#but 19th century rpf is just fun

[angevinyaoiz]

Haha thanks for appreciating my art! 

Yeah, it’s funny because I think Henry II/Young Henry is objectively some of the BEST lesser known Dadson dynamics out there that’s sadly underexplored—you have political bedsharing, “the son and the father are one,” Co-Crowning ceremonies (There should be more dadson AUs that steal the concept of associative kingship) bodies and souls bound together, guilt, shame, divorce, the Love and Fear of faetc etc… 

the only unfortunate thing Is that dadson is generally not something I get super excited about personally. >_< I can see the visions and recommend them but it’s not really what gets me going….I’ll leave that to the pros (tho I DID have some art concepts here and there in mind but who knows if I’ll ever get to it..)

Anyways, back to the main subject—for memory lane look at these, the very FIRST art I did of him I’m pretty sure! Alongside Frederick Barbarossa and Richard. You can tell I was just working directly off random ref images without knowing anything lool

Also this one! Early art. Where he’s extremely shota. I still think this is cute, but it doesn’t look like HIM to me.

I still like these pieces…I had fun with them. I miss putting him in the historically inaccurate green caftan

Philip’s design overall has been an interesting process! I think my initial designs for the Plantagenets have refined over time, but they more or less stayed the same from the beginning, while his was kind of an evolution. It’s a bit hard for me to look at my old Blondelippe art because it’s so different from how I think about and draw him now, lol.  I was initially influenced by a few things:

there were a couple of fanarts/drawings of a Philip that was blonde, so I ran with that .

I think I might have initially mixed up art with that of Philip IV Le Bel, who has had portrayals where he’s a Pretty Blond

In some medieval artworks especially in later centuries, there are portraits of him that look blonde but only because of the stylistic conventions.

Also, my initial fandommy delusion interpretation of his character (when i was mostly dabbling from the TLIW stuff only) was influenced by the certain BL and shoujo archetype that pops up that usually consist of blonde, french-coded characters with childhood sexual trauma who are also guarded and conniving and sometimes straight up evil. so I thought it would be fun to run with that, and also be an obvious visual signifier that I was working in more a Yaoi Delusion state than a Realistic Historical state.

I ended up kind of veering away from this as I started to do more research and realized I was a lot more interested in reading about historical details. I was less familiar with Philip, but I had fun reading and getting to know his character I think a lot more in a way that I liked. My art is influenced by my aesthetic fujo preferences, but I also like a sense of background knowledge and consistency in my brain. For me I wanted the Philip, both the historical philip and the rpf dolly i’ve reconstructed, to feel more specific to me. There are already plenty of conniving blondes out there (I didn’t want people to mistake it for an APH France…lol) so kind of designing him as brunette with the goofy, severe bangs (influenced by his statues, and by the 19th century portrait) was a fun design. It also worked a lot better for black and white comics, like in “In Exchange for Honor,” And as well serves as a nice visual contrast since I draw the brothers + Henry usually as all varying degrees of blonde/redhead… THAT’s for Yaoi aesthetic reasons lol

I’m actually not sure if there IS any info on his hair color in real life, and tbh I guess i’m not interested in that (also he balded so it becomes irrelevant). I think it’s fun because I can draw him very pretty for my delusions if I want but also has a kind of dorkiness to him that I think is extremely important to lean into. I also feel like, I wanted a design that could look distinct and cute, but also could look more Adult if I wanted to, I draw him a kid a lot but I wanted the vibes to translate into older designs as well.

A big part that stands out to me reading about the historical Philip is the contrast between how Serious and Sacral the Frankish kingship is how important Philip was as the god-given heir blah blah blah, but also with how WEIRD he was. Making serious and laudable logistical decisions and policies one moment, but also making baffling and confusing decisions in his personal life and relationships. He’s kind of a mess in a fun way, it leaves a lot for the imagination (and evil imagination) to wonder wtf was up with him. In a way, even though the TLIW richphil dubcon backstory is Completely Made Up, to me I feel it doesn’t feel completely out of place thematically, since to me there’s something inherently sus/erotic about the status of purity/sacralness and the transgression from childhood vulnerability that is necessary to emerge into true power…Anyway I could write more Yaoi Essays but this post is meant to be about aesthetics.

It is impossible to escape the influence of TLIW Timothy Dalton in attitude, even if not in aesthetic, since he is probably the only major portrayal of Philip in the anglosphere I can think of. I feel that influence definitely comes through unavoidably, although I also try to round him out a bit when I write him. TLIW!Philip (in both movies and all plays) is showing him behaving at a very specific point in time; he starts off being condescended to, then exits the film smug and unscathed. It’s a big contrast from even modern Philip portrayals like in Confessions de l’Histoire where he’s more of a whiner and Richard’s punching bag.  

In The Devil’s Crown, Christopher Gable in The Devil’s Crown is a bit more subtle, and follows a more subdued and calculating Philip who grows into his person over time. I like him a lot because he’s very stiff and formal compared to Henry and Richard’s expressive gesticulating, but he holds a lot of disdain and rage inside him.  I think his portrayal in TDC definitely has influenced me a lot, I love how he glowers at Richard during all their encounters. It’s both very serious but also kind of cute…Also I’m entranced by his ballet photos. In a way they kind of cycle all the way back to that ethereal kind of “getting bewitched in the woods” unnerving shoujo feeling that I was originally getting a whiff of originally.

FUNNY ENOUGH, I feel I even still get some influence from….Solomon’s Crown of all things.. I make fun of it of course for its uwufication but for all my haterisms natasha kind of cooked with leaning into the weirdly ageregressiony Pure Special Little Boy feeling that pops up fetishistically in that book (in denial of course), the only difference for me is that I feel like that fetishistic aspect can be used deliciously for Evil (“purity” can be weaponized, after all) character traits rather than making a character Boring as hell

[neveralarch]

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 💗

Aw thank you :) I'm gonna do all non-TF stuff just for fun so strap in for small fandoms. I'm also v v self-conscious about self-reccing so i have attempted to let go of shame here and just pick some of the ones i've been rereading myself

A Harder Road - Johannes Cabal | gen | pg | 7.8k

A pastiche of Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls which means that this fic has an audience of like. Three. You have to be in it for the silly narration, the idea of being able to buy souls through 19th CE Russian bureaucracy, and brotherly hate. But I'm really pleased with how this one turned out given the life circumstances I was in at the time, and it always makes me happy to look back on. If nothing else, highly recommend Dead Souls itself.

Just Like Ice on the Dune - Baseball RPF | gen | pg | 26.5k

Tim Lincecum and Hector Sanchez do magic together and win the world series. Baseball fandom (writing fic or watching games) is weird bc you get very into these players who then retire and disappear, but I've kept a soft spot for these two. This is another one from my grad school misery period - I think I'm prouder of these bc they were very hard won haha. This fic totally consumed my December and I almost missed the Yuletide deadline but I had tons of fun writing about Baseball superstitions.

Mirror - Tortall (Tamora Pierce) | Jonathan/Thom | adult | 1.7k

Very early Nev foray into genderfuckery and toxic relationships. Really I only recommend this if you a) remember Tortall fondly but b) wish it was even more explicitly messy.

Tudor Spies and Perfidy - The Ten Stupidest Things I've Heard Since Richard III's Remains Were Identified | gen | pg | 700 words

Because I used to write so much for Yuletide, I have a lot of fics for internet ephemera. I think this one is especially fun and also the blog post is worth remembering. Read it if you love nonsense time travel and shaggy dog stories! Also, in the same genre, honorable mention to this fic about Michael Buble being stalked by a velociraptor.

Hypocrisy Was Our Text - Skyfall (Bond Movie) | Bond/Silva | Teen | 11.5k

Once, long ago, I was going to write a novel about Shakespeare. Then I scrapped it and used all of the research to write a Elizabethan retelling of Skyfall. This is soooo fun to me and if I had the power to compell all of you to read one fic on this list it would be this one. But. I also get very weird about teeth in here. If you like historical AUs but not weird teeth stuff, allow me to rec this 17th century Dr Who epic instead haha.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

u got any fic recs? mclennon or not idc

I haven't read that many yet, and honestly On Our Way Back Home is the only one I can think of right now that I finished/is complete and that I thoroughly enjoyed. As I said in another ask (that contains spoilers) it's flawed and some of it didn't feel accurate to me but it's pretty fun if you can stomach the length. The last few chapters are obscenely long but the beginning is a RIDE. Kind of YA-y in its writing style, which sometimes feels unfitting, but it makes it easy to digest, which helps make up for the length. It's kind of sexually explicit but not particularly graphic, usually skipping over details.

Two fics that are currently updating that I'm enjoying a lot:

1. I Want To Tell You by the lovely Lee / @mothernatures-sons. This one's a hurt/comfort thriller with joint kidnapping. I'm really enjoying the pacing and super excited for the character moments that are currently being set up.

2. with your own two hands I really like this story's characterization of John and am really looking forward to see how it tackles John and Paul's dynamic. It's an alternate timeline where John quit the band after Sgt. Pepper to be a fulltime actor (and also finds himself free to really start exploring MLM culture)

One that I'm currently reading (and is completed, though the sequel to it is still updating iirc) and lowkey think is a literary masterpiece (if having kind of OOC dialogue between John and Paul that reads kind of like a 19th century novel) is Carry That Weight. BUT HUGE TRIGGER WARNING FOR GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF RAPE & PTSD DEALING WITH IT. I find myself questioning the appropriateness of this story as a piece of RPF and can't call myself the foremost expert on dealing with the subject matter, but what I can definitely say is this story is NOT using rape as a device to further some ship-agenda and generally I find the subject is being handled in a respectful and realistic-seeming manner (characters take the victim [Paul] very seriously and there's an optimistic undercurrent, while never sugarcoating how deep the damage done to him is)

This fanfic has done the almost impossible of creating (at least) three likeable OCs and just has such high literary standards. There are like biblical and literature references in it?? HOWEVER this fic is longwinded lmao. There's a chapter where the entire plot is halted to give the backstory of an OC. As someone who's read the unabridged Les Mis though I love this and even when I wish the plot progressed a bit faster I can't help but be so impressed by the amount of care the author put into all this. I can't speak for the ending of the story yet but I just find it so enjoyable and touching, and of course justifiably horrifying. All the character dynamics in it are so fascinating. If you can stomach the premise I can really recommend it because I've never seen so much love and care put into a fanfiction and so much of it feels so deeply human to me.

[iberiandoctor]

Five Works in 2020

I was tagged by the lovely @angel-in-new-york-city! This was fun, thanks for letting me play!

Rules: Choose your 5 favourite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Here are five works, in seven different fandoms, in this past Year of the Plague.

1. The Adoration of the Earth: 

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Strange/Norrell, [E], 6,000+ words.

One should never flirt with odd books at Solstice-time in Faerie, as Mr Strange learns to his great chagrin.

My first JSMN fic, written for @threedomiciles in 2020′s Smut4Smut challenge. Writing explicit fic is challenging, and writing it in Susanna Clarke 19th C. pastiche even more so; still, I’m pleased with how things turned out! Plus, I live for esoteric footnotes ;)

2. The Lark and Her Lieutenants: 

Les Misérables  - Victor Hugo, Cosette/Marius, Enjolras/Grantaire, Valjean/Javert, [G], 18,585 words. 

While Cosette is stirring up the Revolution, Grantaire meets a young man in the Luxembourg Gardens.

My Les Mis Quarantine Edition Big Bang fic, a collaboration with the awesome @thebansacredbanned. Now with art from @sssara-b! In this story, Cosette and Enjolras swap roles: Enjolras is the shy ingenue, Cosette the revolutionary leader; Valjean just wants to get his daughter off the barricades.

3.  The Instruments of Their Master: 

La Comédie Humaine - Honoré de Balzac/19th Century CE France RPF, Corentin/Manuel, [E], 5,700 words. 

The Duke of Otranto had two protégés: one, a police spy; the other, a promising future Deputy. The lessons these men learned under his tutelage — none more during the Hundred Days, when the Republic hung on a knife’s edge of war and politics — left the one greater, the other more guilty.

My Yuletide treat for @kainosite, in very much a fandom of two; a crossover pairing between Balzac’s fictional police spy, Corentin, and noted 19th century French politician Jacques-Antoine Manuel. Set in France’s Hundred Days period, Napoleon’s spymaster Joseph Fouché pits his two protégés against each other so that they can better work together to secretly thwart old Boney; hatesex and politics and history collide!

4.  Diamonds Taking Shape ... : 

Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston/Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Alex/Henry, Nick/Rachel, [T], 4040 words.  

 … and an intersection with Crazy Rich Love (:winky face emoji:)

My Yuletide assignment for @legendaryguardian; when I saw I’d matched with them on both CRA and RW&RB, I knew I had to write this crossover! Alex & Henry visit Singapore, and have dinner with Nick & Rachel at Gardens by the Bay.

5.  The Age of Imagination and Experience: 

Call Me by Your Name, Elio/Oliver, Oliver/Michol, [M], 2/9 chapters. WIP.   

 “Ah – to have that kind of innocence, the innocence that seals the mind against imagination and the heart against experience!" A Gilded Age, The Age of Innocence AU.

I started writing this Gilded Age AU for the December CMBYN Challenge, though the way it’s going, it’ll be well into 2021 before it finishes! I have loved Wharton’s The Age of Innocence for more than half my life, and I couldn’t resist envisioning Elio as Ellen Olenska and Michol as May Welland, with Oliver as Newland Archer, the man in the middle. Having a bisexual male love interest in place of Wharton’s foreign divorcee is a different narrative proposition, and I am very much enjoying exploring 1870s New York society through Oliver’s eyes.

I’m tagging all the talented creators mentioned in this post, and anyone else who wants to join in - @breadcrumbsandstars, I know you wrote a lot last year? @saltedpin; @raspberryhunter, so did you guys!

[idanit]

Yuletide 2019 recs

Yuletide 2020 is upon us, so what better way to get into the spirit than to finally finish that rec post I started compiling months and months ago? For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, Yuletide is an annual exchange centred around small fandoms and I love it fiercely. If you have canons you love, but which don’t have much of a fandom, there’s no better way to get some content for them than to participate.

Yuletide 2019 was the first edition I took part in and I read around 60 stories from the collection. These are my favourites, loosely grouped by canons or themes. There’s some experimental stuff, some crack treated seriously, some fluff, some character studies, and lots of excellent writing and cool concepts inside. The fics are mostly very short and most of them are inspired by book canons because I’m me.

Girls from past centuries, now older

A niveous vignette, or a snow story Anne of Green Gables | T (F/F) | 1K Cozy winter fluff you can wrap around yourself like a blanket. Anne and Diana live together and Rachel Lynde makes sure the rest of Avonlea doesn’t whisper a single bad word about it.

A teacher’s work is never done Anne of Green Gables | G (F/F) | 0.3K ...and this is what Anne’s teaching life could be like if she lived with Diana. I loved this little glimpse into how an older queer person might support a stray younger one.

Altogether Too Queenly Anne of Green Gables | T (F/F) | 2K  Katherine Brooke longs for Anne Shirley despite herself. It was a really nice character study and Katherine is sometimes altogether too relatable.

Discipulae A Little Princess | G (F&F) | 6K Sara uses her fortune to learn new things and encourages Becky, who remains faithfully at her side, to also acquire new skills. They make sure that those who might be less fortunate have good lives, as they always did. It was a lovely and a wholly believable extension of the canon.

Secrets You Keep Alice in Wonderland | G | 0.1K And, at last, a little 100-word snack. Alice from Wonderland, grown up. I love the first sentence.

Children

Stretched Too Thin His Dark Materials | G | 1K This was a fic with some of my favourite things from this canon: Lyra’s Oxford years, rulebreaking, rooftopping, shapeshifting, and a focus on the relationship between her and Pan. Very nice.

Free To The People. A Series of Unfortunate Events | G | 1K An excellent Snicket voice. The Baudelaires in a library.

Iconic male duos of classic literature

Ubi sunt gaudia Raffles | G (M/M) | 5K  Raffles and Bunny and Christmas in the countryside, quite atmospheric.

Relics Frankenstein | G (M/M) | 5K Written like the novel is written—serious, heavy, slow and so good. Victor is dead, but Robert can’t move on just yet. The necessary conclusion of this one made something in me want to protest, which just goes to show that the fic made me feel things.

The Vast Unknown Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | G | 3K Aronnax doesn’t leave and things have to change. It reads like Verne, in a very good way, and contains some linguistic tidbits I really enjoyed.

beautiful meanings in ugly things The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde (Comics), The Picture of Dorian Gray | T (M/M) | 5K What delightful writing and characters. The investigation runs parallel to the romance, one complementing the other.

Full House 221B Baker Towers | NR | 9K A casefic made all the more interesting by the setting and the characterizations of John and Sherlock. I wish there was more of this to read.

beneath closed eyelids I do not cease to guard this  A Study in Emerald | T (M/M) | 2K A character study of Watson. I really liked the loving, desperate arms this fic extends towards the canon, once-removed (the Arthur Conan Doyle’s one) at the end.

Ancient times

New Under Heaven Akkadian Empire RPF | G | 0.3K Enheduanna was the first poet we know the name of. This is an intriguing triple drabble, a glimpse into what she might have been like.

Easy to Love Tanakh | G (M/F, M/M) | 1K This one has an extremely unusual narrative voice for a fic—one of an experienced, loud, oral, old-timey storyteller. It’s short, it’s chilling, it has an interesting idea, it reminds me of what fanfic can do as a piece of transformative writing.

Aliens, magic, ghosts and sentient vehicles

Strange Fandom Strange Planet | T | 0.1K A bite-sized explanation of what fics are, Strange Planet-style. 

Ain Humans Are Space Orcs (meme) | G | 1K Blessed be confusion! Two species meet on a planet that has been saved from a supernova blast. A fascinating glimpse into what feels like a rich world.

The Bargain 19th Century CE German Literature RPF | G | 4K There’s music and magic and deals made with folk creatures. I really enjoyed the main character—rational, but still a child with a childlike imagination—and the place art has in this world.

Rotten Heart Behind You (webcomic) | T | 5K  This one has a very fun protagonist for a ghost story and some enjoyable trope subversions. I called it a student gothic, the giftee called it an academic thriller.

12foot4 11Foot8 Bridge (anthropomorphic) | G | 2K An adorable story (very nicely) written for a cracky prompt. Cars and bridges are sentient and surprisingly relatable.

The Author of the Acacia Seeds

An Orchid Keeps Its Secrets G | 1K Art can sometimes transcend species. Orchids write fanfiction. I loved this so much—a worthy fic to a great canon.

Mother Bonesplitter's Children G | 2K This one is just as worthy. It’s a fictional academic paper related to a paradigm-shifting fictional conference about some fascinating ideas and hyenas.

4′33″

Portable 4′33″ G | 0K For starters: the experience of the piece, presented as an app/game for our modern sensibilities.

273 Moments of Silence. G (F/F, F/M) | 2K Sentences full of silence that IMO could work as guided meditation.

John Cage Collaborates with the Archive's Terms of Service G | 0K Socratic dialogue. Is 4'33" music? Is this a fanfic?

The Sound Of A Yuletide Fic Not Being Written. G | 1K And a fun meta thing to finish it off. If you’ve ever struggled with your Yuletide assignment, you will probably relate.

[triviareads]

Fic Writer Interview

Thanks you for tagging me @daphnejane 💖💖

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15 works

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

143,492 words

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

3...? Bridgerton, 39 Clues, and Pride and Prejudice. And also 19th Century RPF technically, and kinda-ish Atonement.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

do not go gentle into that senior year (just rage): Kathony Modern AU, in which Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton go to an elite NY prep school and are rivals who totally despise one another (or so they think).

as certain dark things are to be loved: In which Selina Bridgerton, illegitimate daughter of Anthony Bridgerton and Siena Rosso, navigates life, love and the ton in order to achieve her romantic and political goals.

she's not in the attic anymore: In which Kate and Siena are high school seniors and have a series of conversations on a roof.

None But You: Kathony oneshots, ranging from modern to historical to next-gen Charlotte Bridgerton shenanigans.

Snippets: A series of snippets centered around Amy Cahill and Ian Kabra and various 39 Clues characters.

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Absolutely. I love to chat and reply to any questions

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Alright so I've written the ending and not some of the middle bits which is why it hasn't been published yet, but in Blood and Birthright, there's a coup/summary execution.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Ah no, I haven't.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don't think so.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I'm trying!!! I've been working on a scene to practice and I really would like to publish it someday.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated.

No.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not yet.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Viktor/Hermione... or Col. Fitzwilliam/Lizzy Bennet in the one fic I've read them in... idk, I'm honestly an equal-opportunity shipper. If it's written well, I'll probably enjoy it.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Daughter of Pemberley, my very first fic which was P&P's next generation-based.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. I could just have two people sitting around and just verbally going at it for an entire story (fun fact: I pretty much did with she's not in the attic anymore, and to a lesser extent with The Courtship of Charlotte Bridgerton).

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing action- it's a stress. There are so many specific pretty words and arrangements of words out there but somehow my mind gravitates towards the same 4 (or so it feels like).

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

As long as it's not used to exoticize other cultures and makes sense in the context it's being used, I'm chill. I've probably thrown in an Indian word or two in my fics (ashirvad, pallu, etc.). Something I find deeply hilarious is when characters use foreign terms of endearment but never say another word in that language.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Pride and Prejudice!

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

probably The Courtship of Charlotte Bridgerton. It's all romantic drama and verbal sparring with a lot of focus on a woman's role in society and how people circumvent (Bridgerton) convention in their own, quiet ways.

Anyone who wants to join, you've been tagged!

[weeesi]

2017 Fic in Review Tag Game

Thanks for the tag, @ggaypilot!!

Total number of completed stories: 22 total; 6 in 2017

Total word count: 191,674 total; 29,926 in 2017

Fandoms written in: During 2017 - BBC Sherlock and something ao3 likes to call “19th Century CE RPF - Arts and Sciences” which is the super cool fandom name for Lewis and Clark fic. I’ve also written two fics for The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller fandom (yay book fandoms!)

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

Less, very much less. S4 of Sherlock totally derailed me. I’d finished my novel-length fic A Ritual to Read to Each Other in December, and then s4 happened, and...yeah. I didn’t write anything at all for five months. 

Slowly but surely have been writing more, but it’s still hard.

What’s your own favorite story of the year?

Probably Cock, which is a stream-of-consciousness bit about them getting together one night in summer, a hot, humid-close night...

Did you take any writing risks this year?

See above! I’ve tried to expand my writing style to include more unconventional approaches to conceptualising characters’ thought processes, narrative action, etc. Surprisingly enough it’s way more fun and way easier to write in this style for me personally, than it is to do ‘subject-verb-object’ over and over again.

I also took a big risk with working on my first piece of historical fiction! Called No Man on Earth, it highlights the relationship between Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, two American explorers who led the Corps of Discovery across the West in the early 19th century. Researching and writing that has been an absolute joy, but it’s currently on a bit of a hiatus. Audience response has been (predictably, understandably) low, but the readers who’ve given it a shot have been wonderfully supportive and generous with their feedback. 

Do you have any fanfic or profit goals for the new year?

Up first is finishing my fake-relationship/alternate first meeting/rom-com Hello You, which grew from a little drabble of an idea into a monster. A rom-com monster. A rocomonster, if you will. Then finishing Hands-Free, which is about Sherlock literally getting stuck in the shower and dirty-talking himself into coming untouched.

...A few other ideas are percolating. 

I’d like to actually write for money someday? What a concept.

Best story of the year?

I don’t know if I’d say ‘best’ in terms of literary prowess, but I'm proud of Limited Edition and Biohazard if only for the fact that I wrote the first in three days and the second in one.

Most popular story of the year?

Britain’s Favourite Summer Cup. Involves Pimms cups and fucking on the floor.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

In terms of 2017 contributions, I’m quite partial to a chapter called Firsts in my ficlet series The Measure of Men. It’s one of my initial attempts to play with an impressionistic writing style.

Most fun story to write:

Either No Man on Earth (who doesn’t love researching 18th century boat construction methods, amirite) or Limited Edition, because novelty sex toys.

Story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters & most unintentionally telling story:

Perceptions of the characters: I’d have to say No Man on Earth again, because I went into it thinking it would be pretty easy to knock out a slow-burn love story. Turns out it’s brought up a lot of issues for me when contextualising what actually happened on that expedition. These two men obviously felt great affection for each other, but were capable of truly horrific actions against enslaved and indigenous people. It feels complicated to write a love story for characters you also want to criticise and condemn, and that’s something I've grappled with.

Unintentionally telling: I write a lot of smutty stuff for the Sherlock fandom, and there’s always a bit of unintentional telling when you write smut, imho. I mean, it comes out of your head, so...

Biggest disappointment:

I wouldn’t say it’s a disappointment, but I do feel that the writing in No Man on Earth is some of the best I've ever done, and it would be great to share that with more people.

Biggest surprise: 

Probably the response to Cock. Let’s just say it went over well.

I’m tagging @conversationswithjohnlock @hubblegleeflower @may-shepard @odamakilock @holmesianpose @watsonshoneybee @hudders-and-hiddles @green-violin-bow @discordantwords  and anyone else who’d like to play!

[cimness]

The new disclaimers

This post is going around about legal disclaimers on fanfiction, complete with (hahaha) comments from people who've never heard of them.

The disclaimers on real person fiction, in contrast, used to be that you were not the person in question or affiliated and that the events described were entirely fictitious and not intended to be taken as assertions so please don't sue (because otherwise someone could conceivably sue for libel).

There was also a fun period where people just copied their headers from other people with an increasing quantity of "I'm not the characters and I don't know them" disclaimers on fpf and "I don't own canon and am making no profit" disclaimers on rpf, sometimes accompanied by bemused commentary from the writer ("How could I own a real person?" "I'm not them... obviously... because they're not real... why do we write these things?").

With the advent of Pete Wentz and other celebrities who made it clear they had read fanfiction, rpf disclaimers swerved to encompass "If this fic is about you, please don't say I didn't warn you and don't leave comments. This means you, Pete." 

And now recently, on almost every rpf fic I read I see, "If you got here by googling your name, please turn back right now!"

My question is: is nobody else made of contrariness? 

Haven't you heard of Just Plain Ornery? 

There is no disclaimer more calculated to make me read something than this command. 

If I found something by googling the name of me/someone I knew, the odds that I'd stop reading due to some random nitpick (”That would NEVER happen in Norway”/”Uh, do you know NOTHING about 19th century architecture?!”) are astronomical UNLESS it said that, in which case I'd be like "FUCK YOU, I'M READING EVERY SINGLE COMMA, NO MATTER HOW MISPLACED!"

Is that just me?