Lurker Central

(which is of course totally different from the pants party.:)

Internets, I have had a day. Not a bad day, really, but just a day of running around going "That thing! Where is that thing?", then finding it and ten minutes later having to go "That other thing! Where is that other thing?" And on top of that it's rainy and blargh and traffic was wretched and I have to do dishes in a bit.

And while I can't watch the premiere tonight I still want to celebrate, so here's what we're doing: prompt me.

Give me a one word (or two or three, whatever) prompt

OR

request a missing scene/coda/timestamp/what-have-you from something I've written


and I'll write you comment fic. See? Party!

(It may not happen immediately, but I promise I will answer every prompt!)

ETA: I am working on everything! *flail!* The party will go all weekend, so anyone who came late feel free to join in!

No excuses. Everyone needs love.

THE ANON OR NOT LOVE MEME

If any of you are also in there, link me and I'll love you!

Wait. That sounded wrong.

*HUGS*

So apparently whoever's in charge of the polls on the syfy.co.uk doesn't actually watch the shows, because Misha wound up on the Sexy Sci-fi Babes poll (and he is a sexy babe, just, um, not the way everyone else of that list is.:) Either that or whatever intern was in charge of putting that together was a fan and couldn't talk the powers that be into having three actors from Supernatural on the Sexy Hunks poll and slipped his name in hoping the editors wouldn't do a basic google search. And if so, it worked, so hey, good
job.


So obviously Misha got on twitter and exhorted everyone to help him win the poll to, and I quote, "send the internet into an exploding orgy of gender anarchy." Which I think we can all agree is a noble goal, right?

***

Yesterday's question on the fanfic meme was about whether one prefers canon or fanon, and I realized that I didn't mention personal canon at all, because I do a lot of that. Sometimes personal canon shows up in fic but I have lots of background detail floating around my head that haven't found a way out yet.

As an example, here's five bits of personal canon I haven't yet used (but may in the future):

1) For a while John, Ellen and Bill had a nice poly thing going on, up until John realized he was starting to fall for Ellen and started to overthink everything, both out of guilt for feeling something like that for someone other than Mary and because he didn't realize that Bill's reaction would have been, "Well, of course you're in love with my wife. Who wouldn't fall in love with my wife? Now pass me another beer, would ya?" Then Bill died before they could resolve anything and John went on to torture himself about it for the rest of his life, wondering if he'd let Bill die because he wanted Ellen. This despite the clear fact that he would have set himself on fire if it could have saved Bill. (Look, Dean comes by some of his issues honestly.)

2) Castiel and Uriel were the two angels who visited Lot in Sodom.

3) The reason things came to a head when they did in 4.20 was because Uriel wasn't there to run interference anymore.

4) The reason it looks like Cas' clothes don't fit in 5.04 is because they're Dean's. It was just a matter of convenience for him to borrow Dean's stuff when his own clothes got ruined and he didn't have the mojo to fix them anymore, and Dean just never got around to getting Cas clothes of his own. And he refuses to admit that part of the reason for that is he likes seeing Cas walking around in his old clothes.

5) Another 2014 one: the real reason Cas started in with the heavy drugs, not just the painkiller and stims everyone took but the hard stuff, was because Lucifer found Cas fascinating and made a hobby of walking through his dreams the moment Cas was human enough to have them. And since Dean was destroyed over Sam saying yes in the first place, he felt he couldn't go to Dean with this, so he just sort of...dealt with it the best he could. Mostly by taking anything he could to keep from dreaming --- which of course didn't help things with Dean at all.

***

Thirty Days of Fanfic

16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?

Summaries are torture. Torture. There's nothing worse than that feeling of having a fic all ready to post and realizing you have to come up with a summary.

( The Other Days )

I'm behind on the fanfic meme, but hey, let's do this one too!

The one who seduced you, screwed you over, broke your heart in a million pieces, and laughed about it.

Smallville. I was surprised a week or so ago to realize how many ~feelings~ I still have about Smallville. And more accurately, with Smallville it's more like "the one who seduced you then changed into a completely different person but still showed just enough flashes of the one you fell in love with that even though it was completely over when they said 'hey baby, c'mon, give me one last shot, it can be like the old days,' you listen and get your heart stomped on all over again."

Ahem. Like I said. ~feelings~

The old flame you don't see very often any more but whom you still really enjoy getting together with for a few drinks and maybe a pleasant nostalgic romp

Left 4 Dead 2. Nick/Ellis is my happy funtime pairing.

The mysterious dark one whom you used to sit up with talking until 3 AM at weird coffee houses and with whom you were quite smitten until you realized s/he really was fucking crazy.

Watchmen. I've never in my life had such a hard time writing for a canon I loved so passionately.


The one you spent a whole weekend in bed with and who drank up all your liquor and whom you'd still really like to get with again, although you're relieved s/he doesn't actually live in town

Heroes. Someday I'll finish that Five Years Gone Peter/Claude story I've got plotted out somewhere.

The steady

Doctor Who. My forever show, whether or not I'm currently writing fic for it.

The alluring stranger whom you've flirted with at parties but have never gotten really serious with.

B5, Star Trek and Star Wars. I love all those canons but I've rarely felt the urge to write for them or seek out fic, although I'll happily devour anything recced to me (the exception to SW is Thrawn/Pelleaon, but I still haven't actually finished anything for them.) Harry Potter, too.

The one you hang out with and have vague fantasies about maybe having a thing with, but ultimately you're just good buddies

Firefly. Jossverse in general, really.

The one your friends keep introducing you to and who seems like a hell of a cool person except it's never really gone anywhere.

Sherlock? Maybe when I watch that last episode.

The one who's slept with all your friends, and you keep looking at them and thinking, "How the hell did they land all these cool people?"

This is exactly how I felt when SGA took over my flist back in the day.:)

The one who gave you the best damned summer of your life and against whom you measure all other potential partners:

Oh, X-Men fandom. I'm only on LJ in the first place because I followed the comics!fic writers here.

The one you recently met at a party and would like to get to know better:

Oh, Human Target. How our romance was cut tragically short!

The old flame that you wouldn't totally object to hooking up with again for a one night romp if only they'd clean up a bit:

Iron Man movieverse. I honestly don't think I've read or thought about writing fic for Iron Man since the second movie. Maybe when the Avengers movie comes out.

Your hot new flame:

I suppose this would have to be Supernatural? But really, SPN is more, "That fun friend you never really saw that way but who came back from summer break with an awesome new haircut that made you go, "Hey, why not? Could be fun," then a month later you're living in his apartment and you haven't left the house in days and even though you know it's going to end in tears you're having so much fun you don't care."

The one who stole your significant other:

...Can I say Smallville again? I feel like the later seasons did that to the show I loved.

Since I have every fic in the world due in September, the plan was to relax after that, work on some WiPs, maybe do Yuletide again and that's it.

So of course today I signed up for this:



Because I am weak, people.

***

Thirty Days of Fanfiction Day Eleven:

11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?

Oh, hurt/comfort, without a doubt. Even my fluffiest of fluff fics tend to come with a dash of h/c, either physical or emotional. I like characters taking care of each other and my soft spot for rescue fics and bedside vigils means h/c is going to pop up all the time.

( The Other Days )

LJ! How I've missed you! *hugs!* I can answer comments!

DDOS attacks aside, I've been so buried in RL work that I haven't been able to touch my computer in days. That's going to be the state of affairs for this weekend too, sadly, but I'm carving out some happy internet/writing time tonight in the desperate hope I can get this story done.

I did have a remarkably good day. Nice, quiet, Got Stuff Done. I hate to say it, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that my supervisor has been out for three days. I love the woman, I do, but she's a walking ball of stress and she makes everyone around her a ball of stress.

What else...ooh, yes, on Tuesday I came home to find the fairies had left Supernatural: the Anime on my doorstep (because my family loves me and wants me to be happy and enables my dorkiness). I haven't gotten the chance to do more than stare lovingly at the cover, but I'm looking forward to it. There's a good mix of anime original content mixed in the the episode retellings, and I can't tell you how pleased I am to have new sort-of canon to carry me through the long, long wait until Sept. 13. And honestly? I'm really interested in how Sam and Dean talk in Japanese. I've never seen a Western show translated into Japanese like this (plenty the other way around, of course) and I'm wondering if my guesses will be on target. I'm betting that Dean's the type to throw omae around when he's not playing a role, and I'm wondering if Sam will be using boku in the beginning and if that will change (the time span mixes seasons 1 & 2, ending with "All Hell Breaks Loose."). And I'm really curious what Sam will call Dean in Japanese; I can't think off the top of my head of an anime where a younger brother calls the elder by name all the time, so it should be some kind of honorific. Nii-chan feels a little young. Ani-ki, maybe?

(This is why I'm hoping they do further seasons so we can get to the angels, aside from the fact that anime loves drawing angels: I'm dying to know how they'll talk. What "you" will Cas use? Would he use a different one for Dean? (doujins would spontaneously spring into being if that were the case. Would it start to drift as he starts falling in S5? Would the angels use the same gender divided way of speaking as the humans or would Anna's word choice be the same as Cas or Uriel's? Language is awesome!)

Yes, I'm a nerd. As you were.

***

Thirty Days of Fanfiction Day Nine:

9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?

Supernatural is obviously Dean/Cas and...hmm. I have a Uriel/Cas story waiting patiently on my hard drive right now, and I'm writing Dean/Cas/Lisa for my Birthdayfest fic in Sept. I like Cas/Anna, especially the bittersweet, longing Cas/Anna, and I like Dean/Cas/Anna even more (I have a half-plotted out "When The Levees Break" AU that goes along those lines). And I have a real fondness for Cas/Jo; I have a half-plotted out "Abandon All Hope" AU that goes in that direction.

But still, even the fics where he isn't with Dean he's still with Dean, if that makes any sense. If there isn't some profound bonding going on it doesn't feel right to me. Sigh. My OTP, let me show you it.

In Heroes I was all about Peter/Claude and to a lesser extent Claude/Bennet. Claude was what got me writing Heroes in the first place and no other character really stepped up to fill that role once he was gone. He was basically my Castiel for that fandom.

For Doctor Who my pairing was Doctor/Rose, especially Nine/Rose. I also ship Jack/Doctor (especially Jack/Doctor/Rose) and Fitz/Doctor, because Fitz is adorable.

Left 4 Dead 2, the only pairing I write is Nick/Ellis, and in JLU I ship Question/Huntress hard.

( The Other Days )

7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?

If we're talking about writing fic, I wouldn't say I've had my opinion of a character change by writing them. I have I always like a character more after writing them, simply because once I've managed to crawl inside a character's head enough to write them it's hard to not empathize with him just a bit more, even if what goes on in their head is completely cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

I've definitely had my opinion of characters change by reading fic, though. The most recent example is probably 2014!Dean, who I basically wanted to through rotten fruit at until I read some fic that put him in a more sympathetic light. I still want to grab him by his shoulders until hi brain starts working again, but at least now I can see where he's coming from.

( The other days )

***

Broke 9K! Whooooo! It finally feels like there's light at the end of this tunnel.

I'm so behind! How am I failing so badly at memeage?

Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Day Five

5 –If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?

I'm not sure if this quite counts, but Lindsey wasn't even supposed to be in Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down. In the first draft of that story the character who shows up in Faith's slayer dream was Ethan; I love that character and I was so angry about what had happened to him in the S8 comics. Still, something wasn't working and when I looked at the prompt again there was a request to get Lindsey involved if at all possible, so I gave it a shot.

By the time I finished writing I couldn't imagine how I'd thought the story could work with anyone else; the whole theme of the world being saved by that universe's afterthoughts and also-rans was so much stronger with him that I felt dumb for not having realized it in the first place. I even came away shipping Faith/Lindsey quite a bit, I liked writing them interacting so much.

And this probably counts even less, but there's so much more of Jack in In Dreams than I'd originally planned. He wasn't even supposed to get a POV and wound up with two of them!

( The other days )

***

Broke 8K on my Birthdayfest fic! Whoooooooooo!

3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?

I'm really narrow focused when I write. Virtually all of my SPN fic has either Dean, Cas or Dean/Cas. Same thing with Heroes, where almost everything either featured Peter, Claude or Peter/Claude, although I really liked writing Noah, too.

Nick in LFD2 is always a blast to write because he's such a snarky pain in the ass and I love Huntress/Question so much that it carried over to how I read the comics.:) And even though I've only written the one BtVS story I would write Faith again in a heartbeat.

( The other days: )

I know what I'm doing for spnraritiesfest! I spent most of the morning mentally turning the assignment over and around and shaking it but I think I have something workable now. Oh thank God.

Let's try this: Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Day One

1 – How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?

We first got internet when I was a senior in high school (WebTV, hand to God), and because my sister and I are X-Men geeks one of the first things we did was search Gambit. That found us the Gambit Fan Club, an email list which we immediately joined, and in addition to comics squee and ranting the list also had people posting fanfic. The first fic I actually encountered was called "Gambit's Cat-astrophe" which I didn't read but involved him turning into a cat (I laughed so hard when I saw that trope pop up all over SPN fic. What's old is new again). The first one I actually read was a Gambit/Rogue AU La Femme Nikita-esque fic which was good enough that I went looking for more. That found me Lori's archive, Shifting Sands and CFAN and there was no looking back from there.)

I wrote X-Men fic but never posted it anywhere - the first story I ever actually finished was a subtexty Gambit/Storm friendship story (Gambit/Rogue was my bullet-proof OTP until that all went wrong, but I did and still do ship Remy/Ororo pretty hard) set during Gambit's brooding on the roof in the rain period. I miss the old X-Men fandom a lot; it was a great formative fandom, a mix of old fans, new fans, super-high standards and just incredibly talented people.

( Rest of the days )