smallhobbit | Entries tagged with life on mars

Day 10 - In your own space, share your love for a trope, cliché, kink, motif, or theme. (Or a few!) Tell us what makes it work for you, and why it appeals to you so much. Talk about what you like to see in fanworks featuring that theme most. Feel free to include recs and examples!
In a word competency. I like my characters to be competent – yes, they make mistakes or things happen to them, but I want them to be good at their job. And I create OCs so there can be competent people around, because I dislike the trope where the main character(s) shines through because/in spite of the general incompetency, or because the higher ups deliberately act to block the characters.

Day 11 - Share a book/song/movie/tv show/fanwork/etc that changed your life.
It has to be Life on Mars, because that was what got me into fandom and fic writing. I’ve moved on from there, but the fun of writing and interacting with others remains.

Day 12 - In your own space, create a fanwork. Make a podfic, an icon, a sketch, a meta, or a rec list. Arts and crafts. Cross stitch. Draft an essay about a particular medium. Put together a picspam or a fanmix. Write a review of book you love, a ship manifesto, a you-should-be-listening-to-this-band essay. Create something
Here’s Crochet!Holmes
( crochet Holmes )
Day 13 - In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private.
For the last four years, I have made my goals in April, so I shall be continuing with this practice.

We've now finished with the seasonal fics and are into the new year. This is a crossover between Life on Mars (UK) and Person of Interest, featuring, of course, Gene Hunt, who remains as convinced his way of life is the best as ever. Thank you

talkingtothesky

The Missing Phone

I took part in the Multi-Fandom Drabble Exchange on AO3, which was great fun. It worked on the same basis as any exchange, with the ficlets all being drabbles. So nice and quick, with the possibility of writing treats and generally enjoying yourself.

I was very fortunate in receiving one gift and three treats. One of my requests had been for The Hobbit, Thorin Oakenshield/Bilbo Baggins, and I received my gift Growing Things, plus two treats, For You and Gems of the Garden. In addition I received Heatwave, a Forever treat.

I wrote a Life on Mars drabble Beware of Gene Bearing Drinks and a Call The Midwife pinch hit Speak Through the Earthquake, Wind and Fire. And then two treats, an anthropomorfic knitting drabble Fair Isle and another Call the Midwife drabble Learning from the Television.

The Drabble Exchange was new for me, but I've also recently taken part again in Not Prime Time, which is an exchange for medium sized fandoms, which are too big for Yuletide, but don't tend to have their own exchanges.

I received a Forever fic as a gift, Acts of Kindness and unaware of it managed to write a treat for my author in the same fandom: Abe's Bet. My own assignment was once more Call the Midwife, Even on Holiday. And lastly there was an irresistible Spooks Adam Carter/Lucas North prompt, which produced Under Surveillance. I chose to write a slightly different take on Adam and Lucas first working together, although somehow the final outcome may be similar.

I was discussing this theme on Twitter with

loz and said I had sufficient thoughts that I would write a blog post. And then promptly didn't - in part because that was the day I then went to see Titus Andronicus, which isn't condusive to such thoughts. But now it's come up again as the Trope for the Day on

ushobwri and

brumeier has asked for our thoughts. So no escape.

It's not a trope I'm that keen on, partly because two of the fandoms I belong to seem desperate to make it happen. Yes, one is Sherlock (principally the BBC version) and also Lewis. If that's the way you like things that's fine, I'm not saying it's wrong at all, just that it doesn't appeal to me. I have come across too many fics where the writer has contrived to bring the two together and suddenly it's wonderful. There are times when remaining as friends would be perfectly acceptable.

So where does that leave me, and my most written pairings? Which isn't to say I don't write other pairings for gift fics or for friends, but here I'm concentrating on my favourites.

My first fandom was Life on Mars - the UK version. And the classic Sam/Gene. They snark, they argue, they get to know each other better, and the relationship begins. Now it may be my age, or my outlook, but I don't see that the relationship has to immediately include sex, but this is more than just friends.

Onto BBC's Sherlock. I don't see Sherlock/John. John/Greg yes - they see each other in a professional context and realise they want to get to know each other better. For me it's fairly quick. I'm currently not writing this pairing. Sherlock/Stanley Hopkins - again a professional interest moves on to something deeper quite quickly - of course, this is Hopkins of the Met River Police, entirely my own creation based on ACD's Hopkins.

ACD Sherlock Holmes - Nothing will ever take Mary Morstan/John Watson away from me. This post-hiatus Holmes/Watson is one of my few real friends to lovers, but as the relationship is described only in the Sussex Retirement 'verse it all happened in the past, so doesn't really count as a trope. Watson reflects on the relationship in the first in the series A Quiet Retirement.

So to Lewis. I liked Laura Hobson/Robbie Lewis, until the series seemed to spoil it for me. In Oxford Tales I have Lewis and Hathaway working together and then moving in together, but there's never any description of how it happens.

Two of my other fandoms are both rare pairs. Adam Carter/Lucas North in Spooks - there's a spark between them from early on, it takes time to catch light because Lucas is mentally scarred, but it's more slow burn than friends to lovers (some might say I'm being pedantic, but they both know what's happening). And Guy/Much in Robin Hood (BBC) - in my world there's an instant attraction, and since I'm the only one who writes it, I can claim it's the only interpretation ;)

So no, as a trope friends to lovers doesn't particularly appeal. Friday's Trope of the Day on

ushobwri is Established Relationships and I shall be sharing my thoughts there ;)

Life on Mars was my first fandom. I've now drifted away, although the love of writing casefics remains with me. But I haven't abandoned the characters completely, so when

pushkin666 requested "Sam/Gene, Christmas carols" I had fun channelling my inner Gene Hunt.

Once in Loyal Gene Hunt's City

Today's ficlet is for

talkingtothesky who requested: "Life on Mars, Sam/Gene, 'I'll keep you warm.'"

I don't often write for the Life on Mars fandom these days, so it was fun being back with these guys.

Baby, It's Cold Inside

21: Sequels: Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?

I have. Legacy was followed by Sick Leave because I liked the set up and wanted to write more of it. Last year's

smallfandombang story A Difference of Opinion is being followed by this year's story, in that it's set about six months afterwards. And I suppose some of my series, "The Unexpected Family", "Co-operation" and "Sussex Retirement" are all in some ways sequeals.

Why do I do it? I like writing in the particular 'verses I've created and feel there are further avenues to be explored. I think this is particularly true for "Sussex Retirement" where, having created Holmes and Watson's cottage, gardener (and family) and housekeeper, I want to stay in their world.

22: Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?

Um, yes. This will be my third year of Small Fandom Big Bang (all Lewis fics) and I also wrote for

lifein1973 when they held one. Over the last few years I've participated in a number of fests, both Sherlock Holmes and Lewis as well as Life on Mars. My favourite fest had to be

acd_holmesfest which I had great fun in both writing and receiving.

I've taken a step back from participating in exchange fests at the moment. I've had experiences where what I've written hasn't been what my recipient wanted and equally I've received something which has made me wonder whether the writer has any idea of the sort of thing I like. This year I have written a pinch hit for

holmestice but here I knew who I would be writing for and at least this way they'll get something. I also beta-ed/Britpicked four of the stories (it was busy last weekend!)

23: When you post where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?

My main choice for posting is AO3.

fan_flashworks are posted to their site first, as per their rules and then when the challenge is finished to AO3.

sherlock60 is again posted to their site, and copied to AO3, this year as additional chapters of Entries in the Marylebone Monthly Illustrated.

comment_fic entries are posted directly as comments, sometimes I will post to AO3 separately later. And

watsons_woes may be posted directly to the community or to AO3 depending on whether it's a rapid prompt response or something I've worked on.

3. For each of the fandoms from day 2, what were your favourite characters to write?

Okay, well, let's be a little selective. Here goes:

Sherlock (BBC): Sherlock, John, Lestrade, Victor Trevor, Stanley Hopkins
Sherlock Holmes (ACD): Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson, Hopkins, oh and Mouselet and the Ocelot
Lewis: Robbie Lewis, James Hathaway, I'm also fond of DI John Garrett my OC
Spooks: Lucas North (no surprise there then!)
Robin Hood: Guy of Gisborne, Much
Life on Mars: Sam and Gene, but also Phyllis and Annie
The Hobbit: Thorin, Bilbo
Forever: Henry Morgan, Abe Morgan
Person of Interest: Finch, Reese and Bear
The Rake's Progress: Tom Rakewell, Nick Shadow
North & South: John Thornton
Almost Human: Kennex, Dorian
Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, Eeyore

And while we're talking about favourite characters, can I put in a plug for

older_not_dead which is currently looking for prompts for Proptathon 22 "Elements", because it's those prompts I am using for Sussex Retirement my ACD Holmes/Watson retirement series.

I've taken this meme from

canonisrelative because I'm always on the lookout for interesting things to blog about. I realise the idea is to write something every day for 30 days, but I won't be doing that. My answers will be spread out over a longer period and, depending on the length of the answer, will cover more than one day at a time.

So, to start at the beginning:

1: How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?

An interest in the Life on Mars community directed me to

lifein1973 and having read things for a while I decided to have a go myself.

There were so many opportunities within the stories - plenty of Sam/Gene slash, but also Sam/Annie was an acceptable pairing. Lots of hurt/comfort, but also plenty of humour - the programme leant itself to the sort of things I liked (and still like) writing. And of course there was also the possibility for case!fic, my other great love.

But it wasn't just the fandom which sucked me in. The comm itself provided the stimulus to write. I began with the weekly drabble challenge (and yes, I still write drabbles on a regular basis); and then there were the flashfic prompts (anyone sensing a theme?). In addition there was the Christmas exchange, p0rntober (I still can't write porn), and lastly the BigBang.

So basically it was a combination of the characters and the comm which got me into my first fandom and the joys of writing fics.

Full list of questions:
( 30 Days of fanfiction questions )

And here, just for you (because no-one else would want it) is: Gene Hunt and the Stoat.

Imagine a grassy knoll on which two figures can be seen, one larger and one smaller:

( Gene Hunt stretched his legs out )

Swiped from

hardboiledbaby because life is fairly normal and nobody wants to hear about my contact with local authorities trying to get funding.

Seven Days of Self-Promotion
Every day (consecutively or not), post about one of your fanworks:
1. Something old
2. Something new
3. Something you made for someone else
4. Something you made just for yourself
5. Something for a large fandom/pairing/character
6. Something for a small fandom/pairing/character
7. Something you're just really proud of

It won't be every day, but over the next few weeks I shall aim to write something.

Beginning with: Something old. Midsomer Mars
Written for the

lifein1973 Big Bang three years ago. The wordage was 12,500 and I wrote 12,501 words. It was the longest thing I'd written for a number of years and is still the second longest thing I've written. Unlike many on my flist, who regularly churn out 5,000 words before breakfast, there is for me a distinct air of achievement here.

It's a crossover between Life on Mars (Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt) and Midsomer Murders (Tom Barnaby and Ben Jones). Whilst set in the 1970s, as befits Life on Mars, I simply moved Barnaby and Jones back a few years, since village life hasn't changed a great deal. It was written just before we moved from a Gloucestershire village, and I took the opportunity to incorporate many of the idiosyncrasies of village life - so generally, the more bizarre the more likely it is to have happened. And

togsos artwork is not to be missed.

One of the things Drayce suggested when I was looking for prompts was "how I got into fandom". That's easy. When my father died, a few years ago, I stayed with my mother for nearly a week to sort out all the practical arrangements, as well as provide some support for her. Dad had been ill for some months, and by the end he had no idea where he was - at one point he was convinced he was in Hong Kong, where my mother said he had never been, although he was in the navy during the war and seemed to have sailed round most of the world - so to her his death, whilst sad was also a relief. Since, even in that situation, I needed an escape from my mother for a while, I delved into the Life on Mars fandom (being a fan of John Simm) and let the trivialities of the discussions take my mind off real life for a while.

Once home, and life had returned to normal, I remained with the fandom. I read fics. And then I decided that, as, many years ago, I had done some writing to entertain my colleagues, I would have a go myself. At that point I was considering doing a course that would have involved writing more than work emails and documents and I thought it would be a good idea to do some creative writing. I found that I enjoyed it and that there were people who liked it. So I carried on.

I started to get to know people, both over the internet and then meeting them in RL. My daughter (then a teenager) was concerned, having had it rammed into her head not to meet people who you only knew on the web. I pointed out that if anyone thought they were grooming me they would have a shock. And if you're going to pretent to be someone different, why on earth would you pretend to be a middle-aged woman? I made real friends, some of whom I'm still in contact with.

Slowly I moved over from Life on Mars, and various other projects John Simm had been involved with, into the Sherlock fandom. The advantage of a large fandom is that there are going to be people that share your non-fandom interests. (I'm not going into the disadvantages). I got to know more people, both on the 'net and in person. I go to the theatre with some of them and that's great, because they'll suggest something I hadn't thought about and probably wouldn't go with by myself. I can thoroughly recommend seeing "The Mousetrap" with a group from Sherlock fandom.

And now, apart, from my own small corner of Sherlock fandom, and here I should also add I've also made friends with people whose main interest is the ACD canon, I have added the Lewis fandom. I'm not so heavily involved, but I'm writing more fics, which I'm enjoying.

And that probably sums up fandom for me: it's somewhere I can go to enjoy myself and if, for whatever reason, I'm not enjoying it, I'll take a step back. I have met some great people and I look forward to meeting more, because without you lot the place just wouldn't be the same.

Fandom: Life on Mars
Title: Kittens
Rating: White cortina
Word count: 495
Notes: Daisy first appeared in There Was One Thing That Scared Even Gene Hunt

( Kittens )

Fandom: Life on Mars
Title: Who's A Pretty Boy Then?
Rating: Green cortina
Word count: 2,000
Notes: Written for ficathon 2012 on

lifein1973 Written for

nepthys_uk I hope very much that you like it
Prompt: Someone in drag, “Well, that was unexpected!”, a minor character of the author’s choice
Thank you to my beta

jinxed100

( You can all stop looking at me )

Fandom: Life on Mars
Title: A Drabble a Day or A Fic in a Week
Rating: Green cortina
Word count: 707
Notes: Written to celebrate six years of

lifein1973 and especially to thank the wonderful Mod

lozenger8
Thank you to my beta

jinxed100

( The week began on Monday )

A number of my flist seem to be doing this, so I thought why not? Therefore if anyone would like a Christmas/Yuletide/Festive ficlet please provide me with a prompt and I shall write something in response. It would be helpful if you specified which fandom you expected. Be warned though, food may well be involved at some point!

( You're about to view content that the journal owner has marked as possibly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 18. )

Title: Now you see it; now you don't
Rating: Green cortina
Word count: 1,050
Notes: Written for the

1973flashfic Conspiracy challenge, with thanks to my beta

jinxed100

( Now you see it, now you don't )

Title: The Pawnbroker
Rating: Green cortina
Word count: 1,150
Notes: Originally posted to 1973flashfic as part of the Redemption challenge, with thanks to my beta jinxed100

( The Pawnbroker )

Well, it's up. 12,500 words (yes I just managed the minimum)

For the fic see: Midsomer Mars

For the amazing artwork by

togsos see http://togsos.livejournal.com/117040.html

For anyone who wants to know, this is a gonk

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Various ramblings by the small hobbit

Five times a fortnight (or thereabouts)

Entries tagged with life on mars

Snowflake Challenge Days 10 to 13

Twelve Days of Christmas plus A Few for Talkingtothesky

Multi Fandom Drabble Exchange & Not Prime Time

Friends to Lovers?

The Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Four for pushkin666

Twelve Days of Christmas: Day Four for Talkingtothesky

30 Days of Fanfiction: Days 21, 22 and 23

30 Days of Fanfiction: Day 3

30 Days of Fanfiction: Day 1

Happy Birthday Togsos

Writing Meme

Thirty Days Meme: Day 10 - Fandoms

Kittens

Who's A Pretty Boy Then?

A Drabble a Day or A Fic in a Week

Christmas Prompts

One of Life's Little Mysteries

Now you see it; now you don't

The Pawnbroker

Midsomer Mars