#no way the writers for iwtv was reading a fanfic about them and liked the idea

[ariaste]

Okay, I have to share this story because it was a hilarious experience, I'm not sure if the ask box will let me get through it in one message, bear with me.

So I'm scrolling through IWTV fanfiction on AO3, reading some of the more recent fics, and I find one fic that I really love. They've really got the Daniel tone and essence down, I'm laughing to myself on the couch. I decide to wait and read the fic out loud with my partner because when a fanfic is really good we like to share it. While I'm waiting for my partner to get back from canning peaches, I check the author's profile briefly and I'm like 'oh shit they write for The Untamed,' which is cool, that was our last fandom that we were super into.

My partner gets home-- I excitedly tell them that I've found a new fic for us to read and they'd better buckle in because it's got a hell of a vibe and they're not even ready. My partner is like 'oh hell yeah' and gets out their crochet project. (we're in our mid twenties I don't know why this particular day makes us sound like we're in our eighties)

Anyways, I tell them that the author also does MDZS content so we can check that out after our IWTV fic and then we start reading the story and it's very good-- they have to hold up a hand to make me stop reading because they're cry-laughing, and all is well. And then suddenly I go.... wait. Wait, hang on. Hang on, I have to check this person's profile. This is a little too familiar.

And my partner says "Wait. Is this the MDZS writer-" and I say "I don't know I'm checking, hang on" and then I look up and we make eye contact and I'm like "oh my god babe it's the Meng Yao writer."

Essential Background: Meng Yao is my favourite MDZS character and it's hard to find good fics for him. A couple of years ago, my partner was reading the HOA fic and gushing about it, I was insisting that 'an act too often neglected' was simply the best MDZS fic that could ever be written, and we were absolutely shocked to discover they had an author in common, and then a while later there was ANOTHER fic I started reading out loud to my partner because it was That Good and it turned out to ALSO be the same author, so we just started calling them 'The Meng Yao writer' aka the only person we trust to write him.

Basically what I'm saying is that whenever either of us reads anything you've written, it's so goddamn good that we end up sharing it with each other and not realizing that it's the Same Author every time. So. I'm buying one of your books for my partner's next birthday I guess because you're clearly just That Good. Thank you for the multiple years of enjoyable fics and the consistent joy you're bringing to our household. Also I want to eat up your Daniel Molloy characterization with a knife and fork. Thank you.

This is the most delightful ask that it is possible to get. I am giggling and kicking my feet and grinning ear to ear. This is so sweet.

This is also so fucking funny to me. "The Meng Yao writer" ahhh my legacy. The arguing over which fic is better until the moment you realize they're both mine. The way you keep finding my fics and independently discovering every time that they're Finally Some Good Fucking Food without having learned my AO3 name at some point during that process until the third or fourth time i have jumpscared you with it dfghjkkdfghjkfghj Ariaste/Alexandra Rowland is everywhere, they're in your walls, they're currently standing right behind you actually ghjklwwghjwkl;

BLESS YOU AND YOUR PARTNER, your relationship sounds honestly ideal. I hope you keep reading fics and crocheting together forever.

Also very flattered that you're taking a swing with my original works! Thank you!! They are all set in the same world but they're usually (so far) about different characters, so as you read more of them you're going to start catching some fun cross-references between them. My thirteenth book comes out next month, so here's some good places to start based on the fics you've pointed out that you've particularly liked:

if you want more laughing-until-you-are-crying-and-have-to-stop-because-you-genuinely-cannot-breathe content (a la "different for vampires", HOAverse (Meng Yao and the Board of the Homeowners Association), or any of my other high comedic fics), start with RUNNING CLOSE TO THE WIND. It's about queer pirates accidentally stealing and trying to find a buyer for the most valuable secret in the world, and standing up against institutional hegemony. Also horny sea serpents. Also a plot-relevant cake competition. If you cried laughing at any of my fics in the past, you are not prepared for what I'm about to do to you here.

if you are enjoying the Snarky Old Man content that is Daniel Molloy and his disquisitions on the nature of storytelling and truth-seeking in "different for vampires", go for A CONSPIRACY OF TRUTHS, which has more of both of those things. It's about an elderly wandering storyteller who has been imprisoned on charges of witchcraft, treason, and brazen impertinence, and the stories he tells to rescue himself from the situation. And the corrupt government he accidentally knocks over along the way, whoops

If you liked the yearning, sweeping romance of the main pairing in "an act too often neglected", try A TASTE OF GOLD AND IRON, which is about an Exquisitely Beautiful Prince with a chronic anxiety disorder and his Stoic Beefy Bodyguard as they attempt to track down a coin counterfeiting ring that could bring down their whole economy, and also they fall in love along the way.

My next book, YIELD UNDER GREAT PERSUASION (out in September), is also great for that sweeping romance vibe, but preorders are not quite up yet! If you are looking for a cozy M/M romantasy about a prickly, grouchy tea shop owner, his childhood nemesis who he's been fucking since they were teenagers, and the hard, unglamorous journey of personal growth toward self-love and self-forgiveness to be able to accept love from other people... Watch this space, get on my Discord server (where i am these days constantly ranting about IWTV in a dedicated thread), or sign up for my newsletter linked on my website

Thank you again for the entirely LOVELY ask, I will be beaming all day. Please give your partner a high five from me, I hope the two of you enjoy the books (and if you want to get autographed copies for their birthday, hit me up in DMs and we can get that sorted out)!

Also, there will be a new chapter of "different for vampires" going up in the next hour or so :D

[avelera]

I think there's 2 things that have kept me from reading IWTV show fanfic and/or QotD-informed Devil's Minion fic, despite the fact I'm really excited to see where the show takes that ship and the fact the Vampire Chronicles used to be my entire personality growing up:

Adjusting to a prose voice for IWTV characters that's not Anne Rice. Thing is, I used to read Vampire Chronicles fic back before it was banned on FFN! But it's been so long, and it's been so forbidden for so long that it feels weird even thinking to go looking for it and, honestly, Anne Rice's prose style is very accessible to fic readers, that it's a little like having your favorite fic writer in a fandom and then it's just :-/ not all that interesting to try to go read the same characters in someone else's voice, let alone sifting through anything less that NYT Bestseller-adjacent levels of prose. Basically, wherever am I going to find either someone who perfectly captures the show voices OR perfectly captures the actual author's fanfic-adjacent voice?

How to say this gently.... fanfic has a tendency to soften certain characters and polish off the rough edges? In particular with Daniel/Armand, I'm really not all that interested in fluff or soft fic or even get together fic at this point since that's nowhere near where they're at in the show. I kinda just want to see them hashing out all the decades of drama between them more than I actually want to see them hook up just yet? Like, I think there's some hints, if you squint, that Old Daniel is attracted to Armand, but if they did have a relationship, hooo boy, holy shit that means Armand (probably) non-consensually wiped Daniel's mind of what might have been one of the most significant relationships and most significant periods in his life. It means he's been living a lie since the goddamn 70s. Like... that's still lightyears away from a "romance" just yet, that's goddamn knock-down, drag-out, screaming fight that needs to happen before Daniel would begin to worry about things like, "Do I find this person attractive? Do I want to be on the same continent with them, let alone in the same room?"

And the thing is, that is the kind of fic I'd be interested in reading for show-version Daniel/Armand! If anyone has a rec for a much rougher, sharper, more conflict-driven taken on Daniel learning that 70's Devil's Minion happened (all except for him getting turned) that actually includes Eric Bogosian's trademark tough talk with Armand and his take-no-shit attitude, I'd love to read it.

But at this point I'm almost afraid to even go look because so much of the fandom stuff I've seen on Tumblr around Daniel/Armand is (understandably! fandom tends to write what is missing from canon!) more established relationship or fluffy or even flirty but like I don't even see them as flirty at this point? Except in the most hostile hate-fucking of manners from Daniel and the most otherworldly disconnected way from Armand where even he can't articulate what he wants (honestly, what does Armand want? Does Armand know what Armand wants?? I think the most appealing thing about Devil's Minion is that Armand seems like he can be his own weird self around Daniel, especially in QotD but it feels almost like baby steps in terms of his actual sense of self??).

Anyway, this has gotten away from me, but tl;dr if anyone has like really really tonally show or book aligned IWTV fanfic they'd like to rec I'm all ears! Even as I'm still immensely, fundamentally weirded out at being able to read Vampire Chronicles fanfic again after 20 years ^^;;

[newlacesleeves]

the intro post!

hello! i'm daisy. they/she. 31. (minors please don't interact!) full about linked in my bio if you wanna read that before following.

currently suffering from iwtv brain disease. more specifically, whatever daniel molloy and the vampire armand got going on there.

i spend most of my time on this site crying about johnny lawrence so if you're into that, you came to the right place. let's be friends.

self-indulgent fanfic writer. here are my latest completed works:

O Sanctissima! | Lawrusso | E | 6,620 words In which Daniel starts going to church again and decides to take Johnny with him against all of his better ideas.

Passenger | Lawrusso | M | 28,804 words | 16/16 Life didn't end for Johnny after December 19, 1984. It just looked a little different in some ways, that's all. (Alternatively, the slow descent of Johnny Lawrence's resolve over the course of just one year.)

What Has It Cost You: The Gospel of Saint Laura | Gen | Unrated | 7,462 words She leaves work and sometimes takes a drive through the hills of Encino. Passes by large houses with manicured yards and foreign cars parked in the driveway. There’s a house for sale, big and white with these looming columns like a piece of Roman architecture plopped right in the Valley. She dreams about that house: her mind supplies the interior with its chandelier and ornate runner in the hallway. The multiple bedrooms that would provide her and Johnny with the space to breathe. - Laura Lawrence: an abridged history of motherhood.

AFTERBURNER | Lawrusso, Samtory | T | 8,634 words The thing about history is we're doomed to repeat it. That's what Mr. Murray says on Sam's first day of AP World History. It's human nature, he says, to make the mistakes of our ancestors. The only way to anticipate these mistakes is to learn of them, learn from them, and hope we can use what we've learned to avoid the same pitfalls as our predecessors. - A fic about patterns, trust, and how history is always just repeating itself.

[exbex]

I wrote to you about this in the comments of 'and I will stick by you' but I'm back again with more. I hope this is ok and not weird or annoying. "But Sam figures the essence of Bucky can be found in the room Bucky claimed as his study." That line is the heart of what's held my attention about that fic for weeks. I've filed it under "a seminal work" because it's inspired me to write something though for a different fandom. I finished that fic yesterday then went through other fics in that fandom (only 2) and remembered why fan fic gets a bad rap sometimes. I've been spoiled by my favorite writers in the Sambucky and IWTV fandoms and you're one of them. You replied back to me (ateerys) that you wrote the portion of Sam in Bucky's study because you wanted to ease readers into Sam reading the fictional story Bucky wrote for his creative writing class. Though probably not a big deal to you, it's had me in a chokehold since the last week of October. The essence of someone being made obvious through their personal space isn't the profound part, I guess, but maybe the way you wrote it and it being something I hadn't come across before. I even thought through my personal life and remembered one time I spent time in someone's room while they walked off to do something else and kind of doing what Sam did. So once I remembered a personal experience and reread your fic, I started to write my own (I hope this is also ok). I don't think mine will have the same effect on readers that yours did on me but I tried and like it well enough.

I went through fics in that fandom to see if my writing was along the same lines as what people have been reading for a few months and see that it's a tad bit different so it'll be interesting to see how it's received when I post it. In conclusion (😌), this is a bit of a thank you and a kudos in a paragraph form since I can't leave another one on the fic itself. And me telling you that it's hard to read fics in other fandoms sometimes after reading good ones like yours.

First, this is more than okay and the opposite of weird and annoying. Not to be dramatic, but this just made my month and my heart has grown three sizes. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me. I will most likely be reading this message appropriately 87,000 more times and grinning like a fool. “So once I remembered a personal experience and reread your fic, I started to write my own (I hope this is also ok).” This is also more than okay. I was definitely influenced by Questinwitchface with the way Bucky makes a space for himself with a study (“The Promise of Cheesecake and a Decent Wine”) My writing has been influenced by countless other fanfic writers along with profic authors. It’s the highest compliment, imo, to receive that my writing influenced another writer. Thank you so much 🥹

[crazykuroneko]

PSA to fanfics writers and readers

please please tag your fics according the story. especially when the first pairing you tag turns out not to be the endgame*. i have been having to spoil myself the endings lately cos i can't trust the tags anymore.

tags aren't there just for archiving, they tell readers what kind of mindset they would need going into the story, and proper tagging will protect writers from misunderstanding, which usually leads to harassment. and it's always better to overtag than lacking! (as long as they are ≤ 15 rows, it's not too many). please add "dead dove:do not eat" if you think people may find the topics you've tagged before it disturbing or a bit harder for people to swallow (esp on consent and violence).

e.g. when i tag a fic "cheating, dead dove:do not eat" that means cheating will be a major problem in the story. it will happen a lot of time and hurt the characters a lot. so yes, dead dove isn't only for "dark" topics.

i don't want to look like i'm policing people, but this is important. writers need to tag properly, and readers need to heed the tags. it's two-way street. tags are almost like the list of ingredients behind a food packaging: you should read it if you want to enjoy the food fully and safely.

(and please @ IWTV fandom do not tag "Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022) RPF" unless it's about the actors)

and always, if you find a fic lacking certain tag, suggest them politely to the author. 🫶

(*) as in they're willingly together at the end. if they're forced to be together when they love another character, that's not endgame. been fooled by that for a very long fic and it feels extremely unpleasant. but ofc when i saw the author not willing to update the tags, i just pressed back and muted them. never ever harass the writer

[o0anapher0o]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for tagging me @meraki-yao. I am very happy at the oportunity to shamelessly plug many, many of my fics :D Let’s do this!

How many works do you have on ao3?

47

What?! When did that happen? And how?

What’s your total ao3 word count?

502,199

Weirdly less surprising, even thought hat number is completely unreal.

What fandoms do you write for?

Interview with the vampire (2022)

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

Red White and Royal Blue

Star trek: Deep Space Nine

And I have one teeny tiny Thunderbirds fic

Top 5 fics by kudos

Somewhere I have never travelled (ds9)

Petal by Petal (ds9)

Your most frail gesture (ds9)  

Watch that man (rwrb)

Personality (ds9)

I feel like I should count the first three as one, since it’s literally parts 1, 2 and 3 of a trilogy.

Surprising how fast my first rwrb fic got up there.

Do you respond to comments?

Always, usually a bit rambly. I love talking to people about my writing :D

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Puh, that’s a hard one. I’m such a happy endings girl. My instinct was one of my iwtv fics, but they’re more angry than angsty lol, so I’m saying it’s between Of all untruths the truest is you (iwtv) and Do no harm (ds9)

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Your most frail gesture ends with a wedding, though actually I like the accepted proposal in Petal by Petal more.

Do you get hate on fics?

None so far (knock on wood).

Do you write smut?

No. A lot of my fics make it clear sex is happing but I don’t write it and I haven’t really any urge to.

Craziest crossover

My TayNick character crossover New Information. Also my only crossover so far, but that’s a side note.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of. Hopefully having all my stuff archivelocked will keep it that way.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

YES! Someone did a translation of Do no harm into Russian. Only one of the coolest things that ever happened to me (though I would have preferred to be asked beforehand rather than simply be presented with a link).

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I’m not entirely sure how that would work, but I’d be open to it.

All time favourite ship?

Why do people insist you have to have one favourite over everything else? No, I’m an adult, I can have as many OTPs as I want.

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Beneath Lucifer’s claws. I love this story so much, but I have it in me to finish it. I also have an old ATLA fic I love to bits, that has really neat bits but I was such a different person when I wrote it, it would need a complete rewrite and half of my favourite scenes don’t really work anymore.

What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told my pacing is good. And I think I’m quite good at characters voices right when it comes to fanfic.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Punctuation. And I definitely suffer from ‘why use a period when I can use a comma’ disease XD. Scene transitions always feel clumsy to me, I don’t know if they read like it.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Oh, there’s an essay. If I were to give general advice I’d say, avoid it. It’s fun to read when you speak the language and annoying if you don’t, having to look up stuff all the time interrupts the reading flow. It’s even more annoying when you speak the language and the author clearly didn’t.

I’ve seen it done well once, where it was used so the characters couldexchange information because that was the natural thing to do for them, while keeping it a secret from the reader. That was neat. 'But even that could be done by just saying 'he said something in [language]'.

First fandom you wrote in?

Published or not? My first published fic was Jack’s Desk for mfmm. But I also still have fifteen year old supernatural and vampire diaries fics in a notebook somewhere. The world wasn’t ready yet.

Favourite fic you’ve written?

Something unstoppable and Somewhere I have never travelled. Neither of them came out the way I thought they would but I love how they ended up so much.

tagging @sapphosewrites @xenobotanist and @nalyra-dreaming

[prouvaireafterdark]

do you have any tips for new fanfic writers. the iwtv bug has gripped me and iim planning to dip my toes in but ive no idea no how to start. thanks and love your work xxx

Ahh, thank you! :)

And, well, I don't really think there's like perfect or universal advice on how to write because everyone likes different things and has a different process that works for them, but I'll do my best to list some things that help/have helped me!

Know your source material. Whether you're writing a canon compliant fic or something wildly AU, rewatching the show can help you get the character voices down and might make you feel less nervous about figuring out how you want your dialogue to sound or how the characters would behave in the situation you're putting them in.

Make yourself some tea. Idk what it is about a warm, caffeinated drink, but when I'm sitting at my desk with one it really helps me stay focused.

Start small if you're worried about finishing something big. There's no rule that says in order to be a fic writer you have to write 100k word masterpieces. In fact, my attention span is so fucked I usually don't write anything longer than 5k word one shots and I'm perfectly content with that. If all you want to do is try to get your feet wet with a 500 word ficlet to see how it goes, do it! Short fics are fun to read and much less pressure to finish.

Make an outline. No need to go crazy with it, but I usually sketch out the rough plan I've got with a few bullet points just to organize my thoughts and make sure I don't forget something.

Don't be afraid to write scenes out of order. There's also no rule that you have to begin at the beginning. I usually end up jumping around and making the parts I've written meet in the middle. If you vaguely know how you want your fic to start, but have a really concrete idea of how you want a specific part to go, just start there and work your way backward/forward.

If you get stuck, write the gist of what happens next in brackets and then move on to the next part. This goes with #5. I cannot even tell you how often I end up doing this and it helps maintain my writing flow so much bc instead of sitting there like "fuck, how do I wanna say this?" I can just be like "well, that's future Lynne's problem" and keep going with what I do have the words to write lol. You can also like just write a skeleton of dialogue and then go back and fill in the descriptions/their internal thoughts and reactions later if you don't know how you want to go about it yet, I do that a lot too.

Write what you want to read. Everyone likes different things and it's not really helpful to get caught up in trying to find an idea you think other people will like. Like I bet there are people who opened my fics, went "nope," and then backed out, but the thing is, I didn't write those fics for them, I wrote them for myself and whoever else ends up enjoying them. It also sucks trying to write something that doesn't inspire you, so if an idea isn't working for you, just... move on to something that does. You can always come back to it later (she says, avoiding eye contact with the WIPs in her folder).

Write. Even if you don't end up posting it, just giving it a go and seeing what happens is the only real way to start. You can always worry about editing later (either by yourself or with the help of a beta reader) or even scrap the whole thing and start over if you're not happy with it. I literally have docs that are basically just graveyards of whole paragraphs I deleted from WIPs but wanted to save just in case. The main thing to remember is that you're never gonna finish your story if you don't actually sit down and write it, so try to take the pressure off of yourself to make it perfect and just see what you come up with.

[monstersinthecosmos]

Just read your post you linked to about Anne Rice's erotica, by Armand surrogate in CoSB do you mean Prince Alexi? I remember thinking that too whenever his auburn hair and large brown eyes and "sereneness" were mentioned. It's so interesting that she did that. And I would love to read more meta from you on TVA and Marius if you ever feel like writing it!

I JUST, FEEL, THAT, ANNE WAS INTENTIONAL ABOUT MENTIONING AUBURN HAIR LIKE IDK IS IT A COINCIDENCE????

I remember reading it going "AUBURN? HULLO???" and wondering if it was Armand with the serial number scratched off

But then

What fucked me up

Is that she wrote that book in between IWTV and TVL??

So like IWTV!Armand is a little vague, she doesn't go too hard on his appearance, his age is ambiguous, blah blah. We start getting the real substance of him in TVL and I'm just

WAIT, WAIT. IS ARMAND? *ALEXI* WITH THE SERIAL NUMBER SCRATCHED OFF????

And yeah like I said in that post, I think the timeline of her career is really interesting in that she was no longer pretending she wasn't A. N. Roquelaure, wasn't using an editor, was in one of those fuck-the-church phases, etc. I think it came together in a really self indulgent way for her and fucks were not given. If anyone gets a chance to read the forward she wrote in those newer editions I really recommend them, even if you aren't into the content of the books. It was really insightful with some really inspiring Anne-Typical encouragement to GO WRITE STORIES and while I don't really have an interest in being a professional writer it really really really resonated with me as a fanfic porn writer. :D (I'll see if I can find it online somewhere haha I listened to it on audiobook.)

anyway dgjakdsg thank you I am an Venice Era fan at heart, the TVA/B&G Duology is my favorite part of Vampire Chronicles. So that explains a lot. I basically always wanna talk about them LMAO.

[i-want-my-iwtv]

Yeah baiting is no where near my intention. I asked that a week ago and have since read the first 4 vampire chronicles novels, whereas before I had just seen the IWTV movie. I feel a bit adrift and already no longer give a shit about the aesthetics. I think I just feel a little bit sad that generations will think the tv show is canon since most tv viewers are casual about these things and chances are will not pick up the books, or feel that the show is the superior version. I know it’s stupid but it’s like this nagging little thing in the back of my mind that’s been bothering me. It’s crazy how quickly these books have become sacrosanct to me and I feel that the shows plot line seems to keep the names of the characters and little else.

Of course I had a whole long answer here and Tumblr ate it, so now I have to be brief. Oh well.

have since read the first 4 vampire chronicles novels, whereas before I had just seen the IWTV movie.

See, you had the experience yourself, your gateway to the books was movie!IWTV. Now it seems that you find the books to be canon. This could be the same path for any incoming fans of the TV series, even if tv viewers seem to be casual about these things.

I feel a bit adrift 

I’m sorry you’re feeling adrift. 

and already no longer give a shit about the aesthetics.

I’m not sure which aesthetics you’re referring to here.

I think I just feel a little bit sad that generations will think the tv show is canon since most tv viewers are casual about these things and chances are will not pick up the books, or feel that the show is the superior version... and I feel that the shows plot line seems to keep the names of the characters and little else.

It's logical to feel that way, and yes, it looks like a lot of canon has been heavily altered. Casual tv viewers might think this TV show is canon, you’re right.

I think Marvel fans can tell that the films and TV shows are all adaptations and not the original comics, and there probably is divide in that fandom about fans who also read the comics, and those who don’t. There’s even conflicting canon between the films and the comics, and there can be fans who enjoy both. So you may be right, there could definitely be people who think of the TV series as canon and not read or not like the books.

Here's the thing about being concerned that casual tv viewers will feel that the show is the superior version:

Fandom is what you make of it, you can gravitate towards like-minded people, they'll gravitate to you. Someone has to take the risk to reach out. You're starting that by asking questions on anon, but as this is a really contentious topic, it will probably be difficult to find people willing to talk about it publicly now, or ever.

So I would recommend that you find fanfic writers and fanartists you enjoy, and you’ll start to find blogs of people who reblog those works. Skim their blogs, read their thoughts on VC to see whether you have good chemistry with them. And then take it from there!

Any adaptation is free advertising for the books. Movie!QOTD brought in fresh blood, and I was worried at the time that people who liked that movie might think of it as the superior story and/or not read the books. And really, from my experience, for the most part, people lived and let live. I don't remember seeing arguments that Marius being Lestat's maker was better than canon. Or that brunet Lestat is better than canon. I see praise that we got to see Lestat's concert on film, praise that we got to see Khayman, people making fanart and cosplay of Aaliyah's Akasha even 20 years later! So I'm thinking this will be similar, and we'll maybe even get some great things to cosplay/cherish, like Aaliyah's Akasha.

So let’s wait and see, and when the TV show comes out, maybe you’re right that TV series fans in general won’t go on to read the books. But they might, to try to find out more about the characters and end up possibly finding the canon story superior, or not, but it has no impact either way on your attachment to the canon books. 

[flordefandom]

Hello! Sorry to bother you with this but do you have any Flint/Silver fic recs?

drHey, don’t worry!! I love this types of questions!! Fair warning, all the fics are rated Explicit.

Okay, first I hope you don’t mind some shameless self-promote:

My only finished work so far is my Answers series, post-shark date AU where they never found the maroons (I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with Madi when I started writing nor what role they would play). It’s basically a PWP trilogy.

Now, onto my WIPs:

Just the shadow: My Modern AU where Flint and Silver have reincarnated. Stoic philosophy talks about Eternal Recurrence, where time is cyclical and events must happen again and again. Are Flint and Silver doomed repeat their tragic story? This is my baby fic. I’ve been working on it for over a year and I’m extremely proud of it, it still has a long way to go. Salmons are also a thing.

Enough series: A post s4 fix-it, which is basically a foursome. So far has two parts. It’s basically a mix of smut and angst.

For that devious dance: aka Fake Marriage AU, the Fake Matelotage AU this fandom needed but not necessarily the one it deserved. I’ll update soon.

I’ll also add soon a Greek Mythology AU where Silver is Hermes turned mortal as punishment.

Alright, now for the actual fic recs. First, a few WIPs:

Our pain is the same by Salatuh: Where do I begin. Do you want a writer that’s good at writing hot as fuck sex scenes but also incredible angst that goes along canon. This is the first part o a four part series. And I totally recommend his fic, because for God’s sake.

Be my End by brasspetal: Amazing Treasure Island AU where Flint is also on board to get the treasure. Dawn's prose is freaking fantastic.

Now, this is basically me going through the Silverflint tag in AO3 and telling you my favorites. Behind the cut because fuck this is long.

Any Port in a Storm by Farasha: This series looks at Silver an Flint’s relationship though season 2, in those holes in canon, and how it’d be if they were fucking from early on.

The Edge of the Map by Farasha: What would have happened if Silver had met Flint when he was still in the Navy and they reunion several years later when Flint’s a pirate.

Our Longed-For Bed by mapped: An incredibly hot and touching s3 first time fic with rimming.

What’s in a Name? by Craftnarok: Proof that the s3 finale is a fanfic. Writtn before the s3 finale, what would happen if Flint told Silver his story. I know.

Until death it is all life by Craftnarok: The one where Silver realises he has the hots for Flint after he tells him about Thomas.

Heartlines on your Hand by samedifference61: A post-s3 fic. Flint discovers he still has more to give. Beautifil first time fic.

Let me see you in your darknessby ember_firedrake: An excellent series where Flint decides to punish Silver after he refuses to write down the entire page and Silver gets aroused. Super beautiful series.

Whetstone by balloonstand: After the battle for Nassau, Flint shaves Silver and they find each other:

Memories of you like scars under my skinby GreenQueenofClubs: Another beautiful fic of what would have happened if Silver and Flint had met before.

To Sleep Perchance to Dreamby Craftnarok: A beatiful PWP where Silver has trouble sleeping and stumbles onto something.

i’ll kiss your lips and i’ll black your eyes by vowelinthug: PWP where Flint teaches Silver how to fight before that episode aired.

let us possess one worldby vowelinthug: Post s3 fic. Where Silver has to face what Billy’s done with his name, there’s a barfight and Flint sees Long John Silver in action.

that pirate aesthetic by vowelinthug: A series about Silver getting tattoos as part of a master seduction plan. Hot as fuck, I love it.

If only for a night by ember_firedrake: A beautiful fic where a post-show Silver travels back in time an meets Lt. James McGraw. Oh the feels.

like a clockmaker fixes time by mapped: Silver dreams about Flint and he tells him. Flint can’t breathe when he does. Lovely fic.

you are the queen and i am the wolf by vowelinthug: Where John Silver has a big dick. Nuff said.

All Are Lunatics by movies_michelle: Silver seduces Flint because he’s after the gold only. If only.

st. augustine is that way by vowelinthug: The reason why this fandom cries over oranges. Post-show Flint has an orange farm, Silver comes.

A Year in the Life by Jmeelee: The basketball/college AU this fandom needed but didn’t know it.

Turn the radio up when your heart breaks down by PrimalScream: Modern AU where both Flint and Silver are broken, but they find each other because Flint’s dials a number he found in a bathroom.

Wind Me Upby PrimalScream: Post s4 PWP with rimming.

‘Til the world stops turning by PrimalScream: That fic where Silver has a threesome with Flint and Miranda. Go read it. Now. (And it’s sequel)

memories you bury or live by by mapped: A beautiful fic where Flint and Silver come together under the sunlight.

don’t you wish i would by vowelinthug: where finally the sexual tension of capturing a Spanish warship together comes to a close.

Don’t Fear the Ships (Fear the Black) by Farasha: A fic where Flint pushes Silver but also tries to train him as his sucessor. Silver disagrees.

pitch black, pale blue by mapped:That Silverflint fic where Flint stumbles upon some Silvermuldoon. There isn’t enough Silvermuldoon in this fandom we need more.

Make music out of me by PrimalScream: A doctor!Flint and nurse!Silver AU.

the only way out is the way back in by samedifference61: It starts a nice Silverflintmadi oneshot set in s3. Then the sequel is post s4 and it just slays you.

between victory and a white flag by mapped: What do you mean this isn’t how 4x08 happened?

The Kissing!Verse by Magnetism_bind: That series where there’s lots of smut but you’ll be desperate just wanting them to kiss.

after all verse by WeeBestie: Silver and Flint reunite several years later. The series full of smut and feels for two old grey men. This series couldn’t be cuter.

inhale, exhale, and reset by mapped: One of those post s4 fix-it fics this fandom desperately needs. And a great one at that.

That old sword-play by jauneclair: Sword training 4x09 sex. Do I need to say more?

leave the lights on by natlet: A beutiful reincarnation AU where Flint is an artist and Silver tried to run a con.

how we could be brought here by love by mapped: 4x03. Flint has a minor injury and Silver gets desperate. Silverflintmadi.

being worshipped is a breeze by vowelinthug: A Road to El Dorado AU. What more do you need?

(He Don’t Need No) Educationby Jmeelee: Modern!AU where Silver discovers things about his sexuality and Flint is there to teach him.

A True Story by iwtv: A post s4 fix-it fic where Silver finally tells Flint his story.

an unfinishable story by mapped: An extremely poetic post s4 fix-it fic where the Cliff plays an important role.

Under Starless Skies We Are Lost by Magnetism_bind: Another beautiful sword training 4x09 fic. Beautiful.

we lean like gardens (toward light) by mapped: Are there enough sword training fics? No, this one is beautiful too.

But If You Try Sometimes, Well, You Might Find … by Magnetism_bind: Where Silver needs some spanking to take out the edge of losing a leg. Flint provides.

hold on you by WeeBeastie: Did you know that you needed a Rodeo AU? No? Well, you need it.

Your Salty Skin and How It Mixes In With Mine by Magnetism_bind: Where Silver gets aroused by seeing Flint fight (who can blame him) and smut occurs.

smallpox by vowelinthug: The post s4 fix-it fic with the best written Thomas. Silverflinthamilton of course.

Your Hips, Your Lips, Your Skin On Mine by Magnetism_bind: where Flint is an artist and Silver comes as a nude model for his class.

King In Mine Eyes by medusine: Where after Silver returns in 4x03 Flint shows his appreciation.

it’s just you and the moon on my skin by mapped: Silver is a vampire, Flint is a werewolf and the things you read in this fandom. Not that I regret it.

Stay by salatuh: Where Flint cries during sex.

Quickening by PrimalScream: Silver is a dom for hire. Flint hires him. *clears throat*

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On by KilgoreTrout: One of those fics with a touch of supernatural elements that this fandom so needs.

L/S - I Will Stand Here With You by StarRose: Where Silver is a singer in a rock band and Flint falls in love with his siren. I mean, this is just a casual thing, right?

You Are Whole by salatuh: Do you have a feet fetish. Well I don’t yet here we are. There’s also tears.

Worth a Shot by AngryPirateHusbands, Magnetism_bind: Silverflinthamilton sex. Where Flint and Thomas decide to bring in home the hot bartender.

Okay, after that clustefuck of 55 recommended fics I add one special mention:

Lightbringer verse by ElDiablito_SF: I still haven’t got to read it because I’m a disaster and I know this verse is UGH. Don’t be like me read it.

This is all, and I’m sure this is not what you had in mind. But I don’t know this fandom is incredibly talented. There are so many good fics missing from here, but I somehow had to make a selection. Ughhh it was so hard, I love this fandom.

[crazykuroneko]

Oh, I so wish people would tag their works properly. I would love to read more iwtv fanfic, but I am very specific about which endgame I want and I have had to file fics away for later, so I can check the comments and the last chapter, essentially spoiling myself in some ways, just to make sure I don't end up with my notp or some other pairing I wasn't in the mood for. And a personally pet peeve perhaps, I wish people would tag their kinks properly. Got half way through a super promising fic and had it to drop it because it had the a certain kink in it. And where I like some kinks, I have a few that are a hard pass, so if people would also tag them, that would be super great.

my routine is basically like that as well. usually i just need to read the tags and synopsis, then i'll put it on mark for later or go into it right away. that used to be enough. but now it's tricky. idk what has changed. prob younger fandom don't really understand tagging or smth? because even when we haven't had ao3 back then, still on lj or ff.net, we still tried to list everything, either in tags, synopsis, or author's note. maybe not so detailed, but we would try to convey how the tone in the fic would be (hags like me remember times when there's a difference between writing a pairing as A/B or B/A)

the basics are tagging characters, dynamics (pairings order, endagame and top/bottom), kinks, and "triggers" (there can be fandom specific triggers; e.g. in amc iwtv, cheating and domestic violence are def triggers). that's it.

and i feel you anon. for me, from the dawn of my time in fandom, otp is really one true pairing, so i mostly won't touch fics involving others. but there are times when i'm intrigued enough (esp when i knew the writer is good), and that's where the tags will help: i would know whether i still can enjoy this fic if i give it a chance (and i do want to give it a chance). how far this would challenge my preferences.

i know some tags sound so trivial and perhaps "stupid" for others. but the thing is sometimes you go to ao3 to look for very specific fics. e.g. when i'm in mood i'll look for "hannibal has breeding kink" or "top louis". it doesn't mean i believe hannibal always has breeding kink, or louis has to always top, but those are what i want to read at that time. or like you, when they're untagged, they throw you off the story you have to either drop them or skip the scene.

so what i'm trying to say is, proper tagging isn't only for readers, but for writers as well. as a reader, i love crawling back certain tags until the oldest fic, and i know i'm not the only one doing it. so tagging = more spotlight for old fics.

i can only hope more people will understand how important it is. we're extremely lucky to have AO3 with robust tagging system. by using and heeding tags properly we can make a safer and more enjoyable fandom space.

[i-want-my-iwtv]

If Anne R. decided to publish another VC book in the future, how would you like it to be? What topics would you like to see explored? What's your ideal ending to the saga? L̶e̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶c̶r̶e̶w̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶

This is interesting, and possibly some very well-wrapped bait. The question about what we want to see in canon is usually framed the other way around, in the form of a statement about what we’re disliking about canon. I’ve seen so many salty posts and hot takes that criticize the series for lacking in many ways, and I can’t remember a time when I’ve had any interest to write one of those myself or engage in them. 

Those statements are often about the issue of representation in published fiction, whether it be LGBT+, POC, etc., “[Author name]’s long history of discussing X but not depicting X in canon” is itself an accusation (deserved or not); that [Author] should do something about it, now! Representation is a nuanced issue, essays have been written on it by people more educated on it than I am, and out of respect, I’m not going to discuss this further publicly. For more on this topic, I would recommend @olderthannetfic​. 

>If Anne R. decided to publish another VC book in the future, how would you like it to be?

Fanworks have fed me so well over the years that there’s not much Anne herself could give me that I can’t find elsewhere. If she can’t or doesn’t want to make the content I want, I’ll write it myself or see if someone else is writing/has written it.

I would say that my favorite fanfics, fanart, and the parts of VC canon (which are all basically sequels of IWTV in some shape or form) that I’ve enjoyed have all landed somewhere in the sweet spot briefly described below.

From “Star Wars - How To Kill A Franchise,” by The Closer Look:

“Imagine exploring the elements from an original story in the sequel like a gradient. On the left, you’ve got ‘Not enough change,’ in the middle you’ve got that ‘Sweet spot’ where they’re different but it feels like a natural development in their character... In a perfect sequel, everything carried over from the original story should be in that Goldilocks zone where they’re still the same characters... but they’ve been developed in natural, interesting ways that allows for entertaining new directions in the follow-up story.”

Then there’s further to the right... ‘For the love of God stop!’  Which is where we use the phrase “jumped the shark,” “Moments labeled as "jumping the shark" are considered indications that writers have exhausted their focus, that the show has strayed irretrievably from an older and better formula...”

>What topics would you like to see explored?

A return to the sweet spot, some ideas would be:

The hypothetical book she might have written thirty years ago as a follow up to QOTD instead of TOBT.

A story, any story, from Louis's POV where he has more perspective in the wake of TVL and QOTD. That last scene of QOTD with Lestat and Louis flying together and so on... Lestat wondered what it had done to Louis to finally learn all these secrets, after being told for so long they didn't exist. Currently, Louis is characterized primarily by his obvious top-level traits, which get exaggerated and turned into the entire depiction, which is so flat, and he has so much more to offer. 

Discussions about the consequences of Merrick, and how that’s changed the way Louis sees things and navigates his existence, whether he and Lestat have the intimacy they were unable to achieve from the end of QOTD to Merrick.

I would prefer that certain characters that had died were allowed to stay dead, and could be talked about and mourned.

The exception being - I’d be open to a Nicolas return! He died off-screen after all.

>What's your ideal ending to the saga?

Ultimately, every problematic thing can't be addressed and tidied up. All of the vampires in VC have killed tens of thousands of people. There's no reparation for that. It's weird to try to apply any kind of human-standard morality to them, because you start from "First of all, they're all mostly-unrepentant killers."

While it would count as possibly Too much change, I think it could be intriguing to make all the vampires mortal and human again; they age together; now that their lives are finite they realize they need to sort out their shit, they get therapy and learn to communicate, and resolve all their many and varied interpersonal problems.

I’m ready to see what Christopher does with it when he takes over. I haven’t read his writing myself, but I’ve been told it’s good, so we’ll see. Maybe he has the Ricean spark✨

>L̶e̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶i̶m̶a̶g̶i̶n̶e̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶c̶r̶e̶w̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶

You know, over the years, especially when there was more of a sense of humor and people could get away with hyperbole, I’ve made it publicly known that some of the books were not my cup of tea, but there are fans who come to the series from every one of the books. They don’t have the same calibration as I do, IWTV may not be the original material at all for them! One could argue that any of these books could exist as standalones, because AR never promised us a forge weld to them all, 40+ yrs and 10+ books later. It’s not delamination of the stories splitting off from each other and conflicting accounts of events (”unreliable narrators”) if the intention wasn’t a fused weld.

In some respect, AR has reflected, she often asks her FB followers what they like about certain books/characters/etc. and I think she does read those responses... and while I wouldn’t say she admitted she “screwed it up,” she has said the Mayfair/VC crossovers “did not age well,” even though she is proud of them:

So I think AR’s point is that she tried a direction, and now that years have passed, she decided that it wasn’t worth pursuing further, and it will impact her choices in future books (in this case, not to do more crossovers). I think it takes a lot of guts for her to post that publicly, and it gives me hope that whatever she writes next, I think she’s trying to capture her older and better formula. 

But just because she made us a magnificent cake once, I don’t expect her to make anything like it for us again, ever, and it gives me peace of mind not to expect her to. 

[i-want-my-iwtv]

How do I make a character’s death really sad? (For a VC fic.) (-Memnoch, The Devil.)

I think there are many ways to make a character’s death really sad, and bc we can all have different feelings about a given character, any individual reader will be very sad about the death, when another reader might be totally indifferent (or even glad!). I’ve only written fanfic myself, and I know what makes me sad when I read/write character death, that’s about as informed as I am on the topic, DISCLAIMER: I’m not a professional writer and this is not professional advice.

💀 Some things that come to mind re: making a character’s death really sad: 💀

How they die, 

How preventable their death was, 

How other characters feel their loss and/or the loss of their potential, 

And how much that character meant to the reader/audience, did they like the character?

I don’t know what specifically you’re doing in the Memnoch timeline… I won’t use any examples of deaths from that book in case of spoilers (Idk sometimes I’m more respectful about spoiling ppl than other times *shrugs*)

In IWTV, it was a very sad death when Claudia died. It’s portrayed differently in the book(s) and the movie, but I’m just going to address it re: the points above generally and drawing from both.

1. She died by sunlight exposure and it seemed extremely painful. 

Louis would not have seen it, so he can’t describe the moment of her death in the book, but it’s shown in the movie. Leading up to the death, the tension builds and builds, all these moments where Louis, Claudia and Madeleine are hoping for Armand (or some other deux ex machina) to swoop in and save them all. It doesn’t happen. Probably one of the last shreds of hope they had was when the troupe pull Louis and Claudia apart, from that point on, he can no longer protect her ;A; 

As it was so painfully underscored in Claudia’s Story, the last name Claudia hears Louis call for is “Armand,” bc calling her name won’t do them any good. But to her, it feels like a final betrayal, that he’s calling for Armand bc he cares more about him ;A;

Claudia and Madeleine get locked in the well, and when Claudia sees the sunlight approaching, she’s already starting to cry, trying to wake Madeleine to try to figure out a way out… there is none and then they can only brace themselves bc there IS NO ESCAPE ;A;!! The acceptance of their own deaths is part of the tragedy.

It’s a pretty universally nightmarish situation, even though sunlight is not fatal for ppl (most, anyway), but we can all relate to the experience. It’s like being pushed onto subway tracks and not being able to escape in time ;A;

2. Her death was a failure in diplomacy, basically. The Theatre des Vampires, led by Santiago, held a kangaroo court (although they may have felt that they were within their rights) in which they found Claudia guilty of attempted murder of her maker, and decided to punish her with the death penalty. 

Louis tried to protect her from it as best he could, he tried to make a deal to save her life, but failed. In the book:

“ `Listen to me, Lestat,’ I began now. `You let her go, you free her… and I will… I’ll return to you,’ I said, the words sounding hollow, metallic.

3. It kills a part of Louis when Claudia dies. His immediate reaction is extremely sad (not even factoring in the revenge he takes after).

I have a more thorough commentary on this scene here. It’s in this moment that Louis has lost the most precious person, the one who’s told him what to do, someone he could worship and follow, someone who metered out his doses of happiness with her approval. In the movie, he calls her “my child,” Armand tries to correct him: “Your lover,” and Louis compromises with “My beloved.” 

In the book, the next night, Louis finds Lestat clutching Claudia’s bloody dress and sobbing over her death, too. Even though he was the very person who testified against her! Even he could not prevent their “justice.”

“And then I saw the thing in [Lestat’s] hands. I knew what it was. And in an instant I’d ripped it from him and was staring at it, at the fragile silken thing that it was - Claudia’s. His hand rose to his lips, his face turned away. And the soft, subdued sobs broke from him as he sat back while I stared at him, while I stared at the dress. My fingers moved slowly over the tears in it, the stains of blood; my hands closing, trembling as I crushed it against my chest.

Louis was expecting Claudia to go on and live with Madeleine, that he would still be in touch with her and see her occasionally. So that potential continued relationship was destroyed, too ;A; 

4. What did Claudia mean to the audience/reader… 

I know I sympathized with her and very much enjoyed her overall, and I like to think that other readers/viewers agreed, and don’t totally blame her for her actions against Lestat… after all, she was a victim herself. Lestat doesn’t blame her when he speaks of her in canon. We saw the love they both had for her

Is that enough to convince the readers/audience to care enough for her that her death is sad for them? All those factors help!

~💀I hope that helps, Anon! Now make us cry!💀~