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#if i make a dedicated post/au/art to this i’ll tag it with horizons
lcec0ldheart · 1 month
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Random OC stuff of the day #2: What if the trio was in pokémon horizons?
I’m gonna be honest, I haven’t been feeling too good over the past day and I’m hella tired. I got ideas but i dont feel like writing them djdjddj so have something i cooked on priv
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Sorry for the twitter jumpscare lmao but yeah. Explorers AU. At first I was like “found family for Violet and Amethio finally has someone his age to be around🎉” i kinda want to write a fic about that lol at some point but now I’m thinking about how hellish it would be to be Spinel’s subordinate if you’re not named Frankie (great oc btw she’s a cool oc by gem-in-the-horizon), especially since he’s so young and traumatized already. I’d imagine Spinel would have a fun time breaking him.
We saw what he did to Liko, without showing any remorse, now if he had complete power over this 15 year old kid that’s working for him? I think he’d be even worse. Spinel likes messing with people because he’s curious and its entertaining. Spinel’s a smart cunning guy who doesn’t care and that’s kind of terrifying
I may draw my ocs in pokémon soonish, although Frost did originate frm a pokemon rp anyways lol
(TW: Mind manipulation, memory erasure, also generally a guy taking advantage of a kid and mentally grooming him, this was hard for me to write too)
It starts relatively mild, at first.
Comments about how he’s been failing lately, how he’s looking more tired, how he’s not been enough. It hurts, of course, but Frost’s been through it before
Then Spinel starts testing with him.
Putting him in situations to see how a kid would cope with it. Making him do things that are completely against who Frost is. Molding him into something he’s not.
Eventually, Spinel begins to use his Beeheeyem, sometimes hovering over Frost, watching his every move, altering his memories, state of mind, what he thinks about, hell even trying to change who he is, trying to make him into Spinel’s sidekick. His toy. His tool.
It starts working. It took a while to, Spinel doesn’t mind playing the long game, and it’s more entertaining for him anyways, seeing it all drawn out. It was mild, at first, just forgetting where he was before the explorers, having some difficulty recalling what he was into before them, then it became forgetting people before the explorers, and he starts forgetting about his life before he was forced under Spinel entirely. There’s some people he can vaguely remember that stick for some reason, like this kid he met when he was 5 with those bright purple eyes, but other than that, he doesn’t know. He can’t remember.
~~~
Why should I leave? There’s no where else for me to go to. The explorers have always been my home. I’m meant to serve here. I’m destined to, it’s my very purpose, i am here to serve Master Spinel.
That is what I’m good for, and so, I’ll do whatever he desires. If master wants it, I want it. I will do whatever it takes. If I die, oh well, at least I served him well. But that would make me worthless, because I’m here to be his most valuable tool, and I can’t do that if I’m broken.
I’m happy here. This is my home -this is where I am from, and this is where I’ll stay. I am his -and I always will be, because I am Master Spinel’s most valuable possesion. That is what I am. I’m Spinel’s gem -and that’s all I will be. I’m happy with this.
Right?
~~~ OUGH THAT GOT DARK JESUS CHRIST I AM SO SORRY. This is why you dont let me on tumblr past 9 pm-
Anyways uh, if you managed to not be scared off by that, hope you have a good day, i am sorry this was short ive just been tired and today was kinda sucky so. see you tomorrow I guess
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Building Audience Engagement
I was thinking of other ways to build engagement and hopefully an audience for my fellow fic writers and artists. I’ll share some things that are working for me under the cut because it’s a long post. 
And a plus: I’m not even talking about updating your fics regularly! (But please do that, if you still are into those projects!)
Caveat: This is just stuff that works for me. It may not work as well for you, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
tl;dr: promote your own work, consider sharing and promoting others’ content, be consistent in how and when you publish/post, have fun. Use tags judiciously, have an easy way we can search for your content, and again, promote your work! This is just as applicable to original content as fanworks!
1) Promote your own work
This, I think, is one of the more awkward things about being a creator: self promotion. We have to celebrate and advocate for ourselves and our work! Once you post a drabble or an art piece, schedule a reblog for a day or two away, then again in another few days or a week. Maybe you decide you’ll reblog certain things on certain days: maybe you’ll promote your AO3 page on the weekend and call it Fanfic Friday, or you’ll find your older art pieces from four million years ago and reblog them one day a week. Whatever it is, prop up your own work! If you don’t care, no one else will, either. You spent so much time and energy creating whatever that was, make sure it gets its turn in the spotlight!
2) Weekly writing events. 
I participate in the DA Drunk Writing Circle hosted by @dadrunkwriting. You don’t have to drink to participate, and it’s really simple to get involved. Every Friday, we get together and send each other prompts, and we post our little drabbles. I personally aim for 3-5 a night. I don’t always make it, but I like to have a goal. When we post our drabbles, the DA DWC blog (tagged above) reblogs the posts to their audience, too. It’s really nice. 
3) Tag your posts like a mo-fo. 
I got a tip from @jawsandbones about an XKIT extension, Quick Tags. I make some bundles, or a pre-set list of tags, and I can tag my posts with the click of a button. Go check out some of her prompt fills and other writing, and you’ll see what I mean - Lisa has a MILLION TAGS on everything, but it’s organized. It’s not random. You’ll see probably every iteration of a single ship possibility, and that’s amazing. Make sure you tag your stuff, so that anyone who follows the tag or searches for specific content can find it. 
Related: I tag certain things within the first five tags, as the first five tags is used by Tumblr in searches. I try to use the following for the first five: NSFW (if applicable), ship name, alternate ship names or character names, specific game (if applicable), and fanfic, all within the first five. I also then include my writing tag for easy organization, and any series/timeline name as applicable. If I have an OC in there, I tag them. My general rule: tag often, tag as much as possible, and tag any NFSW and triggers so people can make the choice to see or not see your content.
4) MAKE AN ART/WRITING TAG
Make a tag specifically for your fanwork, whether it’s visual art, writing, Tibetan throat singing inspired by a character, whatever, and then PUT THAT LINK ON YOUR BLOG. Very important. Make it easy for people to navigate your blog and your tags. Help us find your content! 
5) Follow other fandom blogs
As other people have said, fandom doesn’t exist in a vacuum. If you’re building an audience, whether it’s for your own original work or fanworks, one of the easiest ways to do this is to follow other similar blogs. I have made some great friends and met wonderful content creators by checking out the folks my friends follow, or who interacts with the posts I share or create. It’s great! I love reading everyone’s fics and seeing lots of different art styles. Broaden your horizons and make friends at the same time! 
6) Interact (when appropriate, if you want)!
Reblog art! Comment on fics! Send in asks! All great ways to be involved with other creators. Did someone reblog an ask prompt from you? Go send them one! Did you see a friend share a prompt list? Send them one! Did a buddy of yours publish a drabble or a link to a bigger piece? Consider reblogging it! How about some art? Definitely reblog! It’s simple, and broadens everybody’s spheres of influence. Let’s help each other be seen! If you consume someone’s media and enjoyed it, consider commenting and sharing it when/if you can. 
7) If you have the time, energy, and motivation, join a writer’s group. 
I’m part of a couple different Discord servers specifically for writers; for example, Writers of Thedas, which I administrate for, is one of the ones I’m most active in at the moment. There’s a bunch of people online at any given moment to chat with, whether about headcanons, the craft of writing, or whatever catches your fancy in the moment. I have loved being a part of that server, and if you’re interested, send me a message to get involved. 
8) Do your friends have some cool OCs? Ask if you can write about them. 
Trade characters with a friend! Sharpen up your skills and practice accurate characterization and voice for OCs you didn’t develop. It’s hard, and a really great skill! A few friends of mine have a big cuddle puddle of OCs in various timelines that they co-write various plots for, and it’s so fun. (Also, if your friends already do this, share their stuff!)
9) Talk about your OCs and your stories
You might find a meme or a writing game floating around. Participate, even if you’re not tagged! Talk about your muses whenever the urge strikes! Tell us about your characters, about your art, about your writing. Like I said up top, if you don’t care about your work, no one else will, either. Plus, I find that simply talking about my OCs (what’s their favorite breakfast food? What would their story look like as a Historical AU mashed up with a runaway circus?) makes me inspired enough to continue working on my writing! 
10) Be consistent
Maybe you only produce one piece of fanwork a month. That’s okay! Make sure you treat it and yourself just as important as if you had created 100 pieces of work. Reblog them consistently. Set up a posting schedule. Pre-load drafts and set them to automatically publish on a certain day or time, then try to stick to your schedule as much as you can! This is a great tactic, no matter how much content you produce. 
==
These things have worked well for me. You may not enjoy these ideas, or you might not find them particularly helpful for what resources you’ve got available to personally dedicate to fandom, but I’m sure you can find similar ideas or ways to engage in meaningful ways.
Most importantly: Have fun!
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