#because they’re also a fanfic writer with their own projects and also a life

[headfullof-ideas]

I have finally finished outlining up to the point in which the prologue happens! Now I know what events can be referenced in conversation because they’ve already happened!…whenever I get back to writing, I’ve been drawing a lot recently because my writing brain is fried and I have stuff I wanna draw beyond my HTTYD/The Deep crossover.

[unremarkablehouse]

20 Questions for 20 Writers

thanks for the tag @thatfragilecapricorn30

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 19

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 59,155

3. What fandoms do you write for? X files exclusively

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. The party 2. Laundry 3. The Declaration 4. The Mulder Manual 5. Domestic Partners

5. Do you respond to comments? Definitely, although sometimes I get shy, but I’m always grateful when people take the time to comment.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Second Quarentine, but it’s still pretty saccharine. My theory is life and TXF has enough angst so I try to balance it out with fluff fics.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? My mind went in the gutter but I’ll have to go with The Declaration

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, TXF fandom have been helpful and supportive

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I just posted my XF Porn Battle fic that I was too shy to originally share. Generally my smut is more romantic and just an extension of the Mulder and Scully dynamic

10. Do you write crossovers? no

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? TXF fic no, professional writing, you betcha.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I kind of consider prompts, comments and betas as a form of cowriting and one of my favorite fics I have written was because of a prompt to write from a third party POV (which I would never think to do).

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? MSR are my OTP

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have this awesome series that covers before the revival and post pandemic. I have such a good outline but it’s so daunting to tackle because it would be the longest story I’ve tried sitting.

16. What are your writing strengths? Characterization and dialogue. I also read waaaay more fics than I write (in different styles) and that helps improve writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Sticking with a grammatical tense and being consistent 🤣 for other writing projects I usually have to use present tense (as the story unfolds), so I’ve been practicing other styles with when writing fics.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I’ve done it briefly but it’s kind of jarring to put a translation in and can get clunky and heavy with exposition if you’re not careful so I stick with English if it’s more than one line.

19. First fandom you wrote for? So I’ve had to write Specs when I was younger for different shows as part of an audition/interview and had two very successful specs that got me work for Medium, Community, and Hannah Montana 🤣 (I didn’t get to pick!!). But writing TXF fanfic is so much more enjoyable, I get to tell the stories I want the way I want and it’s not team writing.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? I have two and they’re polar opposites, lol. Her Own Desk was my first fic and came out of my thoughts on Scully not having an official desk in the Revival. I also love Field Evaluation and was contemplating adding another chapter just this morning.

No pressure writers tag: @katy-kt-katie @baronessblixen @cock-holliday

[swaps55]

Warning, super long ask incoming! I suppose this is just a letter of fangirling in all honesty, and apologies if I accidentally already sent a half finished draft of this lol

I just wanted to let you know that I value your writing so much. I feel that I’ve fallen in love with Sam and Kaidan’s love, and that your writing is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, both within fanfiction and published works. Your writing is so compelling; the romance, the world building, the characterisation, everything! Every one of your characters feel like real people with patterns and behaviours that suit them and their motivations, they’re so believable and I love following them on their journeys. I think what I love most about your writing is that you’ve mastered show, don’t tell. When I’m reading any other fiction, I feel like I’m constantly searching for what you’ve portrayed in your work. You can really tell that you’ve put such love into Opus (and your other works, I’ve reread so many of the multiverse fics too), from the research of engineering and battle strategies, to bug behaviour even!

Essentially, I just needed you to know that someone out there is thinking of your writing daily. How incredible is it that this world that lives and breathes inside of your head, has now made a home in mine.

I also wanted to ask if you would ever consider publishing any original works in the future? I would read literally anything you wrote, your art holds a very special place in my heart now, I’ve even started learning the constellations and how to cross stitch because of you!

Thank you for your patience and I hope you have a lovely week ahead ☆♡

MAN, y'all are out to kill me with kindness.

You have no idea how much it means to hear this, especially right now. Back in March I hit a burnout wall running at full speed, and have been feeling some tremendous guilt over not making much progress on Mezzo the last few months. It's hard not to constantly fret that people will immediately assume I've abandoned the story and abandon it, too, and hearing this is a reminder that's not true.

I love this world and these characters, and it's the best thing ever that not only do others love them to, but they specifically love my versions of them. That's WILD. And amazing. You're so right about how incredible it is, so thank you so much.

As for original fic, years ago, I thought that's what I wanted to do, and I worked on some original projects. But here's the problem: I love sci-fi, I only want to write sci-fi...and I'm a terrible world builder. Give me a sandbox and I will happily build a castle, but I just don't have the right skillset to construct the sandbox.

That's why I've been so happy as a fanfic writer - I get a pre-built sandbox that I can go to town in and make whatever castle I want out of it. I have thought about trying to file the serial numbers off Cantata, but the world is such an integral part of that story that I wouldn't know how to do it and still have a story that means as much as Cantata does.

HOWEVER, never say never. I am not a world builder, but I married one. Real Life Romance Option is a phenomenal world builder, and a lot of his ideas can be found in Opus (you can thank him for the Can, for instance). He is happily building his own very cool sandbox, and it's entirely possible that one day I'll tell stories in it.

But Opus comes first! I still have Mezzo to finish, and two more stories to write to get Sam the happy ending he deserves, and I'm gonna do it, no matter how long it takes.

(Also, thank you in particular for calling out the bugs, because yes, I read a lot about bugs for Mezzo, haha!)

[skyfallscotland]

Hiii me again! I, too, have questions for the ask game 🍓🦋🥤

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

I feel like it's redundant to keep saying the same ones, but *whispers* storm in the quiet @justallihere and Political Gain @sarahwyland

But also, in terms of underrated, I just read a little series by Ramzes called The Unseen One, furthering the Sloane/Bodhi agenda (🙏🏼 the lord’s work) and I've also enjoyed The Princess Gambit by JuliLyng so far as well, which is Xaden/OC. Not sure if they have tumblr, but if they're here, hi! 👋🏼

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

So I've always been a reader/writer, since as far back as I can remember (maybe three years old?), I'm pretty sure with the knowledge I have now that I'm hyperlexic.

I'm old enough to have been around for dial-up internet, but when I was a preteen, we got broadband (showing my age). This is to say, don't judge my parents too harshly because internet safety was not a thing back then, but...

I found fanfiction because back then, a lot of people either used livejournal or hosted their own sites, so a lot of fansites, had fanfiction. So while looking at Buffy fansites, I stumbled across Buffy fanfiction and realised I could actually read stories!!! so many stories!! where Buffy and Spike got together earlier or things didn't end tragically for them. So yeah, at 11 I was reading very explicit Spuffy smut on the internet 🫢 I had a system set up where I would play The Sims all day or do school project powerpoints, except I was really reading fanfic and I would flick between screens whenever my parents entered the room.

My mum now has KU and reads dark romance every day, so I guess she comes by it honestly (and yes, I did mean it that way around, I was here first!) 😂

Anyway, when I was 12 I started publishing my first few fanfics on ffnet - Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a Harry Potter/X-Men Crossover. Each originally written on paper, they were all ridiculously bad, but the latter had people interested enough despite the writing, which encouraged me to try again later down the line with The Vampire Diaries and Jurassic World. I hadn't written for almost ten years and had never finished anything much until last year, by chance, I decided to finally get back into reading actual books and picked up ACOTAR. I finished the series within a week and I was left like?? That's it????

The archive had such a small number of works, I couldn't believe it, so I decided to write my own. I wrote Fury and Siren over the course of three months. I wasn't game to post anything in case I didn't finish it, because I'd never finished anything before. I also put off starting this little book I'd bought 'Fourth Wing' by three months, because I knew I'd be sucked in and would lose the hyperfixation I had, so I forced myself to finish Siren first. And now you all know my life story lol omg I'm so embarrassing to myself 🫠

TLDR: internet

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

Honestly, this is kind of angsty, but this last week I’ve thought a lot about male-dominated fandom spaces and how we’re not welcome in them. We, meaning everyone who isn’t a straight, cis, white male. The Formula 1 community on here seems a little better, probably because it’s female-led, but everywhere else I can’t even look at the comments.

To be honest, I’m tired of being told I don’t belong, or that my opinion means nothing because I’m female. I grew up in a motorsport family, my earliest memories are at racetracks, but men on the internet would have you believe I’m only interested because of what the drivers look like. It’s just…tiring. Those fandom spaces have become a no-go zone for me now, because it just isn’t worth it. We live in a time where no matter what you say someone will attack you which is sad in itself, but it’s so much worse when you’re a woman commenting on a “man’s sport”, not to mention endlessly frustrating because they’re too stupid to tell the difference between equity and equality.

🦋 On a larger note, Palestine. I don’t think more than that needs saying. It hurts my heart.

[writing-for-life]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗 (i don't know if you do these sorts of chain-letter things, or if you'd prefer not to, but for my part i do like to know which of their works a given author is especially hype on, so consider this an opportunity to gush!)

I was sweating for a moment there because I thought, “I’ve written all my life and even published, but I don’t have 5 fanfics, shit!”

And then I noticed… well, with a little bit of goodwill, I do. So thanks so much for asking, @stellerssong , and here comes the gushing:

The no. 1 has to be “The Light of Stars”.

I completed most of it during NaNoWriMo 2022 for a bit of fun and respite from other projects—and then did nothing with it. Until I thought, “Fuck it,” and started publishing it chapter by chapter, editing and tidying it up along the way.

It is a long fic, and I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m honestly proud of it. I put a lot of thought into characterisation and plot, keeping everyone in character (as much as aimed-for character development allowed, so certain OOC moments had to happen) and crafting an OC that works for what I was setting out to do. So much so that many people asked for a sequel, which I’m still in the process of writing (I completed the concept again last NaNoWriMo and wrote over 40,000 words back then, but progress has been slow since because… life).

I don’t want to give too much away here, but while it’s romance and there *is* more than enough sex (I write steamy romance professionally, albeit in my other language), this is really not what this one is mainly about. So it’s not one for people who look for thinly-disguised chapter-porn and super-explicit descriptions. It’s a novel with a fully developed arc, and it deals with topics like friendship, loss and grief. Someone told me though that it felt hopeful and they didn’t struggle with the broaching of those topics like in some other works, and that was probably the most wonderful thing anyone could ever have said to me.

I’ll choose “Snow Globes and Whisky” as my second, but only because it is a Christmas gift-type one-shot with the same characters.

You can, in theory, read it without knowing TLoS, but it just wouldn’t make sense. It’s just Christmas fluff, not incredibly deep (despite picking up on the friendship and loss-theme again), it was fun to write and to get Dream a little bit drunk (just because he was intrigued and allowed it of course 🤣).

Then there are Rachel and Johanna.

They have such a special place in my heart. I always wanted to tell their story because we never got it in the show—so I did. And as a bisexual woman, I am also Jo’s biggest stan. I desperately want her to be the Sandman-character who does away with bi-erasure once and for all (because if the onscreen love interest is female, everyone cheers, but bi m/f relationships never count in fandom because they’re “heteronormative”. Newsflash: We’re not “50% straight, 50% gay”. We have nuance and deep inner lives and different preferences that make up very personal identities, and we’re not some token queer representation that stops to exist once we’re in straight-passing relationships). We’ve seen her date a woman and she has tons of chemistry with Dream too—I want them to have the messiest affair ever and somehow have her take Thessaly’s place. But better. Because she’d protect Lyta for all the RIGHT reasons. There, I said it, and I’m not sorry. Anyway, that’s not what “As it Was Before the Otherness Came” is about. It’s sad and heartbreaking and canon-compliant. It just fills in the gaps. And again, I’m super-proud that someone in the comments said to tell Gaiman about it (we all know that’s not a thing for fanfic) because they thought it was so in character and well-written. Yes, I’m shamelessly blowing my own trumpet because you asked me to 🤣

Then there are my Inktober Haikus.

I still intend to turn them into a bound book with accompanying art one day (the latter is where it all falls down really because although I could, it would take me 1,000 years to create all the art myself). 31 poems, some more inspired than others, but they were a great creativity exercise, and I honestly love them for what they are.

And last but not least, from the serious to the totally unhinged: Muhulhu. Murphy and his Cool Hat. The crack ship of all crack ships, aka:

I set out to write a trilogy, the first part “By The Sea, I Mean In The Dreaming: A Comedy Prelude” is published, the second and third are currently in a vegetative state because I just can’t find the time to write and/or edit. And if I do, I prefer writing the TLoS sequel. Or metas. Or running silly fandom events 🤣 I’d love to write more fanfic, but between a full time job (or rather: three jobs that make up one) and a family, I just stare in awe at the people on here who produce constant output, because I honestly can’t. But I will get back to it eventually because that one is just sheer unhinged fun.

Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to flog my goods!

@stellerssong ask answered

[chaptersonetoinfinity]

Hi Sas!

For the writers' ask game how about 12, 34 and 68?

Hi Lola, thank you for the ask! 

Fanfiction Writing Asks

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

I think I’m one of the most detailed outliners I know! And I have a lot of writer friends, so that says a lot, LOL. I go as far as color-coding by POV per section, so it’s not even “this happens in this chapter”, it’s “this happens in this SECTION.”

But there are things I leave to the spur of the moment too. I write a lot of action sequences, and I try to leave the specifics of the fight for when I’m drafting because I have to get the “flow” of the action to see what outcomes naturally fall into place. Or if I need to know the outcome to outline the next part of the story, I “write” that whole sequence in a messy outline like a “draft 0.5”, and then make a concise version of that fight to put in my outline so I can get on with the rest of my plan. 

I also love writing stories from multiple POVs, so sometimes I’ll plan out whose POV I want to incorporate in which section, but I’ll leave wiggle room for sections where I realize someone else’s POV works better, or if I realize I need to split them into two or add more scenes. Though I will say that none of these changes will make me stray from my outline, because I’ve usually worked out where I’m going with a story before I start drafting.

Fun fact: a lawyer friend once saw a screenshot of my notes for the climax of one of my fics, and she said they were as detailed as her court notes! I still brag about it from time to time. Like right now.

34. How much of your personal life/experience do you include in your fics?

A fair amount, although it’s more coincidental. I’m not specifically drawn to writing certain characters just because they’re “like me”, for instance. So if I know about something from my past that’ll help with my WIP, that’s cool. But if I don’t, that won’t put me off from writing the story—in those cases, instead of trying to “relate”, I would go about it intuitively and hypothetically, and defer to my research and/or my imagination.

Also, if I happen to have experiences that are similar to the backstories of certain characters, I will embrace them and try to reflect on them in order to to help me narrate the thought process or motivation that this character might have. But I try not to project myself into the whole story, so my character might respond to their situations differently from how I responded when I went through something similar, because I’m not them. 

Bonus: I majored in psychology back in undergrad, which comes in handy. I definitely use a lot of knowledge from my degree to come up with solutions to the emotional aspects of my work or to figure out what a character would do given their circumstances.

68. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do?

I would say no, because I started off writing original fiction when i was 15, and I didn’t get into fanfics until about 5 years after that, so by the time I was writing my first fic, I already sounded like ME (in terms of a “voice” and style). 

While fanfics haven’t influenced the way I write, they’ve influenced my ideas and setups. For example, I’ve got an OC who is a ghost, who plays an active role in the plot. I won’t reveal too much right now, but the idea of having a ghost OC comes from the MHA fanfic “Yesterday Upon the Stair” on AO3 (highly recommend!). I also get ideas about magic systems from published fiction or even TV shows, and sometimes I might end up adapting certain fanons I see from other fics into my own fics with permission from the author. 

Oh, I also started writing in present tense after reading some fics in my past fandoms where the author wrote in present tense, and I wanted to try it out. It turned out to work really well for my style, so I adapted that into my own writing. But that’s the most influence that any fics have had on me stylistically. Now I’m flexible and I can switch back to past tense if the story works better like that, and I’ve also got fics where I write flashback chapters in past tense, and “current storyline” chapters in present tense.

[philtstone]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤ (only if you want to, of course)

hopeful

Summary: In which the world ends, Sam Wilson opens a bar with his best friend, accidentally adopts some children (also with his best friend), and figures out how to grieve his own life and move forward, not necessarily in that order.

Tags: fatws, sam and bucky friendship, canon divergence dystopia au

Notes: the first multichap i ever completed! also my emotional support fanfic after a really shitty few years lol. for obvious reasons

**

check yes, juliet

Summary: It doesn't matter that Juliet is a freshly-minted, top-of-her-class field agent (alright, so she hasn't actually been in the field yet) or one of the few women working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's cutting edge check fraud department (just last week, their 20-year-old coffee maker broke and they ran out of number two pencils to mark up their overhead projector notes with): every time her mother calls, all she does is lament that her beautiful, intelligent daughter isn't meeting any eligible bachelors.

“Maybe that’s for the best,” Maryanne sighs eventually. “All O’Hara women fall for liars, Julie. It’s our curse.”

Juliet wonders whether she doesn't scoff at her mother's claim a little bit too soon.

Tags: psych, shawn/juliet, catch me if you can au

Notes: maybe recency bias but this remains possibly the most iconic au ive ever written and will ever write. the flirtation? the limited scope pov? the plot? the paralels to canon scenes? damn who was i. anyway its perfect

**

easy, easy, my man and me

Summary: Across their small backyard, Faith and Bree have successfully cornered their father between the budding lavender bush and damp vegetable patch, and subsequently started expounding in detail upon their rapidly-developing design ideas. Each new addition barrels the treehouse from its humble origins of “wooden shack, maybe” to what is shaping up to be a combination laird’s fairy-dwelling pirate-ship-themed mermaid inclusive library-cum-invisible areoplane castle.

Claire decides to take a page out of her husband’s book and bequeath the project’s fate, momentarily, to Divine Grace, instead focusing on William, who has taken his thumb out of his mouth to convey a most solemn and heartfelt suggestion:

"You c'n bring sick people here, Mama, so they'll have us t'play with, when you're makin' 'em not sick again."

Tags: outlander, claire/jamie, modern au kidfic fix it

Notes: i dont miss lockdown or my depression but i miss this era in my fic writing. my old creative writing teacher said this was good and i believe him.

**

then she'll be a true love of mine

Summary: “The chamomile is Mama’s favorite,” she says, her small hand warm and secure in Da’s as he helps her climb over a large log. “That’s how I knew it. An’ the mushr’ms ‘cause they don’t look like anythin’ else.”

“Just there?” says Da, and then stops their trek to pick a few. His fingers are big and almost crush the soft mushroom caps. Mama’s fingers never crush the caps -- they’re careful like Da’s, but delicate, and slender. They always seem to know where to go in the greenery. Bree misses them – the soft, cool touch of Mama’s hands. But now they have mushrooms. “These’re good tae eat, I think,” Da’s saying. He beckons Bree over, to stand by him where he’s crouched, chin to chin. They inspect the mushrooms together. “No’ ones t’make ye sick,” he decides.

“No,” says Bree. “Mama picks these.”

“Aye,” Da says. He looks up at her, one eye narrowed, considering. There’s a glimmer there even though he’s not quite smiling, the secretive sort that happens just between the two of them.

Tags: outlander, claire/jamie (background), canon divergence kidfic fix it au

Notes: the original instalment in scaborough fair au! i miss baby bree. but i remain very very proud of the limited scope little kid pov i was able to capture here

**

just to hear the nightbird singin'

Summary: Midway through July, Luke gets the cockamamie idea to get in a car and go find their missing-in-action, disappeared-many-moons-ago father.

“Biological father,” Leia says, at the same time Luke says, “I don’t think people use the word cockamamie anymore, Leia,” in that way of his that’s just earnest enough that she doesn’t feel the impulse to hit, but also he’s taking the piss, a little bit.

Tags: star wars, luke and leia sibling dynamic, han/leia, modern road trip au

Notes: theres something about this one that has always felt so effortless. a lot unspoken yet perfectly communicated. to me. also i love the scene w han and leia in the car. also, i personally think this was the first time i actually got leia Right (after years of writing her lol).

**

honourable mention goes to the LOTR hippie camp counsellor au, of course, which emma would insist go on this list (emma is right)

[andipxndy-writes]

meet the writer: aj

(a.k.a. my writeblr intro, done properly)

heya!! i’ve had this blog for a while now, but i realised i haven’t ever actually done a proper intro on here, so here it is!! (also did i want the opportunity to make an aesthetic of myself??? absolutely. image made in canva and portrait on the left is from picrew, all other images were taken from unsplash)

my name is aj (she/her pronouns pls)!! i’m 26, black, and i live in the uk. i graduated from uni 3 years ago and currently work in lab admin, but i’ve been doing creative writing for 10+ years!! i’m currently trying to get back into reading by reading a book a month (i usually share the book i’m reading in the sidebar of my main blog, which i follow back with as this blog is a sideblog: @andipxndy), and i write a variety of fanfiction and original works (both based off my own characters and those i currently/have rp’d with in the past). i also take requests for fanfiction, which you can read about below the cut or in this post (i’ve made some changes which mean the post is not relevant atm)!! but in general i love being asked questions about my WIPs and my characters and basically any characters i write, because i love delving into character thoughts and doing character development (so please send me some!!).

this blog started off as a way for me to share my fanfiction writing, which is how i got into writing in the first place and how i came to love it, but now i’m wanting to expand some more share/talk about some of my original works too!! i write ya sci-fi in my original stuff, but i’m known to drift into romance, action-comedy and crime when it comes to fanfiction works. i’m also over on ao3 as andipxndy.

my main fanfic writing fandoms are abbott elementary and alex rider, just to keep things managable, but i also enjoy watching ncis, criminal minds and lockwood & co., and sometimes dive back into old favourite animes (k-on!! is my current anime obsession). i may be slow to write or respond to stuff but i DO enjoy diving into discussing fandom stuff too!! i also like playing video games like sims 4 (ea is a money grab pass it on) and cities skylines, and enjoy dnd and rping with friends!!

before this intro gets too long, here are my main WIPs:

power play (1st draft completed, left to stew)

the first original wip i planned, the story is intended to be part of a 5-book series about a 20-year-old who accidentally gives himself powers, and ends up drawn into the science underground whilst trying to save people that he may or may not have also accidentally given powers. and all whilst trying to appear completely normal to his mum and get a summer job whilst home from university.

the crossover (still working on 1st draft, is my main/november nano project)

this is an adaptation of an old rp au i had with one of my closest friends, adjusted to have new, original characters despite the same plotline. it follows a 17-year-old girl as she’s accidentally transported into a parallel universe, where her parents aren’t her parents and she doesn’t exist. in an attempt to get home, she ends up crossing paths with the people who are meant to be her family, and finds out that they’re all superheroes. insert drama and shenanigans here.

the rich life: a modern bourgeoise au (working on 1st draft, is my camp nano project)

a passion project that i’m completing for my rp partners, this au is split into a 3-book series following the lives of our characters in the upper class, those who work for them, and eventually their children, going through the drama of their lives and how they try so hard not to have it all end up in the press. that obviously doesn’t work.

fanfiction fics and requests (ongoing but this is technically a wip)

technically counts as a wip as i have a backlog of fics in progress to write and share for requesters (and some ideas i’ve had myself), but these are mainly either alex rider or abbott elementary fanfics that have been sent in via ask. you can see extra info below the cut after the next paragraph. my requests are currently closed, and i’m working through my backlog. the request(s) active for the forseeable future are:

will you be my maybe? - an abbott elementary fanfiction (gregory x janine - injury + fake dating)

anyway, this is all i’ve got for now!! i do take part in things like nanowrimo and camp nanowrimo, so if anyone takes part in those too i look forward to writing alongside you!! other than that, that’s about it!! i’ll be sharing snippets of my work, and maybe eventually you’ll even get aesthetics eventually!! i’ve you’ve read this far, i applaud you, but thank you so much for reading!! i’d love to get to know more writers on here, both inside and outside of fandom spaces, so please feel free to jump at me and send me asks and messages and stuff!!

~ aj xxx

(for more info on fanfiction stuff, read below the cut:)

i’ve been writing fanfiction for over 10 years, and as something so dear to my heart i can’t let it go - it’s helped me to develop my writing and character development skills!! i have, however, grown in the fandoms i write, so please see below for more info:

I WRITE FOR:

alex rider

abbot elementary (more specifically, gregory x janine. i ship only those two. with my whole heart.)

fics getting to know my original characters (oneshots)

(i realise that this is significantly cut down, but i have other projects in mind that require more of my time and can no longer spend as much time on requests!! for this, i apologise!!)

GENRES WRITTEN (not completely restricted):

family/friendship

romance

hurt/comfort

action/adventure

IMPORTANT TO NOTE:

MY REQUESTS ARE NOW CLOSED

all fanfics will be cross-posted to ao3

please give me up to a month to get fics written and posted - if not done within a month, feel free to message me about it [please DO NOT pester me about it] - i work and am also writing original things, so do not always have the time

i preferably write oneshots, though the occasional multi-chap will appear - a fic ends up longer, well, it happens 🤷🏾‍♀️

i am a rambler so you are almost always guaranteed a longer fic

please try not to give me word count limits or specifications on fics - they are discouraging

that being said, any writing requests/prompts fulfilled will most likely be 20k words or less (though they may be longer if the inspiration strikes, don’t hold me to it)

i do not write smut, or any nsfw other than possibly gore/torture/violence. this is a personal preference and i will not change my stance on it

if you have any triggers that you do not want included in the fic, please message me and inform me of this

i have a ko-fi! if you would like to tip/donate to me for any of my writings, check it out here

all fics may or may not include a level of humour/sarcasm - i’m not sorry for this

[yell0wsalt]

For the ask game: 4, 6, 13, 20, 40, 47 ☀️

4. What is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

I’m gonna cheat a bit with this one but the storyline of Asami being an art student whose latest project is a nude model being Iroh. There’s something interesting about being essentially “forced” into that state of vulnerability with the assignment and being able to unpack it through one’s creative works.

I want to figure it out.

This is such a cop out answer because the first two chapters are written. I just dread continuing it because I feel very self conscious about it and the story is coming out stupidly.

6. Do you have any kind of consistent writing schedule or just hoping for the best?

Life feels so busy with work, other responsibilities and hobbies, I can only squeeze in the little chunks of writing when I can.

Zero writing consistency from ya girl

Bless having google docs on my phone.

13. Talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

Those moments where the story can just flow onto the doc? I weep for them, they’re fun in their own way being able to discover what the characters are feeling and doing while the words are flowing out.

Also I get a bit of a thrill from the angsty emotionally heavy moments and digging into my emotional energy to fuel my writing. As someone who typically gets blocked based on my mood, when that doesn’t happen it’s appreciated. HA

Another is probably when I deluded myself into writing more than 1 Ryu/Kuvira fic. Very weird.

20. What is your favorite trope to write?

I answered this one here but said vague horror. Not really sure if it counts as a trope but I guess I’m not too familiar with labeling certain dynamics and instead just let the story and characters unfold as they may

40. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

It’s hard to come up with a specific one as the best, but honestly any engagement with what I write means a lot. I’m appreciative of the comments left especially on Kiss Me Kill Me, I Wanna Swim in Your Skies, and Shinishi of the Deep. I really liked those stories.

Also although a relatively simple comment, the one someone left on A Lazy Winter Morning meant a lot, that fic being my first dip into slash smut

Anyways, any type of interaction is more than what I deserve

47 What story are you most proud of?

I like most of what I write in one way or another, but what I’m most proud of…?

Maybe Kiss Me, Kill Me or Kick Dirt Under Your Feet and Swing

Enrichment for a fanfic writer

[sophieakatz]

Thursday Thoughts: Fanfiction Feelings - Reflecting on the Starcruiser

I’ve written here before about how I don’t really like making “five-year vision” kind of statements. But I do have certain scenarios I imagine for my future – experiences I dream of that will let me know I’m doing the right thing, that I’ve “made it” (for lack of a better phrase) as a writer and a storyteller, and that I’m living the kind of life I want for myself.

For example, there’s the scenario of me standing in a crowd in front of a stage, surrounded by people who don’t even know I’m there, but they’re all super excited about the show that’s happening on that stage – a show that I wrote. I’ve lived that scenario a couple times now, and I can’t get enough of it.

But there’s a scenario I’ve been looking forward to even more than that, and I got a little taste of it the other day.

This scenario takes a couple different forms. I imagine myself walking through a convention hall, or sitting at my desk, or scrolling on my phone. And then, in this vision, I see that someone else has made something. I see someone cosplaying as a character I created. Or I find a fanfic written in the world of a story I wrote. And I realize that someone has loved my story so much that it inspired them to the point of creation. That they wanted to stay in this story a little longer, to give their time and energy to it a little longer. That they felt about my story the same way that I have felt about so many amazing stories I’ve loved my whole life.

A recent episode of the podcast “Heroes of the Halcyon” brought five fanfiction writers onto the show – specifically, writers of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser fanfiction. One of them even made a Raithe Kole cosplay! I couldn’t stop smiling while listening to it. These are people who love the Starcruiser so much, even if they’ve never set foot on the ship, that they wanted to continue to explore it through as many angles as they could. They eagerly explained how the multi-track, choose-your-own-adventure nature of this immersive experience makes it fertile ground for self-insert fanfiction and how the many different actors portraying each role presents a “multiverse” of possibilities, especially regarding shipping (meaning relationships, not starships). They also lamented the gaps in their knowledge about characters’ motivations and backstories, and expressed hopes that the powers that be will eventually reveal, for example, the translation of Gaya’s poem in the middle of “Poverty of Love.”

Like I said, I couldn’t stop smiling. But to be honest, my emotions are complicated here. In a way, this is the fulfillment of that vision. I was a writer for the Starcruiser, and that immersive experience has captured the imagination of thousands and inspired its fans to the point of creation. I’ve seen the cosplay and read the fanfics.

But it’s not my story.

Admittedly, I feel a sense of ownership for the Halcyon – for Raithe and Gaya, for Ouanii and Sandro, for Lenka and Sammie and Captain Keevan and Lt. Croy and the Saja and everyone else on that ship. Given how many hours and how much of my brain and my creative energy and my love I gave to the Halcyon, especially to developing and documenting the non-scripted elements of the show, it would be impossible not to. At one point during the project, I explained myself to a friend like this: “Half my brain is like, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to think about where Chewbacca is on the ship!’ And the other half of my brain is like, ‘My god, I have done nothing for the last forty-eight hours but think about where Chewbacca is on the ship!’” It was bananas. I loved it. I love Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, and I’m proud of the work I did with that incredible team to help bring this story to life.

But the fact remains that I do not own this story. I love these characters, but their journey began years before I was brought on board. There are moments and lines I could point to and say, “That’s my phrasing; that’s my idea; that scene is there because I fought for it.” But I haven’t been in “the room where it happens” since last April, and I’m certain that the show has grown and changed beyond my input, as a live production should.

I truly love working with intellectual property and bringing someone else’s story to life. I am not complaining; I could not even begin to express how grateful I am for the experiences I’ve had thanks to the Walt Disney Company. But writing for companies like Disney means I must respect the NDA. I can only speak about my experience there in the broadest terms. I don’t get to decide when to reveal the things that the audience hasn’t yet gotten to see, as much as I would love to share them. I’m ninety-nine percent sure that I’m not allowed to write Galactic Starcruiser fanfiction, and as much as I love delving into the blogs and the vlogs and seeing how people are reacting to this show I loved working on so much, I keep a careful distance from the fandom. I don’t join the Discords or respond to people’s theories on Tumblr. If I comment on someone’s TikTok, I say very little beyond thanking them for making me smile. I’m even feeling a little nervous about that Chewbacca joke I made earlier in this blog post, but since he appears in the commercials, I think I’m okay to mention him!

Writing for the Starcruiser – writing for Disney Live Entertainment at all – was a dream come true, and I am eagerly searching for my next opportunity to do so. But this is not the complete dream. And that’s exciting; it means I have more to strive for. I strive for the day when I can run across that convention hall and say, “Oh my gosh, I love that cosplay,” and know that it was my vision that inspired it. I dream of the day when I can say, “Here’s the behind-the-scenes truth of what was going on in that scene. Here’s what they want; here’s what it means. I’m so glad you wanted to know. I’m so glad you loved my story as much as I do.”

But at least for now I can say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you to everyone who loves the Starcruiser to the point of creation. Thank you for giving your heart and your time to this story I gave so much of myself to. And thank you for giving me a taste of the future I’m striving for.

Ta bu e tay!

[borreloadsavagedragon]

Maybe 10, 49, and 50 for the fic ask meme!

10. How do you decide what to write?

Oh boy

Half of my wips are decided on either stray ideas I have to satisfy my needs only

Anything else that pops into place is spur of the moment, so a lot of what I start won’t even see the light of day because it’s a writing itch to get a scene or some dialogue stuck in my head down rather than writing to finish a piece, sometimes it translates to longer projects but yeah, I don’t really decide based on anything except stray pieces of dialogue or scenes

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

AHHH TOO MANY THINGS, I’ve got a long 3+1 fic project for an upcoming shipweek in August, a MizaKai drabble bc I refuse to have my only work for them be nsfw rn lmao, there’s other pairs or post canon concepts

But also there’s this massive brainchild I have rn that’s very GOT/HOTD inspired, mostly in terms of the politics, warring kings, and the dragons parts

It’s a post canon/canon divergent au that’s kinda hard to explain and it’s told through present time in post canon and in past life memories back to the time of Nasch, so know there’s an entire past life of lore full of warring kings, dragons, politics, plus secret card lore, a way for me to write duels with decks I love, and an OC who I’ve been trying to design for months LOL

Without having to over explain anything specifically crazy like names, terms, etc, here are a few lines of just a little of what to expect-

—-

“You’re difficult as always, can’t give a straight answer even when your dragon could depend on it. There could be a presence calling out to him somewhere, perhaps where his roots are. Tell me,” Mizael turns his attention back to Kaito.

“How did you two meet? Because there is no chance your dragon was created by your father, not with how it reacted to me. To Tachyon.”

A difficult question. Because it wasn’t very… special. Kaito has a shallow memory of that day. At most, he remembers that his body felt numb from recovering from the operation that changed his life and he had been greeted by his father with cards to bolster his deck at that time.

Photons, Faker had called them. A fitting umbrella term to use when he finally saw their designs. His father and Heartland designed the archetype as a calling card for the Heartland government officials. Only those who passed Heartland’s inhumane training programs and high standards were given them.

And with Kaito’s own special place, naturally he’d passed. Not only would they be powerful tools for special, chosen duelists, this meant they would be strong enough to handle the Numbers he’d be collecting at the time.

It was at the top of the little card pile that had been his Galaxy-Eyes. Although… The dragon’s card admittedly had been a touch more worn out compared to the soldiers, machines, and spellcasters that followed it. So had the cards with the word ‘Galaxy’ in their name. As though those ones were older relics, maybe references used to finish the Photon archetype.

“… He was a gift from my Father.”

Mizael immediately makes a face.

“Humans. Dragons aren’t mere gifts you’d give to a person. They’re partners, their love and loyalty cannot be pawned off under the guise of a present.”

Kaito mirrors his frown right back.

“You’ve met the man. Not exactly the most respectful person in the world. I don’t know the rest or where he came from. At first I did think he was created solely for me and my deck, but that was until I met Yuma and Astral, then I knew for certain that couldn’t be the case once I met you.”

—-

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

I don’t have a question I wanna pick at but I do wanna talk about HOW UNDERRATED FANFICTION IS!!! GAH

I saw a take earlier that was like “don’t commission fanfic writers” and their reasoning was literally “just because” and like???????????

Fanfiction is SO taken advantage of in fandom space, writers and writing in general is taken advantage of outside of fandom even, look at the Strike rn, and it’s infuriating, writing like every other hobby and creative outlet takes a lot of time and not everyone can do it, AIs and machines can’t do it

LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENTS, SHARE YOUR APPRECIATION FOR WORK

REBLOG WRITER’S LINKS TO THEIR WORK

COMMISSION WRITERS WHO HAVE AND OFFER COMMISSIONS

I’m good now

[sapphiresaphics]

So, this is a bad take. And let me explain why:

For starters, season 2 was written before season 1 came out. So there was no ability for the “fan fiction version” of Vi to be written into the story because the writers didn’t even get to see the fandom’s reaction to season 1 before season 2 was put into production. So this is a HUGE misunderstanding of how media gets made and is mostly projection on your part to try and explain your emotional constipation better.

Second, Vi is VERY conflicted about killing Jinx. Her saying “my sister is gone” over and over again is her trying to lie to herself so that killing Jinx won’t hurt as bad. And here’s the important part you seemed to miss…. IT DOESN’T WORK. Vi CAN’T let go of her love for her sister which is why she repeatedly hesitates and doesn’t hurt her when she has ample opportunities to do so.

Why does Vi strangle Jinx? Because the last time she saw her she blew up Piltover with the Grey. She’s drunk. Angry. Sleep deprived. Depressed. And suddenly the person responsible for all those things, plus multiple other accounts of murder, just walks into her room??? What did you think was going to happen???

Vi has only ever really cared about her family, not the cause. Go back and re-watch season 1 again. Every time she’s talking about riding up, it’s because she wants Powder to have a better life, not because she actually wants change.

If you watched that scene of Vi walking into the light wearing the enforcers outfit and thought she doesn’t feel like shit for doing that, you’re an idiot. She very CLEARLY does not want to do this. But if it means she can bring in Jinx on her own terms and not have her get killed by Caitlyn, she’s going to do it. Why the FUCK do you think she becomes a pit fighter and keeps hiding her hair/tattoo. She’s DEEPLY ashamed of what she did, it’s not just because she broke up with Caitlyn.

Also, what’s this about being dropped and pushed to the side? Episodes 1-6 are ENTIRELY centered on the sisters. The only reason they take a small bit of a backseat in the climax is because it’s the god damn climax of the series and there’s other plot lines to payoff and deal with too. But they’re still in there, they still have an integral of the story.

Oh yeah, and blame the gay writer in the end too, why not?

I don’t think you understand the story or Vi at all, tbh. I think you’re the one under the delusion of a fanfic version of her character.

The way the fanfiction version of Vi made its way into the show like this is girl more devastated over her relationship with Caitlyn, but not the loss of her sister? Her baby sister who she held in her arms after she was born? The one she spent every waking moment in jail thinking about for SEVEN years, but doesn’t even feel conflicted about killing her?

Vi doesn’t even say anything about her sister’s mental state. She literally calls her a psycho????

Why is she okay with strangling her sister???? Why did they write that in?????

Vi has more empathy for Piltover and Caitlyn's mother than she does for her own people. Being an enforcer is such a non issue for her. No real self reflection on her past. No grieving for the loss of her family.

Vi’s writing takes hit after hit (literally). Her entire character is downgraded and reduced to centering Caitlyn.

Vi/Jinx/Caitlyn conflict completely flopped and pushed to the side.

I love Caitvi, but I’ve been really struggling to come to terms with Vi’s writing. Reading fanfiction and seeing how Vi is constantly mischaracterized only to see it makes its way into canon version of the show is really disappointing.

I feel like Amanda’s bias for Caitvi came through.

[fnaf-fanatical]

(I tried uploading the audio file but tumblr doesn't like me for some reason :[ )

Anyways:

School Project

I’ve been writing for a while, which actually started through here because tumblr posts with incorrect quotes led me to reading stories, which in turn made me start writing them. I was 11 or 12 at the time, fresh into my first real fandom, and very into wattpad stories, which as anyone on this site will know are unhinged, unedited, and due to the fact that most people writing there are very young like I was, are more than often lower quality than other writing sites (which is not to hate on wattpad writers - i’ve actually even read some really good and profound stories on there, both fanfic and otherwise, but that’s not the vast majority of the site, at least from what I’ve seen).

Honestly I first started writing because not only did it let me make the things I want to see - and was the start of my maladaptive daydreams though I didn’t know anything about that yet - but because it was also an outlet. Life was shitty, and it showed me that other people struggled, that my favorite characters could suffer from anxiety and depression and just shitty mental health, and that meant that I could project onto them. I wasn’t the one who wanted to kill myself dramatically or mutilate my body to get people to finally recognize I was in pain, the character was. I was too scared to ever harm myself physically, at least with a blade or the way I’d seen depicted in stories, but when I wrote, it didn’t matter how realistic it was or how gorey or graphic, because it was all fictional, and the rules were fake anyways.

And over time, obviously, my writing got better and I learned to Care About Myself more, until I didn’t really need to do that anymore. Except... I still liked making stories. I’d always been a storyteller, and writing gave me a medium to do so that would actually get me listened to, my stories could be long and rambling and people wouldn’t be annoyed or stop listening because it was a text, so they could stop reading if they wanted or not look at it or come back to it when they had more energy, and I wouldn’t directly face that, probably wouldn’t even know it was happening.

And, well, one of the things with time blindness is that you can be sitting there, know the time is 2:30 and you’ve got to eat something before you go to bed hours later, and yet you’ll blink and suddenly it’s 10:45 and you haven’t eaten anything, used the bathroom, or even really moved in 8 hours and where did the time go what happened. I started setting an alarm to remind myself to eat dinner, but that didn’t change the fact that I could get so “in-the-zone” that literal hours would blink by like seconds, because while my perception of time has always been wack, focusing - likely hyperfocus cause of the undiagnosed adhd - knows no rules or bounds and disregards the passage of time like a used bandaid that will inevitably show up again later where you least want it yet will go unnoticed and un-thought of until then.

Genuinely, I think I’ve grown a lot as a writer and I enjoy most of my own works, both because they’re what I want to see and because I can appreciate the skill that goes into it - which doesn’t mean I don’t still have a lot to learn, just that I’ve learned to stop shitting on my own abilities because it’s not perfect.

I’d always noticed when I was reading - usually proper books, when I was younger at least - different mistakes or ways things could’ve been articulated better, and when I didn’t know what a word or concept was I’d do everything I could to find out. So it’s no surprise that those skills transferred over to when I became a writer and took every source I could to try and improve my writing, some more valid than others.

Just... yeah. Writing helped me a lot, and I like where I’m at now.

[euphoricfilter]

hi long post anon… again😭

yes “rule” is more so used as “unspoken boundary”

and its a lil concerning anon didn’t pick that up when the explanation is right under that specific quote they picked😭

like have fun but don’t get caught up in thinking that just because you write something that is fiction that your muse is gonna wanna see it

not only is this just to be safe/respectful morally but even legally in terms of copywrite

thats why mainstream authors don’t want people to send them fanfic because the author may accidentally add from the fic subconsciously. Or coincidentally they added it because it was an idea that you two happened to think of at the same time before you ever sent the fic or the author opened your letter/email.

this leaves people to then be able to claim the author stole content whether intentional or not.

but also in terms of morals, it just says that you respect how an author views their relationship with THEIR work by not making your interpretations aware to the author. many authors work hard to establish their worlds/characters and may feel put off if they feel someone has mischaracterized their work or morphed it into something they don’t recognize within the canon of their universe. not to say that the fic isn’t good but essentially you dont come into someone else’s home and tell them how to decorate.

and in terms of real life people, it keeps your muse from seeing how you characterize them which may not be a reflection of their own self-actualization. and again it can mess with how people see themselves. or almost feel like they’re being harassed to reveal something about themselves because fics with certain characterizations are being thrown in their face. like “i know something about you, you should just say it already.”

its not to say that a nonbinary or autistic headcannon isn’t valid but sending it to someone may feel like projection to that very real person.

like jungkook may not take offense to being called nonbinary or trans but if thats not his actual lived experience, then sending him fics or making him aware that you’ve “headcannoned” him as such would be crossing a line.

its like saying “oh im going to disregard how and what you’ve being willing to share about yourself publicly until you possibly give in and out yourself.”

we saw this with the actor who plays the bisexual boyfriend in Heartstoppers. people -mainly other queer people- couldn’t separate the actor from his role and kept poking him to come out until he actually did. just because the internet was right about him being queer, doesn’t mean they were morally right for pressuring him.

its like receiving a “love” letter from an unreliable narrator in which they detail how you smiled at them once which meant you were “obviously” flirting; when in reality, you -the person who knows your own feelings- only smiled cuz you were just being nice. doesn’t mean you aren’t a lover; it just means that your love hasn’t been extent towards them.

if Jungkook is nonbinary, he’s is for himself; not to reaffirm some preconceived notion Army have. he exists outside our collective thought and doesn’t need fic to convince him of his identity or lack there of.

basically this rule is a “curtesy” that we should extend to ALL people. so unless they ask, don’t show your fanfic to your muse, friends.

ugh i keep ending up long winded😭🤦🏽‍♀️

but this has been fun discourse and hopefully it enlightens someone cuz that what social change is supposed to do💜

thank you for explaining a little deeper, my lovely.

literally i’d go missing and you’d never hear from me again if bts were to read anything i’ve written, it’s not made for them 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️ my worst nightmare is them perceiving me LMAO

and i think i can speak on behalf of most writers that what we write, either it be bts as gay or anything of the sort, is no way for us as writers to push the boys to come out or feel as though they should identify a certain way. as i’ve reiterated like a million times within the last couple of hours, it’s all a story, not there to project onto anyone in real life. i don’t sit in my bedroom and scheme up ways to force an agenda onto bts, i’m just trying to have a good time and little fun and if i’m doing something wrong then at least i’m aware now and can improve as a person

i’m not saying, as a straight fact any of the members are gay, or that they specifically go by they/them pronouns. if he does identify as anything above then that’s super cool too and he doesn’t owe me or anyone else anything, and that’s fine!! but me writing a non binary jungkook is in no way me saying that is how he should be or is in real life. idk why that point hasn’t come across for some people yet 🏃‍♀️

anyways, thank you again for taking the time to explain!! you definitely deserve a yummy snack after all this, and you’re super cool and very smart!! so thank you for taking the time out of your day to talk about such a kinda weird but very interesting topic with me 🫂

[weirdmageddon]

another rant about fanfic/fancontent and characterization

ive been on FIRE with hot takes the past week it just all started bubbling to the surface i guess. people are gonna hate me for this one but i have to address the elephant in the room

i think a lot of ppl need to read this quote. this is….exactly fucking it. what ive been trying to articulate this whole time. this is why so much fanfic pisses me off and drives me away. they explained the phenomenon PERFECTLY

Decades ago, Devra Langsam (coeditor and publisher of SPOCKANALIA, the first Star Trek fanzine, beginning in 1967) codified this in what came to be known as "Langsam's Law." In an essay published in WARPED SPACE 50 (1984, T'Kuhtian Press), Paula Smith described it thusly: “In writing media-based fiction there is a special caveat: Langsam's Law, or, ‘Don't Make Him Say That.’ Don't make an established character do or say something out of line with his established character, or if you must, give good, solid reasons why. If you must write a Darth-Vader-is-really-a-pussycat story, explain in the story why he also strangles crewmen when irked.” And the debate has raged ever since. For my own part, I initially was somewhat startled to realize, upon reading my first fanzine those many decades ago, that other people could and did interpret these characters somewhat differently than I did. After a while I concluded that there was a continuum of logical characterization—always demonstrably rooted in canon—along with the who-the-fuck-are-these-people "interpretations." As far as I can tell, these are based on projection, wish fulfillment, and/or what I call "spackletext" (as opposed to genuine subtext) from writers (well, story posters, at least) who want the characters to meet their specific desires in emotional/physical/therapeutic gratification and are completely oblivious or simply uncaring as to how that is achieved.”

seriously. the way so many people treat characters as like empty-calorie junk food instead of getting genuine gratification from properly understanding them in canon, without selfishly appropriating them, as if they were real people with depth makes me sick. how do you consume content in that way?? and moreover, why do so many other people enjoy it????

this is what i've been thinking for years but i didnt know how to say it without people flipping out on me. like it's ALWAYS empty wish fulfillment it makes me wanna EXPLODE. that's why those boring nonsensical ships always exist in every fandom: it's for projection. so they’re as easily gratifying to their desires as possible. it sucks so much because like. i can't imagine what kind of catharsis they expect to achieve from something like this????? it's not even using these characters therapeutically as much as it is just using them as comfort junk food

i made a domino’s vs new york slice analogy to a friend the other day: “it’s enlightening to me that people don’t think about him this way. like what do you mean “wow”. you have all been fed garbage characterization. that’s like people who all they know is domino’s and think they know what real pizza is and have never had a new york slice”. so imagine if new york pizza wasnt bound to the new york area and you could get new york style pizza anywhere in the world, it just takes longer to prepare. it’s like these people are consistently choosing domino’s because they want it now and fast without regard for method or depth of care put into the art of pizzamaking itself because their bar for quality food is at the ocean floor. its like fast food to them they just want instant self gratification no matter how shitty the texture and taste are

why you people enjoy consuming empty fucking calories i will never understand to save my life. i WANT to understand but nobody, NOBODY can give me a well-reasoned answer. the only one that answers this is the one in the above quote, that that too many people are afraid to admit: “it’s based on projection, wish fulfillment, and/or what I call "spackletext" (as opposed to genuine subtext) from writers who want the characters to meet their specific desires in emotional/physical/therapeutic gratification and are completely oblivious or simply uncaring as to how that is achieved.”

see that’s like fucking sacrilege to the character, original work, AND audience to me. how would the canon character feel about this. if you hate the original canon so much that you turn it in its head why are you writing about it in the first place??? what the hell is even redeeming about the media in general to you?? if you do that, i’m not emotionally attached to anything in the story anymore, you have to resell it to me. but even then i’m not here for whatever weird ungrounded from canon au youre trying to write i’m here to see a deeper exploration of the same ideas presented in a given piece of media. that’s why i’m reading. fanfic. and not. an original story

i just think that not only is proper characterization an artful discipline that shows you can step out of your own impulsive wants, but proper characterization also displays an author’s genuine love and devotion for a series or a character. it shows you how much someone cares about this thing, you know they put their heart and soul into caring to get it right. it’s made with real love, time, devotion, like a samurai mastering his blade. going into understanding their inner workings and spending so much time to properly understand it because they care about it so much. and it’s very obvious when you see it. accordingly, the opposite is true—sloppy characterizations made out of wishful thinking and self-gratification without bothering to understand the character, feels… well, rather cheap. like fast food. you don’t get the same strong sense of devotion to deeply understanding that thing. so the question bears repeating: why do people want this empty-calorie fast food? in fics with proper characterizations, the people in the comments act as if they saw heaven and praise the author. they way they comment suggests it’s such a rare occurence. but why. why is it a fucking rare occurrence. shouldn’t this be the norm? is it really that rare for people to be devoted to properly understanding the depths of a media and its characters? am i the fucking weird one here for having this kind of discipline and getting deep satisfaction from the art of understanding characters????? do other people find it too hard and i’m confused because i expect it to be as easy to see as i do? or do they just simply not give a shit about the principle?

when people turn canon on its head, it makes me wonder: how much do people actually like the media they consume? do they like the actual characters themselves? or do they merely like the idea of these characters and ignore what is manifest about them for their own ideal interpretations that serve their own desires?

on one hand i'm like “it's not hurting anyone, the world already has enough pain in it, you can't judge people for wanting to escape it for a bit”. cause like, if it makes them happy then i shouldn't be upset about that. i'm glad people are able to find joy in these things that i can't, and i don't want to spoil something that causes genuine happiness for these people. then on the other hand i'm like “okay but all those empty calories can't possibly be good for you. you can consume media in much richer and satisfying ways”

[jillianallen14]

Spirk fanfic rec

Some amazing Spirk fanfic to bless your dash because I’m falling in love with this shit all over again (this is like the 10th time this has happened lol):

Entering Orbit:  Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch; rated m; 30,957 words

Papers in the Roadside:  Non-Starfleet AU. Jim owns a small bar in Chicago, keeps on picking up strays and taking care of everyone no matter how hard it makes his own life. Spock is a journalist writing feature articles for the Chicago Tribune; he depicts the world with uncanny skill, but hides more than one personal drama and is possibly under surveillance from the Vulcan royal family. They meet by accident just before their lives start to spin out of control; rated e; 49,637 words

Take Refuge in What You Know:  AU - Kirk has moved into a apartment/house and wants to get to know his neighbors. He meets his neighbor Spock, a loner who suffers from extreme agoraphobia. Kirk thinks he's beautiful enigma; rated e; 120,334 words

Listen, this is not only my favorite Star Trek fic of all time, it’s also one of my favorite fanfics in general. It’s right up there with Text Talk and The Shoebox Project from the HP fandom, which if you’ve read, you know are incredible and frankly life-changing. And this fanfic changed my life. The description the author gives doesn’t do the beauty of this fic justice. I suffer from agoraphobia and Spock’s depiction as an agoraphobic man was probably the most well-researched, sympathetic, empathetic, caring, realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be agoraphobic that I’ve ever witnessed in fiction. It made me cry like a child because I had never felt so seen and understood. This writer is incredible, and this fic is incredible. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an AU, which I’m usually pretty wary about, but it barely even feels like an AU. It just feels like Jim and Spock. The author’s understanding of both of their characters’ is perfect, like just a spot-on portrayal of who they are. This fic genuinely helped me accept who I am and helped me understand that I am capable of & deserving of love. If you don’t read any other Star Trek fics (and you def should read more Star Trek fics because they’re amazing), then let this one be the one you read. I dare you not to read it three times in a row like I did.

Observations:  First Officer Spock comments on life aboard the Enterprise and his service under Captain James T. Kirk; rated m; 500,000+ words.

So the author of this fic actually did a thing where they made this fic into two books (similar to what The Shoebox Project authors did many years ago in the HP fandom). They don’t get any money from people buying the books; the cost is just to go towards producing the books. This fic is the equivalent of two LARGE novels. We’re talking 600 pages & up. It’s a huge fic. Now, that being said, I read it in one day. ONE DAY. It’s that good. This is another one of my all-time favorite fics, though not quite as dear to my heart as the one I listed above. It’s focused on AOS, and tbh, I forget that what happens in this book isn’t actually canon. Like it’s so well-told, it just feels like it’s now part of the timeless story of Kirk & Spock. The “professional” Star Trek writers would never be brave enough to do what this author does with Kirk and Spock, though. This fic will make you angry, will make you laugh, will make you cry. It has such a good grasp on every single character. It also shows the love between the crew of the Enterprise, which is always a treat, and it’s beautifully done in this fic. It has a sorta-enemies-to-lovers arc between Spirk and an enemies-to-close-friends arc between Spock and McCoy that is beautifully done and fleshed out. This fic is definitely a journey to go through, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s extremely slow burn, and you will want to slap both Kirk and Spock (and McCoy) upside the head at certain points lol. 

Of Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves:  The progression of a relationship, through Coffee Beans and Green Tea Leaves. Basically, it’s an AU where Kirk works at a coffee shop to pay his way through school, and Spock visits often. rated t; 16,429 words

Love, love, love, this fic. It’s cute, it’s in character. They have kind of a rocky start together, so it’s got a little bit of that Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy i-hated-you-but-now-i-love-you-marry-me vibes to it. I’m a sucker for that, if you haven’t figured that out by now lol. It’s really good, and a really enjoyable read. And it’s not too long, if you’re in the mood for something on the shorter end of things.

 Please Don’t Touch the Vulcans:  The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it. Jim is chipper about having time off for the holidays. He asks everyone if they want to spend time together but sadly, everyone ditches Jim over the holidays because they have plans. McCoy visits his daughter, Nyota visits her family, and everyone splits. Not knowing Spock has feelings for him, Jim doesn't even bother asking if he wants to spend time together figuring he has something to do. Something cute, romantic with the boys spending time with one another and confessions; rated m; 17,690 words

Super cute and has lots of Sarek, which idk about y’all, but I’m always a fan of. Sarek and Jim kind of get to know each other a bit, and it’s cute. Sarek knows about they’re in love before Spock & Kirk know lol. If I remember correctly, there’s also some appearances from everyone’s favorite: Old!Spock! You also get a little bit of jealous and protective Young!Spock. So you’re in for a real treat with this one. 

The Ren shat’var Trilogy:  A split-second decision changes Jim's life forever, as he enters into a bond with Spock in the face of certain torture. Enemies to the Federation emerge from unlikely places, and the command team must contend with unexpected threats, as well as challenges within their own intense relationship. In this three-part series, the Enterprise races across the galaxy to confront the unknown, and Jim and Spock discover the true significance of their unprecedented connection; rated e; 184,411 words

Textual Attraction:  Valentine’s Day does not bring up pleasant memories for Cadet Kirk. But the serendipitous switch-up of his cell phone with a particular Vulcan professor’s will make his day far more interesting –and romantic. Perhaps some new memories can be made! 15,900 words

SO GOOD. Just SO good

Spaceman:  Academy AU. Five times Spock realizes he's attracted to a barista at the academy spaceport, and one time he decides to do something about it. rated t; 3728 words

Short, sweet, funny. You’ll love it.

Subtext: Texting your Vulcan first officer in the middle of the night is never a good idea. Especially when you have an obsessive crush on said Vulcan.The holidays are approaching and Jim is left entirely Spockless aboard the Enterprise when his First takes shore leave on New Vulcan. After some midnight pining, Jim sends a text he instantly regrets. That is, until Spock responds and willingly continues their textual communications to an inevitable conclusion; rated t; 13,032 words

Cute, sweet, funny. It’s a texting fic. I think you’ve probably figured out I love those. This one makes me laugh so fucking hard. Like actually laugh-out-loud-omg-did-i-just-snort kind of funny. Spock is great in this one

All Spock Wants For Christmas:  While Jim is away on a delegation mission, he panics about what to give Spock for Christmas. With help from Bones and Uhura, and in between some spam texting with Spock, Jim realizes he already has the perfect gift. And all it needs is wrapping paper and a bow; rated t; 11,966 words

And here we have another cute, sweet, funny texting fic. Sue me lol

The Morning After:  Jim convinces Spock to take shore leave with him on Risa, hoping the time together will help re-solidify their bond of friendship after some recent tension. Meanwhile, Spock convinces himself he's on Risa for one reason and one reason only, to prevent his wayward captain from getting into trouble. After a passionately illogical night of Romulan Ale and chocolate infused liquor, everything changes when Jim wakes with something other than a hangover filling his head. Something he's sure neither he nor Spock can handle. Because if Jim knows anything for sure, it's that his messed up thoughts belong nowhere near Spock's clean, ordered mind; rated m; 50,381 words

HAHA. This fic fucking cracks me up. You’ve got drunk boys pining over each other & not realizing it. You’ve got accidental marriage. You’ve got bed sharing. It’s great, it’s cute, it’s funny. 

Take This Sinking Boat (And Point It Home):  In which Spock pines, Jim isn’t stupid (except he kind of is), and Christopher Pike has had enough of this bullshit; 6698 words

Pike is great in this one, and it’s super, super funny.

Extracurricular Activities:   Spock returns to the Academy from a tour of duty to find an intriguing cadet captures his attention; rated e; 15,433 words

Veritas: Basically, Kirk and Spock are on trial because the Federation thinks they are emotionally compromised by each other, which is putting the lives of their crew in danger. They have to convince a court they’re not actually in love with each other. They think the claims are bullshit. They think it will be easy to prove that they aren’t in love or emotionally compromised, damn it. It isn’t; rated m; 186,80 words

This one is so, so good. A real gem off of Fanfic.net. I remember it was actually one of the first Spirk fanfics I ever read, and it blew me away. The progression of their relationship is really well-done and interesting. It has star-crossed lovers vibes and has some really emotionally intense moments in it, especially for Spock. 

A Habitual Affection:  Living in 1930s New York with the Vulcan you're secretly in love with is no simple thing. But Jim never liked anything simple. And then, the big snowstorm hit...; rated t; 7998 words

A beautiful TOS fic about one of the gayest episodes of Star Trek. Love this one. 

Atlas:  Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning; rated t; 135,529 words

A beaut. Really great characterization, and the progression of Jim and Spock’s relationship is really well-done.