#fandom permission statement

[fanworkspermissionstatement]

[Image description: The title, "Fanworks Permission Statement Builder," and black line-drawing-style pictures of a hand holding a pencil and of a microphone with a pop filter, over a background of crumpled paper. End ID.] (credit to @rystonlentil for the image ID)

Hey fanworks creators!

Excited about the idea of someone creating something based on your fan creation (like podfics, fanart, translations, etc)? On the other hand, do you not want people creating stuff based off your fanworks and don't want to have to turn them down? Or do you have a more nuanced idea of what you are and aren't comfortable with people doing based on your fan creations? Don't particularly care one way or the other about what people create based on your stuff?

SPEND JUST A FEW MINUTES TO QUICKLY GENERATE A FANWORKS PERMISSION STATEMENT LETTING PEOPLE KNOW YOUR PREFERENCES!!!

What is a fanworks permission statement?

A fanworks permission statement (also known as a blanket permission statement or transformative works permission statement) is very simple: it's something you post in a publically-visible place (usually your AO3 profile) that tells other fan creators what you are and aren't okay with in terms of other people making fanworks based off your stuff. It can be as simple as a sentence or two, or as complicated as you want to communicate your preferences clearly.

Who should have a permission statement?

A permission statement is for anyone that creates fanworks! Yes, even if you don't think anyone would ever want to create something based off your fanworks. You never know! It's not egotistical to post a permission statement, it's HELPFUL. Yes, even if you don't want people making something based off your works. It means no one has to reach out to ask you, they can know your preferences right away.

Is it only for fanfic writers?

Absolutely not! It's great for fan creators of ALL kinds to have a fanworks permission statement! Fanartists, someone might want to use your fanart as inspiration for a fanfic or create fanart inspired by your work in a different medium! Podficcers, other people creating in an audible medium might want to insert clips of your podfics into their work, or copy the way you did certain effects! Fanbinders, you might inspire an artist with the way you do your binding! This is really for everyone, because fandom is infinitely creative and who knows how another fan creator might be inspired by your work!

What do I even say in a permission statement?

That's exactly why we built the Fanworks Permission Statement Builder! So you don't have to think about what to say or how to say it. Just spend a few minutes answering questions about your preferences that cover many of the common things people might want to specify, and you'll have a permission statement ready to copy-and-paste into your AO3 profile, or to edit to your heart's content!

Why use the Fanworks Permission Statement Builder?

Don't want to come up with a permission statement on your own? Not sure what should even go into a permission statement? Want someone to at least give you a starting place that you can edit to better reflect your preferences? Want someone to just hand you a ready-to-use permission statement that you can paste into your profile? Spend just a few minutes answering some questions about your preferences, and you'll have a permission statement ready to use or edit!

#fandom permission statement #fandom permission statement builder #blanket permission #transformative works statement #bp #transformative works #fanfic #fanart #podfic #translation #fanbinding

[cheesyakumas]

CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW @miraculous.mama ON INSTAGRAM CARVED MY ART INTO A PUMPKIN???? HOW FRIGGIN COOL IS THAT?!?!?!?!?

#they asked for permission btw!!! #I CANT TAKE THIS #miraculous ladybug #miraculous halloween #miraculous #ladybug #cat noir #akca celebrates #akca stupid statements #ml fandom #ml fanart

[voids-cave]

"Shipping characters who've explicitly said they don't wan't a partner is aphobic"

"Well- I'm asexual and I ship-"

SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!! SHUT UP!!!!!!

YOU'RE ASEXUAL, YOU MORRON, NOT AROMANTIC THEREFORE YOU DON'T SPEAK FOR US.

YOU DON'T HAVE OUR EXPERIENCES, SHUT THE FUCK UP!

#when the FUCK are asexuals going to get that them being in the fucking aspec doesn't mean you get to fucking speak on the side of the #spectrum THEY ARE FUCKING NOT. #like jesus fucking christ. #look dude im an aromantic ship enthusiast so i don't necessarily fully agree with the statement made #but i DO get where it's coming from. and it always is Endlessly annoying to see fucking ace ppl saying #im ace and im okay with you shipping this character who said romance disgust them :D #that isn't your experience. Shut The Fuck Up. YOU are not allowed to give anyone permission. #oh but you wanna know what IS real fucking aphobia? whatever the FUCK the hazbin fandom has going on w alastor #he's Canonically fucking Aroace #i don't like hazbin so i don't know the character but like cmon. you cannot fucking convince me that this dude would be Love-dovey #from what I've seen from him.

[werepires]

Ok listen I get people are upset again bc of a con statement but did we collectively forget it’s not even certain Cas is in the prequel isn’t it a bit quick to say “Jensen’s answer dooms future destiel” if we don’t even know if this hypothetical “future destiel” even exists

#I feel like people take ‘cas is in the prequel’ and ‘destiel will be addressed in the prequel’ as facts when really we know nothing #I love cas I love destiel but supernatural is over #Jensen’s making statements about a show that ended two years ago #in his typical ‘if I have opinions I will not share them’ way #which sucks when it comes to queer rep but he literally talked about keeping shit to himself earlier on the day #also bold to assume ‘future destiel’ depends on jackles #future destiel depends on us keeping it alive here in fandom #literally can we stop putting so much weight on actors’ words they literally have no power over how we enjoy destiel #I’ve spent years convinced we weren’t even gonna get a HINT in canon #do you know how ecstatic 2018 me would have been if you’d told me Jensen says /on stage/ that Dean loves Cas and should’ve expressed it #how you take this statement really depends on the context #and sadly Dean didn’t get the same freedom to express his feelings as Cas did #hence jackles will not be able to say anything concrete until the CW or WB give him permission to #anyway I’m going back to doctor who posting before I have to wait another year for a new episode #fandom wank

[scullymurphy]

Policy Updates for my Work

Hey all -- there’s been a lot of discussion in our fandom lately around some creative ways folks have been profiting off fanworks (NOT. OK. Read your fandom history!) and even though I am not a big enough fish to be part of these specific circumstances, I just wanted to speak up and throw my official policies out there preemptively. I’ve also updated my bio on AO3 to reflect these.  

Thank you to my dear readers and all the creatives who have taken inspiration from my works to make AMAZING THINGS for nothing but love and the desire to spread joy. 

xoxo ~SM

PERMISSIONS AND POLICIES

- I welcome all translations of my works. I just ask for a heads up that you are doing it, credit on the translated work and that you link back to the original version on AO3. I also love to see translations once they're in process/done, so please send me a link! I can be most easily reached via Tumblr DMs.

- I give permission for my work to be typeset and/or bound for non-profit use (and also love to see pictures of any bindings!). Do not reproduce my works in whole or part for commercial gain, including posting reproductions on paid membership platforms.

- If you feel like doing art of my work, GO OFF! I love it so much. Please send it my way and I'll put it up on tumblr and in my Discord server.

- Trans rights are human rights. Gender diversity is fucking beautiful. Queerness is sacred. If you don't understand that, please don't read my stuff or interact with me in any way. You won't like it or me anyway.

#permissions and policies #translations #bindings #fanart #statements of support #fandom is free

[echoekhi]

I’m Declaring War Against “What If” Videos: Project Copy-Knight

What Are “What If” Videos?

These videos follow a common recipe: A narrator, given a fandom (usually anime ones like My Hero Academia and Naruto), explores an alternative timeline where something is different. Maybe the main character has extra powers, maybe a key plot point goes differently. They then go on and make up a whole new story, detailing the conflicts and romance between characters, much like an ordinary fanfic.

Except, they are fanfics. Actual fanfics, pulled off AO3, FFN and Wattpad, given a different title, with random thumbnail and background images added to them, narrated by computer text-to-speech synthesizers.

They are very easy to make: pick a fanfic, copy all the text into a text-to-speech generator, mix the resulting audio file with some generic art from the fandom as the background, give it a snappy title like “What if Deku had the Power of Ten Rings”, photoshop an attention-grabbing thumbnail, dump it onto YouTube and get thousands of views.

In fact, the process is so straightforward and requires so little effort, it’s pretty clear some of these channels have automated pipelines to pump these out en-masse. They don’t bother with asking the fic authors for permission. Sometimes they don’t even bother with putting the fic’s link in the description or crediting the author. These content-farms then monetise these videos, so they get a cut from YouTube’s ads.

In short, an industry has emerged from the systematic copyright theft of fanfiction, for profit.

Project Copy-Knight

Since the adversaries almost certainly have automated systems set up for this, the only realistic countermeasure is with another automated system. Identifying fanfics manually by listening to the videos and searching them up with tags is just too slow and impractical.

And so, I came up with a simple automated pipeline to identify the original authors of “What If” videos.

It would go download these videos, run speech recognition on it, search the text through a database full of AO3 fics, and identify which work it came from. After manual confirmation, the original authors will be notified that their works have been subject to copyright theft, and instructions provided on how to DMCA-strike the channel out of existence.

I built a prototype over the weekend, and it works surprisingly well:

On a randomly-selected YouTube channel (in this case Infinite Paradox Fanfic), the toolchain was able to identify the origin of half of the content. The raw output, after manual verification, turned out to be extremely accurate. The time taken to identify the source of a video was about 5 minutes, most of those were spent running Whisper, and the actual full-text-search query and Levenshtein analysis was less than 5 seconds.

The other videos probably came from fanfiction websites other than AO3, like fanfiction.net or Wattpad. As I do not have access to archives of those websites, I cannot identify the other ones, but they are almost certainly not original.

Armed with this fantastic proof-of-concept, I’m officially declaring war against “What If” videos. The mission statement of Project Copy-Knight will be the elimination of “What If” videos based on the theft of AO3 content on YouTube.

I Need Your Help

I am acutely aware that I cannot accomplish this on my own. There are many moving parts in this system that simply cannot be completely automated – like the selection of YouTube channels to feed into the toolchain, the manual verification step to prevent false-positives being sent to authors, the reaching-out to authors who have comments disabled, etc, etc.

So, if you are interested in helping to defend fanworks, or just want to have a chat or ask about the technical details of the toolchain, please consider joining my Discord server. I could really use your help.

------

See full blog article and acknowledgements here: https://echoekhi.com/2023/11/25/project-copy-knight/

#ao3 #fanfic #copyknight #theft #copyright

[ao3commentoftheday]

Re the difference between derivative and transformative works: Is it "fair" not to want our works translated? I tried explaining the difference once, to a certain audience, and I'd love to get more opinions here too. I say no to translations of my works – or podfic for that matter – but I'm perfectly fine with remixes, sequels, fanart, what have you, it would even be hypocritical not to, because they're transformative in regards to my fanfic just like my fanfic was in regards to the original material. But translation is derivative, it's just another version of my work, in a different language – and podfic in a different medium. They don't "transform" anything.

I think the idea of transformation when it comes to podfic and translation is a conversation worth having. A lot of fan translators and podficcers do transform the work in different ways as they create their versions, but according to the laws used to create the AO3 terms of service, if you - the original author of a work - say no to translations and podfics, then you can request any translations/podfics that are made of your works be taken down.

You can also, if you are a US citizen, likely go to court over a translation or a podfic - but I'm not a US citizen and I'm not a lawyer, so don't take my word on that one.

As the author of a fanfic posted on AO3, you retain the copyright to your own work. That means you have the choice of what you allow others to do with it. That's why permissions statements are so useful! It gives your fellow fans clear information on what you welcome and what you don't allow when it comes to your own works. Every creator has their own preferences, and a permissions statement gives you the opportunity to let others know yours.

Whether it's fair or not is a conversation that will never be settled. It's a debate that will continue in fandom and it's probably a conversation worth having even if you've already decided one way or another for yourself. New fans enter the space all the time, and being able to see these internal debates helps them form their own thoughts on issues.

Make your own decision on the matter. Add a permission statement to your AO3 profile page or tumblr About page or wherever other creators can find it easily. If you change your mind later, update your statement. Your reasons for choosing to say yes or no are your own, just make it easy for your fellow fans to understand what they can and can't do with your work, and it makes it easier for everyone involved.

#asks and answers

[dotster001]

Whispers End

Summary: a for tuna custom content Ending

CW:Yan behavior, manipulation, angst, hypnosis

A/N: I did a Tuna Tuesday entry two weeks in a row! Everyone be proud of me! Ps. You can vote on the next end here

Part One Part Two Part Three Choose Another End

Jamil was patient.

Always patient.

He had laid the foundations.

And now it was time to act.

"Kalim, you're just too immature for me! This is the last straw!"

Jamil watched from the corner as Grim hastily tried to calm you down, and Kalim tried to wrap you in his arms and rock you. Something that had always worked on you before. Much to Jamil's dismay.

But he was stronger after the years of building up his control over you. Stronger than your apparent real love for Kalim.

And luckily for him, both Grim and Kalim were too stupid to have ever noticed the red tint that appeared in your eyes just days after you and Kalim got together.

Literally, Kalim had done nothing. He had made dinner and made it spicier than you liked, by complete accident. The only reason Jamil had chosen this moment to make you his, was because he had finally overpowered the true love in your heart. It had been acting like a shield. But now you'd be his.

"Y/N, please, let's just sit together a moment."

Kalim had the patience of a saint. He was convinced you were sick with something. He wasn't entirely wrong. You did have a parasite controlling your thoughts.

"No. Kalim," you exhaled angrily, seeming to collect yourself. "Kalim, I never loved you. I've always loved Jamil, and I have reason to believe he loves me. If you truly love me, you'll let us be together."

Kalim's eyes filled with tears, but he dropped his arms to his sides, muttering something Jamil couldn't hear. Probably giving you permission to love him.

But Grim…Grim's eyes widened and he gasped, full understanding dawning in his face.

"Wait-" he started, looking to the corner Jamil was hiding in. 

Jamil hastily muttered a "Snake whisper" and sighed in relief as Grim's eyes tinted red, and he calmed down.

You and Kalim shared a hug, and you left the room. When you saw Jamil standing in the corner, you smiled excitedly, yet nervously.

"Jamil! Kalim said we could be together!" You chewed your lip, and dropped your eyes to the floor, fidgeting with one of the many rings Kalim had gifted you over the years.

"That is, if you want me-"

You barely finished the statement when his arms were around you, his hand keeping your head pressed to his, his tongue invading your mouth like the parasite he was.

Yes. Jamil was patient.

And patience always pays off.

The end.

....

Tag list- @stygianoir @leonia0 @lleoll @eccedentesiast-sapphic @supertmntgirl @cxsmicdustdreams @aethermostbeloved @krystalkiller25 @asmallbean3 @theneurodivergentdummy @candlewitch-cryptic @smilingfox22-blog @phantomgaming1920 @the-dumber-scaramouche @noidonothavetimeforthis @bontensbabygirl @xxoomiii @somany-fandoms-solittle-time @bre99 @stupidsimp @sus0daddy @a-small-tyrant @imlost-sendhelp @mizukiblogs

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #jamil viper x reader #yan! jamil viper x reader #twst jamil #jamil x reader #yandere twisted wonderland x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #yan! jamil viper #yan! jamil x reader #for tuna

[melancholymorningstar]

Welcome to the first (hopefully annual) Femslash February podFic Edition 2024! This is a femslash focused podficcing event running all throughout February! (aka an event to convince people to make more femslash podfic)

Frequently asked Questions:

What is this event? A shameless plug to get me, MelancholyMorningstar, more femslash podfic

How do I participate? Make a podfic, not!fic, or filk featuring two (or more) women in a romantic and/or sexual relationship and post it to this collection!

Do genderswapped/trans characters count? Absolutely! Regardless of what canon says any character can be femslashed if you try hard enough

Can I post NSFW/darkfic content? Go for it! As long as you tag appropriately this collection will accept all works featuring f/f (or f/f/f, or f/f/f/f/+) pairings

If you feel like tagging is a fundamentally flawed system of posting fanworks, feel free to create femslash anyway and just not include it in this collection

When does this event run? All of February! This collection will remain unrevealed until the beginning of February (if you somehow manage podfic before then) and then remain open from that point onwards Inspired by @polypodweek this collection won't have a hard deadline, but if it is getting close to February next year you should probably wait for the next collection

Does this event have themes/prompts? Nope For this first year it's going to remain very vague and open, and we'll see how it goes for next year

But I really want a prompt list? Check out the ao3 tag cloud for inspiration! Additional Tag Cloud

I'm not going to have time/energy/motivation to make femslash podfic during February, how can I participate? No stress this is a very low key event, but if you'd like to participate you can: A) make a different medium of femslash work and post it to tumblr under the hashtag #femslashfebruary or the ao3 collection Femslash February (no affiliation) or, B) Find a femslash author and ask them to put up a Blanket Permission statement about their podficcing permissions Femslash fandoms tend to be very light on permission statements about whether people can make podfic without asking first You can even direct them to the Permission Statement Builder by flamingwell @flamingwell to make it super easy

#femslash february #femslash february podfic edition #femslash february podfic #femslash podfic #podfic events #podfic calendar #podfic #femslash february 2024 #f/f shipping

[unforth]

I've been seeing a big influx of reposted art in MXTX fandom tags and it's making me fucking insane and furious so I'm gonna make this real simple.

If you did not create a piece of art work, and you do not have either explicit or passive permission from the person who did, DO NOT POST THE ART.

Explicit permission: you personally asked them and they directly said yes.

Passive permission: there is a statement on their account indicating they allow reposts.

There are no other options. If neither of the above is the case, do not post it.

There is exactly one exception: official art. You should still credit the artist if possible but you don't need their permission. And if you're not sure it's official art, refer back to above.

I'm so sick of this shit. I don't care if you saw it on Pinterest or Facebook. You can't assume other reposters had permission, get it yourself or don't post. I don't care if you can't access Weibo. You're not fucking entitled to steal the hard work of other creators. Full stop.

#unforth rambles #mdzs #tgcf #svsss #i literally blocked someone in tgcf tag today for having an account BOASTING that they only do art reposts #im not sure where yall came into fandom without learning etiquette but now is your moment

[mcytrecursive]

Rules and FAQ

Schedule (All dates are 11:59pm EST):

Discord Opens: Jan 26

Sign-ups Open: Jan 26

Nominations Open: Jan 26

Nominations Close: Feb 21

Sign-ups Close: Feb 24

Assignments Out By: March 2

Final Date for Fics to be In: March 30

Work Reveals (works are anon): April 6

Writer Reveals (anon lifts): April 13

What is this event?

This is a fandom gift exchange for recursive fic— fic of fic— within the MCYT fandom. We are also allowing recursive art and web weaves and podfic— art, web weaves, and podfic inspired by fic, art, podfic, and other web weaves!

Gift Minimums:

Fic: 1k words

Art: 1 drawing, completed to a standard you would normally post as “finished”

Web Weave: a compilation or collage with a minimum of 10 elements. 

Podfic: Audio or multi-voice audio of a minimum of 1k words or the complete work, whichever is shorter, edited to whatever level you normally post as finished.

Rules for Participating: 

Must join our Discord for communication, and follow all discord rules.

Must do your best to produce a gift that meets the minimum requirements within the time of the event.

Must DM a mod ASAP if you don’t think you’ll get your gift out on time or at all, or you want to withdraw

Must request a gift (offer prompts) from at least three source materials and offer to create around at least four source materials.

Any under-18 persons found requesting or offering NSFW content will be banned from this and all future iterations of the exchange.

Because of Tumblr, Ao3 and Discord TOS, you must be 13 or older to participate.

Rules for Creating: 

Your gift doesn’t have to contain only the characters requested by your giftee, but it does have to centre on at least one requested character. 

Any shipping must be kept to PG-13 levels or below unless your recipient specifically requested NSFW. Any non-requested NSFW is grounds for a ban from this and all future iterations of the exchange. 

Respect your giftee's DNW (Do Not Want) list. Any gift found to be in violation of a reasonable DNW is grounds for a ban from future iterations of the exchange.

Dark or Violent themes must be tagged appropriately.

Major Archive Warnings must be opted into. Any non-requested major archive warnings are grounds from a ban from this and all future iterations of the exchange.

Prepare a gift in good faith, attempting to make something your recipient will like. Mods reserve the right to ban people for being an asshole.

No AI-created content.

Links:

Ao3: [here] A03 exchange signup instructions: [here] Apply for an Ao3 account (currently a 10-day waiting list): [here] Discord: [Here] Nomination Form: [here] Database of Nominated works: [non-explicit] [explicit] Blanket Permission Statement Database: [link]

If you are not already there, you can add yourself to the Blanket Permission Statement Database here! Just scroll to the bottom and enter the link to your permission statement.

FAQ:

How does a fandom gift exchange work?

People fill out a signup where they offer prompts for gifts they would like to receive, then also offer types of gifts they are willing to make, and then they're matched on Ao3 so everyone gets an assignment to make a gift for another person. All these gifts go into a big collection, and they're revealed when everyone participating has a gift.

How will this event work?

This is a Derivative Works recursive exchange. People nominate fics or art that either have a blanket permission statement (fun database here), or a comment from the author saying that works inspired by their work is okay. Then each work is entered into the official tag set as its own thing you can request. People sign up as they would for a normal exchange, with up to ten of these fic fandoms as being something you are either offering to write for or requesting for your own gift. Once matched, you then write a side story, prequel, sequel, AU, or something else within the universe of that fic. 

For example, I had the idea that I really want to see a side story about Etho and Iskall in This Is About A Stuffed Bird, by Bee_4. I will sign up and request that fic as one of my fandoms (and others, you need a minimum of three fandoms), and meanwhile I’m offering to write people’s requests for This Is About A Stuffed Bird by Bee_4, the trinkets and the treasures we brought back from the crusades by Odaigahara, The Extradition by Onelituli, or The Dollhouse by MawoftheMagnetar.

I will be matched during matching week, we'll have our creation period like is usual for an exchange, and when I post my gift I will be using both the "gift to" function (to my recipient) and the "inspired by" function (to whoever's fic I'm writing something inspired by). Once posted, there will be an anonymous period of the exchange where I get a mystery gift and my gifter gets a gift that is on anon as well, and then all will be revealed a week later.

The author I want to make fic for isn't on the database, what do I do?

In that case, you would check to see if the author has a listed permission statement that isn't in the database (this is normally under the "bio" section of an author's profile on Ao3). If they do not have one, check if they have a listed way to contact them, or comment (politely) on the fic that you're interested in, asking permission to enter the work in an exchange making works inspired by mcyt art (see template below).

To be accepted as a source material for this exchange, you would need either a blanket permission statement that is unlimited—"feel free to make any fic you want"—or limited in a way that is simple for the mod team to check on. "No NSFW fic" is simple to check, "No bad dad Phil" is not. You may ask this only in a polite way, and do not show up asking them in four different venues. We do not want this to turn into harassment of authors.

If there are multiple authors for a work, you need a permission statement from each one.

Orphaned works, or deleted-with-permission-to-repost works will be considered to have given permission for recursive work, as the author has given up the fic. Anonymous fics still require author permission, as the author retains creative control of the work.

What do I say to ask permission?

This is just an example, but feel free to say something along the lines of: "Hey, I really like your [fic/art]! I’m going to be participating in an exchange where people make fic and art inspired by MCYT works, and I was wondering if you are okay with people making fic/art/web weaves/other fanworks based on your [fic/art]?"

How many fandoms/fics do I need to sign up?

To increase matching possibilities, we will be using Yuletide rules for sign up. You must request a minimum of three unique source materials, and you must offer a minimum of four unique source materials. "Source Materials" here refers to fics, art, or web weaves. Your source materials do not need to come from different originating servers.

You must make sure that you request at least two source materials that are not created by you, and offer at least three source materials that are not created by you.

What happens if I don't match to anyone?

If there is no one who you can create for, you will be offered the opportunity to add more source materials to your sign-up. If you do not wish to add any more fics or art to your signup, you will not be able to participate in the exchange, and your signup will be deleted. It's a good idea to keep an eye on the sign-ups during the sign-up period, to make sure that you're matchable to someone's requests!

If there is no one who can create for you, you will go up as an Initial Pinch Hit, and somone will volunteer to make a fic or art for you.

What if no one knows about the source material (art/fic) that I want to nominate?

There will be a promo channel in the discord! You can make your pitch for why your source material is the best and everyone should love it there.

I can’t finish my gift in time, now what?

No worries, life happens. The important thing is that you notify the mods as soon as possible, so that a Pinch Hitter can be assigned. A Pinch Hitter is an artist or writer who steps in to save the day and make a new gift on an accelerated timeline. 

I want to be a pinch hitter!

First of all, thank you. I hope you're ready to speed-read some fic, and then create like the wind. There will be a role in the discord that you can assign, and then you'll be pinged with a pinch hit request when they go out!

What if no one signs up to make a gift for me when I go up as a Pinch Hit?

The exchange will not open until everyone has a gift. If Pinch Hits are not picked up until the deadline, the work reveals will be delayed until someone is able to pick up the PInch Hit. This will continue for as long as necessary until everyone has a gift.

Is shipping allowed?

Yes. Because there is no broad fandom-wide consensus about how Creator boundaries are to be enforced in specific cases (whether it's okay to write beeduo as /r or /p is an obvious one, or whether it’s permitted to ship Joel Smallishbeans) or between specific fandoms (Lifesteal approach to shipping and boundaries is different from HBG is different from DSMP), the mods will not be policing any specific understanding of boundaries across the event. The event will operate on Don't Like Don't Read, in that everyone will have the chance to opt in for themselves as to if they want certain relationships to be written as platonic or romantic, and NSFW will have to be specifically opted into. Delivering un-asked for shipping or NSFW is grounds for a ban from the event.  Is NSFW allowed? 

Yes. NSFW works are allowed, but must be specifically opted into. No one under 18 is permitted to opt into NSFW and attempts to do so will be grounds for a ban from this event and anywhere else the mod team touches. For the comfort of the greatest number of participants, anything with the tags Underage or Incest will not be permitted to be part of the event. 

Is RPF allowed?

This is intended to be a character-focused exchange, but a lot of older works in this fandom are still tagged as Video Blogging RPF, Minecraft, or are wrangled into VB RPF. Because of this, and because with some duos or groups the line between RPF and RP is fuzzy anyways, the mod team will not be legislating what counts as MCYT for the purposes of this exchange. We will be taking your word for it. 

Is Dark/Violent content allowed?

Yes. For many of us, the source material that originally drew us to the fandom includes major character death, torture, murder-for-hire, death games, public executions and more. The fanfiction that arose from the source material follows in that trend. We will allow dark content to be part of the event, but it must be tagged for. 

We also ask that participants use best judgement in delivering commonly triggering topics un-asked for. If a triggering topic is a canonical element in a work, we will assume that to be a tacit opt-in. We reserve the right to ban people at mod's discretion for delivering unrequested triggering content, under the "do not be an asshole" rule.

What sort of triggering topics should be avoided?

We do not want to put down a list because any list would naturally be non-exhaustives, so we are primarily asking people to use their best judgement. If a trope involves extreme physical violence, violation of consent, dehumanization, extreme terror or fear, body horror, or death, then it should probably not be included unless specifically asked for or checked with your recipient via the mods.

Note that if a triggering topic is a canonical element in a work— for example suicide, child death, or addiction— we will assume that to be a tacit opt-in unless the person specifies differently.

Are major archive warnings (noncon/underage/graphic depictions of violence/MCD) allowed?

Aside from the content rules governing NSFW (no underage or incest, for the comfort of the greatest number of participants), major archive warnings are allowed. Depictions of real life horrors such as genocide and slavery are not-uncommon motifs in MCYT fics, and the mod team is not interested in legislating which types of horrors, griefs or abuses are inherently worse than others and are therefore off-limits. Because holding writing to a quality standard or saying only survivors can write atrocities is unworkable from a moderation standpoint, the three mentioned major archive warnings (MCD, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Noncon), are permitted to be included.

However, Major Archive Warnings must be explicitly opted into on Ao3, and delivering un-asked for major archive warnings is grounds for a ban from this event. The mod team reserves the right to warn other mod teams on both the MCYT and Multi-fandom side about your bad behaviour.

Is AI content permitted?

No. Specifically, what is colloquially referred to as “AI” content— large language models such as Chat GPT or Midjourney that have been trained on Common Crawl’s unsourced art and writing— is not permitted. Machine-assisted writing or art helpers such as spell check or grammarly are fine. 

What is a DNW?

All participants will have the opportunity to fill out a DNW, which stands for Do Not Want. This is anything that has the potential to ruin a gift for you, and is where you opt out of content that would trigger, squick, or just displease you. DNWs must be phrased politely, (so no "No foster aus because they suck and you suck if you like them"), and they must be reasonable, (so no attempting to box someone into a specific gift, i.e. "DNW anything that isn't a space au where Tommy is a dinosaur-hybrid and Tubbo is a ghost bee and they rampage through the living ship named Las Nevadas"), and they must be specific and clear, (so no “no triggering content"), but they can be as petty (disliking specific art styles) or as broad-reaching (no modern aus, no specific ships, no crossovers with specific servers or fics) as you like. Deliberately breaking someone's DNW is grounds for a ban from the exchange. 

How do I sign up/nominate?

We made specific posts for this, as it's a bit complicated! You can check them out here.

How many source materials can I nominate?

You can nominate a maximum of 10 source materials!

My recipient requested 10 things, but I've only read four of them. How many gifts do I have to make?

You only have to make ONE gift, no matter how many things you matched on. Match on ten source materials— you make one gift. Match on one source material— you make one gift.

Can I do the exchange anonymously?

While your offers remain private, and you can always give a gift on anon, your requests will be public, and you will receive a gift publically. We would recommend that you not request anything that you do not want publically associated with your account, or use a sock account if you're concerned. Moreover, you must publicly join the discord, so this is not the exchange to participate in if you want to be 100% anonymous.

Can I make more than one gift?

If you wish to sign up twice, you will need two Ao3 accounts, and you will need to change your discord name to indicate that both accounts are yours, so we know we have you in the discord. You'll also need to inform the mods that you are using a sock account, so we can make sure that we do not match you to yourself.

If you do not want to go through all of that hassle, you are still welcome to make as many gifts as you want, and give them as treats! Treats are extra gifts— on top of your normal assignment— that you manually address to the recipient and manually add to the collection, and they'll be revealed along with all the normal gifts when we do the grand reveal. Treats are very welcome!

#mcyt #mcytblr #faq

[wolfsbanesparks]

Wolfsbanesparks FTH 2024 Fanbinding!

Hey y'all!

Welcome to my Fandom Trumps Hate 2024 Crafts Bazaar stall!

What I'm Offering

A custom made, handbound book, fully typeset with a hard cover. Full color title page optional. Inclusion of full color fanart if permission is granted by the artist.

Depending on the length the fic, the book can be bound as either a foilio, quarto, or octavo.

For ease of binding, the fic should be < 150k words OR a collection of one-shots in the same range. (If the story is slightly over, there is some leeway here)

If you have specific design requests such as color scheme, cover design, decorative paper, etc. I am more than happy to work with your ideas! Final decisions will be made based on the materials I have access to.

Worldwide shipping! I am located in the US so if you will require international shipping let me know up front so I can plan for shipping costs and possible delays.

What I'll Bind

Your own work (fanfiction or original work)

Another author's work only if the author gives permission or has a public blanket permission statement for transformative works. Such a permission statement must be on their AO3 page or the site where they posted the fic. The bidder is responsible for obtaining permission for the story of their choice. (You can check here for a non-exhaustive list of authors/artists with blanket permission statements)

I will bind any fandom, ship, or rating with the caveat that you must be 18+ to receive an E rated work.

How It Works

The auction will run from Feb 29 to Mar 10 at 10 pm PST.

To enter the auction please fill out this google form.

You can check the current highest bidder on this spreadsheet.

I will contact the the winner by email within 24 hours after the auction ends.

Upon winning the auction you must donate the amount specified on your bid directly to one of Fandom Trumps Hate's listed nonprofits.

You will have until March 20th to send me proof of your donation.

Once I have received proof of donation, I will contact you to hash out the details of your project!

The final product will be shipped within 3-4 months. I will provide you with tracking info once it is available.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about this fanbinding offer.

Good luck! I look forward to working with you!

#fandom trumps hate #fth 2024 #fan crafts bazaar 2024 #fanbinding #bookbinding #fanfic binding

[chaifootsteps]

I just don't get how Viv expects anyone to believe that she cares about being careful how she represents SA when she has:

made a sex joke when talking about the visuals that accompany Poison

allegedly not even put trigger warnings on what looks to be an incredibly graphic rape scene in a show with a 16+ rating

decided Blitzo is in the wrong when Stolas coerced him into a sex for services deal to keep his job going when he was being shot at, just because she decided to change tack halfway through and make them a couple

liked a Tweet saying Blitzo could have just 'negotiated his way out' of having sex with Stolas, despite Stolas having all the power and being a Prince (major yikes, don't know why that didn't get more pushback)

has a long history on HB at this point of depicting powerful people as being the sympathetic ones who need protection from the evil, vindictive poors who ought to be happy with their lot in life and not complain when the rich want to use them for their own benefit (which could easily be projection at this point given Viv's habit of using and discarding people with less privilege and social capital than her)

has a long history of misogynistic writing on HB where most female characters are either the Missing Mom Saint or else they're bitches or monsters (in other words, the Madonna-whore complex). The one exception is Millie who is the most underwritten character by far, and Loona who is constantly sexualized by the fandom and is barely even a character by s2

portrays abuse solely through the vector of 'who do I want the audience to feel sorry for because I like them?'

promoted a pin set with Angel and Husk being chained up by Val and Alastor, and acted like it's 'just an angst thing'

allegedly allowed Raph to storyboard the Poison sequence despite knowing they ship Angel and Val and maybe aren't the best choice if she wanted to avoid making this sequence just exploitative and shocking?

either outed Raph has having been a victim of SA, or lied about it since it contradicts Raph's earlier statements. it's hard to believe she got permission to say this when it came out in the middle of an ongoing Twitter slapfight

this sort of thing is exactly why people say her work is like fanfic. it's not only the 'shrew Stella stereotype', it's the insistence on shoehorning in dark themes and then handling them with all the grace and sensitivity of a 13 year old. it's the exact same impulse as the non stop swearing - it's wanting to be seen as adult in the most childish way possible.

if she really cares about SA and how it's represented - don't let someone who clearly has a history of drawing Angel being graphically abused be involved in the making of scenes including Angel and Val! (You managed it for Addict, what the heck happened??) Don't throw a temper tantrum, step back and think about what you're actually saying and what message you're sending to your young audience! Do the bare minimum courtesy of having TWs for the one thing pretty much universally agreed should have a TW!

but I don't think Viv will do any of that, because I think she cares more about being seen as a genius flawless writer than she does her audience or any actual victims of SA who don't agree that the way the show goes about it is good.

the problem is not Angel Dust or his being hypersexual.

the problem is Viv and Raph

Couldn't have said it better.

#Anonymous #viv stuff #actual blog post

[hms-tardimpala]

A statement on ficbinding (according to me)

I've joined the book/ficbinding tag on tumblr a couple of weeks ago, and in that time I've seen some confusion and concern about what ficbinding is, so I thought I'd post a statement of how I see ficbinding and why I do it. (If you're an author and I redirected you to this post because I want to bind your fic, hiiii) (Fellow ficbinders, if you find this post a useful ressource, don't hesitate to use it yourselves)

What's ficbinding?

Ficbinding (also called fanbinding) means a reader is going to print your fic and make a book out of it. It goes from the simple single booklet stapled together to leatherbound gold-foiled volumes.

Are you gonna make money off of my writing?!

I wouldn't dream of it. Ficbinding is just another fandom practice: you can't monetize your fic writing because you don't own the universe you're writing about, and I can't monetize your fic because it doesn't belong to me. I believe there are professionals who bind fics for a price (on Etsy, maybe?) but I'm ethically opposed to it.

Why do you do it, then?

Love of the craft. I'm a craftsman, I love choosing the best fabrics, fonts and embellishments for a project and making something with my hands.

Love of your fic. I liked it so much I want it in my house! I'm not fond of reading on a screen, it drastically reduces the chances I'll re-read the fic (even if I want to). Printing your fic ensures I'll enjoy it for years to come. It's the best compliment I can pay you.

As a gift to a friend who doesn't have the skills.

And what, it happens whether I want it or not?

As you can imagine, this is kind of a gray area legally. Nothing forces a ficbinder to reach out and tell you they're binding your fic. But this is fandom, and I personally view it as a community and consider that it's only courteous to let authors know I'm doing this. If I post pictures of my binding here, I want to be able to give credit where it's due, and since most authors are very happy to see their work bound, tagging them means they'll get a nice surprise when they open tumblr. I'll always do my best to find a way to contact you (ao3 comment, tumblr if you've put it on your ao3 profile).

I don't like strangers messaging me, is there a way to let people know I agree/don't allow this without talking to someone?

Valid, and there is! The simplest way is to write it in your ao3 bio, it's called a blanket permission or a transformative works statement. For example, mine says that I allow all transformative works (ficbinding is one, like fanart) based on my fics but that I like to be notified so I can gush about it and reblog/link to it, and I put my tumblr there to make it easy to contact me.

You can build a statement with this excellent tool. Answer the questions at the bottom of the page and you'll get a clearly-worded short statement to copy-paste into your bio (you can edit it, of course). The blanket permission is the thing ficbinders look for and as a digitally socially anxious person, let me tell you, it's a life-changer.

(Now, can I bind your fic, pretty please 🥺?)

#never hesitate to reach out in the askbox #bookbinding #fanbinding #ficbinding #fanfiction #ao3

[rin-fukuroi]

𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜 [𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐱 𝐀𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦]

Please do not translate or publish my works without my permission.

The originals of my works can be read here

Fandom: Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail Pairings: Blade x Fem!reader x Alhaitham Warnings: polyamory and nothing else, i guess, just a little fluff.

Note: English is not my native language, so I apologize if there are errors in the text qq I just love these mens so damn much and I want both of them, so this headcanon got the right to live.

✦ Blade

◉ Blade is not a person who will express his feelings in words. He is silent even when it comes to you. In his understanding, the fact that he is ready to protect and give his life for you is in itself a manifestation of his feelings.

◉ You will not often feel his presence in the house in principle. He values privacy. Both yours and his own. You can never tell exactly what is going on in his head, rejoicing in those rare moments when he can express his concern with a short physical contact, as well as the desire to simply show that he missed you. Although the boundaries are too blurry to understand if he is upset at the moment or just wants to feel your warmth, you shouldn't think about it, just stay close to him.

◉ Blade's presence will be barely noticeable during the day, but you can always feel the warmth of his body at night, when he quietly sneaks into your shared bedroom to get under your blanket. You can say that he is so quiet and careful not to disturb your sleep, but, in fact, this is his nature — Blade has an amazing ability to remain unnoticed when he does not want to be noticed.

◉ He may be silent and withdrawn, but he is quite straightforward. Everything that Blade says, even if it will be quite short sentences, will always be said exclusively to the point. If he wants to say that he loves you, he will say it without delay. If something pisses him off, Blade will state it briefly and clearly. This is one of the traits of his character, which has both a positive side and a rather unpleasant one. It is very valuable for you that Blade is sincere in his statements, but at the same time his words can sometimes hurt. It's just worth getting used to.

✦ Alhaitham

◉ It took some time, but you were still able to get into feelings for a person like him.

◉ Alhaitham, like Blade, is quite straightforward, but at the same time overly meticulous in everything he says or does. His discontent can result in whole lectures, and his praises sound short and cold. He believes that excessive praise can adversely affect the effectiveness of what Alhaitham praises a person for, while a long analysis of mistakes can lead to the fact that a person will no longer commit them in the future. The same applies to relationships. His words of love sound rare and almost indifferent, although Alhaitham is not one of those who would say a word that he didn't want to say, so you cannot doubt their sincerity. But as for conflicts… It's very hard with him.

◉ Alhaitham is a stay-at-home person, so he will spend almost all his free time at home. Do not delude yourself and believe that he will spend his leisure time with you, he will prefer to spend this time on something useful for him personally.

◉ He loves privacy, but he also cannot ignore some of the reasonable desires that you declare out loud. If you wish to share a bed with him, Alhaitham will not object. Let you hardly wait for warm hugs from him, because even when Alhaitham needs attention and affection, he is unlikely to initiate any intimacy, but he will not mind if you snuggle up to him while you sleep. It is not difficult and pleasant for him to feel the touch of your skin on his, so he has no reason to refuse.

✦ Alhaitham x Blade

◉ How could these two even get together? A strange question, because they are almost the same. You can barely contain your laughter when you notice how similar the expressions that almost never fall off their faces are. These two really get along well and have found a common language in their general unwillingness to contact each other without urgent need. Their relationship can be called very quiet, but pleasant to both of them.

◉ In fact, you often catch yourself thinking that Alhaitham and Blade would ideally live together, although you (like them, oddly enough) cannot deny the fact that you are something of a social glue for these two. If it weren't for you, you can't even imagine how rarely these two would talk to each other.

◉ As for you… Well, both of these very unusual men think you're the perfect partner, so they're here. You are calm and quiet enough to not annoy them, you are moderately energetic and attentive so that they feel that the three of you are really a family. They show their love in the same way — allowing you to push them around sometimes when they feel they can give in, allowing you to distract them from work when you need a little attention, allowing you to pour into their ears about the problems that bother you when you need it, allowing them to change, perhaps for the better, when you show your affection towards them by kissing and hugging them or gathering them at the same table for a family dinner.

◉ Sometimes it irritates and amazes you at the same time that both of these unbearable men agree with each other in almost everything in some amazing way. Although Alhaitham is just too pragmatic, and Blade, in turn, is simply asocial and principled in what he personally thinks is right, their views converge in many ways. For example, in their general unwillingness to almost never spend leisure time outside the house for all three of them anywhere except the bar (this was a compromise that you all came to, although Alhaitham is still confident that the three of you could safely drink at home) or in their general condemnation of your cooking skills (your jaw literally dropped when you tasted the dinner that these two cooked, so you swallowed your resentment at their harsh words about your cooking along with the delicious food prepared by your lovers).

◉ And after all of the above, a reasonable question arises — why are you with them at all? You really thought about it more than once, but each time you came to the conclusion that love for these two should not give in to any logic. These men… They're the ones you can really rely on. No matter how cold they look, they are both united by feelings for you, which, even if they are not expressed in the usual way for everyone, but, believe me, they are strong enough if someone like them allowed a girl like you to break into their calm, measured life.

And now, when Blade sighs with displeasure, but still presses his gloved fingers into your side, pulling you closer to his body while you leave a short kiss on his cheek, and then when Alhaitham's lips are touched by a barely noticeable smile, even though he still does not look away from the pages of your book, while you do the same with him, you feel really happy.

#genshin #genshin impact #honkai:star rail #hsr #genshin x reader #hsr x reader #honkai:star rail x reader #genshin impact x reader #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham #blade x reader #blade

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Tennessee Orange

Fandom: Elvis Presley, American Musician, RPF

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Reader

Characters: Elvis Presley, Reader, You, Original Female Character

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 2407

Summary: I met somebody, he’s got blue eyes.

Tags/Warnings: Young Love, Established Relationship, Romance, Angst, Fluff, Leaving home, Baby Boy Elvis, 1950s Elvis, Comfort, Song Fic, Tennessee Orange // Megan Moroney, Idk what football teams where around in the 50s so lets just lend some artistic license to it k?

Notes: Oh to have a whirlwind romance with baby boy Elvis

This is linked to Die From A Broken Heart

ELVIS MASTERLIST // SONG LINK // HALLOWEEN MASTERLIST

I was nervous, the knots in my stomach growing tenfold with every passing second and every unanswered ring of the phone. It wasn’t that I’d been waiting long but I’d built up my nerve and it was losing momentum the longer the call went on. Not to mention how the idea of my daddy answering the phone sent me into a cold sweat.

Fortunately I didn’t have to worry much about that as when the line clicked on it was my mother's soft voice that answered, ‘hello?’

‘Mama?’ I asked.

‘Darlin’ is that you?’ she said with a smile in her voice.

‘It’s me,’ I said and though my nerves hadn’t completely vanished they dulled as I allowed the comfort that only a mother's voice could bring to wash over me.

‘Well isn’t this a surprise,’ she chuckled, ‘we figured we wouldn’t hear hide nor hair of you for a least another couple of days.’

‘I got a spare minute,’ I mumbled as my nerves amped up once more. She was right given that the moment I had touched down in Memphis my thoughts of home seemed to vanish and they probably would’ve stayed that way if I hadn't been forced to make this blasted phone call.

‘How is it going?’ she asked.

‘Good,’ I said which technically wasn’t a lie. I was having the time of my life here but that wasn’t what I had called to talk about. My mother however didn’t seem to grasp that as she continued to ask, ‘are you girls having fun?’

‘Yeah, actually-'

‘Behaving?’ she mused.

‘Yeah, Mama,’ I said attempting to get to the point only to find she once again beat me to the punch.

‘Because I won't have you putting Betty out you hear me? You’re a guest in her home-‘

‘I know,’ I said hoping I could nip whatever rant she was going to go into in the bud.

‘Because-'

‘Mama I’ve got some news,’ I said, the words tripping out of my mouth without permission though they seemed to do the trick as she fell quiet on the other end. I fell quiet too, my heart hammering in my chest as I realised that there was no way I could back out now.

‘Oh?’ she said. It wasn’t an outright question or even a statement but it was enough to know that she was waiting for whatever information I was going to lay on her.

‘Yeah,’ I said hesitantly, ‘it’s important.’

‘Oh,’ she said again and I was stunned at how she could keep her tone so even. How she could make it that I couldn’t sniff out anger or happiness alike. How she could remain unphased whilst I was sitting on the other end, knots in my stomach as well as the phone cord I had taken to twizzling around my finger the moment the call began. How she didn’t betray her feelings as I did when I rushed to say, ‘but you can't tell Daddy! Not yet anyway.’

Only then did I hear her falter, a hefty sigh escaping her lips as she asked panicked, ‘What is it? Are you okay? Oh Lord please tell me you are not in some sorta trouble.’

‘Of course not! You know you raised me right,’ I protested feeling a warmth in my cheeks at the thought of her picturing whatever mess I’d gotten into.

‘Well then, what is it?’ she asked.

‘Mama…I met someone,’ I mumbled.

‘Oh,’ she said softly and though it was nothing more than a word I could sense the emotions in it because it was one of surprise.

I didn’t blame her of course. She had sent me to spend time with my aunt and my cousins not to get involved with boys but it wasn’t as though it couldn’t happen. And suddenly my protests of her having raised me right reared their head because if she had I wouldn’t have been keeping him a secret. I wouldn’t have kept his existence in my life on the fringes. They would’ve gotten some inkling of what was coming.

‘You remember the boy from summer I told you about?’ I asked hoping that if she recalled my having mentioned him, if only once, it would make me feel less guilty.

‘Elvis? The singer guy?’ she said making my heart flutter at his mere mention, ‘the one whose concert you and June went to?’

‘That’s him,’ I agreed feeling slightly better that at least he hadn't come totally out of the blue as I carried on explaining, ‘Well, we’ve been talking and writing all the time since and well…Mama he asked me to be his girl.’

‘Well,’ she said before she paused for a moment causing my emotions to buy another ticket for the rollercoaster they were currently on until she said, ‘That’s good. What’s he like?’

‘Oh he’s amazing,’ I said, the damn finally breaking as all the happiness and love I’d been terrified of admitting to spilled out, pouring from me and down the phone line in gushing sentiments, ‘I’ve never met a boy like him before at all. He’s sweet and charming and handsome. I mean you should see his eyes, Mama, he’s got these gorgeous blue eyes I swear could hypnotise ya.’

‘Well he sounds quite the guy,’ she said in the way that mothers do. The way that makes you wonder if they’ve ever felt that way before though at some point they must’ve otherwise you wouldn’t even be here to be feeling it yourself.

‘He is,’ I said trying not to feel embarrassed by my gushing and rather to see them as an aid in making her see just how much I loved him.

‘Well I’m happy for you baby and don’t worry about your daddy, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it,’ she said and for a moment I forgot about all the worries I’d had about telling her. She was happy for me. And if she was happy it would only take some cajoling from her to get daddy on board which was why I had ventured to tell her first, to lay the groundwork for any further conversations.

‘Doubt it he’s a Vols fan,’ I giggled.

‘Oh Lord help you,’ she mused.

‘I know! Actually, he took me to a game the other day, he even got me wearing that horrible orange jersey,’ I teased making her laugh.

‘So long as you don’t bother learning the words to Old Rocky Top I think your daddy will survive,’ she said.

‘I won’t,’ I promised though as her laughter died down my nerves crept back in. I’d gotten lost in the conversation, lost in getting her on board with the mere idea of Elvis that I’d forgotten that wasn’t why I was calling.

‘Mama?’ I asked earning a hum from her that signalled she was listening, ‘that’s not all.’

‘What is it?’ she asked in a voice so earnest I could picture her sweet face, plastered with confusion waiting for whatever bombshell I was about to drop. And once again I felt the need to defend myself as I rambled, ‘you gotta understand. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before and I don’t think I ever will for anyone else.’

‘Baby what is it?’ she said hesitantly.

‘Well Elvis’ singing career is getting real big and he’s doin’ real well-'

‘Okay,’ she murmured.

‘Which means he’s all over the place workin’ which is why when we have seen each other I’ve always had to come to Memphis and well it's not gonna get any easier or at least it doesn’t look like it will what with him doing so well-'

‘Honey you’re rambling,’ she said stopping me in my tracks.

‘He asked me if I’d want to move here…to live with him,’ I said quietly unable to gauge any reaction before I whispered, ‘and I said yes.’

And with that she fell silent meaning that all the nerves I had alleviated with her happiness came flooding back only ten times worse. I could picture her now, trying to work out how to dash my dreams but to do it in a way that didn’t break my heart entirely. That had been why I had been scared to tell them because I worried they’d ask me not to. And I couldn’t do that because when Elvis had asked I had said yes without question and though it was a big change I knew it was what I wanted with my whole heart.

‘Oh baby I don’t know,’ my mother said quietly.

‘Mama I know it's soon but I promise you he’s a good guy. And it's not like I’d be on my own. Betty’s here in Memphis and he lives with his whole family so it’s not like it’s just us. And they're all so sweet to me you’d really like ‘em,’ I said hoping to reassure her. Hoping that if she saw that I’d thought about it thoroughly she’d see it wasn’t as bad as it sounded on paper.

‘But it's just so far and you're so young sweetheart,’ she said.

‘Not that young,’ I said feeling a pout fall on my face as though I was a kid who’d acted rashly when that wasn't the case at all. In fact, I’d been chewing on the idea for days.

‘Young enough,’ she countered and with that, I felt my sorrow turn to irritation.

‘As young as you were when you married Daddy,’ I refuted feeling immediately guilty as I realised it was a dirty move, ‘besides it ain’t like there’s much waiting for me back in Crawford.’

‘What about your family?’ she bit back making the guilt hit another level.

‘Mama don’t be like that,’ I sighed.

‘I’m not being like anything you’ve just told me you want to run away to live with a boy you barely know, one that your daddy and I haven’t even met!’ she said heatedly.

‘Well, what if you meet him?’ I said hoping the conversation wouldn’t spiral any further. I hadn't meant to hurt her with my words but I could tell that she was hurting anyway. So I tried to compromise, I tried to offer something that would make her see I was happy, ‘how about you come to Memphis and meet him and his family? I swear you'll see this is good for me I promise.’

‘Why don’t we talk about this in the morning?’ she asked cutting me off.

‘But-‘

‘Look I just some time to think about it okay? To think about what I’m gonna say to your daddy,’ she said quietly.

‘You’re saying it can happen?’ I asked trying desperately to pick apart what her words meant.

‘I’m saying you're a grown-up. I can't stop you and I won't,’ she said, ‘but if it’s what you want…’

‘It is,’ I said.

‘Then we’ll figure it out,’ she said, ‘it’s just a lot you have to understand that.’

‘I do Mama,’ I said, ‘but I promise this is good for me. I know once you meet him you'll understand.’

‘You're probably right,’ she said, a tad flatter than I’d hoped. I could hear her moving now, no doubt itching to get me off the line. A suspicion that was confirmed as she said, ‘Look your daddy will be home soon. I should go.’

‘Okay,’ I said trying to sound as understanding as possible.

‘Okay,’ she replied, ‘I love you.’

‘Love you too,’ I said quietly.

‘Bye.’

‘Bye.’

And with that she was gone, the line going silent as I slipped the handset back into place. As I thought about it all I flopped back on the bed exhausted by the mix of emotions flooding thought me. I supposed it could’ve gone worse. It wasn’t the best it could be sure, but she could’ve said no. She could’ve told me I had to come home which would only leave me heartbroken, not by the prospect of leaving Elvis, but by the fact that I would choose him, I knew I would.

I knew how it looked. I knew I must sound crazy to move hundreds of miles away from home for a boy I had only just met and that as my mother she had every right to be concerned. But as my attention was pulled to the door where I found Elvis poking his head around it, a lopsided grin coming to his face as he found me splayed out on the bed, I knew her concerns weren’t warranted. Because as hard as I had fallen for him he had fallen for me just as much.

And though we could try to do long distance it wouldn’t be the same. I'd be stuck moping around Crawford, my days spent waiting for him. At least here I was in his world and that world was one I never wanted to leave, because no matter how mixed up I was feeling at that moment everything felt okay because he was there.

‘Hey,’ he said coming into the room and sitting next to me.

‘Hey,’ I replied as I pushed myself up, looping my arm through his as I placed my head on his shoulder.

‘Everything alright?’ he asked with concern making a small smile come to my face.

‘Yeah,’ I murmured, ‘just got off the phone with my mom.’

‘Ah,’ he said understandingly, ‘how'd it go?’

‘Could've gone better,’ I admitted, refusing to look up though I felt him glance down at me. It was true, it could’ve gone better but I supposed it could’ve gone worse too and for that I was grateful.

‘You told her I was a Vols fan huh?’ Elvis asked making me giggle, his own hearty rumble soothing against my ear. Though as quickly as my laugh came it went and he must have heard the deep breath that came from me as no sooner was it out did he put his hand on my knee, providing me with comfort I could never repay. Comfort that only continued as he said, ‘They’ll come around.’

I smiled, wondering how on earth he always knew just what to say.

‘I hope so.’

He ain't from where we're from,

But he feels like home, yeah,

He's got me doin' things I've never done,

In Georgia, they call it a sin,

And I still want the Dawgs to win,

But I'm wearing Tennessee orange for him 🧡

ELVIS TAGS

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