Hello Collectors and welcome back to FanArt Friday. It’s been a while, but as the DCBB fics begin […]
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Hello Darlings and welcome back to Shipping 101! I’ve been struck with an overwhelming need to share a […]
Although I said we finished this series in November, I realized recently that the interview with Elliex, a prolific transformative author and Destiel fan, never posted, so, we are bringing it back for one last entry. When I get the chance to rec a fic for The Collective, I inevitably go to Elliex. Her work in canon can’t be beat and her coda, “Heaven’s Most Wanted” is all I ever wanted from Season 9 but was too afraid to ask for. The last fic we rec’d of hers was on Dear Collectress’ Christmas list, but there’s more, dear reader, so much more. With 22 works on AO3 in the Supernatural fandom, including a new Demon!Dean series that explores the character development and saving of Dean Winchester, Elliex really should be in the SPN Writer’s Room (in my humble opinion). Read on for some pretty sound writing advice and an interesting look into the process of a fanfic writer.
Also–a shout out from me to El–who left a kind comment on my 1st ever DCBB entry and pretty much made my day by reading my little ‘ole canon-based case fic. Thanks hon!
xoxo The Collectiva Diva
Follow me on Twitter or Tumblr if you dare…
1.) What/Who inspired you to write fanfiction?
Though I’d known about the genre for a very long time, I only started actively reading and seeking out fanfiction a couple of years ago. As I worked my way through some truly amazing ‘verses and standalones, mostly Supernatural but some other fandoms too, I realized that many of the writers spoke about how much they enjoyed writing, how they hadn’t shared their work before, and how sharing gave them confidence. As someone with a stack of fiction manuscripts in varying states of completion and length that I’ve never had the nerve to share publicly, this resonated with me.
After mulling it over for a few months, and writing a few practice fics that will never ever see the light of day, I took the plunge and posted my very first piece on AO3 – it’s not great; it’s not even good, but it was a necessary first step for me. And then I slowly began posting more. I still remember that simultaneous thrill and anxiety at watching the hit counts on early fics go up, and kudos (and/or comments) were like gifts from readers. Though I still feel that combination of thrill and anxiety, sharing has gotten easier for the most part. And like anyone, I continue to appreciate every kudo and/or comment I receive.
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Renne happens to be the first Stucky AU writer I ever read and I fell in love with the attention to detail, captured characterization and perfect level of angst and need this author balances between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. I first rec’d “this city bleeds its aching heart” a few months back (I will never not rec this perfect “convenient husbands” trope!), but since then have explored her unique Stucky zombie!AU and there is also a space!military AU I am itching to read. I personally believe this writer has a knack for post CA: TWS Stucky, but since there are 67 works in 40 different fandoms over on her AO3 page, I can say with a doubt that Renne is definitely multi-fandomed and multi-talented. Read the answers below in the last installment of my “5 Questions” series, and find a few new fics to bookmark as well as words of inspiration for authors looking to overcome the worst ailment of all: writer’s block.
xoxo The Collectiva Diva
1.) What/Who inspired you to write fanfiction?
I first started writing fanfiction when I was a little kid and never really stopped from there. I was precocious with reading and started reading my brothers’ scifi and fantasy novels when I was still in single digits, because I lived in the country and didn’t have a lot of friends around or things to do, but we did have a mobile library that came around every two weeks.
My first ever fanfiction that I can remember writing was a self insert/Mary Sue fic set in David Eddings’ the Belgariad/Mallorean universe. And yeah, you bet my character was a Dryad. Or possibly a Dryad/human cross. There was definitely some Dryad going on there though.
I think wanting to be in the story with the fantasy universe characters I loved and having these adventures inspired me, as this was well before the Internet and I was too young to access zines – even when I was older, the circumstances of where I grew up meant I was already well into fandom online when I first heard about zines. (Bear in mind that when I say “well into fandom” I mean usenet groups and mailing lists and message boards.)
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Xylodemon is a beast. With 226* works across 17 fandoms on AO3 and new stuff coming out all the time, this writer has a knack for taking canon and transforming it into something simple and easy and totally unexpected. Her characters are clear and consistent, and her reimagined Supernatural codas are some of the best I’ve ever read. You may recognize the handle from either a fanfic rec by the Collectress or I, because her stuff is just that good (her demon!Dean is spot on). Read on to discover how she got started in transformative fiction, the inspirational words she has for aspiring writers and links to her favorite work.
(*note: it’s now 227, since she just released a coda for the Supernatural episode “Fan Fiction” which is lovely, BTW)
xoxo The Collectiva Diva
Want your favorite writer to answer 5 questions? Let me know over on Twitter @collectivadiva
1.) What/Who inspired you to write fanfiction?
Weirdly, it just kind of happened. Way back in the day I was in a usenet RP for the Wheel of Time books, and I loved it. I had a kajillion characters and read all the threads, even stuff I wasn’t involved in. A friend of mine there told me I’m probably like reading fanfic, but I didn’t pay too much attention at the time because she was into Harry Potter and I hadn’t read it. I ended up reading some eventually, mostly Lord of the Rings and X-Files. Then I finally broke down and read Harry Potter (I was convinced it would be garbage, turns out I was wrong), and I read a ton of fanfic, and from there it made sense to just write some. My first fic was pretty terrible, but I guess first fics usually are.
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Friend of The Collective, betty days (sadrobots) has 22 works on AO3, but I found her fics through a Twitter rec from one of my smut sisters when I put out there that I was in need of something on the NS side of NSFW. Consequently, “Words with Friends” is one of the smuttiest series (and a favorite) that gives a whole new meaning to term “sexting”. But Betty isn’t just a one-trick pony. Her capability for world building and bold characterizations within AUs make her work exciting and fun to read while keeping the boys in consistent character across the varied themes in her work. Her answers to the “5 questions” are honest and powerful, reminding participants in the transformative community the cathartic nature of writing as well as the benefit of a great support system.
xoxo The Collectiva Diva
Want your favorite writer to answer 5 questions? Let me know over on Twitter @collectivadiva
1.) What/Who inspired you to write fanfiction?
I started writing (not just fanfic, but narrative form in general, though before that I’d been writing memoir and poetry for several years) about six months ago because a boy I liked dumped me, and I had all this emotional goo floating around in my heart that needed to be funneled into something productive. I was scouring AO3 for a fic that just hit the spot, something long and fluffy and smutty and engaging that I could just drown myself in, and couldn’t find anything. For lack of anything better to do, I opened up a Word doc and churned out the first chapter of Sex 101 in about two hours, then promptly fell asleep. I woke up the next morning to an unheard-of amount of traffic. I was floored. That night, I wrote another chapter, then another, and another. The feedback I was getting was like crack to me. Suddenly the gaping emptiness that was left in the wake of being dumped like a wet sack of trash was slowly being filled by a loving and supportive community whom I’d only quietly observed for years. Every chapter I wrote healed me more and more, and by the time I completed Sex 101, I was like a completely new person.
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Within the 23 works written by OhCaptainMyCaptain, she has created such an expansive universe for Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, from childhood to post CA:TWS, that keeps me coming back and wanting more. I currently blame this writer for my recent delve into the high school AU and Stucky AUs in general. Her 30-day challenge (on day 21 now) is unlike any I’ve ever encountered before; with 10k+ word stories posted once a week or so, her writing themes switch from canon to alternate reality with an ease not too many writers can claim. Cap also offers her “smut monkey” followers gifs and images to go with the story at the end, which, although Dear Collectress doesn’t ship it, even she appreciates that type of dedication.
If you are a Stucky fan but haven’t read “Little Lies” yet, get on that, or else we can’t be friends anymore.
xoxo The Collectiva Diva
Want your favorite writer to answer 5 questions? Let me know over on Twitter @collectivadiva
1.) What/Who inspired you to write fanfiction?
I’ve actually been writing fanfiction since I was about eleven years old (funny enough, my first slash fic is still posted on ff.net, under an old account I’d had at the time). Back then, I was very big into anime, and so much of my inspiration came from there. I’d been writing since I was a child, but at the time, it’d been mostly original (awful) stuff; the more I was submersing myself in anime, the more I found myself wanting to write stories about the different characters I was so enamoured with. I think my first piece of fanfiction I’d ever written and posted was from the show, Naruto.
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A few months ago, I came across the artwork of Petite-Madame, in the form of a Bucky Barnes Instagram account.
“This is awesome!” thought I, “but who is this mysterious and talented person?”
Petite-Madame, self-taught artist from Paris, professional illustrator, and self-proclaimed fan, is changing the way fandom looks and art and pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.
The artist’s unique perspective on fandom compelled me connect with her in hopes of getting some insight into why and how she does what she does. The following discussion on art and social media is insightful and telling, while her commitment to creating fanart, a medium meant to help audiences understand and explore the characters we love, is commendable. If you haven’t checked out her MOL journal or Bucky art, please do. The links can be found below.
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The Collectiva Diva: Your use of art and social media, particularly the Bucky Barnes Instagram account, intrigues me. What is it about Bucky that fits this particular content (Instagram) so well?
Petite-Madame: I find it rather funny that a super secret spy who’s described in the The Winter Soldier movie as “a ghost” could have as a main mode of expression an Instagram account where he shares his everyday life with his boyfriend Steve, his work problems, or what he ate for dinner. Superheroes are supposed to have secret identities (even if in the Marvel movies everybody knows that Tony Stark is Iron Man and Captain America has his own exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum) so, exposing Bucky’s life on a public medium such as Instagram is delightfully absurd, precisely because of this contradiction.
Also, it is very interesting to explore art wise because I have a lot of fun as an artist, trying to emulate an Instagram account and creating fake pictures of food and people in their natural environment; cooking or doing their laundry. I can play with the depth of field, the frame, the intensity of the blurs, the subjectivity of the point of view and of course, my weapon of choice, colors!
The 3rd reason is far more pragmatic: posting a drawing with a short caption on Instagram and Tumblr requires FAR less work than a 1500 word fic and the complex drawings of Journal of a Man of Letters (JOAMOL). Launching the Bucky equivalent of JOAMOL would be impossible for me or I would have to win the lottery and leave my job for good!
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Guest Post by Jessica Mason
There’s a moment, I think all of us self-identified geeks know it, when you walk into your first con and think: I have finally found my people. Where once you existed in isolation, able to share your passions with a few anonymous faces on line, suddenly you’re among other, actual, living, breathing, nerds. The thing about you that had to be hidden – your nerdiness – is something that is shared with this mass of people and celebrated. The only thing comparable I can think of was my first time stepping into a gay pride festival, fresh off of coming out. It was so welcoming and so much fun, and I was indeed suddenly so proud to be myself. Cons are like that. The moment when you’re walking down the street and see the first person dressed as Poison Ivy adjusting their bodice or Darth Vader in the coffee shop, and you know it: you’re home.
I felt that moment profoundly the first time I attended Geek Girl Con in Seattle in August of 2012. GGC was in its second year, just getting its feet wet, and it was still an amazing experience. As I roamed the aisles full of crocheted Avengers, independent game developers, geek community organizations, writers, and artists; I was amazed at the passion and creativity of fans like me, which I had never seen in person. I attended panels about misogyny in gaming and depictions of disability in geek media. I geeked out with dozens of others who were just as nerdy and passionate about these things as me. It was awesome.
I left that first con in awe of female geek culture, and its boundless capacity for critique, transformation, and creation. I didn’t know then how lucky I was that this was my first con experience, and I think it has profoundly shaped the way I view fandom as a positive space for dialog, community, creativity, and especially for women.
Because it’s not always that way.
acollectivemind.com 