hetalia | Discussion: This comm. What do we want from it? What is possible?

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Discussion: This comm. What do we want from it? What is possible?

Okay, so it's apparent that frequent updates will be a definite problem here (note: This is a neutrally stated observation, not a complaint. I'm totally including my own nonposting lack of activity in this). However, since jammerlea was so kind to made a sticky post with links to the most important sites to check for updates, plus the fact that the activity in recent update threads was mostly low, I'm not sure if the lack of updates posted directly to the comm is still a problem, or not so much.

In addition to this question, because it got me thinking: What exactly do people expect from or desire for this comm? What would be interesting to most of the members or visitors here? Obviously, one thing this comm is very nice for is fan discussions. We could have more of those. Personally, I like them very much, so if anyone has a good theory or topic for a discussion, please never be afraid of posting it. (I'm not a mod, but I think they would be fine with this. If not, please correct me.)

What else would be interesting for the majority of us? Future events? Should the main comm hold event threads again where chitchat between updates is allowed? There were problems with this in the past, but now that fewer people are around, I think the thread pace could be more managable.
Other ideas? What kind of things do you other members think would be nice to have (and good to create some interaction within the threads)? What do you mods think would be possible, or what do you think might look nice on paper, but actually be a rather bad idea?

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Hmmm.... I know in other communities they set up group reading or watching events? I recall the live posting was great during events so maybe a rewatch? A weekly FFA for users to post whatever Hetalia-related item they found? Fanart/fanfic/small stuff.

Do you mean watching events as in Livestreams? That could be an idea, if we could find someone to stream it first. We already get fanfics posted here, so I don't think posting more of those would help, although it could be made more interesting if it were obnly recommendations of amazingly good fics (not sure if there are a lot amazingly good fics out there, though).

Yes, exactly! Could be nostalgic to start from the very beginning and even do some special new episode events. Have it advertised around popular communities and link back to this one. Comments could be made in the livestream, but discussion follow-ups could be made in lj? Idk. ;u;a

haha.. I just posted an updated post of all the stuff missed. It was hard to keep up since it's the holidays now. Ah well... I'm still gonna try updating here (if no one else does).

Personally I don't mind chitchat in threads. It used to be a problem back when we had massive amounts of fans here, but the Hetalia LJ community is much smaller now. It probably won't overflow.

Discussion threads are probably best for this site anyway since it's a good place have discussions at length unlike Tumblr or other social websites.

I feel like people still visit here, but they're quiet mostly.

(This is

jammerlea)

The other thing I can think of is maybe having a weekly chit-chat/discussion thread? Could pick a topic or leave it open. But then again it would be awesome if we could consistently post updates and really actually discuss the content there further than just simple comments or thank yous (not that those are bad).

Still open for further ideas.

I think chitchat or topic threads would be a great idea as it could help us all get to know each other better and grow together a bit.
I would like to have the updates here always up to date, too, but... it's kinda hard to explain. :/ I know that you two (you and sammich) have a million other things on your hands already, so I don't really want this to be on top of it all, too. But then I can't do it, either, and as updates keep coming, I just feel like "people must have already seen it at this point". But I may be wrong.

Hello! Just adding my 2 cents in.

I was thinking maybe someone or a mod here can ask hetascanlations on tumblr to maybe add a link to a discussion thread here to their chapter scanlation post maybe at the end of it or something. Since majority of the fandom has migrated to tumblr, maybe they just needed a reminder that 'hey! this comm's still alive and kickin!' and adding a link to us here will be more accessible for old fans and new fans too instead of them having to look for us because the scanlations posts on tumblr always circulate nonstop. Even if they don't click it at first, at least they know we are here and sooner or later they'll get curious about what's going on coz I know if there's anything we're all excited about and good at, it's the speculation about this and that, etc.

We just start a discussion thread here and then when the comments reach the limit, we'll just ask hetascanlations to use this new discussion thread link and then put a big notice on the previous one that 'DISCUSSION THREAD CONTINUED HERE!' in big bold red letters, just like how the kink meme works. I think this would work instead of making a discussion thread for each chapter since people are lazy and get tired of keeping track of everything. At least with one big one, there's the constant flow of discussion. As for merging the blog updates and world stars chapter discussions, I'm still not sure about that. It's nice to have everyone in the same room, but then these two are completely different things ya know. aaaaah help you guys decide lol. (hmm but then the old rome emperors i have to admit bore me a little SORRY! so that might cause the thread to go downhill a bit so an advantage to have it all in one is that the blog updates really get everyone hyped so the thread will remain active!)

As for the problem of people not having accounts here, I think LJ has already given us the solution. People can use FB, Twitter, OpenID (which I think will be more preferred), and anon too. I think if we keep the thread alive, they'll eventually make a lj account sooner or later. For the time being, maybe someone can make a tutorial about using the openID thing to join the discussions here. Coz the new generation of hetalia fans probably havent heard of lj, we're like ancient rome lol |||Orz

Also, the key is to spread news! We should ask some popular hetalia blogs to spread the word, (yeah they may not be active here tho) but what counts is that thousands of fans follow them and we get exposure, a couple I can think of is owynsama, alfred-f-jones-world-hero, justa-fangirl, iggycat, mochifever, accioharo, aluox, fiveminutemeal (nox), hetaliaandother,kelbora, mano-manu, qichi, sachie-sama, sadisticbrit, seecarrun, zeplerfer, and lots more, i bet rp blogs will support it too! like ya know all we ask is for them to reblog this announcement post of ours of our new discussion thread and tutorial. they love hetalia so im kinda sure they'll be supportive of our efforts to revive and bring that community back.

And add the current disscusson link on the sticky note you already made with all the links. I know there's also the hetaarchive, etc. the unofficial official hetalia blogs if that makes sense, they can spread the word on tumblr too!. hmmm what did i miss... Of course, we make the discussion threads public too!

~~~

Okay, I know all that I wrote is really really REALLY ambitious and too hopeful but I swear guys if we really pull this off and just don't give up, it'll work. especially now that updates are coming at a steady rate, touch it while it iron is hot? or something

I want our fandom's future thinking to be like, 'hey i just read the new scanlated chapter on tumblr, ooh here's the link to discussion thread, CLICK!, let's see what people are saying and i'll join in too!' VOILA! WE JUST CONNECTED TO WORLDS, THE PAST AND THE PRESENT!

Let me see if I understand: What you say is, we should have an update discussion thread, for all updates, in which we can come just to discuss, while we use other sites (most likely the Hetascanlations blog on tumblr) to actually read the updates?
Is that correct?

If so, I'd be all for it.

Yeah, coz I've had the feeling that fans here kinda feel like tumblr is like a different world/fandom ya know when really we can utilize both. I appreciate the person posting the updates here too coz that takes a lot work and dedication so maybe i just wanna cut them some slack a bit. so all we need is just that link to here that can build a bridge for everyone to come back and forth.

And maybe on the discussion threads here, we can link to the tumblr scanlation post too! so it's like a big terminal yeah that sounds like the perfect analogy,

discussion threads = terminal
scanlation posts = airplanes
links to hetalia comm = runway/ leads to the destination/ back and forth

So wait, I'm still not completely sure which of two options you mean. Do you mean we should have a separate thread for each update, just that instead of posting all the pics in it, it would only contain the links? Or do you mean one general thread for all updates?

I like the idea of having a discussion post here that's linked to from Tumblr, if the people who run the hetalia tumblrs are amenable... like a lot of people I've begun following hetascanlations but Tumblr isn't great for discussion. When I click on the "notes" it's generally just "so and so liked this" and "so and so reblogged this" etc.

I really hope they'll be supportive about it. Someday, I hope that instead of people leaving their comments on the tags on their reblogs, they'll instead come to the discussion thread and express their opinions.

I think going the way with discussions is a great idea and would breath new life into the community. I was much too shy back in the day to partake in them (still sort of am /sobs), but it is something I miss from those days. Despite the fact Tumblr is a blogging community, its format is not fit for discussions in the same way LJ, DW, and even good old-fashioned forums are. Comments come in left, right, and center, and it's hard to keep track of, not to mention things tend to get a bit hostile at times.

I wouldn't mind seeing some topics focused on sharing fic and art recs either. Perhaps there can even be threads between authors and artists to share ideas and collaborate on projects?

I don't usually add my two cents in, but after looking at the comments, I decided to. XD

I LIKE that someone at least is keeping up with the new chapter posts, which is very much appreciated!! So is corralling the important links into a sticky.

As for fanworks... I used to post post here, but after getting little to know feedback, it felt like a waste of time. I don't know if anyone else who posts fanworks here feels that way or not; I can only speak for myself. That said, I'd love to see fanworks here! Beautiful art is always welcome & so are well written fics, especially fics that aren't readers. 90% of the stuff over at DA in the Hetalia comms that is written are Character Y x Reader or Character Y x Reader x Character Z. I don't know any anyone here, but as much as I love the character Prussia, I have no desire to read a fic that pairs him up with me. o.0 So I despair of ever seeing a normal fanfic anymore. If we can entice authors here & offer feedback, that'd be awesome.

Maybe having some sort of fest, where everyone either writes or creates artwork based on a theme would attract creative people as well as those who appreciate art & literature. DW is running a SuFin fest at the moment & it was a lot of fun. Or give each character a month & people just submit anything creative as long as that character is the main focus. For example December could be Japan month, so people submit fanart of Japan, whether it's 1p, 2P, neko, or nyo! Stories can be about Japan or one's favorite Japan pairing; all's welcome.

Discussing the latest chapter woudl be nice too. As someone ho doesn't have tumblr, nor do I want it, I missed the whole "Prussia is dying" uproar over there, but I heard it got ugly. ^^; *is glad I missed it* I find that rarely, if ever, happens over here[LJ].

That's all I can think of. Just know that even if people only lurk, or come out with the odd thank you on something of interest, they're there in the shadows. *is one of those lurkers*

Well, there are the secret Santa fic things, but they are usually held on other places and just linked from here. So yes, maybe giving a theme and seeing what different writers or artists come up with would be a good idea (one collective thread per theme where everyone could post). It looks like collective threads of any kind would be welcome - themed fanworks, general update discussion, fan discussions, chitchat... whatever is good for lots of intreraction.

*nods* I've always found them here & it's nice having them all in one place.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Some kind of a prompt each month would be a fun thing to do. :D

Yeah. This is an easy place to carry on a discussion as you can follow threads back as far as you want, so coming & going isn't a problem. :D Hopefully we can get something like going here. Whether it's creative fanworks, general discussion, shameless fangirly chit-chat. all's good. :D

Hello! I rarely comment on anything too but I'm glad I commented here. I wanna make this a better place for all of us.

As for the Prussia is dying thing, lol I'm not sure what you mean it got ugly? maybe I missed it too but the impact of that post, what I saw was that it actually gave closure to the fandom regarding the immortality-not-a-nation-anymore thing we've been speculating in the past. I've also seen on my dash that people who have moved on to other fandoms actually couldn't help but comment/mention/react to it, coz it really tugged at all of our heartstrings coz this is what we were all afraid about and that sense of finality? canon confirmation? i think brought all of us to another level. another hetalia mystery finally solved! aaah idk if you get my point but i think it was a good thing!! also there were lots of good well not really but heartwarming reactions to it too for example this follow up comic (http://cioccolatodorima.tumblr.com/post/101580531350/flute) by cioccolatodorima, it was a really nice response and i think kinda appeased our breaking hearts :)

Hey there! :D

I wasn't there & I'm only repeating what I've heard form 2 people who were there & that's what they told me. XD

As long as the discussion was civil, then it can't be that bad, unless it was just an overload of FEELS. Like I said I wasn't there, so I really don't know what happened. XD

Thanks for the link! *reads* That was a nice way to to settle everyone's fears. Still, until I get an actual strip from Papa Hima... I'm refusing to believe anything bad is happening to poor Prussia. XD I've seen a lot of pretty art & a few fics with Prussia either dead or dying, but I like the one in the link the best. :D

I agree that there is a lack of feedback, but I don't think it's specific to this community. I've discussed this with people I know in this fandom and in others and there seems to be a downtrend in comment culture in general.

But! More people posting fanwork here would be a good thing. It's nice to have variety in the kind of posts a community gets.

Prompt-based fests of the kind that surstrommiakki is would probably be difficult to run here (they're a lot of work, I've run that kind of thing before and it's hard), but themed months sound like they might be a good idea.

That's kinda sad. Especially in a place like this, where you can't fave a piece of art or a story. At least with a fave, you can tell someone liked it & it's a kind of feedback.

I agree! We do need more fanworks here. Maybe I should post one of my drawings. XD *used to post stories here*

What they do there, would be hard, since the mod is giving everyone their own set of prompts. But themed months where you produce fanworks about your fave characters/pairings would be nice. :D

I would really, really love a general big bang.
I mean, there are tons of pairing specific gift exchanges, but I haven't found evidence of a huge fandom-wide hetalia big bang since 2011.
Basically, what a Bang is authors sign up to write a long fic, generally 5,000-15,000 words over anywhere from a couple of months to a year. After a certain amount of time, they'll post a summary of the fic, maybe a snippet, and then artists will sign up and claim the work of the author they want to work with. It's a first come first serve basis for artist's claims. Then the author and the artist work together for the remainder of the time to come up with a writing+art piece that's posted together.
It's a lot of work to coordinate, but the end results are always fantastic. The Teen Wolf fandom is littered with Big Bangs and I always have fun participating in them or just reading the results.
I really, really want to do a Hetalia big bang. I just don't have experience running one.

It's a thought. If the word count is 5,000 to 15,000 it's doable in a month. I think if we stretch out to a year or more, people might lose interest in it. I know for myself, I'm currently writing for a Secret Santa & it only took me a couple of hours to come up with just over 5,000 words & I'm not even finished with yet. The thought of having to wait months before I can post something makes me less inclined to participate in it. And I also work, so writing time is limited to after dinner until I go bed. It took me about a week to write a novella length fanfic, & I also understand not everyone writes like I do, but I really would enjoy writing for something that takes less time.

Maybe a compromise? A prompt for the month with a 5,000 to 15,000 word count? Call it a mini big bang? (*is used to writing for prompts with a 2 week period in which to do it, with mostly a smaller word count which can be tough to do too as you need to nail the exact count*)

Okay, so one suggestion is that we could have a general update discussion thread, where people could come to discuss updates of any kind.
This would mean we could start commenting on updates as soon as they appear - without having to wait until someone can translate and post them.
I think this could work.

Questions:
-Should and could this thread be linked to from Hetascanlations or other major tumblr blogs?
-Should and could it be stickied?
-If not, should we have a new special tag for these kind of threads, and what should it be?

I don't mind adding a discussion link to the pinned post so it doesn't get lost.

That would be great, thanks. Then I'll try to make a timely thread as soon as the next update comes out... or should I do it immediately?

Whenever you have time.

I definitely agree with hosting events here again. That's what drew me to the comm in the first place. It's nice to chitchat with other fans while reacting to updates and whatnot together, and I'm sure there are plenty of tumblr people who would love to join in and have discussions about the events alongside making/reblogging posts.

And traffic isn't as heavy as it used to be, so hopefully event threads wouldn't flood the comm.

Discussions and events would be nice. I'm not very active on LJ because it's been pretty dead for me lately, but I'd love to get back into things more and talk to new people!

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Discussion: This comm. What do we want from it? What is possible?

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