Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Day Four
Jul. 4th, 2011 01:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andraste4 – 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?
Oh, boy, yes. *points wordlessly at icon*
As for how Charles Xavier became my One True (Fictional) Love, that's a bit of a long story.
I started watching X-Men: The Animated Series around 1993, and the first episode I saw was Deadly Reunions. I can actually tell you that my first thoughts on my future beloved were "who's that guy telepathically tormenting the hottie in the red and purple outfit? And why is he wearing that awful green suit?" So, you know, not exactly love at first sight *g*.
If you'd asked me who my favourite mutant was in those early days, I'd have told you it was Magneto, and it would have been true. He won me over in minutes with his sexy voice acting and his tortured past. But Charles had my interest, too, and by the time they were running around the Savage Land fighting dinosaurs together, I'd started to wonder about what made him tick. (This was also around the time I invented slash fiction all by myself.) The Dark Phoenix Saga made me even more interested.
A few years passed, and I had a geeky friend who was able to lend me some comic books - including a reprint of Uncanny X-Men #12, which is Charles' origin story. And I think by then I was already hooked. When I went on a work experience trip to Melbourne in 1996, I went to Minotaur and bought everything in the back issue bin or on the racks that had Charles Xavier on the cover, and then I knew it was love. (This was around the time of Onslaught, so at least he was on the covers sometimes. Even if the story as a whole wasn't very good, it had plenty of interesting stuff in it for a budding Xavier fangirl.) By them time I actually discovered the internet in 1997, I was disappointed to find out that there was almost no fanfiction about him. (Thank goodness for Alara Rogers, or I might have wandered off into some other fandom, feeling sad.)
I think that covers the how, but it doesn't cover the why. As for that, well, there are a lot of reasons. Like all kinds of love, it accumulates over time. Because he genuinely wants to make the world a better place. Because he's Lawful Good for values of 'lawful' and 'good' that other people find extremely confusing. Because he'll forgive his enemies and open his door to anyone. (Because he's genuinely that compassionate, and also because turning away a potentially useful tool would be unwise.) Because he always has at least three reasons for doing anything. Because he wants to be a teacher, not a general, no matter how much he keeps screwing that up. Because he believes killing people never fixed anything. Because of the time he gave Wolverine demerits. And more recently: because Patrick Stewart. (And James McAvoy, who does not have the voice but has the right colour eyes. So I can find it in my heart to love that version, too.)
For the past month, I've been back writing bits and pieces of X-Men stories. It's like he's never been out of my head.
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?
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
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?
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?
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
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.
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
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?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
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?
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?
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?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
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?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
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?
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?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
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?
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!
Oh, boy, yes. *points wordlessly at icon*
As for how Charles Xavier became my One True (Fictional) Love, that's a bit of a long story.
I started watching X-Men: The Animated Series around 1993, and the first episode I saw was Deadly Reunions. I can actually tell you that my first thoughts on my future beloved were "who's that guy telepathically tormenting the hottie in the red and purple outfit? And why is he wearing that awful green suit?" So, you know, not exactly love at first sight *g*.
If you'd asked me who my favourite mutant was in those early days, I'd have told you it was Magneto, and it would have been true. He won me over in minutes with his sexy voice acting and his tortured past. But Charles had my interest, too, and by the time they were running around the Savage Land fighting dinosaurs together, I'd started to wonder about what made him tick. (This was also around the time I invented slash fiction all by myself.) The Dark Phoenix Saga made me even more interested.
A few years passed, and I had a geeky friend who was able to lend me some comic books - including a reprint of Uncanny X-Men #12, which is Charles' origin story. And I think by then I was already hooked. When I went on a work experience trip to Melbourne in 1996, I went to Minotaur and bought everything in the back issue bin or on the racks that had Charles Xavier on the cover, and then I knew it was love. (This was around the time of Onslaught, so at least he was on the covers sometimes. Even if the story as a whole wasn't very good, it had plenty of interesting stuff in it for a budding Xavier fangirl.) By them time I actually discovered the internet in 1997, I was disappointed to find out that there was almost no fanfiction about him. (Thank goodness for Alara Rogers, or I might have wandered off into some other fandom, feeling sad.)
I think that covers the how, but it doesn't cover the why. As for that, well, there are a lot of reasons. Like all kinds of love, it accumulates over time. Because he genuinely wants to make the world a better place. Because he's Lawful Good for values of 'lawful' and 'good' that other people find extremely confusing. Because he'll forgive his enemies and open his door to anyone. (Because he's genuinely that compassionate, and also because turning away a potentially useful tool would be unwise.) Because he always has at least three reasons for doing anything. Because he wants to be a teacher, not a general, no matter how much he keeps screwing that up. Because he believes killing people never fixed anything. Because of the time he gave Wolverine demerits. And more recently: because Patrick Stewart. (And James McAvoy, who does not have the voice but has the right colour eyes. So I can find it in my heart to love that version, too.)
For the past month, I've been back writing bits and pieces of X-Men stories. It's like he's never been out of my head.
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?
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
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?
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?
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
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.
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
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?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
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?
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?
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?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
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?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
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?
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?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
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?
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!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-04 06:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-04 07:00 am (UTC)I love this description, even though I am surely among the confused and don't know what you mean by it. It's the kind of complication that makes a compelling character.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-06 01:51 am (UTC)