#fanfiction research

[sunshine304]

Signal Boost for Writers: Research & Fact-checking comm on Dreamwidth

There used to be a great Livejournal community called "Little Details" that helped all kinds of fiction writers (fanfiction, original works, DMs etc.) with their research and fact-checking.

That comm no longer exists, but it has now opened again on Dreamwidth!

It's also possible to ask a question anonymously, the moderator has made an extra post for that; it's explained in the rules and guidelines post at the top of the page.

[longlivefeedback]

If you comment on some fanfics and not others, pick an answer that applies most commonly to when you don't comment.

[alasse-earfalas]

Canon ages of the Links when they started their first adventures.

I curated this list a while back for my own fic writing purposes. These are all based on statements made by the developers, game manuals, etc.

Time: 9

Legend, Hyrule, Four: 10

Wind, Wild: 12 *

Twilight: 16

Sky: 17.5

Warriors: unknown (if someone has any info on Wars' age I'd greatly appreciate it & will update this list accordingly)

* Both of these boys require a disclaimer.

Wind: I was confused by this at first, seeing as how there's that whole "coming of age" tradition on Outset, but my theory is that the actual age of the Hero of Time was never known, so whoever started the tradition decided arbitrarily on 12 years old.

Wild: He drew the Master Sword at 12 according to developer commentary, and was at least 17 by the time the Calamity hit, as evidenced by him being allowed to accompany Zelda to the Spring of Wisdom. Side-note: BotW takes an average of 2-3 in-game years, based on average play time, so Wild is likely in his early 20s (er, 120s) at the start of TotK.

[fanfictiondatascience]

EDIT: Hey folks! Thanks for the feedback on our previous post. Our vague wording may have misled people as to our intentions, for which we apologize. We are currently taking a step back to rework how best to communicate our intentions in a way that is the most sensitive to the needs of the community. Thank you for your engagement! We have closed the survey link for now, but here's the survey description for future reference:

What is it about our human-human interactions that makes creatively writing together so compelling and unique? What about that is completely lost in human-AI writing interactions? Do you think ChatGPT is bad at creative writing? Do you have big feelings about any of the above topics? Then keep reading! We are conducting this study because we are interested in analyzing collaborative creativity methods among fanfiction writers. The goal is to criticize the current state of AI-assisted creative writing and offer suggestions from seasoned creative writers on how it could be improved and designed to actually help the people it affects.

First off: what does human-centered mean? The goal of human-centered research is to design technologies based off of HUMAN interactions, and these technologies should be for HELPING humans without replacing, displacing, or marginalizing them. 

If you've tried interacting with AI tools like ChatGPT...you might notice they're unhelpful, and even outright bad, when it comes to writing creatively. The goal of this research is to find out: Do people even want them to be helpful? CAN they be helpful in any way? Is it impossible for AI to produce creative writing that can hold a candle to anything a human could write? Why might it be impossible?

There’s a lot of research being done in this area that is not very human-centered - it involves making AI tools for creative writing and then asking people how they feel about them, instead of the reverse. We believe that a better approach would be to ask people how they feel about AI tools and whether or not they can be helpful, and propose design guidelines based on that. We believe that this is particularly relevant to fanfiction authors: due to how AI tools are trained, a large proportion of the dataset for AI-based creative writing is likely comprised of fanfiction, due to how much of it there is on the internet. 

We’re looking for fanfiction authors aged 18 and above who co-write fanfiction with one or more collaborative partner(s). This can be short-form (co-writing one-offs, single chapters) or long form (co-writing entire fics, long-term collaborations) - we’re essentially interested in the methods that you and your collaborators use together to produce works of creative fiction.

The provided survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. If you’re interested in telling us more, you can sign up for a 30-45 minute interview at the end of the survey. Ideally, you and your writing collaborator(s) would be able to attend this interview together. Every interview participant will be compensated with a $10 gift card.

All parts of this survey were approved by the University of Washington Human Subjects Division Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure the protection of your rights and welfare as you take this survey. Your responses will be kept confidential, although we may publish aggregated results. You may exit the survey at any time.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, reach out to ndevasia@uw.edu. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello! We are researchers at the University of Washington Human-Centered Data Science Lab, and we are studying modes and methods of collaborative creating writing.  We’d love to have you participate in our study!

Survey link: [now closed]

We’re looking for fanfiction authors aged 18 and above who co-write fanfiction with one or more collaborative partner(s). This can be short-form (co-writing one-offs, single chapters) or long form (co-writing entire fics, long-term collaborations) - we’re essentially interested in the methods that you and your collaborators use together to produce works of creative fiction. The eventual goal of this work is to suggest more human-centered guidelines for AI-based creative writing tools.

The provided survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. If you’re interested in telling us more, you can sign up for a 30-45 minute interview at the end of the survey. Ideally, you and your writing collaborator(s) would be able to attend this interview together. Every interview participant will be compensated with a $10 gift card.

All parts of this survey were approved by the University of Washington Human Subjects Division Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure the protection of your rights and welfare as you take this survey. Your responses will be kept confidential, although we may publish aggregated results. You may exit the survey at any time. For questions about our research, contact Nisha Devasia at ndevasia@uw.edu

Thank you for your participation!

[camille-lachenille]

Elvish names

A list of names of our world translated in Quenya and Sindarin you can use for your fanfics, just credit me if you pick one.

I tried to stay as close as possible to the original etymology of the names but there are sometimes several meaning possible for a component and, the lexicon in both Quenya and Sindarin being relatively restricted, I often had to compromise with the closest synonym I could find or play with the figurative meanings. I always tried to keep the main idea/element of a name, and that’s why I give so many options for some translations. I also tied not to use any fan creation/neo-Sindarin to be as close as possible to the original lore but there are two instances where I hadn’t much alternative so, be sure to read the notes for Chloe and the Latin etymology of Rosamund if you want to use the languages strictly as Tolkien wrote them.

The names are all given with the feminine, the masculine and the neutral form. The first in the list (until Rosamund) are completely gender neutral in their translation and it’s up to you to decide if it sound more masculine, feminine or neutral. All the other names can be declined using various gendered suffixes or words at the end. Every element will be given in English each time but here is a list of the most common suffixes so you can play around with the names by yourself.

Quenya:

Neutral: -wë = suffix for names; quén = person, individual, being; hína = child

Feminine: -iel = feminine suffix, daughter; -ien = daughter; -wen = maiden

Masculine: -ndo = masculine suffix; -ion = son

Sindarin:

Neutral: -u = suffix for names; pen = someone, one, individual; hên = child

Feminine: -iel = feminine suffix, daughter; -il = feminine suffix; -wen = maiden, woman

Masculine: -on = masculine suffix; -ion = son

Adelaide/Alice

(Noble heather/moors) =>

Quenya: Araoricon (ara- =noble & oricon=heather)

Sindarin: Artalath (ar- =noble, talath=flat lands, plain)

Bernard

(Brave/hardy bear) =>

Quenya: Turcamorco (turca=strong, powerful in body & morco=bear), atl. spelling Turkamorco (turka instead of turca)

Sindarin: Bellgraw (bell=strong in body & graw=bear), Bellmdelin (medlin=honey-eater, bear-like)

Dorothy/ Theodora/Theodore

(Gift of God) =>

Quenya: Valanna (vala=god & anna=gift) Valanwa (anwa=gift)

Sindarin: Balanoneth (balan=god & oneth=giving), Rodononeth (rodon=god)

I think that, for this name, it would work to replace the generic “vala” by the name of a specific Vala if the parents prayed one to have a child. Ex. Ivononeth (Ivon= Yavanna in Sindarin) or Vánanna (Gift of Vána). Also works with “Eru” instead of the generic words for “god”

Elizabeth

(My God is an oath) =>

Quenya: Ainovanda (aino, god & vanda=oath/pledge), Valavanda (vala=god), Eruvanda (I'm not sure any Elf would put the name Eru, the equivalent of God with a capital g, in their child's name but it's the closest in meaning to Elizabeth)

Sindarin: Balangwaedh (balan=vala & gwaedh=oath), Rodongwaedh (rodon=vala), Erugwaedh

Louis/Louise

(Loud/famous battle/to fight) =>

Quenya: Rimpaotha (rimpa=loud & otha=war)

Sindarin: Bruidagor (brui=loud & dagor=battle), Bruidagra (dagra=battle)

I strongly doubt any sane Elven parent would call their child like that, but it sounds relatively plausible for a baby born during a time of war (maybe a baby born during the crazy First Age?).

Maud/Mathilda

(Mighty battle) =>

Quenya: Melehtaothawen (melehta=mighty & otha=war & -wen=maiden)

For this one, I used three elements to compose the name because it didn’t sound right otherwise, but it’s not entirely right according to the naming rules in Quenya.

Sindarin: Belaithdagra (belaith=mighty & dagra=battle)

Like the precedent name, I doubt it would be very common, but it might work as an epessë (chosen name/nickname) for a warrior

Myriam

(Sea drop) =>

Quenya: Limbairë (limba=drop & airë= sea), Limbairen(airen=sea)

Sindarin: Limigaear (limig=drop & gaear=sea), Limigaer (gaer=sea)

Nicholas/Nicole

(Victory of the people) =>

Quenya: Aparielië (apairë=victory & lië=people, folk), Túrelië (túrë=mastery, victory)

Sindarin: Tûrgwaith (tûr= mastery & gwaith=people)

Robert

(Bright fame) =>

Quenya: Alcarima (alcar=glory & -ima=fair)

Sindarin: Agarbain (agar=glory & bain=fair), Agargalad (galad=radiant, bright)

Rosamund

(Horse protector (Germanic) OR rose of the world (Latin)) =>

Germanic etymology:

Quenya: Roccovarilë (rocco=horse & varilë=protection)

Sindarin: Rochthand (roch=horse thand=shield)

Latin etymology:

Quenya: Eälótë (lótë=flower, blossom & eä=world) Eämerillë (merillë=rose (fan invention)), Ilúvelótë (ilúvë=world)

Sindarin: Merilamar (meril=rose & amar=world)

Albert/Alberta

(Noble illustrious/brilliant) =>

Quenya: Aralcarindo (ara-=noble & alcarin= glorious, brilliant & -ndo=masculine suffix), Aralcarinon (-on=masculine suffix)

Sindarin: Araglorion (ar-=noble & aglor=glorious, brilliant & -ion=masculine suffix, son)

Feminine form:

Q. Aralcariniel (-iel=feminine suffix)

S. Aragloril (-il=feminine suffix)

Neutral form:

Q. Aralcarinwë (-wë=neutral suffix)

S. Aragloru (-u=neutral suffix)

Alexander/Alexandra

(Protector of men/defending men) =>

Quenya: Alatyanér (alatya- =to ward off, to protect & nér=man), Sandanér (sanda=shield)

Sindarin: Beriadir (beria=to protect & dîr=man), Thandir (thand=shield)

Feminine form:

Q. Alatyanis (nís=woman), Sandanis

S. Beriawen (-wen=woman, maiden), Thandwen (this one can also be used as a title/warrior category as it literally means Shieldmaiden)

Neutral form:

Q. Alatyawë (-wë=neutral suffix), Sandawë

S. Beriau (-u=neutral suffix), Thandu

Arthur

(Bear son/king/warrior) =>

Quenya: Morcotar (morco=bear & -tar=king), Morcomehtar (mehta=warrior), Morcoion (-ion=son)

Sindarin: Grawaran (graw=bear & aran=king), Medlinaran, (medlin=honey-eater, bear-like), Grawhador (hador=warrior), Grawion (-ion=son), Medlinion

Feminine form:

Q. Morcotári (tári=queen), Morcoien (-ien=daughter)

S. Grawrían (rían=queen), Medlinrían, Grawiel (-iel=daughter), Medliniel

Neutral form:

Q. Morcoquén (quén=person, individual), Morcohína (hên=child)

S.  Grawpen (pen=one, somebody), Medlinpen, Grawhên (hên=child), Medlinhên

Charlotte/Charles

(Free woman) =>

Quenya: Fairenissë (fairë=free & nissë=woman), Fairënína (nína=woman), Fairewen (-wen=maiden), Fairënis (nís=woman)

Sindarin: Lainbess (lain=free & bess=woman), Laingwen (gwen=maiden, woman), Lainil (-il=feminine suffix)

Masculine form:

Q. Fairënér (nér=man)

S. Laindir (dîr=man), Lainon (-on=masculine suffix)

Neutral form:

Q. Fairëquén (quén=person, individual), Fairewë (-wë=neutral suffixe)

S. Lainpen (pen=one, somebody), Lainu (-u=neutral suffix)

Chloe

(Blooming, fertility, spring) =>

Quenya: Löawen (löa= time of blooming, “spring” & -wen= maiden), Lótëaiel (lótëa=blooming, flowering & -iel= feminine suffix)

Sindarin: Ethuiliel (ethuil=spring & -iel= feminine suffix) Lostadil (lostad=blooming & -il= feminine suffix)

Note that lostad is a fan invention/non-approved by Tolkien so this is not the name for you if you are trying to stick as closely as possible to the language rules.

Masculine form:

Q. Löando (-ndo=masculine suffix), Lótëando

S. Ethuilon (-on=masculine suffix)

Neutral Form:

Q. Loawë (-wë=neutral suffix), Lóteawë

S. Ethuilu (-u=neutral suffix)

Edward/Edmund

(Wealth/fortune/prosperous, guardian/protector/lord) =>

Quenya: Almacundo (alma= good fortune, weal, wealth & cundo=guardian, lord)

Sindarin: Maelighir (maelig= wealth, abundance & hîr=lord)

Feminine form:

Q. Almaheri (heri=lady)

S. Maeligrodel (rodel=lady, high lady)

Neutral form:

Q. Almaquén (quén=person, individual), Almawë (-wë= suffix for a person)

S. Maeligpen (pen=one, somebody), Maeligu (-u=neutral suffix)

Eloise

(Healthy) =>

Quenya: Alwarien (alwa=healthy & -ien= daughter, maiden)

Sindarin: Alwiel (alw=healthy & -iel=feminine suffix)

Masculine form:

Q. Alwando (-ndo=masculine suffix)

S. Alwon (-on=masculine suffix)

Neutral form:

Q. Alwawë (-wë=neutral suffix)

S. Alwu (-u=neutral suffix)

Frederic

(Peace ruler) =>

Quenya: Rainëtur (rainë=peace & -tur=ruler), Rainëtar (-tar=king)

Sindarin: Idharan (îdh=peace & aran=king, noble, lord)

Feminine form:

Q. Rainëtári (tári=queen)

S. Idhrían (rían=queen)

George/Georgina

(Farmer, lit. soil-worker) =>

Quenya: Ceminér (cemi=soil & -nér=man), Kemenér (kemen=earth), Rernér (rer-=to sow)

Sindarin: Caedir (cae=soil & dîr=man), Cevendir (ceven=earth)

Feminine form:

Q. Ceminís (nís=woman), Kemenís, Ceminissë (nissë=woman)

S. Caewen (-wen=maiden, woman), Cevenil (-il=feminine suffix)

Neutral form:

Q. Cemimólë (mólë=work, labour), Kemenmólë

S. Caedrabu (drab-= to work, to labour & -u=neutral suffix), Cevendrabu

Helen

(Sunshine) =>

Quenya: Arien (canon name for the Sun, lit. sun-maiden), Anarcalina (anar=sun & calina=bright), Ancalë (name of a Tengwar letter, litt. radiant one)

Sindarin: Anorwen (anor=sun & -wen=maiden), Anorglân (glân=bright, shining), Glawiel (glaw=sunshine & -iel=feminine suffix)

Masculine form:

Q. Anarion (lit. son of the sun; name of the youngest son of Elendil and second king of Gondor)

S. Anordir (dîr=man), Anoron (-on=masculine suffix), Glawion (-ion=son)

Neutral form:

Q. Anarwë (-wë=neutral suffix), Anarhína (hína=child)

S. Anoru (-u=neutral suffix), Anorhên (hên=child)

Lucy/Luke

(Light) =>

Quenya: Calaiel (cala=light & -iel=feminine suffix), Calaien (-ien=daughter, maiden), Calinaiel (calina= light), Calinawen (-wen=woman, maiden), Calina

Sindarin: Caladiel (calad= light & -iel=feminine suffix), Galadil (galad=light, radiance)

Masculine form:

Q. Calando (-ndo =masculine suffix), Calinando, Calaion (-ion=son), Calinaion

S. Caladon (-on=masculine suffix), Galadon, Caladion (-ion=son), Galadion

Neutral form:

Q. Calawë (-wë=neutral suffix), Calinawë

S. Caladu (-u=neutral suffix), Galadu

Mary

(Beloved) =>

Quenya: Meldawen (melda=beloved & -wen=maiden)

Sindarin: Melliel (mell=beloved & -iel=feminine suffix, daughter), Mellwen (-wen=maiden, woman)

Masculine form:

Q. Meldando (-ndo=masculine suffix)

S. Meldir (dîr=man)

Neutral form:

Q. Meldawë (-wë=neutral suffix)

S. Mellu (-u=neutral suffix)

Melissa

(Bee) =>

Quenya: Nioniel (nion=bee & -iel=feminine suffix)

Sindarin: Glitânil (glî=honey & tân=maker & -il=feminine suffix, daughter)

There is no word for bee in Sindarin so I smashed together honey and maker and it’ll do the job.

Masculine form:

Q. Niondo (-ndo=masculine suffix)

S. Glitânon (-on=masculine suffix)

Neutral form:

Q. Nionwë (-wë=neutral suffix)

S. Glitânu (-u=neutral suffix)

Sarah

(Ruler/princess) =>

Quenya: Aranel (aranel=princess)

Sindarin: Brethil(brethil= princess, litt. queen-daughter), Riel (riel=princess)

Susan

(Lily, flower) =>

Quenya: Indiliel (indil=lily, flower & -iel=feminine suffix)

Sindarin: Ellothiel (elloth=flower & -iel=feminine suffix), Lothiel (loth=flower)

Neutral form:

Q. Indilwë (-wë=neutral suffix)

S. Ellothu (-u=neutral suffix), Lothu

Ursula

(Bear) =>

Quenya: Morcowen (morco=bear & -wen=maiden)

Sindarin: Grawil (graw=bear & -il=feminine suffix) Medlinil (medlin=honey-eater, bear-like)

Masculine form:

Q. Morcondo (-ndo=masculine suffix)

S. Grawon (-on=masculine suffix)

Neutral form:

Q. Morcowë (-wë=neutral suffix)

S. Grawu (-u=neutral suffix), Medlinu

So here is the complete list. As I said at the beginning, you are welcome to pick a name or two for your fanfictions, but CREDIT ME if you do so. I spent hours and hours on this list and I won’t have my hard work stolen. And I’d like to see who these names will become as characters, too. You can either put a link to this post or tag me. I am Camille_LaChenille on AO3.

If you made it this far, congratulations! I also take requests to make Elvish names. Send in my askbox a message with one or two real world name or a general idea of the meaning you'd like, and a brief descrition of your character (gender, origin, social role/status, ) as well as the language you'd like the name in. I will give you two options you can chose from in a week or so. For an Elf who had to change their name from one language to another (think First Age Quenya ban), precise it and I'll give one name in each language.

[raccoonfallsharder]

rewatching gotg2 as I work on the corresponding chapters of window

a few thoughts

ego’s SUCH a fuckin dick.

Quill: But my mother…you said you loved my mother. Ego: And that I did. My river lily who knew all the words to every song that came over the radio. I returned to Earth to see her three times. And I knew if I returned a fourth…i’d never leave. The Expansion…the reason for my very existence, would be over. So, I did what I had to do. But...it broke my heart to put that tumor in her head...

you are a god sir??? you’ve been around for millennia on millennia and you couldn’t wait what, a max of seventy years for meredith to die of natural causes?? you coulda had your cake and eaten it too, you enormous planet-sized dumbass

also

Rocket Raccoon: Keep that transmitter nearby, so I can find you. We’re in an old piece of construction equipment Yondu once used…to slice open the Bank of A‘askavaria.

i can only assume it was during this bank heist that pete fucked the A'askavariian mentioned in volume 1 (maybe this has already been talked about by people but it's a new thing for me!)

also i’ve mentioned before that drax’s nurturing instincts impacted the plot of this volume in a big way thanks to the bond he developed with mantis, born explicitly out of him seeing his daughter in her. it was this bond that convinced mantis to tell him about ego’s plan. BUT ALSO it is how he convinced mantis to try to put ego to sleep, buying the guardians valuable time. AND MORE. love drax so much

also i didn’t realize it but we get another “yeah” moment from rocket in the middle of this fight on ego. that fuckin voice

and the lingering closing shot on rocket and his tears - the fact that he is the only focus of this film’s final shot - it wrecks me every time

okay that’s all

[xyriath]

Does anyone know if there's some sort of mass table or list of injuries for writers that details physical timeline recoveries and stuff you might not know about treating them? Search engines aren't always especially helpful.

If not, does anyone know a doctor whose brain I can pick so I can make one? Lmao

[haunted-plush]

I GOT A REAL ASS QUESTION FOR YOU FUCKERS

[It's for a fanfiction please]

[sarahowritesostucky]

A question:

City dwellers! (and especially New Yorkers!) Do people who live in apartments (owned and rented) in NYC or other large cities ever colloquially refer to their place of residence as their "house?" Like, do people always just say "Oh I'm going home/back to the apartment/back to my place" or do they also say "Let's go to my house."

[greenhikingboots]

Hold the phone. I just read, “For those who follow the old gods, ceremonies are significantly shorter, and contain no priests.” Huh, wouldn't that be convenient for - oh, you know, just shooting from the hip here - a pair of cousins who need to marry in a rush for politically motivated reasons.

[everythingodysseydd]

History friends... I need to know.

Exactly which architectural elements provide for orgiastic performances? It doesn’t elaborate 😂

[azeutreciathewicked]

Reflections from my writing research

I have been immersed in learning about the Emperor Nero, as his role has expanded from a small part as a shadowy abuser into a fully-realized tragic character who carries several main themes in his story.

Thanks to works like Everitt's Nero: Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome, and Holland's Nero: The Man Behind the Myth, we can rethink what we've been told about him.

The theme of stories being erased and rewritten is a central one for the story I am working on (and for This is Who You Are as well), and without realizing, Nero's story became a demonstration of this theme in such a deeply poignant way.

I knew when I realized that he, the drama queen that he is, wanted a larger part in my story, that I would have to dig into a lot of research that I unfortunately have enough tools to do to get myself in trouble (but not enough to do it like an historian). But I persevere.

Three terms I'm reflecting on tonight:

detestabile et malo publico - "detestable and evil to the public"

what Nero's father said when people congratulated him on having a son. He said that any child produced from him and Agrippina the Younger (Nero's mother) would be detestable.

aeternitatis cupido - eager for eternity

Nero, described by Suetonius, as having a longing for immortal fame

Damnatio memoriae - damnation of memory

the erasure of figures like Nero by the powerful, the ones who had control over the telling of history and the preservation of their legacy

In a way, these three quotes tell the tragic story of Nero, a boy with the soul of an artist who was forced to become an Emperor.

[elephant-in-the-pride-parade]

We'll just call this market research

[wr1t3w1tm3]

Please note: for the script I could add other fun goodies like orchestral tracks I feel work best in those situations, more direct descriptions, and more precise timing. Whereas with a novelization I could include more internal monologue for characters, and it would most likely be longer than a script. For both I could include a character reference sheet for easy access.

[raccoonfallsharder]

working on a tiny lil autumnal Domestic Scenes in Space Travel✩°｡⋆ (aka sweatshirt girl) oneshot for you and trying to decide whether to go (lightly) smutty or smut-free.