It was never one of my internet homes, but I know a lot of people really loved it.
Pillowfort's last day will be December 4th, 2026.
Pillowfort's last day will be December 4th, 2026.
Taking this here, because I enjoy a lot of my time on Tumblr, but it is NOT a good place for nuanced conversation, IMO.
There's a post I just reblogged on Tumblr about the existence of fandom etiquette, and it also touches on something I've been thinking about for a while: I don't know if fandom really has a general accepted way to... IDK, give people a second chance if they violate fandom etiquette in a way that doesn't cause physical or material harm?
To be as clear as possible, I'm not talking about "So-and-so formed a cult and manipulated their followers in creepy ways," "So-and-so used their status as a Big Name Fan to farm money to get a new laptop they didn't need," "So-and-so assaulted someone," or things of that nature. I'm talking more along the lines of, "So-and-so flounced when their fanwork didn't get the attention they wanted," "So-and-so withheld updates to their fanwork for more comments/kudos," or "So-and-so deliberately gave their recipient a fill they wouldn't like in an exchange/event".
How long should we hold someone in contempt for a flounce? What are the conditions under which someone who violates fandom etiquette in such a way might be accepted back into the community? When has someone "served their time"? Is there a way back from a deliberately bad gift? And, to reference another Tumblr post, how does it compare to the statute of limitations on arson?
There's a post I just reblogged on Tumblr about the existence of fandom etiquette, and it also touches on something I've been thinking about for a while: I don't know if fandom really has a general accepted way to... IDK, give people a second chance if they violate fandom etiquette in a way that doesn't cause physical or material harm?
To be as clear as possible, I'm not talking about "So-and-so formed a cult and manipulated their followers in creepy ways," "So-and-so used their status as a Big Name Fan to farm money to get a new laptop they didn't need," "So-and-so assaulted someone," or things of that nature. I'm talking more along the lines of, "So-and-so flounced when their fanwork didn't get the attention they wanted," "So-and-so withheld updates to their fanwork for more comments/kudos," or "So-and-so deliberately gave their recipient a fill they wouldn't like in an exchange/event".
How long should we hold someone in contempt for a flounce? What are the conditions under which someone who violates fandom etiquette in such a way might be accepted back into the community? When has someone "served their time"? Is there a way back from a deliberately bad gift? And, to reference another Tumblr post, how does it compare to the statute of limitations on arson?
Tags:
These are mostly off the top of my head and to make tagging on AO3 easier for me. I may or may not add more later. Feel free to yoink for yourself, and/or suggest your own in the comments!
Base Level Requirement: If someone goes looking specifically for whatever the tag refers to (ship, character, character dynamic, setting, etc), will they be satisfied by your fanwork, or will they be disappointed? If satisfied, tag it; if disappointed, don't.
AO3 Warnings: Hopefully you know the rules for this! Aside from that, optionally tag any details you think are relevant for either searching or blacklist purposes.
Relationships: Any relationship that is the focus of or otherwise central to the work; if it just gets a passing mention and doesn't impact the plot (etc), you're probably fine to leave it out. Side or background relationships can optionally go in Other Tags.*
Characters: See Base Level Requirement; if someone searching through a specific character's tag were to click on this work, would they be satisfied by it, or would they be disappointed? If you include a lot of characters in a work but they don't have a big/significant part, maybe consider variations on "ensemble" or "everyone", or even just subsets like "Homestuck Trolls" vs "Homestuck Humans", etc.
Setting: Canon compliant, canon divergence, AU (what kind?), modern, modern with magic, etc.
Tropes and Format: Coffeeshop, mutual pining, 5+1, epistolary, sex pollen, etc.
Is there on-screen sex?: If yes, and you've already tagged the work as sexually explicit, then tag which sex acts and/or kinks feature prominently.
Is the ending open or closed? If open, tag Open Ended; if closed, you should be fine to leave it be, or tag "complete".
If text, would you be open to people making podfic? If yes, add "Podfic Welcome".
* I really, deeply, genuinely wish that AO3 had a "background ships" tag field, in addition to ships and characters. Has the potential to save a lot of headaches, but also probably a pain to add at this point.
That's all I've got for the moment; as I said above, I may add more later!
Base Level Requirement: If someone goes looking specifically for whatever the tag refers to (ship, character, character dynamic, setting, etc), will they be satisfied by your fanwork, or will they be disappointed? If satisfied, tag it; if disappointed, don't.
AO3 Warnings: Hopefully you know the rules for this! Aside from that, optionally tag any details you think are relevant for either searching or blacklist purposes.
Examples (may be triggering):
Which parties are underage (one, more than one, all), forced vs coerced vs drugged noncon (etc), type of violence/body part(s) harmed (head/eye/hand/dental/etc), whether the major character stays dead, whether it's a major character you want to root for or are happy to die, etcRelationships: Any relationship that is the focus of or otherwise central to the work; if it just gets a passing mention and doesn't impact the plot (etc), you're probably fine to leave it out. Side or background relationships can optionally go in Other Tags.*
Characters: See Base Level Requirement; if someone searching through a specific character's tag were to click on this work, would they be satisfied by it, or would they be disappointed? If you include a lot of characters in a work but they don't have a big/significant part, maybe consider variations on "ensemble" or "everyone", or even just subsets like "Homestuck Trolls" vs "Homestuck Humans", etc.
Setting: Canon compliant, canon divergence, AU (what kind?), modern, modern with magic, etc.
Tropes and Format: Coffeeshop, mutual pining, 5+1, epistolary, sex pollen, etc.
Is there on-screen sex?: If yes, and you've already tagged the work as sexually explicit, then tag which sex acts and/or kinks feature prominently.
Is the ending open or closed? If open, tag Open Ended; if closed, you should be fine to leave it be, or tag "complete".
If text, would you be open to people making podfic? If yes, add "Podfic Welcome".
* I really, deeply, genuinely wish that AO3 had a "background ships" tag field, in addition to ships and characters. Has the potential to save a lot of headaches, but also probably a pain to add at this point.
That's all I've got for the moment; as I said above, I may add more later!
I use the same name everywhere so I am ![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
beatrice_otter on AO3. Treats are awesome.
I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am not inspired that way." This letter is long with lots of suggestions and preferences if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for a long time and am usually very happy with my gifts.
The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.
I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.
( General Likes and Dislikes )
Yuletide Challenges
I am opening this up to the following challenges: Yulebuilding, Neurotide, Yuletide Takes the Case, Wrapping Paper, Chromatic Yuletide, Transtide, Two For One, and Three Turtledoves. With Two For One, feel free to expand beyond what I've suggested here. I am always up for worldbuilding, and for crossovers with fandoms I've written or requested before.
( Peter Wimsey )
( Bruce Springsteen RPF )
( Sense8 )
( Fandom For Robots )
( Rivers of London )
( Dirty Computer )
( The Swan )
I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am not inspired that way." This letter is long with lots of suggestions and preferences if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for a long time and am usually very happy with my gifts.
The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.
I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.
( General Likes and Dislikes )
Yuletide Challenges
I am opening this up to the following challenges: Yulebuilding, Neurotide, Yuletide Takes the Case, Wrapping Paper, Chromatic Yuletide, Transtide, Two For One, and Three Turtledoves. With Two For One, feel free to expand beyond what I've suggested here. I am always up for worldbuilding, and for crossovers with fandoms I've written or requested before.
( Peter Wimsey )
( Bruce Springsteen RPF )
( Sense8 )
( Fandom For Robots )
( Rivers of London )
( Dirty Computer )
( The Swan )
Tags:
I use the same name everywhere so I am ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beatrice_otter on AO3. Treats are awesome.
I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am not inspired that way." This letter is long with lots of suggestions and preferences if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for a long time and am usually very happy with my gifts.
The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.
I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.
( General Likes and Dislikes )
Star Trek Specific Likes
I love alien culture worldbuilding, boldly going, exploring, wacky science hijinks, time travel, AU shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication). I love moral quandries and stories where philosophy matters and you're left with a lot of thoughts.
My headcanon on Vulcans was shaped by 80s Trek novels but I also enjoy trying to fit the Star Trek: Enterprise Vulcans with ... everything else we know about Vulcans. One thing I will point out, though, is that while there are a lot of things about Vulcan culture that seem/are sexist, the most powerful Vulcans we see throughout the series are elderly women. I love Pon Farr, but mostly dealing with the implications of it (both before and after) and not the sex part.
I love Klingons, PARTICULARLY when they're written with depth. The warrior ethos shapes their entire culture, but it's not the only thing about them. I love the perspective Martok and the others had on mental illness when they were trapped in that Dominion prison camp, that mental illness is an enemy to fight and it takes a lot of strength to fight an enemy in your own head.
As for plot ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. If you want to lean into wacky tropes, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions.
I haven't watched modern Star Trek, you can bring in stuff from that if you want but feel free to ignore it if you want.
( Crossovers )
( Original Vulcans and Klingons )
( DS9 )
( TNG )
( Enterprise )
( Voyager )
( Star Trek Crossovers )
beatrice_otter on AO3. Treats are awesome.I would rather get a story you were happy with than "well, she said she liked x, so I guess I have to do x even though I don't like x and/or am not inspired that way." This letter is long with lots of suggestions and preferences if you find it helpful, but feel free to ignore it if it is not helpful. I'm fairly easy to please; I've been doing ficathons for a long time and am usually very happy with my gifts.
The most important thing for me in a fic is that the characters are well-written and recognizably themselves. Even when I don't like a character, I don't go in for character-bashing. If nothing else, if the rest of this letter is too much or my kinks don't fit yours, just concentrate on writing a story with everyone in character and good spelling and grammar and I will almost certainly love what you come up with.
I have an embarrassment squick, which makes humor kind of hit-or-miss sometimes. The kind of humor where someone does something embarrassing and the audience is laughing at them makes me uncomfortable. On the other hand, the kind of humor where the audience is laughing with the characters I really enjoy.
( General Likes and Dislikes )
Star Trek Specific Likes
I love alien culture worldbuilding, boldly going, exploring, wacky science hijinks, time travel, AU shenanigans. I love the hopeful attitude that we can become better than we are. I love cross-cultural romance (especially when it deals realistically with having to figure out what compromises each is going to make on what they expect out of a relationship--love is not all you need, you also need a lot of hard work and communication). I love moral quandries and stories where philosophy matters and you're left with a lot of thoughts.
My headcanon on Vulcans was shaped by 80s Trek novels but I also enjoy trying to fit the Star Trek: Enterprise Vulcans with ... everything else we know about Vulcans. One thing I will point out, though, is that while there are a lot of things about Vulcan culture that seem/are sexist, the most powerful Vulcans we see throughout the series are elderly women. I love Pon Farr, but mostly dealing with the implications of it (both before and after) and not the sex part.
I love Klingons, PARTICULARLY when they're written with depth. The warrior ethos shapes their entire culture, but it's not the only thing about them. I love the perspective Martok and the others had on mental illness when they were trapped in that Dominion prison camp, that mental illness is an enemy to fight and it takes a lot of strength to fight an enemy in your own head.
As for plot ... it's Star Trek. If you want to play it serious, go for it. If you want to lean into wacky tropes, that's great too. As long as everyone is in character, feel free to go as cracktastic as you want with the time travel and travel to alternate universes and weird missions.
I haven't watched modern Star Trek, you can bring in stuff from that if you want but feel free to ignore it if you want.
( Crossovers )
( Original Vulcans and Klingons )
( DS9 )
( TNG )
( Enterprise )
( Voyager )
( Star Trek Crossovers )
Finally heard back on the job I applied to! I didn't get it, but honestly, the thing is...
At this point, I'd already been working on the assumption that I didn't get it for like. A week.
Seriously, the interviewer said they'd get back to me by the end of the next week at the latest, but didn't respond to the nice, polite, "Hey, I know hiring takes a long time and stuff happens on top of that, do you perchance have an updated timeline for me?" email I sent the Monday after the end-of-week "deadline".
The response I finally got was via email to an account I wasn't using for the application.
I mean, it would technically be a lateral job move within an organization, so they would know they could reach me at said email? But I also deliberately didn't use my job email because I am looking for another job, and while I'd love to keep working within this organization, that's not guaranteed to happen; I figured it was best practice to be consistent with what email I use when applying for jobs instead, especially since, if I move on from this organization, I probably won't have access to said email account anymore. And since I sent my follow-up email from the non-work account, and the interview request was sent to my non-job account I don't think I can just assume that they lost my non-work email address. But that just makes it more baffling that they would use my work email address!
Ahem! All of that aside, from the results, I'm going to assume that my application was not rejected immediately after the interview, but rather that I was at least two or three names down the Preferred Candidates list from the top, and one or more of the people ahead of me got the job.
As for my next steps, IDK. I've looked at a few other job postings, but a non-zero number of the ones I've considered (including the one I was rejected for, actually) said they wanted someone with strong Microsoft Office skills, and that's... not something I have! So I might try looking for more job listings, but also looking for a class I can take on the Microsoft Office suite. I do better with guided learning than learn-on-your-own stuff, especially now that I have a better handle on my ADHD with regards to homework and such. Also, an actual class might offer some sort of certification of completion, which would be useful in my resume.
Alternately, I look into being a school bus driver again; I've had a clean driving record for the last fifteen-ish years, and again, my ADHD is under better control, so it might be worth a shot.
I mean, it would technically be a lateral job move within an organization, so they would know they could reach me at said email? But I also deliberately didn't use my job email because I am looking for another job, and while I'd love to keep working within this organization, that's not guaranteed to happen; I figured it was best practice to be consistent with what email I use when applying for jobs instead, especially since, if I move on from this organization, I probably won't have access to said email account anymore. And since I sent my follow-up email from the non-work account, and the interview request was sent to my non-job account I don't think I can just assume that they lost my non-work email address. But that just makes it more baffling that they would use my work email address!
Ahem! All of that aside, from the results, I'm going to assume that my application was not rejected immediately after the interview, but rather that I was at least two or three names down the Preferred Candidates list from the top, and one or more of the people ahead of me got the job.
As for my next steps, IDK. I've looked at a few other job postings, but a non-zero number of the ones I've considered (including the one I was rejected for, actually) said they wanted someone with strong Microsoft Office skills, and that's... not something I have! So I might try looking for more job listings, but also looking for a class I can take on the Microsoft Office suite. I do better with guided learning than learn-on-your-own stuff, especially now that I have a better handle on my ADHD with regards to homework and such. Also, an actual class might offer some sort of certification of completion, which would be useful in my resume.
Alternately, I look into being a school bus driver again; I've had a clean driving record for the last fifteen-ish years, and again, my ADHD is under better control, so it might be worth a shot.
.