Shady's Nook

18+ | I've got art and writing to share, both fan and original. | Solitary Confinement & Frozen Heart are my fics, Unstable is my fan comic tag | The Body Shop and County Jail are original work tags | sillyrebloggingacc is as it says on the tin :) it me | blog under construction

[sensacetionalshady]

buddy of mine offered to pay me for art and I remembered I have an unused Ko-fi, so.... :)

I'm offering a few doodle comms! I do OCs and canon characters. PWYW with minimum price being 5$ <3

[flowerbleedme]

touches U in a very weird but non sexual way

[flowerbleedme]

[ao3commentoftheday]

I'm loving the discussions about the role and purpose of fandom, as well and what activities are needed to keep fandoms alive and flourishing!

However... as a fandom creator (writer and artist), I sometimes feel like too much pressure is concentrated on creators. I don't know if this is a frustration others share? Not only should we keep making things, but somehow we also end up becoming these central fandom figures who can feel pressured into responding to comments (or else we're called arrogant or ungrateful), making friends (or else we're rude for ignoring well-meaning people who reach out), and being the drivers and pillars of that community (running events, responding to memes, etc. – and everything falls silent if we stop). It's a lot of work!! I don't always have the time and energy to make things for fun and then also engage in all the ways people might sometimes feel entitled to because they enjoy my works.

I really wish that more "non-creating" fans in the community would discover their fandom power!! and not just rely on the visible "producing" creators to be the only people worth engaging with. It takes nothing more than passion to write a meta-post about a character or a plot point, or to create an ask game, or to DM someone else who you see posting funny tags – not just the creator! Maybe your followers have other tips for evening out the balance a little more?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this, anon. This is an observation I've seen in many parts of life, not just fandom.

A lot of people feel as though they need permission or an invitation of some sort in order to contribute. That's why I always end my answers by asking people to share their thoughts. I want to make it explicitly clear that I want people to add things into the reblogs (which I can then share out for more people to see) and the replies (which people can at least read even if I can't reblog).

I have heard fans who are readers but don't write fic say that they think they can't get an AO3 account unless they plan to post something. This is incorrect, of course, but a lot of people make that assumption.

I think at least some people (I don't know what kind of percentage) assume that someone who is writing fic or posting art or making podfics and video edits etc. has some sort of expertise that "allows" them to post.

People with less confidence or with less practice etc. sometimes need an extra nudge before they realize that they're welcome to contribute too. If that's the case for you, please allow me to say:

You are welcome to post in your fandom, even if no one invites you to. Even if you think you're not good enough. Even if your idea isn't "popular."

Start a conversation. Share a thought. Talk to folks who reblog cool shit. Be a folk who reblogs cool shit. You don't have to do everything in order to do something.

As mentioned above, please do share your thoughts in the reblogs and replies to keep the conversation going.

[leomonae]

Other things people can do:

make a rec list

make a "here's all the fics I've found in this fandom with this one trope/general vibe/very particular setup I just think is Neat" list

make a "welcome to the fandom, here's the fics that people will just assume you've read/know about to get you started" list

make a "if you liked [popular fic A] you might enjoy [less well known fics B through N]" list

[iguanodonwildman]

More things you can do!

Create whumps lists

Create lists of shippy moments

Make screenshot collections

Record and post clips of your show to get more people into your fandom

Make incorrect quote memes

Make silly little TikTok-style edits of your favs

Make character playlists

Figure out the layout of buildings/cities

Recreate those building in the Sims or with an online floor planner or even just draw it out because holy hell writers will be so thankful for that

Make your blorbo in various video game character creations

Build a pokemon team for your blorbo

Make up silly headcanons! What does everyone do at the fair or the beach or during a fire drill?

Outline a fic idea you have — maybe you don’t have the time or energy or you just don’t feel confident enough to create it, but share it anyway!

Create outfits based on your blorbo’s design or outfits they would wear

There are so many ways you can engage with fandom that aren’t making fanart or writing fanfics. Fandom is community - Please don’t be afraid to join in!

[pancake-surprise]

(I've been on tumblr for 15 years, far longer than I was ever on twitter, but I've never engaged much beyond reblogging so please pardon how many times I reference fandom activities I witnessed on twitter)

Collect interviews with the author, producer, director, mangaka etc

Similarly, translate interviews

I remember someone in the haikyuu!! fandom kept a twt thread of every time two characters were in the same panel. Not sure what the tumblr equivalent would be. I guess just a regular old post with lots of additions? (Send help; i'm not sure why my brain is struggling so badly to translate twitter threads to tumblr posts)

Run a quote bot account: I'm not sure of the status of quote bots in a post twitter era, but those were quite fun. Again an example from the hq!! fandom, there was the hq!! bastille bot which would spit out a bastille lyric + a ship. The siken bot would spit out a line of poetry + a ship name. On tumblr maybe the equivalent would be a gimmick blog?

Run a ship/character week. I think these are probably the easiest kind of fandom event to run. it doesn't take more than one person, a blog, and rudimentary graphics skills.

Are socmed AUs still a thing?

Make gifs

Try to figure out the layers to a character's outfit and share your studies with the world. (I'm looking directly at you, Hoyoverse and all you're what-even-is-that how-do-they-even-put-that-on character design. beautiful, but confusing)

Update fandom wikis

Log fandom history on fanlore.org (another project run by the Organization for Transformative Works, aka the parent of ao3)

Volunteer for the Organization for Transformative Works/ao3

[marypsue]

Fandom wikis!! One thousand blessings upon everyone who maintains fandom wikis, oh my god.

Some suggestions:

Transcribe episodes for film/audio canons

Podfic! We can always use more podfic, and most people's phones have a voice recorder.

Create bingo sheets (e.g. make a fanwork with five or more of these tropes for a bingo; read/reblog fanworks in five or more of these categories for a bingo)

Be a Your Blorbo expert consultant! If I'm writing about a character I don't have strong feelings about, but I know one of my friends is constantly reblogging and posting about them, even if it's all silly memes and "character <3"-type posting, I'll sometimes reach out to them for advice on if I'm getting Their Blorbo right. It's absolutely invaluable and I appreciate these people so much.

We are all just enthusiastic nerds on the internet. You have as much right to share your enthusiasm as anyone. One of the things I love about tumblr as a platform is that you can just start saying whatever about something you like, and you will find other people who like it too.

[mithrel]

Socmed AUs are absolutely still a thing!

Other things you can do:

Add image descriptions to fanart/fanedits

Make crappy stickfigure comics

Share your fiber-arts/cosplays of characters

Record a podfic of one of your favorite fics (with permission!)

Act as a beta reader

Let people bounce ideas off you/offer suggestions

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

characters whose sexuality is "i'm under way too much stress to figure that shit out rn"

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

character whose gender is "im probably nonbinary but im on a quest so idrc about that rn"

[sensacetionalshady]

[mixupmycota]

if you are a child or teen on this platform you may get valuable information from heeding these words:

avoid the big fish in this pond. do not seek to become one. avoid the fandom aunts, the "big name fans", the One Discord Server.

consider that how someone treats the people they despise and whether you're brave enough to disagree with them, should they turn that conduct on you. and if it requires a significant amount of bravery to think about telling them they've been a bastard, you may want to reconsider being in that relationship.

there will be people on here who will suicide bait you for being happy. they are very sad people and it is not your job nor your responsibility to engage with them. it's up to them to decide to do differently.

try to decouple your sense of self-worth from metrics. the number can never go up enough. i have a project that's >90% positive feedback and over 200,000 downloads and that does nothing for me on my day to day. it's nice if other people like the thing, but it's worth examining why you're creating and sharing in the first place and figuring out what you actually want.

do not treat the dsm like a holy text that must never be questioned

do not go in on sexual or gender identity based taxonomics

do not be cruel to people you deem lesser than you

remember that you can practice and improve pretty much any skill, and there's no such thing as unskilled labour

[sensacetionalshady]

horror fans who think horror isn't scary (in a derogatory/demeaning way) confuse me. if I'm not scared by horror, i take a month-long break until it scares me again. if I'm not scared by horror, i watch it in a dark room with noice-cancelling headphones. i watch it alone, i watch it in the cinema

you have to meet horror where it's at and create a space for yourself to be able to approach it in a way that actually affects you, especially if you're not easily scared

because why would you be a horror fan otherwise? like what's the point of complaining that horror isn't scary anymore when you could just watch something else?

I'm not scared by slashers at all but i do consider myself a slasher fan because i fucking love the blood and gore and creative violence of it all, as well as the narrative and thematic analysis of mental health and the historical context surrounding the movies

this post doesn't have a point, i just wanted to complain about horror fans who don't put effort into enjoying horror or should just try enjoying something else. like no one's forcing you to watch horror, right?

[limbel]

we have to thank our brave soldiers in fandom who write gen fics. we have to thank our brave soldiers in fandom who write character studies and stories with no focus on romance or sex. we have to get on our knees and thank the brave soldiers in fandom who write about minor characters and friendship and family with no focus on romance or sex. i know it’s hard to care about characters in a world that seems to only revolve around ships but i see you. and i love you

[fluencca]

you know what you're so welcome

Gen writers need gen readers just as badly, so thank you, too

[sensacetionalshady]

writing is fun :) love writing about my son :) go read frozen hearts nothing bad ever happens to law :) the future is bright for him <3

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

characters whose sexuality is "i'm under way too much stress to figure that shit out rn"

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

character whose gender is "im probably nonbinary but im on a quest so idrc about that rn"

[thequeenoftheentiregoddamnworld]

Hey, hey, look me in the eyes when I tell you this okay? The whole "do trans women or trans men have it worse?" debate going on right now is the most obvious CIA bullshit on earth cause honestly we've both got it pretty shitty and fighting each other isn't helping anyone

[sensacetionalshady]

RAHHHH GUESS WHO GOT IN

[denizenhardwick]

sex-repulsed people are fully within our rights to be cranky and blunt about not liking sex and how it's fucking everywhere btw. we shouldn't have to tiptoe around and make sure our phrasing is perfectly squeaky clean because people interpret any criticism of sex and sexualization as puritanism. venting about compulsory sexuality is not purity culture. maybe you could stand to learn a thing or two from us.

[wishingformemoria]

just because someone can articulate their point better doesn’t make them right, it makes them articulated. 

[wishingformemoria]

and you aren’t stupid for having trouble articulating yourself.

[andre-30008]

[syzygyblvd]

listen. I don't hate the TMA/TME binary because I think trans women don't experience unique discrimination, I hate the TMA/TME binary because of the rhetoric that follows it. not only do people who use it feel that trans men don't have unique experiences, or that those experiences aren't real, or just don't want them to talk about it. it forces nonbinary people into a binary, which is something literally none of us want. and it refuses to acknowledge the fact that all trans people of all genders are affected by transmisogyny, and transandrophobia, and all types of transphobia.

"but if all trans people are affected by both transmisogyny and transandrophobia, what's even the point of creating these terms?"

like I said, trans women and trans men each have their own unique experiences, but that doesn't mean that these experiences can't overlap. hell, even cisgender people are affected by these things.

"but the difference is that when trans women face transmisogyny, they can't just say they aren't trans!"

1 they literally can it's always ok to lie to transphobic people for your safety

2 what do you think cis women do when they're facing transmisogyny or being transvestigated? pull their pants down to prove it? no they call the person a creep for giving a fuck about what their genitals look like, and many trans women do the same. this doesn't mean the transmisogyny didn't affect the cis woman, as it's fucking creepy to have someone asking what's in your pants!!!

I think the best way to put this is to bring up the curb-cut effect. curb-cuts were designed with wheelchair users in mind, but in accommodating wheelchair users, it benefits everybody else, too. it makes it easier to ride a bike or scooter, it makes crosswalks more accessible to the blind and people with other mobility issues. we can apply this theory to transmisogyny and transfeminism. while the intended targets of transmisogyny are in fact trans women, that doesn't mean transmisogyny ONLY affects trans women and transfems. and in dismantling transmisogyny, everyone will benefit. that is why I find the TMA/TME binary to be unproductive, because it further isolates trans women from community with other marginalized groups. ironically, I find the binary to be transmisogynistic in and of itself

[musingsofabooklover]

maybe i need to do more reading but why do i keep seeing people who seem to think intersectionality means "only the person who can stack the most oppressions at the same time has any actual problems"? like maybe i misunderstood it but i connected it with systems theory and thought it meant something like "we all have to fight all oppressions regardless of our personal identity, because all types of oppression are tangled up with each other and only by standing with everyone can we actually make a just society" and like, it obviously also means that the person with multiple oppressions does have it rougher, usually in a complex way, but you can't abandon the person with "just" one oppression either, like, even one oppression causes a huge impact on people's lives and also you can't help the multiple oppressed person either by ignoring any of the things they're oppressed by as "just" this or that surely... idk i might be talking nonsense here, i'm just thinking as i go along the goal is to get to a place where everyone can live freely and equally, and as long as there's any oppression in the world at all then we're not there yet idk

[sensacetionalshady]

no you're right that is what that means.

tbh I haven't seen the people saying intersectionality consists of dismissing "singular" forms of oppression but I'd just treat it as like.... I assume that's the half-baked conception a teenager has

intersectionality is meant to bring light to the fact that different systems of oppression can interact with each other and have an influence on how people are treated in a material way.

it's less of an active process and more of a method to discuss and examine how different forms of oppression <intersect> in society

[musingsofabooklover]

i'm probably seeing them because i went tag diving again tbh which is always inadvisable xD and also not necessarily that they were saying it directly but that that's the overall impression you get of what they believe from their posts also keep seeing people miss out disabled people from their analysis or only mention them as a token even when they are being intersectional about race, gender, and trans issues i got introduced to intersectional feminism in the first place (which immediately impressed me) in a way that like... contrasted it with radfem stuff (which never impressed me) i guess. basically saying that "no there isn't 1 main way of being oppressed, how about we consider everyone and dismantle the whole system instead of saying kill all X group"

[sensacetionalshady]

drew some coras yesterday for his birthday!

(first is my Frozen Hearts cora, second is a friend's from the discord and third is @kitsunespawz cora)