicit tag was just there because sexual content was implied or mentioned, which I thought would be the case based on the rest of the listing. Out of curiosity, I recently tried to report this work to the moderators for containing no warnings about incest or rape, and I got this in response:

“Selecting “Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings” satisfies a creator’s obligation under the warnings policy. Users who wish to avoid specific elements entirely should not access fanworks marked with “Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings”. Our Terms of Service note: “You understand that using the Archive may expose you to material that is offensive, triggering, erroneous, sexually explicit, indecent, blasphemous, objectionable, grammatically incorrect, or badly spelled. ….. This decision is in accordance with our policy of maximum inclusiveness; we have therefore closed this case and will not be investigating further.”

Which, yeah, I guess. The frustration comes from how ‘Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings’ is an extremely commonly used tag, and most things that it’s used on are totally harmless.

This fanfiction, which I was recommended by a friend, is hugely popular, in the top 60 most read fanfictions in the entire fandom. You wanna hear the kicker? The author, Astolat, is one of the founders of AO3. They’re not just some random author who isn’t following the rules. They’re a creator of the whole website, and they made the rules. This is pretty telling about how seriously the website actually takes protecting their users.

My final example I want to give is one of fetish content. People in fetish communities generally (not always) say that fetishes are probably something one should work up to after the onset of sexual activity, especially potentially harmful stuff like BDSM. In the circles I was running in, if you weren’t sporting a fetish or two (no matter your age) you were a boring bitch.

Maybe this isn’t true of everywhere in the fanfiction community, but I used to feel that bizarre pressure until I got out. Bear in mind that my main time in this community was from ages 14 to 17. I never made my age a secret, either. I told people outright I was that age, I was in high school, I was playing hockey and studying The Great Gatsby when I wasn’t online.

Since I was in the Avengers fandom and I liked Loki and the Asgardians, I was frequently exposed to incestuous content between Loki and Thor, and a lot of it came out of nowhere or was poorly tagged. This was considered the norm, and while I at first felt completely horrified and repulsed, within a year or two I no longer gave a shit. It’s only in the last few years as I’ve begun to unpack everything that I’ve started to get that strong revulsion reaction to incestuous content.

In the circles I was in, it was relentlessly normal. Normal to the point that people who disliked it were usually shouted down. Even to this day, debate rages on in fandom spaces about whether or not content like this normalises this kind of abuse. In my own personal experience, which I don’t usually like to talk about, it absolutely does.

In real life, this normalisation started to have serious consequences for my mental health and interpersonal relationships. In fanfiction, any occasion when you are alone with someone could become sexual, any familial relationship is possibly sexual, and it doesn’t matter if you like it or not. I became incredibly anxious around male family members for fear of being sexually assaulted, and my OCD, which I had been developing since I was a child, turned from thoughts of physical violence to thoughts of graphically sexually assaulted by anyone and everyone around me.

My fear of being touched got to the point where I would have panic attacks if anyone came anywhere close to touching me. I quit sports, fucked up my romantic relationships, and didn’t hug anyone, not even members of my family, for years. All the while, I had bought my first laptop and was consuming more fanfiction than ever before. I struggled with my sexuality growing up, as I am bisexual, and while fanfiction provided LGBT content to help me, the content was frequently so disturbing that I viewed any expression of sexuality as something evil and predatory.

The community on AO3, whether you like it or not, is often sexual, and provides no barriers between the casual user looking for content and extremely intense fetish material. It’s sometimes called the Pornhub of fanfiction, but considering the wide range of people who use it, it’s more like if you opened Youtube and saw niche hardcore fetish videos just on the front page, recommended and trending.

Sure, you have to click a little button to confirm you’re 18 before you can actually read a story, but the tags and descriptions of readily available works can be extremely explicit. Fanfiction also brings you into close contact with fellow readers and the author, and encourages you to become a content creator, which in some ways makes it more dangerous.

I was affected much more strongly by what I saw than most people would be, because I was already treading shaky ground. But I’m also not the only person out there who has been hurt in this way. Most of my friends who grew up in fandom can report the impact that fanfiction culture had on them. One of my friends from high school knew a panoply of porn terms at age 14 or so due to reading fanfiction, and another of my other friends at high school almost exclusively read rape porn because it was her favourite. I didn’t have friends who watched porn; I had friends who read fanfiction. These are just as troubling to me as any other accounts of young people consuming visual porn from a very early age.

It’s frequently cited that fanfiction gives minority groups the opportunity for creative outlet. It was a great place for me to cut my teeth as a content creator, and a source of acceptance and kindness when times were tough. Fanfiction communities have historically been the domain of women and minorities, and create a space for these people to tell their own stories.

It’s largely because of this that fanfiction communities fear censorship and strict moderation, as they have been attacked in the past on homophobic or misogynistic grounds, resulting in mass deletions of works or the shutdown of websites. But there must be some middle ground between total censorship and the kind of free rein that puts vulnerable people in danger, and I strongly encourage the board of AO3 to seek this middle ground out.

But it’s the community itself that needs to shape up; AO3 is, after all, a community-led website built by fans for fans, so the fact that this website has such issues is a reflection of the issues that run deeply within the people who created it. Aku didn’t talk to me with the intention of doing me harm, or so I believe at this time, and she didn’t pursue me as a lone wolf or in isolation.

She was simply a particularly brazen member of a community that was used to having inappropriate conversations with young people and sexualising everything they did. Even people my own age were jokingly pushing me into discussing and consuming extremely sexual content. It was just normal. That’s what I want to say here. Inside the world of fandom on AO3, the grooming of children with sexual content is normal. And that’s scary.

- Mod Daft

#mod daft post #ao3 discourse #fandom wank #fanfiction discourse #fanfiction wank #csa// #rape// #grooming// #incest//

[qqueenofhades]

The photo set you reblogged of Yusuf and Niccolo helping throughout time just filled me with so many happy feels and it made me realize that it seems so common in media with immortal couples that they take breaks from each other and reconnect after a few decades. Which is a great trope but seeing these two that seems to have been attached at the hip since the day they met just fills me with all the heart eyes.

(I haven't read your fanfics for them yet. I know I'm a bad fan but if it helps I havent been able to read anything since all this started but while writing this ask I got the feeling that all this rambling I spewed out is a big theme)

Hush. Bad fan nothing. We all are coping with this stupid, awful year in different ways, some of us by escaping into fandom and some of us being unable to engage with it and some of us doing both or anything else. You certainly don’t owe me or anyone any obligation to interact with our content, fic or otherwise. So just to have that there on the top. You’re good, hun. :)

ANYWAY, thank you for giving me a chance to meta a bit on the boys and their relationship and to have a window into what my brain looks like pretty much 24/7 these days. (I blame them.) I keep thinking about all the ways this couple is depicted in the TOG film and how lovely it was and how unusual it is for me to have an OTP where I actually love them in canon and don’t need to violently disavow it in order to create AU fan content with just the characters. (See: Timeless, Game of Thrones, pretty much any show I’ve hyperfixated on at some point.) I love AUs anyway, because that’s the way my brain works, but the fact that I can also enjoy canon just as much is rare for me and for a lot of us. I saw a post somewhere remarking on how the fanfic for Joe/Nicky isn’t fixing anything, which is usually the point of transformative fanworks: we take something that canon atrociously fucked up and fix it. But in this case, all our interpretations are based on actually appreciating the way they’re presented in canon and wanting to enjoy that and uphold it, and that -- especially with a couple like this one -- is shocking??

Like. Despite my historian gripes about the occasionally incongruous details for their graphic-novel backstories (which are the only things I HAVE fixed in my fics), I’m just... deeply appreciative of the care which everyone, writers and actors and all else, put into depicting Joe and Nicky and their relationship. And god YES, one of the things I love the absolute MOST is that they’re a loving, faithful, committed, happy married queer couple over centuries, and that seems to be the case for as long as they’ve known each other/ever since they got together. (See Booker’s “you and Nicky always had each other.”) These fools can’t sleep apart from each other even when they’re stuck on a freight train in the middle of nowhere, they flirt like teenagers at dinnertime and even when they’re strapped to gurneys in a mad-scientist laboratory, they make out to enrage bad guys and also because they’re just still that goddamn into each other after all this time.

I think it was Marwan Kenzari who pointed out that there’s simply no way to truly state the depth of their knowledge and devotion and commitment to each other. They’re 950 years old. They have known each other since they were in their thirties; they’ve been husbands for literal centuries. There is no way anyone else in the world could possibly come close to replicating the kind of bond they have with each other, and neither of them have ever had any inclination to look, because why would they? Especially with the fact that queer couples in media, even otherwise sympathetically portrayed ones, often have Drama and Third Parties and Promiscuity and whatever else (because of the tiresome old canard that Gays Equal Hypersexualized!), and Joe and Nicky don’t need or want ANY of that. There’s no urge to make their relationship a cheap source of soap-opera conflict. It’s the rock and the center and the core of both of their lives, and everything they do stems from that.

There have been some great metas/comments on how neither Joe and Nicky are sexualized, they dress like stay-at-home dads during quarantine (Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli are both objectively gorgeous men, and they’re out there looking like that, god bless), and the viewer is never invited to goggle at or fetishize their relationship. There are no leering or exploitative camera angles on anyone, and their expressions of love aren’t posed or intended to titillate the audience, they’re just solidly embodied and natural and lived in. It’s never bothered to be stated clunkily in dialogue that they’re a couple; we just see them exchanging looks and smiles in the early part of the film, and then we see them spooning on the train after the mission in Sudan, which confirms it.

At every turn, the narrative celebrates the kindness and love shared by the Immortal Family, the individual characters, and Joe and Nicky, especially and explicitly in queer form. The villains of the film are also defined by how they react negatively to that love. @viridianpanther​ had a great meta on how Keane as a villain is especially set up to menace Joe and Nicky as the narrative representation of toxic masculinity, aggressive heterosexuality, and the usual “Kill Your Gays” trope that we’ve all come to wearily expect. But instead, after that scene where Joe and Nicky fight Keane, Nicky is shot and comes back to life in Joe’s arms rather than dying permanently like we probably all momentarily expected, and then Joe gets to FUCKIN’ BREAK THE NECK of the guy who enacted that violence.... good GOD. The first time I watched it, I almost couldn’t believe it was happening. (This goes for the whole film, but especially that scene.) Like... when do we get that?? When do we EVER get that???

Obviously, there are so many stereotypes, whether visually or in behavior or character traits, that could have been assigned to a gay Italian character (excessively dramatic, effeminate, fashionable, etc) or a gay Arabic/Muslim character (explicitly announcing He’s Not Like Those Muslims, having to actively reject his heritage to make him more palatable to westerners, being tormented over being gay, etc) and Joe and Nicky subscribe to none of those. I get very emotional about Joe referring to Nicky as the moon when he is lost during the truck scene partly because it’s SUCH a common motif in Arabic love poetry. To call someone your “moon” is a beautiful way to say they’re the light of your life, and since the Islamic calendar is obviously lunar and the holidays, months, and observances, are set by the phases of the moon, this also has a deeper religious significance.

I don’t know for sure if they did that on purpose, but it it’s a lovely and subtle way of showing us how Joe clearly doesn’t have an issue with being both queer AND Muslim, and is able to draw on both facets of that identity in a way that a lesser narrative would have denied him. And that is just really wonderful. Yes, we’re seeing these characters when they’ve had centuries to settle into themselves, but there are plenty of writers who would have forced those conflicts artificially to the surface, rather than letting them be long in the past. It’s the same way when you watch a film set in the medieval era, it wants you to know that it Is Set In The Medieval Era. Cue the filth, misogyny, racism, violence, etc! Rather than it being a lived-in reality, it has to be jarringly drawn attention to, and I’m just so glad they didn’t do that with Joe and Nicky. And for them to have met in the crusades and fallen in love??! Come on. That’s just rude. Rude to me, personally.

Anyway, this was a rather long-winded and feelsy way of saying that these characters are constructed, acted, and written organically in such a way that you hate to even THINK of them being separated, and it’s not because they can’t function without each other, but because they are two halves of a whole. We also see that the characters themselves can’t stand being forced apart: Joe’s freakout in the truck scene when Nicky briefly won’t wake up, Nicky making sure to tell Joe that he’s glad he’s awake in the lab, the whole post-Keane fight scene that I talked about above, the way Nicky fights ferociously to get to Joe when Merrick’s stabbing him, etc. For that to be given to the queer couple, where the strength of their love and devotion is reinforced as one of the emotional goals of the story, and for that queer couple to be written in the way that Joe and Nicky are, both individually and as a unit, is just so very rare.

Because yes, there’s plenty of drama and angst and pain in their lives, but there’s none at all in their relationship, and that’s what fans keep telling TV writers the whole time: they WANT to see the couple confront things as a unit, rather than being kept on tenterhooks the whole time and forced to go through manufactured or artificial drama. It would feel especially wrong for Joe and Nicky, who have known and loved each other for 900 years. The fact that their respective actors also put so much care and love into them is very obvious, and makes me feel even luckier that they’re played by people who clearly get them and honor them and know what they’re doing.

Basically: of course Joe and Nicky have been with each other the whole time, and of course we’re all drowning in feelings over it, and I feel very blessed that this ship exists, and I very much need the sequel ASAP. Thanks.

#the old guard meta #joe x nicky #immortal husbands #long post #roseoswiins #ask

[ageless-aislynn]

About that last post? Yeah, I know I should have a much thicker skin by now. I’ve been vidding for a lot of years, posting fic for a portion of that, and people are just sometimes rude.

But I always used to stoically suffer mean comments while at the same time I’d dive in and defend another vidder/writer against the same sort of comment if I got the chance. And the older I get, the more I feel like, why am I not worth defending? Why does my stuff “deserve” to be mocked while I sit in shame at my lack of talent and ability? Look, I’m saying I’m the most awesome, bestest vidder in the world or anything. I’d hesitate to say I’m the best vidder living in my own house right now. And I’m the ONLY vidder here. ;)

I’ve seen people say that if you get critical/rude/mean comments, then you should have to leave them because you posted whatever thing that was and so then you should have to deal with the bad comments along with the good.

Screw that. No. Life is mean enough. Yeah, I post my fanworks things where other people can see them. Yeah, that means that people can say whatever they want about them. But no, that does NOT mean I have to stare at that comment for the rest of my life, feeling it punch out a little more of whatever joy I have left in vidding or writing every time I look at it.

I once infamously struck back at a mean comment only for them to clarify that I had completely misunderstood their comment. I felt horrible. So I don’t ever want to go in both barrels blazing like that again. Therefore... delete.

Maybe that’s not very thick skinned of me at all. Maybe it’s not what I’m “supposed” to do. But darn it, it’s what I’m doing. Because depression is already trying to steal away my fun in vidding and writing. I don’t want to let some yahoo on the Internet finish the job.

#about me #trigger warning: depression #depression #vidding #i still don't know why you'd want to try to tell somebody their vid or fic or whatever sucks #just move on #:S

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #13- Swerve Doesn’t Have Any Friends

Okay, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way.

It’s a FUCKING SPORTS BRA AND RUNNING SHORTS ALEX.

And don’t think I don’t see that friggin’ cleavage alien back there. You ain’t slick.

I’m going to make it a law that all comic book artists learn how to draw clothes that don’t vacuum-seal themselves to women’s bodies. Milne gets six months for this infraction alone, and Roche gets a year for the initial bra crime he committed back in Last Stand. Learn how women’s underwear works, you ninnies.

Our issue opens up with Swerve stretching his radio personality muscles.

Oh, Guido Guidi, whisk me away to flights of fancy!

Our artist for this issue is none other than Guido Guidi, ascended from fanwork to deliver us from evil with his near-superhuman ability to emulate other artists’ styles and just make things look really pretty. He was responsible for the mythos pages in the 2012 Annual, AKA the best part. He also filled in on some of the art for Last Stand of the Wreckers, not that I really noticed because he’s just that good.

Swerve lets Blurr know that while it might have looked like the Lost Light had exploded, thus killing everyone onboard back in issue #1, that isn’t actually what happened. I’m glad someone filled in the Cybertronian populace on that.

I was never great at math, but those speech bubbles might be phoning it in a bit.

Swerve says that he’s having a great time on the quest, despite all the hiccups, and we get an explanation for why this long-range communications system hasn’t been seen prior to this point. It’s been broken for a while- most likely due to the quantum jump that started the series off with a bang- but Blaster managed to get it running again. Good job, Blaster. With this little setup for our framing device out of the way, we get into the meat of the story.

Swerve is being nosey about things that weren’t any of his business, happening in a closed off room, when Drift drags him down the hall and hid him away for safety. Swerve doesn’t much appreciate being manhandled, but there’s a method to the madness here.

Drift’s nose has vacated the premises once again, so we’re just going to have to deal with that. And how shapely does one have to be to be known as “the guy with the legs”? I mean, Drift is RIGHT THERE.

Drift uses his own powerful legs to kick down the door to Cyclonus and Tailgate’s room. It turns out that the horrific screaming wasn’t the sound of a murder or sexual relations taking place, but rather that of Cyclonus singing in Old Cybertronian.

My god, he’s completely enamored with this unrepentant murder machine.

We are just all up in Cyclonus’ grill for this panel. Nothing but lips. Was this specified in the script? Because it feels like it might have been specified in the script.

Old Cybertronian, or the Primal Vernacular as some might call it, was last seen in general when Rodimus channeled the will of the trapped Titan all across Tailgate’s chest. It was last seen spoken when we met Vos, the terrible murder gremlin who turns into a gun and uses his face to cause puncture trauma.

Comic books are wild, y’all.

Now that we’ve established that no one’s being killed, Drift goes back to what he was doing earlier, with Swerve deciding to tag along because he’s horrifically lonely. He invites Drift to come room up with him, because I guess if you’re going to sell off your comatose roommate’s bed out from under him, you might as well go for the guy who’s third in command,  is probably one of the hottest guys on the ship, and slices people into chunky salsa if they try anything funny.

Drift politely declines, and awkwardly removes himself from the conversation when Swerve doesn’t take the hint, returning to his sword lesson with Rodimus.

Oh thank god, the obnoxiously pink room is back.

Ultra Magnus bursts into the room, appalled by the actions of his fellow crew members. Some of his concerns are well-placed. Others, well…

Is- is that another friggin’ retainer on those lower teeth? Why does this design choice keep showing up?

So Magnus has imprisoned roughly a third of the ship at this point, and Rodimus suggests he take a chill pill. Magnus doesn’t even know what a chill pill even is, so we’re forced to make use of our most dangerous weapon- the threat of a good time, courtesy of Swerve.

The fact that Ultra Magnus hasn’t reduced Swerve to an oil stain on the floor is genuinely astounding. The guy has zero respect for bureaucracy or proper business management. It has been MONTHS, you dinky little man, get your act together as a business owner.

Swerve takes the bribe, and soon everyone’s shipping off to Hedonia, where the drinks are plentiful and the women… well, most of the Lost Lighters don’t even know what a woman is, so that aspect doesn’t really come into play. Thanks, Furman.

Also, Rung’s back to normal. Don’t worry about it, not a big deal.

Swerve isn’t having much luck on his Roommate Quest, as Tailgate spurns his advances, stating that he’s good kicking it with Cyclonus, mainly because they’re both old as shit.

I see we haven’t quite hit the threshold on the “Cyclonus is allowed to have friends now” meter. Give it a few more issues, I’m sure we’ll get there.

Man, zero for two for Swerve on trying to get a hot roommate. Maybe third time’s a charm?

Rodimus pops into the back of the shuttle to remind everyone that their entire race is more or less despised by the entire galaxy, and to play it safe by using their holomatter avatars.

The revamp by Brainstorm and Rung is truly a blessing, because the avatars in IDW were awful to look at up to this point.

Y’all, that is HOT ROD. Jesus wept.

Getting back to Tailgate’s questionable taste in companionship, Tailgate asks if Swerve and Blurr connected right away. Swerve gives him an affirmative, then starts listing off the guy’s racing stats until Ultra Magnus plops down between the two of them, drawn in by the melodious sound of statistics.

Magnus is having a hard time relaxing, but he’s giving it his best, and I think that’s very commendable of him. It’s hard trying new things.

On the surface of Hedonia, it would appear the B-Movies are having a Pride event in the entertainment district.

Okay, moment of truth- show us those avatars!

Oh thank god, they aren’t totally hideous. Though, isn’t Rewind old as shit? I guess youth is a state of mind. Still, I can’t believe we missed out on silver fox Rewind.

Rung’s line is in response to folks at the time claiming that Rung was a self-insert character, which is interesting, because we’ve already seen what a self-insert looks like when it’s Roberts doing the inserting, and we’ve also seen his Mary Sues.

Rung, while an original character who had appeared in Roberts’ pre-professional works (a single line of text in Eugenesis, where he was a psychiatry play-on-words), he isn’t what I’d consider a Mary Sue. Mary Sues are usually stunningly beautiful, beloved by their peers, insanely talented in ways that no other character is, and typically have some sort of connection to another character that more or less forces them into the story despite not needing to exist.

Mary Sues don’t get their friggin’ heads exploded, or exist in a constantly-forgettable state. Sure, he’s the only therapist we’ve ever seen in the Transformers franchise, but there was kind of a massive need for that sort of character to be created, seeing as all of these sons of guns have PTSD and clinical depression. And, as we’ve seen in previous issues and will continue to see later on, he’s really not even that great at it.

That isn’t to say that he doesn’t have certain traits befitting such a characterization, merely that they don’t add up to equal that sort of whole by issue #13. Transformers (2009)-era Drift is way closer to a true Mary Sue than Rung is.

Anyway, where the hell did Tailgate get to?

They really just let Frodo Baggins in this bar all babybjörned up, huh? Does Tailgate even know what a baby even is at this point? Does he just think he’s a very small person? How much human media has he consumed? We haven’t gotten into the reproductive process for the continuity yet, but fresh Cybertronians aren’t exactly a one-to-one to human infants. Damn it, Roberts, what the fuck am I supposed to make of Babygate?

Whirl’s off in the corner, disguised as a 12-year old girl who’s fucking STRAPPED. Magnus has disappeared, but Rewind locates him pretty easily as Rung makes a comment about Magnus needing to make an appointment with him.

Oh hey, Verity. Been a minute. Careful, ol’ six-eyes over there is leering at you.

The fellas come back to the bar as they truly are, and sit down for a round of drinks. Whirl gets Ultra Magnus a drink that sounds disturbingly like a Cybertronian equivalent to Milk Coke, and we get a little anatomy lesson. Transformers have something called a Fuel Intake Moderation chip, something that keeps them from getting drunk on pretty much the only thing they can consume. Swerve suggests Magnus turn his off so he can have a good time- which I don’t personally agree with, but this is Captain Stick-in-the-Mud we’re talking about here. Magnus gives it a shot.

And that’s a series wrap on Ultra Magnus!

No, the man’s just got no tolerance and has been knocked the hell out by his drink. Things begin devolving. Tailgate is crying. Skids has found out that Whirl didn’t give Magnus Milk Coke at all, but instead the equivalent of liquid cocaine. Swerve is convinced he’s going to prison. Rewind is filming the whole thing.

Nobody actually checks to see if Magnus is actually dead, until Rung gets around to it. Swerve, you’re a doctor by original trade, what the hell are you doing?

The boys sit Magnus at the table to wait out his nap. Hours later, nothing’s changed, except that they’ve started up the nemesis game, and Whirl’s decided he’s going to be rude about monoformers being monoformers. Rung gives a non-answer, because that’s just who he is as a person. Skids names Misfire as his worst enemy, only because he’s still missing a good chunk of memory and can’t remember if he had a worst enemy, but still wants to contribute to the conversation.

Rung, don’t be a dick, he did his best. You were right on top of Fort Max, it was a tricky shot.

Ultra Magnus finally starts waking up, and that’s the point where everyone decides to foot Swerve with the bill for the emotional labor he’s going to have to perform by explaining just what the friggity-frack happened.

Magnus starts laughing, then crying, then offloads his troubles onto Swerve. Magnus feels like he just doesn’t fit in on the Lost Light. He’s just trying to do his job and everyone makes fun of him, or disrespects his authority. He’s trying, he really is, but he’s just not built for post-war life. He’s actually tried to leave his position on the Lost Light, but they just keep pulling him back in.

Probably doesn’t help that Rodimus seems more interested in Drift’s opinion on matters than his own SIC half the time.

Oh no, he’s making digs at the things Swerve’s sensitive about. Where is Rung?

Magnus just wants to be understood, y’know? He’s a fully realized creation. He’s got interests. Like music! And the fact that Swerve is missing his Autobot badge!

This was the point where MTMTE was still bouncing back and forth on whether it wanted to commit to the crotch badge. It was a tumultuous time for everyone, very dark days.

WHERE THE FUCK IS RUNG

Magnus, having had enough of sharing his feelings, takes another sip of his cocaine and slips back into unconsciousness. Swerve admits to his limp body that people don’t actually like him, but rather only stick around because of what he can offer- namely, a good time.

The rest of the Swerve posse comes back, with Cyclones having joined the party. Rung shows off his new model ship, which gets Rewind started on his movie collection. He pulls up the opening ceremony for the Ark 1. Y’know, the Ark 1, that ship that Cyclonus was on that disappeared into the Dead Universe for six million years. The Ark 1 that Tailgate was supposed to be on.

Before we can get started however, someone throws the model at Rewind’s head.

That someone is none other than Cyclonus, who proceeds to fly into a rage, throwing tables and shoving the still-unconscious Ultra Magnus to the floor. My word, what a reaction! What could possibly be setting him off so much? Does he not like being reminded of his fated trip to the stars? Is this a manifestation of trauma from that event?

Who knows? No time for questions, Skids is too busy punching him in the face.

Tailgate intervenes, explaining that because Cyclonus and himself are so goddamn old, the engex Cyclonus consumed is wreaking havoc on his body. He tells the rest of them to go on while he tries to calm Cyclonus down. Interesting that Rewind doesn’t have any sort of input on this, given that he is also super fucking old, but there’s no time for questions! We’ve got to get Ultra Magnus back on the shuttle in the next 20 minutes, or else they’ll be stuck on Hedonia FOREVER.

They start throwing Magnus on the floor repeatedly, trying to get his t-cog to spin up. No dice, however.

It’s 4AM. Do you know where your Domey is? Because Rewind sure as hell doesn’t.

Okay, time for Plan B.

I’m guessing not, Rung. I’m guessing not.

Using Magnus as a trampoline does the trick, and the boys are rewarded with the sight of Magnus’ alt-mode… resting on its roof, upside down. They get him sorted, pile in the cab- Rewind is driving, which leads me to believe he at least has some experience handling a vehicle. Chromedome does turn into a car…

I don’t even know what that sort of activity implies for a Transformer. We won’t go any further down this line of thought.

The boys manage to get Ultra Magnus to the shuttle in time, and all’s well that ends well!

This is about the time that Blaster knocks on the glass at Swerve to wrap things up, seeing as he’s been at this for over nine hours now. There’s one last little aside before we’re done with our story, however, and it involves just what happened in the bar after everyone else left.

Cyclonus calmed down almost immediately after the rest of the guys left, paying for what he broke and inviting Tailgate to have a seat.

Well, I say invite, but it’s really more of an order.

If you’d already figured out at this point that this jumpy little marshmallow was lying about being the biggest badass who ever lived, a gold star for you! It turns out, dear Tailgate has been crafting a fabrication, spinning a yarn, telling a tall tale since Day One on the Lost Light. The story has been feeding us a steady diet of fish the whole time!

Red herring!

Red herring!

Red herring of Tailgate’s own design! Autopedia’s mods are a friggin’ joke.

Tailgate was supposed to be a the Ark 1 launch, but it was because he was on the cleanup crew. Boy’s a sluicer, and his arm SHOULD say "waste disposal”. Through a cunning use of his wits and cold reading, Tailgate faked his way through the dismantling of the bomb on Temptoria. A smart boy, he is, if not a bit self-centered.

Which brings us to why exactly Cyclonus freaked out in the bar: he wasn’t having an episode, but rather faking a reaction to prevent Tailgate’s lie from being exposed. He still thinks that Tailgate should come clean about this whole thing, before things get really messy, but it wouldn’t be an issue of MTMTE without some raw-ass emotions getting thrown about.

Cyclonus, who hasn’t allowed himself to feel anything other than simmering rage or national pride for over six million years, is beginning to feel something for Tailgate.

That feeling is sympathy, and maybe a little pity.

He offers to teach Tailgate a song to help him feel better, because that’s what he does when he has feelings.

And given that Cyclonus seems to sing often enough that Tailgate’s gotten used to the horrific sound, it might be that Cyclonus has feelings a hell of a lot more often than he lets on.

Roberts, how many times are you going to make Tailgate cry? How much pain are you going to subject him to before you’re satisfied?

The scene closes out on the two of them getting their karaoke on in the empty bar, in the god-awful language that is Old Cybertronian. I can only imagine that they get kicked out of the bar pretty quickly after this.

Getting back to the present, Swerve has finally, finally finished his story, closing out with an invitation for Blurr to come visit Swerve’s.

Blaster gets ready to shoot one hell of a voice message at Blurr, but there’s a problem; the number Swerve has isn’t long enough to be a personal hailing frequency.

Yeah, turns out that Tailgate isn’t the only liar on board the Lost Light.

Four million years ago, Swerve met Blurr at a publicity event, got way too friendly with a celebrity, pestered the guy until he gave him a fake number, and has convinced himself that he made a life-long friend to this very day.

Big oof.

Later, back at Swerve’s, Swerve is busy cleaning the glassware when Ultra Magnus comes in, sober and having just gotten out of surgery to fix his fuel tanks. Guess that second sip of Nucleon really wasn’t a good idea.

Swerve tries to tell a lie about what happened the night before, only to have the dawning horror that Magnus remembered the entire night, as he’s presented with a new badge. Swerve, bolstered by the fact that, while Magnus didn’t enjoy the previous evening, he appreciated having company, begins to ask Magnus if he’d want to room with him.

Wow, zero for three! That’s rough, buddy.

Kind of a bummer end to this whole issue, but it was still decently light, tone-wise, for MTMTE. A great deal of fun was had, in between all the mortifying reveals of our characters inner demons.

...Well, shit.

#transformers #jro #mtmte #issue 13 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #overthinking about robots #incoming analysis #comic script writing

[nighttimepixels]

Sorry if you've already answered this or if its rude, but is there any particular reason you havent updated skeleton sisters and the architect?

Life stuff, honestly. I’ve got health problems and most of the fall was kind of consumed by a ton of medical junk, and then months of me trying to force my way into being no-longer-almost-malnourished. It lead to me being sick a lot, and/or exhausted. Thankfully, I had at least a little success after months of… bad stuff and kinda desperately trying a lot of different things. I can eat some more stuff now, which is allowing be to apply to a vocational school and get trained in work I’m interested in so I can actually, y’know, make a living! It’s exciting and exhausting, but after the last half year I’m… much, much happier to be on the other side of it, and admittedly a little proud and a lot grateful (especially to my bro, he’s helped me more than I can express) that I managed this much.

That said, it really does just come down to ‘life stuff’, since there’s more beyond that. I just don’t publicly talk about it a lot, and in my ‘free time’ (I bust my ass trying to do commissions to help make ends meet & save up for the program I’m trying to get into), I do my best. Since my last update, that’s been more art and interacting/expanding on the Lilytale crew via asks and smaller posts. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to continue it (the next chapter’s already partly written, and I went back and edited the outline a bunch to make things even more fun/interesting), just that… well, life’s rough sometimes, and as much as it really bums me out, the time I had just wasn’t able to be applied to writing my usual 7k-14k updates.

But seriously, major thanks to anyone who has left comments on the fic/asks/art about the Lilytale crew. I can’t begin to explain what it means to me.

Even if I don’t reply to comments on the fic always, I go back and read them and… it’s a hell of a reminder that this story is something people care about and enjoy and… well. I would’ve stopped writing longer stories long ago if not for the fact that there are people out there that say that they like my work and interact positively with me/my work.

That said… please do keep that in mind for the next time you consider asking a question like thisto another creator whose work you follow!

I… understand where you’re coming from, and other people who ask anything along the lines of ‘update when??’. I understand - and so do many creators - that it’s a form of ‘I want to see more because I enjoy this!!’

And. Remember that fanwork is a work of passion that is borne of the creator’s free time applied to something that they get no money or other ‘I can live off this’ sort of reward. The only thing we ‘get’ is, ideally, the shared excitement of other fans. Saying that you enjoy a person’s work goes so, so much farther than ‘when/why haven’t u updated’, y’know? The former feels like our time and work is appreciated, while the latter feels like… a demand, a discounting of what we pour into it, the time and work it takes to craft a story (or piece of art, etc).

I’m not mad, just - I wanted to take the time to explain that, to encourage you to think about rephrasing it the next time you interact with the creator behind a fanwork that hasn’t updated in a while. Life happens, and trust me- the best fuel and inspiration is hearing that someone liked what we did - not being questioned as to why we might not have updated in a while.

Trust me… why we haven’t updated weighs a thousand times heavier on the creator than it does on even the most eager of fans.

#night answers #personal #bit long woops #i'm genuinely not mad just... a little sad #i only occasionally post related to my personal life/struggles/etc so i know most people wouldn't guess #but in general i think for most creators the answer to 'why haven't you updated' is along the lines of 'life happens' #whether our muse gets burnt out #or a scene's giving us trouble #or we're questioning whether our work is good enough/people like it/etc #or we're just worn out and what work we DO put out isn't related to one of our bigger projects bc time #it's a struggle! #i dunno i see this sentiment... frequently #and i know that the impatience/wondering is coming from a 'i wanna see more don't u understand i like this thing pls update!' #but the impact is... not the same #so yeah don't worry anon i'm not mad #just consider it i guess #and how it might feel if the places were reversed #Anonymous

[autumnstwilight]

An anonymous discussion on monetizing fanfic which makes a lot of good points and I’m holding onto for the next time it comes up.

(I’ve got nothing against people who do monetize their fic, but I dislike the pressure/guilt-tripping/social-justice framing many of the discussions in favor of paid fanwork have).

>>>Do you think the lack of monetization in fanfic is preventing newer writers and different stories from being told?

When has monetization and commercialization ever led to a more diverse, innovative creative output? People who are writing with an eye to monetization or pull-to-publish aren't going to be the people writing weird experimental fic, or obscure rarepairs, or wildly improbable AUs that somehow work, they are going to write the same popular derivative fic of megafandom juggernauts as everyone else, because that's where the money and the audience is. And, like, that's fine if people want to do that! There's nothing wrong morally suspect about writing fun romance fic for a big audience if that's what you enjoy doing in fandom. But let's not pretend that monetizing that is some heroic effort to democratize fandom. One of the best things about fandom is that there is pretty much no barrier to entry. You can write the weirdest, most niche fic on the entire planet, you can write it about a canon only two people in the world have ever seen, you can write it entirely in emoticons, and you can put it online right now. It may not be popular, you may not get a million comments/kudos/twitter followers out of it, only a few people may read it, but there is no gatekeeper telling you not to write it or not to put it on AO3 if you really want to. Monetization would not make that better. 

>>>This is pretty much why I don't want fic monetization to be the norm. So much already ugly wank and discourse is prompted by fic and fic related jealousy. Imagine if money was brought into the mix. 

>>>I can see the basic logic that this would invite in those who are forced to monetize their every waking hour. The people who espouse this view imagine that being paid to write fanfic will allow people to immediately swap out extra retail/food service shifts, delivery, driving, or Mechanical Turk-type work for writing time instead. They then assume that there will be more diverse and innovative output because these people who previously didn't have time to write as an unpaid hobby will have time to write as a paid job. This ignores the fact that when it's a paid job, these people will not be writing the innovative works of their heart. They'll be writing what a more financially secure class of people want to read - if they're competitive enough in the right market out the gate to start making money immediately. It also ignores the more crucial thing here: that the way to encourage diversity and innovation in creative hobbies isn't to turn them into jobs, it's to ensure that everyone has both enough money to live on and enough leisure time in a week to pursue creative endeavours for free. Anything else is just a new thing to pay for.

>>>Frankly, I think encouraging people to ask for money for their fic is doing them a disservice, because the vast, vast majority of people will not make anywhere near even minimum wage for the amount of time they put in. They will be wasting time they could have spent doing something that would have made more money *or* writing a story that they would have fun with.

>>>If anything, money would make writers shy away from anything that could be seen as unappealing or controversial and cater to the perceived lowest common denominator. Of course lots of authors chase kudos even now, but it'd still be different if they were losing actual money by writing that unpopular ship or kink. It would make people ditch unpopular fandoms altogether.

>>>Somehow "creative professionals have a right to ask for fair compensation for their labor and not work on spec/accept starvation wages for the love of the medium" has morphed into "all creative expression requires monetary compensation." Like, I enjoy carving little wooden squirrel figures and it takes hours of labor. I have a right to charge whatever price I want for them, but if no one wants to buy them at that price, the "system" isn't screwing me over.

>>>I personally want the people reading my stories to be fellow fans and potential friends, not customers who see me as a service provider (and who, having paid for my services, have a say in shaping the form those services will take), so I have zero interest in trying to monetize my fic. If other people want to sell their writing, more power to them, but doing so necessarily changes the dynamic with readers in a way I suspect they're not all prepared for. For example, once you've monetized, you don't get to pout about readers not commenting on your stuff anymore -- they've already paid for access, that's a comment in of itself! Negative reviews are also fair game once you're offering your content for a fee (not that they can't also be left on fic, but in the fic world at least they're often seen as rude).

>>>I agree with all nonnies in this thread but I'd also add that it would likely actively stifle marginalized fans. I can sort of see OP's logic - privileged people with leisure and a steady income have more time to write fic, but if fic was paid, everyone would have an equal chance, etc. And for the first few months, this might work out. People desperate for money would write a lot of fic. People struggling to get by would give up their current side hustle and focus on fic. A few new working class BNFs would emerge. But inevitably, the same thing would happen as in the world of pro blogging and cheap genre fiction. Competition would grow. People with more money for marketing would start earning more. Brand development, market analysis, BNF status retainment would become the only certain way to make a living. Impoverished fans would have to make do with ghostwriting, or they'd have to try to develop a virally pitiable persona. Comfortable fans with a steady income and lots of leisure would still get most of the attention. They'd even sincerely believe they deserve all of it. And fandom wanks would become a thousand times more vicious because there's financial incentive. And like always, marginalized creators would be the most vulnerable (except for the lucky few, mostly the rich ones, who successfully built their personal brand on their identity).

#long post #fandom discourse #fanfic monetization

[ihni]

Can’t wait until season 3 because Steve and Billy won’t have a single interaction and they’ll both be straight af and I can stop seeing your cringe comics in their tag. I mean, you’ll probably keep making them but you’ll have no new content, so that’s cool.

Hello anon,

and thank you for this message. I was honestly delighted to receive it, because I was beginning to feel a bit left out.

You’re right; I will probably continue to make my crappy little comics - because I like making them, and some people that I like and respect seem to get a kick out of them, too. In a way, it’s my humble way to pay back to a fandom that has been nothing but warm, welcome and awesome in every way. I am constantly amazed by the talented and creative people in this fandom, and although I may not have much to offer, these will have to do for now.

That said, it’s never been a wish of mind to subject anyone to them, who don’t like them. If they make you uncomfortable or angry, you can block the tag “ihni doodles”, as that is what I’m using to tag all of them with. If my mere existence is an offence to you, then thankfully it’s easy to remedy: You can block me easily on tumblr (if you don’t know how to, it’s easy to google it, or you can write me again and I’ll tell you how). If that’s not enough, you can write me off anon and request that I block you, too. That way, we’ll both have taken the necessary steps to ensure that you won’t have to see my cringe comics. (This goes for anyone who wants to; I won’t be offended, I promise. I never take it personally when people don’t like my so-called “art”, because art is a subjective thing, and entirely in the eye of the beholder.)

I have to tell you that I will probably never run out of new content - inspiration, perhaps, but content? Never. We create the content in this fandom (as well as in many others) - which is honestly why I love fandom so much. The creativity, the productivity, the sheer insanity of it all. As long as I will want to draw Billy, I will have plenty of material to use (and if I don’t, I’ll make it up. I just put him in a skirt dressed as a metalhead!cinderella ffs. There are no limits to what fans can and can’t do).

I personally don’t care much if Billy and Steve share any screentime this season (although I know many who do care, and I sure wouldn’t mind it! It would be awesome!). I care about Billy as a character, period. I’d watch eight episodes of him cleaning the bathroom, or changing the tires of his car, or scratching rude comments into school property with his keys. So I am understandably thrilled for season 3, as it seems I’ll at least get a lot of him. See, he’s my favourite character. And as such, I’ll enjoy it if he simply hangs out with Tommy & Carol. I’ll enjoy it if he yells at kids at the pool. I’ll enjoy it if he banters with Max. I’ll enjoy it if he goes full villain. I’ll enjoy any and all interaction between him and any of the other characters I love (I am overjoyed that it seems he’ll interact with El, and I would kill for a glaring contest between him and Dustin, or for Lucas to confront him about what he did, or for him to have a stilted conversation with Hopper, or for any kind of meeting between him and Joyce - and yes, I would also sell my first born* for scenes with Steve, because I love him too). But most of all - I’ll enjoy all the fanworks that I know will follow. Because I love everybody in this bar :D

I’m sorry this got so long - I got excited! But please know that if you ever feel like writing me again, or to discuss anything about Stranger Things (or other things, really), feel free to do it off anon - I swear that I will always answer privately if I’m asked to do so.

Also, it seems that we have our love for Stranger Things in common - you, like me, can’t wait for Season 3. We’re both looking forward to it (although perhaps for slightly different reasons - but I’ll bet that many reasons are probably the same, too). The end result is the same: two happy people, watching a show they’re invested in, with characters they’ve grown to love. (Just a few days to go now, that is INSANE!! :D )

I wish you the best, and hope that you’ll enjoy the show when it airs. Have a nice day. :)

*=don’t worry, I won’t actually sell a child. There are no kids in my future. Ever

#ask #anon #Anonymous #hate #i guess #good things #(all the answers that is)

[sakumodoesstuff]

It's that time again, folks. Time for another edition of SakuMo's Controversial Opinion Corner.

 People turning, “if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all,” into a battle cry for, “you can't say anything negative about my thing,” is bullshit, and it’s crippling you as a person and as a content creator.

Preface: I'm not saying people are free to go at a creator/person and attack them with their negative opinion, nor that you should accept it. That's flaming, and it's never cool. However, the prevalence of flaming has created this culture (especially in fanwork) where people cannot accept even polite criticism, and it’s hot garbage.

Some backstory: I was raised to debate. I have 6 siblings.  When we were growing up, we had to defend our side of a dispute in a non-attacking way if we wanted whichever parent to see our point. Persuasive essays were my jam in school. I love deep discussions, particularly with people I disagree, because it helps me see more viewpoints, see an issue from all sides, and possibly change my opinion with more perspective. I'm open to having my viewpoint changed. I'm open to apologizing. I'm open to agreeing to disagree. I'm open to criticism, provided it is polite and clear that we share mutual respect for one another. That's what critique is. Truly good critique, in my opinion, blends the strengths with the weaknesses.

I see this statement passed around on social media, quoted in headers, in the starting notes of fics, etc. all the time. “Do not critique my work.” “Not interested in critique.” “Not accepting critique at this time.” It's intended, I think, to say, “Do not hate on my work,” but what it actually says is, “Don't disagree with me,” and it's not a productive stance to have, particularly with creative work. In my early days of writing fanfiction, I made a lot of mistakes. Know how I know? People told me, and they weren't kind about it. Know what I did? I was young, so I got mad, but at the same time, I thought back to that criticism every time I wrote. It haunted me like a narrative ghost. Want to guess what happened? It improved my writing, far more than the praise did. It put my flaws in boldface typing, size 48, a shadow over my work until eventually, I conquered it. It helped me see a problem I had and make appropriate changes.

When you refuse criticism, it's much more difficult for that to happen. I'm not saying you can't spot and fix a flaw on your own, but when all you accept is a yes-man echo chamber, it's harder to drown out the noise and hear that discordant note in the background of your symphony. Also, it makes you incredibly thin-skinned to any kind of critique, even the respectful ones. It makes you see any negative opinions about your work as a personal attack. It leaves you vulnerable in situations where you have to accept criticism (like a job). It makes you less introspective, which means you’re even more likely to never spot and fix your flaws.

Stop doing this. Stop deleting your negative comments. Stop blocking people who have a difference of opinion. Stop symbolically plugging your ears to all voices of dissent. Look at them. Look at your criticism and discern if this person means to criticize you or your work.

For, “you,” feel free to ignore it if you aren't confrontational; someone attacking you personally for a work is most likely flaming. That said, don’t disregard a flame outright. Analyze their words for any pertinent insight to flaws in the piece. Sometimes people are too blunt, or sometimes they really are just mean, but if there’s a kernel of truth in their flame, don’t ignore it. Some of my best improvements as a writer came from flames. However, defend yourself in a respectful way if you think they misunderstood. Block them only if it becomes a habit, because some people truly are cruel. But also, don't attribute to malice what can be explained as ignorance. Some people truly do mean well but perhaps worded themselves poorly and came off very harsh. Seek clarification. Do not enter a debate angry. That is not the point of a debate. If anyone is angry to the point of personal attack, be it you or the other person, you are no longer having a discussion; you are having an argument, and you need to disengage.

For, “your work,” look at what they said. Did they offer an opinion on a choice you made? Did they state they still love the overall work? Is their critique based on a misunderstanding of your intent, or is it them stating their opinion on the subject matter? Are they respectful? Do they have any valid points? Then, open a dialogue. Indicate (in a polite way, please) where they misunderstood your piece (if at all), and use examples. “I understand your point, but I actually did address that here...”  “I apologize if it’s not clear, but in this section...”  Be courteous. Do not use sarcasm (“Well if you actually paid attention, I didn’t do that because...” “Clearly you don’t understand my piece because...”). Do not personally attack their opinion ( “Well you’re wrong because...” “How could you possibly think that about my piece...”).  Do not condescend with your defense ( “You misunderstood me entirely, here’s why...” “In this essay, I will point out all the reasons you are wrong...”).  Agree to disagree. Be willing to acknowledge they might have a point in the mix. Take to heart any valid criticism, because it’s going to help you grow.

Sorry to rant so long; this has been on my mind for quite some time and is not aimed at any one specific situation. I've seen and encountered this attitude a lot with fan creators, and it is hurting you more than it helps. Not every critique is an attack, and the sooner you learn this, the better off you'll be as a person and as a content creator. I don’t mean this rudely; this is just me speaking from personal experience and trying to convey how changing my views on critique made me a better person and a better writer. In a way, this whole post has been me attempting to give constructive criticism.

Thanks for reading my essay on this, lol. As always, I'm open to discussion and counterpoints.

#sakumo says stuff #personal #critique #criticism #fanwork discourse #accepting criticism #accepting critique #self improvement #opinion