have been unavoidably detained by the world

Fanfic observation of the day: Merlin fandom is chock-full of long and plotty AUs. This is BRILLIANT, as I’ve seen enough of the show to understand the characters more-or-less. \o/

(And what I don't know, I dreg up from my faint memories of the Arthurian myths.)

Dear Doctor Who People,

ARGH. I had this WHOLE FIC all PLANNED OUT and now I find out that River Song's actual storyline is a lot more restricted than it seems.

I AM DISPLEASED.

*edits grumpily*

(Yes, I know, AUs, but this particular fic is designed to fit neatly into canon. As neatly as possible when it's River Song, but still.)

I have to ruin all of my best lines! :(

I sometimes wish I could write some sort of paper about how mpreg fic is a sort of angry feminist response to men, a sort of "HAHAH LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT BROS-WITHOUT-UTERUSES" but I know it's really just a kinky corner of the haphazard parallelogram that is the slash community in fandom.

But dudes. It's everywhere.

(Still wandering around Inception fandom, why do you ask?)

LOOK HERE'S A META WITH EVERY JGL OUTFIT IN THE MOOOVIE. (It's also one of those fabulous "DEAR FANDOM UR DOING IT WRONG" metas. Hee. ♥)

___

Um, I am writing Torchwood fic and stuff. I promise. It's just that plot is so hard to make pretty. HOW DO YOU PEOPLE DO IT?????

/constantly resisting the urge to tell not show.

alba17 is hosting a really fascinating discussion about fandom, mono-fans, multi-fans, you name it. My feelings on this whole thing are crazy tangled and mixed-up and I haven't ironed them out yet enough to comment, but I recommend checking it out.

It has reminded me that I should check out Teen Wolf on the off-chance it sparks fandom feelings. Because if Merlin and Avengers aren't going to do it, I'm willing to try anything.

***

So, there's a plotty fix-it-esque fic I'm writing that takes place after Children of Earth but before Miracle Day. For no discernible reason, really. Very little of the action takes place in the present and it could easily take place after Miracle Day as well.

But I thought of it and started it before Miracle Day aired (yes, that's more than a year ago. It's a miracle I post anything, ever.) and so, in my head, that's when it takes place.

Now, I'm working on an actual fix-it in which has an actualfax happy ending, which takes place after Miracle Day. Again, there's no real reason for it and it has virtually zero influence on the plot (and I strongly suspect it will turn off some readers) but I thought of the idea after Miracle Day and I can't unglue that in my head.

And there's ANOTHER fic (really, a miracle I tell you) that was drafted before MD but might end up with a casual mention of the Miracle because it adds to the general background chaos I want to create in this world.

It's weird, innit? I don't know what it says about me or the tangle of the fandom I hang out in, but there's something going on there.

Back when tumblr was just another option instead of the primary and/or only platform People I Want To Talk To Are Using, I started to write a post about Fanfiction on Different Mediums.

So, that was a real essay. Maybe one day I'll finish it. But I've actually read a few nice old-fashined fics on tumblr, where they are doomed to be virtually lost unless they are reposted elsewhere. So I'm going to write these less-organized thoughts instead.

Here's the thing. Livejournal is not an ideal fanfiction platform. We (fandom) have come up with pretty great conventions in the standardized header format to make the fic we publish on this platform nicely accessible. We use linking and lj-cuts to neatly hide our fic so we don't flood our friends with text. We (well, most poeple) make masterlists to make it easy to find fic within blog posts. Some people make separate blog accounts for fanfiction posts. Some people tag their fics extensively.

This is all to try and make fics well organized here and easy to find here on LJ/DW/etc.

( But the thing is, the ideal place for fanfiction is still going to be archive sites. )

So I've seen this meme go around and while ever single person I've seen has done it differently, and not all my fic is even on AO3*, I check my stats like everyone else, so I figured I'd join the bandwagon my own way!

1. Some Things Never Change. Some Do. (Torchwood) with 292 hits! I'm going to assume it's the summary implying heavy Ianto/Jack, because this is a Miracle Day influenced fic!

2. Don't Tell Me Not to Fly (DC Comics, Lian Harper) with actually really happily surprising 254 hits!

3. Privately Owned (Torchwood) kicking off my COE-influenced fic with 178 hits!

3. It's About Torchwood. And a Baby (Torchwood, duh.) my other sappy Jack/Ianto fic also with 178 hits!

5. Sometimes Jack Does Things By the Book (Torchwood) with 172 hits and I have no idea why! Mostly Naked Jack is my only theory, but it's for cultural explanation, not sex!

6. Notable Figures (Torchwood) is Rhiannon's first appearance with 167 hits!

7. I Can Hear Them (Star Trek XI) is my not-at-all-kinky response to a kink meme prompt with 162 hits!

8. License! (DC Comics, Batman) is my only fic with Dick being adorable and bouncy with Bruce and Alfred and has 152 hits!

9. Something Like Closure (Torchwood) rounds out my COE fic with 140 hits!

9. Evening (Torchwood) is another prompted Jack/Ianto fic with another 140 hits!

( A cut to hide some of my random ponderings )

Guys, I finished a fic!

About 23 hours, ago, actually. And I wish it wasn't so exciting that I did, but I've been in a funk all August, so getting a story out of my head that has an ending and a point is unfortunately a big deal. Sure, it's a little sappy in the ending and the plot is contrived and I'm not really good enough to pull that off well, but it's done, unlike the fic I started last week.

It's off to beta now, and I'm still tinkering with wording and I'm hoping to channel the mojo into my stalled BigBang (xrai_namere, YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT) after I finish the ridiculous 3,000+ word meta about Jack and timelines that has stolen my BRAIN.

I don't know why I'm writing the meta. Only one of you liked the last episode of Torchwood. BUT I DON'T HAVE A BRAIN SO IT'S NOT MY FAULT. Maybe I'll send it to Espenson. Maybe she'll even read it.

OMG, GUYS. I WROTE FIC. IT'S ALL COMPLETE. IANTO IS IN IT, SO PEOPLE MIGHT EVEN READ IT.

*tries to come up with a title*

Officially I'm not here. Officially, I have another paper due tomorrow at 13:00 Daylight Savings British Summer Time and I haven't been taking mental breaks to check my friends list while writing my Victorian Philanthropy paper and am now rewarding myself for handing it in by posting. Officially.

I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT.

See, I went away for a big with patchy internet (which I spent on watching Doctor Who. Priorities.) and I come back and limit myself to only a few things because I had four papers and a project to write in under a week, but I am only human you know and I KNEW IT.

Listen, I can forgive fandom for releasing the names of the remix people because that probably already had a date I never checked and ( ramble on remix fics and other stuff )

BUT.

BUT DUDES.

RUMORS ABOUT GDL BEING IN THE NEW TORCHWOOD AUIDO DRAMA/RADIO SHOW/WHO KNOWS?

OF COURSE THIS HAPPENS WHILE I'M OFFLINE.

OF COURSE.

Let us look at the facts for a moment.

There is a new Torchwood audio thing.
It will have flashbacks.
It is being recorded next week.
Gareth David-Lloyd will be in the US next week for unexplained work commitments.
Twitter heart attack.
Other people are already squeeing.

I'm no great shakes at math(s), but if this adds up to two I may not sleep until the audio drama is released. The adrenaline will be too damn strong.

Fine, I would really rather him on screen, yes. As a flashback, as a ghost/hauting thing, as alternate!evil!Ianto, I don't care. (They can! If they get him there for the audio thing they can just sneak him onto set under a tarp or something and hand him a suit and GOGOGO. But that seems less likely. If they bring him back to life, though, Steven, Tosh and Owen must be mentioned.)

And I honestly think GDL should have turned this down with a ten-foot pole because in the long run he absolutely must move on from Ianto before it becomes his entire career. They had better be paying him decently for this.

But part of me just doesn't care. MORE IANTO FOREVER, YES?

Warning: I get a little rambly at the end. In my defense, It's late and I'm going to a wedding tomorrow!

In preparation for the wedding, I have watched quite a few Royal Wedding specials on BBC iPlayer and browsed the internet for tacky mugs.

I have also re-read Sam Storyteller's fic Defender of the Faith. Because reading a fictionalized account of the Queen meeting the Torchwood team is clearly preparation to stand in a crowd of some thousands of people and try to catch a glimpse of Will and Kate.

I also re-read A Man not Alone, because it may be an AU, but a future with King William and Ianto Jones establishing the Time Agency sounds pretty good to me.

I just re-read Madrigal dei Traditori by NancyBrown last week, so I'm not going through it again for the two mentions of King William there (First when Lois has to present the info, and the second when Jack mentions that His Majesty is backing Torchwood in saving the planet. Think I've read that fic often enough?)

Oh, wow. Now I want to dig up all Torchwood fic that relates to or mentions the monarchy. The idea makes perfect sense, actually. Queen Victoria established Torchwood, and we have no sign that they in any way follow the lead of the government. I privately theorize that they are still funded by the monarchy, who own a considerable amount of real estate and other assets in the United Kingdom. And in a universe with UNIT, Torchwood needs a different sort of justification driving force besides "government blah blah."

So I like monarchy stories. I mean, Jack has been around through a few different eras, so we've got tons of potential fic right there. I haven't seen anything Edwardian or George VI stuff, but Victoria has been mentioned a few times, even though I simply can't recall the fic. She was more of a throwaway line every time I've seen her, something thrown in by Jack. Not really a plot point.

Actually, I pretty much agree with Sam's take on Jack and Victoria, contrary to the other fics I sort-of remember, where Jack seems somewhat fond (or scandalous) in his recollections. First of all, we don't have evidence of Jack being in the UK before 1899, and Queen Victoria died only two years later. Odds are they never met, honestly. Second, Queen Victoria established the anti-Doctor stance of Torchwood, and as a clearly pro-Doctor sort of guy, Jack would likely have been a less than happy about that.

Also, the established fearful, anti-alien stance of Torchwood didn't do Jack any favors.

How great would it be to see the Torchwood and monarchy relationship through the years? I'm no expert on Edward or George VI, although Jack probably being heavily involved in the Wars, he would have opinions. And ignoring Jack, the leaders of Torchwoods 1-4 probably had interesting relationships with the various monarchs throughout the years. Two and Three especially, considering the changing attitudes to Scotland and Wales over the years. (And if Four was in Ireland, then them especially) And Torchwood India! Can you imagine?

This being SF, it's not surprise that we get a few fics with King William. If the 21st century is when everything changes, odds are good that he'll be reigning during those changes. And while the role of the monarchy has changed over time, I think Torchwood would fit in the wacky, uncertain politcking of the royal family more so than, say, the more regimented elected government. "Outside the government, beyond the police," but where do you fall when the Queen/King calls you to serve?

Man, I have to find more Torchwood fics exploring this theme. Any recs?

I don't know about you guys, but livejournal is being horribly wonky for me. Which is especially frustrating, as I was reading a multi-part fic over there.

But I checked Archive of our Own, and the author has also posted it there! Celebration!

I should probably get on that, backing up all of my fics on AO3. They're promoting that this month. But I'm unsure of what I should put there. My Torchwood stuff and my Harry Potter stuff are all things I'm decently proud of. My unbetaed feel-good drabbles will probably be put up as well, with some minor edits.

My one longer Outsiders fic is weirdly popular on ff.net, but it's over-the-top angsty and I don't even know if I can reread it at this point. And I could just melt under the desk in embarrassment from my Lord of the Rings fanfiction. Written when I was about fourteen. Oh god.

But they are my fics, and I probably should back them up, as a personal history of my time in fandom.

Fourteen.