Topical Legstagram I Did Last Month And Never Posted. For Some Reason I Find It Really Soothing To Make

Feedback culture is dead, long live feedback culture!

AO3, fanfiction, and comments: the system isn’t working. 

Fic authors have a problem with feedback – or rather, with the lack of it. Fanfiction has a notoriously low ratio of comments to hits, and many of us have expressed our frustration that we can get a hundred, two hundred, five hundred, even a thousand views on our stories, but only a handful of readers will leave kudos, let alone comments.   

Unfortunately, this only gets worse for long, multi-chapter stories (aka, the longfics we know, love, and would sell our souls in a second if it meant an update), which also happen to be the stories that authors need the most support to continue and complete. Law of diminishing returns, y’all, and it sucks. 

We’re not here to guilt you into leaving comments. We want to address the problem by changing the format, and we need your help to do it. 

The goal is to increase the amount of feedback authors get from readers, especially on stories with multiple chapters, and to make it easier for everyone to show how much we love fics. We’re opening a discussion with ao3 to figure out how/if any of these options can be implemented, but first we need options to present! 

Some of our current ideas: 

Ability to leave a form of kudos on every chapter, instead of only once on the entire story: this lets authors know that you’re here and you’re reading their updates, so their hard work isn’t getting tossed into the internet void. 

Comment templates: suggested comments that can be customized or posted as-is. Many of us draw a blank or get nervous when we try to think of a comment, so having pre-made options will both increase the total level of feedback and serve as practice, making it easier to leave more in-depth comments in the future. 

Upvoting/leaving kudos on comments themselves: positive reinforcement makes giving feedback more fun and rewarding, and it lets the author know that readers are present and agreeing with other comments, even if they don’t leave one themselves. 

We’ll contact AO3 to discuss the possibility of adding any of these as native features, and if that won’t work, we’re looking into creating and sharing a user script. 

 What you can do to help: 

 As a reader, what would you like to have? What would you be most likely to use? New ideas, opinions on ideas that are listed here, they’re all good. 

As a creator, how would you feel about each of these options? Can you think of other ways of receiving or encouraging feedback? 

Pros and cons of these (note: our thoughts on this are discussed in this google doc) 

GET THE WORD OUT! Reblog this post, send it to your friends, link to it from your stories. We need as much input and support as possible to get this off the ground. 

Feedback makes for happy authors. Happy authors make for more stories. Let’s keep this part of fandom alive! 

More details about our thoughts, discussions, and ideas can be found in this google doc.

Nick Robles is honestly out here like:

Mera Cross-stitch update 02/10/2020 ----- 50 - 55% done!

The weather and lighting has been horrendous for the past week, so I had to muck around with a filter, but this is pretty representative of the actual colours.

Literally no one:

Not a single soul:

Male authors:

“I’ll take my leave of you, Kassandra.”

It would’ve been a lie to say that those words didn’t cause her shoulders to drop.

Kassandra had gotten used to Brasidas’ presence during their days in Arkadia that she’d almost forgot he wouldn’t be accompanying her to Boeotia, returning to Sparta along with her mother instead. She watched as he did a small bow as a parting gesture, like the gentleman he ever was, and tried not to let her disappointment show.

But then Brasidas glanced up at her—those soft, gentle honey eyes she would never have expected to find in a battle-hardened Spartan man before—sending her a certain look. And just like that, she understood the unspoken words behind them, and found herself returning his smile with one of her own.

I’ll be waiting for you back at home.

Because Brasidas bowing to Kassandra before they part ways in Arkadia always makes me soft.

Eivor was Born A Woman

Theory on Eivor Wolfsmal and their complex identity and relationship with Gender

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is looking to be far more deep in story than we’ve ever previously imagined, especially with its main protagonist, Eivor. From the beginning, and now more than ever with recent information and hints slowly dripping from various sources it looks that Eivor may be the most complex character the series has had in years, with their gender and how they identify with it being a potential key story element - an Assassin’s Creed first. As a member of the LGBT community this is very exciting to witness.

From the initial reveal it was confirmed that both Male and Female Eivor were canon (however it took literal months before Female Eivor was even revealed, and even longer for her Cinematic Trailer to be released). Darby McDevitt, Narrative Director of Valhalla emphasized many times that both versions are one and the same, and that one cannot exist outside the other. Along with an Animus explanation, Darby also said that there is an In-World story explanation for why both are canon (which also ties in with why we can switch between genders at any point in gameplay) however it is considered a major spoiler, and he cannot say any more.

HOWEVER, a prequel graphic novel, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Song of Glory has confirmed Female Eivor as the protagonist for their 3-arc story. When asked about why this is on Twitter, Darby said that “It’s more complicated than that” and that “It’s all part of the long-term plan…”. So how can Eivor both be ONLY female in the comics, yet more than one gender in the game?

Eivor was canonically born a woman

In Song of Glory it is very blatant that Eivor is a woman, through and through. We learn a lot more about her and her family, with the description reading…

“Eivor, a Viking warrior, observes a village raided by a neighboring kingdom. Bloodshed and mayhem erupt as she seizes the attack in her own favor - but will her victory be a blessing to her clan or a terrible curse?”

In new info released earlier today, we also learned that…

Eivor is the daughter of King Styrbjorn, a wise ruler - making her a princess!

She has a brother named Sigurd (older or younger we do not know) who went East

She has been disgraced by her father, and must regain her honor by going on a quest that will eventually lead her to a “forgotten temple of a poweful God”

She also seizes another woman named Gull, who claims to have supernatural powers, and has a direct effect on Eivor herself

Her brother Sigurd is East in search of riches and treasures, and discovers something that changes everything

So why is all of this new information so important? And how does all of this tie into the canon of the game?

Eivor is Female at birth but by some sort of Isu artifact she comes across she is granted similar powers of Loki (who would of been Isu) therefore allowing her to become Gender-fluid if she so pleased.

This. This right here would explain everything perfectly, while keeping with everything Darby, the comics and Ubisoft themselves have all said.

So Eivor, having now being forced to go and restore her honor after some horrific events following this raid, will probably engage with Gull and ask for her help, who will then tell Eivor where she must go and what to do to correct her mistakes. After a series of events, Eivor eventually ends up at this “forgotten” temple, where she comes into possession of a powerful Isu artifact. I don’t know yet what it would be - a piece on her armor, a weapon, something we have yet to see on her? This artifact, now bonded with Eivor, allows her to fully come to terms with her complex understanding of her own gender. As any member in the LGBT community can tell you, gender is a very unique and complicated experience, as it is a spectrum.

Now with the powers of Loki within her, she is finally able to come to an understanding of her true relation to her gender identity, and in doing so is given the power to “switch” between male and female, making Eivor Gender-Fluid from here on out.

So Eivor, now finally being able to accept and live their truth, returns home and restores their honor, etc. And as I do believe that Eivor more closely identifies as female, yet also goes by They/Them when they call for it. So for now, I will still refer to Eivor as Her and They.

But what of her brother Sigurd? How does he tie in with Eivor and the Isu?

I do not think he will be in the game for very long, if at all. Sigurd, while Eivor was having their own personal journey, was East - most likely near the Mediterranean and Middle-East. It’s most likely he discovered The Hidden Ones, as by then their reach would of easily been all along that whole region. It is a fact that the Vikings had established strong trade partnerships with the Middle-East, and we also know that Middle-Eastern visitors (definitely Hidden Ones) come to Norway at the beginning of the game.

We also know that Eivor receives the Hidden Blade very early in the campaign, before she even leaves Norway, and that it is given to her by the Hidden Ones.

So Eivor comes home after her journey, and becomes Leader of her clan. Sigurd shortly after comes home as well, where he brings the Hidden Ones for whatever reason. Something happens to Sigurd either before the game or extremely early in the game, and perhaps when the Hidden Ones meet Eivor, because of who they are, immediately see her connection with the Isu, and therefore decide to pass on the Hidden Blade to her, as her brother is no longer an option, and she is more worthy of such responsibilities.

And so the Main Story of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla begins, with Eivor as a Gender-Fluid, Isu-powered Viking Leader ready to set out in search for better lands for their people, and to fulfill their destiny as a Hidden One.

Of course this is all theoretical, but it absolutely makes the most sense with all the rumors, allegations, hints and confirmations about their gender. With Eivor being canonically born as a woman, and for them to be given the allowance to live as they truly are (GF) validates not just the Main Campaign, but also the Prequel. And how Eivor grapples with their gender, and how they and/or others perceive themselves will be a story arc that will be revealed throught the campaign, as Darby has said several times that their gender is an arc that will be revealed in the long haul of the story.

Gender is an extremely complex topic, and to me this is the only logical explanation on how both Male and Female Eivor could ever be canon simultaneously. It’s an interesting concept, and it’s very exciting to think we may actually see a main story encompass these underlying queer themes.

With that said, Female Eivor seems to be the intended gender by birth, and therefore she deserves to shine in her own right

Play as Lady Eivor

Okay folks. I didn’t want to directly tie the book to this account because this is my fan account, but you know what? Screw that. I’m not ashamed of writing fanfiction. I’ve read more excellent fanfiction than I could list here. I regularly rant about how great fanfic and fic writers are on here. I would proudly brag about fic in public. I will keep writing fanfiction even if a miracle happens and the series gets optioned by HBO. So to hell with a veneer of separation. My real person account is @caitymschmidt

I’m very unemployed right now, because I work in themed entertainment, and every client is either slashing their budgets or cancelling their projects. I’m not asking for donations, but I am asking for help. My second novel comes out in a couple of days, and its through a little indie publisher. I don’t have a team spending thousands to promote it. Its mostly just me.

I have a mind-meltingly huge number of readers on my fanworks. Thousands of bookmarks. Thousands of subscriptions. Thousands of comments. Tens of thousands of kudos. I hoard them all like a dragon. But apparently I’m doing something that works for y’all.

The only thing I change about my writing when I’m doing original works is that I pause to explain the universe and characters a bit more. Otherwise? Same style. I’ll give you characters that you want to beat to death with a shovel exactly as much as you want to hug them. And, yes, I will scoop the heart out of your chest so you can watch it beat.

The first book is on sale on Amazon right now as a 99 cent download. I totally understand if you can’t afford that; we’re in a global crisis. If you can? I’d appreciate it. But you know what’s even more valuable? Comments. Reviews. Posts. Reblogs from @caitymschmidt Posts on other sites. Have you ever push-started a 747? Because that’s what this feels like. If it could get the thing going, I could probably pull this off and fly, but right now it’s just a big-ass plane that doesn’t want to move that is very much on the ground. Right now, every extra moment of help makes it a little easier. So, thanks, for whatever you can do.

Review of ‘The Good Soldier’ by Ford Madox Ford ---- 5/5 STARS

Three months ago, when I stumbled upon a beautiful collection of Alma Classics at a book sale, I hardly imagined that one of the volumes I selected would turn out to be one of those rare literary unicorns that ticked all my boxes. It seems unlikely, but The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford fascinated me from practically the first sentence. “This is the saddest story I have ever heard.”

The first thing you should know about The Good Soldier is probably that it’s being told from the viewpoint of an unreliable narrator and has no strict chronology. It reads like a confession and the sequence of events is jumbled according to the mood and flow of conscience of the main character, John Dowell (whose name you will likely have forgotten by the end). The story is written in such a way that you don’t untangle most of its lies and mysteries until the very last page, which gives the book the impression of being a puzzle you must put together. The suspense definitely had me race through the later chapters. 

On the surface, Ford sketches how, at the beginning of the 20th century, the lives of two couples -- one American, one British -- intertwine themselves over the years, giving way to a secret romance and betrayal. On a deeper level, Ford examines the mental processes these people underwent to get where they are now in their lives. It spares us no dirty details. Even our dear unreliable narrator finds plenty of faults within himself and ends most parts of the book on a self-critical note. The Good Soldier is brutally honest in spite of describing an intricate web of lies and the feelings of one man who was the sorry victim of it. 

Despite being first published in 1915, so many elements discussed in this book are incredibly relevant and it’s obvious why that is: The Good Soldier is a portrait of humans, and humanity has not really changed in the past century at a base level. We are still driven by love, pride, jealousy and all that other good stuff. This has led many reviewers to call the characters ‘despicable’ or ‘the worst of humanity’, but I think that’s too quick of a judgement. It was refreshing to see the dark corners of the human psyche portrayed with such stark honesty. The characters felt like people I could possibly encounter in the street; some reminded me of people I knew. Best of all, I could understand all of their motivations at any one point.

Honestly, this book handles so many subjects that we are still struggling with today. Here’s a selection: sexism, male entitlement, the objectification of women, abusive relationships, religious tension between branches of the Christian faith, the downsides of cultural conservatism, and many others. But it also brought some brighter topics to the fore, namely asexuality, polyamory and serial monogamy, male-female friendship, and the importance of responsibility and trust in any relationship. If that doesn’t sound modern then I don’t know what does anymore.

And the ending, damn, it was all I could have wanted. It was realistic and so quietly tragic that I could not help but feel sympathy for all those involved in the tale. It’s true you won’t get happy vibes from The Good Soldier, but you get tonnes of satisfaction from it instead. It’s got my full recommendation.

Y’all can pry alterous attraction from my cold dead hands.

It’s such an important concept. As a community we cannot let it die.