#so phanfic writers you know what to do

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

they’re buffoons actually. like so stupid. absolute clowns. sillybillies even.

[simplydnp]

what's your opinion on fanfics about dnp? (more in a way of do you think that it's crossing boundaries and/or being parasocial)

i'm of the same mind of dnp in that phanfic is fucking incredible. it's an important and valid way to express yourself, as well as a building block of our community. i don't think it's crossing boundaries, as it's fiction. i don't see it as parasocial either--you're writing for you and others like you. most people don't want dnp reading their fics, it's not for them in a sense, it's for us.

i think dnp are extremely aware of fanfic and its value and place in community. they've always encouraged it, appreciated the support, and given us space about it. they're not ones to make videos about it and mock fans for it (which happened to some of our lovely fic writers here writing for other yt fandoms, and i'm so sorry about it). dnp are fandom culture people. they've written fic themselves! and published it in their book!

the word parasocial has been twisted lately to imply any fan support is unnatural and should be shamed, which is complete fucking bullshit. making art is always important and valued. and it is necessary for your existence as a human, but also for the thing you're a fan of to thrive.

the parasocial side comes in once you start believing you know this person. and that you're their real friend. when in reality, they do not know you specifically, and you are not their friend, you are an audience member.

so a parasocial relationship only occurs when people start crossing boundaries (digging for not publicly available information, contacting people in their personal life, showing up to their house, etc). which, is absolutely nowhere close to real fan behaviour.

tl;dr: phanfic is great, i love you fic writers, parasociality is a problem but not one that we have

[husbants]

What do you think Dan and Phils next big project is? (Solo or joint)

Good question and I wonder how much they even know, but they've been like... suspiciously quiet recently haha. Phil, especially.

Starting with Phil, I do hope a solo project of his gets picked up. Maybe one already has been and it's being worked on right now. I really hope that his recent stepping away from online presence (aided by Dan going on tour) is/was for more than just health reasons.

Phil strikes me as much more of a collaborator than Dan, who we all know is an enormous control freak (affectionate). Even if Phil is a showrunner/ director, I do sort of think he'll still be one of a larger group, even if the idea is widely his. If this theorhetical project is fiction, I'd lean towards something horror or sci-fi, since we know Phil loves those genres. He's, like, extremely briefly mentioned working on something fictional (and for many years, at that), so if he's still enthusiastic about that story, I'd love to hear or see it. Phil is so creative and quirky that I think whatever he'd come up with would be really special.

I also think Phil would really excel as a game show host, which we know is another one of his passions. Perhaps he's working on coming up with/ pitching a game show? I know dnp were trying to get a Truth Bombs game show at some point, so I don't think that's entirely out of the question.

Part of me also thinks Phil is much more enthusiastic about bringing the Dan and Phil (TM) duo back, but that's just enormous speculation. I honestly think some time in the future they'll return to traditional media like presenting, interviewing, and/or radio together, though.

Unpopular opinion, but I'd rather something besides Dan is Not Okay from Dan. I want Dan to act so, so badly, I genuinely think he'd be good at it, but I'd really prefer if he wasn't, like, playing himself? If DINOK ends up happening (and who knows, he could be working on it right now with all of the random places he's been spotted recently) I'll still enthusiastically tune in, but I'd personally rather something that doesn't sound like a mediocre Phil-less phanfic. Also, unfortunately, I'm just not sure it'd gain much traction beyond his already established audience. I think if he were to do a show where he's still actor/writer/director but plays a character who is not just Seinfeld-ifyed him, it'd work better to establish himself beyond his YouTube persona.

Speaking of Dan's yt... dude?? Where are the rest of the Dystopia Daily videos? I guess I was naive, but I genuinely thought he wasn't going to just drop off the face of the earth again after tour. I understand taking a break, but I figured there'd be some retrospective or the last (?) DD episode/ videos by this point. Maybe he's too busy with whatever the random traveling project is, but, like, I just find it odd that a recording of WAD hasn't even been hinted at or announced. I feel like WAD ended extremely unceremoniously and Dan's recent disappearance has made it even weirder for me.

So... with Dan? I do sort of think he's working on something right now. What that is? Who knows. But I think it began almost immediately after WAD finished up, and that's why he hasn't been able to wrap WAD up in a pretty bow or focus on yt at all. If I had to guess, it's crunch-time and it'll be announced/uploaded/whatever sometime in June. Dan loves doing things in June.

Sorry I rambled a ton. But. Yeah. That's kind of where I am thinking about upcoming dnp projects and what they could be working on.

...

Never mind; scratch all of that: they're definitely bringing the gaming channel back.

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Snowed In Masterlist

A million little suns (ao3) - jestbee

Summary: Dan is just trying to get as far away from his home town as possible at Christmas when he gets stuck in a snow storm. He’s rescued by an enigmatic stranger who take him back to his cabin in the mountains. What Dan doesn’t know is that his rescuer is prolific, best-selling writer of erotica, Ricky Blitz. Will Dan end up with a porn-worthy situation all of his own? (hint: yes)

Porn with feels and some Christmas magic.

Cobblestone Walls (ao3) - gaypasta

Summary: Dan just wants to finish this essay, not get stuck in a library thanks to a snow storm.

Heart Frozen in Time (ao3) - the_unwritten_ruler

Summary: When Dan and Phil are stranded in a mountain cave during a snowstorm, their relationship becomes as cold and fragile as the ice itself. Mystical images on the cave wall show a sad event in their future, and Phil only has a few hours at most to review the past, find where and how it went wrong, and set it right before he loses Dan forever.

Just Let Me Adore You (ao3) - Yiffandquiff (paradisobound)

Summary: Dan didn't know what to expect when he agreed to go to Switzerland with his brother to 'find themselves' again. But he certainly wasn't expecting a massive snow storm to pass by and completely shut down any roads, train stations, and airports. However, when the snow gets worse, a mysterious man stumbles into the hostel he's staying at, and Dan figures out pretty quickly that he and the man are going to have to get to know each other fast.

Let It Snow (ao3) - starrywrite

Summary: Filed under ‘A One Night Stand Gone Not So Horribly Wrong’ in which Dan and Phil meet at a bar on Christmas Eve and head back to Dan’s flat for an adult slumber party - which extends into the next day when they discover that they’re snowed in and Phil can’t leave, forcing these two strangers to spend Christmas together.

Snow fall (ao3) - thespacecat

Summary: Dan and Phil’s winter holiday to a remote cabin in the woods takes an unexpected turn.

Snowdin - jilliancares

Summary: Dan and Phil get snowed into their appartment.

Snowed In (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Dan and Phil get snowed in and neither is feeling quite right.

Snowed In (ao3) - slg05

Summary: Phil’s a student who spends far too much time studying at the library. Dan’s a student with a part-time job at that library. They are acquaintances at most until a blizzard hits, trapping them in the library.

(It was supposed to be Christmassy but I didn’t really know how to do that so I hope this is okay)

snowy day, precious time (ao3) - dizzy

Summary: Prompt: dan and phil go on a winter vacation in the woods and get snowed in

three’s a (snowed in) crowd (ao3) - plinth_of_life

Summary: Dan and Phil struggle to take care of their three-month-old baby as a massive blizzard hits London.

When the Weather Breaks (ao3) - sierraadeux

Summary: Sitting across from Phil on that worn out velvet Starbucks sofa, sharing sickeningly sweet coffees and what they would like to think were hushed giggles, was the first time Dan felt a glimpse at what real love could feel like. or Perception checks, pining, and peppermint mochas.

where we belong (ao3) - parentaladvisorybullshitcontent

Summary: “Only you,” Martyn says.

“Only me what?”

“Only you could end up stranded in the middle of nowhere with a gay author who writes gay books. Jesus Christ, Phil.”

In which Phil is snowed in with nobody but the mysterious dark haired author next door for company.

Winter Cuddles (ao3) - goingintohiding (orphan_account)

Summary: Dan hates the cold. So of course he and Phil get snowed in at the cabin they rented. He’s miserable until he finds a warm someone to snuggle against.~ Fluffy first kiss phanfic <3

[evilovesyou]

QUESTIONS FOR FIC WRITERS ✍︎

I was tagged by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed @zannithinks @disgruntledkittenface @kingsofeverything @justalarryblog @twopoppies and @haztobegood to do this! Thank you, babes! 💖

1) How many works do you have on AO3? 24, two of which are co-written

2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 257.300

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? One Direction is always the main one, but I have crossovers with Twilight, But I’m a Cheerleader, and Music RPF.

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Point. Drop. Call. | 387 kudos

From What I've Tasted of Desire | 292 kudos

But I’m the Quarterback | 177 kudos

baby when you’re gone (i realize i’m in love) | 158 kudos

Wrap Your Legs Around Me | 157 kudos

5) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I don't think any of my fics have an angsty ending RIP

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? I think all of my fics have a happy ending. How Long Will We Fall (Before We Can Climb) is the one that is the most comforting to me.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Yeah, both my Big Bangs are crossover fics and I love writing them! I like to keep characters within the worlds I borrow. Don’t think any of it is crazy per se!

8) Do you write smut? If so what kind? I used to not write it at all—or, well. I never intended to publish it. Then I had to for But I’m the Quarterback, because the story called for it and now I’m a bit more comfortable with the idea. I think the kind of smut that I write is very heavy on metaphor and… poetic? That’s the only way I feel comfortable writing it anyway.

9) Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I do! I love reading all the comments and I’m very happy to respond! I thought I was all caught up but I just looked and saw there’s another 2 in my inbox hehe! I usually leave them until there’s about 20 and then I answer a bunch at once. :)

10) Have you ever received hate on a fic? Not explicitly… I’ve had a couple bookmark notes that were a bit meh and one… harsh review, but that’s since been deleted.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of…

12) Have you ever had a fic translated? I’ve had a few people ask me to translate my fics and in the beginning I did consider it, but most times when I started asking questions, people stopped responding. I think I’m very particular about my words so translations make me a bit nervous and that usually ends in me saying no.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! I co-wrote With Love's Light Wings with @reminiscingintherain last year! The Journal is co-written with Lynda. And I might co-write with @vintageumbroshirt for the @1dcountryfest!

14) What’s your all time favorite ship? I mean… Larry.

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? A couple years ago I had a thing with this person at pride and everyone was telling me how much of a fanfic it all sounded like so I started writing it… And I do genuinely think it’s a good story, but I don’t think I’ll want to go back to that time in my life anytime soon.

16) What are your writing strengths? I think I’m good at phrasing things uniquely, which probably comes from being trilingual… I’m good at emotional build-up and I’ve had comments recently praising my characterization and humor! I was like I’ll take that! <3

17) What are your writing weaknesses? If I don’t work on something for a while I will forget details so I often have to go back and fix things for consistency’s sake. (Mostly minor things like changing Niall’s horse in Lies & Liability from a gelding to a mare.) Sometimes I get caught up in wanting to get from A to B and I need a beta to be like OKAY BUT WHAT IS THIS CHARACTER FEELING RIGHT NOW?? And then I can go back and fill in the gaps. :)

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I think it can be fun when it fits the story and it doesn’t overwhelm the reader? I wanted to write a book with a friend years ago that was half in English and half in German!

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for? There are technicalities at play here… I think the very first fics I wrote were probably 1D member x my friends? Like, I used to write fics for my friends where they met their favorite member of the band, or we all did, sometimes just literal self-insert fics too, but I never published them (or even wanted to publish them)! Then, like @haztobegood, I wrote a phanfic I never published either. I started publishing when I started writing Larry fic.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? I think The Journal will always be the most meaningful fic I’ve ever written. I’m about to cry just thinking about it.

I don’t know who’s already done this but I’ll tag @reminiscingintherain @vintageumbroshirt @beau-soleil-louis @hazzabeeforlou and @jacaranda-bloom! <3

[fictropes]

Okay you're so talented what the hell??? How do you write like that, how does your lovely brain work like that I can't...I wanted to ask you I'm curious since we're all in love w what you create, what are your favourite phanfics or works that inspire you??//you can totally say some of yours too, I would!

Ohhh😭💖 Thankyou so so much! I am gonna get... a massive head today lmao. 🥺💖

Oooo, outside of fic writers Richard siken ... my beloved. And honestly the National songs! A lot of my fics are national titles lmao. Book wise I don’t really read like.. specific authors?Just whatever ones I like the look of so author wise I have nothing. I do love a Rom com tho as u can probably tell

Here wise I will give u the people I’d been reading for years , like the people who inspired me to actually do my own stuff. I’d say they all have very different styles but they’re all so excellent and I got so much joy from reading all their stories. And I owe them all a Thanku for inspiring me even when they didn’t know it. So!!!!! @ahappydnp @alittledizzy @parentaladvisorybullshitcontent @chickenfreeblog @sierraadeux @indistinct-echo @dayevsphil @jestbee @judearaya and art thief fic will literally forever own my heart... and Ofc wavey. I read these people for years and god... they’re all so special and I hope they all know they’re a gift and I’m so thankful they’ve shared their stories with us! because without having read their stuff I don’t think I’d be writing rn. They all taught me lessons through their works and I’m sure you’ve already read them all but... U should go read them again :D 💖

[dramaphan]

my favorite ex phanfic writer is the one who always inserted themselves into the middle of the drama to 'defend their friends' without even knowing what the drama is about, took everything as personal attack and then cried for days because of the anon 'hate' they got and then when they rebranded they were so mad about people unfollowing them even tho they unfollowed most of phannies, and you know, changed fandom, and now whenever they got mean ask they say something like 'I bet you're one of the phannies who still follow me for some reason' (like, what about the people you said you were friends with and why I can't follow you for the other fandom?)

I almost always unfollow people when they change fandoms. Like nothing personal babe I just do not give enough of a shit about marvel or kpop or Minecraft to let you clog up my dash with it. There were a couple ex phannies I kept following after they changed fandoms purely because every once in a while they would talk some shit and it was funny, but for the most part, if I’m seeing more kpop girlbands than dnp posts, we are going to respectfully part ways

[angelmichelangelo]

Was your recent post to do with the awards by any chance

not in a bad way, no! of course, there’s nothing wrong with having some fun with things like awards and competitions - i think it can be really exciting for new writers in the phandom for sure! but at the same time it’s important to stress that awards do not determine your talent and worth in phandom! i really don’t wanna make a downer on the people that are excited about having a fic of theirs come in first place (because it’s still exciting so yay go them!), but i think it’s always important to remind people that those award things really do not do the writers of this phandom the right amount of justice from how hard everyone works and how much effort and love is our into each fic!! and that is absolutely no shade at all to the people that run the award accounts whom i’m sure work really, really hard as well! i think if they tried to cover allll phanfic bases, they’d be working double the amount which, in all honesty, wouldn’t be fair to them - so major kudos to them!! an award for them, too!

basically what i’m trying to say is: you’re obviously allowed to enjoy these things because it makes you feel good and happy and excited, but also know that it’s just for fun, and like i said before which is: everyone deserves an award because you’re all brilliant and you should remind yourself of that if you’re feeling maybe a bit down and unenthusiastic about writing, because fanfics really are a gift, and i know i am for sure, super appreciative of them and the writers 🤍

[campdnp]

Day 2: Arts and Crafts Day

hello campers!

today's activity is... arts and crafts! that's right, it's time to get creative. bust out the pens, pencils, paint and graphics tablets, even if you don't think you're good at art!

this activity will work a little differently than most others this week. rather than just having one set thing for you to complete, there will be one main task, and then several optional side tasks! this gives you a bit more flexibility, since we know some people aren't the biggest art fans.

first, here is your main task!

Main Task

every camp, we try to do a collaborative art piece! this means that we take an image, split it up, and give each tent a section to complete together. then, at the end, we'll put all of the sections back together to make a final piece! do try to give this one a go, the end result always looks amazing!

this camp, we've chosen to do one of norman, dnp's late fish. your tent will be assigned a section number on discord, so keep an eye out in your tent chat in our server! when you are given your section, work together with your tent to colour/design it, including the background! here's the full image to help you know where your section fits:

if possible, we would love your piece to be submitted by the end of today, but if you're unable to finish it by then, just get it in as soon as you can! it can either be submitted here, or by pinging the admins in your tent’s discord channel.

and now, here are your optional side tasks! feel free to do as many or as little of these tasks as you like :)

Side Tasks

1. phil's had some hydration-themed merch and some norman-themed merch, but he's yet to have coral reef merch... until now! have a go at designing some reefy merch for phil. feel free to be as creative as you like - what about a coral reef plant pot? or a yo-yo?

2. y'know who else hasn't had coral reef merch? dan! try to design some for him! maybe the fish in this coral reef don't want to talk to you, or maybe dan's written a new book - you will get through this pollution. it's up to you!

3. this one isn't so dnp-themed, but it's a fun activity that we do almost every camp... design a flag and/or tentsona for your tent! for example, lobster tent's sona could be a lobster wearing dnp merch, and their flag could be a gradient with little lobsters and a tent motto!

4. how about having a go at a coral-reef-themed moodboard? you could theme it around your tent name, include your tent members' icons, or of course focus it on dan and phil!

5. and, last but not least, we could never forget you writers! we'd like you to have a go at writing some coral-reefy phanfic. maybe dan and phil go on holiday and visit the great barrier reef, or maybe they meet for the first time in an aquarium! feel free to make this as short or as long as you want, and interpret the coral reef prompt in any way you like.

and as dan and phil once said... don't cry, craft!

- the admins <33

(p.s - if you haven't already submitted your tent's two truths and a lie. please do so by 5pm BST, as we will be making the full post of them for people to guess shortly after! this is only two hours away, so if you're the only active one in your tent, you may just want to do this one yourself!)

[helena-edits-in-real-time]

5, 8, 26 & 30 for the writers asks! <3

Hi!

5. since how long do you write?

So I mean technically my first experiences with fanfic were writing phanfic on wattpad in like 2014-2015 (god I’m so sorry), but then I got back into it, mainly with Lucifer and 24 and AO3 when I started watching both of those shows in 2019. 

8. what time are you most productive?

I mean in general, I’m an early bird, like to get up around 6, in bed around 9. In terms of fic though? I like to sit down and write in huge blocks, if a fic idea starts eating at me, I’ll write it and write it until I get it out! Normally that’s during the day, but sometimes I’ll furiously write down ideas if they come to me on a sleepless night (aka how The Devil and Jack Bauer was born)

26. story you’re most proud of

ooooh they’re all my babies but I’ve definitely got favourites. Personally, TDAJB is something I’m pretty proud of, in terms of figuring out the logistics of combining the two universes. But that was something I started pretty early in my return to writing, so Tony Almeida: Redemption (the last one), as well as the bonus Loop #212 which is linked to that, are ones I like more.

Also pretty proud of For Good and Picking Up the Pieces, I liked the emotional connections I got to work with looking at Tony and Chloe’s friendship.

And not to shamelessly self-promote, but my currently being uploaded fic Call Me By My (Real) Name is something I’m quite proud of, mainly since (as far as I know), Michelle x Renee is not a pairing I’ve seen done anywhere else. 

30. hardest part of writing

For me, I personally feel like writing emotional, character-specific dialogue is a strength of mine. So the hardest part of writing is all the in-between bits. The Butterfly Effect was such an ordeal because it was over a long period of time, so the action scenes, and parts where I was essentially transcribing dialogue from the show were really hard, and I wasn’t motivated. Action scenes in particular are so so hard for me. And the sad thing is, I do martial arts, so combos and fight sequences should in theory come easily to me, but alas, not in writing.

Thanks for asking! <3

[succubusphan]

The Monster Bunch

Summary: Omega Dan and Alpha Phil take their kids trick or treating.

Rating: PG-13

Tags: Omegaverse, Parent phan, Fluff, Trick or treating, Halloween costumes.

Word Count: 2.3k

A/n: This fic was written for the 2020 Phanfic fall exchange from the writer’s discord as a gift for @filisaceaf, thank you so much for being such a good friend and making me smile every day. thank you for the amazing fics as well. Thank you to @thoughtathought for being a great beta.

Read on ao3

Dan stirred in his sleep but kept his eyes closed. Whatever was moving on top of him was conspiring to wake him up. The small creature bounced on his bed and on him and giggled.

 “Da-addy!” The little voice said. 

 Dan groaned inwardly; he didn’t want to give up on sleep yet.

 Someone whispered: “Natalie, don’t bounce on daddy, he had to stay up with your baby brother.”

 The little creature stopped moving. “But Papa, I’m a princess. I want daddy to see my dress.”

 “He will see your princess dress when he wakes up, I promise. Just give him some time.”

 “Ok, Papa.” The little one sighed and climbed out of bed.

 “Good girl. Now come on, you can help me feed little Nigel.”

 Dan smiled and sighed in relief, he just needed ten more minutes. He could trust his alpha with the kids for ten more minutes. 

 --

 Two hours later Dan finally joined the world of the living and went downstairs to see what everyone was up to. He leaned against the door frame watching Phil already prepping lunch and Natalie drawing beside Nigel and telling him all about her art. Nigel was absolutely mesmerized by his older sister and the stuff she was showing him, gurgling with wide eyes and flapping his little hands. 

 “Good morning!” Dan said, finally entering the kitchen and pressing a kiss to Phil’s lips.

 “How are you feeling?” Phil asked, looking at him carefully. It made Dan feel equally defensive and loved. Phil had been treating him as if he was made out of glass ever since Nigel was born. It had been a complicated delivery, but he was fine, really - even his doctor agreed with him. He trusted his body to be wise and his heats had just returned.

 “I feel great. I was just a bit tired,” Dan smiled. “Thank you for letting me sleep in.” Dan placed his hand on Phil’s shoulder and let it softly trace down to his hand until he could lace their fingers together.  

 Phil squeezed Dan’s hand before letting go to hold the pan, stirring quickly. “It’s the least I could do,” Phil waved the compliment off but the small smile on his lips let Dan know that it was still important to him, even now, to know that he was doing as good of a job as Dan. He never wanted to be one of those uninvolved Alphas who barely knew how to treat their children or help around the house.

 Dan gave him another kiss before turning to his children. Natalie was frozen in her seat with her crayon in mid-air. She was learning about not interrupting grown-up conversations unless something needed urgent attention - as well as the concept of urgent, which sometimes failed, but she was honestly such a smart girl. Dan sometimes got teary-eyed just looking at her, knowing that Phil and he created her; that she was theirs.

 Dan gasped and put a hand on his chest. “Oh my goodness. Who is this little princess I see?”

 “It’s me daddy, Natalie!” She giggled and ran towards him, hugging his thighs for a brief moment before putting her little hands in the air in a silent plea. 

 Phil gave him a warning look but Dan smiled and picked his daughter up. It was time to cover her in kisses, like every morning. She squealed in delight as he kissed her and once she had gotten enough kisses for a lifetime, she kicked her little legs. “You look absolutely Enchanting, Princess Natalie.”

 “Thank you, daddy!” She said with a little vow.

 “You’re welcome.” Dan put her back down and walked towards his youngest child. “Baby,” he said, extending his arms to Nigel, who was already gurgling and making grabby hands at him with a still toothless smile. He picked his son up and nuzzled his face, causing Nigel to close his eyes and drool even more than before. They both enjoyed the quiet cuddles every morning - it was their special bonding time. “Good morning, my love,” Dan whispered. 

 “Goo,” Nigel replied.

 Dan turned around and caught Phil staring with a goofy smile. “Is something burning?” 

 Phil’s face transformed. “Shit!” He turned around and stirred the pan furiously. “It’s fine, it’s fine. It was just sticking a bit.”

 Dan approached the stove and looked over Phil’s shoulder. He was right, he had caught it just in time, but it was a close call. Still, Dan smiled teasingly. “If you say so, babe,” he said with a one shoulder shrug.

 “Shit!” said Natalie, looking at them expectantly.

 Dan turned towards her with wide eyes. “Natalie!”

 “But Pappa said it,” she pouted. 

 “Yes, but Pappa had a potty mouth - and he’s going to be grounded for that.”

 “Can you ground Pappa?” Natalie asked in shock.

 Dan nodded exaggeratedly. “Yes, of course I can. Especially when he’s being naughty.”

 “But-” Phil whined.

 “No buts. You will have to eat less candy today and let Natalie choose your costume.” Dan chastised him. 

 “Yesss!” Natalie said, throwing her hands up in excitement, but soon turned towards Dan with a mischievous look. “Is your costume ready, Daddy?”

 “I’m not going trick or treating this year, love. We can’t take little Nigel out for so long.”

 “But - but… we always go together,” She said, her eyes already filling up with tears.

 Phil crossed his arms and thought for a moment. He snapped his fingers and said: “I think we can all go as a family for a little while and if Nigel gets fussy, daddy can bring him back home and we can continue, what do you guys think?” 

 Neither Natalie nor Dan looked sure about that but Dan finally caved and extended his hand toward his daughter. “Deal!”

 Natalie smiled widely. “Deal - deal deal deal!” She jumped up and down before shaking her dad’s hand. 

 Phil clapped his hands. “So…” He said in a mysterious tone. “Are we ready to reveal the family costumes?” He wiggled his eyebrows. 

 “Yayyyy,” squealed Natalie.

 Dan frowned. “But, I don’t have a costume,” he pouted.

 “Don’t be silly, of course you do.” Phil winked awkwardly and took Natalie’s hand. They walked together towards the mudroom and fetched four different hangers.

 Natalie grabbed an all black outfit and gave it to Dan. “Daddy, I chose this for you.”

 Dan nodded and started examining the clothes. Phil had a definite hand in the selection of this. A black silk shirt that would fit just tight enough, ripped skinny jeans - extra ripped - and black combat boots. Before Dan could even say thank you, Natalie slipped a tube of red lipstick in his hand. “This too daddy. You look pretty in red.”

 “Thank you, my lady… but I have one question: what would this costume make me?” Dan inquired.

 “A cute vampire! Like Spike!”

 “Oh, like Spike. I see.” Dan squinted his eyes at Phil who was pretending not to notice. 

 “And this is mine!” Natalie said, showing him a green velvet dress with intricate gold details and fake lacing paired with a long-haired red wig. “Can you do my hair? I want curls!”

 “You have curls, just not red,” Dan smiled. “But of course, do we know if this wig is natural hair?” Dan asked, more to Phil than anyone else. 

 “Of course, I asked the ladies at the store.” Phil smiled.

 “Ok. And what are you wearing, Papa?” Dan asked with a wink. 

 “I am the zombie from Hocus Pocus,” Phil said, displaying a very Victorian looking outfit that would surely need to be muddied and ripped.

 “Nigel is Binks!” Natalie said, holding up some baby-sized crocheted black cat ears. They were attached to a crochet headband to hold them in place.  

 Dan took them with a huge smile and put the headband on his son. “Aaaawwww! Oh my god! What a good idea, Nat.” He turned around to give Phil the full view and found him already pulling up his phone camera.

 “Daddy, don’t call me that,” She chastised him. “I’m five now. I’m a big girl.”

 Phil took a few pictures with Natalie crossing her arms in a little huff and Dan smiling at her with a lopsided catboy in his arms.

 “That’s true, but you’ll always be our little girl in our hearts,” Dan said. 

 “Always, always, always,” said Phil tickling Natalie.

 --

 By the time they were ready to go trick or treating, Dan was ready to sleep for a freaking week. He spent two hours curling the red wig and styling it into a puffy hairdo - with like two cans of hairspray - and an hour making Phil’s costume look like he had been buried. Then, he had to do Phil’s makeup, which Phil hadn’t accounted for, but it did complete the look and lastly, styling his hair into neat curls with his outfit and lipstick. A few buttons seemed to have gone missing while he was in the shower but both Natalie and Phil shrugged it off. 

 Nigel had crawled through the chaos on the floor and chewed on his cat ears so they had to be emergency washed and blow dried - yes, with the hair drier. 

 With all the candy bags and the stroller ready, and the security measures recited by Natalie, they were out the door.

 Natalie skipped down the pavement just ahead of them and turned around to check that they were still with her every time she approached one of the houses. 

 When they rang the first doorbell, a man dressed in a tacky satan outfit opened the door and gasped before kneeling in front of Natalie. “Winifred Sanderson, is that you?!” He asked dramatically.

 “Yes, Satan! It’s me!” Natalie giggled. “Do you have candy?”

 Dan blushed at the bluntness of his child. Always straight to the point, just like her papa. 

 “Natalie,” Phil said, sounding completely appalled. 

 “Oh, don’t you worry, I was saving the candy for the right witch!” The man said in a conspiratorial tone. 

 Satan gave Natalie too much candy. Dan frowned at him, but the man just waved him off and said it was to share with the family, especially with the little kitten. 

 The rest of the night was quite relaxed. They walked slowly, enjoying the evening breeze and chatting shortly with their neighbours. The surprise came almost at the end of the journey when they rang the doorbell of Natalie’s friends. A very rumbustious set of twin girls, one wearing a very long blonde wig and the other with a black wig styled into small ringlets. 

 “Wini!!” They yelled as soon as the door opened. 

 Natalie ran towards them and gave them a hug which they promptly returned. “Sarah, Mary! Sisters! Have you seen my Boooooooooooooook?”

 A small chihuahua wearing a book costume came rushing to the door and licked Natalie’s face. The three girls made their best attempt at a witch laugh.

 “How did you guys do that?” Phil asked. 

 The girls’ dad opened the door wider. “That’s the name of our dog,” he smiled tiredly. “They sure love that movie.” He took a sip of a colourful drink with a pink umbrella. “Want some grownup punch?”

 Both Dan and Phil shook their heads no.

 “Can I have some?” Natalie asked.

 “Mmmmmnope, but you can have a soda.” The man turned to them. “Would you guys like to come in and take a seat?”

 Dan was really, really struggling to remember the guy’s name but no such luck. “Uh, no thank you… I’m afraid our little kitten has had enough for today.”

 “Aw, that’s a shame.” The man touched Nigel’s nose and made a “Boop!” sound that made him smile briefly before he settled back to frowning. “Do you think Natalie could sleepover with the girls? I’m hoping they will tire each other out after the sugar rush.”

 “Papa, Daddy, may I? Pleeeeease?” 

 “Um, I don’t know. Daddy, what do you think? Phil asked, looking at Dan amusedly. 

 Dan knew that tone very well so he smiled widely. “Absolutely. You can stay the night and Sarah and Mary can come to our house to play tomorrow after breakfast too. Would that be alright?” Dan asked the girls’ dad. 

 The man looked like he was about to cry with joy at the prospect of a day free of children. “Yes, yes. That would be lovely. Thank you.”

 --

 Back home, Dan set little Nigel down after his bottle and went in search of his husband.

 He found Phil pouring two glasses of Rosé. 

 “Hey,” Dan said, looking at Phil from under his lashes and tracing his fingers on his own collarbone.

 “Hey,” Phil smirked and pulled Dan closer by the belt loops on his jeans. They melted into a heated kiss, red lipstick staining their faces, but soon enough Phil pushed at Dan’s chest.

 “I would like to have a drink with my vampire lover before bed,” Phil said.

 “I knew this was some sort of roleplay,” Dan said, but cleared his throat and got back into character. “I am afraid that won’t be possible, pet,” Dan said, running his fingers down Phil’s neck. “I’m afraid I will only be able to drink from you.” 

 Phil raised his eyebrows questioningly. “And why would that be?” he whispered salaciously. 

 Dan grabbed Phil’s hand and kissed each of his fingertips before guiding it down and placing in on his stomach. “I’m afraid I must abstain from alcohol for some time.”

 Phil’s eyes widened and so did his smile. “Another one?”

 Dan nodded. “And everything is going well. My doctor has already checked me over.” 

 He barely had time to finish the sentence before Phil kissed him lovingly, almost reverently. 

 “So, about that drink...” Dan smirked as he sank to his knees before his husband. Phil let out a laugh that soon turned into a moan.

[americanphancakes]

P U T cos i wana spell a little word

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?) omg I like... I guess I do the equivalent of building like a garden trellis and planting some flowers & ivy & bougenvillia and letting it take over the trellis.... and then I like, end up moving the trellis and adding to it cuz the flowers just really want more area to take over and i’ve basically just let the plants start to run the show. Basically I TRY to be an architect but the garden just does whatever the heck it wants in the end. XD

U:  Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

Can I lump alittledizzy and waveydnp into the same person? their current joint project is legitimately making it easier for me to get up in the morning four days a week and it’s something my friends and I are bonding over in our gc so while I usually avoid “big” fic writers for questions like this, it would be a lie to omit them.

@sierraadeux has just given such consistently solid output honestly. EXTREMELY high quality conversational-style writing that my ADHD ass finds VERY easy to read. The attitude comes across so well. Just really good stuff, and unique in its voice. And I PROMISE THIS IS NOT A COPOUT I WOULD HAVE SAID THIS IF ANYONE ASKED BUT... Fictropes. I’m not kidding. Can We Try Again, gay cupcakes, 7 letters... you’ve put some REAL good shit out there and every fic you upload is better than the one before it. So there’s that! (but also OF COURSE @intoapuddle, @yikesola, @judearaya, @parentaladvisorybullshitcontent, @chickenfreeblog, @calvinahobbes,   @silentdescant, @natigail, @graydar, @succubusphan, @capriciouscrab, and even @thoughtathought who hasn’t done much yet but blew me away with King of the Queens and has held my attention ever since. Because I seriously can’t just pick three are you kidding me lol)

T:  Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

Honestly the only phandom fic trope that bothers me (if you can call it a trope) is strict adherence to “canon” above & beyond what was made or kept public on purpose AFTER dnp kinda blew up in popularity and they knew their audience size. References to The Video Which Shall Not Be Named make me feel like I’m reading a friend’s diary pages and that bothers me. To a lesser degree, references to questions they answered & dan’s dailybooth account kinda bug me a bit, but not as much as That Video. Also any reference to their whereabouts on a given date if they didn’t personally announce they were there, but luckily that doesn’t come up in fic much.

Basically, to me what’s “canon” when it comes to “canon-compliant” phanfic is up to dan and phil and should be based on what they tell the public (and, to clarify, to me when you only have a few hundred dailybooth or twitter followers that’s not really “telling the public”, that’s letting acquaintances know what you’re up to, so to me that earlier stuff doesn’t count as “canon” unless dnp have explicitly mentioned it since).

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Fics That Will Leave You Wanting More Masterlist

bruising the sun (ao3) - waveydnp

Summary: the bedsharing friends to lovers roommates au i was always destined to write

Charlotte (ao3) - dannihowell (iguessicantry)

Summary: When Dan's little sister needs a home, he and Phil offer a place to stay.

finding light in the dark places. (ao3) - commonemergency

Summary: They’re all connected in some way. All have their own stories to tell. If Dan were a better person he’d get to know them more but he always feels like something is holding him back. So they just continue to work in each others spaces, creating things out of dough and making better things with icing. Donna’s slogan is that everything was made with love but he thinks that’s just because she made this thing—they’re just the hands that give it out to other people. One day, Dan thinks, he’ll hope to feel that passionate about something again. Or a story about grief and loss, found family, donuts, and first love.

First Impressions (Perhaps I Was Wrong) (ao3) - Ablissa

Summary: Phil Lester goes back to university for his third year, expecting to live in the dorms with his childhood best friend PJ. That’s how it’s been for the past years, after all. However, due to a mistake of some sort, he finds himself with a new roommate to spend the semester with.

Daniel Howell, three years his junior, has rich brown eyes, a laptop to hide them behind, and not more than two words to spare in Phil’s direction. Phil is no fortune teller, but he foresees the upcoming months will be filled with a whole lot of awkward silence.

Unless, of course, Dan proves him wrong…Could one little mistake lead to something entirely life-changing? Perhaps it could. After all, nearly everything changes when Phil meets Dan.

Flatmates (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: oh my god they were flatmates / the fuckboy!phil au we all deserve

fortune cookies (ao3) - oqua

Summary: Dan goes with Phil to celebrate Father's Day with the Lesters, and suddenly all his complicated feelings about his own parents come bubbling to the surface.

Basically 11k words of Dan being angsty and the Lesters being wonderful.

If You Don't Love Me, Pretend (ao3) - phantasticworks

Summary: All his life, Dan has wanted to have the chance to be a parent someday. He would be the best parent that ever existed, he was sure of it. Fostering might not be the most traditional way on the road to parenting, but Dan's dead set on doing it anyway. But, well, it would be easier with a co-parent, right?

the bed-sharing, fake relationship, friends-to-lovers, parent fic i was desperate to read; when i shouted into the void and was met with silence, i decided i'd do it myself

Monochrome (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: When you build your life out of fear that your mental illness could worsen, it leaves little room for excitement. Luckily, Dan has found a space online where he feels comfortable.

Problematic - realityisnoplacetolive

Summary: Late one night, Dan stumbles across the blog phanfic and is captivated by the reality tag. He wonders, if these writers had access to a few more choice details about his and Phil’s relationship, just how close to reality could they get? He decides to find out.

slutville, population two (ao3) - dayevsphil

Summary: Dan and Phil both have reputations for sleeping around. Their friends don't think they could hold down a relationship if they wanted to. Sounds like a challenge to them.

In Dan's defense, tequila makes anything seem like a good idea.

Strictly Come Dancing but make it GAY (ao3) - natigail

Summary: @danielhowell: maybe i’d actually consider doing @bbcstrictly if they allowed same-sex couples. who wouldn’t want a sexy man spinning you around? it’s not just a girl’s dream. c'mon people let's see some pretty and fierce girls pair up and handsome and strong boys get it on. i dare you.

Dan Howell calls Strictly out on Twitter for not allowing any same-sex couples and accidentally volunteers himself to be one of the contestants if they were to change that. It was a joke. It had so clearly been a joke. Why did they take him up on it?! He’s sure he’ll trip over his own feet and hate every second, but then he meets his partner, the endearingly clumsy dancer Phil Lester.

they grew up so nicely, didn’t they? (ao3) - natigail

Summary: Cornelia doesn’t just get a boyfriend when she starts dating Martyn, she gets a whole second family too. Kath and Nigel welcome her with open arms and she becomes a pseudo older sister to Phil.

She is there watching from the sidelines as a boy bolts right into Phil’s heart and sets up camp. She gets to watch as Dan and Phil build careers and an internet community and all the trials and tribulations, as well as the pride and happiness, it brings along.

Those Who Trust - theshyauthor

Summary: Dan used to be a submissive and now he’s just a broken shell of a man.

Time's Tide (ao3) - intoapuddle

Summary: All men have secrets, and Phil won't let his own be known. But even in 1984's Manchester there is another person that understands.

too far to walk alone (ao3) - chickenfree

Summary: “The hazelnut stracciatella,” he says, as always. They might or might not have a bet in the shop about whether he’ll ever vary.

where we belong (ao3) - parentaladvisorybullshitcontent

Summary: “Only you,” Martyn says.

“Only me what?”

“Only you could end up stranded in the middle of nowhere with a gay author who writes gay books. Jesus Christ, Phil.”

In which Phil is snowed in with nobody but the mysterious dark haired author next door for company.

[quercussp]

What are your absolute favourite dnp fanfiction??

that is an impossible question to answer!! i love so many fanfics! writers in the phandom are so insanely talented, there’s no way i could narrow it down to 20 favorites, let alone 1!

i do have some rec lists from way back when i still had time to read fic, so you can try looking up #fanfic rec on my blog to find them.

unfortunately i haven’t read phanfic in a long time, i’m just overwhelmed with so much stuff, so i feel i’ve kind of gotten behind on it. which is a shame because i know that absolutely amazing things are being written as we speak. hopefully i’ll get to them some day:) 

[evilovesyou]

WRITER QUESTIONS

@so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed is lovely and wonderful and she tagged me to do this. 

1. when did you start writing?

Fanfic? When I was like 12 or 13 so... 10 years ago? First time I actually published something was only July 2019 though. I always loved writing in school too so if that counts then probably ever since I learned how to write. 

2. what fandoms do you write for?

One Direction. I have a Phanfic saved somewhere from when I was like 16, but... I’ve pretty much only written 1D fic. 

3. do you write better in the morning or night?

I don’t really mind tbh. I’ve been writing in the mornings a lot with Mia @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed but I’ve pretty much written at any time of the day. 

4. what music do you listen to while writing?

Lofi hip hop beats, classical music, soundtracks... Anything that doesn’t have words, basically. And I turn the volume so far down that I can barely hear it. Or I just don’t listen to anything at all. 

5. what do you/plan to major in at college?

LMAO!! I don’t think I’ll ever go to University tbh. I went to fashion school though and I plan to take the tailor master’s exam in the near-ish future. 

6. do you write an outline before writing a story?

Depends on the length of the story. I need to know where I’m going and what the goal is. Especially with long fics, I like to talk about it to friends and then I write down bullet points. I don’t glue myself to them though. Sometimes my fingers take me somewhere else and that’s okay. 

7. do you write multiple stories at one time or only focus on one?

I like to focus on one, but I do have a bunch of WIPs that I dropped in favour of writing something else/something new.

8. do you write every day?

Oof, no. I’ve been very good about writing on the weekends, but when I’m not feeling it, I sometimes take a break for a few weeks at a time. Doing word sprints on the BB discord has been really motivating me though so I’ve been writing at least 2 days a week for the last two months or so.

9. what are your goals for your stories? (& do you want to become a published author one day?)

I want to write something that makes people forget about the world and their troubles for a while and I want them to feel something when they read it. I want to move people and give them an escape. I don’t think becoming a published author is high up on my list of priorities... It’s not something I’ve ever really aspired to do, but I wouldn’t rule it out. 

10. favourite work of yours?

I have to give a shoutout to Point. Drop. Call. here, just because I still think it’s the most evocative thing I’ve ever published. But Must be the Season of the Witch is very underrated I think. I just had such a good time writing it and the feedback I’ve gotten is great, but I guess I never realized that not that many people read girl!direction? 

I’m gonna tag @disgruntledkittenface @lululawrence @hazzabeeforlou @reminiscingintherain @fallinglikethis and @beau-soleil-louis <3

[keysmashchronicles]

fics that don’t fit the mould - part 1

Having considered some phanfics that broadly follow the universal plot as outlined in The Seven Basic Plots, what about the fics that don’t? What about drabbles, or slice of life domestic fluff, or pwp for example? These types of fics don’t meet the criteria that the Seven Basic Plots sets out for a ‘successful’ story, but are the concepts explored in the book still useful in helping to explain why they capture our attention?

The two elements of the universal plot are defined as follows:

The growth and development of the main characters as they face a series of challenges or struggles, develop into better versions of themselves and essentially ‘earn’ a happy ending at the end of the story

A series of alternating states of tension and release, building in intensity until they reach a final climax

How do shorter fics which don’t follow this pattern directly still make use of these concepts to entertain and engage the reader?

Fanfic often doesn’t need to make use of traditional story structures because it is able to rely on context. In other media, showing character development takes time. You have to first establish your characters, showing the reader/audience what they are like at the start of the story, then you need describe the events that start to shape their lives before you can finally start to show their impact and how the characters have changed as a result.

However with fanfic, a lot of this work has already been done and the fic writer shares this common body of knowledge with the reader. The characters have been established; the arc of their narrative is well known. The writer doesn’t need to go into detail setting up the back story and can simply dive straight into telling their story.

Now, of course, a fic writer can choose how faithful they will stay to the original work, which elements they will keep and where they will take their writing in a new direction. These known quantities can be played around with in so many different ways, but even if the writer chooses to subvert them, they are still writing based on the understanding that readers will have them in mind as they react to their fics.

So if we’re reading a fic which is a short character study, or a slice of domestic life, we can see where these would stories fit into the overall structure of the source material (which will itself almost certainly have made use of the those basic elements, if we’ve reacted to it strongly enough that we’ve gone out to seek fanfic related to it).

As a result, the fact that these fics don’t themselves use the universal elements does not detract from our enjoyment of them. We know the characters well, and are aware that they have already faced or will come to face difficulties and struggles, and we know that they grow and change and develop as a result. So we bring this knowledge into our reading of the fic, we fill in the blanks around what’s actually on the page.

When it comes to phanfic and other RPF, this idea of source material is a little different from fiction-based fandoms, and I’ll write more about that in later posts. But there is the same sense of a shared body of knowledge about Dan and Phil’s real lives which serve as a backdrop for the fictional versions of them that are created by phanfic writers (and I consider all versions of them in phanfic to be fictional versions, no matter how closely a fic might follow real life events - that’s what differentiates fic from speculation).

Consider a fic where Dan and Phil are just hanging out in their apartment being cute and silly and in love, one that’s set after they’ve both come out. You can simply take fics like this on face value, say that the universal plot doesn’t really matter here, that they don’t need to follow rules or structures and we can enjoy them because it’s uplifting to read about a couple who are being happy, supportive and affectionate. But on consideration, there is actually more to these fics than meets the eye because we’re not reading them in isolation, but within a broader context.

If two characters meet, get together and live happily ever after without ever having any obstacles to overcome, there’s a limit to how engaging that might be to us as readers. A story like these might suffer from a lack of those requirements of the universal plot. But it’s a very different experience to read a fic about two characters enjoying their lives together while considering that in order to get to that point, these fictionalised versions of Dan and Phil will probably have faced similar challenges to their real life counterparts, such as bullying, homophobia, internalised oppression, financial insecurity, anxiety about being outed, and difficulties with mental health, overwork and bereavement.

This context adds weight and depth to that domestic scene - it may not be referenced in the fic, but nevertheless it informs how we read it and makes it more meaningful. Before getting to this point problems will have been faced, risks will have been taken, difficulties will have been overcome and now finally the characters are getting to have their happy ending.

Considering these kinds of fics as part of a bigger story provides both the sense of growth and development referred to in the first element of the universal plot and also echoes of the alternating states of tension and release, success and struggle referred to in the second element, even when they aren’t present in the fics themselves.

getting specific with some fic examples - part 1 // when fics go bad