#theredheadedcaptain

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

9, 14, 15? ✨

Thank you for the Asks!

9. Write a recommendation of someone else's fic you enjoyed!

@theredheadedcaptain finished her long fic Celestial Storms almost exactly 1 year ago. This was the story that made me first fall in love with her story telling.

It's a beautiful post Endgame J/C romance with a robust ensemble cast (and some thoroughly engaging original characters!) It follows J/C through a new mission, an encounter with old enemies, and introduces a well handled interpersonal conflict that speaks to class tensions between former Maquis and other edge-of-the-Federation characters and the Earth-centric human Starfleet characters. In short I loved everything about it. The action and adventure, the political undertones and social commentary and the romance - omg the romance! It is a can't miss long fic!

14. Is there a character or ship you were so sure you would never write/draw but now you've changed your mind?

I struggled conceptualizing Seven of Nine when I first started writing Voyager fic. She seemed like a canonical mess of contradictions - first because of how the costuming objectified her in an extremely uncomfortable way - and then how the narrative really didnt deal well with how it must have felt being sexualized - by crewmates and her doctor and aliens - having just barely left the borg where her body was something that was probably only conceptualized in strictly functional terms (its own kind of objectification). All of her voyager era romance plotlines really squicked me for a long time (dont let me fall into my Doctor/Seven rant 😆)

And then two things happened.

(1) Picard came out and Seven had a queer romantic arc with Raffi.

(2) I met my wife, who had been a neurodivergent closeted teen in a much more social-norms-concious community than I'd grown up in, talking to me about how shed intensely studied and tried to emulate traditionally feminine things and had boyfriends as a way to "fit in" without actually knowing how it was supposed to feel

And suddenly a lot of things that never used to click with me about Seven - confusion about attraction and dating and insistence on performing heteronormatic romantic gestures as if dating was some essential part of being an individual - all of those offputting sexist storylines from the Voyager era looked a lot more like queer and neurodivergent coded behaviors.

And then Seven became a lot more intriguing and understandable to me on rewatches (Queer and Neurodiverent being neither of the things the original 90s character creators probably indented when they stuck her in the catsuit and had the Doctor give her social lessons)  And shes now become a lot more fun to write now that I have an interpretation of her that jives with me.

15. Have you noticed your style change over time?

I dont know if i could pin point any one thing. but its like... I enjoy my own writing a lot more in the past 3-4 years than I did before. i feel more confident about it. A lot of that was rebuilding a writing community around me on discord (losing the in person one I had in college had me floundering for a while) and the second part was finding a planning process that worked for me - ive become a lot more confident that i can outline an idea, put it in a drawer and know that i can pick it up a few weeks or months later and have a solid blueprint for how to write that story.

Ive also gotten more concise and more conscious of a story's scope (i can finish a long fic in about 80-90k rather than 200k). And ive also gotten a lot more comfortable with the creative ebb and flow i tend to go through. just generally a lot more confident and comfortable with my craft. i know thats not the specific question but its definitely had a positive impact on my overall storytelling too.

[curator-on-ao3]

Writing Tag Game

Big thanks to @emilie786 and @theredheadedcaptain for tagging me! 💕 Both tags made me smile. ❤️

Game: If the word provided is in your WIP document, answer with the sentence (or more) containing the word.

@theredheadedcaptain tagged me with the word “jealous.” That word doesn’t appear in my WIP.

@emilie786 tagged me with the word “family,” which does appear in my WIP:

“I needed to …” Damn. She’s rehearsed this. “I needed to say I’m sorry for what happened and that Starfleet Medical should have done more to help you. I also wanted to say I’m sorry for not appreciating your friendship and how kind you always were to everyone, including me. After you left, the Enterprise started to feel smaller, tougher, less like a family. At least for me. I’ve tried to help Captain Decker — Will Decker, Matt Decker’s son — as we’ve worked through the refit, tried to encourage him to enlarge rooms to be more the way you had them, to get him to understand how a captain can make a ship a home. But I have to admit I’ve been distracted by this.”

She digs in her medical bag, pulls out a padd and holds it toward Chris, her fingers trembling.

What if he says no?

(Yeah, I’m still working on that same Chapel/Pike story and enjoying the heck out of the Chris/Christine dynamic.)

For anyone who wants to play the Writing Tag Game, I hereby tag you with the word “eyebrow.”

[curator-on-ao3]

Man, oh man, is there a lot to unpack here.

First, @theredheadedcaptain, thank you so, so much for recommending one of my J/P stories, and I’m deeply, deeply honored to be in such esteemed company on your rec list. 💕

Second, @gone-to-ground, yes. Yes to being unable to separate the character from the actor’s toxicity. Yes to deep discomfort with the racism built into the character, himself (including the native people’s advisor who was already established as a fraud, other production-side bad choices, etc.). Yes to disinterest or aversion to J/C as a ship being a roadblock to — some — Voyager fandom socialization.

But also no, in that you are not the problem here, and no, in that you shouldn’t feel the need to become desensitized to something that bothers you. Your feelings are valid. Your taste is valid. Also, there are plenty of Voyager fans who aren’t interested in J/C one way or another. Some ship other things (like J/7 or J/P). Others don’t ship at all. J/C shippers can be loud — and that’s fine, people should enjoy what they love — but they are far from the entire Voyager fandom, and that’s okay.

Third, if you don’t already follow her, I recommend @grissomesque’s blog for J/P fanfic, J/P meta, J/P gifs, and all the rest.

And, finally, fourth — multishipping. I love multishipping, which is why I’ve written stories that pair Janeway with each member of her crew except Tuvok and Neelix — mostly because I read stories for those pairings that were so breathtakingly good that I felt satisfied. (I can rec those for anyone who is interested.) Multishipping Janeway makes me happy and I hope everyone who enjoys multishipping can feel proud to enjoy pairings regardless of popularity.

In conclusion, so much appreciation and validation to you both and to everyone reading this. Your fandom preferences are yours to enjoy (the tagging carefully wish should come true as part of that) and the honesty and thoughtfulness and kindness displayed here, I feel, are absolutely lovely fandom behavior. ❤️

maybe it's because Chakotay was literally all i had for ongoing indigenous rep for me as a kid and yet the writing was wildly racist, fraudulent and Mystical Red Man, which hurt me a lot to realize when I grew up enough to see it, and maybe it's because Beltran's turned into such an unpleasant person, and maybe it's because adult me finds the character a bit of a self-involved ass, but I went from shipping Janeway/Chakotay to the point of manic insanity and regular crying about their doomed-ness at ages 11 to 15, to indifference, to now in my 30s barely being able to tolerate Chakotay in my rewatches let alone contemplate shipping him with anyone.

like, i do ship Janeway/Paris a lot but I did used to happily multi ship, and I do multi ship in more fandoms than not, it's just that I soured on the character so completely that it's no longer possible for me. And it's the most popular pairing in the voyager fandom as far as I can tell, and seems incredibly popular in wider SF/F 90s renaissance fandom, so having J/C be a huge NOTP for me has been an unexpectedly solid roadblock for me getting into the fandom socially. idk i guess i need to get desensitized or something because this is a stupid issue to have!!

(tho also i wish people tagged way more carefully lol 🫠)

[what-happens-to-the-heart]

It is Cohen time everyone!!!

So excited to see what everyone will share this year.

To our participants: @marymoss1971 (VOY), @auguststargazer (VOY), BlackVelvet42 (TBD) @jellybeansarecool (TBD), @pc-corner (SNW), @70thousandlightyearsfromhome (VOY), @seemaunbound (VOY), @regionalpancake (PIC), Servelan (TBD), @go-tell-the-bees (VOY), @elephant-in-the-pride-parade (PRO), @muizeke83 (VOY), @sun-lit-roses (VOY), @mytardisisparked (ENT), @rocktherecorder (PIC or VOY), @grissomesque (VOY), @baylardo (PRO), @madamairlock (VOY), @whathappenstotheheart (SNW), @theredheadedcaptain (TBD), @gluecookie (DS9), @littleobsessions90 , @curator-on-ao3 and @fiadorable (SNW) — Here are some reminders for when you share your work!

Q: How do you make sure your work is shared by our Tumblr?

A: If you post your work on tumblr, you can @what-happens-to-the-heart or this year's moderator @elephant-in-the-pride-parade and I will make sure to reblog your work! If you don't post to tumblr, kindly send an Ask with a link to your work. This way I can make sure everyone's creativity get's celebrated.

Q: How do I post to the AO3 collection?

A. This AO3 instruction will walk you through each step. I also know not everyone on AO3 is comfortable posting directly to a collection - thats okay! I will create a collection bookmark to your work so that anyone perusing the event collection will still find it.

Q: What if I do not post work to AO3?

A: I will include links to non-AO3 works in that event collection's description. I will also make a post on Tumblr at the end of the fest with links to every person's work!

Q: what do I do if I am not done by my sign up date?

A: It's okay! Just send a message to let me know you are still working on it. I will keep an eye out for belated submissions and do my best to update the AO3 collection and Tumblr quickly to include your work! (And remember if you're writing a fic, it is okay to post just the first chapter for Cohen)

Q: What if I post earlier than my post date?

A: (Then you have a super power and myself and my legendary procrastination skills are very envious of it.) If you post your work early I will queue it up to promote on your original sign up date.

[cnroth]

In a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you’d like)

Thank you to @pc-corner for tagging me!

In spite of everything, she was optimistic and strong, pressing onward with hope that was tempered by realism but not suffocated by cynicism.

That’s too many words for tags, and I don’t know who’s still around and writing but here you go @seema-unbound @cherry-jamx @cheile @trekflower @go-tell-the-bees @mylittleredgirl @theredheadedcaptain @regionalpancake @70thousandlightyearsfromhome @rikerssexblouse

[abunchoflonesomeheroes]

Only 4 days left...

The first of May is approaching rapidly and I hope everyone has their stories ready.

We will be in for a treat on our first day of the Merry Month of Cohen as both @caladeniablue​ and @theredheadedcaptain​ will delight us with some good VOY fiction! Stay tuned.

PS: It is still time to join! The more the merrier!

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

@coffee-in-that-nebula awww 🥰🥰🥰🥰 ur tag so nice.

Hey @theredheadedcaptain: almost exactly like 1 year ago you had this awesome sauce idea for a writing discord community. Reflecting on 2022, I am so grateful that you did. 1 year later it has brought so much joy, encouragement, and so many great friends into my life - and lots of awesome writing too. I cant wait for all the discussions, fun times, and workshops we're gonna have in 2023. ❤

REBLOG if you have amazing, talented WRITER friends.

Because I certainly do, and I love every single one of them and their work.

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

I couldn't finish the Prodigy fic in time. So here is my entry for @what-happens-to-the-heart.

@theredheadedcaptain kicked me out of my writers block by saying to: "Just write the angstiest opening scene you can think of."

So here it is. 😁😈

Euridice

[singeart]

I posted 40 times in 2022

That's 26 more posts than 2021!

34 posts created (85%)

6 posts reblogged (15%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@harumeau

@theredheadedcaptain

@well-and-true

@singeart

@startrekthespooktacular

I tagged 40 of my posts in 2022

#star trek voyager - 27 posts

#voy - 27 posts

#st voy - 22 posts

#singeart - 17 posts

#kathryn janeway - 15 posts

#captain janeway - 14 posts

#janeway x chakotay - 13 posts

#j/c - 9 posts

#st fanart - 8 posts

#doodles - 7 posts

Longest Tag: 132 characters

#i knew abt tau ceti prime from idk the wiki or fanfics and sort of knew she was responsible but to read abt it and then find out she

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

135 notes - Posted January 5, 2022

#4

See the full post

138 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

#3

“Captain, I do back flips every single day of my life.”

inspired by this post

196 notes - Posted August 13, 2022

#2

218 notes - Posted March 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

372 notes - Posted July 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[what-happens-to-the-heart]

Merry Month of Cohen, 2024

Now the angel's got a fiddle, the devil's got a harp Every soul is like a minnow, every mind is like a shark May have broken every window, but the house The house is dark, I care but very little What happens to the heart ~ L. Cohen

May 1-15: Get caught in the darkness for another year.  

Welcome to the sixth Cohen-based Star Trek fandom event, carrying on the tradition begun with Leonard Cohen and the Merry Month of May, organized by the incomparable @mia-cooper in 2019. I have the honor of organizing this year's event.

This year’s twist: Never the same again - some how the character(s) are fundamentally altered by their experience.

You know the drill (the same procedure as every year):

1. Pick a Leonard Cohen song, or multiples of. Any Cohen lyrics as long as they sing dark and angsty thoughts to you.

2. Pick a date in the first fortnight of May only (Wed 1st May – Wed 15th May). If there is an avalanche of fanworks coming this way, we’ll double up on the day.

3. Pick a Star Trek fandom, or a mash-up of ST fandoms. Mix DS9 and Picard if you so wish, but no crossovers with non-Star-Trek fandoms.

4. Message this blog with your chosen date, the Star Trek fandom(s) you’ve picked, and the type of fanwork you’ll be producing. View Sign Ups here!

5. Message this blog for any questions / changes etc…

6. Post your angst-filled fanwork on your chosen date.

7. Message this blog with the details of where your fanwork is posted, and tag your Tumblr post with #what-happens-to-the-heart

8. If posting on AO3, add your fanwork to the collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/What_Happens_to_the_Heart

9. Follow this blog for updates.

Tagging all the creators from the last years. No obligation to participate this year of course, but please reblog to others: @caladeniablue, @theredheadedcaptain, @70thousandlightyearsfromhome, @marymoss1971, @seemaunbound, @pc-corner, @hauntedmoonchaos, @grissomesque, @cnrothtrek, @lipstickonmylabcoat, @madamairlock, @littleobsessions90, @mia-cooper​, @whathappenstotheheart, @regionalpancake, @a-little-squirrely-sunshine

[abunchoflonesomeheroes]

All slots are taken!

Congrats and thanks for anyone signing up, we have all the slots filled! Awesome, this May will be glorious. For all of those late to the party: Have no fear to sign up even if slots are full, we can do double! Alright folks, hit your keyboards and torture your characters!

Here are all the brave people who have taken the endeavour to write this year. Looking forward to your brillant writing everyone!

1: Caladenia @caladeniablue VOY and @theredheadedcaptain​ VOY

2: 70thousandlightyearsfromhome @70thousandlightyearsfromhome VOY

3: marymoss1917 @marymoss1971 PIC

4: seemaunbound @seemaunbound VOY or PIC

5: CAMIR @pc-corner VOY

6: hauntedmoonchaos @hauntedmoonchaos VOY

7: Servalan VOY or PIC

8: grissomesque @grissomesque VOY

9: cnroth @cnrothtrek VOY

10: lipstickonmylabcoat @lipstickonmylabcoat VOY, SNW or LD

11: madameairlock @madamairlock VOY

12: littleobsessions @littleobsessions90 VOY and @mia-cooper​ VOY

13: whathappenstotheheart @whathappenstotheheart TNG

14: regionalpancake @regionalpancake PIC and Anonymous (cannot access the message anymore) DS9

15: a little squirrely sunshine @a-little-squirrely-sunshine TNG and BlackVelvet VOY

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

9 7 People You Want to Get to Know Better

Tagged by @curator-on-ao3. - TY!!!❤️

Last Song: Glitter and Gold by Barns Courtney

Favorite Color: Cranberry Red and Violet

Last film/show: Poldark (my wife is obsessed with historical dramas)

Sweet/savory/spicy: Savory!!!!

Last thing I googled: How to do a concatenate formula in a calculated Power BI column (one of those things I purportedly know how to do but always forget the calculated column syntax)

Last Book: Still reading Unmasking Autism by Devan Price

Relationship status: Married to the most fabulous lady💕

Current Obsession(s): J/C, Sailor Moon, Putting way to much thought into Star Trek's interplanetary politics, and recently procrastinating on crocheting.

Tagging: @fourforyouodo @serinmatheson1 @baylardo @maliciousalice @mytardisisparked @jellybeansarecool @theredheadedcaptain and YOU, if you want to play. 🥳

[25daysofvoyager]

Sign Ups Close on 12/1

Check below to make sure we’ve signed you up on the correct days. We welcome multiple sign ups per day so if you think you’d like to create a fanwork - reach out by ask, reply, reblog, or by DMing the fest coordinators @elephant-in-the-pride-parade and @gijane-7702. We know December is a busy month so don't stress - belated submissions for the day(s) you sign up for are accepted.

Who’s Signed up for the 25 Days of Voyager:

@gijane-7702

@elephant-in-the-pride-parade

@70thousandlightyearsfromhome

@seemaunbound 

@rrr-nightingale

windwillow69

@theredheadedcaptain

@70thousandlightyearsfromhome

@baylardo

@elephant-in-the-pride-parade

@i-belong-to-too-many-fadoms / @divinemissem13

@katlovefanfic

@katlovefanfic / @maliciousalice

@theartmeg

@a-little-squirrely-sunshine

@ignisgalaxia

@pixiedane / @madamairlock

@commandermeg

@jellybeansarecool

@gmo-fruit

@elephant-in-the-pride-parade

CAMIR

@lipstickonmylabcoat

@gijane-7702

@coffee-in-that-nebula

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

@theredheadedcaptain the story of how we became friends. in entirety 😆

Tweet by Heather Hogan:

Straight friend: Will you sensitivity read my book for my lesbian best friend character?

Me, two weeks later: The lesbian best friend is absolutely perfect. Here's 16 pages of notes detailing the incorrect things you said about Star Trek.

5:32 PM on 2/25/24

[what-happens-to-the-heart]

That's a Wrap Folks!

We are coming to a close on another year of beautiful fanwork for the angstiest fest!

Next week:

I'll be reaching out to anyone who's Cohen work isn't up yet, just to check in and see where you're at.

Any works i have not had the chance to get to yet will be getting a comment 🥳

i'll put out a master post with links to all the Cohen works from this year, and i'll update it with any that are posted later.

If you make any updates, post new chapters, or any works inspired by the one you did for Cohen, tag this blog! i'd love to give your work another shout out.

@marymoss1971 , @auguststargazer BlackVelvet42, @jellybeansarecool, @pc-corner , @70thousandlightyearsfromhome , @seemaunbound , @regionalpancake, Servelan , @go-tell-the-bees @elephant-in-the-pride-parade , @muizeke83 , @sun-lit-roses, @mytardisisparked , @rocktherecorder , @grissomesque , @baylardo , @madamairlock @whathappenstotheheart , @theredheadedcaptain , @gluecookie , @littleobsessions90 , @curator-on-ao3 and @fiadorable

[burntheparameters]

Are there any good smutty stories that have Janeway / Chakotay in a threesome with another woman? With some jealousy happening?

Asking for a friend, of course.

Also has anyone written or read a story where KJ walks in on C7? Terrible I know but my mind is in a weird place. I mean my friend’s mind.

@jccutthroatfiction

@emilie786

@iodessa

@cruisedirector

@manalyzer13

@neverenough37

@spengie

@voyagirl47

@theredheadedcaptain