20 Questions fic writers' Q&A. I was tagged by @meluisart (thanks pal - sorry I forgot to mention that in the first version of this post!)
1 - How many works do you have on AO3?
661 (one more than the last time I did this meme in Nov 2023!)
2 - What's your total AO3 word count?
2,444,608
3 - What fandoms do you write for?
Most recently Berena (Holby City) and Original Fiction. But I’ve written very little since losing my mum in April 2023.
4 - What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Letters to a Naturalist (Holby City) (30,350 words)
Jason Haynes: Matchmaker (Holby City) (17,560 words)
The Red String of Fate (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)) (51,896 words)
One Life Stand (Holby City) (33,815 words)
The Hacktivist, The Agent, and the Clairvoyant (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Thor (Movies)) (35,849 words)
5 - Do you respond to comments?
Hell yes, always.
6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Still this one:
Lascia Ch'io Pianga (Let Me Lament My Cruel Fate) for the James Bond (Movies) fandom. Although it does have an ambiguous ending, almost everyone who commented on it said they assumed that Bond & M both died.
7 - What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
The vast majority of them have happy endings as I rarely write sad ones.
8. Do you get hate on fic?
Used to back in the day when I wrote Ten/Martha fic for Doctor Who. There were a lot of Doctor/Rose shippers who hated my pairing with a passion and didn’t hesitate to share that hate instead of just staying in their fucking lane and using the back button/scroll button. Bunch of snowflakes.
9. Do you write smut?
Used to, not so much lately.
10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?
I have done, yes. The craziest one is probably the Doctor Who x Wallace & Gromit one.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I’m aware of.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yup - a few years ago someone translated one of mine into Russian.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
A long, long time ago.
14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?
Eh, I don’t have just one - given I’ve written for 20 different fandoms over the last 16 years.
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?
Oh, I’ve no idea - I only have one incomplete WiP actually posted on AO3, but I’ve no particular desire to finish it, especially given it’s 6 or 7 fandoms ago!
Of course, I have a whole heap of WiPs on my hard drive, but I doubt I’ll get to finish any of them.
16. What are your writing strengths?
Goodness knows. Someone else would have to answer that.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
I have been told I write too much. Ironic, really, given how little I’ve written this past year.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
I’d do it if it’s needful, though I don’t think I have.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Doctor Who!
20. Favourite fic you’ve written?
Eh, no, I don’t have a favourite fic - I’ve liked every fic I’ve written as I was writing it and I’ve occasionally re-read some of my own fic just because.
Tagging, with the usual caveat that you don't have to participate if you don't want to! @slightlyintimidating @doctorjameswatson @jinxedwood @bonnissance @ariverandasong @daisydoctor13 @fortytworedvines @onaperduamedee @hokuspokusthings @ceridwyn2 @thisbluespirit and anyone else who wants to participate!
Questions to respond to:
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
2. What’s your total AO3 word count?
3. What fandoms do you write for?
4. What are your top five fics by kudos?
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
8. Do you get hate on fic?
9. Do you write smut?
10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?
16. What are your writing strengths?
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
I was tagged by @batnbreakfast - thanks, my friend ☺️
Currently listening to:
This is my current "on repeat" playlist. No, I'm not going to explain this.
Currently reading: 'Vielleicht habe ich dich nur erfunden' by Tatjana Scheel (I only started last night so I can't say anything good or bad about it yet)
Currently watching: Apart from my never-ending Ted Lasso rewatch loop? YouTube videos about all kinds of crafts (mostly crochet, pottery and woodworking). I don't really have the mental capacity to get involved with new TV shows at the moment.
Currently obsessing over: I'm still very much down the perfume rabbit hole, I'm afraid. Annoyingly expensive special interest. But it gave me several ideas for possible Berena fics that I may or may not write (maybe, if I ever find the time and energy. I'm not making promises though). No new fandoms (yet).
Tagging: @elphiessolsikke @idealism-sits-in-prison @doctorjameswatson and whoever might want to join. (no pressure to the ones I tagged)
So obviously Holby completely botched the handling of that storyline (seriously, go back and watch it - it’s even more bonkers than you remember!)
However! I really like the layers of tension it explores in Bernie and Serena’s relationship. Leah’s presence highlights not only their communication issues, but Serena’s own self-esteem/worthiness issues. Also, if you think about it, Leah is the first woman to really actively pursue Serena. She and Bernie basically tripped and fell into a relationship, and its clear she never really took Fleur seriously. So what does it mean to Serena to suddenly realize that she is attracted/attractive to women other than Bernie? How does that affect the way she identifies, both personally and within her relationship with Bernie? And for all that the plotline came out of left field, it is absolutely in keeping with Serena’s tendency to respond to emotional stress with sex, often self destructively so.
It had been a while since he's been to the ship and well he didn't exactly take to the Psychiatrist's suggestion about daily journaling. Instead he agreed to an app on his phone where he can put emojis for his feelings and to track things he did that day. It helps that it also reminds him to take his medication.
So, because my accounts on different sites were created at different times, I go by different names. I thought it might be useful to create a post to explain that so that people know it is me on here and AO3.
There’s probably a bunch of Berena fans wondering why a blog with a name and face they probably don’t recognise started following them.
Well, I also have a Berena/Serena Campbell/general wlw/personal blog (for those who don’t already know), which is:
bisexualsurgeonextraordinaire
It’s a side blog to this blog which is why asks and comments come from doctorjameswatson and not my Berena blog. So if you’d like to follow the blog that is more active and posts Berena stuff then follow that one, I’ll just follow back through my main.
On AO3 I am: Sanctitatem
Doctor James Watson is a character from Sanctuary (a great show if you haven’t seen/heard of it) which hopefully explains both AO3 and my main blog. I’m also Sanctitatem on fanfiction.net if anyone still uses that site.
Please tell us more about Accidental Necromancy, thank you :)
Thanks for the ask!!
This one is Weird, because I had this One Idea, scribbled it down and left it there, so this is literally all I’ve got (think Halliwell sisters kind of magic here btw ;)
So Bernie is from a Fairly Powerful witch-y family, Serena low-key from her mother, and at Bernie's request they do a kind of ritual that's supposed to 'bond' the family. Clockwise you have Bernie, Cam, Charlotte, Greta, Jason, and Serena, all sat around a table holding hands with their eyes closed. but it's not working, Bernie is leading but she can't 'close' the circle, but baby Guinevere is too young... at some point the hands of Jason and Serena slip, and they reattach, but it's... different, and Bernie can *feel* something is different. tl,dr, the power of family can raise the dead and Elinor is back (though it's gonna be hell to explain)(and Bernie's only seen it done once, when young, and it didn't go well, so she's worried, but there's more power on Serena's side than they thought)
(as you can tell it’s something I probably summed up to someone at some point but I didn’t write down the name (that’s how most of my fics start tbh^^)(except I generally remember the names because I copy paste the tumblr messages straight to the docs^^))
Share ten different favourite characters from ten different pieces of media, in no particular order, then tag ten people.
DI Jill Raymond (Jemma Redgrave) from Silent Witness S23 and S25. My Big Macho Waistcoat Wearing Detective Inspector who is impossibly gorgeous and competent! (Rude!)
The Major (Rtd) Bernie Wolfe from Holby City aka the Big Macho Army Medic, here looking ridiculously cute AND sexy, a combination Jemma Redgrave pulls off far more frequently than you might suspect if you don’t know her work well!
Kate (Lethbridge) Stewart, daughter of the beloved Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. She is also played by Jemma Redgrave (are you spotting a theme here yet?! 😜) in Doctor Who and who has been criminally underused of late. Here with her hands buried in her pockets (a characteristic JRed character move, actually!)
DCI Cassie Stuart, played by Nicola Walker, in Unforgotten, an incredibly compassionate and committed copper who deserves all the happiness in the world.
Ruth Evershed, played by Nicola Walker, in Spooks | MI5. She is fiercely intelligent and capable (although sometimes clumsy as hell) and deserves all the happiness in the world.
Annika Strandhed, played by Nicola Walker (are you spotting another theme, yet?! 😜) in Annika. Which began life as a BBC radio drama before Black Camel Pictures turned it into an ace TV show and relocated it from Norway to Scotland!
Captain Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, who is FINALLY, FINALLY! in the place she belongs - the Captain’s chair aboard the USS Discovery on Star Trek: Discovery. She went through hell to get there, but she finally got there!
Seven of Nine, born Annika Hansen, played by Jeri Ryan on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard. Seven was a child when the Borg assimilated her and it’s been a long, hard road for her to become the incredible competent and capable woman she is today.
Alice played by Hattie Morahan in The Bletchley Circle. She’s just stunningly gorgeous and competent.
Helen Sinclair, played by Hattie Morahan, and Liv Chenka, played by Nicola Walker, in the Big Finish Eighth Doctor audio serieses. Yes, I know I’m cheating because this is Doctor Who, but guess what, I don’t care! 😜
Tagging (with no obligation to play): @riversofmars @meluisart @slightlyintimidating @doctorjameswatson @lapalfruity @ktlsyrtis @fortytworedvines @jinxedwood @onaperduamedee @starfleetwitch
I’ll be honest, I don’t really know how to answer this. If you mean sweetest like, happy/fluff/kind, I don’t... really have one? Especially if you mean shippy, because lmao shipping? In this economy?
But honestly I love writing with all the people I write with here. Without sounding too cheesy, my favorite rp experience is probably that I get to write with so many amazing people, because without them, there is no rp experience hahah.
I did just think of something, which I don’t think counts with what you’re asking, but I’m going to put it anyway because it’s a fond memory. A LONG time ago, like 2011 or 2012, there was someone else who played Nikola Tesla on tumblr who I became friends with (and I still think he writes him better than I, but I’m proud to carry on the mantle), and I don’t know HOW it started, but we started going back and forth with really REALLY bad/cheesy electricity puns and pick up lines, just to ‘ruin’ everyone’s dash with jokes, and it was one of the best things I’ve been part of. That whole community I had back then was amazing. @liifestreams I figure you’ll appreciate that memory too, haha.