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alphabetboyluvr · 6 months

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hiii holly! i hope november's treating you kindly so far!

i wanted to ask whether you have any advice for writers that are just starting to publish. literally any modicum would be greatly appreciated.

it's really hard to assess whether one's writing is any good when literally no one ever reads it :( at the same time, I know I should write for myself first and foremost. can't help but want to be held accountable by the possibility of an audience, tho (maybe that's just my brain chemistry??) I fall into the pit of thinking "if no one's reading it, why am I even writing? I can daydream indefinitely and be satisfied. Why write?" Yet I always come back to writing; it's something magnetic.

it's not the same to ask close friends to read ur stuff bc they are ur friends, and may not give you the sincerity ur looking for so as to not discomfort u. conversely, they might not be interested enough so as to pick up on the fine details.

f/u question: how do you deal with publishing your work on the internet for free? does it ever scare you that strangers could copy and republish ur work without your knowing?

I guess that's one of my main apprehensions about posting loyally on writing platforms. I'm scared I'll write something I'm very proud of and have it plagiarized and not be able to track it back as my original property??

anyways, enough of my self-exposing on your q and a's feeling v vulnerable sharing my doubts so openly lol

thank youuuu :) ly <3

hiyaaa!! it's getting chilly, i won't lie, but other than that November has been pretty typical. likewise, i hope it's treating you well too!

honestly the fact you casually drop words like modicum probably suggests you're a paygrade above me in terms of writing hahaha

my answer is a long (srsly i just kept on going lmao) ramble, so I'll put a read more here haha

i've many lovely friends who i absolutely adore that I've met through writing that are now irls, but none of my friends that i know independently outside of writing have ever read my stuff - I've even got irl friends who are deep in the ao3 trenches, who are paying for other tannie writers' patreons, but we have an unspoken rule that my work is not to be read by them. i just don't let my friends read my work, full stop, so i get that sentiment.

the thing is, humans are naturally inclined to be storytellers - it's been that way for thousands of years. our tales are meant to be told. sharing is just a very human thing for us to do.

I've been publishing on wattpad (within the tannie space) for 4 years, now. readers didn't appear overnight - i actually recently found a screenshot of you up? from march 2021. it had 28 parts, 2.03k reads and 313 votes.

it now sits at 62 parts, 1.45million reads and 55k votes.

that's a little bit perspective for you, i guess - i'd written half of an entire novel that was averaging around 70 reads per chapter, but i loved that world, and i had story to tell, so i told it. some people viscerally hated it, some loved it. i was writing for me, and the numbers prove that. if you worry about the numbers, you'll never satisfied.

similarly, comparison is the thief of joy, or so they say.

comparing yourself to other writers is never healthy. there are far more 'successful' authors on wp in terms of reads, but i genuinely mean it when i say i think i have the most fulfilling and rewarding space on tannie wp because my readers are so unbelievably lovely. i wouldn't trade my current readership for bigger numbers, not a chance.

in terms of plagarism, there are 170,000 words in current use within the english language, and 36 plot types. we've exhausted a lot of them, already. overlap and similarities are bound to occur, so i try not get fixated on it.

take cv for example - i was so gassed up with myself when coining the terms mono and multi, only to find out after i'd finished writing the story that there was a drama with a similar concept that also used the term mono for a similar condition that aired after i'd already started writing cv. overlap happens.

similarly, we're a product of the media we consume. endeavour is my favourite word, because it was in a song i liked when i was a teenager and it stuck with me. i use it all the time, and we can trace it back to the pen of alex gaskarth lmao.

I've seen readers of mine publish work that's been heavily inspired by my work - with and without 'permission' - and i just sort of shrug my shoulders whenever i notice it.

the way i see it, we'll never tell the exact same story. likewise, no two readers will ever read identical texts the same way. i encourage creativity, and know how important it is for me to empty my brain, so I'll never go for someone's throat for doing the same. that's how myths were born, right? people telling and retelling the same stories over and over again? how am i gonna write a romeo & juliet x greek mythology inspired fic and then get annoyed for someone taking inspo from me?

just like the way hair will always grow back after a terrible cut, new words can always be written after a disappointing discovery. idk, i just don't take it very seriously, i guess.

as for whether or not your writing is any good - it's totally subjective. there are people who have explicitly, publicly stated their disdain for my writing. I've had cruel opinions about my writing projected and amplified to large followings. and it sucks.

but there are people who have been exceptionally kind about my writing, too. i get some of the loveliest messages in the world. there are tiktoks with hundreds of comments of just unadulterated loveliness directed towards my work. I'm afforded so much grace and love that it can be overwhelming at times.

not everything is for everyone, and that's okay. you can't let yourself get hung up on pleasing everyone.

the one thing i will say, is that if you're seriously concerned about your IP, write original characters, and use wattpad as your platform. i know they have a reputation, but they give a shit about copyright infringement and the second someone gets reported for plagiarism, they'll investigate it, and take down the story.

no reward without risk - you gotta decide if the risk of plagiarism is worth the reward of sharing your work.

and plus, ai is taking over anyways. may aswell write while we still can lol.

so i guess tl;dr - don't let outside influence impact your internal need to create. the right readers will find your work eventually, but it's not an overnight miracle kinda thing. if i stopped writing just because i didn't see results in my stats, then i would have stopped after kumiho, and we'd have never gotten throttle, or bd, or anything else of mine you might have read.

do it because you love it, and it fulfils you. i love the communities built around my stories, and that's why i share them. writing without sharing doesn't fulfil me in the same way.

okay i've really rambled too much so i'll leave it here, but i hope that helps a little!!! or at least has given you insight into my brain!!!!!!

luv u byeeeeeee

#ask #honestly im not sure im qualified to answer this #but i really appreciate you asking me for advice #sorry for the ramble lol #hope it helps a lil #if u publish #lemme know!!!!

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edelgoth · 5 years

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matchup trade with imagine-fe

@imagine-fe after so long,,, here we we are!!

okay so i tried a new layout here!! i also decided to stick to three houses characters for your main matchups, simply bc i think i can write for them better, but i’ve thrown in a few people from other games!!

romantically, i pair you up with...

mercedes!!

i was tossing up between two people (you’ll see below), and it was sending me through the ringer,,, but, i think mercedes really is the best match for you!!

for one, you both strive to be the first versions of yourselves you can be!! mercedes always wants to do more and be better, and i can see the two of you really encouraging each other in that regard!!

you’re also both supportive, which i think is a lovely thing to share between partners!! you’d have a very good understand with each other, and a very good rapport

mercedes would really admire how you do your best to be open-minded, kind and thoughtful, because i feel those are traits she tries to emulate in herself. i think your values are very compatible, which is incredibly important in a relationship

you’re both the sort of people who’ll lend an ear to help someone else feel heard. and it’s nice to know that your partner is the same as you in that regard!! very good at sharing not only your sorrows, but your joys, too!!

you share your loyalty too, with both of you being pretty ride or die for those they care about,,, so i think you’d have a very comfortable commitment to one another

mercedes could help you when it comes to your commitment issues? like she’s quite insightful and is v patient with people as she helps them work through their emotions; so a lot of deep, heavy conversations to really help you find your direction? that’s just The Vibe i get

you’re both clumsy and forgetful tho,,, rip to you guys there, you’re a bit doomed

mercedes has a very calming presence, so i think she’s a good person to be around whenever you were feeling anxious?

she’s also very affirming and loving, and while that absolutely doesn’t fix insecurities, i think it would be nice for you to have a partner who’s just so open and frank with how they feel!

you’re both shy, but mercedes isn’t very awkward; so she’s your avenue to social situations sdkfdjkfdj just stick with her and conversations should go Okay

she’s also a lot better at reading people, so!! she’s someone who could help combat your brain’s negative interpretations of situations

once again going back to how patient mercedes is, i think she’d be very mindful of the fact that you have trouble getting your thoughts and feelings across, and she’d really take the time to understand you and help you feel heard

you’re both both bleeding hearts!! hopefully you could give each other some comfort in that regard; or even just some understanding

mercedes would absolutely learn your love languages to help her understand how you express love, as you struggle with verbalizing it. and if that presents a problem, i can easily imagine her setting up like,,, a little written compliment exchange that you guys’d do at the beginning of the day or something like that? cheesy as hell, i know, but i stand by the belief that mercedes is Absolutely a hopeless romantic

you’re an overthinker, while i feel like mercedes is better at letting things go?? at the very least, she’d try and coax you out of those thought cycles by distracting you, whether that be with a plate of sweets or a ghost story

mercedes is a lot milder in temperament, which i think is a nice balance to how you’re prone to extremes. she can learn how to be more passionate about things from you (such as situations that would really call for a more impassioned responses), whereas she could help bring you back down when those extremes are more negative??

i feel like mercedes would be good at knowing when you need help, so you wouldn’t need to ask for help when you’ve taken too much on

also can i just say,,, responsible angel couple looking after everyone and keeping things Under Control

mercedes is more of a listener than a talker, but she loves hearing you talk about the things that you’re passionate about!! she really enjoys topics of history and mythology; she finds them both very interesting (i feel like her supports with dedue illustrate this well), and is definitely an active listener who asks a ton of questions

very good at taking care of you whenever you overwork yourself, or whenever you’re struggling with some particularly difficult thoughts and feelings. she’s very good at knowing when to talk, and when to act. when things are looking more up, definitely the sort of partner to remind you to look after yourself

when it comes to interests, while some of them overlap, i definitely believe that mercedes would delight in yours. she has a particular love for singing (she’s always encouraging you to sing for her, and maybe, just maybe, you might gain the courage to do so), swordfighting (she likes to watch your practice, and always tells you how dashing you look; sometimes she’ll ask to have a go herself, but for the love of all that’s holy,,, give her a practice halberd) and calligraphy (she just thinks it’s very pretty, and loves giving it a go herself; she also enjoys learning the words as you teach her how to write them)

definitely a big fan of your written word and your worldbuilding; has a tendency to get enraptured in your stories, and is an excellent first audience for that very reason

you both like baking, though!! adorable baking couple,,, although you may have to hone your cooking skills because she,,, is atrociously bad (unless your content with subsisting off a diet of sweets and, like,,, bread)

you also both enjoy embroidery!! decorating things for each other!! sharing patterns with one another!! sitting together by the window as you focus on your own work!! adorable!!

i can see her getting on-board with going for walks in the forest; she thinks it’s quite nice to take a quiet moment, walking hand in hand with you, letting all your worries and anxieties melt away as you immerse yourselves in nature

and to round it all off, she really does fit your ideal partner profile quite well!! she would put time and effort into letting you know you were valued, heard and cared for, and i feel like she’s the sort of person who wouldn’t leave room for much doubt there; she’s just so loving that it’s always apparent (words of affirmation or otherwise)

she’s also very communicative, and while i think it might take your encouraging on your part, i feel like mercedes at her best is someone who’s kind, loving and giving but nobody’s fool. so, you’d always know where she stood and what she wanted

and also, maybe because she’s the mum friend, she’s very good at,,, gently telling people they’ve fucked up (lorenz’s supports in particular come to mind). so really; the perfect woman for you!! we’ve found her!!

but, i also match you with...

hilda!!

now first off, hilda would be a very different girlfriend to mercedes afdsdlsdflj i think on the whole that mercedes is a more compatible match, but hilda just wouldn’t Go Away (thus warranting a longer matchup than the alternatives listed below)

i feel like your relationship with hilda would be,,, more dynamic, if that makes sense? like, mercedes is a very calming presence, while hilda is the exact opposite; absolutely the type of girlfriend to keep you on your toes

she’s playful and she likes to tease, but she’s kind deep down; and she’s not afraid to show her affections for the people around her (they’ve just got to understand it in like,,, hilda-speak)

i feel like hilda needs someone who can help encourage her to be her best, and to break that cycle of thinking she has where she’s afraid of letting people down. i think, with a lot of effort and a lot of care, you guys could work through that together

your supportive nature would do wonders there, i think; knowing that you’ll still be there for her, even if she does fail, would help her feel more comfortable applying herself

it’s not that she’s not understanding, i just think hilda would take a while to really get what anxiety means and how it affects you. she may come up with non-traditional ways of trying to help you, if that makes sense?

like she learns to read your behaviour and act accordingly; she may not have the best words for you, but she know show to act

and i think this’d also come up when you have trouble expressing yourself? she works out her own way of interpreting your feelings so you both don’t have to struggle with vulnerability

hilda is very much a talker, so when you do get talkative, you guys could go on for ages; furthermore, she’d love that your always willing to lend a ear both to her sorrows and her joys, bc my goodness, she loves to talk (i’m especially thinking her her a support with marianne!)

will absolutely tease you for being a nerd because of how passionate you get about learning; but she really does enjoy hearing what you’ve got to say

but, i can easily imagine her learning a lil fun fact just so she can impress you with it; she said she thinks your a nerd, not that she doesn't love you

your clumsiness invokes the same protective instincts marianne and annette do in her; it’s okay, she’ll do everything, you just sit down and drink some tea

hilda has,,, the best people-reading skills of all the three houses casts, so leave social situations up to her

i also feel like she’s very good at facilitating a comfortable mood!! she has good socialite vibes, so as long as you’re holding her hand, things should be okay

i think hilda’s very empathetic herself (a pertinent moment in golden deer really illustrates this imo) so i think she’d really get that about you. it’s just that you express yourself differently

will not tolerate your overthinking aslksdjldfkj hilda’s a very “live in the here and now” sort of person, and you can bet she’s going to boop you on the nose and tell you to stop if she thinks you’re overthinking. results may vary

while you struggle with compliments yourself, hilda is very complimentary, and think that could potentially do good for your insecurities -- even if only for a day?

when it comes to expressing your own feelings, i think this’d go back to hilda just learning how to read you. she’s very good at it, so she’d be very comfortable with where you were as a couple, if that makes sense

doesn’t quite get the extremes, but i think that can be a good balance; as will mercedes, you could maybe bring a bit more passion into her life, whereas she can help you out of the negative extremes.

your own ambitious nature would challenge her a bit, but i think that’s a good thing!! hilda absolutely needs a bit more ambition, and she’d,,, begrudging apply herself to things on your encouragement. and, because it’s hilda, she’ll end up quite good at whatever it is. but she’s not happy about it

teases you into looking after yourself. where mercedes would gently take care of you, hilda would just,,, essentially bully you into eating right and getting to sleep at reasonable times aslkjdffdlksj

it’s just how she does things, but it all comes from a place of concern and love -- hilda style

hilda’s main hobbies are Doing Nothing and making crafts, so i don’t see a ton of overlap here. but embroidery could be cute!! hilda sometimes asks you to help her by embroidering something for her

like mercedes, loves watching you swordfight. she just thinks it’s cool. absolutely won’t give it a go herself, though.

always telling you to draw her slskdfjfldskj

good luck getting her outside though,,, rip

but, i think she can fit your partner profile pretty good!! she’s very loving and affirming, and i don’t think she’d be afraid of telling you when you’d fucked up. communication could be an initial issue for the two of you, but it’s nothing that can’t be overcome with a lot of time and love.

other romantic options (bc WHY NOT):

rinea: i just think that you’d have compatible approaches to life? you’re both kind, thoughtful people, and i feel like you’d be very respectful to each other in your relationship. i think rinea would struggle with verbalizing what she wanted, but you could get there eventually? just a very soft and loving relationship, and you’d treat her like she deserves!! what a woman!!

ashe: ashe is just,,, such a good boy,,, the kindest, sweetest, loveliest,,, i think he’d make a very good partner for you!! he’s affirming, he’s loving, he’s not afraid to speak up for himself and he’s not afraid to tell you when you’ve made mistakes (gently, of course). he’s just,,, good.

felix: i think this relationship could have some incredible balance. felix is very different from everyone else listed here, but i think that could keep things interesting? i just get the feeling he’d be fond of you, and maybe you can help him soften up a bit and work on that toxic masculinity that’s been socialized into him,,, idk man,,, it just feels Right

syrene: admittedly i’m don’t know her that well right now, but i think you two would be really sweet together!! she’s very caring and supportive, and i think she could provide you with the affirmation that you need and deserve. also she can cook so you’ll have that covered aslkdfjdsflkj

amelia: again, not super duper familiar with her, but i think you’d be cute!! i can see your sharing similar values, and she’s quite honest, which would be good for you!! i think her temperament would also be quite good for you, and you guys would just be,,, cute,,,

platonic options

okay so i tossed this one around a lot, because there were three people i was stuck on... but, i’d say that your best platonic match is...

flayn!!

okay, but the cutest friendship?? in the world??

first of all, i think you’d really delight flayn’s curiosity? you both love to learn about the world, and i can see you guys getting very excitable over new knowledge or whatever interesting conversations you could have

flayn is also very supportive!! you’d absolutely have the sort of friendship where you hype each other up all the time and for everything!!

flayn’s also just,,, your number one fan. in everything. loves your relationship with mercedes (or hilda, or whoever), loves your writing, loves your worldbuilding (definitely has questions All The Time), loves your baking, loves your swordfighting,,, flayn’s just 100% here for all of it

like, genuinely adores your writing. always asks you what you’re working on, what’s happening next, what’s really going on in the character’s minds,,, she just loves it all.

flayn is very talkative herself, so you’d have plenty of delightful conversations!! she reminds me a lot of anne shirley (idk if you’ve read the books or watched the show or w/e), and by that i mean her sheer enthusiasm for life and the extremes she can go to

i think flayn shares your ability to have very intense emotional extremes, which i think would be a blessing and a curse. the good thing is you could understand what it’s like, and that might be very comforting to know

the most involved conversations though, with lots of emoting from her, and you can bet you’re touching all the highs and lows from your weeks (or even the last 24 hours, who knows?)

unfortunately, flayn also seems to struggle a bit with reading people, but you know,,, solidarity? you know that you’ve always got each other, and i feel like flayn’s the sort to just really,,, push through awkwardness

i think you and flayn both live in the moment to try to alleviate your own ills, so that’s another thing that you’d be able to understand each other on,,, flayn seems to have an easier time being optimistic though (which,,, big mood on working hard to be optimistic my guy aksljds), so that might help you out there!!

i think you and flayn would just be a delightful friendship? you’re both very caring and kind, and you both give your all to the people who you care about. you’d just be!! adorable!!

please look after her tho, she,,, needs it aldkjfdslkj

the other two competing for top spot were...

claude!!

i think you and claude would get along really well, but oh boy; he does an even better job at keeping you on your toes

my favourite term to describe claude is “chaos goblin” (bc, you know, same), and that’s going to have it’s ups and downs. mostly ups, i promise!!

teases you all the time, about everything; about being a nerd, about being awkward, about your hobbies, etc. but it’s all done very,,, kindly? like it’s never mean, and it’s not usually hurtful (except for when he really can’t see the line and says something he shouldn’t,,, but that’s rare)

it’ll be a bit harder to be vulnerable with claude than with flayn, but he’d let you know he cared in the little ways. figuring out his love languages would be a learning curve, but once you understood them, you’d realise that he’s constantly letting you know he cares about you

really appreciates your loyalty and supportiveness; he tends to mistrust people, and finds it hard to open up to them. but, i think after really getting to know you, he’d understand that he could trust you?

that, and i get the vibe your values would be very similar, which would make it a lot easier for claude to open up to you tbh

and he really values how you try to be optimistic, that you strive to be open-minded, kind and thoughtful. he really thinks that there should be more people like you in the world

and, he’d really admire your empathy. it’s another trait he wants to see more of in the world

you’re both nerds aslkjffldk but seriously, i think you’d have a lot of really fun and interesting conversations!! just like you, claude’s eager to learn about almost everything, and you’d always be sharing new info with each other.

just saying, you talk about history and mythology a lot

claude is a lot less shy than you, so look!! another person to turn to in social situations!! a slightly less trustworthy ally, though; it’s hard to predict what sort of shenanigans he’s going to drag you into

god overthinking loops together,,, thank god for your s/o bc if they weren’t around, this’d be a DAMN mess,,,

it’s the sort of friendship that you can both learn a lot from, you know? like you can certainly teach him about being more emotionally grounded, whereas he could help you battle that anxiety and depression

i just think you’d have a really good yin-yang dynamic going on? and i like that a lot

and finally...

marianne!!

pls look after this angel,,, she needs it,,,

i think she would really value having a friend like you!! she needs someone who’s supportive, and who’s willing to be patient with her, and someone who’ll treat her with respect and kindness!!

i think she’s also really appreciate your loyalty; marianne is absolutely the type of person to just,,, not believe that people care about her? so having you be ride or die for her would be something she’s really not used to

but in a good way!

absolutely needs to be friends with someone open-minded; she’s got a lot that she’s afraid to say, but knowing that you’re open-minded would do her a world of good

definitely needs a friend who’ll help encourage her to be the best version of herself she can be; i really think she just needs that lil push

i think you’d be able to understand each other pretty well, and that’d be very important to marianne; i think she can feel quite isolated, and that largely seems to be because she just hasn’t,,, spoken to someone who understands what it’s like? so i think having had similar issues with insecurity and anxiety and all that would be quite comforting to her?

and once she does start getting better and getting on the path to recovery, i think it’d be quite nice to be able to discuss that sort of thing? like you get it, and you don’t have to explain yourselves to each other? if that makes sense?

rip to you guys getting to know each other tho,,, you’re both shy and awkward so god knows how you became friends but thank goodness that you did

i get the feeling you might be able to offer her some good advice? just in general,,, like you take on an older sibling role with her. she is your babie. you will protect.

you’re both just very kind people, and i think that would make for a very sweet friendship. the sort where you’re always checking with each other, to make sure you’re doing okay

you can help her live in the moment a lil bit bc i think she really needs that,,, she needs someone to help her out of her own head from time to time

but it may be a friendship where you need to give each other some space, just because i could see the hyper empathy giving you some trouble sometimes?

but at it’s heart, it would be a very kind, loving friendship where you can offer each other a very unique, invaluable understanding!! also i think you’d just be a better person for her to learn to lean on than,,, most of her a supports saljfsdklj please look after my baby

so i guess i gave you a little friendship group there?? but as you know, i just love that sweet, sweet platonic action... and bc i Can’t Stop Myself, he’s some other people i think you’d get along well with:

annette: well if you’re with mercedes you absolutely are going to end up friends with annette,,, but that aside, i think you’d have a really pleasant friendship!! she nearly made it into the top three, but the others just edged her out. i think you would really bond over your shared desire to become the best versions of yourselves you could be, as well as how talkative and just,,, interested in the world you both are. definitely a nerdy sort of friendship where you’re always just telling each other the fun and interesting things you’ve learnt.

bernadetta: a lot of your interests are similar, and i think you can give her an understanding that nobody else in the game can -- because she was ROBBED of a support with marianne!! -- and that’d be really good for her!! i think you’d be an excellent friend to her, and she really, really needs that

neimi: okay, these two characters read as,,, more or less the same person to me, so neimi gets an honourable mention dlkdjfslfk

raphael: i just think there’d be a fun contrast?? though he might try to drag you outside too much,,, but i think this friendship could be really cute!! like he’s just so Bright and eager and while i feel like he might overwhelm you at times, the fact that you’re both just Good Hearts would really bring you together.

dimitri: have i put him here because he’s just,,, a good kid? maybe. do i think the two of you would get along? absolutely!! i think you have similar values and that’d really help you form a friendship? and you’re both working on yourselves and trying to improve yourselves, and i think it’s really nice to share that journey with someone (also you, mercedes and dimitri all doing embroidery together,,, my wee heart)

i had more (mainly ignatz, stahl & henry) but,,, forgive me my friend,,, i don’t want to overwhelm you w so many Words,,,

just a note,,, i know you haven’t played dragon age, but i think you’d really get along with leliana from origins!! i think she’d suit you really well platonically or romantically!! and she fits your ideal partner profile pretty well!! (sorry i keep bringing up dragon age so much,,, i will stop,,, one day,,,)

#matchup trade #fire emblem matchups

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thepermanentrainpress · 6 years

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LOCALS LOUNGE: A LIVE SHOWCASE OF BC’S TALENT

If you find yourself at night near The Belmont Bar on Granville Street, chances are you may have come across an installment of Locals Lounge. A “live interview and music series featuring Vancouver’s best talent,” the project was founded in 2016 by musician Ian Cromwell. Each month, he invites an artist for an intimate chat and live performance, with a focus on storytelling and connection. In the past, he’s hosted acts including CBC Searchlight alum, Desirée Dawson and The Long War, Emily Chambers, and Omar Khan.

Locals Lounge was born in 2016. Tell us about the live showcase, what inspired it and its mission?

I moved to Vancouver in the fall of 2009, and my introduction to the city was through its music scene. I love Vancouver, but it has a reputation for being a cold and unfriendly city. That's been the total opposite of my experience though, thanks to the incredible community of musicians and music-lovers I've had the privilege of meeting. Locals Lounge is my attempt to share that experience and that community with more people. There's so much talent in this city and I want everyone to know that there's some really cool human beings behind that talent.

You are also a musician. How has this factored into Locals Lounge, and your "behind every musician there is a story" tagline? When you're chatting with the artist(s), how have you been able to relate and connect with their stories?

If you go to a live show, you're going to find that like half the audience is musicians. Nobody loves live music more than other musicians. So for me, I find myself connecting with the Locals Lounge guests as a colleague, but also as a fan. The guests we have on the show are super talented and it's always a treat for me to get to hang out with them and hear what inspires and motivates them.

What has been the most inspiring story you've been told during a Locals Lounge conversation? If you are unable to pinpoint one, please feel free to list a few that you've been grateful to be apart of.

I'm always in awe of people who take the plunge and make music their whole world. Last May our guest was Emily Chambers, and she talked about leaving her safe job working in insurance, buying a tour van, and taking her career and her life into her own hands. She's now living in Nashville and touring Canada and the US. It's a tough life, and you have to love it to choose it.

You host your showcase at Belmont Bar. What's your favourite part about this venue as a host, does it match the vibe/environment you hope to provide during Locals Lounge?

Because the focus of the event is music and community, the vibe we try to create is something warm and inviting, where people feel like they're part of a conversation rather than just on the receiving end of a performance. The Belmont is a perfect place for this kind of event. It's cozy, intimate, and classy, with a top-notch sound system and amazing staff.

That last one is my favourite part as host - the folks at the Belmont have been completely on board with this event and have put in the extra effort to make it special. I have to give a special shout-out to our regular engineer James Menear, who adds so much to the look and sound of our performances, but from the hospitality and door staff all the way up to management, I've been really fortunate to host the event there.

Your next event is on July 22nd, with Laydy Jams. They're an incredible collective, with an empowering message of their own to share. What intrigues you about this group, and what are you looking forward to discussing?

I've had the pleasure of knowing Missy D and Sejal for a few years now, and have been a fan both professionally and personally. They're both relentlessly ambitious and monumentally talented, but they're also really warm and engaging people who are passionate about making the world a better place. And in addition to writing really funky and jazzy hip-hop infused songs, their music focuses on a lot of things we don't hear enough of in mainstream music - empowerment, pride, and the contributions that women (particularly women of colour) have to make to our lives and conversations. I'm excited to get to share them with our audience.

What has been the biggest challenge to-date with operating Locals Lounge?

The easiest part of the job is finding talented musicians. The hardest part is choosing. I think Vancouver doesn't know how many super-talented folks are kicking around this city, doing what they do for the sheer love of doing it. And because the city is still small enough that there's only a few degrees of separation between any of us, I get to meet a lot of them as people. I want to put them all on stage, and hopefully eventually I'll be able to.

Recently, you've been doing a tremendous job at outreach to other organizations/outlets throughout the city that you see overlap with. What drives you to be passionate about community building, specially within the BC music scene?

I hear a lot of people complain that there isn't anything happening in this city, or that we don't have a strong cultural scene, but they need to get over that stereotype fast because just beneath the surface is a wealth of amazing art, poetry, dance, and music, just waiting to be discovered by the people who live here. And it needs people to show up and support it.

The city is losing cultural spaces, and as rents increase artists are getting priced out of the city. Carly Rae Jepsen, Mother Mother, Dan Mangan, The New Pornographers, Dear Rouge, and other incredible artists made music in Vancouver and were part of its indie scene. I want to give people the chance to see what the next generation of Vancouver artists look like, and to help build the kinds of connections that can make a huge difference in the life of an upcoming artist.

You're also on Patreon! What can supporters earn, and what/where is the money going towards?

Yes we recently launched a Patreon page at http://patreon.com/LocalsLounge. Patreon is a cool platform that lets you provide small amounts of monthly support to projects that you like, in exchange for cool rewards. Pledges start at $1/month, and you can get lots more out of your show experience like photos, recordings of the show, and other cool stuff. Plus you can get into shows for free. All the money the event makes goes toward helping the event grow, and to help us produce more music, host more events, and build the community.

Locals Lounge is creating Local music events | Patreon

What are your plans for the remainder of 2018? Are there any artists you'd like to call-out and hope to appear on LL in the future?

We're celebrating our 2 year anniversary on September 16th, and we've got some exciting news on the horizon about collaborations with other great local projects, so I'm pretty stoked about what's coming next. As far as artists I want to shout out, I mentioned Dan Mangan above, and he's got this amazing project called Side Door that I'd love to talk to him about. So Dan, if you're reading this, please come hang out with me at Belmont and let me play fiddle with you on 'Some People'.

For artists who might be shy to come forward with their stories, what advice do you have for them? What draws you towards a good artist to have perform and chat with you on LL?

Make friends with other musicians. Go to their shows. Write a song with them. Take their yoga class. Reach out. Because it's so much harder to do this alone, and there's so many great people to do it with. That's a big part of who I look for - artists who have been connecting with each other and with the scene. And if that's you, I'd love to chat with you over a beer at the Belmont.

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Catch Laydy Jams and Candace Coker at Locals Lounge on Sunday, July 22nd at the Belmont Bar. To RSVP your attendance and purchase tickets, visit their Facebook event page. Be sure to follow Ian Cromwell and future Locals Lounge festivities (and show your support to the BC music community!) on Facebook and Instagram.

Posted by: Chloe Hoy Photo credit to: Leah Gair

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