Gilded Sapphire

A home for SessKag fans https://discord.gg/4UaXKZGbTR

[mitsiepitsie]

After discovering him in the mountains on a hike, clothing long since rotted away, Kagome soon discovered just how much of a dog Sesshoumaru was when faced with modern transportation.

[mitsiepitsie]

Well, I jumped on this plunnie myself.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[drosselmeyerwrites]

SessKag Fandom Chat

Before I write more, I want to first say that this is not a warm and fuzzy Tumblr post. There has been a lot going on in the SessKag fandom over the past couple years, and this post is going to be discussing what has happened and what is still happening behind the scenes there. If you are not in the mental or heart space to invest time in fandom drama, this post is not what you are looking for right now. If you want to preserve your peace or do not want to be made aware of the unsavory details of what has occurred, now would be the time to scroll.

If you are still here…

I want to start by saying that this post was not approached lightly. Myself and others have watched for a long time now (mostly) quietly as certain creators and participants in the SessKag fandom have incited discontentment and exclusivity under the pretense of “support” and “inclusion.”

At best, they have spread individual perspectives that they falsely attribute to the masses; at worst, they have been outright bullying.

I am going to attempt to be as non-confrontational as possible. What has been going on, however, makes this effort intrinsically limited. But due to the harm that has occurred, negative things will be discussed. It’s the nature of the beast. I’m not going to say the names of those involved in this negative behavior. Fandom being what it is, many have already noticed who’s doing what and have spoken of it in their own circles. So, while I am not saying names, many of you reading this will regardless know. I cannot help that.

To those who have been doing this, my first instinct was to show fandom in no uncertain terms what you have said and been orchestrating behind the scenes. There is plenty of screenshot evidence showing how you talk about creators, their works, and even your own supposed friends when you think no one is looking. But, as others in this fandom far wiser than me pointed out, too many would be unnecessarily hurt by this because they don’t know what you’re saying behind their backs while you smile to their faces and put up a false pretense of support. So, for the time being at least, those will not be shared.

It is hard to know what to share about everything that has happened, but a bit back, this post popped up on Tumblr, and the hashtags pretty much hit the nail on the head and described this situation within SessKag perfectly. So, I am going to piggyback off these hashtags to talk about the garbage this select group of people has been inciting. Hashtags are taken directly from the post previously linked.

#fandom is supposed to be a community#fandom is not a competition or popularity contest

Communities evolve, and fandom is no exception to this. What matters about fandom is that a group of people have come together to share a common interest. Sometimes, that interest leads to closer friendships that are long-lasting, and that’s  part of the magic of fandom. But in the last couple of years, for some reason some of you have taken the focus off the relationships and what brought everyone together to begin with. Instead, a higher value has been placed on “stats,” whose work is being talked about, shared, who’s winning fandom awards, etc. And when it wasn’t what you wanted to see, for some asinine reason, you took it personally and made it your mission to try and change it to what you wanted by tearing others down.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to promote works that may be falling under the radar; there is something wrong with the way you’ve gone about it.

There have been a few different distasteful tactics involved, which are discussed below. What I speak of here is stuff there is screenshot evidence for or other virtual evidence:

 “Squash” posting, where you intentionally try to push the content of others down feeds

Event mimicry

Post mimicry

Collection theft

Server poaching (There is nothing wrong with inviting people to Discord servers you create. There is, however, something wrong with staying in servers you bash behind the scenes for the sole purpose of trying to pad your own member list. This is especially true when you send “recruitment” messages that in any way disparage the efforts of the servers in which you disingenuously stay.)

Performance expectations (Behind the scenes, you have been hypercritical of people who are not as active in fandom as you deem required to be considered “valid.”)

Bashing authors behind the scenes (You can critique works you read; there is nothing wrong with that. But there is a difference between critique and bashing. And while no one can control what you choose to say and do, bashing is not okay. Making assumptions about authors’ personal lives and character based on their work is not okay.)

On the matter of mimicry, the behavior has been particularly appalling. SessKag does have some established fandom events and spaces that have been around for years. Certain people, who are sometimes also creators, are a part of keeping these things together. And they have done so consistently for years. This doesn’t mean that other people can’t make their own spaces or events—they absolutely can and should. But trying to reinvent the wheel and “takeover” what exists, is a different matter. Why do I say “takeover” in particular? Well, the server poaching mentioned above is one reason. But there has also been:

Name-calling and insults

Outright admissions that you are attempting to usurp these established efforts because yours are, quote, “better”

Expressions of violence when those running these established SessKag events and spaces say or do something you don’t like 

It should go without saying, but none of this is okay or appropriate. At all.

To the one spearheading this effort, I’m going to speak to you as a writer for a moment. There is this well-established fact in writing that it’s all been said and done, but it hasn’t necessarily been said and done by you before. So, if you have a creative idea, giving that an outlet is something you should do. But remember also that writers are warned that things can become predictable, redundant, or boring if all we do is approach it the same way. In the most extreme cases, it results in plagiarism and copyright violations. IP theft. Bringing something new to the table within a genre, subverting tropes—all this is important to making creations that share inherent characteristics with others  unique. It also serves to avoid outright copying.

Oscar Wilde said it best: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

There is no room for copying and takeover attempts in any space. This does nothing more than destroy communities. If there is something more to add, add it. But adding to fandom means doing just that. It does not require the attempts there have been (and there absolutely have been) to destroy existing spaces and take someone’s idea and “do it better,” especially when your reasons to do so are nothing more than personal or straight up contrived.

#and no one is ‘higher’ than another because they write or draw or have a lot of followers #abolish this idea of hierarchy#we’re all here together and we’re equals

This one is especially interesting. Somewhere along the squall line of this drama, the concept of “pillars” came out. That is, this group of people inciting disquiet decided that certain authors were SessKag “pillars” because their work was popular, and these works were recognizable to a broad audience within our fandom. Others deemed “pillars” were involved in helping run different fandom circles they volunteer their time for. But for some reason, you all decided to paint these people as diabolical. As terrible people. As awful people. Other things I won’t waste time saying here.

And you do not know them.

I’m going to speak personally for a moment because I do know a lot of the “pillars” you’ve talked about and spread rumors about this way. They’re friends of mine, and they are some of the sweetest, most caring, honest, and heartfelt people out there. They do not call themselves “pillars” nor view themselves as such. And you’ve taken a steaming digital dump on them because, for some reason, them participating in fandom in the same manner that anyone else does has made you angry.

This is a you problem. And it is a big you problem.

“Pillars” do not control fandom audiences, and fandom audiences are allowed to consume whatever stories and art they wish. Just as we’ve seen within any genre of fictional works, some stories garner more attention and are more broadly read and discussed. That is literature. That is life.

No creator has done you wrong by writing/ drawing a well-loved work.

No member of the fandom audience has done you wrong liking any popular work.

For that matter, no one has done you wrong not consuming or commenting on your works. That is not owed—to any of us. Of course, we love feedback. But it is not required for anyone to leave feedback to be a good fandom member or a part of fandom.

There was no concept of hierarchy in SessKag until you all started this nonsense. You attributed a label, intent, and attitude to people you do not know that doesn’t even exist within them. But you committed to this garbage based on nothing but your own perceptions and false assumptions. This is not okay, and singling out people like this accomplishes the opposite of what community is supposed to do.

The only time there is a “hierarchical” structure, so to speak, is perhaps in fandom events or projects. And that’s because the whole world of fandom can’t manage a single event. It would be chaos. So, there’s an event runner who orchestrates things and sets up the rules, and if one chooses to participate in that event? Yes, there is a reasonable expectation that you go along with what the event coordinator has set up.

Fandom spaces like Discord servers, blogs, events, etc. are never without a need for help. Help has been asked for repeatedly in the past in SessKag spaces. What that help requirement is will vary by situation. But it’s not like there has never been an opportunity to step up and help in these roles. There has been. So we also cannot fairly say that certain people are just trying to control things in Sesskag, as you have also done. Participating in these broad fandom spaces has always been welcomed.

#and fic and art are not ‘content’#content just means stuff#what writers and artists make is more than just stuff

I touched on this briefly earlier, but we’re going to loop around back to it. Somewhere in the past couple of years, you’ve decided that people must actively create to “matter” in fandom. This is ludicrous. Fandom is a place to come as you are when you can come. Everything in fandom is done on a voluntary basis and is a labor of love. People have lives that take priority over fandom—as they should. Expecting that people constantly churn out fanworks to be considered relevant is unreasonable, and there's no place for this mentality in fandom. 

There is also plenty of screenshot evidence showing where you criticize what creators choose to produce, complaining about their works’ genres, tropes, etc. To add to the list, you are complaining behind the scenes about specific creators never reading nor commenting on your works or other works you think they should be doing so on.

So, to that, several things need to be said:

The only requirement in fandom is not being a jerk to others.

No creator owes a fandom stories.

No creator owes a fandom fanart.

No creator owes you fanworks that meet your preferred tropes, genres, categories, etc. rather than what they want to produce.

No creator/ reader owes you comments on your fics.

No creator/ reader is required to read your or any other creator’s fanworks.

No one is doing you or anyone else wrong by not doing these things.

Everything I said up above is true. 100%. Non-negotiable. Yes, it’s nice when we get comments or find works that fit our preferences. And, yes, creators and readers can have very valid frustrations on these matters. But you still don’t call the shots on what others do for fandom or what they consume. 

Fandom is no one’s personal playground where everyone must cater to your whims. You curate your own experience, and that’s it. But that’s not how you’ve chosen to act. Of course, you aren’t physically there to breathe down fandom members’ necks and try to make them do what you want. But when they don’t do these things that you’ve arbitrarily set up as “rules,” they are suddenly doing something wrong, and you put them on blast behind the scenes. 

This is where things begin to take a devious turn. In public fandom spaces, and we’ll include closed servers in this, you give lip service to the opposite. You express for people to do as they want when they can. But in the private conversations, you’re speaking out the other side of your mouth. You’re trashing people for violating your personal expectations on these matters.

Again, that is neither appropriate nor okay.

It also contributes to ableism in the fandom. That’s another topic in and of itself, but the bottom line is that not everyone can consume or produce content the way that your expectations demand–all for different and valid reasons. Whether or not that is understood by you doesn’t matter. It also doesn’t negate that it is ableist.

Following this, there has been this new idea perpetuated that “old works” or creators are out of touch or don’t matter anymore, but that is not how art nor literature works. Never has been. And significance and impact are not limited by a timeline that a handful of people arbitrarily decide. On top of this, it’s a massive lack of respect for the fans and creators that helped to build this fandom well before you ever dipped your toes into it. Disparaging old works in the manner you have does nothing more than poison the well, so to speak, because those works are either the whole reason people have a fandom to enjoy to begin with. Or, in the case of works created only a handful of years back, they’re a part of fond, meaningful fandom memories for SessKag fans.

Works stick in people’s minds based on that work’s own merit. This is why you have people who love maybe a single book by an author, but they don’t like any of their other stuff. It’s why you might enjoy one song by an artist and then none of their other music. You can’t make something suddenly more significant to people by telling them that something is more relevant or better just because it’s newer. That’s a single criterion in a long list of reasons on why works become loved by individuals, and the consumption of any art form is subjective to begin with. Trying to police how people perceive these fandom writings and artworks is an inappropriate and misplaced effort.

You have the same opportunity any other fandom creator does to create a fanwork with a long-lasting impact on the fandom. At the end of the day, it's the luck of the draw. Creators don't know what is going to stick with readers and become a broadly-loved fanwork. It just happens when it does.

The works and fandom members make that decision for all of us.

#let’s make fandom more of a community again and lift each other up and support each other and make friends again

Many of you have been in the SessKag fandom for a long time. Some of us have participated for a little bit now, and others are very new. No matter where you sit in terms of fandom longevity or how you contribute, you are a part of this fandom. You matter. Your thoughts, feelings, and opinions—as far as they do not harm nor attempt to control others—are valid. It doesn’t matter if your most recent fanwork share was yesterday or ten years ago. It doesn’t matter if you do nothing but lurk. There is no requirement to be a part of fandom except that you’re here for the subject matter and aren’t a jerk to others.

Fair is fair. As much as everything here in this post addresses a distasteful lack of judgment, humans are going to human. We all have moments where our asses show, and we all have moments we need to learn from. What we do when we realize that is what really matters because none of us are perfect. No one should expect perfection. Everyone, even friends we love and hold dear, will screw up at one time or another, and this is one reason why relationships take work.

I don’t want to step away from this without acknowledging positives to those people this post addresses. None of this means that, if you have been hurt by anyone in fandom, that you suddenly have to make nice and be buddy-buddy with them. No. You’re allowed to set and keep boundaries. But life is nuanced, so in light of that I do think it’s important to recognize more than just the bad that’s been thrown in our faces lately.

To those of you participating in everything discussed in this post, you guys are parents, spouses, friends—just like all of us. I know you have been there to support each other when that has been needed, and you all also contribute a whole lot of joy to fandom. People love the work you all put out there. Why? Because you are a talented group of people. I have seen art and moments in fanfiction you all have created that resonate with me and make me feel things. There is so much beauty in what you all contribute and can contribute to fandom. And really, moving forward, I hope that is what stands out and shines. Because that is the part of you people look at and are inspired by. These are the kinds of things that make fandom a better place and fosters an environment of friendship and a shared love for a niche thing that not everyone out there gets. But we do. We share that.

All this other stuff? It’s unnecessary. It doesn’t support fandom. It doesn’t support the people in it. It kills the spirit of fandom that has always made it the special thing it is. But it’s also something that can be left in the past. It doesn’t have to be how you choose to move forward.

All these people you have been talking about in the dark corners of Discord and the like? They’re people just like your friends. They’re people just like you. And again, I hope you take a moment to reflect on how you really do not know them well enough to be making the character accusations you have. A lot of assertions have been made in a way that acts like you know them better than you do. That is deeply inaccurate, and unfortunately because people’s names have been dragged through the mud, we have to point that out. Because at the end of the day, there are people you’ve said these falsehoods to who, until now, have heard nothing but your opinions on people you largely do not know.

As previously stated, humans will human. We will all mess up. But it’s how we choose to move forward after we’re aware of it that truly matters.

Here’s to choosing to do what is right. And here’s to SessKag reclaiming what it once was. 

[maggie8317]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

The night Sesshomaru was conceived.

[mitsiepitsie]

More PapaMaru! 6 years ago yesterday, my husband held our daughter for the first time. This is based on the photo I took then.

[noprobllama92]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

chapters: 1/1

words: 2,498

fandom: Inuyasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale

rating: Mature

warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru

characters: Higurashi Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Toutousai

additional tags: Crack, Humor, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Post-Canon, Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence

summary: Kagome’s latest intrusive thought is too persistent to ignore.

————

Ya’ll, this would not leave my head, so I had to get it out before I could focus on my other stuff. 😂

[drosselmeyerwrites]

**NEW FIC** Guiding Lights

A candle lit to welcome weary travelers in from the cold leads to unexpected reunions...

For Chie's 2023 12 Days of Promptmas. Day 1: Candlelight.

Read on AO3.

Gifted to a friend not on Tumblr. 🧡

[chierafied]

The Morning After

Rated T. 300 words. Read on AO3.

This wasn’t like him.  

Sesshoumaru lay on his side, leaning on his elbow. He frowned at the woman curled up next to him while toying with her sleep-tousled curls.   

The occasional past dalliances he'd conceded to engage in had been satisfactory enough. He had never felt a compulsion to linger after his needs had been met.   

Until now.  

With her, he had stayed. Watched over her sleep. Even succumbed to a few hours of sleep himself!  

The dawning daylight was starting to creep into the room. The miko sighed, pressing closer to him in her sleep. Sesshoumaru watched her, half-waiting for that urge to leave to start thrumming in his veins.   

It never came. The only thing he felt in this moment was a sense of calm... and perhaps a hint of warmth he dared not examine too closely.   

The miko made a noise. Stirred. Dark lashes fluttered and hazy blue met his considering gaze. After a few blinks, the blue of her eyes gradually brightened. A smile bloomed on her lips, somehow simultaneously sweet and knowing.  

"Good morning," she murmured, her voice low and delicious.  

Sesshoumaru’s arm wound around her waist as if by its own accord. His hooded eyes drank in the sight of the miko in his arms and he could already feel his interest rising.  

Then, she moved against him and tilted her face to claim his lips in a slow, thorough kiss.   

Sesshoumaru growled and pulled her close. His interest had definitely peaked.   

It might have worried him, such unprecedented capacity of passion that he seemed to possess toward the miko, had there not been a more alarming issue to contend with.  

For as the miko pulled away from the kiss with a delighted laugh, something — perilously akin to his heart — lurched in Sesshoumaru’s chest.  

[chierafied]

Laundry Duty

I wasn't going to write today, but @drosselmeyerwrites gave me an excuse to torture Sesshoumaru. 300 words. On AO3.

Kagome had called it a stomach bug. Sesshoumaru called it hell.  

Bile simmered in the back of his throat. The foul stench burned in his nostrils, crawling into his very lungs. It took all his willpower not to gag. Luckily, he managed. For the last thing they needed right now was more vomit to add to the mix.  

He had thought—with naïveté unfitting his advanced age—that once his progeny had surpassed their initial years and had ceased to require diapers, he'd be free from the abundance of the various fluids their tiny bodies never ceased to produce.  

But alas, he was not so fortunate, for children were the gift that kept on giving. In good ways and the bad. In the worst scenario right out of his nightmares, all three of them would spontaneously start to disgorge their dinner at three in the morning. And wander off in search of their parents, wailing and dripping vomit in their wake.   

In the past, of course, Sesshoumaru would have had a horde of servants to take care of the clean-up. Or Jaken, at the very least. Now, he had to wage the war himself. Kagome had gone to look after the children and had assigned the laundry duty to him. This was why Sesshoumaru found himself glaring blearily at the cheerfully-coloured pyjamas and suffering a grave malodorous assault. He held the stained pieces of clothing gingerly, only touching the cloth with the very tips of his claws as he chucked them into the yawning mouth of the washing machine. The technological advantages brought a modicum of convenience to this sordid task. Still, as he picked up the soiled bedsheets, he thought wistfully about the imp who’d once sworn him his alliance.

He’d rather have Jaken and avoid laundry duty altogether.    

[lucymorningstar257]

Sess: WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP KITCHEN??

Kags: Ahem, you mean my kitchen?

Lol just some bonus art for my SessKag doujin, Way of the House-Demon.

[gilded-sapphire]

Bad Boy by wonderbug

Transfer and Transform by AshMish111

The Solstice Scheme by Chie (Chierafied)

Shikon High School Host Club by Mitsje

Hexed by Acb6293

Family Game Night by momstable

Baby Mine by Drosselmeyer

The Progenitor by thetroll

First Comes Marriage by Chiaztolite

As It Was by tenebra_bella

walking in a winter wonderland by NoProbllama92

The Beautiful Truth by Mynameis_human

Hunting Happiness by SageMcMae

The Doubleganger by Chiaztolite

The Treatment by thetroll

[gilded-sapphire]

Stripped Bare - effinsusie

Link to the Past by effinsusie

That Night by effinsusie

Only Human by effinsusie

Lair, Lair by effinsusie

Mate of My Heart by Reverent_Moonlight

Hear Me Roar by Penny32

A Sweet Romance by scottishfae

A Cross of Blades by Striking Falcon

Second Chance by Striking Falcon

Blood Stained by Madison

Second Alliance by Imani Joain

Capital Offense by Oroyukae

Unworthy One... by Vyncent

Conversing with Emotion by Mythicamagic

A Blue Ribbon by Millarca

A Mere Digression by elle6778

Virginity of the Soul by Madison

Demonstrations by AshMish111

In Death, Trust Me, as You Didn't in Life by Kanna37

A Question About Honor by Kogasangel

Embrace the Silence by Trouble_In_Shangri_la

Dream Lover by LuxKen27

Instinct by thetroll

When Comes the Rain by Drosselmeyer

Silver & Gold by by SageMcMae

Life After Loss by Chie (Chierafied)

The Red Thread Theory by Mynameishuman

Veil by Mynameishuman

Psychosis by Mynameishuman