Commenting fanfiction is the easiest thing in the world once you start doing it. 

I leave a comment on every single fic I read. Sometimes when I read published books I go and leave a comment somewhere the author can find it. Granted, I literally majored in ‘leaving comments on fics’ (English Education), but once you start doing it it just becomes second nature. Now you’re gonna go to the Ozymandias school of leaving comments: 

Problem: I can’t leave kudos again.

Problem: I don’t know what to say :(

Problem: I’m embarrassed to leave a comment (what if I annoy the author?)

Problem: I don’t know how to express myself/my experience 

This? This is an amazing post. This is the Captain Awkward of commenting posts—it addresses all your fears directly and gives you actionable scripts for each one.

This is helping alot!

sometimes instead of “why can’t they just be friends” i think it should be “why can’t they also be friends” because sometimes shipping feels much too much like forcing two pretty characters to kiss and be intimate without actually being interested in the dynamic the two people have. what about hanging out together. what about why they like being in each others company. what do they argue about. how do they patch things up. what do they laugh about.

best tag on this post

Maybe one day we can advance past the world's oldest misogynistic take that penetration = dominance = masculinity but until then we can know that an ancient greek would like your jokes about pegging and bottoms and whatever. This isn't a good thing though

Incomplete list of things that should be divorced from gender roles that everybody just forgets somehow:

Hey, you! You who suspect you might have PTSD, DID or another trauma disorder, but you think you didn't experience trauma "bad enough" to have developed a mental disorder from it? Let me suggest looking at it differently:

"If there's smoke, there's fire"

Do you experience symptoms of PTSD, such as hypervigilance, trouble sleeping, flashbacks, memory problems, dissociation, ect? Then yes, it was "bad enough". Maybe you don't remember anything "really bad" happening or you don't "feel like" it affects you, but listen to your body. The body remembers and the body doesn't care if you think it is "stupid" or "weak" to have a panic attack when someone touches you or that you still have nightmares about that thing you saw when you were 4 years old

Trauma isn't what happened. Trauma is the reaction to what happened. So what I'm trying to say is that if the reason you think you can't have PTSD/DID/OSDD/ect is because you didn't go through anything horrific enough for that, then maybe forget about what happened to you for a moment and just look at the evidence your body and mind are showing. And then, most importantly, be compassionate with yourself. You're going through a lot and it's gonna be okay in the end. Take it easy, okay? <3

Tags by @themusesthrall:

#and maybe it's not a bad fire but it's gettin' real smoky and most fire deaths are actually from smoke #so get it looked after

i know it’s been said before, but it bears repeating: a big, big part of maintaining your confidence & self esteem as a creator is fully embracing the concept of “you don’t have to be good like them.  you can be good like you.”

for example, i’m not someone who’s particularly good at coming up with complex, elaborate plots or incredibly unique ideas.  it’s just not how i choose to write.  and it would be easy for me to look at someone with an elaborate, super unique plot & decide that because i don’t write like that, i’m not a good writer.  after all, unique plots are good, and my writing lacks those, so my writing must not be good, right?  well, no, actually.  i just have different strengths, like taking a simple premise & digging super deep into its emotional depths.  that’s what i do well & it isn’t any better or worse than people who do elaborate world building or come up with really creative and unexpected plots.

your writing is never going to be all things to all people.  it just isn’t.  inevitably, you’ll have to make creative choices that favor certain aspects of writing over others.  there is truly no getting around that & it’s honestly a good thing, because it means you’ve developed your own style.  but you’ll always encounter other creators who posses strengths that you don’t.  it doesn’t mean one is better than the other or that your writing isn’t good enough. 

comparing yourself like that would be like taking a piece of pizza & a cupcake & going “oh no, that cupcake is so sweet & my pizza isn’t sweet at all.” or “gosh, the garlic crust on that pizza is delicious and my cupcake doesn’t have ANY garlic.”  obviously your pizza isn’t sweet.  obviously your cupcake doesn’t have garlic.  a food can’t have every single delicious flavor at once.  the cupcake is good like a cupcake.  the pizza is good like a pizza.  so you don’t have to be good like them.  you can be good like you.

This also means that sometimes you will get writing advice on how to improve your cupcakes and sometimes you will get writing advice on how to add garlic to your cupcakes because the reader doesn’t get that you’re not making a pizza

The best advice comes from people who generally like what you’re going for

Side Note To Fan Fic Authors

Here’s the thing.

I read a lot of scripts.  A lot.  From professionals to aspiring writers to complete newbies.  Features and pilots.  Specs and treatments.

And 8 times out of 10 the fan fic that I’ve read over the last, oh, 15 years is leagues better than this stuff.  It’s more inspired.  It’s more compelling.  It’s genre bending and creative and heartfelt.  It’s well-paced and intense and funny and sexy and meaningful.  It’s smart and thoughtful and good.  It’s novel-quality.  Better than, sometimes.

Rare is the script I don’t want to put down, but how often have we stayed up until 3am to get to the last chapter of a 100k fic? And it’s not even a fan fic author’s day job.  This is what they do on the side.  In their spare time.  For free.

So my point is, fan fic authors, you’re good.  You’re good writers and great storytellers.  I know it doesn’t always feel like it, especially if you’re one of the authors who’s not a BNF and doesn’t get the notes/hits that a few do.  And  because some people still view fic as “not real writing.” You guys know the shit that gets made into movies.  You’re better than that.  So be better than that.  If writing is what you think want to do, then just know you’re already doing it.   You’ve already started.

And you’re more talented than you might think.

tumblr users all of a sudden: oh yeah this website is SO good for art hehehe it’s waaayyyy better than twitter it’s so supportive of artists we love art so much here uwu art for the win!! ✨ 😘 💕 😋✨ artists who have spent the last 4+ years on their hands and knees begging people to reblog their art just to be ignored every single time because half this website acts like their nuts will be ripped off with the claw end of a hammer if they reblog a single drawing:

I’m too tired to even be angry at this point.

So it seems twitter will very likely become subscription-based (a shocking development from Elon, I know) and artists will have nowhere else to go but Bluesky and tumblr, so if you want to support us, please support us.

Reblog our art, recommend it to others if you like it, and if you have money and something you want drawn, commission us. It may not seem like much to you to but to some of us it means being able to eat another day.

And not just artists, independent creators and small businesses have relied on twitter for years and are officially fucked over by Elon’s bullshit, and they need your support now more than ever.

Please reblog and support your local creators.

of the very strong opinion that more celebrities should be willing to say “there is nothing of value I could possibly add to this discussion, please find linked some articles you should read” instead of getting on their insta stories and chiming in on one of the most complex geopolitical/religious issues to ever fucking exist

Thinking about this conversation from Discord

Now see, this really pisses me off (the “kids are resilient” thing, not your response to it) because there has been study after study about what actually happens!!!

If the kid receives support during/after the traumatic event, they get stronger.

If the kid does not receive support during/after the traumatic event, they get fucked up.

True resilience in kids has ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS been the result of the support they receive.

i do therapy with teenagers. and...yeah. i have teenagers who's parents are amazing. and i have some who's...fucking...arent. and my GOD the difference. the ones whose parents are good have so much bounce it is INSANE. the ones who dont are so riddled with damage i want to wrap them in bubble wrap. here's the fun thing tho - the ones who dont? get better when you take care of them. i am literally watching it happen. like...if you take care of a traumatized kid? they fucking heal. they heal and gain resilliance right in front of you, like magic. is it as good as it could be if they got it from the start? no of course not. but is it still a miraculous amount of repair and strength? WOW YES! and adults can heal too! so dont ever think its too late to recover or that the support you get is cheating, its not! its part of what all kids, and you need to heal!

"you're so delulu" "#schizoposting" "narc abuse" "the intrusive thoughts won" "microdosing on delusion" "when the voices tell me to" "she's definitely dissociating" oh my god please shut up please shut the fuck up

you're not "delulu" you just have a crush on someone. "taylor swift is dissociating singing this song look how sad she is" i do not think you know what dissociation is. "the intrusive thoughts won" intrusive thoughts don't "win" that's not what an intrusive thought is. please shut the fuck up

"im having creation ideas beyond my skill level" DO IT ANYWAY. "i don't have good supplies" DO IT WITH BAD SUPPLIES THEN. "i don't have free time" SO DO IT SLOWLY.

FIND THE SHORTEST MOST DIRECT ROUTE TO YOUR CREATION BEING REALIZED AND DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET THERE

common myths about migraines (AKA if you get headaches regularly, please seek treatment for migraines)

"i don't have migraines because while i get them several times a week, it's only when i am hungry or dehydrated."

those are probably migraines. thirst, hunger, sleep disturbances, or any disruption to routine are common migraine triggers.

"my headaches are specifically barometric related, i get them when the weather/altitude changes."

those are probably migraines. barometric pressure is a common migraine trigger.

"i get headaches all the time but ibuprofen gets rid of them so they can't be migraines."

that's not true. ibuprofen works great at relieving migraine pain for many people.

"my consistent headaches are tension headaches. i feel them originate in my neck/shoulders."

those are probably migraines. muscle tension is a common migraine trigger.

if you are regularly getting headaches (once a week or more), you are likely getting migraines. in fact, a good rule of thumb if you're consistently getting headaches is to treat them as migraines until you can rule out migraines. that's how common "chronic headache = migraine" actually is.

migraines are a neurological disorder wherein pain is one symptom. pain is often the MAIN symptom, and the most noticeable symptom, which can make diagnosis tricky. other symptoms of migraine include:

this list is NOT complete, but is a starting point. i really like the comparison to a hangover. if you generally feel hungover when you get a headache (without having consumed alcohol), that's a classic migraine presentation.

so many people suffer from migraine and don't even know it, so they aren't able to advocate for themselves to get treatment. there are great new migraine treatments on the market! if you're able, please seek treatment for your migraines. a better quality of life is possible.

here's some more myths! brought to you by the most frequent comments i get on my migraine posts.

"but migraines are extremely painful/debilitating and i can push through my pain."

migraines certainly can be debilitatingly painful. the pain can also be mild/easily treatable. it depends on the person and it depends on the day. regardless, your ability to live with chronic pain does not mean your pain isn't a problem!

"my headaches always have a direct cause/trigger so they can't be treated/they're my fault."

wrong! migraine is a sensory disorder in many respects. most/all migraines are triggered by something. avoiding triggers is good but isn't the whole story, and migraines with triggers can be treated effectively!

"i feel pain in (x) area of my head so it's not a migraine."

migraines can hurt in a specific area of the head/one half of a person's head. but this is not universally true for every person. please forget every silly infographic you've ever seen about areas of the head equaling different kinds of headaches. that's just literally false.

[Image description: One of the "Almond Blossoms" paintings by Vincent van Gogh, with an erasure-poem overlay comprised of a redacted tumblr post. Resulting text reads, "yes. I know what I'm talking about, harm reduction is openminded, patient, and not horrible".]

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yes. I know what I'm talking about, harm reduction is openminded, patient, and not horrible

mercury + mars = how you fight

mars + venus = how you love

venus + mercury = how you express yourself

Gentle reminder that very little fandom labor is automated, because I think people forget that a lot.

That blog with a tagging system you love? A person curates those tags by hand.

That rec blog with a great organization scheme and pretty graphics? Someone designed and implemented that organization scheme and made those graphics.

That network that posts a cool variety of stuff? People track down all that variety and queue it by hand, and other people made all the individual pieces.

That post with umpteen links to helpful resources, and information about them? Someone gathered those links, researched the sources, wrote up the information about them.

That graphic about fandom statistics? Someone compiled those statistics, analyzed them, organized them, figured out a useful way to convey the information to others, and made the post.

That event that you think looks neat? Someone wrote the rules, created the blogs and Discords, designed the graphics, did their best to promo the event so it'd succeed.

None of this was done automatically. None of it just appears whole out of the internet ether.

I think everyone realizes that fic writing and fanart creation are work, and at least some folks have got it through their heads that gif creation and graphics and moodboards take effort, and meta is usually respected for the effort that goes into it, at least as far as I've seen, but I feel like a lot of people don't really get how much labor goes into curation, too.

If people are creating resources, curating content, organizing the creations of others, gathering information, and doing other fandom activities that aren't necessarily the direct action of creation, they're doing a lot of fandom labor, and it's often largely unrecognized.

Celebrate fan work!

To folks doing this kind of labor: I see you, and I thank you. You are the backbones of our fandoms and I love you.

— ERIN BOW