Summoner's Sketchbook

sometimes I’m reminded that there are still people who don’t know ao3 was literally created by incest shippers — and the site’s sole purpose is to 1. be completely against censorship and 2. host all kinds of dark, taboo fics that are banned on other platforms — and the first ever fic that was posted on ao3 was a fic about an incest ship from supernatural.

you are in the house that was created by freaks. for freaks (affectionate). every disgusting thing you can think of is rightfully allowed and welcomed on ao3, because they are exactly the reasons why ao3 was created in the first place.

ao3 was created because its creators got tired of censorship, they got tired of dark and taboo fics getting banned on pro-censorship platforms, and they wanted a place that was safe for ALL FICS THAT WERE DARK AND TABOO.

ao3’s main principle is being against censorship and being proship / profic.

there are some things in fiction that make me uncomfortable, but instead of shaming people who are just minding their own business and not harming anyone in real life, I choose to curate my own internet experience by blocking/muting what I don’t want to see. ao3 has excellent tagging system, so instead of being a bitch, use their tagging system properly and you won’t see the things you don’t want to see.

it’s your job to curate what you see. it’s not other people’s jobs or responsibilities to censor themselves for your personal comfort. the world does not revolve around you.

also you cannot censor “only the things you personally hate” without expecting everything else, that isn’t of conservative beliefs, to be censored too. because censorship is a slippery slope and a fascist tool. I promise you there are people who think “why do tags for queer love even exist on ao3? they’re grooming children”.

if you allow the things that you hate to be censored — because someone with enough power gets to control what other people can and cannot create/consume, it will not stop at the things that you hate.

Title: Rubicon

Rating: T

Word Count: 5,120

Summary:

The Rubicon. A line that's been crossed; a point of no return. With only hours left before the inevitable, Garrus seeks out Shepard and proposes going on one last date to spend what could be one of their last days alive on just being together. When Shepard agrees, they take a small walk down memory lane. Bittersweet and light on plot.

Calling all artists and Sonic fans! To celebrate 35 years of the Blue Blur, we're partnering with iam8bit on an art exhibit featuring pieces from 30+ artists, fan art, and the SEGA archives.

Now, if we're being nitpicky - and I love being nitpicky - Lucanis says "my only friend, before you" to Rook when they suggest that Illario was his closest childhood friend.

To me, that implies that Rook is his *first* friend after Illario, not necessarily his only friend.

And given his description of Rook ("my ... colleague") when planning Caterina's funeral with Teia, I think it took a while until Lucanis arrived at that revelation even after Rook freed him from the Ossuary.

That's where the distinction of everyone he meets into either Family, Enemy or Contract does a lot of the heavy lifting, I think (though I would say that Colleague should be on this list too - someone he can have a shallow working relationship with who isn't actively trying to kill him). Growing up, *Friend* wasn't a viable category - I doubt Lucanis was ever allowed - or ever allowed himself - to grow close to someone in the way you are close with friends; there's a level of trust required that he wasn't able to extend.

That's why I don't think he's ever considered Teia (and by extension Viago) his friends. They were Colleagues at best and, no matter how amicable their relationship may have been, potential enemies (because of Crow power struggles) at worst.

The Veilguard is possibly the first time Lucanis has worked in tandem with a group of non-Crows for any length of time - people who are technically colleagues, but who do not behave as colleagues should, muddling his carefully drawn lines.

It starts with Rook, who grows in an important friend in every iteration of their relationship, and I think that opens the door to consider the rest of the Veilguard his friends, too - at least by the time Illario is confronted.

Personally, I think it starts when Rook saves Treviso in that timeline, and a little time after Weisshaupt in the other.

When you don't romance him, he tells you that he enjoys being able to take care of people he cares about through something as simple as cooking (or some such - I am utterly incapable of romancing anyone other than him, I'm afraid, so I have no convenient save to check that dialogue). To me, that is a new experience he unlocked working as part of a team and making friends.

Considering how much of a tomb Villa Dellamorte is?

Like, has this man *ever* had warm and happy and loud shared meals after most of his family was murdered? Dining out with Illario on a job or otherwise may have been fun in a familiar kind of way, filled with the kind of barbs and laughter you'll only share with someone very close, but that's only one person.

The Lighthouse is filled with them, and you can't tell me they didn't talk over dinner, exchange ideas and stories and talk over each other and just be so vibrantly alive.

A whole table of friends, all happy to eat Lucanis' food and enjoy each other's company, even on difficult days.

Can we talk about the tag here?

I know hosting an event can be hard and there's a ton of work involved. I don't want to discredit everything you're doing because it is huge.

But this response doesn't encourage people to participate. You never know when an event is someone's first ever foray into fandom or first event. They may not even know there is an FAQ.

The person asking even asked as an anon - likely nervous.

It can be frustrating to answer the same questions over and over again. I know. I get it. It drives me up a wall some days.

But this response would have scared me away when I was new in fandom.

Thanks for your feedback, I've taken it into account and removed the tags. I was not trying to be discouraging and I was not frustrated, from my perspective I was just being direct. Clearly this is not how it's been taken, and I apologize if I was out of line.

Please feel free (everyone) to address any concerns you have, it's always welcome. If you do it through reblogs/comments, there's a slight possibility that I may miss it, if I do miss it, contact me through DM/ask because I am not ignoring you purposefully.

That said, the screenshot you posted also does not answer the question they asked. 'Making Content' does not necessarily suggest short fics given many events have word minimums or some other criteria. If there's no criteria that should also be stated otherwise it makes it very difficult to read the tag as if it was given in good faith.

If you find yourself answering the same question more than a few times, revising your FAQ for clarity might be necessary. Events grow and evolve as they're happening. There's nothing wrong with adding to catch more cases as they come. If anything, it shows that the event is well managed and cared for.

Running an event solo is extremely difficult. Having a second or third person would be a good opportunity to bounce this sort of post around so that the messaging is clear. It would also give a pool of people who can answer so the burden of answering isn't on you alone.

And be ready to answer questions you thought were answered obviously by the FAQ, because sometimes things get interpreted differently (or details get missed) when someone else reads it. There's no shame in adding clarification to a FAQ.

Can we talk about the tag here?

I know hosting an event can be hard and there's a ton of work involved. I don't want to discredit everything you're doing because it is huge.

But this response doesn't encourage people to participate. You never know when an event is someone's first ever foray into fandom or first event. They may not even know there is an FAQ.

The person asking even asked as an anon - likely nervous.

It can be frustrating to answer the same questions over and over again. I know. I get it. It drives me up a wall some days.

But this response would have scared me away when I was new in fandom.