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24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
I don't think I've ever used a beta for proofreading. I probably should 'cause I tend to get the computer blindness after a while of looking at a monitor (I would be a horrible beta). Sometimes I do like to have some of my pals read my fic or just sections of chapters just to make sure the tone or characterizations are right before I post. With that, I'd like to give hugs to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lilithbint, sockmonkeyhere, sistercuervo, kidcyclone, and everyone who's read over my ideas and made me feel less crazy about what I've written. I heart you all! *giant enormous squishy hugs*
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?
I guess I first realized what fanfic was in about 1995/1996. When you're about 10 years old and just discovering the internet, the first thing you can think to do is search for the things you like. I was very into Sailor Moon, so as I was checking out fan site, I saw a lot of people posting their fanfic. It was all terrible, but it was the only place where people were actually writing Zoicite as a boy (in the dub version of Sailor Moon, Zoicite is female because America just wasn't ready for beautiful gay villains). The first sorta fanfic I actually wrote for myself, however, was Hanson in 1997. It was wacky, very cartoonish PeeWee's Playhouse sort of madcap adventures, involving transvestite bunnies and paintball and pizza parties on the moon. It wasn't so much RPF as little vignettes with illustrations attached. Probably what drew me to do that was because I was 1.) obsessed with Hanson (good music, pretty boys, what's not to love?), and 2.) the boys themselves drew comics and made videos of their crazy lives that made me think that it must be fun to hang out with them, and I just wanted to play around with some of the stories they told. I never showed any of my comics or stories to anyone else on online fandom because everyone else seemed to writing RPS incest torture fics that were... really disturbing, so I tired of fanfic and stuck with the art side of things.
I would have to say that the first full length fanfic with plot I began to write was for Buffy the Vampire Slayer in about 2001. I had already started liking vampire-related things, but I avoided BtVS because I felt like anything with the name "Buffy" in it must be incredibly stupid. I caught the original airing of "Something Blue" on TV and watched because, well, James Marsters is the prettiest pretty boy in pretty boy town and the jokes in that episode are hilarious. It really drew me in, so I started watching and couldn't stop. I read a lot of fanfic to fill in the gaps while I was trying to get caught up with the first three seasons. I didn't really feel the need to write any fanfic of my own for a while. At first I was just writing a lot of flashback fic of the Fanged Four globetrotting, and by the end of Season Six, I was writing some AU (alternate timelines, alternate episodes, in-between episodes, etc.). I posted it on some fanfic sites, but the feedback I got was so hurtful at the time that I took it down and posted it on my own Geocities site... Then I didn't get any feedback at all because I didn't know how to advertise nor did I have an LJ. I got an LJ in 2004, posted my first ficlet in 2006, didn't get really get any responses, didn't post any fanfic until 2007, again didn't really get any responses, and then in 2008 I wrote Automated Utopia and got a lot of responses! I felt like I had found my voice and the right places to share my work, and I've been posting ever since. :D
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
In order of when I wrote them...
Sailor Moon: Probably ten to twenty short ficlets. No, I don't write in it anymore.
Hanson: A collection of short stories with illustrations. No, I don't write in it anymore.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: 3 drabbles, 25 fics and ficlets, 5 long!fics (some still in progress), some comics, bunch of unfinished plot snippets, and a whole lotta WIPs. Definitely still writing in it. :D
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Three ficlets plus some drabbles. No, I don't write in it anymore, but I'd like to again.
The Dresden Files: One or two unposted drabbles. No, I don't write in it anymore.
Harry Potter: One unposted drabble. No, I don't write in it anymore.
High Plains Invaders: One longer fanfic and one WIP. Yes, I am still writing in it.
Caprica: One unfinished long fic. Yes, I'm trying to write in it. XD
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
Sailor Moon: Nephlite and Sailor Mars.
Hanson: Isaac, though he's not really a character but he is a character. LOL. XD
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Spike, Fred, Drusilla, Betta George, Connor, and Angel.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Saionji, Touga, Nanami, and Wakaba.
The Dresden Files: Harry, Thomas, and Mouse.
Harry Potter: Draco and Snape.
High Plains Invaders: Sam and Abby.
Caprica: Lacy and Barnabas.
Apparently I enjoy writing characters that are either the bad boys with hearts of gold, the nerdy/insane ladies, the very angry women who want to be loved, and anyone played by James Marsters. XD
4 – Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
Spike. He is my muse, completely and totally. He brought me into my favourite fandom, and he's just such a great character, layered and versatile (not to mention volatile). He's very interesting and passionate. Sometimes I just want to add him into situations and even into other fandoms to see how he would react or how others would react to him. It took me a long time, however, to feel like I could write his voice the way that I felt was true to the actual character. More importantly, professionally I suppose, is that he, and James Marsters by extension, is a muse for my art as well.
Oddly enough, a character that I took to writing instantly that I would like to write more of is Sam Danville from High Plains Invaders. I cannot explain it, but there's something about that woobie cowboy that makes me want to write whole novels about his continuing misadventures. He's a... simple character. His emotions are out there for the world to see; it's hard to for him to hide his feelings. Sam is proof that you can cry and still defeat big uranium-eatin' alien boogs, and he's just adorable. I've written so many snippets about him that I need to finish into a longer fic. XD
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?
When I first got the plot bunny for Acceptable Losses, it was just about Spike, Angel, Connor, and the group of young Slayers. However, Buffy kept pushing her way into the plot when I was trying to turn it into a longer fic. Even though I don't really like writing Buffy (I often feel like I'm going to piss people off by how I view her because my POV of her is usually very different from the general consensus), I decided to let the idea play out as I wrote the outline. I don't think that it necessarily hurt what I was originally intending to do, and it probably made certain aspects of the plot (that I won't spoil since I'm still posting the bloody thing XD ) stronger and will hopefully make the message of the fic clearer by the end. However, it did take the fic in a completely different direction with the focus of the main plot. When I was editing, it made me realize that some stuff was going to have to be rewritten and taken out. One of the biggest reasons it's taken so long for me to finish posting the fic is because of Buffy's presence therein and the consequences of her being there, even for a short time. I guess that's a large part of her being the formerly title character- her presence is felt even when she's not there whether I want her to be a part of the plot or not.
I will also say that in my other current WIP Versailles Undone that a character I didn't expect somehow weaseled his way into the story that I wasn't exactly prepared for when the outline was being created, but there he was and he wouldn't go away... so he gets to stay. I won't say who he is for spoiler reasons, but I hope that he won't be too out-of-place.
I guess Spike could also be a constant answer to this question as well, but more precisely William. I really enjoy writing stories in which Spike can flashback to his past, and I can share glimpses into his childhood. Since we learn nothing in canon about his father, I got to completely create Phineas Pratt as a character, and I do like getting to include Victorian family interludes if I can. Plus, Phineas/Anne has become one of my OTPs. Their love is so adorkably literary and tragically filled with tuberculosis!
Overall, I suppose my first instinct to a character I didn't originally intend to include in a fic wanting to "join in" on a plot is to just let it happen. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I can go back to the outline and rework what was happening or maybe tweak things to see if I can make it work after all.
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
I think that I don't have a preference. I think probably in overall volume I write male characters more, but most of the time I don't think about it too hard. Most of my original characters are female though, which some of them are female for necessity and others by happenstance of whatever gender felt right at the time.
Growing up most of the cartoon characters I like the most were male... and they were all the snarky ones (Raphael from the Ninja Turtles, anyone?), but the female characters that I identified with were very take-charge, cynical, sarcastic, domineering, and often goal-oriented *cough*they-were-usually-villains*cough*. Some might say that those female characters had a lot stereotypically "masculine" characteristics. I tended to dislike title characters, and typically title characters that are female represent "feminine ideals," which I have distain for. For example, Jem from "Jem and the Holograms" with her pink hair and her millions of dollars and her goody-two-shoes ways. She's all, "Oh, poor me, my boyfriend is in love with Jem!me not Jerrica!me! If only I could tell him, but I can't for reasons that I totally made up for plot contrivance. I just like to be dramacakes!" What about Pizzazz, Jem? Do you care that she is only hard-edged to protect the very sensitive part of herself left broken by years of parental abuse? Do you care that Roxy can't even read?! No, you don't! Self-absorbed cottoncandy-lookin' fluffball! Argh! *has an 80's flashback and falls over from too much Tab soda*
Of course, on the other hand, I do like Fifi La Fume from Tiny Toon Adventures, which makes me slightly ashamed since she's basically the female analogue of the most prolific cartoon serial molester of all time. She just wants to be loved... even if it means tying up a guy and holding him captive to do it. We've all been there, haven't we? Plus, she lived in an awesome Cadillac DeVille in a junkyard. You can't go wrong there... Well, you can but... XD
I have no idea what point I was trying to make... Oh yeah, maybe I write male characters more because I just feel more comfortable doing so... or maybe I just like writing guy-on-guy vampire porn which doesn't require a lot of female characters. XD
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
In one ficlet, Stepping Stones, I didn't so much have to change my opinion of Buffy, but rather I had to make a concentrated effort to make Buffy do something I thought she will never be able to do- admit her faults and seek to take responsibility for her mistakes. In doing so, I had to soften my harsh opinions of her inability to change. However, I view this as making her OOC. I don't believe she can change nor do I believe she will with the way Joss Whedon or any other writers portray her. Instead of changing my opinion, I should say that I left the possibility open that perhaps with a different writer Buffy seeking help for her issues to get herself mentally and emotionally healthy might one day be a possibility.
Similarly, with the chapters in which Buffy appears thus far in Acceptable Losses, I had to "soften" how I portrayed Buffy because I don't believe she's actually capable of empathy nor love at her current state and I had to have her do something that was in a way selfless within the story... Of course, it's only selfless if you interpret her actions to be so, and I did leave that possibility open. On one hand, she's had to give up something that she may not ever get to experience again. On the other hand, did she have ulterior motives besides selfless love and caring in doing so? To be honest, I can't say. That motivation doesn't come into play with the rest of the fic, but I think it lingers as a question. When a "hero" makes a big flowery emotional speech, we tend to take them at their word, but it could be an act, a put-on, or a con just hide selfish reasons why they are doing what they do. Again, I'm not saying that's what Buffy did in Acceptable Losses, but I think it's good policy to question the White Hats every now and then.
And sometimes I need to be reminded that Spike is not a china doll that will be broken into a thousand pieces at the first blush of damage. He has sustained massive hurt-y injuries without shedding a tear or screaming, and sometimes that's difficult for me to remember. I totally blame "Fool for Love" for woobiefying him forever. Come on, all I see in my head is "*shove!* *fall!* *lip wobble!* *sobs!*" Oh the vampmanity! Someone get him a bandaid and a juice box! And then I have to recall the chip and Glory and how it took her trying to scoop out his heart with one finger or him getting nearly crispy-brain-fried to get him to cry out... And then the First... I really don't want to know what the Turok-Han was doing to Spike to make him scream... I have nightmares...
Also, Angel can be goofy as all fuck, and I like that. I think that in writing Acceptable Losses (man, this is making me realize just how much I need to finish posting that fic) that I realized that Angel could be loving. It's one of those things with Spangel where you know that Spike could love Angel, that's just a given, but there's always a lingering doubt of if Angel could truly love Spike or if he can truly love anyone after what he's gone through. I think what really changed him in my view was writing AL, but also some of the lines Brian Lynch wrote at the end of ATF. Angel's true love is his son. Connor is his world; Connor means more to him than anyone else, and no one is going to change that. That's when I realized that Angel is a good man. He gets things so wrong, but he's a good man. If given the chance, Liam would have grown up and been a good man, a good father, a better son. And Spike loves Connor too; they're family, a crazy unnatural dysfunctional family. I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Brian Lynch's story in the Angel Yearbook because in one of the alternate timelines/dimensions, Angel managed to save Connor from being sucked into Quor'toth, but afterwards became so overprotective that he pushed all his friends away. Somehow, in that timeline, Spike entered the picture, and he was the only person Angel trusted enough to help look after three-year-old Connor. It just really reaffirmed my Spangel love.
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Yes, indeed, I do write a lot of OCs. I love all my OCs. My oldest and most written OC is Ursula Parthenos. She was in one of my first fics, and she was very much a Mary Sue. I've always paired her with Spike. She's evolved over time into a much more full-fledged, well-rounded character. She went from being a hypersexual mullo (a type of vampire) with a siren song voice to a pregnant video store clerk-and-pub-waitress/failed singer who is barely scrapping by in her London flat. She's matured, and I think she's become a perfect partner for Spike. In my unposted-on-LJ fic the River That Flows, in which she first appeared, Ursula was just... well, she was an insufferable Mary Sue, but by the time James revealed his Spike movie idea and I started to rework her character to be better in my unfinished comic London Calling, I think that she's become an endearing character. I hope that she is, at any rate.
My thoughts on OCs are that OCs are wonderful. Characters come in and out of the canon show all the time, providing a rich tapestry to the story even if we only hear from them once; I think that the same is true for fanfiction OCs. If a person wants to have a Mary Sue/Gary Stu specifically in their story, go right ahead. Let your freak flag fly because you never know what that Mary Sue might lead to storywise. Seriously, I rewrote the River That Flows about seven times, and each time I made Ursula a little less intolerable, but eventually I gave up on the fic all together because of some hatemail I got, but she shows up in some of the first ficlets/drabbles I posted on LJ in her still crazy Mary Sue form. I think she's less awful now, and I've gotten positive feedback about her inclusion as a character, and she's even appeared in someone else's fic! *waves tosistercuervo*
Here's a list of my OCs in order of oldest to newest and the fics in which they appear... I have A LOT of OCs...
Ursula Parthenos: (as a vampire- purveyor of mystical artifacts)
the River that Flows (unposted)
Panty Thief (not worksafe at all)
Sliver (not worksafe either)
Five Senses Aren't Enough
(as a human- video store clerk/pub girl/Spike's girlfriend/that pregnant chick Fender always draws)
London Calling (comic)
the Cinnamon Hippo
the Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12 (mention only)
Trixie/Trix: (as a vampire- one of vampire!Ursula's childre)
the River that Flows (unposted)
(as a human- another video clerk and human!Ursula's friend)
the Cinnamon Hippo
Roxanne: (as a vampire- one of vampire!Ursula's dhamphiric offspring with Toulouse Lautrec)
the River that Flows (unposted).
(as a human- Ursula's daughter, Spike's adoptive daughter, former star lacrosse player, eventually has four children of her own, married to Archie)
London Calling (comic, though Roxanne has not been born yet in this part of the story... she's still in Ursula's big ol' pregger belly. XD)
the Cinnamon Hippo (again, Roxie's present yet not born)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12
Malice: (Aubrey's childe, mute and possibly deranged)
the River that Flows (unposted).
Jacques: (as a vampire- one of vampire!Ursula's childre and lover)
the River that Flows (unposted).
Penelope: (Spike's cousin, who's married to the regurgitating Forlax demon as mentioned in S4. I count this as an OC.)
the River that Flows (unposted).
Bartholomew Appleyard: (Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard)
Automated Utopia
a Gaslight Christmas (mentioned only)
Danielle Pleydell: (Inspector at Scotland Yard and Chief Inspector Appleyard's partner)
Automated Utopia
a Gaslight Christmas (mentioned only)
Sir Augustus Franks: (Chief Curator at the British Museum)
Automated Utopia
Dr. Phyllydia Breedlove: (Chief Librarian at the British Museum)
Automated Utopia
Silas: (Assistant to Dr. Breedlove)
Automated Utopia
******: (name redacted to prevent spoilers)
Automated Utopia.
Norman: (a baby demon found at the British Museum that Lorne cares for)
Automated Utopia
Betta Paulina and the Betta Babies: (Betta George's mate and all their offspring)
One Fish, Two Fish, Blue Fish, Too Many Fish
The Carnie: (a serial killer encounter by Spike and Drusilla at a county fair in Tennessee)
Dark Ride
Dr. Salafia Dominick: (Medical Examiner at the L.A. County Coroner's office, named for Alfredo Salafia, master embalmer who preserved the body of Rosalia Lombardo, and also named for Dominick Dunne, writer for Vogue who covered high society crime)
Paper Pusher
Dr. LaBianca Blanche: (Chief Medical Examiner at the L.A. County Coroner's office)
Paper Pusher
Djedefre Hargreaves: (evil lawyer, magician, breaker of mystical contracts, father to Becker and Achilles)
Paper Pusher
Becker Hargreaves: (incubus, son of Djedefre)
Paper Pusher
Achilles Hargreaves: (pig, former doctor, son of Djedefre)
Paper Pusher
Patrick: (young tough from the East Hills Teen Center)
Paper Pusher
Gary: (forklift driver for the Arcane Press, Narbrach Beast)
Paper Pusher
Eligor: (Wretched Master of Decay, Bringer of War and Grand Obscenity, Finder of Hidden Things, Patron of Poisoners and Pariahs. Even though this character is mentioned in What's My Line, Part 2, I count this as an OC.)
Paper Pusher
Snerd: (Eligor's skeletal, winged horse)
Paper Pusher
Dr. Tinsel Sribiju: (head of the Toxicology Department at the L.A. County Coroner's office, named for Dr. Krishnan Sribiju who studies the phenomenon of twinning and for one-half of a pair of twin sisters that I knew)
Paper Pusher
Dr. Dimple Sribiju: (head of the Serology Department at the L.A. County Coroner's office, Tinsel's sister, named for Dr. Krishnan Sribiju who studies the phenomenon of twinning and for one-half of a pair of twin sisters that I knew)
Paper Pusher
Dr. Palaneck: (Director of the Medical Examiner's Office at the L.A. County Coroner's office, named for Skip Palenik, analytical microscopist and forensic scientist)
Paper Pusher
*******: (redacted for spoilers)
Paper Pusher
Daisy: (fifteen-year-old Slayer from Tennessee, called during the Chosen spell, former beauty queen and tennis player, runs away from Andrew's group during "Damage" in S5 of Ats, and shows up on Angel's doorstep. Co-created withsistercuervo)
Acceptable Losses
Reglisse Millefleuilles: (fourteen-year-old Slayer from France, daughter of bakery owners, sister to Pistache, name means "licorice" and Millefleuilles is a type of pastry, also shows up on Angel's doorstep)
Acceptable Losses
Pistache Millefleuilles: (fourteen-year-old Slayer from France, daughter of bakery owners, sister to Reglisse, name means "pistachio," also shows up on Angel's doorstep)
Acceptable Losses
Florence Blot: (eleven-year-old Slayer from Washington state, is the young baseball player seen at the end of Chosen, also shows up on Angel's doorstep)
Acceptable Losses
Angel Guiterrez: (owns a rival detective agency to Angel's, married to Nixzmary, has three children, eventually pairs his agency with Angel's to form a singular, more profitable Angel Investigations)
Acceptable Losses
Nixzmary Guiterrez: (is married to Angel Guiterrez, has three kids with him, is the brains behind the business's success, financial wizard)
Acceptable Losses
Henry Aloysius Pratt: (Buffy's baby that she delivers while in L.A. who she gives to Spike to take care of. Biological father unknown. He's got red hair and hazel eyes. Spike calls him "Happy" because of his initials)
Acceptable Losses
Scrambles the Deathdealer: (an imp that lives beneath a Cinnabon who steals vats of sugar glaze, son of Marrowsuck the Deathstalker, grandson of Orgoth the Deathbringer, named for a tornado on Metalocalypse)
Acceptable Losses
Phineas Pratt: (Spike's father, married to Anne Pratt, died from TB when Spike was a child)
Advent
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 1 and Part 2 (mention only)
Knitting Needles (mention only)
Mr. Eddowes: (a serial killer, poisoning children on Halloween in a Nashville suburb)
The Night of Stingy Jack
Snowball: (the evil cat of Spike and Fred's elderly neighbours, enjoys destroying everything Angel holds dear)
Drill, Baby, Drill
Charlotte Pratt-Kitterdige-Malcolm-Burleigh: (Spike's aunt, the elder sister of Phineas Pratt, been married three times, twice widowed, has two vile daughters- Violet and Penelope)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 2
Mrs. Gardiner: (the Pratts' household cook)
Advent
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 2
Kirke: (the Pratts' young housekeeper)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 2
Elsbett Quartremain: (a Slayer called in 1877, had a relationship with her Watcher before running away to become independent and worldly, is the first Slayer Spike ever encounter though he did not know what a Slayer was at the time, shoots herself to escape pursuing Watchers but survives, no one is sure how long she survived or if another Slayer was called in her place after the shooting)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 3
the Wren Snare
Biblioteca, Scholastica, Ecclesia, and Bill: (ages 10, 7, 5, and 2 respectively. Roxanne and Archie's children, Ursula's grandchildren, Spike's adoptive grandchildren)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12
Archie: (Roxanne's husband, father of her four children, Ursula and Spike's son-in-law, an art school drop-out, has a good heart)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12
Mr. and Mrs. Quartremain and Ernte Quartremain: (Elsbett Quartremain's parents and younger sister)
the Wren Snare
Mr. Charles Chalmers: (Watcher and lover of Elsbett Quartremain, marries Lucy Collyweston, a relative of Lydia Chalmers who wrote her thesis on Spike, a vampire that Elsbett encountered)
the Wren Snare
Lucy Collyweston: (Wife of Charles Chalmers, a member of the Watchers Council)
the Wren Snare
Miss Wyndam, Mr. Fairweather, Mr. Pryce: (Watchers who take Elsbett Quartremain from Charles Chalmers's residence, relatives of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Rupert Giles)
the Wren Snare
Unnamed: (Director of the Watchers Council)
the Wren Snare
Dr. Fontaine: (a therapist, called as a Slayer during the Chosen spell, is in her early fifties, did not want to fight as a Slayer but offered her services as a therapist to Buffy's army pre-Season Eight but was turned away for having nothing useful to offer, Buffy later goes to her office post-Season Eight for therapy)
Stepping Stones
Jackson, Daniels, Thompson, Rutherford, Napier, and Mike Reeves: (Soldiers at the Initiative, Daniels and Thompson assault Spike while he is held captive, named after streets in one of the towns I used to live in)
Versailles Undone
Kristin: (a decontamination tech at the Initiative)
Versailles Undone
Charise St. Char: (a young heiress who owns Simply Charming Publications, one of the largest publishing houses of erotic novels in the Western Hemisphere, buys Spike as a pet from the Initiative as part of their program to test the earning capabilities of their chipping program, has a slight French accent from her years at school there, lives an anachronistic lifestyle of Rococo indulgence both in dress and in furnishings)
Versailles Undone
Pomme, Pêche, Citron, Poire, Framboise, and Jean-Pierre: (Spike's two maids, Charise's two valets, maid, and chef respectively, the first five are French names for fruit and Jean-Pierre is named for Dethklok's chef in Metalocalypse)
Versailles Undone
Eus Dolmancé: (Charise's business manager, sixty-five years old, is cold and no-nonsense, worked for Charise's grandmother when she started up Simply Charming Publications)
Versailles Undone
Hart Carlisle: (one of Charise's best friends, brother of Harriet Carlisle-Foster, has an on-again/off-again boyfriend named Eduardo, very flamboyant and overtly sexual, owns a burlesque nightclub called the Pink Drink, has several pomeranians)
Versailles Undone
Harriet Carlisle-Foster: (one of Charise's best friends, sister of Hart Carlisle, is a widow, is a first chair cellist for the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, carries her custom cello with her everywhere, more timid than her brother)
Versailles Undone
Yolande Lamb: (one of Charise's best friends, a painter, very sensual)
Versailles Undone
Élisabeth-Martine: (a Slayer called in Paris, France in 1791, has a brother who was a clerk for the Comptroller-General, her brother and Watcher were executed by the revolutionaries, arrested for spying during the Révolution, executed by guillotine in 1793)
Madness Within Reason
The First Potential: (a young girl in prehistorical Africa who comes across Sineya, the First Slayer)
Dwelling
Rosaria Cammarata: (a Slayer called in 1910 in Italy, fifteen years old, fled to America to escape the perils of being the Slayer, dies in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911)
Full of Grace
Gethsemane Rose: (a Slayer called in 1915, seven years old, enjoys drawing, adopted under false pretenses by her Watchers, the Colquhoons)
Branching of the Olive Tree
The Colquhoons: (the Watchers of Gethsemane, a married couple)
Branching of the Olive Tree
Mrs. Walker and Bethlehem: (the director of the children's asylum and Gethsemane's friend there, respectively)
Branching of the Olive Tree
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
Sailor Moon: Naru/Nephlite, Fiore/Mamaru, Fisheye/Tiger's Eye.
Hanson: No pairings.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Spike/Fred, Spike/Angel, Spike/Drusilla.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Saionji/Wakaba, Saionji/Touga, Saionji/Nanami.
The Dresden Files: Harry/Murphy, Justine/Thomas, Harry/Thomas (I am so wrong, but I don't want to be right).
Harry Potter: Lucius/Narcissa, Snape/Lily, Sirius/Remus.
High Plains Invaders: Sam/Abby... There are no other pairings left... They're all dead. XD
Caprica: Lacy/Barnabas, Barnabas/Clarice, Lacy/Odin.
Oh, redeemable boys... You are so evil, but you have sparkly moments of redemption. The significant others you are paired with will heal your broken, bad boy souls. XD
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
Yes, I have written outside of my comfort zone in both of those situations! For a pairing that I liked but never had been able to write before, I finally was able to write Spike/Tara in Late Fees (not worksafe). As for a pairing I didn't like but wrote, there's Spike/Dawn in L'Aurore (not worksafe either). I'm not sure if I succeeded in either case, but I tried my best. :D
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
When I look over all the fics I have written, I have to say that I write... gen!fic? Is "sexy fluff" a genre? As much as I love slash, most of my fics are het, and while I've ventured into dark!fic and NC-17 rated stuff, most of my stuff remains PG-13ish... It's so weird to think about! I guess I've dabbled in a lot of different genres, but I move around a lot when it comes to inspiration. My Spike/Dru fics are generally very dark/horror-humor. My Spike/Fred fics are sexy fluff or gen!fics. My Spike/Angel fics are also kinda romantic comedy-eque. My original Slayer ficlets are all dark gen!fics. I suppose now that I think about it horror and comedy are probably the most prevalent themes.
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
No, I don't think I have. When I was first writing BtVS fics, I think I wanted to adapt Anne Rice's the Taming of Sleeping Beauty series to fit into the 'verse with Spike in the Sleeping Beauty role (someone had accidentally bought the book for me when I was a kid; they really had no idea what it was, and I was shocked to say the least). I do think I've used elements of that series with Sleeping Beauty!Dawn in L'Aurore (not worksafe) and with pet!Spike in a "bridle path" type of scene in Versailles Undone (also not worksafe... at all).
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
Canon is a tricky thing. Canon is different to different people. From whether or not any of the comics are canon to the characters' motives at any given time to what happened in the "basement blackout" scene in Chosen, there are just gaps that are left open to be interpreted in many different ways with no definite answer. I always like to have a grounding in canon when I'm writing. My personal canon basically consists of both shows, the Tales of the Slayers andTales of the Vampires comics from DH, and any of the IDW comics written by Brian Lynch and John Byrne. I don't consider Season Eight, any of the BtVS/Ats books, any of the other DH comics, or any of the non-Brian Lynch or non-John Byrne comics from IDW to be canon.
When I wrote Automated Utopia, I used basic plot points as backstory and grafted them onto a steampunk universe (i.e. Sunnydale was near Lincolnshire in England rather than California, U.S. of A.). I used Brian Lynch's Asylum characters as well because they are awesome. Betta George, in particular, makes several appearances in my fics; I heart that big telepathic floaty fish. I also consider Spike's real name to be William H. Pratt (from Spike: Asylum, though it also appeared before that in one of Peter David's Old Times comic as a tribute to Boris Karloff). I used to say that Spike's surname was "Boarden" (a combination of Lizzie Borden and William Broad aka Billy Idol's real name), but I think that "Pratt" suits him much better.
However, I also have my own fanon that I don't waver from. Most of my fanon deals with Spike's backstory and his family. I've always had a view of his family tree that has not changed over the years. The only thing that has changed is Spike's surname (see above about his name). I also have a timeline of where the Fanged Four (and Fanged Three... and then down to Two) were over the years, which just helps me keep continuity in all my fics even the ones that don't go into one another. Also, my Spike is a "Brony" (a guy who watches "My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic). XD
I think that writing fanfic has really solidified what I really enjoyed from the show and what I really didn't like, but I don't believe that it changed how I viewed the source material at all. :D
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
I'm getting more comfortable with going up to NC-17. I don't normally write stuff that needs that high of a rating, and I'm still a bit nervous to write things of that rating though, but it doesn't bother me too much. I think I mostly write PG-13-rated stories, so it doesn't surprise me when I come up with something G-rated. In fact, sometimes I wish I could come up with more G-rated things, like Spike getting a basket of puppies or babysitting a whole bunch of teeny Splendeen demons. XD
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
I think it is probably most important things to warn for are non-con/rape/assault and torture, even if you warn with a highlightable warning. Major/main character death is a toughie for me though. For a long!fic, I would say don't warn for main character death (I didn't warn for a death that occurs in Paper Pusher because it was a long!fic that I felt was building towards that sort of resolution, but I did warn for all the violence and some gore that occurred), but for a shorter fic or drabble, I'd say yes. I think if you're unsure about giving certain things away about the story as far as spoilers then use the "highlight to read" method of adding warnings (that's what I would do if I was unsure at any rate) or wait until the appropriate chapter to add a warning.
For the most part, probably just simply stating whether something is worksafe or not worksafe is sufficient sometimes. :D
The strangest thing I ever warned for was "abuse of stuffed animals" in a chapter of Versailles Undone (not worksafe ever)... I also had to warn for the exact same thing in a Spike artwork. XD
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
I like writing them. I usually try to think up the major point of the story and then try to write something that will entice a reader to step inside the parlor, so-to-speak. I think of what I would say out loud when describing the fic, like a fifteen second blurb, like a movie trailer or something of that nature. I've tried to get into a habit of updating the summaries for each chapter of a longer fic.
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
For me, it is usually the easiest part of writing. Sometimes, the title is the plot bunny, the leaping off point for a fanfic idea, which was true of the Branching of the Olive Tree. For longer fics, sometimes I do title the individual chapters, and sometimes I don't. For Automated Utopia and Paper Pusher I didn't, but for the River that Flows (unposted) and Acceptable Losses, I did.
Most of the fic titles just come to me, but for the chapter titles, a lot of the time, I have to think about them. The chapter titles usually come from song lyrics of something that I was listening to at the time or that felt right to accompany that particular chapter.
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
My own messed up brain for the most part. Sometimes people share their muse with me and give me prompts, and I like working that way. Sometimes just having a basic idea of even a snippet of dialogue or a situation can be a great launching point for me. Real life can also be inspirational. I got the idea for Some Deep, Existential Shite from actually opening a roll of paper towels... and the title was based off of something Dennis Hopper says in "the Crow IV: Wicked Prayer." XD
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
I do tend to start writing right away, especially if I have a specific scene or snippet of dialogue in mind. Most of the time, I sit down and try to script out the whole framework of the plot. If I can't come up with a plot for fic that's as long as I want it or that I can't get quite right, I tuck the idea away in a notebook and save it for a later time. Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt (Parts I-IV, Parts V-VIII, and Parts IX-XII) was an idea that had been kicking around in my head for literally years because I finally was able to write it just as I wanted it.
I'm a notebook-keeper. I have several notebooks for my various plot bunnies. Most of them will never see the light of day, but there are those that get transferred to their own notebooks for further plotting. I think one problem that I have is that I have several fics that I want to post at once. I still have to finish posting Acceptable Losses and Versailles Undone before I even begin to start posting Automated Utopia II. Sweet Lord... I'm never going to get there if I don't get my act in gear. XD
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
Sometimes I do. It's not necessarily a whole story, but mostly it might be a phrase or a situation leads me to ponder a ponderment about those characters or different characters in the same situation. I love it when people post a whole bunch of plot bunnies out there for people to use too. Probably more than getting bunnied for fanfiction, I probably get bunnied to do fanart more. A lot of the time, I sketch while I read fanfic, so I've got lots of little scenes drawn out from the things I read.
I probably have more plot bunnies in my notebooks than I could ever use. It gets kind of frustrating to want to write and not physically having the time or energy to type that much.
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
This is yet another question that makes me feel bad for not being on a better posting schedule (or, you know, actually have one at all). I have already written sequels to both Automated Utopia and Paper Pusher, but I haven't finished editing them to my satisfaction. Also, I'm in the middle of posting two other long!fics that I have to finish posting before I lose my mind. To get the "why" out of the way, overall I think I never feel like I'm actually finished with a fic. If I've cultivated characters, I want to follow through until the end, and then I start to feel like I'm in the middle of Les Miserables. Haha!
For something that I've actually managed to post, I wrote Knitting Needles and Mother's Milk as sequels to Apron Strings because they are very short ficlets, and they're just something I can post quickly and to take my mind off other things. Apron Strings seemed to strike a good chord with people, and it was an interesting What-If scenario for me to think about, so I just jotted down some other ficlet ideas, and the other two stories came from those. I'd actually like to write some more. I could probably make a long!fic out of it, but God help me, I would go crazy.
I wrote the sequel to Automated Utopia because I felt like I couldn't abandon that AU. I mean, you go through the trouble of creating a 'verse and try to make it rich with details, so I couldn't just leave it. I wanted to explore the whole world further, so I've written Automated Utopia II: the Case of the Nefarious Nuptials, in which Spike and Fred travel to Italy for the wedding of one of her college acquaintances only to get wrapped up in an epic murder mystery with dirigibles and fireworks and Venetian magic. ... What's really sad is that there are two more sequels to Automated Utopia that I'm writing in my notebooks (AU III: Hassle in the Castle, set during the 1893 World's Fair, and AU IV: Fear in the French Quarter, set in New Orleans with lots of ghosts and creepiness).
For Paper Pusher, I wanted to write something from Fred's point of view. Though Paper Pusher was listed as a Spike/Fred fic, it really was more about one side of a ship, specifically Spike's feelings and thoughts, and the other half was really absent for most of the fic. Fred deserved to have a fic from her point of view, so I wrote a sequel set a short time after Paper Pusher. One of these days, I will actually get it posted. Sadly, I've begun writing a sequel to Versailles Undone as well. Non-BtVS-related, I have a sequel to a Man Called Phoenix, my High Plains Invaders fic.
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
Well, I'm not sure it counts, but I am currently signed up for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
angst_bingo. I've gotta get a move on if I want to meet my deadline for a bingo. XD I've also participated in noel_of_spike for the past three years, and I used to participate in seasonal_sd before it became defunct.
I always have a really good experience participating in those kinds of writing activities. Sometimes a deadline and a theme/key word (even if it's just a season) can really produce some great fanfic results. I think some of my best work has been my Spike/Dru oneshots I wrote forseasonal_sd. It's not just great for writing, but I've always enjoyed coming up with artwork for my posting days as well. The first thing I contributed was a Spike/Drusilla artwork- Skating at Somerset House (worksafe) - and the first fanfiction was a Spike/Drusilla oneshot- Shrive for Frosting (not worksafe for mentions of gore).
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
I used to have my own BtVS fanfiction website called Peroxide Lullaby on Geocities before it closed all its free sites. Originally, that's where I posted all my fics (at the time, it was mostly the River That Flows and a few Spike/Fred drabbles). When I didn't get a lot of traffic after a few years, I started using this Livejournal as a place to post my fics. When I was in college, I began a James Marsters fansite called Marstersesque, which I was going to use as an archive, but it got deleted when my sorority (who had given me space on their domain as payment for some work I did) dissolved its membership and cancelled its web subscription.
Some of fanart and fanfics are archived at Cold Dead Seed, the Caritas, and the Crypt. My art is also partially archived at SlayAlive, IDW Forum, and my Deviantart page. There might be other places, but I can't remember... ETA: OMG. I have a Fanfiction.net account. I don't even remember it. I must have signed up at some point years and years ago (2002 to be specific)... I never posted anything to it. Should I? Is it still a pit of voles?
I'd like to start a new website archive, just to design one for fun, but I don't have the money for another domain name. My current domain name is connected to my freelance business, so I don't think it's a good idea. One day, when I have some extra cash for another domain name, I would like to do it.
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
I don't think I've ever used a beta for proofreading. I probably should 'cause I tend to get the computer blindness after a while of looking at a monitor (I would be a horrible beta). Sometimes I do like to have some of my pals read my fic or just sections of chapters just to make sure the tone or characterizations are right before I post. With that, I'd like to give hugs to
lilithbint, sockmonkeyhere, sistercuervo, kidcyclone, and everyone who's read over my ideas and made me feel less crazy about what I've written. I heart you all! *giant enormous squishy hugs* 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?
I guess I first realized what fanfic was in about 1995/1996. When you're about 10 years old and just discovering the internet, the first thing you can think to do is search for the things you like. I was very into Sailor Moon, so as I was checking out fan site, I saw a lot of people posting their fanfic. It was all terrible, but it was the only place where people were actually writing Zoicite as a boy (in the dub version of Sailor Moon, Zoicite is female because America just wasn't ready for beautiful gay villains). The first sorta fanfic I actually wrote for myself, however, was Hanson in 1997. It was wacky, very cartoonish PeeWee's Playhouse sort of madcap adventures, involving transvestite bunnies and paintball and pizza parties on the moon. It wasn't so much RPF as little vignettes with illustrations attached. Probably what drew me to do that was because I was 1.) obsessed with Hanson (good music, pretty boys, what's not to love?), and 2.) the boys themselves drew comics and made videos of their crazy lives that made me think that it must be fun to hang out with them, and I just wanted to play around with some of the stories they told. I never showed any of my comics or stories to anyone else on online fandom because everyone else seemed to writing RPS incest torture fics that were... really disturbing, so I tired of fanfic and stuck with the art side of things.
I would have to say that the first full length fanfic with plot I began to write was for Buffy the Vampire Slayer in about 2001. I had already started liking vampire-related things, but I avoided BtVS because I felt like anything with the name "Buffy" in it must be incredibly stupid. I caught the original airing of "Something Blue" on TV and watched because, well, James Marsters is the prettiest pretty boy in pretty boy town and the jokes in that episode are hilarious. It really drew me in, so I started watching and couldn't stop. I read a lot of fanfic to fill in the gaps while I was trying to get caught up with the first three seasons. I didn't really feel the need to write any fanfic of my own for a while. At first I was just writing a lot of flashback fic of the Fanged Four globetrotting, and by the end of Season Six, I was writing some AU (alternate timelines, alternate episodes, in-between episodes, etc.). I posted it on some fanfic sites, but the feedback I got was so hurtful at the time that I took it down and posted it on my own Geocities site... Then I didn't get any feedback at all because I didn't know how to advertise nor did I have an LJ. I got an LJ in 2004, posted my first ficlet in 2006, didn't get really get any responses, didn't post any fanfic until 2007, again didn't really get any responses, and then in 2008 I wrote Automated Utopia and got a lot of responses! I felt like I had found my voice and the right places to share my work, and I've been posting ever since. :D
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
In order of when I wrote them...
Sailor Moon: Probably ten to twenty short ficlets. No, I don't write in it anymore.
Hanson: A collection of short stories with illustrations. No, I don't write in it anymore.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: 3 drabbles, 25 fics and ficlets, 5 long!fics (some still in progress), some comics, bunch of unfinished plot snippets, and a whole lotta WIPs. Definitely still writing in it. :D
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Three ficlets plus some drabbles. No, I don't write in it anymore, but I'd like to again.
The Dresden Files: One or two unposted drabbles. No, I don't write in it anymore.
Harry Potter: One unposted drabble. No, I don't write in it anymore.
High Plains Invaders: One longer fanfic and one WIP. Yes, I am still writing in it.
Caprica: One unfinished long fic. Yes, I'm trying to write in it. XD
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
Sailor Moon: Nephlite and Sailor Mars.
Hanson: Isaac, though he's not really a character but he is a character. LOL. XD
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Spike, Fred, Drusilla, Betta George, Connor, and Angel.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Saionji, Touga, Nanami, and Wakaba.
The Dresden Files: Harry, Thomas, and Mouse.
Harry Potter: Draco and Snape.
High Plains Invaders: Sam and Abby.
Caprica: Lacy and Barnabas.
Apparently I enjoy writing characters that are either the bad boys with hearts of gold, the nerdy/insane ladies, the very angry women who want to be loved, and anyone played by James Marsters. XD
4 – Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
Spike. He is my muse, completely and totally. He brought me into my favourite fandom, and he's just such a great character, layered and versatile (not to mention volatile). He's very interesting and passionate. Sometimes I just want to add him into situations and even into other fandoms to see how he would react or how others would react to him. It took me a long time, however, to feel like I could write his voice the way that I felt was true to the actual character. More importantly, professionally I suppose, is that he, and James Marsters by extension, is a muse for my art as well.
Oddly enough, a character that I took to writing instantly that I would like to write more of is Sam Danville from High Plains Invaders. I cannot explain it, but there's something about that woobie cowboy that makes me want to write whole novels about his continuing misadventures. He's a... simple character. His emotions are out there for the world to see; it's hard to for him to hide his feelings. Sam is proof that you can cry and still defeat big uranium-eatin' alien boogs, and he's just adorable. I've written so many snippets about him that I need to finish into a longer fic. XD
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?
When I first got the plot bunny for Acceptable Losses, it was just about Spike, Angel, Connor, and the group of young Slayers. However, Buffy kept pushing her way into the plot when I was trying to turn it into a longer fic. Even though I don't really like writing Buffy (I often feel like I'm going to piss people off by how I view her because my POV of her is usually very different from the general consensus), I decided to let the idea play out as I wrote the outline. I don't think that it necessarily hurt what I was originally intending to do, and it probably made certain aspects of the plot (that I won't spoil since I'm still posting the bloody thing XD ) stronger and will hopefully make the message of the fic clearer by the end. However, it did take the fic in a completely different direction with the focus of the main plot. When I was editing, it made me realize that some stuff was going to have to be rewritten and taken out. One of the biggest reasons it's taken so long for me to finish posting the fic is because of Buffy's presence therein and the consequences of her being there, even for a short time. I guess that's a large part of her being the formerly title character- her presence is felt even when she's not there whether I want her to be a part of the plot or not.
I will also say that in my other current WIP Versailles Undone that a character I didn't expect somehow weaseled his way into the story that I wasn't exactly prepared for when the outline was being created, but there he was and he wouldn't go away... so he gets to stay. I won't say who he is for spoiler reasons, but I hope that he won't be too out-of-place.
I guess Spike could also be a constant answer to this question as well, but more precisely William. I really enjoy writing stories in which Spike can flashback to his past, and I can share glimpses into his childhood. Since we learn nothing in canon about his father, I got to completely create Phineas Pratt as a character, and I do like getting to include Victorian family interludes if I can. Plus, Phineas/Anne has become one of my OTPs. Their love is so adorkably literary and tragically filled with tuberculosis!
Overall, I suppose my first instinct to a character I didn't originally intend to include in a fic wanting to "join in" on a plot is to just let it happen. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I can go back to the outline and rework what was happening or maybe tweak things to see if I can make it work after all.
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
I think that I don't have a preference. I think probably in overall volume I write male characters more, but most of the time I don't think about it too hard. Most of my original characters are female though, which some of them are female for necessity and others by happenstance of whatever gender felt right at the time.
Growing up most of the cartoon characters I like the most were male... and they were all the snarky ones (Raphael from the Ninja Turtles, anyone?), but the female characters that I identified with were very take-charge, cynical, sarcastic, domineering, and often goal-oriented *cough*they-were-usually-villains*cough*. Some might say that those female characters had a lot stereotypically "masculine" characteristics. I tended to dislike title characters, and typically title characters that are female represent "feminine ideals," which I have distain for. For example, Jem from "Jem and the Holograms" with her pink hair and her millions of dollars and her goody-two-shoes ways. She's all, "Oh, poor me, my boyfriend is in love with Jem!me not Jerrica!me! If only I could tell him, but I can't for reasons that I totally made up for plot contrivance. I just like to be dramacakes!" What about Pizzazz, Jem? Do you care that she is only hard-edged to protect the very sensitive part of herself left broken by years of parental abuse? Do you care that Roxy can't even read?! No, you don't! Self-absorbed cottoncandy-lookin' fluffball! Argh! *has an 80's flashback and falls over from too much Tab soda*
Of course, on the other hand, I do like Fifi La Fume from Tiny Toon Adventures, which makes me slightly ashamed since she's basically the female analogue of the most prolific cartoon serial molester of all time. She just wants to be loved... even if it means tying up a guy and holding him captive to do it. We've all been there, haven't we? Plus, she lived in an awesome Cadillac DeVille in a junkyard. You can't go wrong there... Well, you can but... XD
I have no idea what point I was trying to make... Oh yeah, maybe I write male characters more because I just feel more comfortable doing so... or maybe I just like writing guy-on-guy vampire porn which doesn't require a lot of female characters. XD
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
In one ficlet, Stepping Stones, I didn't so much have to change my opinion of Buffy, but rather I had to make a concentrated effort to make Buffy do something I thought she will never be able to do- admit her faults and seek to take responsibility for her mistakes. In doing so, I had to soften my harsh opinions of her inability to change. However, I view this as making her OOC. I don't believe she can change nor do I believe she will with the way Joss Whedon or any other writers portray her. Instead of changing my opinion, I should say that I left the possibility open that perhaps with a different writer Buffy seeking help for her issues to get herself mentally and emotionally healthy might one day be a possibility.
Similarly, with the chapters in which Buffy appears thus far in Acceptable Losses, I had to "soften" how I portrayed Buffy because I don't believe she's actually capable of empathy nor love at her current state and I had to have her do something that was in a way selfless within the story... Of course, it's only selfless if you interpret her actions to be so, and I did leave that possibility open. On one hand, she's had to give up something that she may not ever get to experience again. On the other hand, did she have ulterior motives besides selfless love and caring in doing so? To be honest, I can't say. That motivation doesn't come into play with the rest of the fic, but I think it lingers as a question. When a "hero" makes a big flowery emotional speech, we tend to take them at their word, but it could be an act, a put-on, or a con just hide selfish reasons why they are doing what they do. Again, I'm not saying that's what Buffy did in Acceptable Losses, but I think it's good policy to question the White Hats every now and then.
And sometimes I need to be reminded that Spike is not a china doll that will be broken into a thousand pieces at the first blush of damage. He has sustained massive hurt-y injuries without shedding a tear or screaming, and sometimes that's difficult for me to remember. I totally blame "Fool for Love" for woobiefying him forever. Come on, all I see in my head is "*shove!* *fall!* *lip wobble!* *sobs!*" Oh the vampmanity! Someone get him a bandaid and a juice box! And then I have to recall the chip and Glory and how it took her trying to scoop out his heart with one finger or him getting nearly crispy-brain-fried to get him to cry out... And then the First... I really don't want to know what the Turok-Han was doing to Spike to make him scream... I have nightmares...
Also, Angel can be goofy as all fuck, and I like that. I think that in writing Acceptable Losses (man, this is making me realize just how much I need to finish posting that fic) that I realized that Angel could be loving. It's one of those things with Spangel where you know that Spike could love Angel, that's just a given, but there's always a lingering doubt of if Angel could truly love Spike or if he can truly love anyone after what he's gone through. I think what really changed him in my view was writing AL, but also some of the lines Brian Lynch wrote at the end of ATF. Angel's true love is his son. Connor is his world; Connor means more to him than anyone else, and no one is going to change that. That's when I realized that Angel is a good man. He gets things so wrong, but he's a good man. If given the chance, Liam would have grown up and been a good man, a good father, a better son. And Spike loves Connor too; they're family, a crazy unnatural dysfunctional family. I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Brian Lynch's story in the Angel Yearbook because in one of the alternate timelines/dimensions, Angel managed to save Connor from being sucked into Quor'toth, but afterwards became so overprotective that he pushed all his friends away. Somehow, in that timeline, Spike entered the picture, and he was the only person Angel trusted enough to help look after three-year-old Connor. It just really reaffirmed my Spangel love.
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Yes, indeed, I do write a lot of OCs. I love all my OCs. My oldest and most written OC is Ursula Parthenos. She was in one of my first fics, and she was very much a Mary Sue. I've always paired her with Spike. She's evolved over time into a much more full-fledged, well-rounded character. She went from being a hypersexual mullo (a type of vampire) with a siren song voice to a pregnant video store clerk-and-pub-waitress/failed singer who is barely scrapping by in her London flat. She's matured, and I think she's become a perfect partner for Spike. In my unposted-on-LJ fic the River That Flows, in which she first appeared, Ursula was just... well, she was an insufferable Mary Sue, but by the time James revealed his Spike movie idea and I started to rework her character to be better in my unfinished comic London Calling, I think that she's become an endearing character. I hope that she is, at any rate.
My thoughts on OCs are that OCs are wonderful. Characters come in and out of the canon show all the time, providing a rich tapestry to the story even if we only hear from them once; I think that the same is true for fanfiction OCs. If a person wants to have a Mary Sue/Gary Stu specifically in their story, go right ahead. Let your freak flag fly because you never know what that Mary Sue might lead to storywise. Seriously, I rewrote the River That Flows about seven times, and each time I made Ursula a little less intolerable, but eventually I gave up on the fic all together because of some hatemail I got, but she shows up in some of the first ficlets/drabbles I posted on LJ in her still crazy Mary Sue form. I think she's less awful now, and I've gotten positive feedback about her inclusion as a character, and she's even appeared in someone else's fic! *waves to
sistercuervo*Here's a list of my OCs in order of oldest to newest and the fics in which they appear... I have A LOT of OCs...
Ursula Parthenos: (as a vampire- purveyor of mystical artifacts)
the River that Flows (unposted)
Panty Thief (not worksafe at all)
Sliver (not worksafe either)
Five Senses Aren't Enough
(as a human- video store clerk/pub girl/Spike's girlfriend/that pregnant chick Fender always draws)
London Calling (comic)
the Cinnamon Hippo
the Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12 (mention only)
Trixie/Trix: (as a vampire- one of vampire!Ursula's childre)
the River that Flows (unposted)
(as a human- another video clerk and human!Ursula's friend)
the Cinnamon Hippo
Roxanne: (as a vampire- one of vampire!Ursula's dhamphiric offspring with Toulouse Lautrec)
the River that Flows (unposted).
(as a human- Ursula's daughter, Spike's adoptive daughter, former star lacrosse player, eventually has four children of her own, married to Archie)
London Calling (comic, though Roxanne has not been born yet in this part of the story... she's still in Ursula's big ol' pregger belly. XD)
the Cinnamon Hippo (again, Roxie's present yet not born)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12
Malice: (Aubrey's childe, mute and possibly deranged)
the River that Flows (unposted).
Jacques: (as a vampire- one of vampire!Ursula's childre and lover)
the River that Flows (unposted).
Penelope: (Spike's cousin, who's married to the regurgitating Forlax demon as mentioned in S4. I count this as an OC.)
the River that Flows (unposted).
Bartholomew Appleyard: (Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard)
Automated Utopia
a Gaslight Christmas (mentioned only)
Danielle Pleydell: (Inspector at Scotland Yard and Chief Inspector Appleyard's partner)
Automated Utopia
a Gaslight Christmas (mentioned only)
Sir Augustus Franks: (Chief Curator at the British Museum)
Automated Utopia
Dr. Phyllydia Breedlove: (Chief Librarian at the British Museum)
Automated Utopia
Silas: (Assistant to Dr. Breedlove)
Automated Utopia
******: (name redacted to prevent spoilers)
Automated Utopia.
Norman: (a baby demon found at the British Museum that Lorne cares for)
Automated Utopia
Betta Paulina and the Betta Babies: (Betta George's mate and all their offspring)
One Fish, Two Fish, Blue Fish, Too Many Fish
The Carnie: (a serial killer encounter by Spike and Drusilla at a county fair in Tennessee)
Dark Ride
Dr. Salafia Dominick: (Medical Examiner at the L.A. County Coroner's office, named for Alfredo Salafia, master embalmer who preserved the body of Rosalia Lombardo, and also named for Dominick Dunne, writer for Vogue who covered high society crime)
Paper Pusher
Dr. LaBianca Blanche: (Chief Medical Examiner at the L.A. County Coroner's office)
Paper Pusher
Djedefre Hargreaves: (evil lawyer, magician, breaker of mystical contracts, father to Becker and Achilles)
Paper Pusher
Becker Hargreaves: (incubus, son of Djedefre)
Paper Pusher
Achilles Hargreaves: (pig, former doctor, son of Djedefre)
Paper Pusher
Patrick: (young tough from the East Hills Teen Center)
Paper Pusher
Gary: (forklift driver for the Arcane Press, Narbrach Beast)
Paper Pusher
Eligor: (Wretched Master of Decay, Bringer of War and Grand Obscenity, Finder of Hidden Things, Patron of Poisoners and Pariahs. Even though this character is mentioned in What's My Line, Part 2, I count this as an OC.)
Paper Pusher
Snerd: (Eligor's skeletal, winged horse)
Paper Pusher
Dr. Tinsel Sribiju: (head of the Toxicology Department at the L.A. County Coroner's office, named for Dr. Krishnan Sribiju who studies the phenomenon of twinning and for one-half of a pair of twin sisters that I knew)
Paper Pusher
Dr. Dimple Sribiju: (head of the Serology Department at the L.A. County Coroner's office, Tinsel's sister, named for Dr. Krishnan Sribiju who studies the phenomenon of twinning and for one-half of a pair of twin sisters that I knew)
Paper Pusher
Dr. Palaneck: (Director of the Medical Examiner's Office at the L.A. County Coroner's office, named for Skip Palenik, analytical microscopist and forensic scientist)
Paper Pusher
*******: (redacted for spoilers)
Paper Pusher
Daisy: (fifteen-year-old Slayer from Tennessee, called during the Chosen spell, former beauty queen and tennis player, runs away from Andrew's group during "Damage" in S5 of Ats, and shows up on Angel's doorstep. Co-created with
sistercuervo) Acceptable Losses
Reglisse Millefleuilles: (fourteen-year-old Slayer from France, daughter of bakery owners, sister to Pistache, name means "licorice" and Millefleuilles is a type of pastry, also shows up on Angel's doorstep)
Acceptable Losses
Pistache Millefleuilles: (fourteen-year-old Slayer from France, daughter of bakery owners, sister to Reglisse, name means "pistachio," also shows up on Angel's doorstep)
Acceptable Losses
Florence Blot: (eleven-year-old Slayer from Washington state, is the young baseball player seen at the end of Chosen, also shows up on Angel's doorstep)
Acceptable Losses
Angel Guiterrez: (owns a rival detective agency to Angel's, married to Nixzmary, has three children, eventually pairs his agency with Angel's to form a singular, more profitable Angel Investigations)
Acceptable Losses
Nixzmary Guiterrez: (is married to Angel Guiterrez, has three kids with him, is the brains behind the business's success, financial wizard)
Acceptable Losses
Henry Aloysius Pratt: (Buffy's baby that she delivers while in L.A. who she gives to Spike to take care of. Biological father unknown. He's got red hair and hazel eyes. Spike calls him "Happy" because of his initials)
Acceptable Losses
Scrambles the Deathdealer: (an imp that lives beneath a Cinnabon who steals vats of sugar glaze, son of Marrowsuck the Deathstalker, grandson of Orgoth the Deathbringer, named for a tornado on Metalocalypse)
Acceptable Losses
Phineas Pratt: (Spike's father, married to Anne Pratt, died from TB when Spike was a child)
Advent
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 1 and Part 2 (mention only)
Knitting Needles (mention only)
Mr. Eddowes: (a serial killer, poisoning children on Halloween in a Nashville suburb)
The Night of Stingy Jack
Snowball: (the evil cat of Spike and Fred's elderly neighbours, enjoys destroying everything Angel holds dear)
Drill, Baby, Drill
Charlotte Pratt-Kitterdige-Malcolm-Burleigh: (Spike's aunt, the elder sister of Phineas Pratt, been married three times, twice widowed, has two vile daughters- Violet and Penelope)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 2
Mrs. Gardiner: (the Pratts' household cook)
Advent
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 2
Kirke: (the Pratts' young housekeeper)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 2
Elsbett Quartremain: (a Slayer called in 1877, had a relationship with her Watcher before running away to become independent and worldly, is the first Slayer Spike ever encounter though he did not know what a Slayer was at the time, shoots herself to escape pursuing Watchers but survives, no one is sure how long she survived or if another Slayer was called in her place after the shooting)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 3
the Wren Snare
Biblioteca, Scholastica, Ecclesia, and Bill: (ages 10, 7, 5, and 2 respectively. Roxanne and Archie's children, Ursula's grandchildren, Spike's adoptive grandchildren)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12
Archie: (Roxanne's husband, father of her four children, Ursula and Spike's son-in-law, an art school drop-out, has a good heart)
Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt, Part 12
Mr. and Mrs. Quartremain and Ernte Quartremain: (Elsbett Quartremain's parents and younger sister)
the Wren Snare
Mr. Charles Chalmers: (Watcher and lover of Elsbett Quartremain, marries Lucy Collyweston, a relative of Lydia Chalmers who wrote her thesis on Spike, a vampire that Elsbett encountered)
the Wren Snare
Lucy Collyweston: (Wife of Charles Chalmers, a member of the Watchers Council)
the Wren Snare
Miss Wyndam, Mr. Fairweather, Mr. Pryce: (Watchers who take Elsbett Quartremain from Charles Chalmers's residence, relatives of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Rupert Giles)
the Wren Snare
Unnamed: (Director of the Watchers Council)
the Wren Snare
Dr. Fontaine: (a therapist, called as a Slayer during the Chosen spell, is in her early fifties, did not want to fight as a Slayer but offered her services as a therapist to Buffy's army pre-Season Eight but was turned away for having nothing useful to offer, Buffy later goes to her office post-Season Eight for therapy)
Stepping Stones
Jackson, Daniels, Thompson, Rutherford, Napier, and Mike Reeves: (Soldiers at the Initiative, Daniels and Thompson assault Spike while he is held captive, named after streets in one of the towns I used to live in)
Versailles Undone
Kristin: (a decontamination tech at the Initiative)
Versailles Undone
Charise St. Char: (a young heiress who owns Simply Charming Publications, one of the largest publishing houses of erotic novels in the Western Hemisphere, buys Spike as a pet from the Initiative as part of their program to test the earning capabilities of their chipping program, has a slight French accent from her years at school there, lives an anachronistic lifestyle of Rococo indulgence both in dress and in furnishings)
Versailles Undone
Pomme, Pêche, Citron, Poire, Framboise, and Jean-Pierre: (Spike's two maids, Charise's two valets, maid, and chef respectively, the first five are French names for fruit and Jean-Pierre is named for Dethklok's chef in Metalocalypse)
Versailles Undone
Eus Dolmancé: (Charise's business manager, sixty-five years old, is cold and no-nonsense, worked for Charise's grandmother when she started up Simply Charming Publications)
Versailles Undone
Hart Carlisle: (one of Charise's best friends, brother of Harriet Carlisle-Foster, has an on-again/off-again boyfriend named Eduardo, very flamboyant and overtly sexual, owns a burlesque nightclub called the Pink Drink, has several pomeranians)
Versailles Undone
Harriet Carlisle-Foster: (one of Charise's best friends, sister of Hart Carlisle, is a widow, is a first chair cellist for the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, carries her custom cello with her everywhere, more timid than her brother)
Versailles Undone
Yolande Lamb: (one of Charise's best friends, a painter, very sensual)
Versailles Undone
Élisabeth-Martine: (a Slayer called in Paris, France in 1791, has a brother who was a clerk for the Comptroller-General, her brother and Watcher were executed by the revolutionaries, arrested for spying during the Révolution, executed by guillotine in 1793)
Madness Within Reason
The First Potential: (a young girl in prehistorical Africa who comes across Sineya, the First Slayer)
Dwelling
Rosaria Cammarata: (a Slayer called in 1910 in Italy, fifteen years old, fled to America to escape the perils of being the Slayer, dies in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911)
Full of Grace
Gethsemane Rose: (a Slayer called in 1915, seven years old, enjoys drawing, adopted under false pretenses by her Watchers, the Colquhoons)
Branching of the Olive Tree
The Colquhoons: (the Watchers of Gethsemane, a married couple)
Branching of the Olive Tree
Mrs. Walker and Bethlehem: (the director of the children's asylum and Gethsemane's friend there, respectively)
Branching of the Olive Tree
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
Sailor Moon: Naru/Nephlite, Fiore/Mamaru, Fisheye/Tiger's Eye.
Hanson: No pairings.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: Spike/Fred, Spike/Angel, Spike/Drusilla.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena: Saionji/Wakaba, Saionji/Touga, Saionji/Nanami.
The Dresden Files: Harry/Murphy, Justine/Thomas, Harry/Thomas (I am so wrong, but I don't want to be right).
Harry Potter: Lucius/Narcissa, Snape/Lily, Sirius/Remus.
High Plains Invaders: Sam/Abby... There are no other pairings left... They're all dead. XD
Caprica: Lacy/Barnabas, Barnabas/Clarice, Lacy/Odin.
Oh, redeemable boys... You are so evil, but you have sparkly moments of redemption. The significant others you are paired with will heal your broken, bad boy souls. XD
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
Yes, I have written outside of my comfort zone in both of those situations! For a pairing that I liked but never had been able to write before, I finally was able to write Spike/Tara in Late Fees (not worksafe). As for a pairing I didn't like but wrote, there's Spike/Dawn in L'Aurore (not worksafe either). I'm not sure if I succeeded in either case, but I tried my best. :D
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
When I look over all the fics I have written, I have to say that I write... gen!fic? Is "sexy fluff" a genre? As much as I love slash, most of my fics are het, and while I've ventured into dark!fic and NC-17 rated stuff, most of my stuff remains PG-13ish... It's so weird to think about! I guess I've dabbled in a lot of different genres, but I move around a lot when it comes to inspiration. My Spike/Dru fics are generally very dark/horror-humor. My Spike/Fred fics are sexy fluff or gen!fics. My Spike/Angel fics are also kinda romantic comedy-eque. My original Slayer ficlets are all dark gen!fics. I suppose now that I think about it horror and comedy are probably the most prevalent themes.
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
No, I don't think I have. When I was first writing BtVS fics, I think I wanted to adapt Anne Rice's the Taming of Sleeping Beauty series to fit into the 'verse with Spike in the Sleeping Beauty role (someone had accidentally bought the book for me when I was a kid; they really had no idea what it was, and I was shocked to say the least). I do think I've used elements of that series with Sleeping Beauty!Dawn in L'Aurore (not worksafe) and with pet!Spike in a "bridle path" type of scene in Versailles Undone (also not worksafe... at all).
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
Canon is a tricky thing. Canon is different to different people. From whether or not any of the comics are canon to the characters' motives at any given time to what happened in the "basement blackout" scene in Chosen, there are just gaps that are left open to be interpreted in many different ways with no definite answer. I always like to have a grounding in canon when I'm writing. My personal canon basically consists of both shows, the Tales of the Slayers andTales of the Vampires comics from DH, and any of the IDW comics written by Brian Lynch and John Byrne. I don't consider Season Eight, any of the BtVS/Ats books, any of the other DH comics, or any of the non-Brian Lynch or non-John Byrne comics from IDW to be canon.
When I wrote Automated Utopia, I used basic plot points as backstory and grafted them onto a steampunk universe (i.e. Sunnydale was near Lincolnshire in England rather than California, U.S. of A.). I used Brian Lynch's Asylum characters as well because they are awesome. Betta George, in particular, makes several appearances in my fics; I heart that big telepathic floaty fish. I also consider Spike's real name to be William H. Pratt (from Spike: Asylum, though it also appeared before that in one of Peter David's Old Times comic as a tribute to Boris Karloff). I used to say that Spike's surname was "Boarden" (a combination of Lizzie Borden and William Broad aka Billy Idol's real name), but I think that "Pratt" suits him much better.
However, I also have my own fanon that I don't waver from. Most of my fanon deals with Spike's backstory and his family. I've always had a view of his family tree that has not changed over the years. The only thing that has changed is Spike's surname (see above about his name). I also have a timeline of where the Fanged Four (and Fanged Three... and then down to Two) were over the years, which just helps me keep continuity in all my fics even the ones that don't go into one another. Also, my Spike is a "Brony" (a guy who watches "My Little Ponies: Friendship is Magic). XD
I think that writing fanfic has really solidified what I really enjoyed from the show and what I really didn't like, but I don't believe that it changed how I viewed the source material at all. :D
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
I'm getting more comfortable with going up to NC-17. I don't normally write stuff that needs that high of a rating, and I'm still a bit nervous to write things of that rating though, but it doesn't bother me too much. I think I mostly write PG-13-rated stories, so it doesn't surprise me when I come up with something G-rated. In fact, sometimes I wish I could come up with more G-rated things, like Spike getting a basket of puppies or babysitting a whole bunch of teeny Splendeen demons. XD
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
I think it is probably most important things to warn for are non-con/rape/assault and torture, even if you warn with a highlightable warning. Major/main character death is a toughie for me though. For a long!fic, I would say don't warn for main character death (I didn't warn for a death that occurs in Paper Pusher because it was a long!fic that I felt was building towards that sort of resolution, but I did warn for all the violence and some gore that occurred), but for a shorter fic or drabble, I'd say yes. I think if you're unsure about giving certain things away about the story as far as spoilers then use the "highlight to read" method of adding warnings (that's what I would do if I was unsure at any rate) or wait until the appropriate chapter to add a warning.
For the most part, probably just simply stating whether something is worksafe or not worksafe is sufficient sometimes. :D
The strangest thing I ever warned for was "abuse of stuffed animals" in a chapter of Versailles Undone (not worksafe ever)... I also had to warn for the exact same thing in a Spike artwork. XD
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
I like writing them. I usually try to think up the major point of the story and then try to write something that will entice a reader to step inside the parlor, so-to-speak. I think of what I would say out loud when describing the fic, like a fifteen second blurb, like a movie trailer or something of that nature. I've tried to get into a habit of updating the summaries for each chapter of a longer fic.
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
For me, it is usually the easiest part of writing. Sometimes, the title is the plot bunny, the leaping off point for a fanfic idea, which was true of the Branching of the Olive Tree. For longer fics, sometimes I do title the individual chapters, and sometimes I don't. For Automated Utopia and Paper Pusher I didn't, but for the River that Flows (unposted) and Acceptable Losses, I did.
Most of the fic titles just come to me, but for the chapter titles, a lot of the time, I have to think about them. The chapter titles usually come from song lyrics of something that I was listening to at the time or that felt right to accompany that particular chapter.
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
My own messed up brain for the most part. Sometimes people share their muse with me and give me prompts, and I like working that way. Sometimes just having a basic idea of even a snippet of dialogue or a situation can be a great launching point for me. Real life can also be inspirational. I got the idea for Some Deep, Existential Shite from actually opening a roll of paper towels... and the title was based off of something Dennis Hopper says in "the Crow IV: Wicked Prayer." XD
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
I do tend to start writing right away, especially if I have a specific scene or snippet of dialogue in mind. Most of the time, I sit down and try to script out the whole framework of the plot. If I can't come up with a plot for fic that's as long as I want it or that I can't get quite right, I tuck the idea away in a notebook and save it for a later time. Twelve Christmases in the Life and Unlife of William H. Pratt (Parts I-IV, Parts V-VIII, and Parts IX-XII) was an idea that had been kicking around in my head for literally years because I finally was able to write it just as I wanted it.
I'm a notebook-keeper. I have several notebooks for my various plot bunnies. Most of them will never see the light of day, but there are those that get transferred to their own notebooks for further plotting. I think one problem that I have is that I have several fics that I want to post at once. I still have to finish posting Acceptable Losses and Versailles Undone before I even begin to start posting Automated Utopia II. Sweet Lord... I'm never going to get there if I don't get my act in gear. XD
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
Sometimes I do. It's not necessarily a whole story, but mostly it might be a phrase or a situation leads me to ponder a ponderment about those characters or different characters in the same situation. I love it when people post a whole bunch of plot bunnies out there for people to use too. Probably more than getting bunnied for fanfiction, I probably get bunnied to do fanart more. A lot of the time, I sketch while I read fanfic, so I've got lots of little scenes drawn out from the things I read.
I probably have more plot bunnies in my notebooks than I could ever use. It gets kind of frustrating to want to write and not physically having the time or energy to type that much.
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
This is yet another question that makes me feel bad for not being on a better posting schedule (or, you know, actually have one at all). I have already written sequels to both Automated Utopia and Paper Pusher, but I haven't finished editing them to my satisfaction. Also, I'm in the middle of posting two other long!fics that I have to finish posting before I lose my mind. To get the "why" out of the way, overall I think I never feel like I'm actually finished with a fic. If I've cultivated characters, I want to follow through until the end, and then I start to feel like I'm in the middle of Les Miserables. Haha!
For something that I've actually managed to post, I wrote Knitting Needles and Mother's Milk as sequels to Apron Strings because they are very short ficlets, and they're just something I can post quickly and to take my mind off other things. Apron Strings seemed to strike a good chord with people, and it was an interesting What-If scenario for me to think about, so I just jotted down some other ficlet ideas, and the other two stories came from those. I'd actually like to write some more. I could probably make a long!fic out of it, but God help me, I would go crazy.
I wrote the sequel to Automated Utopia because I felt like I couldn't abandon that AU. I mean, you go through the trouble of creating a 'verse and try to make it rich with details, so I couldn't just leave it. I wanted to explore the whole world further, so I've written Automated Utopia II: the Case of the Nefarious Nuptials, in which Spike and Fred travel to Italy for the wedding of one of her college acquaintances only to get wrapped up in an epic murder mystery with dirigibles and fireworks and Venetian magic. ... What's really sad is that there are two more sequels to Automated Utopia that I'm writing in my notebooks (AU III: Hassle in the Castle, set during the 1893 World's Fair, and AU IV: Fear in the French Quarter, set in New Orleans with lots of ghosts and creepiness).
For Paper Pusher, I wanted to write something from Fred's point of view. Though Paper Pusher was listed as a Spike/Fred fic, it really was more about one side of a ship, specifically Spike's feelings and thoughts, and the other half was really absent for most of the fic. Fred deserved to have a fic from her point of view, so I wrote a sequel set a short time after Paper Pusher. One of these days, I will actually get it posted. Sadly, I've begun writing a sequel to Versailles Undone as well. Non-BtVS-related, I have a sequel to a Man Called Phoenix, my High Plains Invaders fic.
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
Well, I'm not sure it counts, but I am currently signed up for
angst_bingo. I've gotta get a move on if I want to meet my deadline for a bingo. XD I've also participated in noel_of_spike for the past three years, and I used to participate in seasonal_sd before it became defunct. I always have a really good experience participating in those kinds of writing activities. Sometimes a deadline and a theme/key word (even if it's just a season) can really produce some great fanfic results. I think some of my best work has been my Spike/Dru oneshots I wrote for
seasonal_sd. It's not just great for writing, but I've always enjoyed coming up with artwork for my posting days as well. The first thing I contributed was a Spike/Drusilla artwork- Skating at Somerset House (worksafe) - and the first fanfiction was a Spike/Drusilla oneshot- Shrive for Frosting (not worksafe for mentions of gore). 23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
I used to have my own BtVS fanfiction website called Peroxide Lullaby on Geocities before it closed all its free sites. Originally, that's where I posted all my fics (at the time, it was mostly the River That Flows and a few Spike/Fred drabbles). When I didn't get a lot of traffic after a few years, I started using this Livejournal as a place to post my fics. When I was in college, I began a James Marsters fansite called Marstersesque, which I was going to use as an archive, but it got deleted when my sorority (who had given me space on their domain as payment for some work I did) dissolved its membership and cancelled its web subscription.
Some of fanart and fanfics are archived at Cold Dead Seed, the Caritas, and the Crypt. My art is also partially archived at SlayAlive, IDW Forum, and my Deviantart page. There might be other places, but I can't remember... ETA: OMG. I have a Fanfiction.net account. I don't even remember it. I must have signed up at some point years and years ago (2002 to be specific)... I never posted anything to it. Should I? Is it still a pit of voles?
I'd like to start a new website archive, just to design one for fun, but I don't have the money for another domain name. My current domain name is connected to my freelance business, so I don't think it's a good idea. One day, when I have some extra cash for another domain name, I would like to do it.
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
